FRUSTRATED.......HLEP!!!!!

you sure havent gained muscle as you say. i bet your body is just holding on to some additional water. just keep at it.

First of all, congrats on quitting smoking, that is quite an accomplishment. Contrary to popular belief, stopping smoking will not make you gain weight. The reason most people do is to have something in their mouth (smoking causes an oral fixation.) Try munching on carrots whenever you're hungry in between meals. It's what I do...because I don't like them, and honestly fi I ate the whole bag it'd be like...150 calories. Also logging is the most important part of the process to me, I've been shakey with it, but my goal is to get back into it like I used to. It made all the difference in the world.

You need to get strict with your diet. Adding exercise is amazing, but it won't do jack* if you aren't in a calorie deficit.

*for weight loss.

I started the whole diet and exercise thing about 2 1/2 weeks ago. The first 5 days I lost 3 lbs but I guess since I am working out 5 days a week I am starting to gain muscle and I havent lost any after the 3lbs. Now I am bloated because of all the fruit and veggies that I have been eating that it looks as though I have gained inches which surely cant be true. I also stopped smoking about a month ago and it seems like my stomach keeps getting bigger and bigger. Could this be because of me stopping smoking? I have not been completely strict with my diet but I have cut down an lot and I have been burning at least 300 calories a day with exercise. Getting discouraged, but I am very determined to lose weight and get fit. ADVICE PLEASE

Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Log everything and be stricter about your diet. Exercise is good but a bad diet can cancel out any exercise. You did not gain muscle in 2 weeks, sorry. You are most likely eating too much

Patience my dear:) Weight loss is not linear so you will see fluctuations. One week you may lose 3 pounds and the next week you may not lose any but then the following week you may lose a couple more pounds as long as the trend over time is decreasing you are doing it right. Being strict with your logging is a must as well. If you're not logging all that you are eating then you won't have true picture of how much you are actually eating and if you are indeed under or at your calorie amount for the day. Also, measuring portions is very important! What we think is a cup of milk or tablespoon of peanut butter is and what it actually is are generally two very different amounts and will throw off your calorie count.

I was also doing cardio, using a Fitbit to get more steps in everyday, and counting calories using myfitnesspal app, My weight wasn't really changing. Then one day I cut way back on carbs. 50-100 g. per day and viola... weightloss! Now I know eating high protein, low carb is what is working for me. Try that plus start drinking more water.

2 1/2 weeks is a very small amount of time to get yourself worked up about the scale. Give your body time to adjust. It could be a multitude of things: sodium intake, water retention, PMS, gas....Now if you worked out for a month and saw no movement then you should be a little concerned and possibly re-evaluate your diet or be honest about how well you are exercising. Whatever you do, just don't give up!

Weight fluctuation is normal. Just keep at it. Hell, I stepped on the scale this morning 4 pounds heavier than yesterday and had a huge WTF moment.

Are you following a plan? Do you have guidelines? Congrats on the stopping smoking, that's a big deal.

I put this together a while back. It seems to have helped some folks. It worked for me and tons of others.

1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

just keep at it, it will come off

All what Trogalicious said. This is the truth. Start off slowly, be consistent, and develop patience. Lots and lots of patience. At times you will feel like you're standing still but you're not. If you're consistent you will lose. You will. It takes time. Take pictures and measurements and pay little attention to what the scale says. The scale really should only be used a to determine upward or downward trends. My weight can fluctuate 2-5 lbs DAILY. Sometimes that much within the same day. It's all from food I've eaten, food I haven't gotten rid of yet , and water from exercise to repair muscles. Don't let the number on the scale get to you. It took me a long time to get that through my head. A LONG time. Don't let that be you! Stick with it. Even when you don't want to. It's worth it. Truly. Good luck!!!

I started the whole diet and exercise thing about 2 1/2 weeks ago. The first 5 days I lost 3 lbs but I guess since I am working out 5 days a week I am starting to gain muscle and I havent lost any after the 3lbs. Now I am bloated because of all the fruit and veggies that I have been eating that it looks as though I have gained inches which surely cant be true. I also stopped smoking about a month ago and it seems like my stomach keeps getting bigger and bigger. Could this be because of me stopping smoking? I have not been completely strict with my diet but I have cut down an lot and I have been burning at least 300 calories a day with exercise. Getting discouraged, but I am very determined to lose weight and get fit. ADVICE PLEASE

You're not going to see any changes in only 2 1/2 weeks. It takes TIME and PATIENCE. Keep up the work! The pounds and inches will slowly start to fall off. Give it about 1-2 months of doing what you're doing. If at that point, you still don't see ANY results (not even 1 lb down and absolutely NO inches lost ANYWHERE), then it's time to reevaluate what you're doing: make sure you're counting and measuring your food correctly and make sure you're logging realistic burns based on how hard you're working out (or you could get a device to help you out with that, like a calorie counting activity tracker such as the Fitbit or a heartrate monitor). But you really need to give it about 1-2 months of work before you can determine if what you're is actually working.

Don't give up! The only way to fail at losing weight is to give up! If you keep trying and never give up, eventually you'll figure out what works for you and your body will shed those pounds! :flowerforyou:

I learned in a nutrition class that our body will fight us to stay the same weight because it wants to maintain homeostasis so it makes losing weight a challenge...and once we have lose the weight it takes a full year before our bodies reach the new homeostasis. It's hard, it won't be fast...but you can and will do it!