Weight is so cruel

Hi.

After being overweight all of my life (I'm 20), I finally got smart about nutrition last summer and have altered my eating a ton. It used to be i'd eat taco bell every other day, fried foods out the ass, you get the idea. Now, i'm a vegetarian (for political reasons, not weight loss), I neer touch fast food or soda, eat mostly veggies and sushi, soybeans and whole wheat flax seed bread. That kind of stuff.

However, I only added in excersise during the last 30 days. I've only really been trying to loose weight the last 30 days. I started at 204 on Febuary 2nd. I had to fight like MAD to get every pound off. It would take me a week to get rid of a pound, and ONE bad meal and it would be back the next day. I got all the way down to 197 a few days ago, then something happened.

I bought a bike. For the past three days I've been riding around doing my errands. I probably ride about 3-5 miles total a day. Not that much, but then, I wasn't very active before. YET- in the past two days my weight has spiraled out of control to 205!!! A higher weight than when I started! I want to cry. I want to give up. This is so unfair. I work so hard to get a pound off and they come back for no reason!

I know it can't be muscle, because i'm so overweight that even if I am turning fat into muscle, i should still be loosing weight. Has anything like this ever happened to anyone? How do you deal with the emotional stress and feelings of lack of control and failure?

Are you sticking to the amount if calories you are supposed to be eating? I found that increased activity makes me more hungry and can trick the mind into justifying more intake than needed. There is surely a logical reason for the fluctuation, as this is all really just math and science.

It could also likely be water-weight gain. If you eat alot of carbs and salt this can happen. I have seen 10 pounds fluctuations in a week. Just keep close tabs on your intake and move on. Water weight can disappear as quickly as it appears.

As far as the stress and control and failure...you have to take one step, one craving, one moment at a time. The feeling of failure should remind you before the next choice that you do not want to make the same choice again and repeat that feeling.

Hmm... two things that would really get things going again.

1) Start counting calories really carefully again, limit calories down to 1400-1600ish (no cheating! you can fit a ton of food in this if you look around for ways to cut calories from meals)

2) More exercise! At least 30 minutes of good cardio (to start, then move up to 60 minutes if you can). You should be dripping sweat (good way to tell if you are working hard enough).

I found an easy way to get in exercise (without taking up a huge chunk of time / being horribly boring) is to get a stationary bike for the house (then workout while watching tv with water next to you). Also, with it right there...hard to think up reasons why you cant for the day.

If you stick with the normal bike, then start increasing the effort on it (walking, running...any type of moving is good too! If you are in college, walking to class and all that is a big help. But think of those lesser exercises as "extra" and not replacements for workouts. *its really really easy to think up reasons not to exercise hehe*)

Doing those 2 things...you should lose lots of weight.

Don't worry, you can't gain eight pounds in three days. It's water. 8 pounds of real weight equals 28,000 calories.

As for you eating 1400 to 1600 calories a day, you should aim for 500 to 1000 under your Expenditure rather then guessing.

As for dipping sweat, I don't do cardio, I walk. I started at 2 miles a day and up to 3 miles a day. I sit today at 98 pounds down. The only sweat I've dropped was when it 90 out.

Watch your calories and stick with what you are doing and don't let the temp dissuade you from your goal.

thanks very much everyone, for your kind words and excellent advice.