Well I hate that this is only my second post, and I am being such a crybaby already, but geez, I am starting to wonder if it is worth it. Two solid weeks I have been watching every single thing I have eaten. Two solid weeks I have had between 1200-1500 calories per day. No cheating. No candy. No dessert. All healthy foods. I was gaining all kindsa inspiration from this board, reading it everyday...loving all the support

When I started two weeks ago, I was 209.8 lb. I forced myself to wait the entire two weeks before I stepped on the scale again. Finally, I was so excited the 2 weeks had passed, I stepped on the scale expecting great results! I was sure I had lost at least 5 lbs.!!

I weighed, after two weeks, 209.6 lbs.

What the heck is going on? I am sooo ready to throw in the towel. I guess I really don't expect anyone to have an answer. I just needed to vent. This isn't going to work.

Sometimes it takes time to come off on the scales. 2 weeks is nothing your body has to get used to a whole new way of being.

If you are finding calorie counting horrible maybe you'd be better on a plan like weight watchers or something.

WHat have you eaten - today for instance?

HEY!!! Stay with it!! Your are the same as me... I was here reading about how people lost 5 pounds in two days after starting... nope not me.

It was 4 weeks before I lost any weight. I stood on the scale one day... down 3 pounds! Stood the next day and down another two! That was last week and this week I am down another 1.8. Just give it time and don't give up!

And like someone told me... don't eat too little!

Just keep in mind that slow is good....You will keep it off longer if its done slow....Take your time.....Good luck

You aren't being a crybaby - losing weight is HARD. I'm so proud of you that you have been on plan for 2 weeks. Keep it up. You can do this. Think about it this way...what is the alternative if you don't? For me, the alternative is more weight gain. I don't wanna go there.

My suggestion is to find some kind of exercise that you can enjoy...start slow, maybe just walk for 10 minutes to start with. Exercise does so much for my mood and it burns calories, too.

Are you using a calorie tracking site like Fitday or Nutridiary? If you are, can you post a link so we can peek at what you are eating? Chicks around here are great at suggesting tweaks.

to you!

Well, let me start with the usual disclaimer of "I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV".

Perhaps your body took the sudden reduction in calories to mean "go into starvation mode and hang on to every last pound you can". Perhaps you are eating very different things that are causing you to retain water. Also, more info would probably help wiser heads than my own: what are you eating and when, are you exercising (cardio or weights or neither), are you on or near that time of the month, are you increasing your water intake, and what was your activity level before the start of diet vs now...??

Just as an example, here's the mistake I made. I started in January, thinking I was doing well, weight of 275. I stayed at 275 for a solid month. Toward the end of January I visited with my doctor and discussed what I was doing. Talking with her made me realize that I was lying to myself. I was eating smaller portions, better choices, and no dessert... but I wasn't really exercising and I was still eating some high sodium stuff and retaining water. I thought my portion sizes were "better" but they were really still a little too much. I was snacking too much on "good" stuff, like popcorn - with lots of salt. My "walks" were more like "crawls"; didn't get my heart rate up, didn't even break a sweat most of the time.

I do understand how frustrating it is. For that first month I really thought that I was just stuck and would never lose another pound again, that I had really finally screwed myself and my metabolism to the point that I would have no choice but to turn to The Surgery, which I am pretty frightened of. But I kept coming to my support boards and kept learning and kept getting motivated to keep exercising, and now I'm starting to see some results... only 12 pounds in 8 weeks, mind you, but it's 12 pounds less than I could be!

Good luck and please don't give up!

-Lala

Mudbugs, chin up! It has only been two weeks, you have to get in the mindset that this is going to be a change in the rest of your life or you will feel discouraged like you do now. If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing maybe you need to re-asses your plan, as you won’t stick with something you can’t stand.

I’ve been at this 6 months, and I haven’t been strict at all because it doesn’t work for me. I counted calories for a couple weeks, and while it was a wonderful learning experience just to know how to count calories and give me perspective my nutrition, I’m not the kind of person who will sit down every day for the rest of my life and enter everything that goes into my mouth on fitday.com.

Instead of giving up why you don’t look at what you’re doing that is working for you, concentrate on that for a while, and then stretch for other small changes gradually.

And if you’re not already, do get some exercise in regularly. It will do wonders for your mood and self esteem no matter what the scale says! You are worth this

dalai lala, i envy you!!! 12 pounds in 8 weeks!! that's great!! in eight weeks, i think i've lost about 5 pounds, maybe 6. I am not exactly on a one pound per week schedule. sure wish i could say i am. some weeks i get lucky and see one pound gone, the next week, it may still say that same weight as last week. i have not stepped on the scale to see 2 pounds gone in one week ever!!!

oh but mudbugs, you just have to keep going!! if you give up you'll never know what you could accomplish. just keep reading this site, and picking up things that you can apply to your life. and i firmly believe that excersize is the way to go. i am beginning to think i am not putting forth enough effort most days to lose more than a pound a week. so i am going to be trying to add more and more cardio on while at the gym and doing what i call "Practicing for the gym" on days i don't go to the gym. That means, i'll be at home in my front yard jumping up and down, doing jumpin jacks and running around my front yard and doing lunges across the yard for at least 30 minutes.

good luck and keep trying.

impossible princess--Ok, today til right now, I have had 2 cups of coffee with sweet n low and low fat creamer. Lunch was a cobb salad from McDonalds with lowfat vinaigrette dressing. And I have had 2 cans of caffeine free diet pepsi. So far, that's it. That's about what I have been having everyday ...then a lean cuisine for dinner.

Wow--you guys really are the cavalry. LOL...I feel better already.

Oh, another thing--it used to be easier to lose weight when I could bike ride or something active like that, but now I have arthritis in my stupid hip, so even a walk thru the grocery store about kills me, and I can't get ON a bike 'cause my hip just don't go that way anymore.

No Breakfast!!!?!?!?!?!?!? That is the most improtant meal especially when trying to lose weight!!!!!!!!


Oh and... DRINK WATER lots of it!!!! And... yah, eat more please! Good healthy stuff, like veggies - munch on them during the day. My fav is baby carrots and celery with salsa!

Doesn't sound like you are eating enough to me.

For example typical day for me - breakfast porridge or branflakes or something with skimmed milk

Lunch a light sandwich or jacket potato or soup

Dinner quorn (I'm veggie) with big plate of veggies

Probably some yogurt as a snack too or a little choccie and I have tea and coffee all day and low cal soft drinks.

Even though you can't exercise you should be having more than that really and be careful what fats you are eating I have no idea about lean cuisine but I'd look carefully at what is actually in it not just the cals. Look at the fats and stuff too.

Do you do any exercise at all for your hip, have you seen a physio or doctor who has given you anything for mobility?

Wellll, no I never ever eat breakfast. I always figured I wasn't hungry then anyway, so why add the calories?
As far as my hip, yup, I have been thru the doctors--they all say, "yes, you have a bad hip, you need a hip replacement. Call me when you are ready to do that. $50, please. Good day".

I am sorry for being so down. .I am always under the impression that everybody on a diet loses like 6 lbs a week, and here I am -- the lump that can't lose anything. Heck before I started this diet I used to have a couple candy bars a day sometimes, dessert all the time, pizza, hoagies--life was good! LOL--and now i am eating like a rabbit and I still weigh the same. Um, I guess patience is not one of my strong points.

Reading the posts here that some of you had it slow going at first too has given me the gumption to do this again next week. but so help me, if I step on that scale next Friday and I weigh 209.5 I am gonna lose my mind!

Breakfast is fuel for the day definitely worth eating I never used to eat brekkie.

Make sure you make your diet realistic. If you don't you won't stiick to it.

It might be worth you looking at doing some mild exercises to help your hip. I'm surprised you haven't been given any but I'm guessing your health service is very different.

Don't stand on the scale them. Wait another two weeks or even a month. Think skinny. Even if the scale doesn't show it or your pants feel the same it is working.

And I really recommend eating breakfast even if you are not hungry. It starts your metabolism and gets your day going. You REALLY need it. And rather then getting a Salad from Mcdonalds make your own at home. Add some tuna, or chicken, or something else you like. An average Salad from McDonalds has about 300 calories and 12 grams of fat without the dressing!

Add some fruit and veggies - you don't need to starve yourself!