1BlueAurora Member

My experience, aside from water retention and high sodium in restaurant food is this: even a fairly new scale can go out of whack after working perfectly for some time. It's out of adjustment, losing its battery or whatever. That's my wild guess.

I really like using the Happy Scale app on my phone. You input your weight stats every day (or however often you weigh yourself.) It generates a graph that shows a gentle arc in the direction of your weight loss. That way, I don't get discouraged when I have fluctuations. Definitely women retain some weight during their…

I did Couch to 5K (which I loved!). Then I asked the trainer at the gym to show me some free weight exercises and proper form on the machines. Try it for 6 weeks, and see whether you like it. Definitely doing this on your non-running days is the way to go.

Unfortunately, it's impossible to control where on the body we lose inches. The first area I lost weight was my boobs and face, then thighs and hips, then stomach. Eventually, my wedding ring kept falling off, so I guess I got skinnier fingers, too. Of course, it was the waist and hips I wanted to get thinner, but that's…

I went through insomnia. My doctor said that sleep deprivation causes changes in hormones (lepitin? leptin?) that regulate appetite. I'd gained weight when I couldn't get enough sleep. You say that you haven't changed what or how much you're eating, but it's possible that when you're fatigued you are actually eating a…

Well, where I come from the cows start giving birth sometime between February and April. Don't know how aggressive a pregnant cow can be, but those with calves might want to chase people/dogs away from where they are. Those mama cows are very protective of their babies! Don't know what else you should have done. :Some…

Get a $20 food scale, weigh your portions, and log in those calories more accurately. I discovered I was eating way more cheese and nuts than I thought before weighing my portions, so of course I wasn't losing weight! Good luck!

What's your doctor say?

Well, you are losing a lot of weight fast, probably too fast. See whether you can lose 1 pound a week instead of 3. As far as mood, consider substituting a protein (eggs, chicken, fish, nuts) for the chocolate you crave. I know when I feel deprived, though, I'm apt to lose control, so every day I allow myself some…

Do you combine protein and fat together at meal times? My favorite go-to when I was getting too low on fat might be 2 scrambled eggs with 1 ounce of cheddar cheese and half an avocado. My energy level was stable. Honestly, though, if your mood is so low that you want to cry all the time, I'd consider calling your doctor…

Best comment: "You look great!" I say thanks, feel like my hard work is showing results, and move on with my day. Weirdest: "You've lost weight. Is that intentional?" Friend has a look of grave concern, then asks if I'm battling cancer. I reassure her that I'm healthy, go out for a run, and wonder whether I look ill to…

I'd set a less aggressive goal, just so I could ride that vacation motivation without depriving myself too much for the next two months. Maybe aim for 15 pounds gone? Then treat yourself to a nice new vacation outfit (maybe it'll be a size smaller?), go forth and enjoy!

Well, it's not enough apparently for MFP to have that as a calorie burning exercise. But TV watching isn't either. And TV watching sometimes leads to mindless snacking, so there's that. Good question, though.

Things that worked for me: at home, I use a luncheon plate that's smaller than a dinner plate and load that up. It looks like a full plate, and less food on there means smaller portions. One small chicken breast or a portion of salmon, the rest of the plate veggies. Don't eat a second helping. Find low calorie items and…

An entire apple with an ounce of cheddar cheese or a tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter (weigh the cheese on a food scale to make sure you're not overconsuming: eye-balling a serving is inaccurate). Stops the sugar craving for me, and the little bit of protein and fat satisfies any hunger issue on top of that. I don't…

It's possible that much of the weight you lose will be from your wallet. I would personally find it counterproductive and depressing to be judging my rate of weight loss against what other people are accomplishing. We're all built differently, have different metabolisms, are in different age groups with varying hormone…

I think you're not obsessing, exactly, but just trying to learn a lot of info in two days. Buy yourself a food scale and weigh your food. Use the MFP database - there's a search function and it'll give you the calorie estimate. For instance, a boiled egg is about 75 calories. A big ol' serving of vegetables will be on the…

I think vomiting will indeed make it look like you've lost some weight (temporarily). The only indigenous medicinal thing I've ever wanted to try is chewing coca leaves for that extra energy burst. I don't really like the idea of putting burning chemicals on my skin, especially since I think I'd eventually end up going to…

Buy a food scale, they're not that expensive. Start weighing your food, and consistently do the MFP logging. I used to eyeball cheese, and logged in my portion as 1 oz. When I weighed what I was actually eating, it was closer to 3 ounces. Eye-opening! I made sure to eat a little something an hour or two before a meal, just…

Maybe a small protein shake before the workout, and light dinner after.

I'm a big coffee drinker. I will always have either a home made latte with 2% milk (a little less rich than half and half) or an iced coffee once a day. I used to have three of these a day, so feel pretty accomplished that I could cut back. Then I drink calorie free iced tea with lemon to fill me up and keep a little of…

I don't know what you're doing exercise-wise, but there's no reason to keep doing the same old thing if you're bored. If you've taken up jogging, find another park to run in. Or ask a friend to join you. If you can afford gym membership, take a yoga class one day and a Zumba class another. I find that some solitary time…

I think the weight you lose will be from your wallet.

Everyone experiences weight loss plateaus, so don't panic. You'll probably see a decrease on your scale again in the next two weeks, if you keep up your logging and exercise just as you are. I'd suggest slowing down your rate of loss anyway. I lost on average 2 pounds a week over 5 months, and lost a lot of muscle tone…

You just started exercising, so give it some time and be patient. It's possible that your body will initially retain water (you're not retaining fat) as your muscles get used to being used. Keep drinking water, though - your goal is not to lose water weight, but fat, and dehydration is your enemy). I think you'll see in…

You haven't gained weight, either. Those plateaus are disheartening, but it sounds like by following the advice given above about peanut butter (yum!), you should see that scale needle move.

jseams1234 - you're right. I absolutely did not know this. It looks like the only way to deal with it is to eat a balanced diet, eat protein, exercise, do some strength training and get 6 to 8 hours of sleep. I apologize to the original poster for being so dismissive. Sorry, FitAndLean_5738.

Well, there's probably nobody in the MFP community that can support your going under the MFP recommended minimum calorie daily intake. I understand you need to rationalize a program you say you made up for yourself (instead of following MFP guidelines) that you recognize is unhealthy and unsustainable. Really, I don't know…

Sorry. You can do some exercises to shape what you've got, but my personal experience was as I lost weight, I lost some butt and boobs. I wasn't able to do any spot reducing whatsoever.

Here's my experience: I'm 5' 7", started at 173 pounds. Set my weight loss goal to lose 2 pounds a week. Ate 1200 calories a day. Lost 30 pounds in 5 months. It was WAY TOO FAST. I was running, taking Zumba classes, and lifting weights. Despite using weights, I lost muscle mass, especially in my biceps, triceps and…