1st week, haven’t lost weight and feel like i’m gaining?

megholzer

i’ve lost 30 pounds before and i’m doing it again (gained it back after 5 years of keeping it off). this past week i’ve been drinking anywhere between 64 and 128 oz of water every day, eating clean between 1000-1200 calories (with the exception of one day i might have eating around 1500-1600), started working out again (3x this week but upping it to 5x from here on out) burning 500-600 calories per work out. i feel bloated and almost like i’m gaining weight plus the scale hasn’t moved. any idea why this might be?

musicfan68

You started an aggressive workout schedule. That makes you retain water, which translates into weight gain. It's temporary. You need to be patient. Also, you are most likely overestimating the calorie burn for the workouts. Generally, the calorie burns on machines is very inflated, by as much as 50%. Also make sure you are calculating your calorie intake correctly. I highly doubt you need to eat as low as 1200 calories. Eat what MFP tells you to, and eat back half of your purposeful exercise calories.

megholzer

thanks for the reply! i use a heart rate monitor to calculate my workout calories and i’m a petite person so my recommended caloric intake to lose weight is 1200. but yes you’re right i need to be patient. last time i lost weight i just saw a big drop off immediately and i guess i’m disappointed it’s not happening this time haha

Teabythesea_

It's only been a week. You need to change your expectations and not approach weight loss so aggressively. Exercising is fine, but you need to make sure you're fueling your body and by eating so little when you dont have a lot to lose you're asking to crash and burn. Very, very few people need to eat 1200 calories to lose and you definitely should never net under 1200. What does MFP tell you to eat when you set it to 1 or .5 lb a week?

cheryldumais

I understand the frustration. Not everyone sees a big drop the first week and even though you did last time it may just be delayed this time. So many things can affect our weight. Water retention from the exercise is definately a possibility and PMS of course. Have you increased fibre considerably and are your bowels moving regularly? You would be amazed what an effect that can have.

As an older person I had to go down to 1200 to lose and I know how hard it is but I just had to tell myself that I have a very efficient system and that's the way it is for me. Sometimes though people want to lose 2 lbs a week even when they have a small amount to lose and that's a mistake. If you're doing that I would suggest dropping your expected weekly loss to 1 lb instead and you should get more food that way. It's better to lose it slowly and keep it off. Hang in there. The weight will eventually start coming off.