Hi!

Don't be disheartened, I'm in exactly the same position, I can be REALLY good and only lose a few lbs but some months I'll be good and lose say 6lb (although I haven't lost in a long time but that's due to my snacking - oops) Do you think maybe you slip up during time of the month etc? Us females have it rough with hormones sometimes making us stray from our goals.

Plus don't forget, if you've been working out as well it might be muscle that's stopping the scales from moving. Maybe focus on body measurements over a number on the scales?

Hope that helps!

SmellyHippy wrote: »

If you are feeling your trousers getting loose that's progress. Nobody knows the weight on the scale but you. The real progress is how you look and feel.

I could not have said it better! I too used to stress about working so hard, yet not really losing much. So I got rid of my scale, weigh in maybe every two weeks or so ...and use the mirror and my clothing to gauge (SP) how I am progressing. Keep it up and you will be surprised.

How old are you,do you have children? Weight loss slows down dramatically as we age and after children! I say ditch the scale (maybe weigh in once a month) ,get a tape measure and start doing body measurements. You WILL see those numbers change if you are sticking to a calorie deficit and are working out. I've lost about 10 inches overall since February,but only about 7 pound. I look completely different and am much stronger but the scale hasn't moved much. There are many many ways to measure success,your weight is only one of them. Stick to it,you ARE doing the right thing:-)

Think about when you're weighing yourself as well...time of day and time of month. I can see as much as a two-pound difference between morning and night and definitely a difference around my monthly cycles.

If your pants are looser, you're making progress.

tcunbeliever wrote: »

The scale is just a number, take before/after pictures and measurement - many time you will see the changes there before the scale!

Exactly!

Look at the below before and after shot of this trainer in Korea.

Same girl, same weight, 5 months after she started training.

I know exactly how disheartened you feel, as I myself feel the same when I get on the scale. But when I don't think about the weight so much, I can feel my clothes fitting better, and just feeling stronger in general. But change in lifestyle takes time to show and I'm sure it'll pay off in the end!

I am almost scared to measure myself, but I do see how that could be a good tool.

Scales just tell a tiny thing about your fitness efforts. I think you should try do measurements instead. Another good progress that the scale wont tell you is improvement in endurance.

I hit my plateau 2 yrs ago. After a slow but consistent weight loss, suddenly the scale wont change or it did even increase.

The thing is, muscle weighs more than fat. The more you train, the leaner you will be. Yes you might increase weight. But it's not something you should be sad about.
I have a friend and she is always working out. When she step on the scale shes like 3 lbs heavier than her last weigh in (about a month ago). But dang, i can totally see her defined abs. Yes. It's not just about the scale.

The last few pounds are the most stubborn weights to lose. Try carb cycling and interval training. That worked for me cause it tricked my body and i finally escaped the plateau.

And hey, dont beat yourself up to what the scale says. Try to check on measurements and endurance and you wont be disheartened. And btw, are you feeling so much better about yourself now compared to when you arent working out? Yes? Then that is progress.

Keep going.

IF THINK THAT YOU STRUGGLE THAN PLS READ THIS... I'm 39, 5.6, 11.5 (no kids) and I'm a queen of maintenance!!! Never been obese but at the same time I've never felt slim, never wore skinny jeans, chubby toddler, ''big boned'' teenager and ENDOMORPHIC adult! Fighting weight all my life I've learned great deal about diets, nutrition and exercise. I'm sure you are familiar with Dukan diet or the crazy two weeks crush Kopenhagen one? My friends were losing tons of weight, all I could manage was meagre 10pounds within 5weeks time even though I followed it to the dot. Tried high fat low carb, moved to low carb again without any great results. I don't gain but I find it very hard to lose. Last year I stepped up the game and added tennis 5x a week, than I got injured and was grounded for 3 months. At some point in September I decided to challenge the impossible: RUNNING! One of those things filed under 'mission impossible' or 'hate it' or 'never in a million years' - well with a little help from my partner I've actually managed to develop a decent level of endurance with my PersonalBest 10miles, and yet, in terms of weight loss - I'd say 4pounds within a YEAR!!! As far as my eating habit goes: no alcohol, virtually no junk, no fizzy drinks, juices, coffee/ tea with no sugar, no fruits! I love vegetables but gave up potatoes, try to stay clear of bread, pasta and grains. Lean chicken, tuna, smoked mackerel. My only vice is occasional croissant or slice of cheesecake maybe twice a week. Searching for explanation to my struggles I've learned that there are three types of body frames ( ecto-, mezo- endomorph), I happened to be the worst one - Enodmorhp (pear shape with small top and larger bottom), reading further I discovered that in order to lose weight I have to work twice as much as the other two types in terms of diet and exercise.
I was shocked when I found out that my daily calorie requirement is no more than 1400 to maintain my CW. So here I'm hoping that if I track everything I do and eat I manage to shift that bum and disproportionate thighs.
I forgot to add that I've ditched breakfast, which I was eating for my entire life. Just black coffee no sugar followed by run or power walk for at least an hour everyday. I have another flat white at 11am followed by lunch at 1pm and than another two meals consumed before 9pm.

@bookwarm-Thank you for your encouragement:) I've rechecked the numbers: BMR 1474 TDEE 1769 (if sedentary with no extra activity), 2156 for my level of activity. Over those years I've become rather paranoid,by signing up with MFP I hope to get a better idea of how much calories I actually consume daily. You have to admit that those recommendation of 2000 calories per day for a woman is veeeery misleading and should be reviewed because most of women don't do any extra activities. I really admire all those ppl who lost tons of weight but from my perspective it's much harder to get rid of those extra few pounds. Another thing is that current hype with paleo and low carb advocating ''eat as much as you want as long as you don't scoff any carbs no need to worry about calories'', well again it may work for some who are heavily overweight but for all those who struggle to shift 15pounds can be very treachery. Anyhow, equipped with MFT calorie counter and a mobile app tracking my daily activities I hope to see some sort of progress within fairly short of space ( I'm not going to buy any clothes until I drop at least a dress size:)).