I don't get it!! Help?!

I think over the weeks you'll see gain & loss _ I certainly did. It can be down to anything really - food still in your digestive system, water retention, time of the month... Keep at it - it sounds like the diet & exercise are pretty full on & I'm sure you'll soon start seeing results. It took me 9 months to lose 2 stone...

Since your diet is private tough to give any advice there but since you are over 40 there is a plethora of reasons. Weight fluctuates on it's own, water retention, regularity, exercise, a hard day of yard work, too much sodium. There are lots of reasons for it to fluctuate, 6 lbs in a week is a lot so some of that might have been water and you got some rebound gain as your water levels reset. Need to stick with it more than 3 weeks to say yea or nay or start tweaking, need to be patient.

My experience has been that a lifetime of not-so-great eating and exercise habits cannot be undone in three weeks. Work this program, and, ultimately, you should be able to meet your goal. But, "patience" and "perseverence" are the buzz words. Also, you have been working very hard, but you can't white-knuckle this. Be careful not to deprive yourself completely of what you want to eat or over-exercise. It's not sustainable over the long haul. Take a deep breath and enjoy the ride!:flowerforyou:

Not to have a Too Much Information (TMI) moment but.....It takes a while. Everybody's body is different. Years ago (unfortunately I backslid) I lost tons of weight but it seemed like it was overnight to others. However, I was working out everyday while I was away at college, walking to and from campus daily, and drinking lots of water. I worked out for six months with only a 3-6 pound drop. Then, one day I woke up and was 30 pounds lighter overnight! The reason I know is due to my asthma and other health issues (PCOS) I was required by the university hospital to check in with the doctor once a month (they were monitoring an ovarian cyst they found). My hard work had paid off. Yet, although I am overweight, I am active and a nutritionist once told me it would be harder for me to lose weight compared to a person who is just is a couch potato or not very active. As soon as that not very active person adds any activity to their day, they seem to drop weight very quickly...(you hear these success stories all the time at WW meetings). However, people that are overweight but were once athletic, or move around in their daily routines (teachers,nurses,etc), it make take an higher level of consistent activity for them to drop weight.

could you be getting close to "those" days of the month?
are you eating WAY under you recommended calories?
do you have your calories tracker set to show you the amount of sodium you are eating?
are you checking your weight at the same time?
not to be too personal but, are your bm regular?

those are some of the factors that come to my mind....
don't give up... and you will see the results...

If you're eating subway for lunch and frozen dinners you are getting lots of sodium.

If you are working out 6 days a week I'd say with out a doubt it's water retention especially if you weren't working out much in the past. I'd back off a little and shoot for 4-5 days a week, add strength training and give it time. It will work.

Also, when are you weighing yourself? I can weigh 5-6 lbs more in the evening compared to when I first get up.

Check your nutrition stats in your diary - Subway and those "healthy" meals are loaded with sodium - which bring on bloating and water retention.

Take a week without those things. Try a salad for lunch with tuna or chicken in it. Breakfast - have some oatmeal - I used to HATE oatmeal, but found Kashi honey and cinnamon... wow!! Amazingly good!!

For dinner, have a lean meat, veggies and a salad.

Snacks - yogurt, nuts, carrots - things that are all natural. Avoid the processed foods, as they have so much sodium in them its crazy. Take 2 weeks off from the Subway and packaged foods -keep exercising, but throw in a little strength traiing as well (free weights, lunges, squats, etc) and check and see if there is a difference.

Good job on tracking measurements as well!! Those can be hugely important once you hit a stall!

Check your nutrition stats in your diary - Subway and those "healthy" meals are loaded with sodium - which bring on bloating and water retention.

Take a week without those things. Try a salad for lunch with tuna or chicken in it. Breakfast - have some oatmeal - I used to HATE oatmeal, but found Kashi honey and cinnamon... wow!! Amazingly good!!

For dinner, have a lean meat, veggies and a salad.

Snacks - yogurt, nuts, carrots - things that are all natural. Avoid the processed foods, as they have so much sodium in them its crazy. Take 2 weeks off from the Subway and packaged foods -keep exercising, but throw in a little strength traiing as well (free weights, lunges, squats, etc) and check and see if there is a difference.

Good job on tracking measurements as well!! Those can be hugely important once you hit a stall!

^^^This! Also, 3 weeks is a really short time to decide if it is working or not. Remember, it took a lot longer than 3 weeks to become over weight. I know it is hard, but you need to be patient and consistent.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I ask each of you to friend request me as I can really use your support.

To answer some questions... I don't have "that time of the month" as I had a hysterectomy 2 yrs ago.
I have a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Subway for lunch typically (salad or turkey on wheat - a "Jared" sub), and for dinner it varies, usually something quick like a frozen meal (I only cook for 2), but I make sure the calorie count is within my limits for the day. It's not typically a meat/potatoes dinner. For snacks, I have a granola bar or similiar during the day and a 100 cal ice cream bar in the evening. I don't eat much sodium at all. I try to have something to eat every 3 hrs or so, and I don't eat after 7pm. I check my weight/measurements every Monday morning and track them.

It seems to me like I am doing things right. It just makes me want to throw up my arms in disgust and say why bother. But I know that is not the smart choice, so I won't. But when you put in so much work, you expect to see results.

Check the sodium and the carbohydrates - what do you mean by a bowl of cereal 40g, 100g or more? Maybe, replace half the cereal by low fat yogurt? My issue was I had a bowl of cereal in the morning too - except my bowl was 500+ kcals.

Frozen meals are often full of salt.

Don't give up! Everything you are doing is good for you, even if you are not seeing the results that you want yet.

I agree with the prior posters about the sodium. You can add sodium to your diary as one of the items that you see which is helpful. FYI - it is in everything - even milk - so processed foods can really shoot your count up. Also, carbs, which are good sources of energy, also promote water retention.

Make sure your are hitting your macros (protein/fat/carb balance) and that the carbs you do eat are primarily from whole foods - fruits, veggies, largely unprocessed grains (oats, quinoa, brown rice) rather than granola bars, prepared cereals and breads. Also focus on upping your unsweetened tea and water consumption unless you are already exceeding the 64 oz per day recommendation. You can over-consume water, but if you are working out hard and sweating a ton - perhaps you are not drinking enough?

My weight will fluctuate 3-4 lbs per day based on what I ate, how much water I have had and what time of day it is. I have been at it since February and only managed to lose 5 lbs - but my body looks totally different. I have found success by focusing on weights rather than cardio and dramatically increasing my protein and water intake. PS - I am 41 and have two kids.

Try changing your diet up for a few weeks and see if it works. Whatever you do, don't let the scale have the last word - go by how you look, how you feel, how your clothes fit, what your measurements are and let that moderate the info from the scale.

Ok.

You did NOT build muscle on a calorie deficit. Biologically impossible, especially in such a short time period.

It's water retention, period. Also, weight loss is not linear, sometimes you lose, sometimes you gain, sometimes you maintain. You just watch trends from month to month.

Wow I love all this support! As I think about what I've been doing... and this has NOT changed from day one and I have still lost. However, I have noticed that I favor pickles (LOVE them!), and frozen meals which I think is not helping my sodium levels. I LOVE my diet coke and morning cereal (which has good fiber), which I am sure is adding too much sugar to my diet. Everything else is spot on (calories, exercise, fat, carbs, protein, etc..). I will try some changes to the above but cannot survivie without my diet coke. But I will at least try to cut down. Any suggestions on breakfasts? For the record, I hate oatmeal and yogurt.

I eat diet coke and cereal. I agree with others saying cut out some of the processed foods, but I add them in on occasion too. I would just trying switching things up. Like cereal only on 4 days a week and eggs on the other 3. Likewise, processed meals only 3-4 days a week, etc.