nothing for 3 weeks? am i doing this wrong!?

Starvation mode - up your calories - you should be beyond 1200 calories NET, which means if you burn 200 calories working out, you should eat 1400 but since you probably are not going to log every step you take, etc - I would up it to 1400-1500. I have been stuck at 7 lbs as well. Have not lost ANYTHING. I upped it to 1400 calories, now to 1500 and if that does not work, I will go higher. I also have a desk job.

You arent eating enough. You need to be AT or OVER 1200 net calories. Beign closer to 1300 will probably be better in the long run.

And those have to be NET calories (meaning 1200-1300 + Exercise calories)

If you are doingunder 1200 calories your body goes into startvation mode and will store fat. Your body needs atleast 1200 calories per day. Do you follow the recomended calories per day that mfp provides? Or do you set it manually?

It can be scary to increase your calories but it sounds like that may be what you need.

I increased from 1200 to 1360 and it started my weight loss again. I will have to revamp my calories again.

You've hit a plateau that can only be remedied by some kind of change - usually greater intensity in exercise. That doesn't mean you have to find MORE time to exercise. Rather, you simply need to increase the weight or speed at which you exercise. Personally I don't know what a step & twist exercise device is but maybe try it with a backpack filled with 10 pounds of soft material to make your body work harder and get you out of this plateau. Same goes for your 100 steps. Add some weight in a backpack as you climb or take the stairs by two's instead of singles. Or with each step you take, hesitate and do a few squats on each step. OR combine all of this for a super-duper blaster that will not only get you off your plateau but see some future progress!

Good luck and let me know how you make out.

I just looked at your diary...are you exercising at all? That will definitely help.

I wouldn't get worried yet; plateaus are not unusual after a big loss. Plus, you might be looking at water weight fluctuations, which seem to be more common at the start of a diet. Some people find it helps to shake up things by changing up your exercise routine for a week or two. Also, a wise weight loss leader once told me that, if you stop seeing losses, and you're keeping your food diary faithfully, then go back to weighing and measuring every little thing you eat. I, too, work a desk job. Makes it hard to lose.

Okay so a few things.. it can take alot of experimentation for someone who's struggling to figure out what works. The first week, the majority of what you lost was water weight. For myself (and I've been doign this for a year now!), I've discovered that I *have to* end my day on 1000 or less in order to lose weight. Oh, and drink water. Everything stops if you don't drink water I've noticed and I'm REALLY bad about that.

Now, what I really want to do is eat 1200-1350 and work off 500 cals a day. I know everyone else is going to gripe about this and threaten me with starvation mode... but the truth is, starvation mode is a term seriously over-used around here. Think about what it means to starve, first of all and I'm pretty sure almost none of us here are. Some might fall into the category if they are truly anorexic or bulemic. Keep in mind, I've realized this after a full year of experimentation and looking at my past behaviors and how my body responded to those behaviors. I have a slow metabolism, my body fat is high and my muscle mass is low in relation to my physical size all around. Therefore, I have a
V E R Y S L O W
burn rate. So, that kind of covers the diet part.

Working out helps build muscle which burns more kcals faster and more efficiently than fat cells. Which means, you can automatically eat more and have it have the same impact on you weight wise as eating less. When my muscle mass increases, I'll be able to get to that more all-holy-magical 1200 cals mark and have that be loss. Right now, it's maintenance. You don't have to exercise to lose, but it'll help you lose faster and slim down better because even if the pounds don't shed, the sizes will.

NOW... although alot of people are suggesting eat more - that may or may not be true for you but I suspect it's pretty rare for it not to be otherwise it wouldn't be common advice. Play with things a little, incorporate some exercise, drink as much water as you can possibly manage (which - again, I completely and utterly suck at) and just see how it goes. My overall point is that not everyone's the same and a single generic answer doesn't always fit. You're going to have to investigate what works for you over time if you're having trouble right now. Perhaps everyone is right and you need to up your cals a little; perhaps others are who suggest water or exercise..... all of these are viable possibilities or ..... maybe you're a weirdo outlier like me and it's none of those. Hopefully that's not the case, but all you can do is experiment.

Good luck!

Even without exercising, you arent eating enough. Your body needs a certain number of calories to keep your metabolism running. In fact, your body needs a certain number of calories just to keep you alive if you were to lay in bed all day in a coma-like state. Once you start dipping below your magic number, you are starving your body and it is going to hold onto as much as it can in preparation for a famine. (starvation mode sounds cliche and like a buzz word, but its legit. just like a car needs fuel to run, your body needs to be given fuel to keep it functioning properly.) 1200 calories is NOT a magic number. It is simply the number MFP (and most dieting sites) will giv eyou if your goals are extreme.

Also, it took more than a few weeks to gain the weight, so it will take a while to lose it. I wouldnt worry about the scale movement until you havent noticed any differences on either A) the scale and/or B)your clothes and/or C) your energy level. A lot of time you may not see the scale move, but your clothes might feel loose.
Good luck, congrats on your initial weight loss, and dont give up! Just eat more

Three weeks - 7 pounds. That is MORE than 2 pounds a week!! Way to go!

The body doesn't necessarily lose weight at a nice, steady rate of oh...say...2 pounds every Wednesday at 9:18 pm :laugh: It may be a week or three before a pound or three drop off. Stick to what you're doing for at least 6 weeks before you determine that it's not working for you. That said, some things to look at...

Are you measuring your food? Weighing it? A little miscalculation here, a little over there and you can obliterate your perceived deficit. Maybe you shouldn't be adding the 100 steps when you take a smoke break. Drinking your water? Logging every single item you put in your mouth? Mints? Condiments? Sauces? Cooking oil? Are the values on MFP identical to the ones on your food? Sometimes, there are errors!

So stick to it for a few more weeks before you decide to change things up.. and then you might want to eat a tad more, or a tad less, or try getting some sort of exercise.

Good luck!