General question in regards to first couple of weeks of weight loss

justinpsanchez94

My question is in regards to the Calorie Deficit that MFP sets for you. Once they give you a daily goal, is that number already with a deficit considered? And if so, how much of the weight I lose in the first couple of weeks is actual fat? or is it water? Possibly a combination of both?

Any information would be great.

Thank You,

spiriteagle99

If you set up your account to lose a certain amount each week, i.e. one pound, then the calorie deficit to lose that is in your daily goal. MFP also allows you to eat back your exercise calories, so if your goal is 2000 calories and you run for 5 miles and burn another 500, then you can eat 2500 calories and still lose about 1 lb. a week.

As to how much of the initial loss is water, that really depends. When I did very low carb diets, I lost a lot of weight the first week or two (10 lbs., then 4) because my body was expelling water at a great rate. Carbs retain water. Over time, the body adjusts and I didn't see any loss for several weeks after that. When I have dieted counting calories, my weight loss was slower initially because I didn't lose a lot of water weight. But over time, the weight came off. OTOH, if your usual diet has a lot of fast food and processed food you might lose water weight simply because you aren't eating as much salt.

Then there's the issue of exercise. If you are doing exercise for the first time in a long time, your body may retain water to heal the muscles that are stressed by the work load. Many people starting out find they gain weight the first couple of weeks of doing a new or more challenging level of exercise.

justinpsanchez94

spiriteagle99 wrote: »

If you set up your account to lose a certain amount each week, i.e. one pound, then the calorie deficit to lose that is in your daily goal. MFP also allows you to eat back your exercise calories, so if your goal is 2000 calories and you run for 5 miles and burn another 500, then you can eat 2500 calories and still lose about 1 lb. a week.

As to how much of the initial loss is water, that really depends. When I did very low carb diets, I lost a lot of weight the first week or two (10 lbs., then 4) because my body was expelling water at a great rate. Carbs retain water. Over time, the body adjusts and I didn't see any loss for several weeks after that. When I have dieted counting calories, my weight loss was slower initially because I didn't lose a lot of water weight. But over time, the weight came off. OTOH, if your usual diet has a lot of fast food and processed food you might lose water weight simply because you aren't eating as much salt.

Then there's the issue of exercise. If you are doing exercise for the first time in a long time, your body may retain water to heal the muscles that are stressed by the work load. Many people starting out find they gain weight the first couple of weeks of doing a new or more challenging level of exercise.

Thank You so much! This was very informative. Since I started using MFP pal again, I've lost about 5 pounds the first week and I'm sure that is mostly water based on what you mentioned. Thanks again!

springlering62

Be mindful of your exercise calories burned. Many users here feel that fitness trackers have a degree of inaccuracy.

If you’re not losing at some point try eating back only half the burned calories.

Counters on gym equipment (versus ones on your wrist) seem to be particularly generous awarding too many calories. There’s a treadmill at my gym that cranks out twice as many calories as my Apple Watch does, and after two years of monitoring, I’m pretty confident in the accuracy of what my watch records.

Imho I think some of the commercial gym equipment records higher as a “feel good” for gym users.

Dogmom1978

springlering62 wrote: »

Be mindful of your exercise calories burned. Many users here feel that fitness trackers have a degree of inaccuracy.

If you’re not losing at some point try eating back only half the burned calories.

Counters on gym equipment (versus ones on your wrist) seem to be particularly generous awarding too many calories. There’s a treadmill at my gym that cranks out twice as many calories as my Apple Watch does, and after two years of monitoring, I’m pretty confident in the accuracy of what my watch records.

Imho I think some of the commercial gym equipment records higher as a “feel good” for gym users.

There’s actually a study on this (the gym equipment) that I found a couple of months ago, but couldn’t locate again. Commercial treadmills calibrated properly are the most accurate. The least accurate are step mills and that’s just because the machine assumes you are using it correctly and most people lean on the top to take some of the difficulty out rather than slowing their pace and maintaining proper form.

I generally deduct 20% off of what any cardio equipment claims I burned to be on the safe side.

sijomial

"And if so, how much of the weight I lose in the first couple of weeks is actual fat?"
Depends on how much of a calorie deficit you had in that time - if you are taking in less energy than you are using that energy shortfall has to come from your body's reserves (predominantly body fat).

"or is it water? Possibly a combination of both?"
Not just water as water isn't an energy store. Both is the correct answer.
That proportion can be skewed due to changes not just in how many calories you eat but also changes in types of food eaten. If people cut carbs significantly that results in a bigger release of water weight as each 1g of stored carbs (glycogen) is stored with 4 or 5 times the weight in water.
If you reduce salt that may also drop some water weight.
On the other side of the coin if you increase the volume or intensity of exercise that can cause inflammation and water weight gain.

After a few weeks of consistency your weight trend will become more apparent and you can adjust your calorie goal if required.

justinpsanchez94

Thanks everyone!!