I've been working really hard

[GRLMGC]

and I haven't lost any weight. I've been controlling my calorie intake and working out four times a week and nothing. Any suggestions to help me break out of this rut?

[Broken_Hero]

1. How long have you been doing this?

Do you mean, you started a few weeks ago, and lost nothing yet...or did you lose a few pounds, and now are at a plateau?

For me, I experience, what I call a Plateau...where I lose no weight for a couple of weeks. During my weight loss back in 94-95, my biggest plateau period was 333lbs...it took me just over 3weeks, give or take a day, to break into the high 320's...I also experienced a two week plateau, around 303, before I finally broke through to under 300....

The physical therapist(s) I talked to during my weight loss during that time period, told me that certain plateau's can occur, when you are gaining as much muscle, as the fat that you are burning...hence, you stay the same weight, but you are losing inches on your body(somewheres!).

I hope this helps out a little, and good luck!

[GRLMGC]

2. It's been about a month

since I started trying to lose weight in earnest. I lost about thirty pounds before that. I'm trying to lose twenty more. I think I have lost inches so that's probably more important. Its just discouraging seeing the scale telling me that i've pretty much failed at my mission. I think its just psychological and I can't let it get me down.

[Lisa0825]

3. That is why I take my measurements as often as I weigh.

I record them at www.mybodycomp.com in the Body Fat calculator tool. You take 12 measurements, plus weight, and it calculates fat mass, lean mass, BMI. waist-hip ratio, etc. Plus, you can create a new profile for each time you take measurements, then you can compare them to each other, and it will calculate the differences.

At the times when I haven't lost anything in a week or two, I have always still lost some inches, and keeping an eye on that really helps ward off frustration!

[GRLMGC]

4. cool

I'll definitely bookmark that link. Thanks!

[AZBlue]

8. What a cool site!

Thanks for the link!!

[wake.up.america]

5. Your weight is not what is important - it's your health and how you feel.

People become obsessed with looking at the scales. Forget it.

It's a life style change that's going to do the trick.

Good luck!!

[Arugula Latte]

6. I feel frustrated too, GRLMGC.

I've been working out a lot this summer. I could not be classified as "overweight" -- people tell me: "Oh, you don't need to lose weight." But I just want to get rid of maybe five pounds of flab so I can feel leaner and see my muscles show through more. I have been building muscle, I'm quite sure, but STILL, just this morning I was complaining to my husband that I would just like to see the scale budge downward a little to give me encouragement. It's one thing to know that muscle weighs more than fat and that pounds don't matter as much, but, Jeez! a little scale movement would mean so much ...

Frustrating, frustrating.

[AZBlue]

7. Have you lost inches but not weight?