I went for my weigh-in on Friday and had to have a different JCC than usual. I had changed my weigh-in time from my usual 7:00 p.m. time to 2:00 because of work. So, I usually haven't eaten since about 3:00 (a piece of fruit) before my weigh-in. On Friday, though, I had just eaten the JC Cheesy Enchilladas and cut vegetables right before I went for my weigh-in. That morning, I had checked my weight at my scale and was 156.8 (I was 156.4 the previous week). So, I didn't really expect to change. But, when I got on the scale, it had me up 1.4 pounds!!!! I was devestated. The new JCC proceeded to tell me that it was probably because I had done a personalized menu instead of a planned menu (I did planned for weeks 1-3 and personal for 4-6) and because I had had the JC sweets instead of the salty snacks. She said that you can't have the cake, brownies, cookies everyday of the week.
I AM SOOOOO CONFUSED NOW! My old consultant never told me that stuff. I am also super nervous to weigh in this week.
Please help. I exercise (circuit training with weights 4 days a week and running 1 day a week for 60 minutes a day), I drink 100+ oz of water a day, take the anytime bar. The only thing I have had a problem with is staying 100% on plan-- I have "messed up" one day each week and I know that I cannot do that. This week I have greatly improved.

i assume you are a woman? our weight does fluctuate. the day i had a gain was a later weigh-in time and a week after TOM. i was assuming the snacks were all about the same calorie-wise so you're probably doing fine. See what happens next week, bet you'll lose that weight plus a bit more.
Last week I lost a lot, i stopped weight training and just did cardio.

Try not to be discouraged....I just started a few weeks ago and when i picked out my snacks they said they are completely interchangeable and that you could have cheesecake every night if you really wanted to! Your 1.4 gain is probably due to the fact that you ate right before you went. Maybe you could stop by the Center today or tomorrow and get a mid-week weigh in. I'm sure if you told them how you are feeling they'd weigh you.

Don't get discouraged.........
The part about not eating certain snacks everyday doesn't exactly sound right.
I would suggest that you decrease the weight training and increase the cardio. I try to do 45-60 mins of cardio daily and the weight is falling off. I just started the interval training on the treadmill (slow for two mins/fast for two mins). I love it and am seeing an improvement.
Keep on going...........don't forget as you build muscle...you will see a gain on the scale but the inches will come off.

I've also been told that the snacks are interchangeable as i'm more of a sweet person than a salty person so I load up on the peanut/caramel bar and cakes.
Hang in there, WAY TOO EARLY to get discouraged! You can do it!
Bob

No one wants to see a gain. It sucks. Yup. Nothing I can say will change that - BUT, don't be discouraged. Don't let it throw you off the plan. We all have times where we can't believe what we saw on the scale and are upset, mad, angry, whatever. The key to successful loss is sticking with it...keeping going...not obsessing over it.
There are certainly going to be reasons for a gain and it might be just a flucuation in your water weight and what you ate and drank. Is it close to your period? Let me tell you, it is TOM for me now and I'm a bloaty mess - I've stuck to the plan too, but I bet I'm retaining water.
I don't do WI anywhere by JC anymore because it stresses me out to much - once I had a gain on the gym scale but then a loss at JC...so, I just do once a week at WI.
Drink a 24 oz bottle of water standing on a scale and you'd see the number go up. So, what you ate and drank that day matters. What you wore that day to the WI matters (I wear the same thing and go at the same time of day, with the same eating/drinking routine - certainly, that is not always possible.). Weight yourself at JC, then go to the bathroom and see the difference - I've noted as much as a half pound (0.5) simply from emptying my bladder...so, you never know.
You didn't say: did you stick to the JC plan during the week? Did you eat off the plan. Certainly unlikely you ate enough calories to see that increase, but you must be honest.
Now, regarding, I beg your pardon for my language - the total BUNK your consultant said about the snacks. Its a matter of calories in and out, not the type of snack - except I'd think that the salty snacks would actually cause you to retain water way more than a sweet one.
I ONLY HAVE EVER gotten the sweet snacks (tried the cheese curls once - hated them). I LOVE sweets and have no desire for any salty snacks (couldn't care less about popcorn - give me the toffee bites any day over the popcorn - same calories too)....So, I only ever eat the sweet snacks and well, I've lost weight!

First off, everyone seems to have a gain at some point which could be attributed to quite a few different factors. The timing could have done it or you simply could have had a week where your body is readjusting once again.
As long as you stick to your calorie plan, it doesn't matter if you have a sweet or a salt snack. It even says in the JC booklet that its not when you eat, its what you eat. If you're allowed those 180 calories you can choose either the cakes or the salty stuff. I use mine to have ice cream every night (120 calories for 1/2 cup serving) and I'm still losing weight.
Just continue to follow plan, remember to count your calories daily to make sure you're not overdoing it, and drink lots of fluids. It could also be that you are exercising so much that you may actually need to eat a bit more. That happened to me when I kept flip flopping between a gain and a loss for 4 weeks. You'll need another week to see if that's the case.
You can do this and you've done so well so far. Keep your chin up and have faith. This too shall pass...once you can figure out the reason.

I see that you're doing weights. Before i started Jenny and I was doing weights 3 times a week I had some gain. But I really think that your gain was just muscle. I'll bet you probably lost inches. Don't worry about it it's not fat you gained but muscle. Next week will be fine I'm sure.

So do you think I should stop weight training? My clothes feel a little looser but not a ton looser. I am a little nervous, too, because I sneeked a peek at the scale this morning and saw that it is 157, but I feel like I am retaining water so it might be that. I weigh in on Thursday.
As for TOM, it shouldn't be that YET, but with my odd cycles, it could be.
I did go off plan one day last week (the Sunday) before that awful weigh in, but I don't think it should have made me gain 1.4... I know that I cannot do that, and I have done infinitely better this week.
As for my counselor, I just think she was so awful. I have never walked out of a session feeling worse about myself. THis week, I will have a differetn counselor, and I like her a lot more. I wish I could have my old counselor, but she went on vacation for 2 weeks and my old weigh in day doesn't seem to work with my work schedule anymore.
Posting on here and reading all of your encouragement has made me feel 100 times better, and I am so thankful for all of you.

I agree with "hang in there" and also not sure what your consultants is referring to about snacks OR personalizing your menu. Personalizing my menu has actually saved me I can plan before hand to avoid the obstacles which lie ahead. As far as going off JC, I have done it too. I would keep your chin up and see what the scale says next week. I never weigh myself any where but JC. You can do this, put the week behind you and move on!

When you do the personalized menu, do you add a whole fruit and milk to every morning? Why does it seem like there is so much more food than on planned?

My weight fluctuates greatly according to the time of the month. I even gain water weight around ovulation time, not just TOM. I also agree with the PP who mentioned the scale might be different. Don't lose hope -- stick with your plan and I bet you'll have a big loss this week!

Hmmm. How interesting about the desserts.
I am on the 1200 cal. plan and I get a dessert for every day (no salty snacks, because I am only allowed one JC snack per day). My consultant told me to get what I like.

A few reasons your weight at JC can fluctuate -- even in the same day or two:

You drank water in the past 40 minutes and it hasn't gone through you yet
You got ahold of something salty in the past day or two and you're retaining a bit of water
You need to poop
You just recently pooped
Your TOM is coming
Your TOM is here
You're wearing heavy jeans
You're wearing light-weight pants
You''re wearing heavy shoes
You're wearing sandals
. . . and so on and so forth.
I recommend weighing without shoes, because shoes are SO different, especially as we move into winter.
Many people will tell you to weigh only once a week. I did the opposite -- I weighed every morning when I first got up (after I peed). It was the one time of day when there were the fewest variables. However, by the time I went to my JC appointment, I had food and drink in me, as well as "real" clothes, so I generally weighed about 3 lbs. more at JC than I did at my early morning weigh-in at home.
By weighing every single day, and recording it on my calendar, I had hard and fast evidence that the scales can fluctuate from day to day, regardless of what I do. But I would average my weekly weights and compare the average from week to week. I found that very encouraging.

I don't think that you should stop weights all together. Weights builds lean muscle which burns more calories. But if you reduce your weights to 2-3 days a week and do cardio the other days it's more balanced.

Once again, thank you everyone. This post is so helpful! Last night instead of doing my circuit training with weights, I ran for 45 minutes and walked for 5. I think I will try doing the weight training 3 days a week and running 2 days a week. I go for my appointment at JC tomorrow night, and I am going to ask my consultant (bot the awful girl I had last week) about the sweets thing and about planned vs. personalized.
Thanks again, everyone.

Cutie's got it right about the weight training - if you like it, don't quit! It's SO good for you. As we get older, we naturally lose muscle mass and it makes us weaker and more prone to injury. The more you can do to maintain muscle mass, the better you'll look and feel as you age (very long term stuff, but it's like saving retirement money - the earlier you start, the better )
live-n-learn also has a fabulous list of reasons why you might have a different result than you expected. But I really think the biggest thing is that you ate a pound of food! when you usually go in "empty"
Please don't stress about it. You're doing ok. Every good choice you make is a step in the right direction and even when you do have slow weeks (as discouraging as those are - I just had 4 in a row with 0.0 change) you are still learning new things and teaching your body how to deal with your new plans for your skinny healthy future. When your body decides to bust out of the rut, you won't know what hit you - and those are really great days
so hang in there. You really are doing ok. Depending on how big your weekly 'messup' is, it's probably not the end of the world either.
I hope you get your old consultant back so you can talk to her about these new ideas and figure out how to work the program to suit your needs.
and if you need cake 7 days a week, well, that's why we're doing Jenny not Atkins so go for it.

Good luck with your weigh in! I'll be crossing my fingers for you After you get home you should tell us how it went.

I think the main reason for the gain is probably b/c of the fact that you had eaten lunch right before. I try to eat after my WI if I can. Possibly weight training, but I would keep at it if you like it. It will be better in the long run anyhow and the weight will come off. Weight training and cardio are the best things for you. Taking your measurements is one way that I have found I can count on better than the scale sometimes. But overall, the body is just weird sometimes. I had a week last month where I doubled my cardio (running), ate the same menu, and lost less. So who knows.
I am not sure if others have had this issue, but I had a problem with water retention on JC so my counselor suggested a water pill. Not a diet pill, just a basic water pill. I take one in the am and one at night. It seems to have helped me from feeling bloated.