Stuck

I have a small problem, my scale seems to be stuck between 245 and 252. I keep gaining and losing those same 7 pounds. Does anyone have any suggestion?

So far I am trying to stick to my eating plan telling myself it's easier to lose those 7 pounds then the 20 I started with. But, it's getting a little frusterating.

Also Before really paying attention to the scale, did anyone else realize how much your weight could fluctuate in a short time?

Right now I've been fluxuating about 4 lbs total on a regular basis mine's due to water weight and sodium intake I'm pretty sure.  Have you tried looking at a moving average instead of your day to day weight.  I usually ignore what my scale actually says and instead plug it in and see if it falls above or below the average  (of a few weeks time). 

I find that too, fluctuating for the 10 pounds, up and down but it seems the more I work out ect I find the inches coming off which is even better! Or maybe your consumption for water goes up more in those few days? Hmm well if you ever wanna chat to someone who's also going through the joys of weight loss.. hehehe send me a message :)

Yep, it's water weight due to either the amount of water you're taking in (or not taking in), amount of sodium consumed and/or amount of carbs consumed.  Each of those aspects can have an effect on water weight.

Don't worry about the fluctuation...most people fluctuate between 2 and 5 pounds on most occasions...and especially throughout each day.

My answer is ...make sure you're drinking a high amount of water (upwards of 1 gallon per day), keep the sodium low to moderate and evaluate the amount of carbs you're taking in (and when).

Do all the above and then don't pay as much attention to the scale...track your progress over the progression of several weeks and go by how you look in the mirror and how your clothes fit.

-Todd

Stuck too.  I feel unmotivated and not sure why.  Had a great weekend away last weekend and ate too much, now I feel bummed b/c my scale is up (a tiny amount!  I must be tending toward bumminess right now!), and I have friends from college (25 years) visiting this-coming weekend, and Oh!  I get it!  I didn't meet my goal for when we all get together, so I'm feeling like All is Lost!  Not giving myself credit for where I am now...

So, could anyone give me motivating words of wisdom to help me re-kick-start myself?  (Working out hard today might be a good idea.)

Thanks!

Hi sojourner, Some days are truely bad. I rewrote an article I found titled, All About Motivation  

Part I

We have two drives:

1.        to gratify our senses (eat what I want when I want it)

2.        to achieve abstract goals (having a sexy body and being fit)

Don?t deny what you are by giving one drive more importance than the other, they are equal.

If they aren?t treated equally you will be sure to experience frustration and unhappiness.

You will always have your battles with, I want it now but it?s not good for me.  Guess what?  We are human not perfect. 

The definition of motivation should be to make conscious decisions and then take responsibility for them.

Don?t see yourself as the victim without control.

It?s a mistake to think that having motivation is the capacity to say no to all your favorites and not think of yourself as a bad person if you want to be a couch potato for the day.

However, if you decide to lie around for a day eating chips it?s your choice and you are in control.

Your motivation is as strong as your conscious effort at accomplishing your goals.  Don?t see yourself as a victim.  Take responsibility for your actions and get on with it.


There are two reasons why people?s motivation becomes weak over time.

Unrealistic Expectations and Perfectionism. 

Are your expectations realistic?

It?s understandable when you expect the numbers on the scale to go down and they don?t to get frustrated.  It?s your body telling you to try a different approach if what you?re doing isn?t working.

It?s also a problem to expect to see consistent improvement when it?s just not going to happen.

Just know this:  

With weight loss there are so many factors involved, age, activity level, metabolism to mention just a few and we are all so different. Don?t expect to lose weight like someone else with similar age, height, and bone structure.  It you think weight loss is orderly and predictable you?re in for a letdown.

• We are complicated organisms with a mind/body connection.  Stress while dieting, will actually increase fat storage. Don?t concentrate on the numbers on a scale instead ?Don?t Worry Be Happy?.  During your change in life style don?t let your mind/emotions mess everything up.  If you think your success in loosing weight is a matter of simple calculations your wrong. 

Concentrate on how much you eat and how much you move around.

       &nb sp;      If you?ve been at it for a while and have been doing your part, look back and it probably averages to a weight loss of a 1 or 2 pound loss a week.  Some weeks you don?t lose, some weeks you gain, and then some weeks you lose more than you thought you?d lose.  So Remember to focus on the small positive changes you can control and are making rather than trying to  control what you can?t .

We are human not perfect!  Sometimes our desires will win over our good intentions.  Pick yourself up, learn from your mistakes (think about how you could do things differently in a future similar situation) and then get over it.      

Part II

How can you become your own best motivator?  Be consistent and do these two things:

1. Consciously choose to eat well and exercise as often as you can.  Remember you are changing your way of life every minute of every day.  Make good choices, you know what they are.  When a bad choice comes along ask yourself, ?Do I really want to eat or do that??

2. When you do something different than what you think you should do, understand that this was also your choice. Accept that the choice you made (right or wrong) was your choice.  The decision was valid just perhaps the circumstances where less than ideal.  Learn from it for a future less than ideal circumstances situation.  Isn?t that your goal anyway?  To learn from your mistakes and to know how to avoid making them again.

How do you see yourself? 

Active/Passive ? Effective/Ineffective ? Powerful/Victimized ? Normal/Pathological

The ability for self motivation is seeing yourself as active, effective, powerful, and normal.  

If you feel you are the passive, ineffective, victimized, or pathological you probably didn?t have good role models to guide you when you were young or maybe you were a victim of some sort and never got the help you needed to deal with it.  Even though ?Sh*t Happens? remember that your history is not your destiny.

It?s the positive baby steps you take everyday that brings positive results.

Concentrate on your emotional reality healthiness and your food and activity choices should gradually improve. What ever your situation or circumstance, be realistic and do the best you can with what you?ve got.    :)

http://www.googobits.com/print/printer.php?ar ticle=2235

Does this help at all?  11 ways to break a plateau

Eurgh I'm stuck too, all we need is patience.

Thanks clairelaine, I linked it to my documents.   

Your body is made for survival, not weight loss. After you are taking in low calories for to long, your brain tells your body to slow down. That is how you stall. As hard as it is to believe, the best way to get the parade restarted is to bump up your caloric intake for a week.

I am a 6'5 guy, When I stalled at 220 for a couple of weeks, a bit of research on this sight told me the above. It was very hard after such stringent dieting to add any calories to my intake. It worked like a charm.

Also, vary your exercise methods. If you run and lift, try adding cycling or aerobics every other day.

I lost 71 pounds. The hardest were the 1st, 50th and last 10.

Hang in there guys!

Mark

Mark, thanks, I kinda wondered if NOT eating could be causing it, over the last 2 weeks I've been crazy busy and can hardley find time for meals.

Thanks for all the tips from eveyone else too. :)