About to give up.

You started working out, so you are likely retaining water.
You are undereating so your body is reluctant to shed fat.
Eat up.

Also, open up your diary. You will get better feedback that way.

As someone already suggested, you should use the same scale to weigh every time. You should also weigh in the morning on the same day. Weight fluctuates many times throughout the day so it's not really an accurate measure. If your clothes are fitting better, that means success! Take waist/hip/thigh measurements to track your progress. Keep going, you can do this

I think cutting out the wine would help. but for sure do the strength training. Circuit training or intervals are a great way to get defined and lose the weight. The plus with the strength training is the after burn lasts for almost 24 hours. Cardio does not offer that. Good luck on your journey and do not give up.


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I love this type of thread. I've been dealing with much the same for a long time, BUT I'm ok with it because i'm losing inches like crazy. You have to understand that your body is reshaping. Feed those muscles, and your muscles will help work off the fat.

Be patient, don't quit. This is not a job for weak people. It's about strength. I'm skinnier today than I have been in 6 years. I wear clothes that wouldn't have fit me for another 20lb loss if I hadn't done strength training. I've lost more inches than pounds. I started this in August and am down 38lbs and well over 40 inches.

Don't measure by scale, measure with a tape.

It's just harder for some people than it is others, but it's a lifestyle change so keep with it.

I find it hard myself, I stick to around 1200 calories, exercise as much as I can it doesn't budge that much but I'll keep at it as it's a permanent change.

There are many reasons why you could have gained weight, it will most likely go away, I always weigh more when I work out.

@Westcoast- I am now in the same boat- the scale is evil, I actually had to give it to my husband to hide from me :flowerforyou: but keep at it! I have been hitting the gym 3x a week the last three weeks and eating 1200 calories and drinking plenty of water. I am actually going to try and up my calories and see what happens. I just took my measurements this Monday and will see if in two weeks I see a change. I also just purchased a HRM to get a better idea of how many calories I am burning. Feel free to add me and we can take this journey together.

Thanks Kath... I 'think' my clothes are fitting better? I just feel like a crazy person!? It is inconceivable to me that I have not lost any weight?? I know I should look at it as a new way of life, but a little bit of movement on that scale would go a LONG way to keeping me motivated. I have never been so gung ho about working out, I can't miss a day, I love how it makes me feel afterwards, but I also want to see that it is working at the same time.

I am a little nervous to open my food diaries to the world to see... almost feels like someone seeing me naked! LOL

Looks like you're doing some kickass workouts. HIIT is no joke, for real. But remember, it's only been a month. Don't give up yet.

As far as sharing your diary, I personally think it's a great idea. The whole point of My Fitness Pal is Community with like-minded people. Use that to your advantage. Find people with the same body type as you, and check out their diary. It might give you some really great insights. And by sharing as well, you help others. I'm almost the same height and weight as you, so I would bet that we've had similar experiences when it comes to health and fitness.

Good luck in your journey. I hope to see you still posting on here in a year from now.

I've been playing with the "same" 2 lbs since Christmas, so I know how you feel (I lose them then gain them back over and over). Sometimes a sudden change like this can "shock" your body - you cut your calories in half and added in all this extra work, it's going to take some time for your body to adjust. Once it does, you may seen a quite a quick change! I just broke through this week, and was celebrating a silly 1/2 pound, lol.

But what I can tell you is that, whether you're seeing it on the scale or not, you are making your body healthier. Weight is only one measurement. You may have been told to check other measurements, like waste, hips, bust, or thighs - that's another way of seeing if your body is changing at all and can be more telling than the number on a scale (also how your clothes fit). But even more than that, eating right, drinking water, and exercising is going to help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, make you more resilient, boost your immune system, and give you more energy. So don't quit!

You may want to tweak your settings. I changed mine to lose only 1/2 a pound a week because I want to feel comfortable with how much I'm able to eat. I don't want to feel deprived (I even had 1/2 a package of Little Debbie donuts today, and it's not throwing my day off! :laugh: ) For me, at least, I don't want to be thinking "I can't wait until I've reached my goal and can stop counting everything I eat." I've done that. And it always creeps back, even if it is only 20 pounds over 5 years. That's still not what I want. I want to be able to maintain a healthy body - both with proper eating and correct portions and with good exercise - for the rest of my life. If you find yourself wanting to quit, you're probably depriving yourself. Adjust your settings so that you're making small changes rather than drastic, and accept that it's going to take a little while to reach your ultimate goal, but once you do, you will be comfortable maintaining that lifestyle!

I feel the exact same way. I gained back the 5 pounds I lost, according to my scale. I eat 1000 to 1200 a day and work out at least 3 times a week. This is my third week and no improvement. HELPPP:embarassed:

I didn't read all the replies, so sorry if someone has already mentioned this.. but... are you sure you are eating enough? If you eat too little, your throwing your body into starvation mode and therefore it will hold on to every single calorie you put in your mouth. Also, even if you under your caliore count, if it isn't real whole food then you are more than likely eating more than you think you are. Especially processed food and dining out can add alot to your plate.

I joined around the same time you did and when I started I had a similar issue. I was originally eating 1200 calories a day as suggested but just felt like that wasn't enough especially with doing so much cardio, I upped my caloric intake to 1400 calories. I gained a little at first during the 1200 calorie intake, but now its all coming off. You are welcome to add me and my diary is open to friends. I go to Zumba 5 days a week with one of the days being Zumba toning. I have also been told not to focus solely on weight but to go off of measurements (which I have yet to do lol) and how your clothes are fitting you. My clothes are fitting looser. Not falling off but fitting really comfortably instead of tight! lol Don't give up! Remember your original reason for joining and try to hold on to that. We didn't become overweight overnight so it's a process to change and get it off. Good luck to you!

Tai

OH! Also, for us ladies, if it's close to your cycle you can retain 5 or more pounds of "water", so ya know... drink more of it to flush ya out, but that could be why you've "gained" even though you are doing everything "rite"

)

Muscle weighs more than fat. Do you clothes feel bigger? I take fiber caplets everyday to help move it on through.

NO NO NO-- please. A pound of muscle weighs a pound. A pound of fat weights a pound. Muscle is more DENSE than fat. So a pound of muscle takes up less space or volume than a pound of fat. A person who has 150 pounds of mostly muscle will be slimmer, more lean, than a person who has 150 pounds of mostly fat.

But a pound of elephant is the same weight as a pound of feathers... but people still say an elephant is heavier than feathers.

I am having the same problem, so I have decided (today) to go on the Atkin's diet, a low carb diet. I did this diet last year and lost ten pounds in two weeks with no exercise, but I gained it all back. I am exercising now six days a week, so I am hoping that if I can lose quickly again, I will keep it off because of the exercise. Maybe try the Atkins diet.

There is something i don't get. You are 5'9" and you weigh 209ish and you only get 1200 to 1500 calories and with all that great exercise you are doing, you should be eating more calories. I am 5'2" and weigh 200 lbs and I get to eat 1390 calories a day to without exercise included. I have done exercise and nothing as intense as you have done, just burning between 240 and 400 calories a day moderately. I have lost about a pound a week which is what I wanted to do.
Do you think you aren't losing because your body thinks it' s starving? You don't seem to be eating enough for your height and weight according to my directions given by MFP.