3 weeks, not losing much, advice welcome
cnc112020
Posts: 14 Member
Hello MFP community, I am looking for some advice as I'm not losing very much. I know there are a lot of posts like this, but any advice is very welcome and appreciated as I'm a bit stumped.
Background: In 2013 I went from a healthy weight to very overweight during bed rest and pregnancy and child rearing (150 up to 230). From 2014-2016 I adapted a healthy lifestyle of walking, beach body programs, eventually running, and good nutrition. I stayed between160-170 and was happy and feeling strong. Ended up eventually ditching my healthy lifestyle but didn't gain weight back.
Current: Fast forward, 2019 I had my second child. I didn't gain much during pregnancy but after birth and since then I ended up at 193 when I got fed up. I was eating a LOT of takeout and not being active outside of my demanding newborn.
So here I am now. 3 weeks ago I decided enough is enough. Started getting up an hour before work to do low impact workouts 5 days a week (youtube/FitOn app) as my knees bother me a lot and I don't have a lot of muscle right now. Depending on the day, that only burns about 180-300 cal. MFP has me set to eat 1280 calories a day which I am under aside from 3 days (had cheat meals, nothing crazy). I weigh and measure food accurately (learned during my previous weight loss using mfp). I don't even eat back my exercise cals. But I've only lost 2 lbs. Now I know 2 lbs is better than nothing, but I went from eating around 3000 cal a day to 1280...I'm shocked there wasn't even an initial weight drop.
Possible complications:
I work a desk job and don't spend much time on my feet at all. My Dr has also recently discovered my thyroid has been going low and coming back to normal, but not enough to treat with medication. I am very "flabby" and not strong (aka, I need to build muscle).
Anyways, that's a long story, thank you for reading! If anyone has advice... Please post. I'm getting discouraged that my efforts are sincere but not yielding results as I'd like. I lost weight with much less effort years prior. I'm a 27 yo female if that helps.
I'm definitely open to any workout suggestions to help as well. I'd love to build muscle but I'm unsure how to get into that routine or a program to use. Gym is not an option at this time, but I'd be open to spending a bit of money for at home equipment.
Background: In 2013 I went from a healthy weight to very overweight during bed rest and pregnancy and child rearing (150 up to 230). From 2014-2016 I adapted a healthy lifestyle of walking, beach body programs, eventually running, and good nutrition. I stayed between160-170 and was happy and feeling strong. Ended up eventually ditching my healthy lifestyle but didn't gain weight back.
Current: Fast forward, 2019 I had my second child. I didn't gain much during pregnancy but after birth and since then I ended up at 193 when I got fed up. I was eating a LOT of takeout and not being active outside of my demanding newborn.
So here I am now. 3 weeks ago I decided enough is enough. Started getting up an hour before work to do low impact workouts 5 days a week (youtube/FitOn app) as my knees bother me a lot and I don't have a lot of muscle right now. Depending on the day, that only burns about 180-300 cal. MFP has me set to eat 1280 calories a day which I am under aside from 3 days (had cheat meals, nothing crazy). I weigh and measure food accurately (learned during my previous weight loss using mfp). I don't even eat back my exercise cals. But I've only lost 2 lbs. Now I know 2 lbs is better than nothing, but I went from eating around 3000 cal a day to 1280...I'm shocked there wasn't even an initial weight drop.
Possible complications:
I work a desk job and don't spend much time on my feet at all. My Dr has also recently discovered my thyroid has been going low and coming back to normal, but not enough to treat with medication. I am very "flabby" and not strong (aka, I need to build muscle).
Anyways, that's a long story, thank you for reading! If anyone has advice... Please post. I'm getting discouraged that my efforts are sincere but not yielding results as I'd like. I lost weight with much less effort years prior. I'm a 27 yo female if that helps.
I'm definitely open to any workout suggestions to help as well. I'd love to build muscle but I'm unsure how to get into that routine or a program to use. Gym is not an option at this time, but I'd be open to spending a bit of money for at home equipment.
5
Replies
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2 pounds a week is healthy loss, and your 3000 calories per day was actively putting weight on you, so you could look at it as 2 pounds of loss PLUS not gaining another pound or 2 in the same period.
i have low muscle mass and injuries, and i know how hard it is to work through this. can you walk or is that an issue for your knees? can you exercise bike at low resistance and fairly low speed?4 -
Re the weight loss aspect, others are much better able to advise than I am, though 2lbs/1kg in 3 weeks sounds not unreasonable. Re movement, you might have a look at the workouts at Bodyfit by Amy: she has a lot of post-partum and low impact workouts (or workouts with low impact options) which I am finding a great way to get my own dodgy knees moving again.
You can find Amy's workouts here: https://bodyfitbyamy.com/.1 -
Here is my take on it: you cleaned up your diet which typically results on a large water weight drop initially, which you were expecting. However, you also went from no exercise to exercising in the same timeframe. Typically, introducing new exercise leads to temporarily weigh gain, your muscles retain water when they are adapting to new activity.
So, you basically masked the initial drop from cleaning up your diet with gaining a bit from exercise.
It's a bummer you didn't get to see that nice big drop up front that is so heartening, but you are still on the right track. Keep it up and focus on the long game!
And sadly, not everyone experiences large drops when they clean up their intake, I usually don't
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Also, this thread has a list of many beginner friendly lifting programs, it might help you get started in your search for what's right for you: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p13
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You can also check if you are losing inches.. when you start exercising you gain muscle mass and that means you may not notice big weight loss numbers but you will surely shape up better. . If you are allowed to do strength training then pls consider doing it twice a week atleast...
Have you considered trying a desk peddler exerciser which you could use at your work..it's low impact on the knees..
I can connect to the flabby part dealing with same situation but I hv a restriction and can't do strength training ..1 -
zebasschick wrote: »2 pounds a week is healthy loss, and your 3000 calories per day was actively putting weight on you, so you could look at it as 2 pounds of loss PLUS not gaining another pound or 2 in the same period.
i have low muscle mass and injuries, and i know how hard it is to work through this. can you walk or is that an issue for your knees? can you exercise bike at low resistance and fairly low speed?
Yes walking is usually fine for me. I've been trying to take long walks some evenings but here lately the weather is not cooperative, haha! You are right. That's a good way to look at it!0 -
tushitatravellogue wrote: »You can also check if you are losing inches.. when you start exercising you gain muscle mass and that means you may not notice big weight loss numbers but you will surely shape up better. . If you are allowed to do strength training then pls consider doing it twice a week atleast...
Have you considered trying a desk peddler exerciser which you could use at your work..it's low impact on the knees..
I can connect to the flabby part dealing with same situation but I hv a restriction and can't do strength training ..
I think strength training would help greatly, I've just got to figure out where to start. Sorry to hear you can't train how you'd like, I know it's not fun
Thank you everyone for the encouragement and suggestions!1 -
tushitatravellogue wrote: »You can also check if you are losing inches.. when you start exercising you gain muscle mass and that means you may not notice big weight loss numbers but you will surely shape up better. . If you are allowed to do strength training then pls consider doing it twice a week atleast...
Have you considered trying a desk peddler exerciser which you could use at your work..it's low impact on the knees..
I can connect to the flabby part dealing with same situation but I hv a restriction and can't do strength training ..
Sadly, no one is gaining much muscle in 3 weeks, when in a calorie deficit, and when not strength training. I wish it were that easy! 😉 A quarter to half a pound of muscle mass gain per week would be good results under perfect conditions, and those are not perfect conditions. Don't get me wrong: The exercise is good, and worth doing, but that exercise and the context, are not ideal for muscle tissue gain. If there's gain, it's small, and in 3 weeks unlikely to influence the scale.
OP, I think 4Legs post is right: You're likely losing fat, but have added some water retention because of the new exercise routine, so the water's hiding the fat loss on the scale, Further, if you're still premenopausal, cycle-related water fluctuations can add another source of water-retention variation, variations we don't mostly notice until we're trying to lose weight and watching the scale like a hawk. I've seen some women here say they only achieve a new low weight in one time period per month, and otherwise it's a roller coaster until they reach another new low the next month at the same relative point in their menstrual cycle. Bodies are weird!
I'd add that 2/3 of a pound a week is not a terrible weight loss rate. People get the wrong idea from diet-program marketers, dumb tabloid articles, and reality TV shows. Two pounds a week is a fast weight loss, and may be too extreme for people who are not significantly obese. A pound a week is solid progress. Half a pound a week will get you there, and do it in a pretty manageable way. (I've been losing slower than that, to shed some vanity pounds in year 4+ of weight maintenance. I'm down 10 pounds or a touch more in 10 months, and wouldn't care to go much faster, at 5'5" and around 128 pounds now.)
This would be a good article to read, for background:
https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations
My best advice would be to *at least* continue long enough on your current routine to compare weight at the same point in your menstrual cycle as when you started. Given the new exercise, and your very low calorie goal, I'd even suggest going for a second cycle, before bailing on your current routine. (Frankly, if it were me, I'd eat back the exercise, or at least a fair chunk of it. That's what I did, while losing around 50 pounds, in a bit less than a year, several years back. (I'm severely hypothyroid, if that matters.) Losing any meaningful amount of weight is a long-term project, even if loss is fast. Keeping the process easy and sustainable, not white-knuckled willpower-taxing difficult, will contribute to sticking with it long enough to experience success. As a bonus, it makes the weight loss process a better experiment to find and groove in long-term eating/exercise patterns that will help keep us at a healthy weight long term, after reaching goal weight.)
Best wishes!10 -
The best thing to do for starters is to measure more than weight. MFP can also track waist, hips etc. these are equally important to track too. I've twice kind of stalled (from 2kg loss per week) at a little over 1kg per week loss for 2-3 weeks, but my other measurements have continued falling at the same rates.
I think the most important thing is to keep moving throughout the day. The only weight gain I had was 3kg in a week, which came at the same time as I drove over 2000 miles in 4 days. Even on the move I kept to my same diet, but just from being sat all day long I gained quite some water weight. After I got home I literally peed it all away as quickly as I gained it. But sitting still can have quite an effect. Drinking plenty water helps stop it from being retained. If that's the issue.
However, a change in diet can also cause constipation which can 'add' a not insignificant amount of weight.1 -
her wait and hip measurements are not going to have changed much in 3 weeks either.
I dont think you have a problem OP - you have lost 2lb in the first 3 weeks, so you are off to a good start.
just keep going.8 -
tushitatravellogue wrote: »You can also check if you are losing inches.. when you start exercising you gain muscle mass and that means you may not notice big weight loss numbers but you will surely shape up better. . If you are allowed to do strength training then pls consider doing it twice a week atleast...
Have you considered trying a desk peddler exerciser which you could use at your work..it's low impact on the knees..
I can connect to the flabby part dealing with same situation but I hv a restriction and can't do strength training ..
Sadly, no one is gaining much muscle in 3 weeks, when in a calorie deficit, and when not strength training. I wish it were that easy! 😉 A quarter to half a pound of muscle mass gain per week would be good results under perfect conditions, and those are not perfect conditions. Don't get me wrong: The exercise is good, and worth doing, but that exercise and the context, are not ideal for muscle tissue gain. If there's gain, it's small, and in 3 weeks unlikely to influence the scale.
OP, I think 4Legs post is right: You're likely losing fat, but have added some water retention because of the new exercise routine, so the water's hiding the fat loss on the scale, Further, if you're still premenopausal, cycle-related water fluctuations can add another source of water-retention variation, variations we don't mostly notice until we're trying to lose weight and watching the scale like a hawk. I've seen some women here say they only achieve a new low weight in one time period per month, and otherwise it's a roller coaster until they reach another new low the next month at the same relative point in their menstrual cycle. Bodies are weird!
I'd add that 2/3 of a pound a week is not a terrible weight loss rate. People get the wrong idea from diet-program marketers, dumb tabloid articles, and reality TV shows. Two pounds a week is a fast weight loss, and may be too extreme for people who are not significantly obese. A pound a week is solid progress. Half a pound a week will get you there, and do it in a pretty manageable way. (I've been losing slower than that, to shed some vanity pounds in year 4+ of weight maintenance. I'm down 10 pounds or a touch more in 10 months, and wouldn't care to go much faster, at 5'5" and around 128 pounds now.)
This would be a good article to read, for background:
https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations
My best advice would be to *at least* continue long enough on your current routine to compare weight at the same point in your menstrual cycle as when you started. Given the new exercise, and your very low calorie goal, I'd even suggest going for a second cycle, before bailing on your current routine. (Frankly, if it were me, I'd eat back the exercise, or at least a fair chunk of it. That's what I did, while losing around 50 pounds, in a bit less than a year, several years back. (I'm severely hypothyroid, if that matters.) Losing any meaningful amount of weight is a long-term project, even if loss is fast. Keeping the process easy and sustainable, not white-knuckled willpower-taxing difficult, will contribute to sticking with it long enough to experience success. As a bonus, it makes the weight loss process a better experiment to find and groove in long-term eating/exercise patterns that will help keep us at a healthy weight long term, after reaching goal weight.)
Best wishes!
Thank you! I would really like to start a program that is strength building, even if it's bodyweight based. Would you suggest any adjustments to my calories? That budget is for a 1.5lb loss a week.1 -
The best answer to this is a question.
Can you see yourself eating at this level for the next 12+ months? If not, then its not a reasonable place to start. Especially if at 3 weeks in you feel you need to 'cheat' occasionally.
Consider changing to 1 pound per week goal, which should bump it up 250 calories per day. And then very accurately track calories. Weigh any & all solid foods. Even items that are supposed to be uniform like a slice of bread. Just because the label says 1 slice = 45 grams = 70 calories, does not mean all are the same. I often find 10-15% variance. Medium banana? Weigh it. Small apple? Weigh it. 1 chicken breast? Weigh it. Account for oils, condiments, etc. as well. Only use cups/spoons for liquid items.
As you start moving more, you may find your ability & your endurance improves and you're able to do more. Do consider allowing additional calories for that.
Thank you! I would really like to start a program that is strength building, even if it's bodyweight based. Would you suggest any adjustments to my calories? That budget is for a 1.5lb loss a week.
1 -
I will always cheat, lol, I did so losing 70 lbs and I always will. I can't play the mental game of deprivation. But I will try changing it to 1 lb and see how it goes! Ty 😁nanastaci2020 wrote: »The best answer to this is a question.
Can you see yourself eating at this level for the next 12+ months? If not, then its not a reasonable place to start. Especially if at 3 weeks in you feel you need to 'cheat' occasionally.
Consider changing to 1 pound per week goal, which should bump it up 250 calories per day. And then very accurately track calories. Weigh any & all solid foods. Even items that are supposed to be uniform like a slice of bread. Just because the label says 1 slice = 45 grams = 70 calories, does not mean all are the same. I often find 10-15% variance. Medium banana? Weigh it. Small apple? Weigh it. 1 chicken breast? Weigh it. Account for oils, condiments, etc. as well. Only use cups/spoons for liquid items.
As you start moving more, you may find your ability & your endurance improves and you're able to do more. Do consider allowing additional calories for that.
Thank you! I would really like to start a program that is strength building, even if it's bodyweight based. Would you suggest any adjustments to my calories? That budget is for a 1.5lb loss a week.
2 -
I will always cheat, lol, I did so losing 70 lbs and I always will. I can't play the mental game of deprivation. But I will try changing it to 1 lb and see how it goes! Ty 😁nanastaci2020 wrote: »The best answer to this is a question.
Can you see yourself eating at this level for the next 12+ months? If not, then its not a reasonable place to start. Especially if at 3 weeks in you feel you need to 'cheat' occasionally.
Consider changing to 1 pound per week goal, which should bump it up 250 calories per day. And then very accurately track calories. Weigh any & all solid foods. Even items that are supposed to be uniform like a slice of bread. Just because the label says 1 slice = 45 grams = 70 calories, does not mean all are the same. I often find 10-15% variance. Medium banana? Weigh it. Small apple? Weigh it. 1 chicken breast? Weigh it. Account for oils, condiments, etc. as well. Only use cups/spoons for liquid items.
As you start moving more, you may find your ability & your endurance improves and you're able to do more. Do consider allowing additional calories for that.
Thank you! I would really like to start a program that is strength building, even if it's bodyweight based. Would you suggest any adjustments to my calories? That budget is for a 1.5lb loss a week.
Or don't cheat because you don't deprive yourself
I chose a weight loss rate of 0.5lbs per week and just ate the foods I like, but a bit less of them and in different proportions. And I allow myself to eat a bit more when I feel it's justified (without calling it cheating). I've been losing weight for over a year (48 lbs down) and I'm still going strong, no sense of deprivation. I'm getting close to my (provisional) goal weight, but I feel like I could do what I'm doing now for years to come, if needed. 8 -
Frustrating when nothing really happens, esp when you are doing all the right things! Are you weighing yourself weekly? I recently switched to daily and I'm really surprised in the fluctuations. Sometimes I'm losing or gaining micro amounts, others it's like half kg either way over night. Not suggesting it's fat losses here of course, just the impact of water weight often masks your true weight as has been said above. Maybe you picked a day where your losses were less noticeable - what 4legs said also makes good sense. Keep at it, consistency is key.
2 -
May I suggest Leslie Sansone walking Dvd's ....I find her boring so I mute her and turn on my own music but follow her steps .......she has quite a few collection....I just bought her 3 mile walking to the party hits that includes HIIT ..I love it .... you can find them at Walmart, Target and amazon1
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Megan_smartiepants1970 wrote: »May I suggest Leslie Sansone walking Dvd's ....I find her boring so I mute her and turn on my own music but follow her steps .......she has quite a few collection....I just bought her 3 mile walking to the party hits that includes HIIT ..I love it .... you can find them at Walmart, Target and amazon
I have been using her YouTube videos when it's too yuck outside to walk! Love them for a little burn 0 -
Frustrating when nothing really happens, esp when you are doing all the right things! Are you weighing yourself weekly? I recently switched to daily and I'm really surprised in the fluctuations. Sometimes I'm losing or gaining micro amounts, others it's like half kg either way over night. Not suggesting it's fat losses here of course, just the impact of water weight often masks your true weight as has been said above. Maybe you picked a day where your losses were less noticeable - what 4legs said also makes good sense. Keep at it, consistency is key.
I've been weighing daily out of curiosity, but "weigh in" weekly. I think I've found quite a bit of motivation in this thread to keep it up 😁0 -
I will always cheat, lol, I did so losing 70 lbs and I always will. I can't play the mental game of deprivation. But I will try changing it to 1 lb and see how it goes! Ty 😁nanastaci2020 wrote: »The best answer to this is a question.
Can you see yourself eating at this level for the next 12+ months? If not, then its not a reasonable place to start. Especially if at 3 weeks in you feel you need to 'cheat' occasionally.
Consider changing to 1 pound per week goal, which should bump it up 250 calories per day. And then very accurately track calories. Weigh any & all solid foods. Even items that are supposed to be uniform like a slice of bread. Just because the label says 1 slice = 45 grams = 70 calories, does not mean all are the same. I often find 10-15% variance. Medium banana? Weigh it. Small apple? Weigh it. 1 chicken breast? Weigh it. Account for oils, condiments, etc. as well. Only use cups/spoons for liquid items.
As you start moving more, you may find your ability & your endurance improves and you're able to do more. Do consider allowing additional calories for that.
Thank you! I would really like to start a program that is strength building, even if it's bodyweight based. Would you suggest any adjustments to my calories? That budget is for a 1.5lb loss a week.
Or don't cheat because you don't deprive yourself I chose a weight loss rate of 0.5lbs per week and just ate the foods I like, but a bit less of them and in different proportions. And I allow myself to eat a bit more when I feel it's justified (without calling it cheating). I've been losing weight for over a year (48 lbs down) and I'm still going strong, no sense of deprivation. I'm getting close to my (provisional) goal weight, but I feel like I could do what I'm doing now for years to come, if needed.
To me, overeating one meal is "cheating". But I allow that. I have a past with disordered eating and have found what works for me mentally in regards to nutrition 😁2 -
I will always cheat, lol, I did so losing 70 lbs and I always will. I can't play the mental game of deprivation. But I will try changing it to 1 lb and see how it goes! Ty 😁nanastaci2020 wrote: »The best answer to this is a question.
Can you see yourself eating at this level for the next 12+ months? If not, then its not a reasonable place to start. Especially if at 3 weeks in you feel you need to 'cheat' occasionally.
Consider changing to 1 pound per week goal, which should bump it up 250 calories per day. And then very accurately track calories. Weigh any & all solid foods. Even items that are supposed to be uniform like a slice of bread. Just because the label says 1 slice = 45 grams = 70 calories, does not mean all are the same. I often find 10-15% variance. Medium banana? Weigh it. Small apple? Weigh it. 1 chicken breast? Weigh it. Account for oils, condiments, etc. as well. Only use cups/spoons for liquid items.
As you start moving more, you may find your ability & your endurance improves and you're able to do more. Do consider allowing additional calories for that.
Thank you! I would really like to start a program that is strength building, even if it's bodyweight based. Would you suggest any adjustments to my calories? That budget is for a 1.5lb loss a week.
No need to cheat OR deprive yourself. I work in the foods that I want when I want. For example, I might work out extra if I know I want pizza later this week to bank some of those calories. I leave myself calories for dessert every day so that I can have a couple of cookies with my bedtime tea. I’m set to lose a lb a week and so far, I almost always lose more than that.5
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