Friday. Weigh in Day. What numbers will we see?!
I found this on the myfitnessplan website. A member who has lost 66 pounds posted it and I thought it was incredibly brilliant!
Kerri's top 10 reasons why you're not losing weight
"Ok, I'm not a doctor, I'm not even a nurse, all of these are from personal experience and observation. I have read a shocking amount of "I'm so frustrated, I've been here a week [or 3 days, or 2 weeks] and I haven't lost anything!" So I thought instead of replying to all those separate threads I decided to make my own. All you veterans, feel free to add to my list:
1. The number one reason you haven't lost weight is because you haven't given yourself TIME to lose weight. 3 days? (yes people have actually posted this) It is unlikely that you will see any noticeable changes in just 3 days and even if you do- yep, WATER weight. Be patient. If you are doing everything right (and nothing below applies to you) give it a month. Still nothing? Go see your doctor.
2. You're eating too much. No, I don't mean you should start striving for numbers BELOW 1200 cals a day. What I really mean is you're not being accurate in what you do eat. "A handful" of grapes does not always equal 1 cup. You should make an effort to weigh and/or measure everything you eat including fruits and vegetables and beverages. Calories add up.
3. You're not exercising. Yes, you can lose weight without exercise, but you are doing your body a major favor by doing it anyway. Increased muscle mass will speed up the rate at which your body burns calories so... more muscle= more fat loss.
4. You're not eating enough. It seems to make sense right- eat very little, lose weight. But it's not. The less you eat, the more difficult it becomes for your body to function properly. This causes what is sometimes called "starvation mode"- but here I'll call it a slowing of the metabolism. Basically your body slows all it's functions to a crawl in order to conserve energy. It really fights to hold onto the fat reserves it's got because, in essence, it is starving. If you eat to little over a long period of time you will develop serious health problems, if you continue the behavior anyway you will, simply put, starve to death. Not eating enough can seriously slow weight loss but what's even worse is what it does to your health so please, eat!
5. You can't put down the salt shaker. Sodium causes water retention, which causes the scale to read higher than what you actually weigh (that's called water weight) eating foods high in sodium is the culprit, and it doesn't HAVE to be salt that you've added. Most foods have sodium in them already, especially pre-packaged foods and sauces so be sure to monitor your sodium. You should be getting no more than 2500 mg in a day.
6. You're weighing in at the wrong time. For this one I have 2 valid points- the first is- if you are a woman NEVER under ANY circumstances should you weigh during your time of the month. Most women pack on weight then due to water retention. It's just unfair to weigh yourself then. The second point is- don't weigh yourself after a hearty dinner- your tummy is full of food, and fluids from your day. Weigh instead in the morning after you've used the washroom. It's more accurate and please- once a week only.
7. You're eating the wrong foods. There are a lot of people that seem to have trouble losing weight with Carbs. I am luckily not one of them, but if you are you may look into (and I mean seriously look into, not just "oh ya, I'm gonna stop eating all carbs now") a low-carb lifestyle. There are many users here who can offer you advice on this but please also speak to your doctor about it first.
8. You don't have much to lose. When you only have say 10-15 lbs to lose, it is going to be a very slow process. You're fooling yourself if you think someone of that size can lose 2 lbs a week, or even 1 lb a week in some cases. Make reasonable goals of .5-1 lb a week and you'll have more success. I've said it before and I stand by it- be prepared for it to take a year to reach your goals. It is not unheard of for people to lose just 1 lb a month when they have very little to lose- but progress is still progress.
9. You're weighing inaccurately. Are you weighing with clothes on? Are you using different scales? Is your scale on a hard, flat surface? You should make an effort to weigh either nude or, if you're in a public place, in the same or similar clothes every time you weigh-in. Use the same scale every time as each will weigh you differently and make sure the scale is flat. Some scales read differently if you so much as bend over, so stand up straight with your arms at your sides. Make certain your scale is accurate, try weighing a 10lb barbell and adjust it so the scale reads exactly 10lbs.
10. And finally, the one everyone loves to turn to- muscle mass. Muscle takes up less room that fat, so if you're gaining muscle the scale may show increases or no change in your weight even if you are losing fat. BUT don't fool yourself, you're not putting on 3 lbs of muscle in a week. If it's been a serious plateau however, and not just a week or two, pull out your handy tape-measurer and see if there are any changes where it really counts.
That is all, thanks for reading 
"
I read a few of the responses but my attention span is really short and I decided to just add onto this a few things.
1) In regards to food and exercise, be sure you're being honest with yourself! Did you REALLY work out hard enough to count all those calories burned? And if so, did you reward yourself with a nice, big cupcake or with something that would help give you more fuel for your body? I am guilty of the cupcake on a few occasions. Recently, I went for a walk pre-dinner so I could afford to eat at a pizza place with my husband. There's nothing wrong with doing it from time to time, just make sure it's not your habit.
2) With number seven, I think it should also be mentioned that your diet should have a variety. Lots of protein, fruits, veggies, and whole grains. If you're eating 1000 calories a day in simple carbohydrates, you aren't doing yourself any favors!
3) If you're under any type of stress at all, including illness, give your body a break! It's speaking to you and it's saying "leave me alone".
4) DRINK YOUR WATER!!! I notice that water has so many benefits with weight loss and my number one motivation is that the weeks when I drown myself in water, I lose the most weight! If you aren't used to drinking it, start small. Give yourself a goal of 2 glasses a day and work your way up. If you have been eating a lot of sodium, the best way to counter-act the water retention is to flush it out with water.
5) Remember that there are some things out of your control that can cause you to maintain or gain weight. Medications, illnesses, genetic conditions, etc. Again, be HONEST with yourself about what you've really tried and never, ever be afraid to talk with your doctor. They might be able to help switch your medications or put you on a new one that is more weight-friendly!
