Calorie deficit but only 0.2 of a pound lost in 7 days?

leviathan14077
leviathan14077 Posts: 5 Member
edited January 2021 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm bewildered with what went wrong this week :/
I'd dropped 5 pounds last week but this week only 0.2 of a pound which is bizarre.
I've been eating between 1000 and 1200 cal a day. Only whole foods and grains and drinking 3liters of water.
I have been exercising (10 mins on bike, 12 mins butt and Abs app daily) but no shift.
Could this be muscle gain or am I leveling off already? I'm only on day 14 hmm.

Food macros alternate between fat/protein as the highest percentage
I'm 5'8 and 185 pounds

Replies

  • LunaTheFatCat
    LunaTheFatCat Posts: 237 Member
    It's normal! Annoying but normal. Next week you may lose a bit more again and then you might not lose any for 3 weeks.
    I definitely think you should eat a bit more though, especially when you're exercising. You may not be able to keep these low calories up long term and just throw in the towel. But yet, as said, make sure you log accurately - so use a food scale for starters, if you aren't doing this now.
  • leviathan14077
    leviathan14077 Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll add some calories by snacking this week as im satisfied after meal times.
    I've never changed my diet for this long so to meet a brick wall so quickly was really disheartening!
    At lest I'm enjoying all the colourful meals im eating now so im definatly not turning back.
    To put it as weight loss isn't linear is great. Makes sense. I may now try to weigh in every 4 weeks. Im sure the temptation to step on will be horrific : :D
  • SouthWestLondon
    SouthWestLondon Posts: 134 Member
    I had a similar panic yesterday when I weighed in and lost 1lb but had a calorie deficit over the prior week where I would expect at least a 2lb loss.

    Lots of very reassuring posters pointed out all the variables that could be affecting the number on the scale - for me I concluded that since I had a lot of salty food over the weekend, perhaps I had retained a bit more water than usual.

    Anyway, stepped on the scales this morning (I weigh every morning but on record on Mondays) - and I'm down another 1lb. Now, I don't think I magically lost 1lb overnight, but presumably whatever was slowing my progress on Monday resolved itself a bit.

    It may well be that the next time you weigh yourself you're down by more than you expect as your scales catch up to what's happening in your body.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,329 Member
    Oh, and if not mentioned yet: What is your calorie goal, what your current weight, height, age and gender, and what rate of loss did you chose?

    the lowest MFP will give women is always 1200 (1500 for men), as less calories than that are unhealthy. If your chosen deficit is too big then you'll still get 1200 calories but will not reach the weekly loss you've chosen. That's important to note
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,721 Member
    My calorie goal is 1510, I weigh 185lbs, age 30 and female.
    I've been at home with 2 children under 4 since I first became pregnant so its piled on quickly.
    Id chosen sedentary as I'm cooped up in a flat. Especially now with a total lockdown.
    I've borrowed an exercise bike and am following some fitness apps daily so theres some form of movement going on.
    My kids will both be in preschool this spring so I'm aiming to just get used to a routine for exercise before taking the plunge with a PT.
    I've dipped to 1200 but since reading responses I'll aim for the 1510 and weigh at 4 week intervals

    Yes, please!

    I started out here around your weight (but shorter, 5'5", and older, 59), and 1200 was too low for me. With a couple of little ones to take care of, you don't want to under-eat and risk the "hit the wall" thing that happened to me. (I got weak and fatigued, even though I corrected my calorie level as soon as I realized, and it took multiple weeks to recover.)

    Hang in there, eat to your calorie goal, gradually increase the challenge on the exercise front, and you'll do great!