Are the first few weeks the hardest?

rtrustman102

I’m feeling a little disappointed today. It’s only been my first week, I’ve tried extrenemg hard to stick to my calories (1200 a day) a couple of days I’ve maybe gone over by 30-40 calories. I’ve been running every single day or doing a HIIT workout (some days both!) and at the end of my first week I’ve only lost a pound? I at least sort of hoped I might have lost 2 pounds or possibly even 3 when people talk about initially losing water weight. I know it’s a long slog but It’s hard enough feeling hungry and introducing new exercise into my routine. I was hoping for a little better results. Or does it get easier as the weeks go on? Thanks!

sijomial

1200 is only your goal on a day you don't exercise.

A week is nothing - look far further ahead to next month, next year. If you do that then you might realise that sustainability is more important than short term results.

And many people who start a new or more strenuous exercise routine find they retain water due to soreness, that water retention doesn't stop fat loss but may mean it doesn't show up on the bathrrom scales.

yirara

How heavy and tall are you, woman or man? You might a) be too light to be able to lose so much weight. And as MFP gave you only 1200 calories suggests that your expectations are far too high b) you're holding onto water due to a new workout routine.

NovusDies

Your first few weeks sound brutal.

Here are a couple of articles to read:

https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/

https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

Not everyone will lose water weight and with all the exercise I would think it unlikely in your case.

I suggest you reconsider your approach. Sustainability is far more important than rapid results. How long you stick with something will determine the success where how fast you try to go will likely end in an early exit. A lot of people lose SOME weight. Most people fail to lose ALL the weight they need to lose.

Hollis100

rtrustman102 wrote: »

I’ve been running every single day or doing a HIIT workout (some days both!)

You said you're introducing new exercise. Running every day is a recipe for injury. Try every other day or a few times a week. I injured my knee within the last year from overdoing it and won't forget the painful 5 weeks it took to heal.

Good post above from NovusDies about sustainability. Good luck to you.

rtrustman102

yirara wrote: »

How heavy and tall are you, woman or man? You might a) be too light to be able to lose so much weight. And as MFP gave you only 1200 calories suggests that your expectations are far too high b) you're holding onto water due to a new workout routine.

I’m 5 foot 8 and 12 stone 3 inches (female). Yes already beginning to realise I think I’m being too ambitious too soon! Thanks

rtrustman102

Hollis100 wrote: »

rtrustman102 wrote: »

I’ve been running every single day or doing a HIIT workout (some days both!)

You said you're introducing new exercise. Running every day is a recipe for injury. Try every other day or a few times a week. I injured my knee within the last year from overdoing it and won't forget the painful 5 weeks it took to heal.

Good post above from NovusDies about sustainability. Good luck to you.

Thank you! I’m making sure I really stretch and do a proper warm up and warm down. But I feel like it’s also the only thing keeping me sane during this lockdown! I’m only going on 30 minute runs with walking intervals. Hoping I avoid injury but I will certainly take note of this. Thank you!

gothchiq

The first month is kind of hellish. Don't run every day as others say; you are going to need time for your muscles to recover. And yes, a five eight person needs more calories than that to just live and not fall over. Take care of yourself. Slow and steady wins the weight loss journey.

Katmary71

I think the first few weeks are a mixed bag. On the one had you're pretty motivated. On the other hand you're getting used to lower calorie so can be more hungry, probably sore from starting workouts, and start to realize things aren't going going to be a quick fix. Making food and exercise sustainable, tweaking diet to stay full and nourish your body comes next hopefully, and learning to develop solid habits for when the motivation is low to carry through is important.

kimondo666

its step by step, snowball effect is needed. You can't build a Rome in a week. Pound after week is still very nice.

AnnPT77

rtrustman102 wrote: »

yirara wrote: »

How heavy and tall are you, woman or man? You might a) be too light to be able to lose so much weight. And as MFP gave you only 1200 calories suggests that your expectations are far too high b) you're holding onto water due to a new workout routine.

I’m 5 foot 8 and 12 stone 3 inches (female). Yes already beginning to realise I think I’m being too ambitious too soon! Thanks

Good insight.

Consider that you - I assume - will want to sustain your new, healthy goal weight permanently, once you reach it.

That future goal weight will allow you fewer (pre-exercise) calories, to stay there. What if you think about weight loss as "maintenance practice", plus just a little extra calorie deficit based on your current weight loss desires?

Weight management (over time, not just loss) is about sustainable habits. What type and amount of exercise** would be enjoyable and fit into your life well, long term? What way(s) of eating within your calorie budget give you good nutrition, plenty of energy, keep you feeling full, provide pleasurable eating, are practical (effort/cost/etc.), can fit into your culture and social life, etc.?

Consider using the weight loss process to find those habits now.

At 5'8" and (if I calculate correctly) 171 pounds, you're just a bit into the overweight BMI range (you'd be BMI 26; over weight is BMI 24.9-29.9), not even technically obese. You're only around 7 pounds above the healthy range for your height. I get that you may well want to lose further than the top of that healthy BMI range, as many women do, but all of this suggests that relatively slow loss is your best strategy for minimizing health risks. A pound a week, going forward, would be fine for a while . . . and I suspect you're losing fat faster than that at 1200, but that your intense exercise routine has added some water weight that's hiding fat loss on the scale (read the links Novus provided, if you haven't).

You can lose weight, and will if you find a sustainable routine for doing so, one that you can stick with for more than a small number of weeks. It doesn't need to be super hard. (I swear, sometimes we behave as if we think we need to punish ourselves for being overweight! ). Find the sustainable habits, within a reasonable (moderate) calorie goal, and you'll get to goal . . . and more importantly, be able to stay there long term. (P.S., I'm in year 4+ of maintaining after several decades of obesity beforehand. I'm not just blowing smoke about theories here.)

Best wishes! :flowerforyou:

** If you're pretty new to exercise, you want to work up to that gradually, to build fitness in a sensible way, avoid exhausting yourself to the point where you do less/rest more the rest of the day so wipe out some of the calorie benefit, and avoid injury. If you're a relative beginner, neither running every day, nor HIIT, are your best strategies for fitness or sustainable calorie burn.

rtrustman102

AnnPT77 wrote: »

rtrustman102 wrote: »

yirara wrote: »

How heavy and tall are you, woman or man? You might a) be too light to be able to lose so much weight. And as MFP gave you only 1200 calories suggests that your expectations are far too high b) you're holding onto water due to a new workout routine.

I’m 5 foot 8 and 12 stone 3 inches (female). Yes already beginning to realise I think I’m being too ambitious too soon! Thanks

Good insight.

Consider that you - I assume - will want to sustain your new, healthy goal weight permanently, once you reach it.

That future goal weight will allow you fewer (pre-exercise) calories, to stay there. What if you think about weight loss as "maintenance practice", plus just a little extra calorie deficit based on your current weight loss desires?

Weight management (over time, not just loss) is about sustainable habits. What type and amount of exercise** would be enjoyable and fit into your life well, long term? What way(s) of eating within your calorie budget give you good nutrition, plenty of energy, keep you feeling full, provide pleasurable eating, are practical (effort/cost/etc.), can fit into your culture and social life, etc.?

Consider using the weight loss process to find those habits now.

At 5'8" and (if I calculate correctly) 171 pounds, you're just a bit into the overweight BMI range (you'd be BMI 26; over weight is BMI 24.9-29.9), not even technically obese. You're only around 7 pounds above the healthy range for your height. I get that you may well want to lose further than the top of that healthy BMI range, as many women do, but all of this suggests that relatively slow loss is your best strategy for minimizing health risks. A pound a week, going forward, would be fine for a while . . . and I suspect you're losing fat faster than that at 1200, but that your intense exercise routine has added some water weight that's hiding fat loss on the scale (read the links Novus provided, if you haven't).

You can lose weight, and will if you find a sustainable routine for doing so, one that you can stick with for more than a small number of weeks. It doesn't need to be super hard. (I swear, sometimes we behave as if we think we need to punish ourselves for being overweight! ). Find the sustainable habits, within a reasonable (moderate) calorie goal, and you'll get to goal . . . and more importantly, be able to stay there long term. (P.S., I'm in year 4+ of maintaining after several decades of obesity beforehand. I'm not just blowing smoke about theories here.)

Best wishes! :flowerforyou:

** If you're pretty new to exercise, you want to work up to that gradually, to build fitness in a sensible way, avoid exhausting yourself to the point where you do less/rest more the rest of the day so wipe out some of the calorie benefit, and avoid injury. If you're a relative beginner, neither running every day, nor HIIT, are your best strategies for fitness or sustainable calorie burn.

Thank you! A really positive and helpful insight! I’ve always been lightly active but the running and HIIt has helped me during lockdown and to be honest I could see myself building this as a habit in my normal life moving forward. I’m hoping to lose a stone/stone and a half as that’s what I was a year ago and felt really comfortable. But slow and steady definitely seems the way. Thanks!