Is there a delay (days) from the time you start to exercise and eat better to actually seeing weight loss. For example, 2 weeks ago, I started to walk 5 times a week 1.5 miles a day and cut out a lot of fat in my eating. I dropped quite a bit quickly and now have been at the same weight for a week and yesterday had my best day ever (no exercise though) as far as eating less fat but gained 3 pounds. Is this normal and will it take a week or so for the cumulative effects of my new eating regimen to show up on the scales.

Steve

yes... there will be times when you lose alot (mostly in the begining) and then it will start comming off slower... dont let it discourage you. you seem to be doign very well! Just keep at it... How many cals do you take in during a day? how much water do you drink.. all these things including diet and excercise determine your weight loss. Maybe your body gets used to your walk, maybe you need to kick it up a notch?
good luck!

depends what your starting weight is. heavier people tend to lose it faster/easier in the initial weeks. people who are closer to normal/avergae weigts have a much harder time and plateaus last longer.

this is why you should throw out your scale. it is not the best way to measure your success. doing all the running / walking will be building up some muscle in your legs ... which weighs twice as much as fat (for equal portions). so, while you may be losing fat, you are gaining muscle ... this makes the scale completely useless. Your best friend becomes the mirror. have a look every day. soon enough you will start noticing the difference ... digital cameras are great for this too. take a pic every 2 weeks and compare. if you don't see a difference, it's time to step it up a notch.

but, don't cut your calories back too much. it's not the amount of food you eat, it's what you eat (within reason, of course )

^^^ yes what he said except i LOVE my scale too much to listen!
break out that measuring tape! inches lost are just as good as pounds lost because it means your replacing the FAT with muscle! and more muscle means you are burning more FAT even when you are sleeping and other times of non activity - woohoo!

Steve, I would focus less on fat and focus on total calories consumed, The simple bottom line is if you burn more than you consume you will lose weight. The food companies trick people into eating their stuff by claiming its low fat, however, they are usually loaded with sugars and simple carbs that will get you just as fat as anything. set a calorie goal and stick to it, I would also eventually work up to 6 days of exercise/walking an hour at a time. you will watch the weigh fall off guaranteed.

Plateaus are hard. the only thing you have to remember is that you need to keep trying, and not give up. You're doing this for yourself, and that's what matters. As AllcdnBoy said, you should not pay attention to the scale, but in truth, that's where everybody gets their confidence. Not all of use are strong enough to just look in the mirror. We want numbers to convince us that we're doing well. I know that if it's a good day, my mind might play tricks on me, and i might have actually gained 3 pounds since last week, but if i stepped on the scale that morning, and it turns out that i lost weight, i'll be much happier.
In truth, i'm attached to my scale too. I tell myself though, only to write down your weight once a week. Or try to only weight yourself once a week. The results may slow down, but since you're only recording and seeing your weight once a week, then you can see more of the progress rather than the disapointments. Your weight will naturally go up and down, that's the way it goes.

I hate the weight fluctuating thing. I've been eating well for last 10 days (and probably drinking more) only to find out that I've gained 2 lbs! Nothing like gaining weight to discaurage someone from trying!

When my own program worked, counting calories, targeting about 1200/day, being active and weighing every day, but tracking only average weight really worked. For some reason, calculating average weight every weekend and seeing it actually go down (despite gaining the day before) is very encauraging.

Looking in the mirrow will never work for me as I will only see the fat and negative things, not positive ones. I would also have to loose at least 10-15 lbs to notice the difference, which can take way over a year to loose. I ain't waiting that long to get a gratification.