Help....a bit discouraged :(

Thanks everyone for the replies and support. This is my first time trying to lose weight. I am 185 currently and 5'2. Would like to get down (and not in a miraculous amount of time) to 135. Sometimes you do not know who to trust and all kinds of advise gets you more confused. I appreciate everyone's help!

I'm taller and older than you, but otherwise your situation seems fairly similar to mine a year and a half ago. I had about the same amount of weight to lose and it was also my first serious effort to lose weight. I hadn't made even a token effort to lose weight since my teens, and I didn't need to do it then.

Six days a week of cardio on a base calorie budget of only 1000 calories a day seems awfully aggressive to me, especially for a woman in her 40s who may have gained the weight in the first place because of a lowered metabolic rate due to age related muscle loss. Do you strength train? That was the key for me, along with a moderate calorie deficit and a moderate cardio exercise program. Maybe you're just not logging it, but if you really aren't doing any strength training, then that's another good reason to fire your trainer. I used the resistance machines at the gym, which I know isn't the most effective option. But the low learning curve made it the easiest option for me.

A word of warning about new exercise programs: in the short term, water retained by sore muscles as part of the recovery process may make it appear that you are plateauing, or even gaining, when you have actually lost fat. That may be at least part of the reason your weight is up this week (possibly along with sodium and/or time of the month issues).

For what it's worth, my recommendation would be to set up MFP for a 1 pound/week loss, swap 3 of the 6 elliptical sessions for strength training sessions, and eat back at least 2/3rds of the exercise calories.

I started around your weight and am 5'2" also!! I have been doing MFP for 8 weeks and have been losing a little weight per week. However, I have lost 10 inches and almost 5% body fat!!! I only work out 3-4 times per week (goal is 4) and my trainer has me on 1200 calories a day. (Protein at 40%, fat 30%, and carb 30%). Hope this helps!! Please be patient and give it some time. Also, if you are working out 6x per week, you are most likely gaining muscle which weighs more than fat, but it burnes ALOT more calories than fat! Good luck!!

You're not going because your body is using up ALL the food you're giving it. I agree with everyone else, up your calories!!

I agree with the 1000 cals, its too low.. but also dont go by the scale.. use your clothes as a guide line. When you gain muscle it will show up as weight gain. Dont get discouraged by the scale.. I wish ppl would throw there scales away.. i recommended to weigh once a month, i think that weekly weighing is bad for your self image. Or at least do it 2 times a month..

Totally agree with this. I weigh in on the first of every month. Your body fluctuates so much, especially with being a woman, that daily and/or weekly weigh ins are not necessarily the best move for everyone. Go by how you feel vs. what the scale says.

And, most definately, kick the trainer out the door!!!!!

That is not enough food for someone who works out 6x a week. I don't think it's enough food for people who don't work out, either. If I were you, I would get a new trainer.

Yes, that trainer is not steering you in the right direction. Your body need so much more fuel when you are extremely active (workout 5+ days a week). Please, please, please up your calories or you will continue to gain.

When I was at that weight (I'm also 5'2) I was on a 1500 calorie diet eating fruits and veggies with every meal/snack and working out like 3-5 times a week and the weight steadily decreased. You def need to eat more and shoot that trainer only person who could advice you on such a low cal diet is a doctor and even then he would be drawing labs and making sure u didn't work out much so you wouldn't pass out

You are not eating enough!! You should get at least 1200 calories a day. You should also vary your exercise routine. Why do you need a trainer if all he is having you do is use the eliptical? I'm not an expert, but I do know that you have to work on also doing some weight training. Also, don't get so caught up in your weight changing every week. If your clothes are fitting you looser than your body is changing and that is a good thing. I have to keep reminding myself that it didn't take just a month or two for me to get this size, so it is certainly not going to come off any faster. Keep at it, but make some changes in how you are doing it.

1. Fire your trainer & get your money back
2. Start eating more
3. Start lifting weights - cardio will burn muscle first if you're not taking in enough calories
4. Read... ALOT!

You didn't truely gain two lbs. You have too much sodium in your diet and not enough fiber so your probably constipated and your body is holding onto the water. So its making it apear on the scale that you've gained. The scale will go up and down all of the time 4 lbs in a week is awesome. I will go weeks with loosing nothing and then loose 6 lbs over night. Its just how my body works. Don't look at the numbers in a week take a months look and see where u are at. I'm 5 foot 3 inches tall and weight 180, I work out about 4 times a week and on the days I workout I eat 1600 calories and on the days I don't I eat 1400 calories. My highest weight was 224 so this seems to be working for me. Its a long slow process though. But I've also done the get off weight now diet of starving myself and lost 50 lbs fast. I gained it all back in a year. Now this is my lifestyle and its so much easier to stick to it now that I found a calorie range that works. It take a while to see what works for u. Give it time and you'll figure it out. Good luck.