Feeling Discouraged (One month in)

chissmichi

I've been tracking my activity and my eating very carefully, always meeting my activity and calorie goal for a deficit of at least 700 calories per day. After losing 8 pounds the first two weeks, my weight has stayed the same for the last two weekly weigh ins. The first time it stayed the same, I attributed it to eating a lot of salt the night before as well as starting HIIT workouts. This week it's still the same. I didn't exercise yesterday (first time NOT exercising in over 20 days) due to being somewhat sick but I ate only the calories I should have.

I'm trying to tell myself that it's probably okay, I'm probably still losing fat and gaining muscle which weighs more. It's just still really discouraging to not see the scale budge. Should I just stop weighing every week and go every month or so? I'm not going to stop.

darrenbeckworth

Don't stop. Weight fluctuates with water and salt intake, muscles retain water when they are being used in new exercises. Keep Going... if you are tracking your calories and working out... things will get better and the number will drop.

Remember this is a lifestyle change and you're in it for the long run.

tulips_and_tea

Yes, it's okay, but not because you're gaining muscle. Gaining muscle mass takes much more work and time.

Keep weighing but take your measurements also. Four weeks is a very short time. You won't lose weight every week. It takes a while for you body to process these changes. Be persistent and patient.

snowflake954

You don't give your stats. It makes a difference of how much you can safely lose per week. If you have alot to lose you can drop more, if you have 20lbs or less, it's going to take awhile and you'll need patience. You lost alot in the first 2 weeks. A great deal was probably water weight. Now the fun begins. You just have to keep plugging along and see what happens in the next few weeks. Take your measurements because that can be an indicator of weight loss if the scale doesn't move every week.

JeromeBarry1

Your time-of-month regularly gives you two spikes in weight, one for ovulation, one for menstruation. Be aware of what's going on in your body on the day you weigh.

HoneyBadger302

If you're adding in workouts and such along with changing up your diet, I would HIGHLY recommend also taking photos and measurements weekly.

I compared my photos this week from the ones I took 4 weeks ago (they are in the transformation photos thread in success stories) - there is a massive difference in photos, and my measurements have steadily been going down (one week they stagnated, but then the next week were twice what was "normal").

In those photos, less than a 2 pound difference on the scale.

No, you don't put on a ton of muscle weight compared to how quickly one can lose fat weight, but your body may be changing and just retaining a lot more water. It actually takes my body more like 4-6 weeks to stop holding all the excess water from a new/significantly increased workout.

passenger79

My weight hasn't changed in 4 weeks.4 long,miserable weeks .

Well it moved by 100 grams down the other day lol and it's very frustrating but just have to keep going. It's alot easier to be motivated when you keep losing but just need to do your best to stay consistent when you see no results too.

I plan to up my exercise again as I wasn't able to work out as much lately (though still kept my deficit)and hopefully something will change soon

Hope scales moves for you soon.

AnvilHead

To save yourself from a bumpy, emotional rollercoaster of a ride, accept the fact right now that weight loss isn't linear and doesn't proceed in an orderly mathematical manner. You'll have spikes, stalls and whooshes almost continuously - but if you trust the process and stick with it, you'll get results.

RoxieDawn

AnvilHead wrote: »

To save yourself from a bumpy, emotional rollercoaster of a ride, accept the fact right now that weight loss isn't linear and doesn't proceed in an orderly mathematical manner. You'll have spikes, stalls and whooshes almost continuously - but if you trust the process and stick with it, you'll get results.

This.

Maybe have a look at this link.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

Lounmoun

Just keep going with what you are doing.

busyPK

8lbs down in 2 weeks is amazing! For reference I lose 2lbs every 2-3 weeks and in between my weight stays right around the same. It is frustrating that weight loss isn't more linear, but that is life. Keep at it and you'll see results over time. Patience is key.

candylilacs

It was regular like clockwork -- and then zero. Great, and I got a gain like 7 lbs. in a week and it wasn't any thing I was eating. It was about two weeks and I lost -9 lbs lost.

You may have to stay hydrated. Try and keep caffeine to a minimum.

quiksylver296

AnnPT77

Also: Often, sick = inflammation = water weight.

Personally, I like weighing daily so I see the fluctuations and come to understand them, then put the daily weights into a trending app in order to get a more averaged-out view. But I know but that doesn't work for everyone.