Is this Normal?
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Ok so I'm 5'4 and weigh 170lbs and I started counting calories and exercising a week and a half ago. I am keeping my calories between 1100 - 1300 and doing cardio and strength 4 days a week total of 45min - 60mins each session. The scale has not budged. I am not expecting a big difference but I figured it should have moved a little! Yes I am counting my calories correctly. Is this normal?
I am also 5'4 and started at 170. In my first week my weight went up and down, this is due to the new exercise so don't worry just keep going and you will see your weight slowly drop. I am on day 24 today and I have just had a woosh of a weight loss. Add me if you like.0 -
You weigh (in grams) everything that you put in your mouth? You measure all liquids?
If yes, and you are truly eating 11-1300 calories, you should give it more time. You are holding water or something I guess. It could be because you said you don't eat anything without a label (a weird strategy I might add), and labeled foods tend to have more sodium so that could cause water weight gain...
my thing is, if I don't know what or how much I am consuming I don't consume it. My sodium level is below 2000...that's why I'm having such a hard time with the scale not moving, I'm just new to strength training and not sure how it affects everything....
Right, but you also said you weigh and measure everything. If you are going off of labels, they can and will be wrong a lot of times. If you can weigh product that comes out of a package, why can't you weigh a banana or something that doesn't have a label....
And yes, if you are new to strength training, it can make you hold water as more fluid is needed for muscle repair. That was covered in the first picture posted in this thread...
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You weigh (in grams) everything that you put in your mouth? You measure all liquids?
If yes, and you are truly eating 11-1300 calories, you should give it more time. You are holding water or something I guess. It could be because you said you don't eat anything without a label (a weird strategy I might add), and labeled foods tend to have more sodium so that could cause water weight gain...
my thing is, if I don't know what or how much I am consuming I don't consume it. My sodium level is below 2000...that's why I'm having such a hard time with the scale not moving, I'm just new to strength training and not sure how it affects everything....
Right, but you also said you weigh and measure everything. If you are going off of labels, they can and will be wrong a lot of times. If you can weigh product that comes out of a package, why can't you weigh a banana or something that doesn't have a label....
And yes, if you are new to strength training, it can make you hold water as more fluid is needed for muscle repair. That was covered in the first picture posted in this thread...
Thank you0 -
Then my guess is that you are eating too much to lose weight. How many calories are you "earning" through exercise or via your Fitbit? What kind of cardio are you doing? How active are you in your everyday life outside of exercise?0 -
What are you calculating (and presumably eating back) for a calorie burn on your exercise on average? It could be you're overstating that as well.
But I'm with the majority...it's only been a week and a half, and with a new exercise regimen, you're holding water and expecting results too quickly.0 -
If you're absolutely convinced you're doing everything right, maybe just be patient a little while longer. It takes me 4-5 weeks to start seeing any weight loss on the scale, especially when also starting a new workout routine. It usually catches up to my expected rate in the second month.0
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You may be gaining muscle while losing fat. Do you clothes feel looser? You could also be gaining water. And as for the calorie thing, my only guess is that you may not be burning as many calories as you think you are. The databases tend to overestimate.0
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You may already be doing this, but if not it helps me. I weigh every morning and track it on a weight trend app. It is very likely that if I only weighed one day a week I would not see nearly the change I have because of the flux from day to day, but with this app I can clearly see that the trend has been constantly down since the day I started. But beyond that every time I up the intensity of my workouts I hold onto water for days so I wouldn't get too worried this early. Good luck, and you are doing hella better than me being consistent with your food!0
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You may be gaining muscle while losing fat. Do you clothes feel looser? You could also be gaining water. And as for the calorie thing, my only guess is that you may not be burning as many calories as you think you are. The databases tend to overestimate.
gaining muscle on a 1100 calorie diet in 1.5 weeks?? no.
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OP, one and a half weeks is not long enough to see results. When you start a new workout program, you can retain water weight for a short time. Regardless, with your stats you should be able to eat more. I am 5'4" 130 lbs barely moderate exercise and I eat @ 1700 cals to maintain.
Please don't be defensive about the suggestions for logging. Every day, EVERY DAY, people post that they know their logging is correct, and once they finally open their diary, common mistakes are pointed out.
Regardless, if after 3 or 4 weeks you are still not losing, either you are crediting yourself with too many exercise calories, or you are eating more than you think. Best of luck!0 -
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Relax, take a deep breath and have a little patience. Your body is getting used to lots of new things and it needs time to figure out what's happening. My suggestion is to give yourself more time and IF after a couple of weeks you are in the same situation report back. If this is the case, which I doubt very much, then listen to what people are saying, don't get defensive they are trying to help, and reassess your diet then.
I think things will start moving over the next couple of weeks though so good luck!
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I'm 5 ft 5 I started on 1200 calories lost after 4 weeks. I have since learnt firstly I was eating high sodium and sugar so ihave lowered my levels, secondly measure waist, hips , thighs , arms, neck if I lose lbs I don't lose inches and vice versa. I weigh monthly now I care more about inches0
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Thank you!0 -
Thank you!
Thank you!
You're welcome. One question, when you "eat back" exercise calories, how do you compute/estimate them?0 -
If you've recently started a new exercise regimen, water weight (needed to repair your newly-stimulated muscles) is masking the loss you're achieving via calorie restriction. Be patient for a few more weeks.
Yes, I started strength training Oct 29, dropped three pounds post-menstrually, gained seven pounds by Nov 10, stopped strength training due to a cold, and lost five pounds in two days.
I started back at the gym last night and am fascinated to see what happens next.
I hear the "new exercise water weight" goes away in about four weeks.0
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