I am sure you have all heard this same story before but...

When I was on here last year, I lost 30 pounds in a few months. All I did was cut down my calories and go for 30 min walks 3 or 4 times a week. I lost between 2 and 3 pounds a week. Of course then I fell off the wagon and here I am again. This time heavier than when I was on here before. So now I am trying again. This time I joined the gym and go 3 or 4 times a week, plus go for walks a couple times a week. I have between a 750 and 1000 calorie deficit per day. I am working much harder this time but I am barely losing a pound a week. I have been eating good and busting my butt. I havent noticed really any change at all. All I want is to lose 2 pounds a week, I would be perfectly content and happy with that. But I cant get past 1. I know it takes time and all that, I am fine with that, but I thought in the beginning it would be easier to lose a couple a week and the smaller I got maybe I would lose one. I am so sad...here is my stats... I am 5'4 215 (started at 224) 34 years old. My activity is set to light so I burn estimated 2350 a day. Than I add my gym workout to that. Any advice or ideas would be great!

You will have all sorts of people tell you that you are "in starvation mode" or other nonsense. 750-1000 is good, I wouldn't go beyond that. Don't get too caught up with the scale. Don't resort to anything drastic. There are times when I have eaten perfectly and worked out hard and end up not losing a pound for 6 days. Then there are times when I don't do very well eating or exercising and lose 3 pounds in 5 days. The thing is to just keep chipping away at it. Don't do it for anyone else but yourself. Also keep counting the calories and don't be too hard on yourself. Its several small lifestyle changes that ultimately result in success. I could care less about the scale, its just a number but I religoulsy track everything I eat. The big thing for me is how I feel, what I can do physically and how my clothes fit. If you never lose a pound (and of course you will) going to the gym or walking every day will change the way you look and feel. I won't say good luck because you are already on your way to success.

I'm not going to tell you that you're in starvation mode, because a more likely answer is that you're eating a bit more than you think or burning a bit less. If your deficit is actually 500 instead of 750-1000, you would be losing 1 pound a week, which is what's happening.

Are you sure that you're at light activity before your workouts? If that's based on walking 3 times a week for 30 minutes, that's not really light. How long do you work out? If you're averaging around 3-4 hours a week of exercise (counting your walks--that's about 30 minutes a day of activity) that's light activity, and you shouldn't be adding the workouts to your burn meter.

Are you weighing your food? It's very easy to eat an extra 100-200 calories without realizing it. I was doing that before I bought a scale, and wondering why my "deficit" wasn't adding up to more pounds lost. It was because my deficit was smaller than I thought. 

Also, you could try calorie cycling, or zig-zagging your calories. For many people, that helps with weight loss because your body doesn't get used to a set amount of calories.

Well I set it at light because at work I am up and down the stairs all day long, constantly walking here or there and at home I am on the go until bedtime, between cleaning, cooking, laundry etc... I go to the gym about 3 to 4 hours a week and walk a minimum of 3 hours a week. Maybe I will change to sedentary and go by that. I did that last time. Maybe I am overestimating my burn. I eat plenty and I dont feel as though I am depriving myself at all.

Are you weighing your food?  I find that when I measure and count ALL my food, I am successful.  Period.

I truly believe that is a key to portion control.  I had no idea how much I was really eating!!! 

Also I read an article this morning ..... "When you start to work out or increase your activity, the body tends to hold onto water, which can make it seem like you've gained a few pounds. But this water weight actually helps fuel your metabolism and allows your muscles to function properly. The erratic fluctuations in weight can be frustrating, so avoid the scale for at least the first month of a weight-loss plan."

I know it's hard to not weigh yourself regularly, but try to avoid the scale for while.  BTW, with the amount of exercise you are doing...I would keep your activity level at light and add any 'extra' exercise you get as well.  Are you using a heart rate monitor?

~H~

see thats where I get confused...some people say light some, sedentary so I cant figure out which to use. I do use a heart rate moniter when I work out. I just want to lose weight in the healthiest way possible! GRRR...2 pounds is all I ask!!!!! My food scale broke but I am going to buy another one today!

I am not going to tell you that your deficit is in starvation mode. I also have mine set at light but i am up and down all day taking care of 2 little girls and then when i go home at night i am taking care of my house and laundry and my 4 kids. I have also been adding 30 minutes on the treadmill 3 to 4 days a week. I started at 225 and am now down to 201. At first i was losing 2-3.5 a week and now its down to 1 to 1.5. i stay under 1500 calories a day and everybody says i am doing the right thing so i guess we should jus keep shaving it off 1 by 1. I am not hungry at all and i think as long as it is coming off i should be happy but sometimes it is frustrating....

it is very frustrating! I just want to feel like my hard work is paying off and I really dont. But it is a long road so I guess I will keep on truckin!

Original Post by kcnae3:

Well I set it at light because at work I am up and down the stairs all day long, constantly walking here or there and at home I am on the go until bedtime, between cleaning, cooking, laundry etc... I go to the gym about 3 to 4 hours a week and walk a minimum of 3 hours a week. Maybe I will change to sedentary and go by that. I did that last time. Maybe I am overestimating my burn. I eat plenty and I dont feel as though I am depriving myself at all.

It sounds like light is the appropriate setting for your every-day activity, so the way you've been doing it (light+exercise) is correct. In fact, you could probably set your activity to moderate and then you wouldn't have to log the extra gym exercise. 

I don't think you're overestimating your burn. It's more likely that you're overestimating what you eat. But keep this in perspective--losing a pound a week is great! Plus, the slower you lose the more likely you are to keep it off. Perhaps when you lose 30 pounds last time you simply did it too fast, and that's why it came back on. As long as the numbers on the scale keep going down, even if it's just a pound a week, you are on the right track!

Thanks cosmographer your right! 1 pound is better than no pounds I spose.. hmmm... now you got me thinking. If I set it to moderate I dont have to keep track of gym cals which would be FAB! I look like a nerd when I am at the gym and in between things I am writing in my little notebook! But what about days I dont go to the gym, should I still be moderate? I just want to do this the right way and the best way! GRRRRR ....

my bro is a food nutritionist and he says that when you 1st start working out and trying to lose weight that you should not weigh yourself every WK cause you will let yourself down!! You may be retaining water!!! It will pass!!! Try to weigh yourself every month and if you cant wait then only every 2 wks!! Good Luck!

Check your sodium daily intake. It needs to be be no higher than about 2400 mgs. You might just be holding a little water.

Couple other things to consider:

If I'm "good" for a while, and then have a splurge day, it seems to help convince my body it's not starving and makes it more willing to let go of the weight.  But then, I have to go back to being "good" and I can't have more than one splurge day a week.   

The other thing I can think of is a possible thyroid problem, especially if you've noticed some swelling in the front of your neck.  But I'd try the other suggestions first before getting your TSH tested.

My sodium seems to be under control. I have heard when you start working out you should wait to weigh yourself a bit but patience is not one of my virtues! I just feel like it is going to take forever to get even back to the weight I was the first time I tried to lose weight. I drink a minimum of 120 ounces of water a day ( I add crystal lite to it though) is that ok to add that? I eat pretty good. Today I had my coffee,  fiber bar, and hard boiled egg for breakfast, I will have a banana for a snack, then weight control oatmeal and activia fat free yogurt for lunch, then a cup of peaches for another snack, then dinner which i dont know yet what it will be but it will fit into my calorie budget. So I feel like that is pretty good. So I guess I decided I will decide my calorie goal daily. If I have a more sedentary day I will eat 1200 - 1300 calories because I burn 2000 naturally on those days. On light activity days I burn 2350 naturally so I will aim for 1350 - 1500 calories and on moderate activity days I burn 2600 naturally so I will eat 1600 - 1800 calories. Is this a good idea or bad? I never had this hard of a time losing weight before. I thought since I am heavier now than I have ever been that it would be easier to drop the first 20. BOY was I wrong. I also thought since I am working out that would help to,. I did better when I did no exercise! Stinkin! Another problem I am having is the bathroom. I cant seem to go. I take in fiber everyday and I even went as far as taking a fiber laxative....still nothing. It has been over a week and this has been happening for months! I am lucky if I go once a week. Sorry to gross people out, but I had to tell the whole story!

PS my thyroid has been tested a few times and it is normal. How silly am I that I was dissapointed for a minute when they told me that? I thought I would have somewhere to place the blame, but i couldnt, can only blame myself!

I think that eating plan looks good. Also keep in mind that if you choose to set your activity level at moderate, you don't have to switch it on days you don't exercise. Since you're moderately active you actually burn more on days you don't exercise than if you were simply sedentary, because exercise speeds up your metabolism and builds muscle, which burn more calories. Which means that you probably shouldn't eat sedentary calories, because you're not actually sedentary even on days you don't go to the gym. 

If you're having problems with constipation, it could be a number of things. Are you eating too much fiber? Also, it sounds like you're not eating enough fat! That can very easily cause constipation. Your fat should be between 25-30% of your total daily calories. Maybe try adding olive oil to a sauce or salad for a few days and see if that helps.