anyone else not getting anywhere?

I feel the same i've been eating healthy and staying under my calorie goala nd I'm exercising 5 times a week for up to an hour and nothing : ( My weight has stayed the same I really want the scales to go down.

"I just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss.

Overview (why I'm posting this)
Over the course of about 7 months on here, I have seen many people suceed, I have also seen some drop off the map. I expect this is because some succumb to the demon that is temptation, and some to the devil that is dissapointment. I wanted to give a few "heads up"s to both new commers and vetrans to the site. Some may know already, some may not. But either way, if this helps anyone to set more realistic goals in their own head, I feel like it has done it's job.

Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see 4 to 8 lb losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to 5 lbs of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, it will melt like butter usually.

Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crutial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permenant yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tryies to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.

Phase 3. The routine.
At about 2 months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistant (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becomming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!

Phase 4. Really digging in.
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already suceeded. This is where many people stumble. they are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. this is when your really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!

Phase 5. End game.
5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose 10 more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrila warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic, forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficite, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficites you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficite (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.

Conclusion:

this is what I have learned, not just from my journey, but from others as well on here. It saddens me sometimes to see people hit one of these stages and not recognize it for what it is, a part of the process. If we all can have realistic expectations, then we are more prone to win the fight and stay healthy in the long run. Note that some people will hit these stages harder then others, some may take longer, but for the most part, this is the rule that the exceptions will come from. "

i hear ya it's frustrating. On Oct 22 i decided i needed to lose 15 lbs as i can't keep gaining weight anymore. I am at my max weight and bmi for my height and age.... SO on that day i decided to get back on my treadmill and do this not only to lose weight but just to get healthier in general. I am feeling terrible, cranky and tired all the time. So i started out 5 days a week 30 min then after 2 weeks i bumped it to 40 and then 1 week later to 45. I then got a elliptical machine and have been doing both, sometimes splitting the workout between both items or one on one day and then next on the next day. Well when i hit 1 month i hadn't lost 1 lb. I had been eating healthy and all. So i was getting discouraged. what else can i do? what am i doing wrong?
I decided from reading on this site that many are doing the 30ds, so i started that this week. I just finished my 3rd day today, so after the 30 days if i still don't lose 1 lb or a inch somewhere, then i am DOOMED!

Bump

Totally understand - it can be very frustrating...I started on my journey a year and a half ago - eating cleaner and doing a regular exercise routine...I am only down about 12 lbs over the course of that time- am I frusterated that it isn't more - especially since I am doing everything "the experts" say to do - yes...BUT my body shaped has changed and people have noticed and think I have lost 20 lbs or more...so I have had to rearrange my thinking and go towards a lifestyle change and not a weight change - when/if my weight goes down I see that as a bonus...I would rather be "solid" with nice definition then "thin" with no tone - KWIM

I would be willing to bet you will see some difference in your measurements - I recently took my measurements after not taking them for 6 months - the difference in my hips and wasit was only about an inch...but my thighs - 3 inches each...so put them together I took 6 inches off my thighs...my arms are the same - BUT I now have a nice line of definition when I flex and the bottom part doesn't flap as much as before ...My neck/collarbone area is a lot more defined too...

Don't give up - change the way you think about "diet" and exercise - think of it as a lifestyle change to better feed your body the good stuff - to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, to strengthen your bones and your heart, etc...

One thing too - have a check-up with your Dr. get them to do a blood screen to make sure your hormones aren't out of whack...for women our hormones can do mean nasty things to our bodies - I am planning on going to my Dr. again and asking for a full blood screen panel...just to make sure that everything is on the up and up there

Yes I find it very hard to lose weight I always seem to stay the same up or down 5 Ibs. I'm around 14 to 17Ibs over weight which I know is not that bad but still I have to keep an eye or I will keep going up. I eat healthy but I know myself I eat to many carbs. For a long time I didn't do enough exercise I have a curvy figure so need to workout regularly. And my other issue was not drinking enough water, the only water I drank was in my tea.
I really want to stick with my exercises this time round that's why I joined a gym two weeks ago plus I do zumba.
I'm a bit like you I enjoy my food and have tried dieting over the years but after a while you go mad on food and put the weight back on. So now I'm eating normal but healthy but also not depriving myself.
All your friends comments are really good I know now to stick with it and in time I'll see the results if not off my weight maybe I'll knock a few inches off and most of all feel fitter and have more energy.
Cheers!!

it's been since about june since the last time i lost any weight. i'm still doing my thing and trying to mix it up to get the scale moving again. i'm not really complaining - i'm still very active and i love the endurance and strength i'm gaining - i'd prefer that over weight loss if i could only choose one thing. i'm just curious if there is anyone else out there that has not seen weight loss results but are still pushing through, and how you deal with not losing.

i know that eventually, my body is going to comply and let go of the fat. in the meantime, my muscles, heart and lungs continue to rock it out. i'm going to get measured at my gym on monday, so i hope it lines up with how i feel - smaller - even though i've been holding the same weight for months now.

anyone else in my boat?

No loss since June is unacceptable. You need a new plan. How many calories are you eating?