Not losing weight!!!!!!

Question
I am a 5'1'' 22 year old female. All of my life I have weighed between 104 and 110 pounds but in the past 6 months I have gained close to 20 pounds and now weight 123.5 pounds. I want to get back to 105 pounds so I started started a reduced calorie (1200 calories a day) diet three weeks ago. Every three hours, I eat a portion of carboydrates and a portion of protein and I spread vegetables throughout the day. I track EVERYTHING that I eat and I measure everything that needs to be measured so that I can make sure that I am tracking the right amount of calories. Additionally, I do weight training 3 times a week and I also do interval training (walking/running) three times a week for 30-40 minutes. I only work out three days a week b/c time does not allow me to do more as I am studying for the LSAT and work full time. I have not lost one pound in the past three weeks and have no idea what I am doing wrong. I understand that I may not be exercising 6 days a week but I am creating enough of a calorie deficit simply with my eating. I know the scale is not an accurate predictor of progress at times but I certainly do not feel any slimmer and my clothes is not any looser, either. HELP!!!!

Answer
It certainly looks like you're doing all the right things.  Three things that may be affecting your weight loss that I would consider are the amount of water that you're drinking, the amount of sleep that you're getting, and the amount of stress that you're under for the LSAT.  

Each of these can have a bad effect on your metabolism depending on the amounts.  You should be drinking at least 60 oz. of water a day to help burn stored fat.  Eight hours of sleep is necessary to keep your metabolism at its proper level as well as to maintain your immune system.  Stress can kick off hormonal changes in the body that are similar to 'fight-or-flight' and can cause problems with weight.  

I recommend that you stay with your program and look at any changes that you can make in the areas that I have mentioned.  I would imagine that your weight will decrease with time since the LSAT will pass and you're continuing a calorie deficit program.

Thank you for your question, Melissa.  I hope that my answer was helpful.

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