I've been exercising & dieting on & off for about a week now. The first week I lost 7.5 pounds. This week its been slowing down extremely. I even gained a pound when I know I didn't eat over 1500 calories. Yesterday I lifted weights, leg lifts, heel raises, uh these butt things, & did crunches.

I do these about every day for 30 minutes. I'm just starting off slow now and as my body gets used to it (i used to never workout) i'll increase it. I also want to talk walks during the week but lately the weather has been crappy and i'd never join a gym (too self conscious) But that pound I gained is really bothering me. Could it be muscle? water retention?

And on to my eating. I'm trying not to eat over 1,200 calories but sometimes it goes to 1,500. Sometimes it stays at even 800. It just depends on my body. I get cravings at night pretty bad but if I eat what I want at like 8pm then I wont be hungry the rest of the night. I'm not going over 65gms of carbs.

Uh a typical day for me would be -
Wake up, hot tea with sugarfree creamer (30) coffe gives me a stomach ache

wait sometimes a half hour - 2 hours before i eat then have natural pb on 35 calorie toast or cottage cheese.. this is if i eat before lunchtime if its close to lunchtime i'll wait and just eat like a sandwhich on low cal toast & some protein, the toast is high fiber too.

then i'll probably have a few more cups of hot tea & those calories from the creamer add up plus the calories from my propel water & flavored water i drink (oh i drink like 90oz a day)

then for dinner i have like protein & veggies which will fill me up but not satisfy me because its like 'uh yeah im full but god that meal sucked' so i always want to munch on something and i'll end up eating too much pb on toast or a couple cookies or just like last night a piece of battered fish.

Anyone who's experienced and could give me their opinion would be great! i'm really serious about this and i want to get fit by summer, i'm open to suggestions.

the 7 lbs you lost the first week was probably water weight, and you shouldn't expect that kind of loss every week. A good rate to aim for is 1-2 lbs a week. You mentioned that you gained a pound in your second week, but its very possible that that gain was muscle rather than fat, especially since it seems like you've been doing a lot of exercising.

My not-so-professional advice is to keep going with what you've got, since it seems like a great plan. Give it at least a few more weeks to give your body the chance to adjust to the new lifestyle and then start to lose properly. Good luck!

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Starting Weight - 200 / Current Weight - 172 / Goal Weight - 140
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I agree with Beagle. The 7 lb loss was probably mostly water. When you are starting to exercise and eat less you're forcing your body to change, and I think that invites a lot of water fluctuations. I think you just gained some of the water that you lost. Muscle does weigh more, and I'm sure you are growing it now, but I doubt muscle growth anywhere near a whole lb - it takes much longer to grow that much muscle.

The only thing you can do is to keep going for a while, like a month, and don't pay attention to weight fluctuations that much. Another thing you can do is really keep count of every calorie you eat or drink, at least for 1st week, so you know exactly what you're consuming. Calories in drinks can add up very quickly!

Eating healthy does not need to be tasteless. You can incorporate the taste that you like in healthy dinners with only few extra calories. Experiment with spices and low-calorie sauces. Find recipes that are healthy and tasty. This requires a bit of research, but with time and experimentation you will find enough easy and healthy meals to satisfy your taste buds. It is much harder to stay with good diet, if you're always hungry or if food is tasteless and unsatisfying.

Is it possible to get to any stairs? When weather just doesnt permit, I try to find a good set of stairs to walk up and down. Even just ten reps(ten up, ten down) can really get the heart pumping and burning those calories. You dont have to sprint, just a nice steady pace will do. And dont forget to buy a walkman, or something similiar to listen to music! Time flies!

And please PLEASE dont let the slower loss get ya down! As a woman, my weight can fluctuate a good five pounds during a cycle. Dont you dare sweat it!

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You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 today and we don't know where the hell she is.