2nd week, 1 pound loss

Well first of all, don't give up. Second of all, open up your diary so people can take a look at it.

Honestly, take your measurements. If you only lose 10 pounds, but lose A LOT of inches, thats almost better. If you body builds muscle, which tends to happen with weight machines and cardio, the muscle weighs more than your fat does anyway.

I dont see a lot of movement on the scale, but my measurements move and grove. I prefer the slimmer look over the scale.

some weeks i might lose 3 pounds, some .5 pounds. in the end, it has added up to about 11 pounds a month. the less weight you have to lose, the harder it is to lose it. keep going, drink lots of water. make sure you are eating enough (not sure if you are, can't see your diary) you will get there. also, it IS a good idea to measure yourself. don't only go by what the scale says!!

I am new to this....but have struggled all me life. I know its tough...but don't give up! Just a suggestion...Try increasing your water??

i have been running at least a mile n a half 5 days a week. hittin the gym 4 days a week doin lots of toning exercises, and guess what?! i havent lost ANYTHING. and its been 3 weeks. BUT the good news is....my measurements are shrinking. muscle weighs more than fat, so maybe your muscle build is just outweighing the fat loss. i figure i dont care what my scale says as long as i look good and feel good. :]

You aren't always going to lose 2 lbs, you will have weeks you stay at the same weight and weeks where you gain... the key is consistency. Don't give up. I work out 6 days a week and never go over calories and last week I had 0lbs change and this week 1.4 and I was ECSTATIC! Losing 2lbs a week every week is tough (especially if you are doing it the proper, healthy way.)

There are so many factors that could explain your 1lb loss, but just think- sometimes a low week translates to a bigger number the next week! So don't get discouraged, just stay motivated and remember: slow and steady wins the race.

You might be losing inches and turning fat into muscle... Are you eating enough? Can you talk to a Nutritionist?

Don't be discouraged...it's a process with so many variables that you need to take into consideration:

- The scale isn't god. It doesn't show you body composition changes so if you're doing weights as well, you're likely gaining lean mass which is more dense than your fat mass. What it's important is "fat" loss and not just "weight" loss.

- How long you're at the gym is less important than what you're doing when you're there. As well, having enough recovery time and rest between workouts so you can constantly push harder the next time is essential

- if people are telling you that you look slimmer...go with that. I would guess you're altering your physique which is more important than "scale weight" Someone who is 150lbs and 40% Body fat is going to look compeltely different from someone who is 150lbs and 20% Body fat. Same weight...different composition.

I wouold recommend investing in a Home Body fat scale and use those measurements as your goal rather than your mass. It'll give you something to push towards and you'll see measureable results than show why your clothes are fitting better.

keep at it and we're all here for you. :-)

How do you set the goals in green? For example:

Starting Weight: 217.8 Current Weight: 190.6
Goal #1: ONEderland - SUCCESS!!!
Goal #2: 193 - SUCCESS!!! 4/6/2011
Goal #3: 183
Goal #4: 179
Goal #5: 170

No due dates - just get it done.

Obviously this is not mine...haha

Hey there, few things you need to focus on:

1) While losing 2 lbs a week is a realistic goal, it is not necessarily a realistic reality. A REAL human body loses ANYWHERE from 0.1 to 2 pounds per week at healthy levels. You will most likely not lose 2 lbs every week.

2) When you exercise, do you eat back exercise calories? If you don't, I can almost guarantee you that you are going to stop losing weight all together pretty soon here.

3) 32 lbs. is A LOT of weight to lose.And if you're already not very heavy for your height, your body is not going to let go of it as easy as you might want it to.

4) What are you eating? Watching calories isn't enough when you're trying to change the shape of your body. You are what you eat. And if you eat a lot of sodium you're going to retain a lot of water. If you eat a lot of sugar, you're going to retain fat, no matter what else you're doing. If you're eating a lot of fast food and takeout...well you get the point.

5) Losing 1 pound in a week is something to be very proud of. While we all get discouraged at times, you need to put yourself in an appropriate mindset or you are going to do yourself more damage than good. You cannot go into a diet with the mindset that you have to lose a certain amount of weight in a certain time frame and that you have to lose a certain amount of pounds each week. That's how you end up losing the battle.

6) Watch that "slightly under my calories" trap. You said that you're usually slightly under. What is slightly? Because that adds up and it hurts you. Slightly over does the same thing.

I started working out in January with the goal of going from 199.8 to 160 lbs by my wedding on June 4th. Nearly three weeks ago, I hit 163.4. But then my body decided it didn't wanna. And I gained more than three lbs. overnight. It took me 2 weeks to drop that "booster weight". I am now back at 163.4. I have done several things wrong in this journey, including working myself too hard and not eating enough of the right foods.

By coming into your second week with this mindset you are setting yourself up for failure. Don't do that.

Set your goals, but understand that while the goal is realistic, the reality might not follow. You have to be able to accept that. Diet, exercise and weight loss is very dependent on the emotional and mental components. Strengthen those before you attempt to further your weight loss and you'll do fine!