Stuck at 162.8... Help!

One of the most frustrating moments for many dieters is the weekly weigh-in.

Sometimes, the results on your scales seem to bear very little relation to the week you’ve just had.

Maybe you’ve been really good – but not lost anything. Or you’ve had a couple of meals out, and eaten more than a few candy bars – and yet you’ve dropped a pound.

What the heck’s going on?

If you weren’t dieting and weighed yourself every day, you’d still find that your weight wasn’t steady: it might fluctuate by as much as several pounds.

These fluctuations in body weight are commonly due to 3 factors:

Water retention
Glycogen stores
The amount you’ve eaten
Water Retention
Water retention is caused by drinking too little water, or eating too much salt.

If you don’t drink enough water, your body will cling onto its water supplies; make sure you’re drinking enough. And if you eat too much salt, your kidneys hold onto water instead of excreting it.

Women commonly retain water during the few days of the month just before their period. This “phantom” few pounds will drop off as quickly as it went on. Some medications can also cause water retention.

Glycogen Stores
Glycogen – sugar – is carbohydrate stored in the liver and muscles; usually more than a pound in total, along with three or four pounds of water. This is your body’s energy reserve, and gets used up during the day if you’re not taking in enough carbohydrates to supply your energy needs.

When you eat, your body replaces the glycogen store and the water that goes with it – leading to a weight gain on the scales, even if you’ve only eaten a moderately-sized meal. This is absolutely normal and should not put you off eating carbohydrates!

The Amount You’ve Eaten
Don’t think about the meal you’ve just eaten in terms of calories – think in terms of weight.

You could stuff yourself with pounds of fruit or salad for under a few hundred calories – but these pounds will show up if you stand on the scales straight after a meal. (Just imagine weighing yourself with all that food in your hands.)

Once your body’s had a chance to digest it, that food will disappear. The same applies with water – which has 0 calories, but definitely weighs something!

How to Accurately Measure Weight Loss
So how can you figure out whether you’re losing weight or not, if your body’s so prone to fluctuations? Try:

Only weighing yourself once a week, not every day
Always weighing first thing in the morning, before eating/drinking and after using the bathroom
Looking at the pattern of weight loss over time, rather than worrying if you’ve stayed the same or gone up in one particular week
Judging your success by the fit of your clothes, your energy and the good habits you’re forming – not just by the number on the scales.
Measure inches and body fat percentage instead of just weight.

* Plateaus are normal.
* Try to remember it's a marathon not a sprint.
* Keep doing the right stuff over and over and you WILL reach your goal.

Keep on keepin' on...................

If you lost 7 in 1 week, it may take a few weeks for that to all settle out. Honestly, usually if I lose more than 2 lbs in a week, I gain half of it back the next week.

For the sodium question, the mfp default for sodium is 2500, but I have mine set to 2000 mg right now and I try to be under that. GL!

I have been stuck at 163 for about 4 months LOL..I have tried eating more, I have tried eating less..yes a little discouraging but I will keep on truckin' trying to find the right calorie amount to loose (that being said I only weigh myself maybe 1 or 2 times a month)

Stuck??? But you're only a member starting July of this month. Honey, you are only getting started. MFP has created you a deficit and by not eating to your goal (Yes that means eat those exercise calories) you are creating an even bigger deficit which is counterproductive. Your body needs fuel to run efficiently. When it runs efficiently it will burn the fat. Please look at my diary, I am eating far more than you. Just don't judge me from last night, it's nearly TOM and I succumbed to cravings. Look at the group "Eat More To Weigh Less" and educate yourself about TDEE and BMR.And for the love of all things holy, EAT!

Edited to add please read through my profile, I have provided others tips there.

Try not to weigh yourself every day! And add more cardio and weights twice a week. Do not give up on yourself and do not compare yourself to others. Remember it did not take you two weeks to put on the weight! You can do it!

Two weeks is nothing.............

Just keep moving forward. This will happen from time to time - not to discourage you greatly, but sometimes a plateau can last many weeks! You have to just KEEP DOING WHAT WORKS.............and eventually, your body will respond.

And, like others have said, DO NOT weigh too often. Don't let that number on the scale make you obsessive. Put it away..........weigh ONCE a week, or less.

Measure yourself, too..................and keep track.........you might find nice surprises there!

HANG IN, and don't give up :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Thanks everyone.. I'm new at this whole living healthy thing :-P

I have been measuring.. It has moved, I know it's working.. I guess I just set my expectations to high.. I know it doesn't happen over night, sure wish it did tho.

We all want it to happen overnight, but it just doesn't work that way. And when it does it's not sustainable. You called "healthy living", that tells me you are on the right path. It will happen, just remind yourself you are more than a number on the scale. My weight has actually gone up, but my measurements are still going down, and my new size 2 shorts are loose. So I say to hell with that scale! There are many other ways to gauge success, and the scale is the least important way! Congrats, you are well on your way to success!!!

Try not to focus on crossing the finish line and being done more on being able to run forever with this life style.

Exactly - focus on "being able to run forever with this life style." For most of the people on this site, we're talking YEARS at least, as it took YEARS to get into the place where we need it. I started MFP a year ago. I thought I would lose 50lbs in one year. I didn't. But in 18 months I will. Or maybe 24 months. It really doesn't matter. I'm going to average 1600 calories a day for as long as it takes. And it's really not that hard.

Going forward, I can't imagine not tracking what I eat. Ever.