No significant weight loss in a MONTH
MorganMRE
Posts: 5
I'm going CRAZY. I've lost very little weight in the past month. I'm significantly overweight and need to lose well over 100 pounds. I started buckling down with MyFitnessPal at the end of May after months of poor eating and little exercise. I stay under my limit of 1850 calories per day and I swim for an hour, do Zumba for an hour, and/or walk 3.5 miles between 5-6 days a week. What is up with me?! I'm 29, but that's hardly the age when it becomes brutal to get the weight off. I'm at my wit's end. Last week I GAINED 2 pounds. It makes no sense. Being that I'm so heavy and I'm just starting, it really shouldn't be this hard. I've only lost 3-4 pounds in the past month. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. 
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Replies
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Hey MorganMRE - hang in there, sister! Sounds like you're doing all the hard work - what's your fuel intake like?0
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Sounds like your body is in starvation mode. If you are doing lots of exercising, but still eating under your eating goal daily, you are starving your body so it's holding on to the fat. You have to at least eat what was prescribed for you. You'll see more results if you did this.
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On average I only lose 3-4lbs a month, that seems normal to me. I run 3 miles daily or elliptical for 1 hour and strength training as well. I'm on a 1200 calorie budget a day and have been doing pretty well sticking to it. I suggest breaking out a tape measure and taking measurements when your scale isn't making you happy. Muscle weighs more than fat and if your building muscle during weightloss sometimes it seems like you are losing slowly, but really you are losing and gaining muscle. Keep it up! You are doing what you should be! Don't be discouraged! You can certianly add me as a buddy and we can motivate eachother! 0
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I'm going CRAZY. I've lost very little weight in the past month. I'm significantly overweight and need to lose well over 100 pounds. I started buckling down with MyFitnessPal at the end of May after months of poor eating and little exercise. I stay under my limit of 1850 calories per day and I swim for an hour, do Zumba for an hour, and/or walk 3.5 miles between 5-6 days a week. What is up with me?! I'm 29, but that's hardly the age when it becomes brutal to get the weight off. I'm at my wit's end. Last week I GAINED 2 pounds. It makes no sense. Being that I'm so heavy and I'm just starting, it really shouldn't be this hard. I've only lost 3-4 pounds in the past month. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
You're losing 1 lb a week. No shame at all in that. I know it seems slow and miserable when you have over 100 lbs to lose, but just by losing 1 lb a week, you're doing much better than you were before. The only recommendation I might make is to not be afraid to eat back your exercise calories. Looking at your food diary, there seems to be a few days you netted negative, which is either bad or the worst thing on earth, depending on who you ask. There's a whole slew of opinions out there, but I'd recommend eating back at least some of them. Also, make sure you're measuring properly ... it is so easy to underestimate how many calories we're actually eating.
TL;DR version: Keep going!
Edit to add: the 2 lb "gain" was most certainly not fat, as it takes 3500 calories OVER your "calories out" to gain a lb of fat. Pretty sure you didn't eat 7000 calories over your goal
Most likely water retention from eating too much sodium or your muscles retaining water from work-out stress. Drink a ton of water and your body will start to release it. Yes, drink water to get rid of water! 0 -
I took a quick look at your food diary from yesterday ...... FOR ME, bread & pasta are not my friends ...... perhaps they're not your friends either ...... I eat more protein & vegetables at each meal ..... and very little carbs (which FOR ME seems to immediately turn to sugar & creates cravings) ..... just saying ......
Best of luck to you :drinker:0 -
Congratulate yourself on your achievements! You have lost 4 lbs. You have watched your diet. You have worked out.
How much of that had you done prior to this month?
This is a lifestyle change! Change is good. Change takes time. Time takes patience. Patience is within you.
Congrats and good luck!0 -
Hi Morgan,
I started MFP on Jan 7th and have lost 28 lbs. I notice my drops in weight are all over the place especially right before or after my period. Sometimes 3-4 lbs increase/decreases around that time so don't get discouraged. I also noticed, for me, that I did better once I began reducing the amount of processed foods I ate. That included food from restaurants or premade items from grocery stores that "look" natural but are still loaded with items God did not make. You'll notice this will reduce your sodium intake which makes a world of difference for me. I also added fiber to the items I watch and try to increase that although that is oftentimes added to my food and (breads etc) and not as natural as I'd like it.
Be patient with yourself and take care.0 -
I've been there, I know facing a 100 pound loss is daunting. So you've acknowledged and and now you have to move on and think small goals. A healthy rate of weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week so be happy and proud that you've lost 4 pounds so far! You're on track! Stop setting such high goals for yourself because you're going to keep going through the cycle of being thrilled about a big loss and then beating yourself up about all the stalls, slight gains and plateaus that I guarantee will happen several times before you get to goal.
Ditto on eating back more of your exercise calories. Being obese means your body can handle more of a calorie deficit but only short term so it's not something you want to get used to. I would highly recommend calculating your BMR and making sure your consumed calories never goes below that number. This will ensure that you're at least getting enough calories in to support your body's basic functions. If you feel good doing that, you're good to go. If you start feeling low energy, try eating more. if you feel like you're too full to eat more, look into calorie dense foods - less filling but plenty of calories/nutrients.
Good luck to you!
Ditto on doubting the 2 pound gain was real. It's very likely water weight. You either had a hard workout so your muscles are retining water/glycogen (part of natural healing process) or you had a high sodium day recently or it's that time of the month - or maybe a combo of 2 or 3 of those. Happens to all of us! I had a very high sodium day yesterday and tried drinking a lot of water because I knew it was happeninig (planned on having hot dogs for dinner) but I was still up a pound this morning.0 -
Hang in there. The weight will come off. Never give up! Be sure you are counting your calories and not going under into starvation mode. It is uncanny how that can happen so fast. Also, I recommend that you do not spend your exercise calories. When I use my exercise calories, I do not lose. Also, faithfully record each day, not the next day. If you can record a couple times a day it is helpful, not just once a day. Get a scale and weigh your food to be sure you are staying within portions. I like a scale that changes from gms. to ounces. Drink lots of water. Start the day off with a glass of water. make it a sin to eat after 8PM. If you eat after dinner, eat measured amounts of fruit that will not cause you to go over your recommended calories. I find I cannot lose if I drink alcohal, It somehow keeps your body from losing even if the calories fit in your plan. Save a one drink for Friday night or have a glass of wine once a week until your down, than you can have two! If you exercise first thing in the morning, eat a little fruit to get your metabolism going. I bought some Rasberry Ketone. I don't know if it works but it is suppose to increase your metabolism so I am going to continue taking it. I also am taking Biotin and I see an increase in some hair growth. Pray and depend on the Lord and ask him to help you reduce also and give you strength to diet and so some extra activity.0
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The good news? There are a lot of things you can do to jump start your weight loss. Personally, the first thing I would do is get rid of processed foods. A big commitment, true...so maybe start with that five days a week. If you do that, you most likely will reduce your daily intake of calories naturally. Whole foods are more nutritious, filling, and less calories. Another way you can think of it, is nothing "white" to eat. And if you must have bread - try something like Ezikel . It takes a bit to get used to if you like soft bread, but it is good and makes great toast.
The other thing you can do is mix it up. I believe and there is some science out there that our bodies adjust. And when they do our metabolism is not as efficient as it could be. There are several ways to do this. Calories, as in the 5:2 plan, food types - cycling carbs, protein, and fat. And even changing up your exercise routine.
Seriously, on your current diet you are losing, which is great. But with your diet, you have a lot of leeway to change things up and make even a bigger difference.0 -
You didn't get fat overnight, you're not going to lose it overnight.
Slow and steady wins the race. A pound a week is fine.0 -
I took a quick look at your food diary from yesterday ...... FOR ME, bread & pasta are not my friends ...... perhaps they're not your friends either ...... I eat more protein & vegetables at each meal ..... and very little carbs (which FOR ME seems to immediately turn to sugar & creates cravings) ..... just saying ......
Best of luck to you :drinker:
First of all, congrats! this is the hardest thing we will ever do in our lives!! I have to agree with the above quote though. Carbs are my worst enemies. But the urge was so strong for them for years! I found that my cravings for them stopped when, believe it or not, I stopped drinking diet coke and added a meal replacement shake. Lean shakes from GNC seemed to help me curb the carb addiction. I also had to cut things like sour cream, dressings (ordered them on the side just to get a taste and never kept them at home) I also changed to skim milk (I know yucky at first) I found ways to replace these things with healthier choices and for a while relied on protein bars to help up the calorie intake. Increasing protein and decreasing carbs has really helped me. You are doing awesome! I hate it when I hit a month with no weight loss too! that's when I know I have to reevaluate what I am doing. Keep going my friend!0 -
Constructive criticism only:
I took a quick look into your food diary. It looks like you are still eating a lot of processed and/or restaurant foods. Even if you are within your calorie limit, those are likely hurting you. Try to cut out more processed foods (like bread), and the restaurant food can be killer and hard to get good calorie values (often waaay high).
Good luck! I've done over 100 lbs, and I'm sure you can too.0 -
My weight never came off in a straight line. I work out 6 days a week, some days harder than others, and always stay just under my MFP calories (I use a fitbit and an HRM to monitor things...). When I was hovering between 25-29 pounds down, it took me about 40 days to cross the 30 lb mark. JUST STICK WITH IT. It sucks, but it is coming; some plateaus take longer to cross.
The secrets? Know that your body is somewhat fighting the weight loss; it thinks you need to store fat for times of scarcity. You know better than that. Keep fueling your body every few hours, keep working out. I found that I could jump start additional weight loss if I changed up my exercise routine. Don't further limit your food intake; it will likely further convince your body to hold onto fat.
So increase your workouts a bit, keep drinking water, and know that ALL of us go through this. You will get through it, and you'll be so happy you made it.
Another consideration is that all that working out is adding muscle. Check your clothes: still the same weight but they feel looser? You are doing exactly what you need to be doing. Just do it everyday.
Best of luck. A.0 -
Morgan, Don't give up! You are doing great with getting yourself moving and working out. When I started, I just barely changed my eating habits, but I worked out as much as my body would let me. I also had over a hunderd pounds to lose. Sodium is my biggest enemy! I try very hard to keep my sodium under 2500 or I feel it for the next day-week! Another thing that holds the weight on me is stress and worrying. Some days I just have to give myself a day off and eat more calories and just have fun with life. The last time I was stalled, I panicked and stressed about it for a week. The weight started going up instead of down. I let myself cry my eyes out and then took a step back and relaxed. The next day, I was down 4 pounds, then the day after, another 2 pounds had come back off. I never realized how horrible stress can be to a body. I also try to change up my workouts when my weight stalls (It happens to me a lot lately!). I usually walk/jog every day, so when I get in a rut, I'll switch and do workout videos, and I even joined a gym to do strength training this past month. It is all in how you trick your body into being confused and letting go of the weight. Finally, get a tape measure and do your measurements! You will be amazed with how fast you will start shrinking even if the number doesn't come down. Just hang in there. I started at almost 300 pounds and in less than a year, I have dropped 106. If I can do it, you surely can!0
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Thanks so much for the replies. I've lost 75 lbs before - its been a few years but I did it in 7-8 months. So I know how to lose weight but maybe I'm going too hard. My rationale was that I'm out of school for the summer (I'm a speech-language pathologist) so I was going to dedicate my summer to losing a bunch of weight because I'm obviously not working. When I lost weight before I'd burn 400-500 calories in the elliptical and eat reasonably. Obviously swimming and Zumba is more intensive than an elliptical so I'm burning much more. I'm afraid to eat the full 1850 - it seems like so much! It's hard for me to be proud of my 3-4 pounds seeing as I could gain it back with one bad day - which happened last weekend and I still haven't got it back down. It's all really frustrating because I'm trying really hard to make good eating choices and exercise. And over the past month I've had very few slip ups. I really can't tell much difference in how my clothes fit either.0
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Weighing yourself is not an effective way of seeing how you're doing.
You need to measure yourself as well...and take photos of yourself.
Best time to weigh and measure is in the morning after going to the bathroom. Pick one day a week and that's when you do it. Write it down and keep track.
Ditto on the processed and restaurant food in excess.
Good luck!0 -
Any weight loss is significant.0
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I took a quick look at your food diary from yesterday ...... FOR ME, bread & pasta are not my friends ...... perhaps they're not your friends either ...... I eat more protein & vegetables at each meal ..... and very little carbs (which FOR ME seems to immediately turn to sugar & creates cravings) ..... just saying ......
Best of luck to you :drinker:
Yes THIS!!0 -
When you lost the weight before, did it come back? Or are you starting from that point forward? If it did come back, then maybe this time you are being more effective with healthy lifestyle changes with a slow loss instead of a rapid weight loss that isn't maintained. Trust the math--if you are at a deficit with calories in, calories out, then it will happen.0
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Stardancer - the weight I lost before did come back over the course of several years. But I've lost weight since then - meaning I would gain 20 pounds and lose 10. Between graduate school, moving 6 times in 2 years, and different events that sparked emotional eating, it all came back. Point being - I don't believe that the rapidness of the weight loss had anything to do with it coming back or my current situation. Poor choices led to gaining weight. I wouldn't even consider 75 pounds in 7-8 months rapid weight loss.0
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I'm going to try and incorporate more non-processed foods. I have noticed that I haven't been eating as many fruits and vegetables and have relied too heavily on convenient processed food. I also need to keep an eye in my sodium because I feel like I retain water easily. I typically drink 80-100 ounces per day and rarely drink Diet Coke. I'm going to keep plugging along but if nothing happens in a few weeks I may consult a doctor. Just knowing how my body typically behaves in weightloss I feel like this all isn't normal. Thanks for the advice!0
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Recently I hit a stall and upped my cals, altered my burns .. sometimes less or more of anything will jar it.
Make sure you drink enough water. I think it is crucial in logging because w/o logging food I might not
have lost what I have since joining MFP. Are you trying on clothes and/or using a tape measurer? Take it
from me, I started out at 316 (possibly more), even when the scale won't budge, your volume changes.
Don't ignore the little things that are big changes as well. Best of luck to you. 0 -
Are you measuring/weighing your food? Here are a couple things I noticed from your food diary that I wonder about.
Portion sizes - there are some pretty small portion sizes and I wonder if those are really the portions you are eating? For example, 50grams of banana is really only about 4 inches. I buy the smallest bananas I can find and weigh them on my food scale and they are usually about 80 grams. I also see half cup portions of milk - that's a REALLY tiny serving of milk if you are drinking a glass of milk. In some cases I can tell it's a half cup in something else like cereal but in other cases it looks like that's your beverage.
Little things like this can add up to a couple hundred calories per day. So, if you are not measuring/weighing, that is my suggestion!0 -
I lose aaround 3-4 pounds a month. At first I was like you too wanting to drop 5 pounds/week and FELT like I was doing it-until I stepped on the scale and saw a measly .5 pound loss or even a small gain the first few weeks. Keep at it! It takes two things-persistance and hard work! DO NOT GIVE UP-good luck:)0
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It's frustrating if nothing else. But maybe our friends here on MFP have a point. Bread and pasta are not my friends either. If I eat a sammich (the difference between a sandwich and a sammich is the mess it makes) for lunch I can really tell a difference versus a chicken breast and salad or other veggies. It shows on the scale too. So once this past week I got really really pissed at the scale...it is now MIA. I am trying to go by the way my clothes fit. It was so hard to get on the scale on Saturday morning and realize I hadn't budged, lost very little or gained. It had a huge impact on my mood too.
Ever see those commercials where the girls jump on the scale? Mine would say "GET OFF!!!"
Keep your chin up, don't give up and keep tracking. It will happen. I've lost 50 lbs and have a few to go. I have ups and downs every month, but I look at the clothes I gave away that were too big and smile 0 -
Sounds like your body is in starvation mode. If you are doing lots of exercising, but still eating under your eating goal daily, you are starving your body so it's holding on to the fat. You have to at least eat what was prescribed for you. You'll see more results if you did this.
now starvation mode at 1850 calories a day? cmon...0 -
This is good advice. You may be perfect in you calorie limit and exercise, but it may be WHAT you are eating. I absolutely may NOT eat ANY bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, or any carbs other than buckwheat or oat groats. Then, I absolutely MAY NOT eat any cheese. Of course, no sugars, and I avoid milk. I stick to my meals being 70% veg and the rest fruit and protein. It's WHAT you eat not just how much. With your exercise regimen , I bet you would see an increase in your weight drop. I am losing about 2 pounds a week. I have 50 to lose, I'm 57, and I am 5'6". You surely can get that metabolism moving at your young age. I'm sure of it.I took a quick look at your food diary from yesterday ...... FOR ME, bread & pasta are not my friends ...... perhaps they're not your friends either ...... I eat more protein & vegetables at each meal ..... and very little carbs (which FOR ME seems to immediately turn to sugar & creates cravings) ..... just saying ......
Best of luck to you :drinker:0 -
Me too. Just hovering around initial weight. Cried in the locker room after weighing myself today. I'm one of those people that doesn't look fat but I'm 5'6" 171 lbs its overweight! Suggestions please0
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