The first month hypes you up way too much

firefoxxie

There is a variable things going for you. You just started your weight loss journey, you're excited, the water weight is coming off, you're seeing changes in the scale every week. But then a month in, everything slows down. You're scared if that was it and were hoping that type of loss would continue but in reality you knew this would happen.

Anyways, that's me right now. I came crashing down from that hype. I'm using a (food)scale for everything possible and I know I picked a sensible deficit ( faster than .5lb/w but slower than 1lb/w).

I think it's time to put the (body)scale away for a month. Or at least two weeks.

lorrpb

Now is when you to develop hood habits and stick with it. Don't put your scale away. Now is when you need it most!

firefoxxie

lorrpb wrote: »

Now is when you to develop hood habits and stick with it. Don't put your scale away. Now is when you need it most!

Thank you, I will not leave my food scale's side!

macgurlnet

If you're using a food scale and have a small deficit, putting away the body scale might be a good idea if you're finding yourself discouraged.

I prefer to weigh myself daily and use trendweight.com to monitor how things are going - if I know I'm doing everything as I ought to, the scale might not really move for a month or even two, and that's okay.

~Lyssa

firefoxxie

macgurlnet wrote: »

If you're using a food scale and have a small deficit, putting away the body scale might be a good idea if you're finding yourself discouraged.

I prefer to weigh myself daily and use trendweight.com to monitor how things are going - if I know I'm doing everything as I ought to, the scale might not really move for a month or even two, and that's okay.

~Lyssa

Thank you Lyssa. I'm definitely not going to look at my body scale for the time being. I will also check out that website.

MelanieCN77

I prefer to weigh every day too, more data means less confusion overall. I also segued in to logging and counting from a gradual cleaning up of my diet so I didn't have the same shock I think. I wonder if more people came at it slower and big picture if they'd not feel so hemmed in by the necessity of living by the numbers and find something more sustainable.

macgurlnet

I totally understand the frustration - I wanted to lose 10 or so pounds last year, and my weight ping-ponged all over the place. I lost 5-6 pounds over the course of 6 months, and then switched back to maintenance. Using Trendweight was very helpful during that time!

Water weight can (and often will) mask loss when you have a small deficit.

Keeping your diet consistent can help. If you go low carb and drop weight, you'll see a gain when you eat more carbs. Too much sodium means water is retained and up goes the scale again.

If I eat out too often, my weight will go up by 4+ pounds and stick there until I go back to my usual home-cooked foods.

Don't freak out if the scale doesn't show a loss the next time you get on it - check over your food log and see if there's an explanation.

Hormones can cause issues, too, as many women gain water weight around their period AND when they ovulate. Even if you're on birth control, you may still have the water weight fluctuations.

~Lyssa

firefoxxie

MelanieCN77 wrote: »

I prefer to weigh every day too, more data means less confusion overall. I also segued in to logging and counting from a gradual cleaning up of my diet so I didn't have the same shock I think. I wonder if more people came at it slower and big picture if they'd not feel so hemmed in by the necessity of living by the numbers and find something more sustainable.

I wish I could weigh everyday and not let it get to me. I would love to see the trends but I can't handle it.

firefoxxie

macgurlnet wrote: »

I totally understand the frustration - I wanted to lose 10 or so pounds last year, and my weight ping-ponged all over the place. I lost 5-6 pounds over the course of 6 months, and then switched back to maintenance. Using Trendweight was very helpful during that time!

Water weight can (and often will) mask loss when you have a small deficit.

Keeping your diet consistent can help. If you go low carb and drop weight, you'll see a gain when you eat more carbs. Too much sodium means water is retained and up goes the scale again.

If I eat out too often, my weight will go up by 4+ pounds and stick there until I go back to my usual home-cooked foods.

Don't freak out if the scale doesn't show a loss the next time you get on it - check over your food log and see if there's an explanation.

Hormones can cause issues, too, as many women gain water weight around their period AND when they ovulate. Even if you're on birth control, you may still have the water weight fluctuations.

~Lyssa

I just found out about weight gain during ovulation. As if going through period weight gain wasn't enough. It's almost like we only have one week during the month we can weigh ourselves perfectly. I don't freak out at the numbers as much as I used to but it still puts a damper on my day lol.

macgurlnet

firefoxxie wrote: »

macgurlnet wrote: »

I totally understand the frustration - I wanted to lose 10 or so pounds last year, and my weight ping-ponged all over the place. I lost 5-6 pounds over the course of 6 months, and then switched back to maintenance. Using Trendweight was very helpful during that time!

Water weight can (and often will) mask loss when you have a small deficit.

Keeping your diet consistent can help. If you go low carb and drop weight, you'll see a gain when you eat more carbs. Too much sodium means water is retained and up goes the scale again.

If I eat out too often, my weight will go up by 4+ pounds and stick there until I go back to my usual home-cooked foods.

Don't freak out if the scale doesn't show a loss the next time you get on it - check over your food log and see if there's an explanation.

Hormones can cause issues, too, as many women gain water weight around their period AND when they ovulate. Even if you're on birth control, you may still have the water weight fluctuations.

~Lyssa

I just found out about weight gain during ovulation. As if going through period weight gain wasn't enough. It's almost like we only have one week during the month we can weigh ourselves perfectly. I don't freak out at the numbers as much as I used to but it still puts a damper on my day lol.

Yup, and you get that one week IF your diet is on point - consistent sodium and carb intake, plus sticking with same intensity of exercise.

It's why I weigh daily. There's bound to be some low days throughout the month, right??

~Lyssa

lemonychild

U got this I promise, I was there before but if u focus on this life time journey it doesn't matter how fast U lose, because remember right after weight loss is maintenance and the road to healthier u is ongoing ...

firefoxxie

macgurlnet wrote: »

firefoxxie wrote: »

macgurlnet wrote: »

I totally understand the frustration - I wanted to lose 10 or so pounds last year, and my weight ping-ponged all over the place. I lost 5-6 pounds over the course of 6 months, and then switched back to maintenance. Using Trendweight was very helpful during that time!

Water weight can (and often will) mask loss when you have a small deficit.

Keeping your diet consistent can help. If you go low carb and drop weight, you'll see a gain when you eat more carbs. Too much sodium means water is retained and up goes the scale again.

If I eat out too often, my weight will go up by 4+ pounds and stick there until I go back to my usual home-cooked foods.

Don't freak out if the scale doesn't show a loss the next time you get on it - check over your food log and see if there's an explanation.

Hormones can cause issues, too, as many women gain water weight around their period AND when they ovulate. Even if you're on birth control, you may still have the water weight fluctuations.

~Lyssa

I just found out about weight gain during ovulation. As if going through period weight gain wasn't enough. It's almost like we only have one week during the month we can weigh ourselves perfectly. I don't freak out at the numbers as much as I used to but it still puts a damper on my day lol.

Yup, and you get that one week IF your diet is on point - consistent sodium and carb intake, plus sticking with same intensity of exercise.

It's why I weigh daily. There's bound to be some low days throughout the month, right??

~Lyssa

Yes, right.

firefoxxie

lemonychild wrote: »

U got this I promise, I was there before but if u focus on this life time journey it doesn't matter how fast U lose, because remember right after weight loss is maintenance and the road to healthier u is ongoing ...

Thank you for the pep talk! It helps when you know someone else has gone down this road before you.

Machka9

I was the opposite.

I lost nothing at all during the first 10 days. I was getting really frustrated with it and figuring I'd give it 3 weeks in total, and then I'd quit.

And then it started coming off nice and steadily for the next 15 weeks.

iServant

I've been down that road many times before, don't quit. There's many tips you can make use of to break a plateau. I do refeeds occasionally to kick start things again.