3.5lbs down since Tuesday, adjust calories up?

Sara3veg
Sara3veg Posts: 48 Member
edited May 2021 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm back at MFP this week, after taking a few years off and maintaining on my own, until the pandemic hit last spring and I gained around 25lbs since then. Coming back I set my target to .5lb a week, because otherwise it gave me 1,200 calories and that's just not feasible for me. I've logged Tuesday-Friday, and had a couple under days by a few calories, and then one day where I was over a couple hundred calories. So it should even out to average where MFP wants me, for .5lb loss a week. This morning I'm at a 3.5lb loss though. It's been a while since I've worked on losing weight, so I'm a bit fuzzy, but I don't remember my weigh-ins being so far off the calculated estimate?

I did incorporate much more veggies into my diet this week, but elimination stuff has been pretty normal.

I feel silly asking this, since I've been doing the whole weight management for years now, but is this normal to lose so much more than the MFP estimate? Should I keep following the calorie recommendations or adjust? To be honest, I'd rather be able to eat more calories and lose at a slower pace. 1/2-1lb a week is all I'm looking for. Losing 3.5lbs over so little time is freaking me out a bit ha!

My stats:
42yr female
starting weight on Tuesday morning, when I re-started MFP: 149.5lbs
this morning: 146lbs
Exercise this week-not a whole lot, a few minutes of running/walking on Tuesday (like 25 minutes total, mostly walking) and then yesterday I did a leisurely walk for around 30 minutes.

Otherwise I'm fairly sedentary, housework/light yard work (I'm a sahm)

My food diary should be open.

eta: my goal is to get back into my maintenance range, which is 130lbs-135lbs.

Replies

  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,158 Member
    I consistently lose more than MFP tells me I should. It's a "nice" problem as far as it goes (I'd rather lose more than less!) but it can be annoying, too. I accidentally underate for several weeks after my initial burst of weight loss and it really messed with my energy levels for a while until I started eating more. I've gotten very accurate on calories in, so I think I just burn more than statistical averages for women my age. I'm also breastfeeding, and it's very difficult to get an accurate calorie estimation from that. I am curious to see what happens once my baby weans - I might become more average once that isn't getting factored in. :)

    I think the first couple weeks, even if you don't have much to lose, you can drop a bunch of water weight that will eventually work itself out. Your next week might be more typical. As long as you feel good, you might want to keep it up for a month and see how it averages out, then make changes if you still need to.
  • Sara3veg
    Sara3veg Posts: 48 Member
    I consistently lose more than MFP tells me I should. It's a "nice" problem as far as it goes (I'd rather lose more than less!) but it can be annoying, too. I accidentally underate for several weeks after my initial burst of weight loss and it really messed with my energy levels for a while until I started eating more. I've gotten very accurate on calories in, so I think I just burn more than statistical averages for women my age. I'm also breastfeeding, and it's very difficult to get an accurate calorie estimation from that. I am curious to see what happens once my baby weans - I might become more average once that isn't getting factored in. :)

    I think the first couple weeks, even if you don't have much to lose, you can drop a bunch of water weight that will eventually work itself out. Your next week might be more typical. As long as you feel good, you might want to keep it up for a month and see how it averages out, then make changes if you still need to.

    Thanks for the input! You're probably right, I need to give it a few weeks and see where I'm at then. It was just so unexpected, it really threw me lol.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    A 3 lb swing in two or three days would be completely normal for me. My weight changes as much as 2 lbs from day to day and 5 lbs over the course of a week just from salt intake, activity level, and water consumption/dehydration.

    I focus on much longer term trends than day to day fluctuations.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,664 Member
    Odds are it's water weight. Eating less salt, sugar and carbs can make your body release water. You may find your weight up a couple of pounds tomorrow because it's retaining more for some reason. Just keep eating at goal and focus on the long term weight loss, not the day to day fluctuations.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,819 Member
    In addition to what's been said above, many women with menstrual cycles have water weight swings around ovulation and menstruation, so if you are at certain points in your cycle, that could explain it as well.
  • Sara3veg
    Sara3veg Posts: 48 Member
    Thanks everyone! I’ll stay the course and keep following MFPs calorie recommendations and see where I’m at in a few weeks.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    It's VERY likely all water weight, from your major change in diet.

    Many people, including me, drop a lot of water weight their first 1-2 weeks of tracked healthy eating.
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
    I would wait, any major gain or loss always seem to overshoot and then corrects after a few days. There might be a 2 lb drop and then, say up a little for an overall 1 lb drop.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,819 Member
    I was up 4 pounds on Wednesday, which I attributed to ovulation and a high sodium Thai meal, and now on Sunday it has all come back off.
  • strangeanimal55
    strangeanimal55 Posts: 87 Member
    Since it's such a short amount of time I'd wait to see how your body adjusts UNLESS you feel you're under eating and hungry all the time.
  • Beverly2Hansen
    Beverly2Hansen Posts: 378 Member
    Girl get it while you can unless you're hungry all the time then increase your calories.