Getting Started But Going Nowhere

chelseynewton

I've been a MFP member for a while now, but it's only within the last month I finally gained the determination and mindset that I want to change for the better and lose weight. I was sedentary, eating hardly any vegetables or fruits, and lots of pizza and ice cream. I knew it wasn't good but I never had any desire to change until now. I have quite a long way to go, but I'm struggling with the feeling that nothing is happening even though I've now changed my diet, begun tracking calories and nutrition, and walking for exercise. I was never a big soda drinker, and I am working on really increasing the amount of water I drink. I eat salads, steamed vegetables, beans, lean meats, fruit, brown rice, whole grain bread and the occasional cottage cheese or Greek yogurt. I struggle with sugar cravings so I do have brownie batter hummus on hand that occasionally I eat with strawberries. I also sometimes eat a small amount of Breyer's CarbSmart vanilla ice cream (I know there are better "diet" ice creams out there, I just couldn't find the one I wanted last time I went to the store). I measure a lot of my food with a food scale or measuring cups. As of today, it's been a month that I've been doing this. Within the first couple weeks I made this change, I lost about 10 pounds, which I'm guessing was all water. Since then, I've been fluctuating between the same two pounds, and haven't lost any more. This morning I almost cried when I got on the scale and it was the same as has been for at least a week. I measured myself too, and the only places I've lost an inch are my wrists and my neck. I am feeling so discouraged. What am I doing wrong?

KateL121286

Don't get dis-heartened hun. When you first start changing your eating habits and exercising you find you do lose quite a bit, and then you hit a plateau and the weight begins to drop off more gradually. Being in a calorie deficit is the key for me. I make sure I burn more calories than I consume.x

nanastaci2020

You're probably not doing anything wrong! Give it more time. By your name and profile pic I'm assuming you are female. More than likely water weight is masking your results for the time being. Water weight fluctuates and common causes are hormones/TOM/ovulation as well as sodium, stress, lack of sleep, muscle repair.

Keep weighing daily if you can handle it, or switch to weekly if its too much of an emotional roller coaster. Aim for a goal of having 8 weeks/2 months of weighins. Make notes for yourself regarding TOM points, or if you have a super high sodium day, or a really bad night's sleep, or if you're experiencing muscle soreness. The purpose here is to collect data, and learn how & when your body reacts to these things.

For me, I tend to show a +2 pound gain when my cycle starts. Then I hold steady for 2 weeks after which point (assuming I'm eating in a regular deficit) the scale drops 4 pounds or so. I may see a little drop after that.

Example
Prior Month Day 23 150

New Month Day 1 152
Day 2-14 152-152.5
Day 15 148
Day 20 147
Day 23 146.5

Next Day 1 148.5 (I have a short cycle)

From tracking my weight over time for multiple months, I've figured out this is just how my body handles the water weight from hormonal/monthly cycle stuff. In this example: I did not gain weight and then lose weight. I simply lost about 3.5 pounds over the course of my cycle.