confused

I dont know whats going on. I am not eating alot but I am getting all my daily requirements in. I have gained 2 lbs in the last 3 days. An I have been stuck at 97 lbs lost for a week prior to that. I have a bad back still and it restrics my working out. I do walk alot though. I dont know whats to do. Can someone help me with advice. I am dying to hit the centry club ( post surgery weight loss) I am at 114 lbs down all together. Please help. Tommy

Tommy, Slow Loss? "Last 3 Days!" ------- Explanation... Pull back from your 'daily' charting, And look at a weekly or even monthly. There are up and down spikes each day/week, But if you 'graph' the highest to the lowest, I'd bet there is still A downward slope over the course of the month. There's an 8 to 10lb. volume of "wiggle room" due to water alone. And it comes into play a lot. This has to do with our bodies using glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, But it is stored in our muscles for quick energy - One pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, And the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, (Like when you drop down to your calorie intake) Your body turns first to stored glycogen, Which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, You also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it Voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of any diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, Your body starts to 'realize' that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue And burning fat for energy. But your body also 'realizes'---- (by way of your liver releasing hormones signaling low Cal intake) ---That fat can't be used for short bursts of energy - Like, to outrun a sabertooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, And rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, (Thus showing negative Calorie load overall) Your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while As you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. Yes? The whole 'weight-loss' process is not a straight "Slide" down the scale. More like "Stair-Steps," (Down then forward, then down, then forward, etc... As your body cycles fat out of "deep storage" and through the Liver Into the muscles as Glycogen. The muscles and Liver can hold about a 3 weeks supply. This is why many people find that their "Stall" or "Plateau" Breaks when adding a bit of exercise And upping their water intake, or in the case of an "extreme exerciser," The total Calorie or Protein Intake, To signal the liver to let go of more Glycogen. Fear not, Many of us who are now enjoying life at a normal BMI Once had a few weeks or so of thinking- "...my weight loss has been awfully slow, has it stopped..."? Stalls and Plateaus are very common, In fact, Normal for continued Weight-loss. Keep up the walking, but maybe change up and add more protein Without adding Too many Calories. And, keep the water intake high. For yet more info- See- http://obesityhelp.com/forums/men/postdetail/41577.html?vc=0 Hope this explaination makes some sense..... You are doing Great! Keep it Up! Best Wishes- Dx

(Dx's comments condesned for the long post reading impaired. LPRI) Throw your damn scale in the attic for two weeks and focus on you intake and exercise. JP

now that makes sense.