Week one and no pounds lost

krflurry2016

Hello, I'm new to my fitness pal.
I'm supposed to be eating 1800 calories a day, which I am.
I'm also exercising on the treadmill at my local gym for 30 minutes at 3.0 miles an hour with an incline
I cut out sodas and junk.
After one week being a heavier person, I expected to lose a few pounds, but stepped on the scale and I was still the same weight.
I'm very discouraged. Please help

TxTiffani

Are you weighing food on a food scale to make sure portions logged are correct? If exercise is new you can hold onto water weight...I do when starting a new exercise. There's people that know more than me that will chime in but I think you should stick with it. It takes a long time to lose weight and I think the sooner we make peace with that the better:)

hiyomi

One week is nowhere near enough time to see a difference, especially since you just started. Give it at least a month of time and keep working at it! As long as you are true to your logging and eating, and exercising, the pounds WILL come off.

janicemushalupo

Are you putting in your exercise? If you are, stop. Don't eat your hard work. Pick up some weights while at the gym. Watch the macros not calories.

hiyomi

janicemushalupo wrote: »

Are you putting in your exercise? If you are, stop. Don't eat your hard work. Pick up some weights while at the gym. Watch the macros not calories.

Macros will not be the thing that causes her to lose weight, it may help, but losing weight is a matter of calories in versus calories out! It is vital to watch calories.

dmariet116

Try cutting your carbs. That is usually helpful not only to flush out excess water weight but to jump start the fat burning process also. And definitely drink your water! Good luck!

misskarne

Really? One week and you're already discouraged?

Weight loss takes PATIENCE.

diannethegeek

You're going to get a lot of conflicting advice, but here's mine: it's too soon to worry. The first week means your body is experiencing a lot of changes and it may still be adjusting to them. It's not a bad idea to double-check that everything is right, but I would wait it out for just a little longer and see what happens.

Also, if you haven't had a chance to read the stickied "must read" posts, they have a ton of good information. Like these:
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

godlikepoetyes

You must be patient. Some people lose a lot at first, some do not. But I will give you the standard response to this question.

Are you logging your food, EVERY SINGLE BITE, every single day? Are you being honest with yourself? Often there are multiple entries for one food--you must be diligent and do some research so you know, absolutely know to the best of your ability how to log food accurately. It takes time to get the hang of this. Create your own foods and meals and build recipes when you cook at home. Do you measure your food? Many people here find they must buy a scale and weigh their food. Are you eating back your exercise calories? Again this works for some people and it doesn't for others. Are you weighing every day? This works for some people. Others, like myself, find weighing once a week less stressful. Some don't use a scale at all and depend on how their clothes fit. Lots of people keep track of their measurements and gauge their progress in this way. And are you eating all of your calories, or trying to restrict yourself? I strongly advise you not to do this. If MFP gives you 1,800 calories then eat 1,800 calories.

Poke around here and read posts. Some of them are very helpful. But be careful. A lot of people will give advice when they really shouldn't and this can be very confusing. And be sure you're not on a fad diet like low-carb or gluten-free. Such diets are not sustainable (for most people) for the long haul. And if you don't know much about nutrition, educate yourself so you don't fall prey to bad, sometimes harmful advice, both here and from friends and family. And do NOT pay much attention to every bit of food news and nutrition that comes out, daily (hourly) in media "news" outlets. It just makes everything more confusing.

Don't think of this as a "diet" that will be over as soon as you lose weight. This must be a new way of life, one that will change your life forever.

Good luck and hang in there. This program works for almost everybody.

ncfitbit

If you set your diary to public, people may be able to help you a little better. Sometimes when people first start logging their food they may mistakenly use bad entries or make some other logging errors. And depending on what you have your weight loss goal set to, the margin of error may be smaller than you think.

I'm with you though, usually the first week you cut your calories you would expect to lose something in water weight alone. It's worth figuring out now where you might be a little off track.

Rocknut53

diannethegeek wrote: »

You're going to get a lot of conflicting advice, but here's mine: it's too soon to worry. The first week means your body is experiencing a lot of changes and it may still be adjusting to them. It's not a bad idea to double-check that everything is right, but I would wait it out for just a little longer and see what happens.

Also, if you haven't had a chance to read the stickied "must read" posts, they have a ton of good information. Like these:
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

^^This^^ I see there is already some advice that isn't helpful for your weight loss. diannethegeek always has some good pointers and links to threads that can help you figure this out.

MissusMoon

janicemushalupo wrote: »

Are you putting in your exercise? If you are, stop. Don't eat your hard work. Pick up some weights while at the gym. Watch the macros not calories.

1. MFP is set for you to eat back at least some of your exercise calories.
2. Weights, sure, why not if you want to.
3. NO NO NO. Also no. Calories in/calories out is ALL OF THIS.

OP-You might be retaining water. You might not have a food scale and weigh all your foods. Did you gain all of your extra weight in one week? No. Be patient, check your logging and do this right.

MissusMoon

dmariet116 wrote: »

Try cutting your carbs. That is usually helpful not only to flush out excess water weight but to jump start the fat burning process also. And definitely drink your water! Good luck!

Also no. This is fad diet talk and has no scientific basis. The water advice is fine, though.

dmariet116

Actually, it is a medically proven fact that if you have a carbohydrate intolerance, your body cannot metabolize the offending food (gluten, lactose, glucose). I for one suffer from celiac disease. Usually carbohydrate intolerance crosses over to more than just gluten sensitivity. Lowering the total carbs consumed is not a fad diet. I did not say no carb diet. Just suggested that cutting the amount of carbs might be helpful. Many people have metabolic problems that are related to carbohydrate sensitivities so it is always worth looking into.

houtzashleyg

Good luck to you. Hang tight on the journey. Is easier for some than others. Week 1 down..the initial hard parts over but have to keep being focused and determined to meet your personal goals

MissusMoon

dmariet116 wrote: »

Actually, it is a medically proven fact that if you have a carbohydrate intolerance, your body cannot metabolize the offending food (gluten, lactose, glucose). I for one suffer from celiac disease. Usually carbohydrate intolerance crosses over to more than just gluten sensitivity. Lowering the total carbs consumed is not a fad diet. I did not say no carb diet. Just suggested that cutting the amount of carbs might be helpful. Many people have metabolic problems that are related to carbohydrate sensitivities so it is always worth looking into.

Let's not derail the OP's thread, which did not mention any such health issues.

Excess calories cause weight gain. Those can be from steak or cake, it's all the same unless there is a very specific and properly diagnosed health issue. We are trying to help the OP get on track, not debate. The first place to go with that is proper logging of intake.

ElizabethOakes2

I didn't see anyone else ask this so I will...
Are you weighing at the same time of day? Weight fluctuates by as much as two pounds over the course of the day, accounting for water weight, food in digestion, poo, etc. Weigh yourself at the same time on the same day of the week wearing the same thing. (I opt for first thing in the morning in my birthday suit).

krflurry2016

Thanks for all the responses!
I am weighing and portioning my food.
I am not eating over my 1800 calories. Usually I'm under my calories.
I am also weighing my self on Sunday's first thing in the morning undressed and the scale didn't move. I'll give it a few weeks and see if I lose a couple of pounds. Maybe it takes a awhile for my body to register that I'm trying to lose weight!
Yes I know I need to be more patient but I figured being over weight and starting a diet that I would get on the scale and see 3 or 4 pounds gone in the first week but that's probably just wishful thinking!

lynn_glenmont

dmariet116 wrote: »

Actually, it is a medically proven fact that if you have a carbohydrate intolerance, your body cannot metabolize the offending food (gluten, lactose, glucose). I for one suffer from celiac disease. Usually carbohydrate intolerance crosses over to more than just gluten sensitivity. Lowering the total carbs consumed is not a fad diet. I did not say no carb diet. Just suggested that cutting the amount of carbs might be helpful. Many people have metabolic problems that are related to carbohydrate sensitivities so it is always worth looking into.

This makes no sense.
If your body couldn't metabolize a certain type of food, it couldn't store it as fat. So you could eat as much as you like of it without affecting your weight.

Suffering from celiac disease is a good reason to avoid gluten. "Jump starting the fat burning process" (as your earlier post said) is a silly reason--or, really, no reason at all--to cut carbs.

OP, barring some medical condition you haven't told us about, or satiety effects of different macros on you personally, focus on the calories. Get a food scale and use it for everything (or at least all solids). Choose your database entries with care, comparing the nutrient information on the entry to the package label or the USDA database (https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods).

ETA: OP, if you're female, you could just have happened to start this at a time in your cycle when you were beginning to retain water, and that's masking fat loss. If that's the case, when the hormone-related water retention goes away, you could see two weeks' worth of fat loss suddenly show up on the scale.

williammuney

1800 is too high

You should net 1400 and eat back your exercise calories

Thank me later

Marshachia

I started losing weight on the 16th day of my new exercise routine and lower calories intake.

JodehFoster

being a woman, where you are in your monthy hormonal cycle plays a big part as well. Something else to consider when you don't see expected losses.

juliet3455

diannethegeek wrote: »

You're going to get a lot of conflicting advice, but here's mine: it's too soon to worry. The first week means your body is experiencing a lot of changes and it may still be adjusting to them. It's not a bad idea to double-check that everything is right, but I would wait it out for just a little longer and see what happens.

Also, if you haven't had a chance to read the stickied "must read" posts, they have a ton of good information. Like these:
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

@krflurry2016 As @diannethegeek said you will be getting a lot of conflicting advice. In each of the Message Boards you will find stickied "must read" posts such as under Getting Started and General Diet and Weight Loss. There are more but this is a lot of information to read through. One that I refer back to is the links in this Important Posts to Read. There is a lot of great information in it.

You need to adjust your expectations/mindset. My average was about 1kg = 2.2 lbs per month and I am down 79 lbs. Relax - Slow down you will get to your goal/destination with a lot less stress.

Dove0804

williammuney wrote: »

1800 is too high

You should net 1400 and eat back your exercise calories

Thank me later

With all due respect, OP never stated her height or starting weight, or how much per week she's trying to lose. It's hard to determine how much one should or shouldn't be eating if you don't know someone's starting point. Right now I could be consuming around 2,000 calories at my weight and still lose 0.5 lb/week. If she has more to lose and is pacing herself, 1,800 could be just right.

But yeah, give it some time. Make sure you're accurately weighing everything and try to be patient. I know water retention is a killer for me regarding motivation, but I ALWAYS have that "fake plateau" after changing up my exercise regimen or around that time of the month. It's like clockwork. I am able to recognize it now so it doesn't discourage me, but you could definitely be holding onto some water if you only JUST started all of these changes.

Hang in there!

Rogstar

Agree with hanging in there. One week is not enough time to see a trend, up or down. And it absolutely may depend on where you are in your hormonal cycle. I always compare myself at the same point in the cycle from month to month, rather than week to week (or day to day as I weigh myself daily.)

Using myself as an example:
My period is due to start tomorrow or the next day. I weighed 215.6 today. One week ago, I was 214. My low 5 days ago was 212.8. But, looking back one month ago, I was 220-222 the days before my period started. So while I'm higher than last week, I'm about 5lbs lighter than I was this time last cycle.

If you keep at your plan and are honest with yourself, you will see changes. If over a month or two you're not seeing any progress, then you can reevaluate. Good luck!

mitch16

Only one week--be patient! BTW--how tall are you, how much do you weigh, what is your goal?

85Cardinals

Don't be discouraged. A week is nothing! Rome didn't fall in a day, it took centuries and lots of barbarians.

brb_2013

dmariet116 wrote: »

Try cutting your carbs. That is usually helpful not only to flush out excess water weight but to jump start the fat burning process also. And definitely drink your water! Good luck!

Waaaaah no dont.

There's no need to cut out carbs. Seriously. Think of the first month as practice and the learning curve, it takes time to get used to all the logging rules and how to be sure you're actually only eating 1800. Get yourself a quality food scale and make absolutely sure that's all you're eating. You could be over eating by enough to stop weight loss.

Also, yes new exercise could absolutely cause enough water retention to hide any weight loss. It's just too early to tell. I am going to begin cautioning everyone against using the scale too much. Put it away for the month. Be SURE to only eat 1800 (by weighing all food, and using the proper entries in the database, which can take a few extra minutes when you're just starting but it's worth it). Take measurements this week, and check them again in a month when you weigh in. I can guarantee if you set MFP up correctly and you weigh your food you will see the change you want.

But before you get those changes you have to build up the good habits that will help you get there. Focusing on those good habits versus results will help you build confidence in yourself and your ability to do this. Suggestions to begin weight lifting (or even just body weight things, push ups squats lunges and planks need no equipment) you will see more physical changes in your body and shape beyond simply weighing less.

Getting caught up in a lack of results after a week isn't helpful. Let go of results and get to learning about what foods help you feel the most satisfied while still meeting your calorie goal. You can do this but it's about more than just a diet, you have to change so much and you can't do it all in a week. Give yourself the gift of patience. It will work.

an0nemus

krflurry2016 wrote: »

Hello, I'm new to my fitness pal.
I'm supposed to be eating 1800 calories a day, which I am.
I'm also exercising on the treadmill at my local gym for 30 minutes at 3.0 miles an hour with an incline
I cut out sodas and junk.
After one week being a heavier person, I expected to lose a few pounds, but stepped on the scale and I was still the same weight.
I'm very discouraged. Please help

How many pounds are you looking to lose? The less you have to lose, the harder they are to lose.

sanfromny

williammuney wrote: »

1800 is too high

You should net 1400 and eat back your exercise calories

Thank me later

What? Why? Without any information except she's been at this for a week? No.

OP, this isn't a sprint, this is cross country. You're in it for the long haul. Some weeks you'll see a 2lbs loss, some 0.4lbs loss and some weeks you'll see a 0.8lb gain. It's all part of the process. As long as you see an overall downward trend that's all that matters. As a woman also as you cycle, menstruate and so forth you'll see this reflect on the scale as well. No need to freak out, give it time stick with this.

krflurry2016

Thanks for all the quick responses! I really appreciate it