[PsychNitrous]

I've tried dieting more times than I can count in the past, with little success. Mostly it's been my fault, I tend to give up on things after a month or two. But recently, on top of my normal motivation of wanting to lose weight, I've gotten some new motivation. My brother is engaged, and they're planning to marry next spring. The last time we all got together, his fiancee was showing my mom and I the dresses she picked for the women in the wedding party (including me). I decided that there is no way I could make any of the styles the dress comes in look good at the weight I'm currently at, so I started trying to lose weight again.

I've always found that counting my calories and tracking what I eat helps me lose weight much easier than any other method. So I joined back up on My Fitness Pal, and last month I got a FitBit that I sync with my account. Yesterday I hit 80 days in a row of signing in and tracking my food, and I've lost 5 lbs. Those 5 were in the first couple of weeks of tracking, and I haven't lost anything since. When I weighed myself on Monday this week I was suprised to see that I lost another 4 lbs. But every day since then I've been checking, and I understand that there are some differences when you weigh yourself daily. But every day, those 4 lbs have been back. I'm starting to believe that Monday was a fluke, and I really didn't lose anything.

It's becoming incredibly frustrating, and I can't figure out why I can't lose more. I eat fairly well, usually under 1,000 calories a day. I exercise for at least 20 minutes, at least 5 times a week, though I usually go over that goal. Every way I look at it, I should be losing weight, but I'm not. I've been toying with the idea that my antidepressants may be preventing me from losing weight, but I don't see my psychiatrist again for a month to discuss it. Is there something else I can try to work on in the meantime? Or am I just making excuses by blaming my meds? I want to lose very badly this time around, and I think it's making my depression worse that I'm having so much trouble with it. I need some advice/suggestions!!!

[Yzen]

You are doing great! You are succeeding...keep it going. I am not an authority, but I think a typical pattern for most people is that during the first weeks, the pounds come off quickly and then the following weeks, the rate of loss slows down.

Don't stop. Here's some things you could try:
* Change Exercise routine - add some variety to the exercise you are doing to work different muscles and keep your body from getting too adjusted to the one exercise you do frequently.
* Weights - try doing using some light weights to work your muscles. Strength workouts are a great way to burn more calories.
* Move more - take breaks in your day to walk around, use the stairs, add any thing that keeps you moving around during the day.

[PsychNitrous]

Originally Posted by Yzen

You are doing great! You are succeeding...keep it going. I am not an authority, but I think a typical pattern for most people is that during the first weeks, the pounds come off quickly and then the following weeks, the rate of loss slows down.

Don't stop. Here's some things you could try:
* Change Exercise routine - add some variety to the exercise you are doing to work different muscles and keep your body from getting too adjusted to the one exercise you do frequently.
* Weights - try doing using some light weights to work your muscles. Strength workouts are a great way to burn more calories.
* Move more - take breaks in your day to walk around, use the stairs, add any thing that keeps you moving around during the day.

Thank you for replying! I forget about changing up my exercise routine, that is something I can definitely do. I was thinking the other day about adding an arm workout back in to tone those muscles. It's too bad we're going into winter time, I like to walk too.

I have been doing a lot better with moving more since I got my FitBit. I like trying to hit my goal of 8,000 steps a day, and it makes me feel enough guilt in multi-floor buildings that I've stopped taking the elevator.

I think I need to find another type of cardio to do. I have a bike in my apartment, so that one is easy.

[Yzen]

I've always heard that strength work with weights helps burn calories twice - once while you are doing the exercise and the second time when the muscles are at rest as the 'repair' themselves. That arm workout sounds like a good idea.

On the bike, it is good to alternate going fast and then a slower pace. You can do 2 minutes fast and 5 minutes slow and then 2 minutes and 5 minutes slow. The interval approach like that helps burn more calories too.

[AlwaysBeenInvisible]

I’m sorry to hear you are struggling! It sounds like you are doing a lot of work and being very diligent about your calories and exercise and not seeing the results you hoped. I can completely relate. I’ve been dieting exercising for 7 months and the weight does come off – it is just incredible slow for me too. I’ve had periods of over a month, the worst was 2 full months, where I was on/under my calories and exercised 45-60 minutes of cardio daily, and did not lose anything. It was maybe 2 pounds over the course of 2 months – but after those 2 months I could fit into a pair of capris that were super tight 2 months earlier, so things were changing but it was not on the scale.

Speaking from experience, 1000 calories a day is very low and if you’ve read the forums on MFP (I’m on there too) you’ll see a lot of threads about low caloric intake. Mine is set to 1200, plus any exercise calories and I usually try to only eat back half of those. I’ve had days and longer stretches under 1000 calories and I tend not to lose weight. I understand the temptation to go super low calorie and hope to get a big loss, but it usually backfires on me. I usually eat 1500-1600 a day with exercise, which balances out to 1200 net (which the calculator on MFP set as my goal). There are days I’m under but I try not to be consistently under.

My weight fluctuates 1-4 pounds daily depending on water, exercise, what I ate the day before. I also weight myself daily (its so bad) so your being down 4 pounds may not have been a fluke. It sounds like you are doing everything right with your tracking and FitBit – just keep at it! Mixing things up is always good too. Our bodies are very adaptable and can quickly adjust to a new routine. Good luck and keep us posted!

[PsychNitrous]

I need to start keeping extra focused on my weight for a while, maybe it'll help with this feeling of failure. My doctor put me on Prozac this week, and told me to be sure to watch for any gain. I'm a little terrified of that possibility, to be honest. I had (and still have) so much anxiety about my meds affecting my weight, and now I'm being warned about it. But I'm going to work on being "good". I've been trying to keep closer to 1,000 calories a day lately, and that's been going well.

[Sam_Spade]

Its incredibly frustrating when the scale doesn't budge when you KNOW it should. So much of what is measured on the scale is not actual fat loss. Our body weight changed drastically because of water retention, etc. If you are not already doing it, try using a tape measure around various areas of your body.

What I've also done is buy clothes one size too small to wear comfortably and then I try that on every couple of weeks until it fits perfectly. That is a more objective measure of actually body composition changes than a number on a scale.

Good luck to you

[PsychNitrous]

Originally Posted by Sam_Spade

Its incredibly frustrating when the scale doesn't budge when you KNOW it should. So much of what is measured on the scale is not actual fat loss. Our body weight changed drastically because of water retention, etc. If you are not already doing it, try using a tape measure around various areas of your body.

What I've also done is buy clothes one size too small to wear comfortably and then I try that on every couple of weeks until it fits perfectly. That is a more objective measure of actually body composition changes than a number on a scale.

Good luck to you

I have been measuring my body, there haven't been tons of changes there either. But I notice difference in my clothes, some pants have felt looser when I've been doing more of what I should be

[Sam_Spade]

hey Psychnitrous...how have you felt lately? Any movement on the scale?

[PsychNitrous]

Originally Posted by Sam_Spade

hey Psychnitrous...how have you felt lately? Any movement on the scale?

I put on a few pounds last week, between regular water weight and going a little overboard on Thanksgiving. But I'm already losing it again, so that seems to be a good thing.

I can relate. I have a dieting problem that it is incredibly hard for me to lose weight. A few years ago I did a liquid diet. I ate about 700 calories per day. I ate no normal food.. only what they gave me. At first I lost like crazy. But I now know I was eating too little. But this was the only time I lost weight like everyone else. This, of course, didn't work because after about 5 months I could lose no more. My body had adjusted and if I ate any food at all off the diet track I gained like crazy.

It seems like I have a bizarre thing. I can eat a lot of calories at a certain point and not gain easily. But to lose weight, i have to eat almost nothing.

I used to think I cheated but when I ate the liquid diet I knew that I was eating no cheats and after 5 months I just stopped losing weight.

Every time I talk to someone about how I diet they pull out the standard advice which doesn't work for me. I think I have a weird metabolism. Slow of course but also it quickly adjusts to keep me from losing weight. I remained flummoxed about how to handle it. And unmotivated to try another diet.