I HAVE to be losing weight - but why am I stuck?

I just spent a couple hours putting in my food for the last 2 days into fitday.com and just by exsisting at my current weight, I burn 3100 calories a day and ingest 500-600 calories a day. By that calculation, I should be losing a pound at least every other day, but I'm NOT!!! I know - I know....be patient and it will happen. I know all that but I can't reconcile it in my heart. My mind knows it will start happening, but my attitude is starting to break down into a dark and angry place. I thought MAYBE I was ingesting more calories than I thought originally, but no - I'm pretty much on target. And that makes it harder because I don't know how much lower I can go nor do I know what I can do to help get my weight off. My protein level is great too - 53 yesterday and 67 today. I KNOW - I KNOW - time will start me losing again. But after getting on the scale yet again today only to see that I gained back the 1/2 lb I lost yesterday plus another 1/2 lb (which I finally peed out later in the morning), it's just frustrating. I'm trying to keep myself in check over this and not get worked up - and I know I'll probably be better tomorrow, but this just ****** me off. It really does. Dina

Dina, The scale did not move for me for almost 10 days. When it finally did, it was UP! I gained a pound. The next day, I lost two. I was majorly bummed about this until I went into my closet, tried on all of my size 24 pants and they fit. Not only that, some of the 22's fit. Considering I was packed into 24's like a sausage 3 weeks ago, I'm feeling pretty good about that. This morning I took a bath and for the first time in ages, my butt did not touch both sides of the tub. Water flowed freely past both sides of me. Yeehaw! I'm so glad my butt is no longer a dam. Tonight I went out to see a local band play in a college bar. My stomach wasn't bulging over the top of my size 22's and I was able to sit comfortably for hours. Amazingly enough, even though I was probably the biggest person in the bar, I didn't feel awkward or ashamed around the tiny size two chickies that were young enough to be my children. A month ago I would have been feeling so out of place and ashamed. Hell, a month ago, I wouldn't have gone. I've just decided that the scale is Satan's Spawn, I'm just going to have to get my sense of accomplishment from losing inches. Of course I say that now. Wait until my next plateau when I'm upset and posting about how much I hate the scale. Don't get discouraged. The laws of nature dictate that the scale has to move soon. In the meantime, tell us about the other ways you've noticed the weight coming off. Connie

Well, certainly my clothing is a little looser, but it's nothing that I haven't done myself in the past, and one pair of pants hasn't even gotten loose on me. Just a little less snug. Do I sound disgruntled still? Thing is, it's getting to the point that if I don't lose a pound FOR GOOD soon, I will be beating my post induction on Atkins stalls. I think I already beat that because I am pretty sure I didn't stall for more than a week on Atkins. And the ****** is my carbs are low enough to be in that range anyway. My body bites the big one! Dina

Dina, I know just how you feel...for some reason I had this fantasy and vision that when we were on the other side finally that the weight would be just gone gone gone without hardly thinking about it.....Now, I have seen the scale stay the same for the last 3 days and it is bumming me out a little too. I have no answers except what you already stated...you are doing everything right, I am doing everything right....so it will happen! Actually my focus has changed for the better I think...I am more concerned now with "feeling good" and "being healthy inside" than just losing weight....I have read some bad stories of anorexia, fainting episodes and other malnutrition problems that we certainly will never have if we stick to the program. And I don't know about you, you are a week ahead of me but I am NOT back to full physical activity and strength yet....when I am able to do more, I am sure the weight comes off faster too.

No, I'm not exercising yet. I'm not supposed to for a month, but I'm planning on going for a short walk today. I started drinking coffee again the other day so I guess if I can start that early, I can start this early. Thing is I never was physically active. I hurt too damn much to walk much. And since surgery - like with my c-section - I have a searing hot nerve that my physical therapist says is a sciatica nerve (doctors are clueless sometimes) that runs down my left leg that puts me into agony when I do walk, like when I'm shopping. It feels like searing hot needles being stabbed into my leg. And the weirdest thing is that although I feel this searing hot pain, at that time my leg feels numb when I try to slap it out. At least this time it's just the left leg and not both. There is that, then there is also my back. I walk half a block and it's totally ready to give out. Thus one of the biggest motivators for me to have this surgery. I can't sleep more than 6 hours without putting my back out for the whole day...STILL. I know I'm being a whiner. I fully realize I need to quit my *****ing and just be thankful I was able to have the surgery and come out without complications. I am thankful for that. But I'm also still very discouraged. Surly I think would be the word... Dina

I haven't hit this plateau stage yet, but I am dreading it. What I have started to do is up my protein even more. My doc says a minimum of 60/day. He also says that his patients that do best have between 70 and 80 grams of protein a day. I have not been able to get up to that point yet, but I'm going to be tyring all sorts of new protein drinks and bars. Spending a fortune just to taste them, but for me, that's the only way I'll be able to get that high. I'm hoping that by boosting the protein up over 70 and increasing my walking, I will lessen, if not beat, that plateau stage that I know is right around the corner. mgm lap RNY 3/16/04 330/311/289/130

I am only 2 1/2 weeks out and have only lost 15 pounds. Those 15 pounds were inthe first 2 weeks. Nothing since then. I know. I know it will start to come off. Talk about being discouraged.........

Dina, you know I know what you're dealing with. Try not to weigh yourself so often. Really, you're gonna make yourself crazy if you keep this up. Remember, the numbers on the scale don't tell the whole story! Try to go a week without weighing yourself and instead, concentrate on upping your protein and your activity level. Then see what happens in a week. Can you do that? Can you try? Best, Maureen

It's true - I am a scale ***** I cannot go a day without weighing at least once or twice. But that is my "mode" when dieting. It always kept me on the straight and narrow. Don't know if I can give this up. My protein is already pretty high for the calories I am ingesting. My max should be 81 and I have been eating mostly protein - had 67 grams yesterday just in food eaten. If I were to have a protein drink, it'd be up to 82. ::sigh:: I just didn't want to have the extra calories. I will promise that when I add my foods to fitday.com I will monitor my protein intake and try to keep it at least 70 grams. And I will be exercising soon. But logic tells me I should already be losing. Dina

Hi Dina -- I'm ohhhh so right there with you. In fact Connie and I have this "lets tell each other if the scale moves" communication going on. And the posts of "when did you ever lose 25 pounds in a month before?" just don't freakin help. Because my mind is not stuck on the initial huge lose, but rather those 0 pounds I've lost in the past several days. This truly truly SUCKS. I guess I would have been okay if I had expected it. If my surgeon or nutritionist said "hey - its not uncommon for people to lose a lot in the first two weeks and then nothing for several days". At least I would have been prepared. I religiously track every single morsel and ounce of liquids that goes into my body. I'm trying to up my protein without upping my calories too much. The first several days I talked myself out of the depression from not losing...but these past two days have been much much harder to do that. It does help to know other people are in the same boat. I think its that fear of "great - ANOTHER attempt failed" that is getting to me. I am avoiding all the posts of how much others have lost for now -- its just too hard to read. At least you are in good company Lissa "drop kicks her scale into the stratosphere"