Week 3 Blues

cass0314

I'm on week 3 of a friendly but competitive 8-week weight loss competition amongst a group of friends. There is a bit of a financial incentive for the winner (the person who loses the highest % of their starting weight), but I mostly viewed this as a great way to jump-start what will be a year+ long process of shedding about 100lbs. I lost 8.5lbs the first 2 weeks, which I know was partially a water whoosh when I quit eating fast food and high-sodium stuff and started prepping lunches and dinners for the whole week. I've adhered to anywhere from 1200-1500 calories per day (I started at 291.4lbs) and I use a food scale to weigh everything I prep, taste, drink, etc.

My question: I read a comment on a different thread from another poster yesterday saying that our bodies are smart, and if they perceive they aren't getting enough calories, our metabolic rate can slow and affect the way we burn fat. Is this a concern for someone like me with so much energy stored as fat available to be burned? Should I up my calories a bit to avoid this or keep sticking with what I'm doing? I don't want to sabotage myself and I want to do what I'm doing in a healthy and smart way. So far this week, I'm only down .5lbs so admittedly I may be more concerned about this than I would be on a week where the scale was showing a bit more of a loss.

Ready2Rock206

If you're not losing, eating more is never the answer. Usually the solution is more accurate logging. Are you using your food scale for all solids? Measuring cups/spoons for all liquids? Using the recipe builder? Using accurate entries? Logging everything that passes your lips? Accurate calculating exercise calories? Etc...

Seffell

If you read the said comment here, in this forum, you should have noticed the Woo reaction used extensively on it and you would've noticed the huge number of coments after it which say this is rubbish.

DebLaBounty

Don't increase your calories. It sounds like you're having success doing what you're doing. The whole "dieting slows your metabolism" thing is a myth.

cass0314

Ready2Rock206 wrote: »

If you're not losing, eating more is never the answer. Usually the solution is more accurate logging. Are you using your food scale for all solids? Measuring cups/spoons for all liquids? Using the recipe builder? Using accurate entries? Logging everything that passes your lips? Accurate calculating exercise calories? Etc...

Oh yes. I break out pen, paper, food scale, measuring cups/spoons, cross check the entries in the MFP database with labels and Google, and if i so much as grab a Jolly Rancher candy from the bowl at work,
I log it. And I tend to round up if I feel there's any uncertainty about an entry just to make sure to account for any potential under-logging instances. I also repeat meals a lot so I build those recipes into my database and re-use. I suspect I'm ovulating this week, so I could be holding a bit more water than on an average week. I realize weight loss is a general trend rather than linear perfection. I'll just keep at it-I don't have to win the competition to be pleased with my overall results.

cass0314

gebeziseva wrote: »

If you read the said comment here, in this forum, you should have noticed the Woo reaction used extensively on it and you would've noticed the huge number of coments after it which say this is rubbish.

Lol I didn't take note, but I was reading at work between tasks so i likely missed that piece of the equation.

shelly_38

I'd keep doing what you're doing at the colorie range you are at. Seems to be working. I expect that week 3 won't yield as much loss, especially if initial weight loss was some water weight.

kimny72

You can't expect to lose weight every week, even if you are perfect. If you end the week down that 0.5 lb, you are down 9 lbs in 3 weeks which is awesome.

The whole metabolism changing thing is more accurately called adaptive thermogenesis and it happens over months and years, not days. If you severely restrict calories losing weight quickly for a long time, it may lower your metabolism.

So it's not a bad idea to take a week or two break every 2-3 months and eat maintenance level, if you are going to be dieting for awhile. And as you lose the weight, allow your rate of loss to slow down little by little.

Congrats on the great start and good luck!

MommaGem2017

Did you let MFP figure your calorie range based on your goals, weight, and height? Are you linking a fitness tracker or recording exercise? If so, you should follow what MFP recommends as your daily calorie goal.

cass0314

shelly_38 wrote: »

I'd keep doing what you're doing at the colorie range you are at. Seems to be working. I expect that week 3 won't yield as much loss, especially if initial weight loss was some water weight.

Yeah, I think those first 2 weeks spoiled me.

cass0314

kimny72 wrote: »

You can't expect to lose weight every week, even if you are perfect. If you end the week down that 0.5 lb, you are down 9 lbs in 3 weeks which is awesome.

The whole metabolism changing thing is more accurately called adaptive thermogenesis and it happens over months and years, not days. If you severely restrict calories losing weight quickly for a long time, it may lower your metabolism.

So it's not a bad idea to take a week or two break every 2-3 months and eat maintenance level, if you are going to be dieting for awhile. And as you lose the weight, allow your rate of loss to slow down little by little.

Congrats on the great start and good luck!

Thank you! I appreciate the clarification on adaptive thermogenesis-I have plenty of weight to lose and I don't starve myself at all, so I'm confident that all I need is to remain consistent.

cass0314

MommaGem2017 wrote: »

Did you let MFP figure your calorie range based on your goals, weight, and height? Are you linking a fitness tracker or recording exercise? If so, you should follow what MFP recommends as your daily calorie goal.

Yep, I eat at or below my MFP recommended calorie goal every day (but never lower than 1200) and the only thing synced is my AppleWatch.