Eating clean, Week 1- help! The scales won't move!!
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LukeAdrianBoardman
Posts: 9 Member
I'm 24 years old, 5'6, 239 lbs and previous to this week very inactive.
I've almost reached the end of my first week 'eating clean', watching my calorie intake and trying to stick to my 40:40:20 macro diet.
I've been averaging around 1400 calories daily, I have started working out twice a week with a personal trainer and even went for a 30 min jog mid week! May not sound like a lot but I'm very sore from finally moving my body.
I've stepped on the scale this morning (I try not too but seems the only motivation that spurs me along) and I 'm not seeing as much weight loss as I'd like to see, I've only lost 1lbs, and the scales keep fluctuating, (4+lbs at times!) which is very confusing for me.
I haven't had any food you would consider unhealthy or 'bad', chocolate is my biggest vice and not one piece has crossed my lips haha, I'm trying to stick to the idea that if I don't recognise the ingredient on the back, then my body won't either (I read that somewhere and it stuck, so even diet drinks have been a right off, purely water)
I'm not sure why I've posted this, if only to have a rant and to keep myself motivated. My first week of trying to make the right decisions and improve my diet can seem quiet daunting and lonely at times, because when it comes down to it, it's only you who truly care about the daily struggles of weight loss, other people just want to see results. I do have supportive people surrounding me though!
Would be good to hear if this is commonplace for some people?
Thanks
I've almost reached the end of my first week 'eating clean', watching my calorie intake and trying to stick to my 40:40:20 macro diet.
I've been averaging around 1400 calories daily, I have started working out twice a week with a personal trainer and even went for a 30 min jog mid week! May not sound like a lot but I'm very sore from finally moving my body.
I've stepped on the scale this morning (I try not too but seems the only motivation that spurs me along) and I 'm not seeing as much weight loss as I'd like to see, I've only lost 1lbs, and the scales keep fluctuating, (4+lbs at times!) which is very confusing for me.
I haven't had any food you would consider unhealthy or 'bad', chocolate is my biggest vice and not one piece has crossed my lips haha, I'm trying to stick to the idea that if I don't recognise the ingredient on the back, then my body won't either (I read that somewhere and it stuck, so even diet drinks have been a right off, purely water)
I'm not sure why I've posted this, if only to have a rant and to keep myself motivated. My first week of trying to make the right decisions and improve my diet can seem quiet daunting and lonely at times, because when it comes down to it, it's only you who truly care about the daily struggles of weight loss, other people just want to see results. I do have supportive people surrounding me though!
Would be good to hear if this is commonplace for some people?
Thanks
0
Replies
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If you're sore from working out, you're muscles are likely retaining fluid for repair, and that fluid retention will show on the scale.
1400 is too low for a guy, especially if you're working out.
Fluctuations happen, weight loss isn't linear.
For weight loss, calories are what matters, not whether the food you eat is 'clean'. Of course, for nutrition, what you eat matters, and some things are going to do more for satiety than others.
Honestly, the 'if I don't recognise it, my body won't' is really illogical if you think about it - so people with a background in chemistry can eat a broader range of things than others? What about foreign foods, can we only eat them if we speak the language? Higher educated people can eat more than someone who dropped out in 8th grade?8 -
Water retention,1400 is very little for a male, you could lose on 1800 easy.1
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You are doing a lot of unnecessary things that are just going to make it harder for you. This is where the struggles begin. If you just do what it takes, it will be a lot easier, and your chance of success will be a lot bigger.
A male needs to eat at least 1500 calories per day. Your body needs 1900-2000 calories at your current weight, and it can't burn fat any faster even if you eat too little. Log correctly, and you know exactly how much you are eating.
Eating clean can mean anything (ask 10 people and you get 11 different answers), so it means nothing. Your body can indeed use anything that has nutritional value even if you don't know what the names of the ingredients mean. An arbitrary macro split is also arbitrary, you just need a balanced diet. So aim to get in adequate nutrition. Eat proper/regular meals filled with a variety of nutritious food you like.
Don't separate foods into "healthy" and "unhealthy", "good" and "bad", and don't feel guilty for eating and enjoying food. Anything can be eaten in appropriate amounts. If you have "trigger foods", foods that you can't stop eating once you start, and if those are of low nutritional value anyway, you can consider not having those for some time, and then reintroduce them on a regular basis, or just have some very occasionally. Do whatever works for you.
You can weigh yourself every day if you want to. Just keep in mind that your body weight fluctuates from day to day (not just through the day as you eat, drink, pee and poop), and that a variation of four pounds within the course of a few days is perfectly normal and has nothing to do with whether you are losing, gaining or maintaining weight. A real trend can be seen after about a month of regular and consistent weigh-ins.11 -
Different people will tell you different things...but honestly, weighing yourself too frequently can be a demotivator. Choose a day. Weigh yourself first thing in the morning, before you drink or eat anything. I have a calendar on my bathroom wall...I write my weight on my weigh-in day and that reminds me where I am and where I'm going...but doesn't make me crazy, because I know when I'll weigh in again.
Sometimes you won't see weight chanes, but you'll see shape changes. I've lost a few pounds and didn't think I looked any lighter but I put on a T shirt a couple days ago that had been on the edge of doesn't-fit and it felt a lot more comfortable than the last time I wore it 3 weeks ago...
Getting fit is more than losing pounds, it is shifting fat off and putting muscle on. And muscle weighs more than fat. The fact that your scale isn't moving might be telling you something totally different than what you're hearing☺.
If you don't eat enough calories your body thinks it's starving and kills your metabolism...then you don't lose weight. You're the same height as me and a few pounds heavier than when I started with similar activity levels (I work a desk job and sometimes don't move for hours...vry bad!). My target calories started in the mid 1600's, so you probably have a few more to play with.
As for the not eating things with names you don't recognize...in some ways, this is a good idea. There are a crap load of nasty additives in many foods. If there is something you especially like...find out what the ingredients are and make an informed choice. I quit eating foods with carmine in them years ago...carmine is ground up bugs, used as a food color. Blech. But in the same vein, there are plenty of things I don't recognize that could be perfectly tasty and good for you. And I'm sure you know what high fructosr corn syrup is...but I wouldn't recommend products containing it. Be educated about your food!2 -
I think you might consider seeing a doctor. You should be losing weight with such a calorie deficit. You could have something hormonal or a metabolic disoder going on.-1
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Hi all,
Thanks very much for your ideas, I could use all the help I can get.
I think I should've expanded when I said I'm trying to stay away from 'things I don't understand' - I mean making an educated decision staying away from nasty additives and preservatives. Aspartame, high fructose syrup etc.. I generally do some research before writing anything off!
I'm trying to eat more whole foods, protein and complex carbs!
Great advice guys appreciate it!
1 -
LukeAdrianBoardman wrote: »Hi all,
Thanks very much for your ideas, I could use all the help I can get.
I think I should've expanded when I said I'm trying to stay away from 'things I don't understand' - I mean making an educated decision staying away from nasty additives and preservatives. Aspartame, high fructose syrup etc.. I generally do some research before writing anything off!
I'm trying to eat more whole foods, protein and complex carbs!
Great advice guys appreciate it!
Nothing wrong with any of those unless you have a medical condition. You need to change the way you look at food.3 -
You're sore, so you're retaining water...
Be more patient1 -
I think you might consider seeing a doctor. You should be losing weight with such a calorie deficit. You could have something hormonal or a metabolic disoder going on.
It's only been a week - one where he's also upped his exercise level dramatically - so no. Medical intervention is not indicated at this early stage of the process.
10 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »Honestly, the 'if I don't recognise it, my body won't' is really illogical if you think about it - so people with a background in chemistry can eat a broader range of things than others? What about foreign foods, can we only eat them if we speak the language? Higher educated people can eat more than someone who dropped out in 8th grade?
Finally, my time to shine. I knew this education would be good for something one day.LukeAdrianBoardman wrote: »Hi all,
Thanks very much for your ideas, I could use all the help I can get.
I think I should've expanded when I said I'm trying to stay away from 'things I don't understand' - I mean making an educated decision staying away from nasty additives and preservatives. Aspartame, high fructose syrup etc.. I generally do some research before writing anything off!
I'm trying to eat more whole foods, protein and complex carbs!
Great advice guys appreciate it!
There's nothing wrong with the things you've named (Aspartame, etc), barring any medical condition that you have that causes an adverse reaction to them. Nothing wrong with cutting them from your diet if you want to, but it shouldn't be because you think they're dangerous or unhealthy. Because they're not.
Also, if you love chocolate, are you willing to give it up for life like you're trying to do now? Have you tried eating it in moderation? That's the beauty of calorie counting, you can eat chocolate every day if you wish, as long as it fits in your calorie goal.9 -
LukeAdrianBoardman wrote: »Hi all,
Thanks very much for your ideas, I could use all the help I can get.
I think I should've expanded when I said I'm trying to stay away from 'things I don't understand' - I mean making an educated decision staying away from nasty additives and preservatives. Aspartame, high fructose syrup etc.. I generally do some research before writing anything off!
I'm trying to eat more whole foods, protein and complex carbs!
Great advice guys appreciate it!
You're on the right path! It is very smart of you to actually research what you're putting in your body. Aspartame is controversial artificial sweetener that you're better off to avoid if you feel like it.
Do amp up the calories, since your're not eating enough, as others have stated as well.
As for the weight not budging - numbers on the scale don't matter as much as actual inches (centimeters) lost.
Keep up the good work and measure yourself once a week. 3 -
LukeAdrianBoardman wrote: »Hi all,
Thanks very much for your ideas, I could use all the help I can get.
I think I should've expanded when I said I'm trying to stay away from 'things I don't understand' - I mean making an educated decision staying away from nasty additives and preservatives. Aspartame, high fructose syrup etc.. I generally do some research before writing anything off!
I'm trying to eat more whole foods, protein and complex carbs!
Great advice guys appreciate it!
Rather than staying away from "things you don't understand" - understand them!
Don't over-complicate, certainly don't over-restrict, don't think of individual ingredients in a vacuum - think long term adherence, think overall healthy and varied diet, think in terms of months and years not days and weeks.
Get used to scale fluctuations, totally normal and will still happen when you get to maintenance. I'm maintaining at goal weight and my high/low data points were 6lbs apart last week.
At your starting weight you have a long road ahead of you, don't make it utterly miserable with a silly low calorie allowance.
Use the time it takes to get to goal to think about a complete healthy lifestyle not just focussing on calorie restriction.10 -
GuitarJerry wrote: »Stop worrying about the "what", and worry about how much you're eating.
Give it more time.
Great advice1 -
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LukeAdrianBoardman wrote: »Hi all,
Thanks very much for your ideas, I could use all the help I can get.
I think I should've expanded when I said I'm trying to stay away from 'things I don't understand' - I mean making an educated decision staying away from nasty additives and preservatives. Aspartame, high fructose syrup etc.. I generally do some research before writing anything off!
I'm trying to eat more whole foods, protein and complex carbs!
Great advice guys appreciate it!
I didn't eat foods containing aspartame, HFCS, artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives when I gained weight. (And I'm still not eating them.) I'm all for eating whole foods and mostly avoiding Ultra Processed foods. However, this relates more to my food ethics than losing weight.
What was more helpful to me was increasing protein in relationship to carbs, and eating more foods with fiber. This keeps me fuller longer and so makes it easier to stay in a calorie deficit.
I was about 14 pounds lighter than you when I started in 2015, am the same height, 25 years older, and female. I ate 1500 calories before exercise, and I exercise. I eat over 2,000 calories many days and still lose weight.
What is surely going on with you is that you are retaining water from the new exercise program. In fact, my scale went up 7 pounds when I started lifting weights ago last fall.
What's your final goal weight?1 -
Aspartame is likely one of the most highly researched substances on the planet, and it has been scientifically proven to be safe. If everyone did 'actually research' what they're putting into their bodies, they would already be aware of this.applesandtapeline wrote: »LukeAdrianBoardman wrote: »Hi all,
Thanks very much for your ideas, I could use all the help I can get.
I think I should've expanded when I said I'm trying to stay away from 'things I don't understand' - I mean making an educated decision staying away from nasty additives and preservatives. Aspartame, high fructose syrup etc.. I generally do some research before writing anything off!
I'm trying to eat more whole foods, protein and complex carbs!
Great advice guys appreciate it!
It is very smart of you to actually research what you're putting in your body. Aspartame is controversial artificial sweetener that you're better off to avoid if you feel like it.
The people who still view aspartame as controversial may be those who choose to believe what they read on Facebook or woo blogs on the internet that are a dime a dozen. In other words, they really *haven't* done their research.
OP: If you choose not to include diet sodas, for example, that's totally fine. But lots of people find them to be an extremely effective and simple method to reduce caloric intake when compared to the non-diet versions of the same drink.
Edited to add: For anyone that would like more information on aspartame, just use it (or diet soda) in the search engine here. This specific topic has been discussed many times.
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First thing I'd do is dump the personal trainer. Save your money and spend it on quality food1
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It's week 1 and you've lost 1lb. What was the problem?9
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snickerscharlie wrote: »
Aspartame is likely one of the most highly researched substances on the planet, and it has been scientifically proven to be safe. If everyone did 'actually research' what they're putting into their bodies, they would already be aware of this.applesandtapeline wrote: »LukeAdrianBoardman wrote: »Hi all,
Thanks very much for your ideas, I could use all the help I can get.
I think I should've expanded when I said I'm trying to stay away from 'things I don't understand' - I mean making an educated decision staying away from nasty additives and preservatives. Aspartame, high fructose syrup etc.. I generally do some research before writing anything off!
I'm trying to eat more whole foods, protein and complex carbs!
Great advice guys appreciate it!
It is very smart of you to actually research what you're putting in your body. Aspartame is controversial artificial sweetener that you're better off to avoid if you feel like it.
The people who still view aspartame as controversial may be those who choose to believe what they read on Facebook or woo blogs on the internet that are a dime a dozen. In other words, they really *haven't* done their research.
OP: If you choose not to include diet sodas, for example, that's totally fine. But lots of people find them to be an extremely effective and simple method to reduce caloric intake when compared to the non-diet versions of the same drink.
Personally I avoid foods with aspartame because I don't like the taste. Which is the only reason I avoid any food really. Except oatmeal. I avoid that because the texture makes me gag.3
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