Lagging and Discouraged

LaurenBraddy

I just recently started back into the Low Carb/High Fat lifestyle. I did it last year and not only lost all of my baby weight (yay!) but I even got down to 10lbs lower than my prepregnancy weight. I then moved home to Texas....and stuffed my face with all the tex-mex, bbq, and other deliciousness I could get my hands on....and slowly put all my weight back on. (We'd been living internationally and really missed home comfort foods).

Anywho, I joined a family "Biggest Loser" competition with a Thanksgiving weigh-in. I started back on the low carb bandwagon, used the macro calculator and had been eating within my proportions (15/65/35) (c/f/p) I had the initial 5lb drop in water weight......but nothing else. The scale hasn't moved for a week. Absent a wagon fall on Saturday that involved pumpkin cheesecake, I've been staying under/near under my carb levels, and keeping my calories down. I haven't been as good about keeping my macros up the past few days, in my discouragement, I have been drinking my carbs...

Does anyone have any insight as to what I can do to get the scale actually moving. I don't think that I've lost an lb of fat yet. I don't have a ton of weight to lose. I'm starting within a "normal" weight range for myself (at the high end) and my goal is within the "normal" range (at the low end). I just really really want to shed these 20 lbs....and win the family pot of course.

tlflag1620

Consider making your diary public so we can get a better sense of what you are doing. That said, I imagine you weighed in with your fam on October 12 (Canadian thanksgiving)? You lost 5 lbs initially but after a run in with some pumpkin cheesecake and "drinking carbs" the last few days you find that the scale didn't move this week? Am I summing it up correctly? To me the simple answer is to stick much more strictly to low carb - no "cheats" and no sugary/carby beverages, at least until the competition is over. Having the scale not budge for one week really isn't shocking, especially for someone who doesn't have much weight to lose. Couple that with "falling off the wagon" and it makes perfect sense that you didn't lose anything this week... Just be glad you didn't gain!

LaurenBraddy

Ha. I didn't even realize it was Canadian Thanksgiving.

That all makes a lot of sense (no shockers there). I guess I'm just comparing it to my last time dieting when I saw the scale start an instant and downward movement. My "cheating" was after the weigh in...and was largely discourage driven (the cheesecake wasn't even that good...). I'm also barely in ketosis. Which is weird because in the past I've hit moderate to high levels within the first 3 days of dropping to 15g of carbs.

You're right, I should be happy it didn't start moving up! I'm switching my diary to public now....but I guess rationally I understand what's going on. I just don't like it!

Sunny_Bunny_

Honestly, you're cant expect weight loss every week. You also can't expect there won't be "gains" revealed on the scale from day to day/week to week.
I understand the frustration of not getting a new low number because if you go looking, you will finds comments from me about this subject. I can handle a week or two or even three without a loss but then I really buckle down and tighten up my eating and I've ended up losing again as soon as I did every time. That just tells me that I may be getting a little relaxed with my eating. That's assuming there isn't another explanation like water weight due to sore muscles or TOM or some other possible change in my body.
Try not to have too much of an expectation for the scale and take measurements too.
The worst thing you can do is already be feeling like you're not losing then eat off plan to feel better, therefore possibly sabotaging your efforts. Don't worry about no losses until at least 3 weeks with nothing. I mean measurements too. You can lose inches without losing pounds.

baconslave

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10067269/your-scale-is-a-lying-liarpants?new=1
Read.

I've been low-carbing for over a year. The scale and I have had knock-down-drag-outs. They get ugly. The scale is a hateful jerk.

Cheats screw up your system. I gain water weight every time that takes me a minimum of 4 days to get rid of. I gain water weight when my muscles are sore, when I have TOM attack, when I eat too much (salty) bacon, and when there are solar flares or I step on the hardwood floor the wrong way in the right star alignment!

Consistency and patience are your friend. Give it time. That worthless scale can't hold out on you forever if you are doing the right things consistently. Don't let it have power over you. There are other pieces to the puzzle.

Hang in there.

deksgrl

The scale took awhile to start moving for me. I also do not have a lot of weight to lose, and I am not going as LC as most (about 20% carbs). But it did start moving after awhile with consistency. I started in May and have lost 16 pounds.

LaurenBraddy

Thanks everyone. I needed just that encouragement!