Not losing weight

ksilletti246
ksilletti246 Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been eating lower than my recommended calorie intake for three weeks and I've only lost two pounds. I haven't been going to the gym lately because I'm tired a lot.

Replies

  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    edited May 2016
    Two pounds in three weeks is good. Give it some time for your body to adjust and start losing. Weigh/measure everything you eat and track it, and stay in a moderate deficit. You don't need exercise to lose, but it does help, and it's good for you, so throw some in when you can.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    How much lower than recommended?
  • bellabonbons
    bellabonbons Posts: 705 Member
    Going lower than you recommended daily calorie allowance, you probably put your body into starvation mode. Stay with your calorie recommendations and keep exercising. Go easy on the sodium. You will gain water weight.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    bellabonbons wrote: »
    Going lower than you recommended daily calorie allowance, you probably put your body into starvation mode. Stay with your calorie recommendations and keep exercising. Go easy on the sodium. You will gain water weight.

    That isn't how starvation mode works. Eat below maintenance, you lose weight.

    OP, you've lost weight so congratulations!
  • shed77f
    shed77f Posts: 41 Member
    Starvation mode is a complete myth in the way it's commonly used on the forum.

    OP you are losing weight, 2 pounds in 3 weeks seems healthy progress. Congratulations! How much have you got to lose in total?

    If you really think it should be more, I'd make sure your food logging is correct first of all. Are you using a scale to weigh food (no cups & spoons for solids)? Are the food entries you select definitely accurate?
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    You don't need to go to the gym or exercise to lose weight. 2lb in 3 weeks is excellent, well done!
  • Zella_11
    Zella_11 Posts: 161 Member
    You are losing weight! Keep eating at a calorie deficit and try to add some activity a few times a week. Keep up the good work!
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.

    2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.

    3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.

    4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.

    5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.

    6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.

    7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.

    8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.

    9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.
  • RR0817
    RR0817 Posts: 38 Member
    edited May 2016
    Your whole statement says a lot. One, you are putting your body in starvation mode. That for one is not good. The reason you are tired is because your body is not getting the fuel it needs and you need to make sure you get enough. The misconception is always that eating less calories results in weight loss. You need to go to the gym. I know all about being tired all the time, trust me, I work overnight shifts and I am always tired....but I make myself go to the gym. Even if its for 30 minutes. It's still better than nothing.
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
    TnR4life wrote: »
    Your whole statement says a lot. One, you are putting your body in starvation mode. That for one is not good. The reason you are tired is because your body is not getting the fuel it needs and you need to make sure you get enough. The misconception is always that eating less calories results in weight loss. You need to go to the gym. I know all about being tired all the time, trust me, I work overnight shifts and I am always tired....but I make myself go to the gym. Even if its for 30 minutes. It's still better than nothing.

    Nope. Starvation mode does not exist the way you are saying it. Try again.
  • GeckosRachel
    GeckosRachel Posts: 3 Member
    Hi, it took 3 weeks before my weight started to drop, 8 weeks in and I've lost 11lb. Stay focused and you'll get there :)
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Hold on...you HAVE lost 2lbs in 3 weeks. That is success and you are doing just fine.

    If you are more tired than usual it could be that you aren't eating enough/ too agressive a calorie deficit. Fuel your body properly and tiredness wont be an issue any more.
  • bellabonbons
    bellabonbons Posts: 705 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    bellabonbons wrote: »
    Going lower than you recommended daily calorie allowance, you probably put your body into starvation mode. Stay with your calorie recommendations and keep exercising. Go easy on the sodium. You will gain water weight.

    That isn't how starvation mode works. Eat below maintenance, you lose weight.

    OP, you've lost weight so congratulations!

    For many, especially hypothyroidism, below maintenance does not create weight loss.
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    edited May 2016
    bellabonbons wrote: »
    For many, especially hypothyroidism, below maintenance does not create weight loss.

    Do you mean maintenance as defined by calculators that are generally set up for the majority, or maintenance as defined by your body? I'd put weight on if I used the general calculators due to my medical conditions, but by definition I'd lose weight if I eat below my body's maintenance levels.

    Edited because of double-negatives. Bad double-negatives!

  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    bellabonbons wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    bellabonbons wrote: »
    Going lower than you recommended daily calorie allowance, you probably put your body into starvation mode. Stay with your calorie recommendations and keep exercising. Go easy on the sodium. You will gain water weight.

    That isn't how starvation mode works. Eat below maintenance, you lose weight.

    OP, you've lost weight so congratulations!

    For many, especially hypothyroidism, below maintenance does not create weight loss.

    Yes it does. Losing weight by eating below maintenance works for every single human body that exists. For most people with hypothyroidism, obviously their maintenance is going to be below what a standard BMR/TDEE calculator gives them and, even then, it's usually by a max of 300 calories or so. The calculator isn't going to assume you have a medical condition. Furthermore, those calculators are estimates for everyone. No matter who the person is or what medical conditions they may or may not have, they need to play around with the numbers to find out their maintenance level.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    If you're tired it is a clear sign you need food or sleep and most likely both . Listen to your body..you're losing and that's great. You are also perfecting your journey..and that's good too. You might also have low blood sugar and need to eat more often during the day to fuel your body. Be more concerned about being tired than a loss that isn't what you hoped. That's all of us. :)

Categories