if I don't start losing weight soon I'm going to punch someone

Okay I won't really punch someone, but I am so frustrated and apparently clueless as to how my body works and what it needs.  I have been attempting to lose weight since November (and this is not my first "I'm frustrated" post) and I haven't lost anything, in fact I've now gained a net of two pounds.  Here's my story:  I started in Nov by eating 1000 calories a day and exercising 3-4 times a week.  Nothing happened at all for two months.  So I figured I was in starvation mode and for the last month and a half I've been averaging 1400 calories a day, which is 400 less than I burn in lazy-ass mode.  This made me gain four pounds  but I was prepared for that.  I continued to work out 3-4 times a week, a combination of cardio and strength training.  For some freak reason two weeks ago my scale showed I was down two pounds, but now I've been stuck there since then.  Mind you that means I am still two pounds heavier than I was when all this started back in November, and I certainly haven't lost any pants sizes.  I would loooooooove it if someone had some advice for me; I feel like the past three and a half months have been a complete waste.  I'm female, 23, 5'6'', 152lbs, if that helps.  I was just trying to get down to 135 by May, which was perfectly viable in November, but now I feel like I need a miracle to get there at all.

*ducks*
how many calories are you burning during work outs? unless it's 200 or less, 1400 calories intake is probably too low on exercise days.

I would suggest punching someone it burns calories!!!LOL It looks like you calorie intake might be a little too low I would try to increase the calories a bit and eat 5-6 small meals a day

oh oh punch me! i feel like i could use a good punch in the face. 

maybe you should workout with a punching bag?

make sure to increase what your calories based on what you burn through workout.

Hang in there.  Don't give up.  When that happens to me I take a look at what I'm eating.  Like maybe you should cut out sugar or cut out fats altogether for a few weeks. Also drinking more water will help.  Hope this helped some.

You might need to play with your nutritional breakdown.  I had been stuck for a very long time;  I made some unique changes that ran counter-intuitive to my thinking.  Something kicked in metabollically and I started losing.

Here are some things I've altered.

I eliminated things that upset my stomach (ie. cause bloating, gas, etc), this for me meant coffee.

I added probiotics (like candy)

I added 2000 mg fish oil, 3x per day

I added animal protein back into my diet, I had been vegetarian for 10 years, I ate enough protein according to statistical norms but within the low range (I'm 5'4"); you could alter your protein intake. 
Typically I zig-zag my calories.

You could also try re-working your nutrition and see what your body likes... each body responds differently to certain foods (allergies, nutritional needs, etc).

Unfortunately I changed all of these things the same week.  I can't say for certain that it is any one of these or a combo of which items but I've definitely altered my metabolism.  I lost 3 pounds the first week I made these changes and have been losing  consistently (more or less) since. 

Best Wishes at your health pursuit.  Don't forget that regardless of weight loss, the exercise will do wonders for your fitness and overall health.  All is not lost.

eat 1800 cals per day. you are eating too little.
on workout days you can eat more than that

smallis, I did some calculations based on your stats:  5'6, 23, 152 lbs.  These are the results:

BMR = 1518; sedentary level = 1822; light activity level = 2087.

That's what it takes to maintain your current weight.

For your goal weight of 135, the results are:

BMR = 1444; sedentary level = 1733; light activity level = 1985

At 1400 calories, you aren't even consuming enough calories to keep a 135lb. 23 year old 5'6" operating at just basic functions.

I suggest you up your calories to at least the 1733 sedentary level, and make 1733 - 1985 your calorie range, and DON'T add back the calories that you burn at the gym, the light activity category already compensates for that.

This will allow you to get the optimal nutrition because you will be feeding your body as though it were at goal weight.  The zigzagging which results from having a calorie range will keep your body at optimal metabolism. 

If you do decide to give this a try, please let me know how it turns out.  it works great for me, but I have much more to lose than you do.

be sure to get the best nutrition you can for your 1733-1985 calories . . . that's a pretty good calorie budget which many of us would be very grateful to have -- my range is only 1350-1550. 

you can go to whfoods.com for a list of the world's healthiest foods for help putting together daily menus (they tell you how they came up with the list).  Also, mypyramid.org is an excellent source for meal planning per the food pyamid.  Plug in your stats (I suggest using your goal weight) and it will tell you how much of each food group you should have, and the charts will tell you what foods are in the group and how much of each constitutes a serving.

by the way, you can come and punch me, too.  <grin>  And I can punch you back because I'm still ticked that my scale did an illegel u-turn on me and deprived me of being able to say I'VE MADE IT HALF-WAY!! darn scale!!

Thanks for all the replies!  I keep reading, however, that a calorie deficit of 500-700 a day is "healthy" for weight loss (and right now my deficit for inactive days is only 400).  Should I really eat more?  It just seems so counter-intuitive (but everyone says that I guess).

Hi :) I am in the same boat. Yes 500-750 is ok AS LONG AS the NET is over 1200.

So here is my formula, you will have to put in your numbers:

(sedentary plus exercise) - (500 to 750) = calories

and (calories eaten) - (exercise) = no less than 1200

mine is : (1881+300=2181) - 500 = 1681
              (1881+300=2181) - 750 = 1431

              1431 - 300 = 1131 (to low)
              1681 - 300 = 1381

and an even easier way to find your lowest number is this because as you can see if I try and reduce by 750 I get below 1200 net.

1200 + exercise = dont ever eat less than this, this is the absolute minimun needed to live.

So my range is actually 1500 - 1681.  But since I royally screwed myself up, for the time being I am cycling calories betwen 1500-1800.  Which still gives me a net of 500 calories a day if you average the week. 

It does seem counterintuitive, I totally agree.  But I wasnt losing on 1330 which by all means I should have been melting.  But our bodies say HEY what they heck is going on, I bet we are just about to go into a famine, lets concerve this fat and make it last.  Arent our bodies so nice?

--Sumi

Have you been to your doctor to get checked for Thyroid or any other medical issues that could impact weight loss?

It seems that we are around the same age and height.  This is how I lost weight.

I ate 1500 calories daily with or without exercise since it evens out over the course of the week (I did cardio 3-4 times a week for 45 minutes).   My pie chart in the analysis section was about 20% fat, 20% protein and 60% carbohydrates (mostly from vegetables and fruit).

Sometimes weight loss depends, just as much on what you eat as how much you eat.

I really like "lazy-ass mode."  I'm going to try to work that into a conversation today!  :)  I've been stuck for a long time too, so I feel your pain.  I have no words of wisdom, or I wouldn't be stuck!  Good luck!