Weight Loss Question

ChrisRendon1128

Hi all.. I am asking for my little sister. She is 24 years old and has 2 kids. She weight 164 lbs and is trying to lose about 25 lbs. She has been eating 1200 calories and recently joined the gym and does mostly cardio there. She has only lost .2 lbs for the past 2 weeks. Any recommendations on how to get the weight loss process going?

janejellyroll

How is she measuring the food she eats? Is she using a food scale? How is she determining the calories in the food she eats if she isn't on MFP -- another online database?

shadow2soul

Remind her to look at weight loss over the longer term and not just week to week.

Recently started a new workout routine can equal water retention for muscle repairs.
Depending on the time of the month, she could also be experiencing water retention from hormonal fluctuations.
If she had a high amount of salt the past couple days, that could cause water retention as well.

If she isn't weighing her food, then she could be eating more than she thinks. You might want to have her give this thread a read:
Logging Accurately..Step by Step Guide

And these are helpful as well:
A Guide To Get You Started On Your Path To Sexypants
So You Want A Nice Stomach

StaciMarie1974

She may need patience. She's not going to see a drop on the scale every week. It doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong. Water weight can mask results, but is temporary. Starting a new fitness routine can cause the body to hold water for muscle repair. We typically retain water during/around our TOM. We retain for having too much sodium, for being stressed, and a # of other reasons. It can help to look at the trend over time. If she weighs less today than a month ago: she's doing something right.

StaciMarie1974

Ps-if weight is stalled for more than 4-6 weeks, then the likely culprit is a) eating more than she thinks or b) burning less than she thinks thru exercise or c) some combination of a & b.

ChrisRendon1128

Thank you ladies for your input! She has been using MFP and I do have a scale and we measure all of our foods to be as accurate as possible. She also has a fitbit to help her calculate an estimate on her calorie burn although she doesn't eat her "workout calories" back. We also have been trying to cook as opposed to buying takeout because of the sodium so maybe it'll take some more time to see results for her since she weighs less than I do. Also, maybe she is retaining water because she hadn't worked out in a very very long time. Plus, I encouraged her to drink more water to flush out her system. Thanks again!