losing motivation again

it would help if you opened your diary so we could see what you have been eating...are you drinking enough water? are you eating back your exercise calories? are you measuring? because you can gain weight but lose inches.

It almost looks like you arent eating enough of the right foods. I am not an expert so I may not be 100% correct but, maybe split up your meals to smaller meals in the day and eat all your calories. The eating your exercise calories is still debateable but, maybe try that for a couple weeks.

I have noticed that the more processed foods or heavy carbs I eat, the harder it is for me to lose weight.

Also try tracking sodium & carbs! Sodium can make you hold onto water weight which can be super frustrating.

Looking at your diary shows a high percentage of carbs, and a low percentage of protein. Personally, for me, when I add even small amounts of carbs into my diet, my weightloss stalls. I eat low carb all the time. Protein first, then veggies, then fruits, and then, carbs - unless I am out and starving - then, I grab what I can quick.

Also, exercise calories on MFP are notoriously high - I have a fit bit, and noticed that its actually about 1/3 of the calories burned.

Try changing up your diet - fresh foods and lean meats... ditch the breads. See what happens - for me, it changed my life, and yes, it is something that will take some getting used to, but will be worth it in the end - I dont plan on adding carbs back into my diet even once I level out - they make me feel tired and weak.

Good luck.

I notice that you have been eating at McDonald's and that WILL significantly increase your weight gain...trust me I know. I was eating two sausage McMuffins and drinking a large coffee with 3 creams and 3 sugars about 4 times a week, and when i started tracking it, I was using nearly 700 calories just for breakfast alone!

I would eliminate the alcohol, as it is notorious for stalling weight loss. I'd also add more vegetables like the nice salad you had, and cut back on the soup/stew and casserole. I have a feeling there may be more calories than you think in those meals.

Also, make sure you are measuring your foods properly. There are times when you're eating two cups of pasta in a meal: that's a lot of pasta!

I did a quick scan back about a week - didn't pay too much attention to your actual food choices, just how you were doing with calories. Most days you were under but there were a few where you were over so that probably evened out in the long run. Here are a few suggestions:

1) eat back at least half of your exercise calories. Don't force yourself but it's easy enough to have a handful of nuts or a Tbsp of peanut butter or a piece of fruit to make up at least some of the difference. If you don't eat enough to fuel your body, it will store what it think it needs (ie fat for energy)

2) not sure why you're tracking cholesterol but if it's because your cholesterol tests were high, you should know that dietary cholesterol has nothing to do with your blood lipid levels. Instead be more careful of your saturated and trans fat intake and make sure you're getting plenty of fiber (whole grains, green leafy veg). I would suggest adding sodium to your food tracker instead. As others have said, a few high sodium days and you'll likely go up or stay the same on the scale.

3) It's easy to say you're getting enough water but if you're not conscious of it, believe me, you can have days where you hardly drink any. It's ok not to track but do make sure, in some way, that you're getting at least 8 cups per day - more on the days you work out and have high sodium intake.

4) when you start working out, your muscles retain water as part of the natural healing process. If you're new to the shred, this is likely what the problem is. Keep working out and your body will get used to it. The same thing will happen any time you change up your workouts, especially if they involve any form of resistance/strength training. Pretty much any time you're sore, you're retaining water. It's pretty much the same reaction as when you twist your ankle and it swells only not as visible as it's spread out.

5) also, as a female, you should know that time of the month (TOM) can also be a water retention factor. Some women can gain as much as 5 pounds that week.

6) The scale is not the only way to measure success. Take measurements - when the scale doesn't move, sometimes your tape measure will. Be conscious of all NSVs (non scale victories) like someone complimenting you, being able to lift more weight than before, improving your balance, being able to walk up the stairs without feeling like you're going to die, etc. Celebrate these successes!

And finally, go to your profile page and fill in those three sections on the left. You will never stick to something if you don't have a clear reason in your mind as to why you're doing it. Whenever you start losing motivation again, refer to the "why I'm doing this" (I think that's what it's called) part and re-read, if not re-write it. There's nothing wrong with going back to square one. You can also utilize the blog feature here on MFP as kind of a journal - sometimes it helps to write things down and be able to go back and re-read them from time to time. Just DON'T GIVE UP!

Try something new! If you are restricting your calories, try adding a few hundred and eating smaller meals. Also, make sure you are drinking adequate water, but that's always a good thing.
Try changing up your exercise and doing something different with it. Maybe increase the amount of days and change the kinds of exercise to include strength training(if you aren't already).

That must be so frustrating, especially since it looks like you are pretty good on your calories- a little under here, a little over there, but mostly right on. I do 30 day shred, and your calorie burn estimate looks good, (it might be too high if you weigh less than 180)... only thing I can think of is that maybe on those days you are quick adding calories, you are over estimating. Try logging every bite and every drink faithfully for a week and see what happens! Also, I find that I don't stall when I drink alcohol, even when I go over by maybe 200 calories for my day, so it must be different for everyone. I only drink once a week or less though, and I usually have 2 or 3 drinks. Everyone is right about the sodium, but even with that I would think you would lose something after a few weeks. Hang in there!