Calories

Joannamarie062016

I'm a month in and lost 15 pounds the first 2 weeks(yes I know its water weight but weight is weight.) The last 2 weeks the scale didnt move and when it did this morning, it was a gain (I know why.) I'm 280# and the app says for me to eat 1450 calories. Do people normally go by this or set their own calorie goals? I feel like 1450 calories is alot but it could just be perception. I was eating 1200-1300calories the first 2 weeks. I have not been working out yet at all. Trying to regroup so I can kick month #2's @$$!

deannalfisher

Current weight/goal weight?

1450 isn’t that many calories - it’s more likely that your ‘gain’ was also due to water weight (from hormones on a month cycle; or saltier meal etc)

Joannamarie062016

Current weight 277. Goal weight...180-200. My gain was bc of me not doing so hot for a few days before and going well over my calories.

suzgzlz

Wow! 15# in 2 weeks is a lot. Good for you! I'm new to calorie counting & first day on this app.

PAV8888

You said you understood water weight.

If you truly did you would have been celebrating your month-long 10-14 lb loss.

But instead of celebrating your very successful beginning you went off track for a few days, in part because of your perception of a lack of continuing results.

Thankfully you're recouping.

Your calorie goal is fine for now, and if you weight and log your food correctly you really shouldn't have need to undereat it.

You didn't cut 52,500+ Calories from your true maintenance level budget during your first two weeks on this site.

On the day you've reached that (true) average deficit, that is when you will have achieved 10lbs of true fat loss.

Until that time your true fat level change will continue to be obscured by a wave of non fat water weight changes.

The first two weeks they added to your fat loss, and you celebrated

The last two weeks they detracted from your fat loss, and you despaired

Compare same points of menstrual cycle one cycle apart.

Revue weight trend results with logged deficits to determine if losses are accumulating as expected or if you need to adjust your targets.

Make changes you believe you can continue to make indefinitely, forever! Don't look for scale rewards for your hard work. Work hard at developing PRE-CONDITIONS (processes / choices / activities / little or big decisions) that will make it so that every day is driving you closer to your weight loss goal. The pre-condition is creating an "easily" sustainable, continuing, "average Caloric deficit" as compared to your "average Caloric expenditure"

Consider tracking weight in weight trend app or web site.

conniewilkins56

Do women still retain water at different times of the month if they have gone thru menopause?...if I binge I can easily put on 10 to 12 lbs in a couple of days...currently I lost about 13 lbs the last week because of a gain from binging...I know these are two separate issues..happily I hit my lowest weight since May 28,2020...I hope to hit an 80 lb loss by then...

AnnPT77

conniewilkins56 wrote: »

Do women still retain water at different times of the month if they have gone thru menopause?...if I binge I can easily put on 10 to 12 lbs in a couple of days...currently I lost about 13 lbs the last week because of a gain from binging...I know these are two separate issues..happily I hit my lowest weight since May 28,2020...I hope to hit an 80 lb loss by then...

No, not on regular monthly cycles IME, in menopause (once fully there). But water fluctuations, sometimes big ones, still happen for a bunch of other reasons, even in menopause. I'm deep in menopause, and maintaining weight, and I've weighed anything up and down between extremes of 129.6 to 133.6 in the past 10 days, without anything particularly odd going on to cause it. Healthy bodies have water fluctuations.

This would be a good read, for you and OP, if you haven't already read it (because bodies are weird ):

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

Lietchi

Joannamarie062016 wrote: »

I'm 280# and the app says for me to eat 1450 calories. Do people normally go by this or set their own calorie goals? I feel like 1450 calories is alot but it could just be perception.

It's your perception I weigh 170lbs and I'm eating between 1750 and 2000 calories on average, and I'm still losing weight (albeit slowly, and I am quite active too).
Don't forget that a heavier body needs more calories just to 'exist' too. You had extreme water weight loss, I think your body is just rebalancing its water weight, no need eat even less and starve yourself. Just be patient and it will happen!