Is it not meant to be coming off fast??

mehreen_xo

Hi guys so I’m currently in a calorie deficit and going to the gym 6 times a week burning 300-500 calories. I started this about 3 and a half weeks ago, and I have only lost 3 pounds? According to my deficit it should be more because I eat 1200 calories a day and am very active. I want to lose 2 pounds a week and have 20 pounds to lose altogether. I use a food scale to measure solids but there have been some days in between where I have not used a food scale but I still logged by eye balling, and i think I do that well. Also for the last 5 days my weight hasn’t increased it’s actually gone up by 0.75 pounds and this all really demotivates me from stepping foot in the gym again because I work so hard /
What is going onnnn? Thanks guys

livingleanlivingclean

You're not logging accurately - weigh all solids every day, measure all liquids every day, and check your database entries for accuracy.

your calorie burns may be overinflated (you don't mention whether or not you're eating back exercise calories)

you've been exercising a lot (which can make you retain fluid),

It has only been 3 weeks. Be patient!

kommodevaran

If 20 pounds is all you have to lose, you can't lose 2 pounds per week.
1 pound per week is excellent, even a bit surprising with sloppy logging.
Don't work hard, work smart. There's no reason to aim for 1200 calories and going to the gym 6 days a week. Burnout is a real threat.

eminater

You have lost 3 pounds ... which is a good start. A pound a week is still a good loss, especially over time. But mainly, don't eyeball ... there are a few videos out there which explain the inaccuracies of eye-balling ...

dsboohead

I have heard on average that a 20lb loss could take 6 months. The closer you are to normal weight the harder it may be. If you started at 250lbs, 20lbs will come off fast.
Habits and a lifetime of learned eating takes awhile unless you just want to lose the 20 for a particular event and then gain it back!
Focus on good habits and new recipes and gym routines....not the scale! The rest will follow!

cmriverside

kommodevaran wrote: »

If 20 pounds is all you have to lose, you can't lose 2 pounds per week.
1 pound per week is excellent, even a bit surprising with sloppy logging.
Don't work hard, work smart. There's no reason to aim for 1200 calories and going to the gym 6 days a week. Burnout is a real threat.

THIS^^

"Lose 2 pounds per week," is for those who have a lot of body fat/therefore extra fuel in that body fat.

With 20 pounds to lose, set the goal to "Lose 1/2 pound per week," or at the highest, "1 pound."

With little to lose, you need to be as accurate as possible. Eating too little is just as bad as eating too much and it will catch up to you in the form of having to overeat. Restrict/binge cycles are common to people who try to eat too little.

Here: (from the pinned posts at the top of the Getting Started subforum:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

Dani9585

Your expectations are far too aggressive. Slow and steady! 1lb/week may be fine, but I'd even drop that down to 0.5lb/week loss.

kshama2001

Another vote for changing your weight loss goal to a half pound per week.

Is the exercise new? My scale went UP 7 pounds when I started working out again. Took a few weeks to come off.

I also retain water when I ovulate and premenstrually.

TavistockToad

mehreen_xo wrote: »

Hi guys so I’m currently in a calorie deficit and going to the gym 6 times a week burning 300-500 calories. I started this about 3 and a half weeks ago, and I have only lost 3 pounds? According to my deficit it should be more because I eat 1200 calories a day and am very active. I want to lose 2 pounds a week and have 20 pounds to lose altogether. I use a food scale to measure solids but there have been some days in between where I have not used a food scale but I still logged by eye balling, and i think I do that well. Also for the last 5 days my weight hasn’t increased it’s actually gone up by 0.75 pounds and this all really demotivates me from stepping foot in the gym again because I work so hard /
What is going onnnn? Thanks guys

You're not on the biggest loser, that's what's going onnnn.

Diatonic12

Dropping it like it's hot is no guarantee it will stay off. No need to be so brutally strict with our body right outta the chute or any step along the way.