disheartened, unmotivated - nearly throwing in the towel

Im on day 9 of my slog. SW: 165  GW: 140

I eat a max of 1300 cals a day , most days im burning between 2500 & 2700. I am religiously doing 10000 steps a day, my nutrition is an A every day & guess what.................... i put on 2 lbs...........

I had lost 5lbs down to 160 & now ive put 2 back on so im back up to 162. Im eating like a mouse, my calves are like bricks from walking the roads.. What in Gods name am i doing wrong??? Please someone HELP... before I throw in the towel & wont be able to fit into the itzy bitzy bikini for the beach wedding...

I wonder if you are losing inches but gaining muscle which weighs more than fat?

This may be frustrating for weigh-ins but you are probably starting to look smaller.

Hey jennybyrne!

Don't throw in the towel!  I guarantee you you'll feel worse if you do!  I have been there, except I'm trying to drop over 50 pounds (down over 25 so far), and I hit that spot where I seemed to be gaining even when I was doing everything right. 

Have you tried using your measurements to give you motivation?  There were times when I was gaining, or at least not losing weight, but my measurements were still dropping, which helped me stick it out.  Maybe try that?  I measure myself once a week, so that I can really see the difference. 

Also, have you tried mixing up your diet?  If you eat a lot of salt that can cause you to retain water, or if it's getting close to your cycle.  Another thing I tried that helped was to go "low carb" for a couple days to jump start myself again.  Now, I didn't go Atkins low carb, but I tried to cut my normal carbs down to less than 100 grams.  It did boost my weight loss right before a recent beach trip.

I really hope this helps, but do stick with it!  I've never posted on here before, but I've been in your shoes recently and I know how hard it can be! 

I really don't think you are eating enough for your activity levels, maybe your body cannot handle that large of a deficit. Though, are you sure you are burning that much?

I plugged in your stats at phord.com/cc with 32 yrs old, 5'8, 162 and at moderately active (Moderate exercise or sports 4-5 days/week) - You'd need to eat about 1550 and you'd be burning about 2360- this would yield about 1.6 lb loss per week. *keep in mind- this is all estimates.* Sometimes the body just needs more food/fuel for a while then it will let go of the 'reserves.'

Keep in mind that you being tall and you are closer to your "ideal" weight for a 5'8 female so it will take a bit longer for you to lose as opposed to a 250lb 5'8 female, you know?

Eat more, be patient, don't give up! All trial and error until you know what works for you. :)

I've been feeling the same regarding my ups-and-downs and stand-stills, until I read a couple of the articles at this website; http://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/w eight/weight02.htm

Someone in another thread either at the forum or in a group I'm in linked to the site (or one specific article in it) and I followed and I feel so much better about it all after having looked through the website. They have more (through Home at the bottom of the page), but I linked you there because I found the most out of those articles there, even if they are not all focused on what you're looking for right now. Even if you end up not reading through all of the articles (I haven't either), I'd still totally rec the 'Why The Scale Lies' one.

That said, I really hope you won't throw in the towel. Try and not to focus too much on the scale and just keep at it. It takes some time for the body to start showing that you're doing something right, just as it does to show you that you're doing something wrong by gaining weight -- though unfortunately that goes much faster.

I wish you the very best of luck. Don't give up!

Most nutrition advice is to avoid a deficit of more than 500 calories per day. Your deficit is upwards of 1000 calories per day... which is enough to freak your body out and cause it to retain what little it is getting.

I have been on a plateau for almost a year, so I feel your pain... I just started losing - SLOWLY, like less than a pound a week - but it's probably because I stopped being such a Nazi about the math. Basic math wasn't really working for me. Maybe you're body is paradoxical, too.  

You are female and this means your weight will fluctuate for all sorts of reasons most of them hormonal and sometimes just because it can! But don’t be disheartened stick with the plan. Make sure you’re eating the right amount for your height, age and activity level (even if it sounds way too much) and stick with it your weight/dress size will reduce. I guarantee you, it will come off. For this reason I weigh myself every day at the same time naked, and my weight loss graph goes up and down all the time, but I don’t let it put me off. I am 3 months into this new life style and have lost 32lbs today tomorrow morning it may well be that I’ve  only lost 28lbs but I don’t waste any time worring about it just get on with another day happy that over all my trend line is down. Please stay with it in a few weeks time you’ll see why :o)

Assuming your stats are correct (i.e. you weigh and count all your food so you really know what you're eating & your burn is accurate) your deficit is too big.  Either eat more or burn less.  At the most, you should have a deficit of 1,000 calories.  Any more than that, and your body will think it's not getting enough fuel(food) and will start holding on to all the fat it can.  

When I lost all my weight (50 lbs. a little over a year ago), I slowly had to increase my calories as I lost more weight so my body didn't stall.  Completely contradictory from all the "advice" that I was brought up hearing, but I'm proof that it works.  And, I'm not the only one that it's worked for.

There's lots of info on this site about it, but undereating is a classic cause of weight gain.  It's not about moving more and eating less.  It's about moving and eating enough for your body.

Maybe the mods will chime in, but that's my 2 cents.  Hope it helps! 

Thanks for that - well done on the 25lbs thats terrific.husunny. I never thought of measurements..

I think I know what the prob is - im normally really good withe water easily do the 8-10 glasses a day. But last week I had an ultrasound & i had to drink 8-10 glasses in an hour & since then i cant stomach the thought of drinking it. So with the lack of water im prob retaining any little bit as well as the salt not being flushed out... i have had 5 so far today so i should get the other 3 in by bed time..

I shouldnt laugh but Im going in for colonoscopy this week so hopefully the muck they make you take will take my 2 bloody pounds away with it lol ....

Thanks for all the advice - your all very good!

Hi guys

just to give you a quick update - NO I DIDNT THROW IN THE TOWEL!

I got yapping to the surgeon in the hospital & she agreed with you all -im not eating enough. I need minimum of about 1500 a day & if i burn more I need to eat more. Even better as part of my treatement she is sending me to a dietician so that should be really cool.

But even better I stood on the scale this morning - 159 - so right back down again. yippee

thanks again

don't you just love it when a plan comes together ??

good job at sticking with it X

Yay way to go you :o)

Ah thank you - but then .............. i thought it would be cool to eat crap for the weekend so im afraid to step on the scales

New day new beginning go for it and remember how crap you felt before when your weight loss stalled and how good you felt when it strated comingoff again.

OMG - 164.2

Only way to look at this is I have lost .8 of a lb

( looking for the positive in this )

Ok back on track now, water & counting again for weigh in Friday