Becoming very disheartened :(

wishiwasarunner

Nony_Mouse wrote: »

Hi Helen

If you've gone from virtually no exercise to quite a bit you may be retaining some fluid. It's very early days yet! I know it's discouraging to not see the scales move, but if you are weighing and measuring your food, logging everything, and doing some exercise it will happen. Also, doing body measurements is a really good idea, sometimes the scales aren't moving, but you will be losing inches.

This - many, many women - myself included - have the same issue. Your fat stores are likely decreasing but water retention is taking its place. The laws of science ( being at a deficit will result in loss of mass) will not be revealed to not apply to you. Many women will take 4-6 weeks to see the water weight come off - and then they may have a huge change all at once. Decreasing carb intake can encourage the water weight to leave sooner - but most of us really want fat loss and since that is happening anyway . . . eat at a deficit in a way that works for you and keep up the good work.

Timorous_Beastie

I think the only thing that needs to be adjusted is your expectations. You don't have much to lose, and normal ways of tracking progress - the scale and the measuring tape - aren't going to show dramatic changes in just two weeks. Actually... there's not much of ANY kind of change you're going to see that quickly.
If you haven't taken "before" photos, take some now. From every angle, in minimal clothing. Don't delete the ones you hate. Don't worry about showing them to anyone else. They're just for you. Then take more in about a month or so. You'll see changes you wouldn't have seen by the scale or tape or even the mirror, because you see yourself every day and the changes are like watching grass grow.

As an example, here's my photos from mid-January to early March. About seven weeks and five pounds between the two photos. My measurements hadn't changed all that much at the waist and hips. But if you look at the area where the strap of my top goes around my back, you can see I definitely lost a good amount of fat from that area.

juleszephyr

helen772010 wrote: »

Thanks Jules, is there any way of getting rid of water retention?

Keep drinking plenty of water and the muscles will soon adjust to the new regime and the water retention will ease. Patience is your best tool!! I am sure if you give it a week or so doing what you are doing you will see the scales and the inches drop...

wishiwasarunner

Actually, as I read further down the list - Rabbitjb, Tesha_Chandler and Springfield1970 have all given very sound advice - and phrased it better than me. The point is - you are only 12 days in. I think I may have actually been over my starting weight at that time - but I just kept on and now I am back down and almost at my first goal. This is a very common issue for women - especially after about 2 weeks of exercise. But for many women, water weight will continue to fluctuate with hormones and carb intake (causes many to hold on to a little more fluid to process it).

MrsSullivan08

Lissa_Kaye wrote: »

1. go here: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html and enter in your stats. Make sure you choose the correct fitness level. Take the number it gives you and multiply that by 0.85, that will be your calorie goal. Go into goals and hit change goals, and choose custom. Enter in your daily calorie goal. Then change your carbs to 40%, your protein to 30-35% and fat to 25% - 30%. And try that for a few weeks. After you lose 5 lbs, recalculate your calories. Since you don't have a lot to go, do it every 5 lbs and see how that does for you. I prefer a higher fat diet, but see what you like and adjust accordingly. Get rid of the 1200, because as you lose you will need to drop calories, and you don't want to drop to nothing.

Why are you multiplying by 0.85?? Just curious. Trying to get this figured out for myself. I have been eating 1200-1400 calories a day.

helen772010

Wow thank you for all of your suggestions and words of encourgement, I will make water my new best friend.
I was actually due a period last week and no sign of it as yet, maybe due to excercise? I dont know. no, not pregnant partners had the snip. ( that was all way to much info).
Timorous beastie you look fab.
I will have a look at trendweight and also try and not weigh myself every day, think I'll have to hide the scales though.
Thanks everyone for your help and support

Timorous_Beastie

MrsSullivan08 wrote: »

Lissa_Kaye wrote: »

1. go here: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html and enter in your stats. Make sure you choose the correct fitness level. Take the number it gives you and multiply that by 0.85, that will be your calorie goal. Go into goals and hit change goals, and choose custom. Enter in your daily calorie goal. Then change your carbs to 40%, your protein to 30-35% and fat to 25% - 30%. And try that for a few weeks. After you lose 5 lbs, recalculate your calories. Since you don't have a lot to go, do it every 5 lbs and see how that does for you. I prefer a higher fat diet, but see what you like and adjust accordingly. Get rid of the 1200, because as you lose you will need to drop calories, and you don't want to drop to nothing.

Why are you multiplying by 0.85?? Just curious. Trying to get this figured out for myself. I have been eating 1200-1400 calories a day.

Multiplying it by .85 would be a 15% deficit (100-15=85) which is a good amount for someone with less than 20 pounds to lose.

That would be your total calories per day, not a base plus exercise calories like MFP's method.

deksgrl

Patience, you can do it! It just takes time. The scales definitely do a number on your mind. I had to change my thinking to focus on "fat loss" instead of "weight loss". I'm a much happier person.

ndj1979

fuzzypicklehead wrote: »

Have your measurements changed? ie, are you losing fat and building muscle?

not doing 30 day shred..

I think I am going to start a thread about this ..because this myth is driving me nuts….

ndj1979

DanExcalibur wrote: »

Too many carbs, too little protein.

doesn't matter if OP is in a deficit

ndj1979

OP - what are you using to measure calorie burns? Are you eating back 100% of your exercise calories?

4leighbee

Nony_Mouse wrote: »

You really don't have a lot to lose, so you're not going to see those big initial loses that more overweight people do.

This. I was at a standstill for about three weeks right at the start - was pretty frustrated, too, because I had been very faithful. I kept at it, and after the third week, I started seeing the scale move - but most importantly, I was proud of my efforts and things were, um, tightening up. It's a long road and not a straight one but a constant ebb and flow (mixing metaphors like a champ). Keep going!

helen772010

Ndj some days I will eat back my workout calories but most days not, feel that if I eat the its will counter the workout benefit.
Should I be eating them ?

lecoman

You are probably tired of hearing that it takes time and to have patience but, unfortunately, that's the truth. Stay the course. Also remember that by exercising and eating well you are doing good things for your body that will not be measured by tape or scale. Health and fitness always pay off and only become more valuable as we age. You will do it.

ndj1979

helen772010 wrote: »

Ndj some days I will eat back my workout calories but most days not, feel that if I eat the its will counter the workout benefit.
Should I be eating them ?

well I would say that if you are going to eat them back, only eat back half; the reason for this is that MFP database and calorie counters in general tend to overestimate calorie burns…

so when you do eat them back, only eat back half….

helen772010

I will try and incorperate more protein into my diet, I just googled and hemp seeds and eggs look like a good option

Liftng4Lis

DanExcalibur wrote: »

Too many carbs, too little protein.

Irrelevant.
OP are you actually using a food scale? You have 75 grams of chicken-that's less than 3 ounces? As far as actual weight loss, don't worry about it, it will come. When incorporating a new exercise program its normal to retain water. Additionally, remember these things take time.

helen772010

Thanks ndj for the advice. Thanks lecoman, what was your start and finish weight Leigh ?

fgarbrec

The estimate MFP and most other programs make to determine your daily calorie requirement is only that: an estimate based on your age, sex and current weight. Your 'true' basal caloric requirement can vary widely from this estimate based on many factors (and therefore the estimate it gives you may not be accurate). And as many other posters have suggested, water balance can play a major factor in day to day fluctuations, but over the longer term should balance out. If you are accurately recording calorie intake over a sufficient length of time (1-2 months) and there is no weight loss, then the conclusion should be that your calorie intake exceeds your caloric expenditure; therefore you should decrease your caloric intake further. Trendweight is a great tool to help filter out the day-to-day fluctuations and keep you sane, and the concepts on which Trendweight is based is described very well in "The Hacker's Diet", which I recommend reading for its down to earth mechanistic approach to weight loss. In terms of macronutrient balance, practically any approach will 'work' as long as calories out is greater than calories in; there may be important health ramifications for any given approach (e.g. extreme low carb vs Paleo vs Mediterranean, etc), but these continue to be subject to scientific study and proponents of each approach will argue the fine points and benefits and long-term effects on weight loss and general health. You may have to educate yourself on nutrition and various dietary management strategies, and you may need to experiment somewhat to find an approach that 'works' for you in the sense that it provides an interesting diet that you can stick to over the long term. For example, many people achieve weight loss on Atkins but find that long-term adherence is problematic because too many 'favorite' foods are excluded and it is easy to slip up. Many diets are difficult to adhere to if they have lots of specific rules or require hard to find ingredients simply because dining out becomes a problem and you find yourself cooking one meal for yourself and a different meal for the other members of your family; you may find this acceptable but it requires a lot of discipline.

A couple of parting words. Check in with your doctor to make sure that your diet plan is safe and healthy for you, and also to inquire about potential metabolic issues that may be present that could be responsible for poor response to your diet (such as hypothyroidism). You are fortunate to have a supportive spouse who is on the same nutritional path, this clearly is going to be very helpful, but as others have pointed out don't make it a competition or compare your weight loss to his. Men have quite different body structures, fat distributions and hormonal factors that contribute in general to weight loss rate. Finally, be patient! You will succeed, but it takes time (more than two weeks!).

PeachyCarol

ndj1979 wrote: »

fuzzypicklehead wrote: »

Have your measurements changed? ie, are you losing fat and building muscle?

not doing 30 day shred..

I think I am going to start a thread about this ..because this myth is driving me nuts….

Please do, because if I see one more person post this...



While you're at it, can you add something in about macro distribution not hindering weight loss for people without medical conditions?

janejellyroll

DanExcalibur wrote: »

Nony_Mouse wrote: »

DanExcalibur wrote: »

Too many carbs, too little protein.

Unless she has a medical condition that requires a lower carb approach that's completely irrelevant to weight loss.

Nonsense. Eat nothing but carbs and zero protein and watch what happens...

Nobody is recommending eliminating protein. Saying that one will lose weight on a deficit even if carbs are eaten has nothing to do with the ridiculous suggestion to eliminate protein.

helen772010

Things noted,
Drink lots more water
Up protein intake
Be patient
Keep going
MFP is a great place for motivation and support

Ellaskat

helen772010 wrote: »

Thank you for your replies, I always weigh out food and if not practical then I always over estimate the calories so as not to cheat myself and go over. I measured my self on day one of 30 day shred and again on day 10, no change, I'm gutted because I'm putting everything in.
Yes I well definatley try and drink more water as your right I don't drink enough, I would like to lose 16 pound to be at the weight I was 3 years ago.
Please from my diet what items are full of carbs and which are the protein foods ? I'm not very savvy on on carbs, proteins
It hurts more that my partner although on the same diet but no exercise at all is losing weight albeit just a pound a week but still a loss.

Sounds like you're doing awesome things for yourself! Congratulations! Wanted to make sure that you know that exercise has nothing to do with weight loss though. I think some people feel like if they're killing themselves in the gym, they should lose weight faster. This isn't true. It's all about being in a calorie deficit. If working out super hard is demotivating to you, maybe you should scale back a bit and just focus on your calories? I know this is the case for me. In past weight loss attempts I would get very frustrated when I worked hard in the gym and didn't see the scale move. Now I have different priorities. Weight loss is number 1. Exercise is number 2. So, as long as I'm in a good calorie place right now, I'm ecstatic. Exercising is a bonus. This approach will change when I reach my goal (another 5 pounds). At that point I plant I slowly switch to maintenance calories, and to focus instead on amount of exercise every week. I've lost 12 pounds in 9 weeks, with 18 pounds total to lose. Feel free to check out my diary- it's open.