Been working out and under my calorie goal for two weeks. No progress.

I workout out 3-4 times a week. I do cardio classes at my gym, and do weights on the other days. I have been under my calorie goal everyday for two weeks.

All I've lost is 1/2 a pound. I know I sound selfish, but why isn't it more?
Medical Info: I have to take a small steroid for a condition I have. I heard it makes you gain weight. I've been taking it for 6 years.

Any tips/suggestions? I'm really worried I'll never be able to lose this weight!
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Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    If you open your diary, you may get some useful advice.
  • kimondo666
    kimondo666 Posts: 194 Member
    my guess is water retention in muscles if you did micro damaged muscle tissue. Muscle tissue hog water to repair itself.
  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
    what do u have your weight loss set at ? 2lb a week? are u eating back your exercise calories?
  • ccortesemusic
    ccortesemusic Posts: 2 Member
    I never eat my exercise calories. I'm at 1 pound a week. I might hop it up to 2. Maybe then I'll get more progress.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    Any tips/suggestions? I'm really worried I'll never be able to lose this weight!

    Unpossible! If you're under calorie goal you lose weight because science. Take a closer look at your calorie intake and make sure you're not missing anything or adding anything incorrectly
  • ruggedshutter
    ruggedshutter Posts: 389 Member
    There are a few things that can be going on.
    1. The medication may be having an effect but only your doctor could tell you for sure.
    2. Do you have a digital food scale and weigh all of the food that you eat?
    3. Are you confirming the entries in the database with the packages that you have (some entries are wrong in the database)
    4. Patience patience patience

    Starting a new routine can shock our bodies and sometimes it may take a couple of weeks to show a difference on the scale. This is due to water retention to repair muscles. Try using a cloth tape and look for changes in your waist as well as the scale. There is an entry area for these measurements in MFP and you can track them just like weight.

    If you don't have a food scale, you can purchase one on Amazon for under $20. Find one that is rated high and has the features that you want. You will probably want one that can measure in grams and ounces and that is accurate to 0.1 grams or thereabout.

    Good luck :)
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    If you've been taking the steroid for 6 years, I'm pretty sure that any weight it is going to cause you to gain you've already gained. Sometimes you won't see results for three weeks, but it could be that you are eating more than you realize.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
    There are a few things that can be going on.
    1. The medication may be having an effect but only your doctor could tell you for sure.
    2. Do you have a digital food scale and weigh all of the food that you eat?
    3. Are you confirming the entries in the database with the packages that you have (some entries are wrong in the database)
    4. Patience patience patience

    Starting a new routine can shock our bodies and sometimes it may take a couple of weeks to show a difference on the scale. This is due to water retention to repair muscles. Try using a cloth tape and look for changes in your waist as well as the scale. There is an entry area for these measurements in MFP and you can track them just like weight.

    If you don't have a food scale, you can purchase one on Amazon for under $20. Find one that is rated high and has the features that you want. You will probably want one that can measure in grams and ounces and that is accurate to 0.1 grams or thereabout.

    Good luck :)

    QFT
  • dawnna76
    dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
    unless your weighing your food intake and calculating for it all it could be your over eating and not realizing it. and two weeks is nothing, it took time to gain the weight its going to take time to lose it. most people expect quick changes and unfortunatly it all takes time.
  • dgirllamius
    dgirllamius Posts: 171 Member
    Are you logging accurately? I mean, do you weigh everything you eat?

    I had the same problem - I thought I was eating under my goal and "logging" things but I wasn't weighing things - I was seriously overestimating. Once I started weighing everything, and I mean everything, the weight started to come off.

    It could also be water retention from your exercise. I've just started doing a kettlebell workout after months of nothing and I've gained "3lbs" in 2 days haha.

    Get yourself some digital scales and start weighing. It could well be that you're all wrong in your logging.
  • plumppork
    plumppork Posts: 22 Member
    I am going through same thing. Lost one pound in last 3 weeks and have been working out 4 times a week. I would suggest to make sure you take all your measurements because that's where you might find results before you see them on the scale. Stay strong and keep going!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Get a digital kitchen scale. Weigh all of your food and log it accurately. If you cannot weigh it for some reason, measure it with measuring cups/spoons and log it accurately. If you cannot weigh or measure it for some reason, do a good job of estimating it (google "food portion sizes" for a visual chart) and log it accurately.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    Are you weighing and logging all of your food using a food scale? Clearly you are at a deficit, since you have lost some weight, but you might not be at as much of a deficit as you think. Open your diary.

    Are you sure you're using the correct entries for everything? Open your diary.

    How is your sodium level? Open your diary.

    Even when I eat at a deficit I don't lose the same amount of weight each week. I was set to lose 2 lbs each week and I would lose .5 then lose 5 lbs then gain 2 and so on. Weight loss isn't linear. Assuming you're being accurate, it takes about two months of data to determine your avg weight loss.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,659 Member
    How much weight do you need to lose? If you are within 10 lbs. of your goal weight, you might lose only .5 a lb a week or so. Typically, those who are more seriously overweight lose more quickly because they have more to lose and the changes to their diet and exercise level are more dramatic.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    Many of us don't see a change in two weeks or even up to four weeks. Fat loss is very random and drops off in "chunks" which can be water. The body weight scale is only good as a trend tool over time. You have to be consistent and patient for weeks on end and the results are delayed. You just gotta keep going is all. For real. And like others have said this slows down as you get leaner. Also it's slower for shorter people because one pound of fat is a bigger percentage of overall body weight.

    Set your sights on the process rather than the results. The results come later.


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  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
    If you are a female with a menstrual cycle, your weight will cycle each month due to hormonal influences that affect water retention. You may well have lost weight (i.e., body mass) which is being masked. Give it another couple of weeks.
  • just_a_jessi
    just_a_jessi Posts: 4 Member
    1. make sure you dont underestimate how much youre eating (weigh/measure everything)
    2. make sure you're not overestimating how much you burn in your workout
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    What's your current weight/how close are you to your goal? If you don't have much to lose 1/2 lb in two weeks is going to be a fairly common occurrence.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Her profile says she wants to lose 124 pounds. My guess is that the problem is not weighing or measuring food accurately.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    Her profile says she wants to lose 124 pounds. My guess is that the problem is not weighing or measuring food accurately.

    I guess that counts my advice out too.

    Who thinks of actually looking at people's profiles before offering advice??? Sheesh...

    -1 gold star for me today.