Getting discouraged. Help?!

Plain and simple- You are starving your body by not giving it enough fuel so its metabolism is shutting down. Eat back those exercise calories!!! I did, and I broke a plateau of 3 weeks myself before I believed in eating back calories...

Ditto...it looks like you aren't eating enough! Try upping your calorie intake a little and see what happens.

I glanced at your diary- watch out for sodium and sugar. Sugar is a big enemy-it can make your insulin levels spike and stop the fat burning process. Sodium makes us retain water-so it might be water weight that you aren't losing. Try a few days of all non-processed foods, just fruits, veggies, and lean protein like chicken breast without the skin. I've been baking chicken in the oven without any salt or oil, just some cracked pepper and it turns out pretty tasty. Try eating things like that for a few days to see if it helps. Most canned, bagged, or pre-made items are LOADED with salt and sugar so it you try eating only non processed items, it could help a lot.

Just looking at 4 days of your diary ........you are not eating anywhere near enough!!

I glanced at your diary- watch out for sodium and sugar. Sugar is a big enemy-it can make your insulin levels spike and stop the fat burning process. Sodium makes us retain water-so it might be water weight that you aren't losing. Try a few days of all non-processed foods, just fruits, veggies, and lean protein like chicken breast without the skin. I've been baking chicken in the oven without any salt or oil, just some cracked pepper and it turns out pretty tasty. Try eating things like that for a few days to see if it helps. Most canned, bagged, or pre-made items are LOADED with salt and sugar so it you try eating only non processed items, it could help a lot.

I was going to mention this too. Most of the food you are eating is processed salty things. I think your sodium is high and you are also retaining too....

Awesome job!

Maybe your not eating enough? It looks like you have hundresd of calories leftoer each day...even before your exercise calories are added?
Keep at it though and dont give up - you will get there!

Yeah, after looking at your diary it looks like you need to eat more. (I know, it seems illogical).

Try adding fresh fruit and drink more water.

Kind of a personal question, but are you constipated?
I had terrible trouble with that my first couple of weeks. :embarassed:
Again, I think it just takes your body a while to adjust to the new lifestyle. (More water and fruit should help.)

Hang in there. It's a hard adjustment on your body. I did go through and look at your diary, and I know it sound crazy, but maybe you should be eating more. Make sure they are healthy calories.

Try adding fruit, nuts, whole grains. It gets more frustrating when you are feeling so deprived and nothing moves. Make sure you eat enough to satisfy you. I don't know what you were eating like before, but if you were in starvation mode before your are only exaserbating the issue.

Best wishes.

If you want you can take a look at my diary and get some ideas.

Like stated above, after looking at your food diary you need to eat more. Sounds like a backward way to look at it but it is true.

Yes, it sounds crazy, but eat more! I eat back almost all of my exercise calories every day!

HEY......
DONT GIVE UP....famous last words eh???

But when I joint about 4 weeks ago the same thing happened to me.... make sure you are eating enough and
keep it up. the scale is now moving for me...YEAH....I eventaully lost 10 lbs in 3 weeks then people say to eat back
your xercise calories but YIKES i went up 4 #!@& lbs.. I WAS NOT HAPPY... I have about 40-55lbs to lose and I think right
now I am back on track NOT eating back my xercise calories...till I hit a plateau.... who really knows the answers

SOOOO please dont give up girly... KEPP GOING!!!!! ONE DAY IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT>>>>>:glasses:

Definitely try to eat more. If that doesn't work, you might go to your doctor and have them check your thyroid. Just a simple blood test will reveal how its functioning. If its out of whack that can cause weight gain and/or inability to lose weight.

You've gotten so many good points already and I agree with them all. If your not hungry and still need to add some calories then us OJ or apple juice to substitute for food, and chocolate milk is a great drink after a really good cardio workout it will help you recover. Feel free to add me if you're looking for some more support, the more the better I say.

Good Luck girl.

Hang in there! You should be aiming for lifestyle changes. It sounds like you have the exercise portion totally under control. Good for you going from inactive to working out regularly. Keep that up! I looked at your diary and will agree with other comments-try to eat more of those exercise calories. Sodium also reeks havoc on the scale. Packaged foods are so convenient, but loaded with sodium. Do you have time each week to devote to cooking? I have found that making my own "pre-packaged" meals helps me control my calories and ensures that there is always a quick, healthy meal in the fridge. For example, I noticed you eat oatmeal for breakfast. Me too! I make a big pot of steel cut oats once a week, portion it out in containers and every morning grab one, reheat, and add my preferred fixings (almond butter, honey, and banana-350 calories and keeps me satisfied for at least 4 hours)

Don't be discouraged, you are making wonderful changes. You just have a few more adjustments to make and you will be successful! Drink lots of water, keep moving, tweak your diet and keep at it. Stay off the scale for a while and just keep going based on how you feel. The weight will come off! Those of us on this journey all know that it did not take a month to become overweight, so it is unrealistic to expect it to come off quickly. Slow and steady! Hang in there.