3 weeks, only lost 1 lb, heart broken

I'm late to the party, so may have missed some things up above.

As to weighing at work? Personally I don't worry about what my coworkers think. It did feel a little awkward at first, but I got over it. I now have a food scale at work, and I leave it in the kitchen (small office) in case anyone else wants to use it. Before I splurged (about $12) on the scale I used the postage scale! Though if you really do not want to use a scale at work, then make lunches at home. Sandwiches, portion out raw veggies, leftovers, etc.

Also, rate of loss will depend on how much you have to lose. I am not sure if you listed your stats? But a larger body burns more energy than a smaller body. So if you're 5-10 pounds above an ideal weight (for your height, body) then you may only be burning 1500-2000 calories per day. Meaning eating at 1200 would allow you to lose .5 to 1.5 pounds per week. Inaccuracy in logging could really slow that down. On the other hand, if you have 75-100 pounds to lose then your daily total burn is higher, giving you a larger margin of error.

You can lose weight, without giving up your social life. It will get easier in time, but the key is the choices you make. Getting the most out of your calories, pretty much. And not all social activity has to include large calorie intake. You can drink diet soda, or if you do want to drink alcohol find lower cal choices. And alternate the drinks with water or soda in between. For food, avoid aimless snacking. Restaurants tend to have some calorie friendly options these days as well.

lorenelia wrote: »

I've been eating 1200 calories for 3 weeks, working out 4x per week...only lost 1 lb. About to completely quit my diet.... Any idea whu this could be happening?

There's a ton of (mostly) great advice in this thread, and some reasonable possible causes, such as fluid retention. You may get more specific help if you let us know some vitals, such as:
1) Height
2) Current Weight
3) Age

Without that, it's hard to know what kind of deficit you have created if you are eating 1200 calories and comparing that to your BMR/TDEE. Do you know what those are? Since 1200 calories is a "floor" at MFP, it's impossible to know what your deficit is without the other information.

I went out with my girls last night for Happy Hour and drank club and lime. I also ordered dinner to go there and made a healthy choice - grilled salmon on a salad. Social + good choices can be done! You're revamping your life by changing what you eat permanently, so to be successful, you gotta find a way to apply it across the board - home, work, social, etc. But you can do it!

I always recommend taking measurements. When you up your exercise like you have you may see your body tightening up and clothes getting a bit looser without the scale moving. There are other victories than the number on the scale. Don't give up, consistency and patience is the key!

Oh..and I prep my breakfast/lunch the night before with my scale and pre log. Than at work I can eat as I please. If I don't eat something I just delete it.

Have you taken your measurements? The scale will fluctuate but you'll really see results in your measurements. take a before picture and then take another every month. You might see the changes there vs seeing them in a mirror

I had similar experience...3 weeks out sailing, 1200/day and only 4 pounds lost. Overall I have lost 14 pounds in 56 days, but this week I'm up and down by half a pound. When I gain half a pound I panic and have to weigh myself the next day. I think twice a week is probably more than enough. What helped me this week was putting on a pair of shorts that didn't fit 3 months ago. I've been wearing them for 3 days

nina_schumann wrote: »

I had similar experience...3 weeks out sailing, 1200/day and only 4 pounds lost. Overall I have lost 14 pounds in 56 days, but this week I'm up and down by half a pound. When I gain half a pound I panic and have to weigh myself the next day. I think twice a week is probably more than enough. What helped me this week was putting on a pair of shorts that didn't fit 3 months ago. I've been wearing them for 3 days

Don't sweat the scale too much I can "gain" on the scale almost 5 lbs the week before shark week

JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

A pound is something. Now go lose another.

Yep! One step at a time. In a year, that's a possible ~52lbs down.

hoorayselma wrote: »

eskimodeb2 wrote: »

You may be eating too little....so your body is trying to protect you from starving. I am obese and working out an hour a day....on a 1,650 diet per day. I am losing 2 lbs per week for the last 3 weeks...but I plan to lose my weight over the next year. I think you need to be eating more calories. You could also be building muscle too. Hang in there.

I agree with this post ... also you might not be logging in correctly. EVERY MORSEL NEEDS To BE LOGGED

Why? Starvation mode is a myth, as the body will not hold onto fat and the OP isn't starving, either, and there is no way OP would be building muscle with their intake doing yoga in 3 weeks. I do agree with your post, however.

Don't gove up hope! Be proud of what you accomplished so far and trust it will get easier. I commend you on the working out -- That's one thing I haven't been able to stick with. But muscle DOES weigh more than fat. In a couple more weeks you'll start noticing a difference in the way your clothes fit!

It's what you eat. More water! More potassium (an avocado a day has way more potassium and way less sugar than a banana!) I found out that when I totally cut milk and changed to cashew milk or coconut milk (which I LOVE in my coffee and cereal) as well as sugar (I look at EVERY label) that I dropped weight quickly. As for going out with friends...Carbs! I love sauces when I go to restaurants (alfredo, garlic, you name it) and found out that most restaurants will serve the sauce of your choice on brocolli (Red Lobster is one, my favorite Italian place is another) and cut 1,000 calories from a meal. Also beer and wine... I thought I'd miss them, then discovered flavored vodkas and rums over ice have only 10 calories, no sugars or carbs (add water if too strong). Like desert in a glass!

My success: Modifying, measuring, all foods and greatly reducing sugar: First 6 months: -18 pounds. 2nd 6 months: -32 cutting sugar to under 10 grams/day, increasing healthy fats like adding avocados, greatly reducing carbs and increasing fiber (chia and flax seeds are my go-to addition to breakfast) .

I am where I want to be now Went from size 14/XL to 7/8/Small and it took a year. Now, I've increased my calories to 1800/day just to maintain my weight. But still measure and count. My back and knees no longer hurt. Blood sugar is perfect, no worries about diabetes anymore. It's a huge difference!

Good luck Lorenelia! Don't lose hope! It will happen faster than you think!