I have lost 3.5 pounds since I started my diet 10 days ago... but then I added excercise and the day I did I stopped losing anything (cardio, not weights, 20 minutes to an hour a day). I have been at 148.8 for the past 4 days. I am keeping at 1200-1450 cals a day.

Am I doing something wrong or expecting too much? I know it is only a few days but I'm just trying so hard I want to see a change!

I know you wanna see it NOW NOW NOW...just give it time...

congrats on what you've lost so far. I know we all want it off FAST, but to truly lose fat, it should be slow and steady, around one to two pounds a week.

If you have a cloth (or plastic) tape measure, I urge you to measure yourself right away. Waist, chest, hips, upper thighs, upper arms. Then you will have measurements to track, as getting smaller (and healthier!) is the ultimate goal. The scale can be a meanie to us Measure once a month. Try hard not to hop on the scale when you're feeling hungry and "lighter"....if the scale doesn't show a loss, it's real easy to get discouraged at that point.

Your calorie counts are very sensible, and doing cardio is awesome! If you wanted to incorporate some weights in the future that would be very beneficial also.

Please don't get discouraged...keep on keepin' on! My first 10 pounds took almost 2 months....but then it accelerated after that. Everyone's different.

Thanks for the tips! Ithink Iwill measure myself. I hadn't thought of that. And it probably doesn't help that I make one of my meals a chocolate bar eh?

Mearuring yourself is great advice. You will often see results that don't show up on the scale.

I would also suggest that you not weigh quite so often. Weight can fluctuate by as much as a pound or two a day so it is easy to get discouraged if you happen to step on the scale during one of those times. Since our bodies work on more a "weekly cycle" it is best to pick one day of the week and weigh at the same time each week on the day you've chosen. In other words, your body doesn't metabolize food, utilize stored fat, or build muscle hour by hour or day by day. You will get a more accurate picture of your progress if you can stay away from that scale for 7 days at a time.

Good luck and congratulations on your weight loss so far! Keep up the good work!

Great advise from everyone, I have one more to add... take pictures... You'd be amazed at 1. How lumpy you really are back there... 2. Seeing the pics could put you on the straight and narrow and throw away that chocolate bar meal and have some healthy protein and carbs with a salad... 3. Last but not least, at times when you've worked hard with the weights and the cardio, and the scale does not move, you will definitely see progress in a picture! They ARE worth 1000 words or at the very least a few pounds on the scale ...

Also, be patient...

Thanks again! The scale budged an exact pound this morning. Funny too because I ended up upping my cals yesterday by eating a huge bowl of special K before bed.

I think I will take pics too. I don't think my hubby would object to taking a couple for me!

As for my daily weigh in - I would love to only do it once a week, but I just can't. It is like a present just sitting there - and I have to peek! But I am going to try to not eat any chocolate today. Whew. That makes me nervous!

Tanx again!

I know exactly what you mean about the scale. If mine is out I'll step on it every time I walk by - and get a different weight every single time. So, I have my husband hide it from me. It absolutely drives me crazy not having it to step on but at the end of the week when I see a substantial change (as opposed to 20 EMOTIONAL changes up and down throughout the week) I feel much better and glad I waited. I am glad you saw that pound drop - it is always so encouraging to see those numbers go down. Congratulations on your hard work and keep it up!

I threw my scales away. I go to the gym at work and have me weigh me once a week. It's too life absorbing otherwise and you feel your whole mood being dictated on what those little (or BIG) numbers say.

Muscle weighs a lot heavier than fat believe it or not. So while you may not be losing much weight on the scale, the tape measure should show a drop in sizes. I think you are doing very well. It takes a long time to get all the weight off. Wish it took just as long to put it on!!!

It is tru of Muscles -vs- Fat have a look at the pic in my signature...

I only weigh once a week the same day and the same time. You can get so hung upon the numbers, I did and it did a real number on me it is all I thought about was getting tothe 90lbs lost number oh I did get there I got to 92lbs lost yeah it didn't last long because my body had to fight to stay there, that is when my doctor upped my goal wt he said I had lost enough and my body was telling me that. Unfortunately I'm now trying to get back to my GW but I will.
Don't play the numbers stick to the good eating and exercise and weigh once a week only.

What I've noticed about this whole weight loss thing is that it's totally inconsistent. For instance, the first 7 days of this month I lost 6 pounds but it's taken me from then to now - 18 days - to lose 2 more. I have a problem with the scale too. In fact there've been times The Scale *echo,echo* has sent me out in the middle of the night to purchase several thousand calories because I was upset at the number I saw. I agree about counting more on measurements than weight. That's the whole point anyway.... to get smaller

Just hang in there Gia. It'll come off sooner or later if you're consistent. Don't give up!

You are all fabulous. I'm so glad I found this website!!. Thanks again for the support. It really helps!

Gia -- This site for me has been the best thing for support and motivation... Come back often there's always someone here to listen...