Help so confused!

mckdani

Ok I've been dieting for a month. Eating the amount of calories MFP recommended for my weight loss goal. Yes I've had a few cheat days. Drinking all my water. Getting in 45-60 minutes of exercise everyday. How can I only have only lost 2 lbs? I was eating awful before and doing no exercise. Help I just don't understand. I've even been doing 1 even 2 310 shakes with almond
Milk a day.

kristen6350

Cheat Days? That can wipe out a deficient right there.

New to exercise, muscles retaining water.

I know nothing about 310 shakes.

Are you weighing your food?

queenliz99

Are you tracking your intake accurately, weighing all foods on a scale, getting the right foods from the database? The calorie burns are somewhat overstated on MFP and on machines, so be careful. If yes, then all you need is patience and be sure to log your "cheat days", they can make or break a diet.

Aaron_K123

2 pounds in a month isn't bad and honestly that could just as easily be 4 pounds of fat lost and 2 pounds of extra water retention due to increased exercise. When you are untrained and you exercise your muscles tend to swell with extra water retention to help with repair and that extra water adds extra weight. If you were to exercise alone without calorie restricting after not having exercised before you could easily expect to gain 3 or 4 pounds just from that.

Or alternatively perhaps your cheat days zeroed out your deficit and you have lost no fat at all and you have just shed 2 pounds of water weight due to decreasing your sodium intake.

The point is it is far too early after just 4 weeks to truly judge your weight loss, stick with it and give it more time. You have to be patient with this, it takes a while to change your body. Expecting drastic changes in your weight or appearance over the period of a month is unrealistic.

safully1

I think the above posters hit it on the head, but understand that our bodies adapt initially to the changes in diet and exercise. There is a period of muscle gain versus fat loss, which is why body measurements are important to track progress early on. When you add in water retention, honestly 2lbs for just starting out is great!

Not a big fan of posting links, but here is a page that might help identify some small problem areas some don't think about. http://www.muscleandfitness.com/nutrition/lose-fat/7-reasons-youre-not-losing-weight

janejellyroll

Flip it around -- you have had days when you went off-plan and you're still losing an average of .5 pounds a week. That actually sounds pretty good to me.

quiksylver296

Aaron_K123

Personally I think it is a mistake to react to and then change your diet on the basis of the first 4 weeks. I'd wait at least 2 months before taking a hard look at your progress and evaluating if anything needs to change.

If you change things in the first 4 weeks you are likely reacting to water retention variation not actual fat loss and that can through you off. If you on top of that make changes so that you are no longer consistant it will be that much harder to pin down what you actually need to be doing. Just stick with it for longer and evaluate in another month.

TavistockToad

Do you log your cheat days?

Aaron_K123

That said I have to agree with other posters, if you aren't logging your cheat days then you really have no idea what your deficit is. You should log accurately everything you consume, cheat days included, and evaluate after a couple of months with that information. Otherwise you are just guessing.

Trish1c

I googled 310 shake. It's another one of those so called miracle weight loss things. The ad tells you to replace 1-2 meals per day with this 90 calorie drink. BS. That is no way to live.

Logging EVERYTHING you stick in your mouth is the only way to go. But don't be discouraged because 2 pounds per month is still 1/2 pound per week. You didn't put the weight on over night & it won't come off that fast either.

Skip the fad crap & eat real food just eat less of it. You really can eat anything you want on the MFP program. The trick / secret is eat an actual portion not what you think a portion is.

jadorade91

First, definitely log your cheat days--if you haven't been already. I used to not log my cheat days--too upsetting lol. But now that I have, I'm able to pinpoint where I could improve or how I could just maybe have one less drink or a few less bites of something.

Secondly, two pounds in a month is actually pretty good for beginning a weight loss routine!! Your body has to adjust to the changes. Be patient--it'll pay off!

SueInAz

I stopped having cheat days, log what I eat and eat what I like. Besides, exactly who are you "cheating" here? Uncontrolled cheat days are like closing your eyes during a test. You don't know what the results will be if you aren't paying attention.

trigden1991

1) You admit you had cheat meals
2) You probably eat more than you admit
3) You are less active than you think