I have been dieting since the new year. I have noticed I will not lose pounds unless I eat below 1,000 calories.

I think I am sensitive to the chemicals in processed foods. I can't eat anything processed. I am also sensitive to sodium. And carbs. So I am on a low carb vegetarian diet which means I limit grains, don't eat bread, pasta or any processed carbs.

You might notice that people online who drop a lot of weight always drink tons of water. I suspect this keeps flushing excess sodium and chemicals out of their system. As fat breaks up it can release stored up chemicals in the bloodstream.

If the scale doesn't budge I start drinking more water and that always works.


I am losing weight at a snail's pace. I have to keep making adjustments. I am kind of shocked at how hard it is but it is better to "bite the bullet" and buckle down...instead of being on an unsuccessful dieting regime for months, even years, which I have done.


I also can't allow any "cheats" at all. If I eat anything but plain food the scale won't budge.

The problem is reading about everyone else's success stories like how they large amounts of weight in a short period of time. Some people take two years to lose excess weight. We just don't like reading those stories. Quick weight loss can result in eating disorders. I stopped reading everything online about dieting because a lot of it is toxic material.

I have lost 12 pounds since the beginning of the year...which works out to to be about 1 1/4 pounds a week. That's within the recommended rate of losing weight...but losing weight this slowly is a torture. As a young person I would have lost this much in a month...not two and a half months. But we have to adjust our expectations to the "here and now."

You need to cut out what isn't working and do more of what is. I have found that dieting requires being hungry a lot because you have to lower calories enough to lose...and yeah, one is going to be hungry. Put distractions in place. Give yourself non-food rewards. Have patience. Dieting is hard and just plain sucks.