I am getting discouraged! I haven't lost a single pound!

cookiealbright

And realize that you are NOT likely to be losing 2 to 3 pounds a week....

You also have to get realistic with your goals.

I agree with this.

ironanimal

800-900 isn't going to be sustainable in the long run, and doesn't leave you any room to move if you ever get to the point of needing to adjust your calories again.

Start with the HIGHEST amount you can lose weight on and work down from there; do not start at the very bottom. Your first couple of weeks should be spent logging 100% HONESTLY what you NORMALLY eat so you can see the problem.

NSMustanggirl

Are you exercising as well? Eating clean or as little processed food as possible? I think you need more calories - not sure how healthy 800-900 calories is, or how sustainable. I tried 1200 calories and I felt like I was starving myself. I'm currently at 159 and at 1490 calories and still losing, so I think you can afford to up your calorie allowance.

kristen6022

I just started a week ago, so I know it hasn't been long. The only days I didn't log were Saturday and Sunday. We had a wedding and went out to eat twice on Sunday. My current weight is 165 and I want to be down to 120. I really want to lose about 2-3lbs a week.

1st: You won't be able to lose 2-3lbs a week. Sorry, it just isn't possible. You don't have much to lose - set your MFP settings to losing 1lb a week and eat back the calories you burned in exercise. You aren't eating enough. 800-900 calories a day isn't enough for a child, let alone you.
2nd: Patience. It's only been a week. It took me 2 full years to lose 45 pounds. Slow and steady teaches you how to keep it off. Develop new habits so that you'll never have to do this again. I've been at this long enough to know that eating really low and exercising like a fiend won't make the weight come off any faster.
3rd: Great job changing the way you eat. Reducing soda, refined sugars and processed foods are a great start - but I can tell you from experience NO ONE has the willpower to never eat/drink something like that EVER again. I follow the 80/20 rule, 80% of the time I eat well, 20% I eat things I shouldn't. Keep the portions small, if it fits in your daily calories and isn't affecting your macros, eat it and don't feel bad about it.

MrsKiss21

I am trying to eat as clean as possible. No white flour or anything like that. We have always used whole wheat bread or whole wheat pasta and brown rice. I completely cut out pop and sugary drinks. I only drink water or protein shakes that have little to no sugar in them. I have changed the way I cook at home too. All dinners I have made in the last week are from Skinny Taste and I love them.

MrsKiss21

I am just wanting to get down to pre-baby weight. I nursed my son for a year and thought the weight would somewhat come off but that didn't happen. Ideally I would like to be down to where I was before having kids but that isn't realistic.

AmandaReimer1

You always need to give lifestyle changes more than a week. 1) eat more calories. I weigh a couple pounds more than you and my calorie goal is 1500.

2) weigh/measure your food ( are you also sure of the calories you ate while eating out? It can be very deceiving! ).

3) Give it time

maybeazure

I just started a week ago, so I know it hasn't been long. The only days I didn't log were Saturday and Sunday. We had a wedding and went out to eat twice on Sunday. My current weight is 165 and I want to be down to 120. I really want to lose about 2-3lbs a week.

A week isn't long enough to be sure of results really. Your body isn't going to go into starvation mode after three or four days of eating 800 calories. I would be more concerned about the days that you didn't log. Restaurant food can be very high in calories and sodium. You could have made up for your calorie deficit eating out, so you maintained. Or you could have just gotten way too much sodium so your body is hanging onto water weight.

I would suggest eating the number of calories that MFP suggest for you, every day, but being careful about weighing and measuring stuff, and tracking as best you can when you go to a restaurant.

Trechechus

Without even looking at your diary, you are not eating enough.

chezjuan

I would recommend a goal of 1 lb loss a week - that would be a deficit of 500 calories a day. The easiest way is to use the MFP goal tool to set it, then be sure to eat back your exercise calories. Note that you may want to eat back only 75% of the calories rather than all of them to account for error, and/or look into a getting Heart Rate Monitor or FitBit to get more accurate calorie counts from your activities.

Get a kitchen scale and weigh your food as much as possible. If you cannot weigh it, measure it (my wife always gets annoyed that I either weigh or measure everything she cooks...) If you ever have to estimate, it is better to guess high (especially for restaurant food). If you go out to eat, don't plan eat more than 1/2 of your meal (although if you have the calorie count you can decide what fits into your daily goal.

Hide the bathroom scale for at least a month and concentrate on a balanced diet and exercise. After that month, try not to weigh yourself more than weekly, and always at the same time of day (morning before eating is generally best). Don't let weight ups and downs discourage you either.

Consider taking your measurements (neck, chest, waist, hips, etc.) once a month to gauge fitness in more than one way... even if you don't lose lbs fast, you can lose inches.

Good luck on your journey.

Gale65

Its slower to come off it seems than putting it on. However, your monthly cycle and keep you from showing any progress due to water weight gain I go through that once a month. Just saying if its close to it that could be the reason it just looks like you didn't and will show up later.

TeachTheGirl

I am just wanting to get down to pre-baby weight. I nursed my son for a year and thought the weight would somewhat come off but that didn't happen. Ideally I would like to be down to where I was before having kids but that isn't realistic.

It IS realistic, but not by losing 2-3lbs per week. You don't need to impose such a difficult goal upon yourself. 1lb per week will suffice. This isn't a race.

mariabraceyrobinson

This sucks. I have completely cut out pop, refined sugars and processed food. I am eating about 800-900 calories a day. I do get outside and play with my little guy everyday and go for walks at least 3-4 times a week. I hate how I look. I don't understand what I am doing wrong. I completely changed the way I eat. I added more protein rich foods and limit carbs and nothing. I am trying to do something similar to the ideal protein diet but I haven't lost a SINGLE pound. I drink so much water everyday that I can fill a pool.


Can anyone help??

You aren't eating enough calories. You need to at least be at 1200. Also, try eating on a schedule. My nutritionist has me eating breakfast by 9 am, snack at 11, lunch at 1, afternoon snack, dinner by 7, then a pm snack if i workout. Is your food diary open? I would like to take a look to give you some suggestions.

amlygo

I really didn't lose much my first week either. I'd love to lose 2-3 lbs a week too but I know it probably won't happen although I have been losing 2 lbs a week for the last few weeks. There's been some other good advice others wrote-trying upping your calories, measure your food to make sure you're really eating as much as your think you're eating and take measurements which may show more progress than the scale.

michellechawner

lose less for sustainability, and eat a lot more (I'm 5'5, 127 pounds and eat 1450 a day).

Remember, this isn't a race - it's a lifestyle. The faster you lose it the more likely it is to come back on. I'm now down to losing .4 pounds a week because I'm eating closer to TDEE because I'm near my goal, and I didn't have a lot to lose to begin with.

Lose 1 pounds a week, that seems more realistic. Even with the bigger people they are suppose to lose about 2 pounds a week (and in the beginning sometimes it is even more.) I've never lost more than 2.5 a week. Typically I was losing 1 a week on average, before I upped my calories.

MrsKiss21

That makes sense about the sodium. I didn't even think about that.

scarrletti_girl

I would put ur calories up to 1200 at least. Don't push too hard so fast. The weight will come off when it wants too. But you definitely need to eat more 800 cals is very UNHEALTHY and you WONT loose any weight like that. And it also maybe be that you could be getting non scale victories. maybe you are losing inches instead of pounds. Hope this helps and good luck.

MrsKiss21

yep it is open. I would love suggestions!! Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

acogg

You are going to have to have patience with your progress. I started at 165 and it took me 10 months to get down to 125. It will probably take you a year to get to 120. You are still in the very early days of a new lifestyle. Focus on establishing healthy habits because you will be doing this for a very long time. Good luck!:flowerforyou:

FammaMel

800 to 900 calories are less than what my 36 pound 5 year old eats in a day.

Simply put you are eating too few calories.

I with this post!!
Start with eating at least enough calories to support your body; then check back in a few weeks.