Keep at it!! It sounds like you have started doing some great things this past week!! Don't let the scale deter you from continuing to better yourself. There are quite a few things which might help to explain the slight gain -- one especially being your TOM. Keep your chin up! I've found that measuring using a tape measure weekly along with weigh ins weekly help. Sometimes the scale moves in the wrong direction but I can see progress with the measurements. Keep at it - you are doing a great thing!

Michelle

i know exactly how this feels. in the first week or so, i dropped a lot of weight (water im sure) then after that i was consistently losing at least 1 pound per week, usually 2 or 3. I thought, 'this is awesome i can totally live with this pace!'

BUT then suddenly i was stuck on the same number for about a month and it felt like ETERNITY. finally the damn scale moved. Sometimes you get stuck for a while, and there's nothing you can do but wait it out. I've seen people recommend upping calories or exercise, or re-evaluating what types of food you eat etc...

It's fine to consider those things, but for me it was also very important to fully accept that sometimes, you will not lose and may even gain, and there's no logical explanation. And it may continue for more than just a week. It sounds simple, but actually it was hard for me to come to terms with. It took a lot of mental 'work' if that makes sense. It's much easier to believe you're not doing it right, or you're not doing enough, etc. Maybe because it's just so darn unfair LOL! It's unfair to think that you're doing everything right and not being rewarded for it.

The body isn't a machine; it can be mysterious and unpredictable <--- it's easy to forget this if you spend any time reading message boards like MFP where there are so many know-it-alls who think there's an answer for EVERYTHING, y'know? I haven't seen that attitude nearly as much on smaller group boards like this one, but there's tons of people like that on the main forums. /end rant lol sorry

Keep in mind that "1-2 pounds per week" is an *average*, not what you should be losing. Weight loss isn't linear. This means you might lose 2 pounds one week, then 3 the next, then 0 the week after that, and you will probably have a 1-2 pound gain every so often. This is completely normal. When people hear "1-2 pounds per week", they think that's what they're supposed to lose every week. What that actually means is that in six months, most people will lose about 24-48 pounds. That doesn't mean they lost weight every single week.

Sodium is a HUGE culprit when it comes to water weight going up or down, along with TOM and any kind of new exercise that exerts your muscles (muscles retain water after a good workout). Just keep plugging away, drink lots of water, and try not to let the scale get you too sad. I tend to have these huge whooshes where I'll lose 3-4 pounds in a week, and then I won't lose any (or I'll gain a pound) the next week. I used to freak out, but I'm used to it now.

Also, a "plateau" is defined as 6-8 weeks without a loss. Don't let it discourage you if the scale doesn't move for 2-3 weeks. So many people claim they've hit a plateau after only a week or a couple weeks. That's not a plateau; that's natural.