Defeated on week 2...where am I going wrong?

mmstone13

Hello- Wondering if anyone has any advice/tips. I just completed week two of working really hard at losing weight. I desperately need to. The first week I did great with eating/ exercising and lost 8 pounds. I have dieted enough to know the first week is usually a huge success with big pounds lost. However, my second week I did even better with food/ exercise and lost a measly 1 pound. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful it was still a loss and not a gain, but after working so hard, it is somewhat disappointing to only see 1 pound gone this week. I have been so diligent about logging everything I eat. Have always been under the allotted daily calories + workout calories (I don't even dig into those too much). I have walked 1.5 miles+ on the treadmill (1/2 hour) every single day, and then some. So why only 1 pound? Its so hard to stick to something when you expect more out of it. ugghhh...Any advice out there?

beattie1

Hello- Wondering if anyone has any advice/tips. I just completed week two of working really hard at losing weight. I desperately need to. The first week I did great with eating/ exercising and lost 8 pounds. I have dieted enough to know the first week is usually a huge success with big pounds lost. However, my second week I did even better with food/ exercise and lost a measly 1 pound. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful it was still a loss and not a gain, but after working so hard, it is somewhat disappointing to only see 1 pound gone this week. I have been so diligent about logging everything I eat. Have always been under the allotted daily calories + workout calories (I don't even dig into those too much). I have walked 1.5 miles+ on the treadmill (1/2 hour) every single day, and then some. So why only 1 pound? Its so hard to stick to something when you expect more out of it. ugghhh...Any advice out there?

You're not going wrong at all, other than hoping for an unrealistic weight loss! Your loss in the first week was amazing! Of course you can't keep that up, and you know it. So you're just catching up a bit with fluid balance and so on. You've still lost 1lb - and some of that MIGHT be fat this week.

You've still lost 9lbs in two weeks - and THAT'S amazing too. You need to settle down to losing an average of 1 -2 lbs a week. Some weeks you'll lose nothing, others you'll drop a bit more. That's how it works. You need to settle in for a long game because that's how weight loss the healthy way operates.

Welcome! And don't feel defeated!

eblakes93

One pound a week is a pretty normal and healthy rate to lose weight. MFP puts you at a 500 calorie deficit per day. Losing/gaining a pound of fat requires burning/eating 3,500 calories. If you follow MFP you should lose about a pound a week.

If anything, I would suggest eating some of your exercise calories back - some days you are burning 500 calories in exercise. Have you considered eating part of your exercise calories back?

viglet

I completely agree with beattie1.

Another things to remember is that this HAS to be a lifestyle change if you want to keep the weight off for the long run. You don't want to think of it as sticking with a diet becuase you will just end up going back to old habits.

Just try to think of it as improving your health by doing the right things. The weight coming off is just a bonus.

Ninkyou

Lower your expectations. 9 lbs in 2 weeks is fantastic.

DancingMoosie

Even when you set your goals to lose 2lb/week, and eat and exercise accordingly, you don't always lose those exact 2lbs every week. It comes out to an average loss over time. I remember not losing one week, but then the next week I would lose more than my goal. Just keep it up, it will happen. 2 weeks is just the beginning:)

JakeBrownVB

there will come a day when you are exercising and eating healthy simply to maintain your weight, none of your friends or family are complementing your weight loss anymore, and you are getting no rush of weight loss achievement for your efforts anymore. Unfortunately you are either in this for the long haul or not, if you are then this is a complete lifestyle change and you need to remove trying to gain a sense of achievement from your mind and simply eat, exercise and dont obsess over scales

dailytammy

congrats 9lbs in 2 weeks is fantastic keep up the great work you are doing. Don't rely just on the scale try measuring yourself as well which is more of an indicator

mmstone13

Thanks for the encouragement and advice! I totally understand that it is a complete lifestyle change, and I accept that. I guess I was just hoping for a teeny bit more than 1 pound on week 2. I am not giving up, but I want to make sure that I am doing the right things as well.

Shanzstar

there will come a day when you are exercising and eating healthy simply to maintain your weight, none of your friends or family are complementing your weight loss anymore, and you are getting no rush of weight loss achievement for your efforts anymore. Unfortunately you are either in this for the long haul or not, if you are then this is a complete lifestyle change and you need to remove trying to gain a sense of achievement from your mind and simply eat, exercise and dont obsess over scales

LOVE THIS!

Alatariel75

there will come a day when you are exercising and eating healthy simply to maintain your weight, none of your friends or family are complementing your weight loss anymore, and you are getting no rush of weight loss achievement for your efforts anymore. Unfortunately you are either in this for the long haul or not, if you are then this is a complete lifestyle change and you need to remove trying to gain a sense of achievement from your mind and simply eat, exercise and dont obsess over scales

LOVE THIS!

QFT!

suzend

Hello- Wondering if anyone has any advice/tips. I just completed week two of working really hard at losing weight. I desperately need to. The first week I did great with eating/ exercising and lost 8 pounds. I have dieted enough to know the first week is usually a huge success with big pounds lost. However, my second week I did even better with food/ exercise and lost a measly 1 pound. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful it was still a loss and not a gain, but after working so hard, it is somewhat disappointing to only see 1 pound gone this week. I have been so diligent about logging everything I eat. Have always been under the allotted daily calories + workout calories (I don't even dig into those too much). I have walked 1.5 miles+ on the treadmill (1/2 hour) every single day, and then some. So why only 1 pound? Its so hard to stick to something when you expect more out of it. ugghhh...Any advice out there?

You're not going wrong at all, other than hoping for an unrealistic weight loss! Your loss in the first week was amazing! Of course you can't keep that up, and you know it. So you're just catching up a bit with fluid balance and so on. You've still lost 1lb - and some of that MIGHT be fat this week.

You've still lost 9lbs in two weeks - and THAT'S amazing too. You need to settle down to losing an average of 1 -2 lbs a week. Some weeks you'll lose nothing, others you'll drop a bit more. That's how it works. You need to settle in for a long game because that's how weight loss the healthy way operates.

Welcome! And don't feel defeated!

^^
This.

I've been doing MFP for 10 weeks now and have lost 20 lbs. Three of those weigh-ins I stayed exactly the same as the week before (like today). Usually, the next week, I'll see a loss of 1-3 lbs. Don't look at it as a race but a change of life.

Good luck!

horndave

not to come off harsh, but set some realistic expectations. 9 lbs in two weeks is awesome and think of your overall goal. You are just getting into this. throw your scale away for the first two months. Concentrate on eating healthy, working out and developing those good habits. Take some measurements. In a month retake those measurements and see the inches come off. Do that the second month and see inches and lbs.

MyJourney1960

what those guys ^^ said.

8 lbs in one week is a LOT. it's unrealistic, even by *your* own wishes of losing 2 lbs a week. so yo had a great jump start - now the REAL WORK starts - slowly, steady, lb by lb. yeah, it can get frustrating at times but i look at the big picture

and don't forget - measure yourself and take photos - you will see differences in other ways, not just the scale.

SinomenJen

there will come a day when you are exercising and eating healthy simply to maintain your weight, none of your friends or family are complementing your weight loss anymore, and you are getting no rush of weight loss achievement for your efforts anymore. Unfortunately you are either in this for the long haul or not, if you are then this is a complete lifestyle change and you need to remove trying to gain a sense of achievement from your mind and simply eat, exercise and dont obsess over scales

printing this! well said!

Mischievous_Rascal

there will come a day when you are exercising and eating healthy simply to maintain your weight, none of your friends or family are complementing your weight loss anymore, and you are getting no rush of weight loss achievement for your efforts anymore. Unfortunately you are either in this for the long haul or not, if you are then this is a complete lifestyle change and you need to remove trying to gain a sense of achievement from your mind and simply eat, exercise and dont obsess over scales

This is so true...sometimes it takes a long time to wrap your head around it, and if you're like me you'll have many "GRRRRRRR" days like the one you're having now, but it's so worth staying positive and believing in the end result. (Says the lady who just broke through a four month plateau.) Best of luck!

emilycarr71404

Hello- Wondering if anyone has any advice/tips. I just completed week two of working really hard at losing weight. I desperately need to. The first week I did great with eating/ exercising and lost 8 pounds. I have dieted enough to know the first week is usually a huge success with big pounds lost. However, my second week I did even better with food/ exercise and lost a measly 1 pound. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful it was still a loss and not a gain, but after working so hard, it is somewhat disappointing to only see 1 pound gone this week. I have been so diligent about logging everything I eat. Have always been under the allotted daily calories + workout calories (I don't even dig into those too much). I have walked 1.5 miles+ on the treadmill (1/2 hour) every single day, and then some. So why only 1 pound? Its so hard to stick to something when you expect more out of it. ugghhh...Any advice out there?

Hey, I understand exactly where you are coming from because that is what happened to me too. I lost 8 pounds my first week and than GAINED a pound back. You should be grateful that you didn't gain anything that second week. Ever since that second week, I have lost 2 to 3 pounds a week every single week. I wouldn't lose heart. Keep doing all that good stuff, have a cheat meal here and there, and watch the weight go down. Add me as a buddy if you need one.

lauren3101

This is what 1lb of fat looks like:



Doesn't look so insignificant now, does it?

JakeBrownVB

damn.. you put it even better than me with that pic...

jdayer

I've been eating pretty much the same diet and been at the same activity level for the last two years and have not lost anything, I still weigh between 250 and 260. Before April of 2011 I was eating the same diet, but, my activity level was much higher since I was working. The last time I lost any significant weight was 2006.

I have tried eating less calories, staying below 2000 and not eating exercise calories back (6 months). I have tried eating more calories, around 3,000 a day (two months). Increasing activity, etc, etc. Truthfully I am comfortable eating about 2,400 calories a day and exercising about 400-600 calories a day. This is pretty much the diet My Fitness Pal recommended. I should be losing about a pound or two a week.

I calculated out my TDEE and subtracted 20% and using that formula my calorie intake should be about 2,300 calories a day.

I have averaged my daily MET out to 1.3, used that number to estimate the calories required per day at my goal weight of 105kg, multiplied that number by 7, subtracted 8,000 calories and then divided by 7 to give me the number of calories I should eat per day. About 2,400.

So all the data agrees, I should eat a diet of about 2,400 calories a day while exercising (in my case walking) at least 30 minutes to one hour per day and I should lose a pound or two per week.

I'm not much of one to give up. I just keep trying different things. I figure a minimum of 2 months and a maximum of 6 months per change before I have enough information to make another change.

JesterMFP

where am I going wrong?

Expectations not matching reality.

1 lb per week is a very good rate of loss.