I just don't think I can do this

Don't give up, you can do it! I notice that it takes me more than a week to see results, whether up or down. Just keep with the program and don't beat yourself up.

I know it's hard, especially if you have a love-hate relationship with food (and I do). I have lost 48 lbs in the past year by focusing on more than the scale (easy for me to say) and paying more attention to how good I feel, how much stronger I am and how much fitter I am. But there were lots of days I wanted to give up, so I feel your pain!

Maybe you are not eating enough? Check out the info here on starvation mode if that's the case. But please, don't give up!

is it possible it may be water gain from to much sodium?that seems to be why i am not losing anymore because im usually under my calories but sodium is the worst for me ..maybe you can drink more water .i am not that great at giving advice i swear every other day i want to quit seems so dang hard ,but i know this will get easier someday and i want to be around and healthy for my kids if not for them id probably eat myself to death.so think of the positives hun..(hugs)

Don't give up! That sweet little baby in the picture will need you around for a long time! She will need YOU to show her how to be healthy and active. This is more than just about you!

How are you doing with your water? I had gained almost a pound earlier this week because of sodium, but, I kept chugging away at my water, and I ended up losing half a pound this week (plus the .9 I had gained from salt!). It is slow some weeks, but that is just what it does. Also, is it almost your TOM or something? That can really impact the scale!

GL, and keep fighting the fight!

Edit: If you don't track your sodium, maybe you should. I know us Southern Belles really love our salt!!

If you're not already, start measuring yourself and tracking the inches you can track here. You may find that you're getting smaller but not losing weight.

You might also have just hit a plateau. If what you're doing isn't working any more, try something a little different. Shake things up! Drink a little more water. Try varying your exercise routine if you can. Walk at night instead of in the morning or vice versa. Eat less carbs and more protein. Don't lose hope! You've already lost 26 pounds in just a few months! Did you think you'd be able to manage that when you started?

Weight definitely fluctuates and sometimes for no apparent reason. I have been at this for over a year, and a couple of months ago (pretty much all through January and most of Feb) I KEPT gaining and losing the same couple of pounds. I would lose half a pound one week and then gain 4. It would take me 2 weeks to lose it again and maybe an additional half pound. I was frustrated beyond belief.

A couple times I was feeling just as you are now. I would weigh in and not see the results I wanted/expected and think to myself "screw it. I'm doing all this hard work and sacrificing the foods I love and for what? this???".

But then, I would literally tell myself "stop". Stop thinking like this. If you give up now, what is that going to accomplish? Is that going to get you the results you want? Hell no. THAT way of thinking will get you right back to your start weight. This may take awhile. It may take you a month to lose a whole 'nother .5 pound. But you know what? That's better than gaining back everything you've already worked so hard for.

I just have to keep reminding myself that I am in this for the long haul. I don't beat myself up too badly when I do screw up and go over and I have to constantly give myself that little talk when I feel like giving up.

You can so do this! You've already lost 26 lbs. Try to remind yourself that it takes time and there will be ups and downs but you are worth every step of it and every heartache you encounter along the way is going to make it that much more of a sweet success when you finally reach your goal :flowerforyou:

I shouldn't have weighed today. I was going to wait until the first. But it's been a week and I have done what I thought was really good this week. I have been under my calories and walked every day. I am up two pounds. I have been stuck at this weight for a while but how the freak did I gain weight?

I just feel like a complete failure. So now I'm sitting here in tears. At least I have no appetite.

Nikki I am not going to offer you the shoulder to cry on but I can offer you advice that will make a world of difference to you.
1) Get rid of the scale, it is not an accurate measure of fat loss end of story, its the "greasy car salesman of the weight loss world", it will only tell you half the story my love, the real measure of fat loss is in inches lost.
2) Small changes over time snowball into big changes, diet tweaks here and there will result in big losses and I mean fat loss not muscle loss
3) Do not allow negativity to stop you, women in today's society are programmed to think that petite=healthy and that is bullcrap. If you really want true diet advice that works then look at my food diary, I have dropped 25 pounds of fat in under 2.5 mths, and it was easy for me.
4) Find what mental blocks have stopped you in the past, they are there and you deserve to be happy so start by getting rid of those blocks, they were put there by you and can be removed by you.

I believe in a non nonsense approach to diet, food is medicine, when taken properly it can heal the body, when abused it will hurt you. Get the body working for you and not against you.

Nikki - I've been there so many times. DO NOT GIVE UP! Your body changes daily. Stay off the scale - it's not worth being defeated after all your hard work. You've got to give it time. Weight loss is a life change. I've been making my change for 6 years. Slow loss but keeping it off and I"m so excited with each goal met!! You can do this. Look at all the people who have replied to you just now. One day at a time. Now put that scale away, drink a glass of water and get back at it. We're all in this together.

This is so true! Just focus on how good you feel! Thats what keeps me going. I just remember how when I ate junk food and fastfood I felt so tired,crabby and just yuck! I hated who I saw in the mirror. Ever since I started eating right and exercising I have so much energy!!! I feel happy all of the time. Just keep at it!!!

Don't give up, you can do it! I notice that it takes me more than a week to see results, whether up or down. Just keep with the program and don't beat yourself up.

I know it's hard, especially if you have a love-hate relationship with food (and I do). I have lost 48 lbs in the past year by focusing on more than the scale (easy for me to say) and paying more attention to how good I feel, how much stronger I am and how much fitter I am. But there were lots of days I wanted to give up, so I feel your pain!

Maybe you are not eating enough? Check out the info here on starvation mode if that's the case. But please, don't give up!

Don"t give up...Maybe your not eating enough....If you are exercising you need more calories.

I was in your SAME place a few weeks ago. I cried and cried but then I got MAD and made an appointment with a dietcian and guess what. I wasn't eating ENOUGH! Now that I'm taking in more calories I can see that I'm losing inches. Don't go by the stupid scale. It LIES! Also, don't stress about weight loss. Think of it as a lifestyle change and concentrate on getting healthy. The weight will come off. Just please don't you dare give up!!!!

If you're not already, start measuring yourself and tracking the inches you can track here. You may find that you're getting smaller but not losing weight.

You might also have just hit a plateau. If what you're doing isn't working any more, try something a little different. Shake things up! Drink a little more water. Try varying your exercise routine if you can. Walk at night instead of in the morning or vice versa. Eat less carbs and more protein. Don't lose hope! You've already lost 26 pounds in just a few months! Did you think you'd be able to manage that when you started?

I agree- measuring's a complete must!! I've gotten to the scale-disappointment peak where I've decided not to step on every week, only every other or maybe even once a month. I don't feel as mentally healthy constantly focusing on that stupid number on the scale. It's easy to get obsessed with. I (and you) have to learn to focus on things like the way you feel eating healthier- don't you have more energy? I've noticed a huge difference in my energy level, strength level etc. I'm eating healthier, not eating all the junk I used to. I've only been working on things about three weeks, had lost 5 lbs as of last friday, stepped on today and had gained a pound then decided I need to overhaul the way I'm thinking about this. MEASURE!! Much better than the stupid scale ) Plus the fact that MFP tracks the measurments you put in- it'll be just as rewarding to watch that tracker as it is to watch the pounds lost tracker. Also have to remind ourselves it's a sloooowww process. Nobody does it quick unless you're able to focus all day on it. (i.e. the weightloss shows where they're exercising for some freaky 6 hrs a day or something!) Keep holdin on!

Check this out, you have a couple of choices here 1) Stick with the plan and tweak it a little, try harder every day and the weight will come off OR 2) Quit trying and stay the same or get bigger. I'm an expert quitter, I've done it many, many times and maybe you have too. Maybe you don't think your health, vitality and future are worth the effort it takes to live a healthful life. But you are worth it.

Since you're worth it I'm going to give similar advice as others because it's good advice. Change something this week. Maybe it will be deciding to get the water intake up, to give up a food that you know is a problem, to add 5 minutes each day to your workout routine, to be carefully diligent about recording your calories in and excercise calories, something needs a little change. You know what it is so change it and then see.

When we were gaining weight we didn't gain every week. I'm sure had we weighed in when we were out of control we would have seen many weeks where we stayed the same or maybe lost a pound or two, but the overall trend was UP. You may not lose every week, but the overall trend is DOWN and that's just what you want. Stick with it you are worth it and your children are worth it!