Frustrated

mbortz12

So I've been staying at or below 1500 calories and I've been working out 6 days a week for at least an hour some days only 30 mins... I have not lost a pound this week!! I lost 4 pounds within the first week then nothing! I know I need to not get myself down but it's hard not to! Anyone going through the same thing? Or any tips on what else I can do?! I am not going to give up I'm just so frustrated!!! HELP!!

mmarie_3

First of all great job on the weight loss!! You may not lose EVERY week and that's perfect ok. Start measuring your waist to see the change there. Are you doing cardio? Weights?

mbortz12

I have been doing cardio one day and then some Pilates another day.. I try to switch it up so I don't lose interest.. I don't have any weights but I do have resistance bands I use and an exercise bike.. I shouldn't expect to lose every week it's just a let down:(

William4MVP

You lost 4 pounds because a lot of it is usually water weight..happens to me too especially after a day where I eat tons of carbs. Just stick it out and see your progress. If you don't see any progress after 2 weeks, your either not counting right or need decrease calories

mbortz12

I don't want to go down to 1200 calories because then I felt hungry all the time.. Maybe I should do more cardio.. I try to find some in YouTube do u have any suggestions on any good cardio workouts?

ClosetBayesian

mbortz12 wrote: »

I don't want to go down to 1200 calories because then I felt hungry all the time.. Maybe I should do more cardio.. I try to find some in YouTube do u have any suggestions on any good cardio workouts?

Maybe you should give it more time, instead.

mbortz12

Thanks for the advice liftingtilldeath!

QueenofHearts023

Don't focus so much on it. Make it part of your life. I know it's important to you, but I used to obsess like crazy about it and I never lost anything because I would quit when I don't see results quick enough.

Focus on other things. Make sure you are weighing (food scale for solids, measuring cups for liquids) and logging correctly. If you haven't lost any weight in a few weeks, try lowering your calories. Remember there's no need for it to come off as quickly as possible. This is a lifestyle change not a diet.

tiptoethruthetulips

Fluid rehyrdration. 4lb in the first week would be mostly fluid loss, your body was probably dehydrated, your body was rehydrated in the second week hence no loss. In addition if you were doing any weight training your body retains fluid to help repair the tiny tears in the muscle fibres, this is particularly so if you have been extremely sore up to a few days that the training session.

mbortz12

Yea I know I should give it more time.. Maybe I'm just expecting weight loss like I had a few years ago I lost 35lbs fairly quickly and I didn't work out or anything.. I know I need to be patient but it's nice to know when I'm down I can come in here for advice!!! That's what the community is for

mbortz12

Yea I agree with all of you! Thank you all for the Input! It's much appreciated!

RetroPolkaDot

I tend to either gain slightly or not lose anything when I begin a new exercise regime. I look for other victories during that transition time instead such as my clothes fitting better or my fitness level improving.

Goldfiver

Keep going. You doing great. Just stick to it. Maybe vary some of your week gym sessions with 30 -45 min weight lifting doing as hard/ heavy as possible with small/ no breaks in between to increase metabolism. All the best

veganbaum

mbortz12 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice liftingtilldeath!

Two weeks (based on liftingtilldeath's statement) really shouldn't be your reference range for making changes. If you're going to base changes off of such a short time frame, you'll probably be doing that quite often. New exercise routines, particularly when you are putting in more effort, can lead to water weight (glycogen for muscle repair). If you weigh yourself daily you will see how your weight fluctuates. This is normal - it's how everyone's body works. There will be weeks you don't "lose," but you should still see the fluctuations. A better frame of reference is 4-6 weeks. This is particularly true for women, some of whom can see upward weight fluctuations due to water retention at the time ovulation AND their cycle. You may want to look into a program that tracks your trend, such as trendweight (which I use), or similar program.

I strongly suggest you read the stickies:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest

And particularly this stickie:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

This is a handy chart for new users in particular (created by an MFP user):

vespiquenn

mbortz12 wrote: »

Yea I know I should give it more time.. Maybe I'm just expecting weight loss like I had a few years ago I lost 35lbs fairly quickly and I didn't work out or anything.. I know I need to be patient but it's nice to know when I'm down I can come in here for advice!!! That's what the community is for

This is the part that should alarm you. You went on a diet, and it clearly did not stick because you are back at it again. So think about why you are here again losing weight. You need to think of this as a lifestyle change. Any changes you make now, most of them should carry over for years and years to come. With that being said, being this upset over one week of not losing should be alarming for you when weight loss is not linear. Why are you in such a hurry to lose the weight when clearly it doesn't work? Patience will be your best friend on this journey. Without it, you will get discouraged and quit.

In regards to your intake, make sure you're using a food scale, if you aren't already. More accurate than spoons and cups. Also, using a weight trending graph like trendweight.com might help your sanity when you start to see upward fluctuations.

Lynnmi07

I wouldn't change anything yet. Sometimes when you have a big loss one week it may be mostly water, and maybe this week you are losing actual fat but retaining the water so weight no weight change. I would stay where your at and if no loss after three weeks then adjust.

OldAssDude

You have to burn 500 more calories than you eat per day or eat 500 less calories than you burn per day to lose 1 lb. per week.

The problem is that weight can fluctuate up to 5 lbs. on a daily basis depending on water weight, how much waste is in your intestines, what time of the day you weigh yourself, and other factors.

The best way to reduce these factors is to weigh yourself at the same time every day, but even doing that there will still be a variance.

The thing you want to watch is your weight change over longer periods of time, and don't get frustrated with your daily or even weekly weight measurements.

If you are not getting results over time, the only thing it could be is you are not burning as many calories as you think you are, or you are eating more calories than you think you are.

Talan79

Be patient. Constancy is key. Are you using a digital scale and logging everything?

mbortz12

I am logging everything and measuring out all my food.. You all are awesome with all the info really! I feel like I'm such a beginner, but all the info you guys have provided has been great I'm gonna take everything u provided and keep it in my mind! Again thank you all so much it really made me feel better about my weight loss.. So what I don't lose each week I will reach my goal.. I'm really in no hurry just as long as I get to my goal weight and I'm happy again! Thank you

diannethegeek

These two posts have helped me when the scale is acting up:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10196160/scale-stress-syndrome/p1