First week no loss in weight

annw92208

My first week of this stayed within my calories and my weight stayed the same. No lose at all. I am feeling upset, did this happen to Nyone else?

pamfin

It's only a week. Don't become disheartened. I always think about how long it's taken me to put weight on and remember that changes aren't going to happen over night (or even over seven nights!).

As long as you are logging your food accurately (I weigh everything on a digital scale) and keeping within the parameters, you will lose weight.

wizzybeth

Welcome!!! You will be happy to know you're not alone. The main culprit is usually the same for everyone: not being accurate with your food intake and taking in more calories than you thought or wrote down. Make sure your settings are set appropriately. I had to switch mine from "lightly active" to "sedentary" - I was eating too many calories last time and thus, did not lose the weight I had hoped to lose.

Also, I recommend a digital food scale that does ounces and grams (they are CHEAP! $20 on amazon or even less!) Do not necessarily trust the nutrition data in the database here. If it has an asterisk by it, it was entered manually by someone and may or may not be complete or incorrect. If I am in doubt I go to the USDA Nutrition Database or to the product's website to get the nutrition data. Go by weight, rather than volume (i.e., 130 g vs. 1/2 cup.)

These three threads helped me out a great deal. Don't despair...with a little tweaking, you will be on your way!!!

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1399829/step-by-step-guide-to-losing-weight-with-myfitnesspal#latest

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants#latest

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here#latest

wizzybeth

I realize it's a lot of stuff to read - but trust me, it will help.

steph2strong

I am someone who gets freaked out, and easily upset, by numbers on the scale. So the first 3 weeks in order to get accustomed to weight fluctuations and unexpected numbers (up or down) I essentially ate the same thing every day and weighed myself every morning after going to the bathroom. Everyday the scale fluctuated within a weight range, 5 days out I was "2 lbs lighter" the 6th day I was the same as starting, the 7th I was 1 lb heavier and then the 9th day I was three pounds lighter. At the end of the 3 weeks, my lowest and highest readings were lower then those in the first week, and I have been consistently trending downwards since. But it goes to show you that in the first week if I had only taken my weight on the first and seventh day I actually would have shown a 1 lb weight gain and probably gone into a tailspin downwards. Really you are only going to have true weight loss of a pound or two max and the rest is fluid fluctuations and a week is too short a time to start judging. If the change of number is all you want to see, you can do a "fluid flush" and loose 10 lbs in 2 days but it's not true weight loss. If you eat high carbohydrate, salty food or alcohol the night before you weight yourseIf, you will have water retention and it will show on the scale. I have actually had up to a 5 lb weight gain over night after high food consumption. If after a month the scale hasn't budged then you are consuming too many calories, but a week is too short to tell.

missjacki

I have been doing this a long time (7+ years) and I frequently have weeks where I don't lose weight or even weeks where I gain a pound or 2 and yet I KNOW I stuck to my plan...some days I even have an excess of 200-300 calories due to exercise. I chalk this up to just being near my goal weight and maybe that means I should adjust my goals. Maybe I am where I "should" be...my body seems to be fairly stable at this weight and I have a healthy BMI but I'm not as thin as "I'd like" to be...

The human body is not a vehicle or machine with precise energy consumption rates; and even with an automobile that claims "35 MPG" your mileage may vary based on lots of factors. It is the same for people, except we are even more complex. For instance in cold weather we burn more calories just to maintain our core body temperature.

Then add to that food is not even a precise source of fuel. not every "medium" banana has exactly the same amounts of nutrients; and that's assuming you measured your food correctly to begin with.

I know it's easy to wish it was like balancing your checkbook and you could reliably see your "savings rate" increase every week but we will never be able to balance this human organism down to the penny like a checkbook.

mlh357

I can totally relate to this. In the past for me, I'd see no change and be like "UGH well that's it, this isn't working, I may as well just stop". But DON'T! My most recent example...I started the 21 Day Fix on Jan 5, and the first week I lost several pounds. The second week, I lost an ounce. AN OUNCE. I was like what the $&#*^*!?!!?!?! As much as it was frustrating, I keep telling myself that I didn't put this weight on overnight, and I can't expect it to come off overnight...or in one week, or two weeks. Personally, I try to keep myself on check for a pound a week for weight loss. SO many things can come into play when it comes to the numbers on the scale. Here are some tips that have helped me:

1) Only weigh yourself once a week, at the same time. This is the HARDEST thing ever for me, because like you, I get discouraged. But by only weighing myself once a week, it helps me focus on how I feel and what I'm eating vs the dreaded number.

2) Write everything you eat down. I obviously use myfitnesspal, but I've also used a notebook. I write it down before it even goes in my mouth, and it really makes me think about what I'm eating.

3) Don't let yourself get hungry, or you'll start to feel deprived, and for me, that's when it all goes downhill. I don't know why, but there's something for me about feeling that "so hungry" feeling, that takes me back to a place of "omg I'm just going to eat whatever". Always keep some healthy snacks handy.

Not sure if these help, but they've helped me tons Keep at it!!

Autum1031

I can so relate to this! I also lost nothing the first week, and this was religiously documenting my meals (to the point of using a food scale) and sticking to my calorie goals. A month in and I've barely lost any weight. I'm flummoxed and discouraged, but I noticed I am still taking in a lot of sodium (processed foods like Lean Cuisines) so starting today I'm going to try and drink a ton more water. I hope that will help!

annw92208

Thank you all so much!

williamwj2014

probably not being accurate with your food intake, that's what it usually is. Try to avoid eating processed foods (hot pockets, frozen pizzas, etc.) cook your meals and weigh everything..

prattiger65

williamwj2014 wrote: »

probably not being accurate with your food intake, that's what it usually is. Try to avoid eating processed foods (hot pockets, frozen pizzas, etc.) cook your meals and weigh everything..

This is not very helpful advice to someone who is just starting. Well, except for weighing everything. While no one should eat a diet full of prepackaged foods, there is nothing wrong with it in moderation if it fits your calories. OP, give it time. If you are logging accurately and are in a calorie deficit, it will start to move. Of course I am a male and 181 pounds, but my weight can fluctuate 5 pounds from one day to another. Over time, the trend will be down if you are eating at a deficit.