Covid Keg!

laurenhamilton3

Howdy everyone. I’m a newbie as of 2 weeks ago. I’ve been on a health and fitness makeover since November last year and was making amazing strides. Then family issues reared up and knocked me out of my routine. And then the delta strain locked everything down suddenly, and I’ve stacked on a bunch of extra weight. There’s only so much activity you can get up to in lockdown, so I bought myself a FitBit and an elliptical machine, and started using My Fitness Pal. The routine has been amazing for my mental health and feeling like I’m working towards something. But I’d appreciate some encouragement from you all, as it’s been 2 weeks of me logging my food relentlessly (my issue was not eating close to enough and being in starvation mode) and getting in on average 13,000 steps in addition to HIIT, and the scales still haven’t budged. Probably because I have literally nothing else to focus on, it’s bugging me more than it normally would, but still…I’d love to hear from you how long it took for your efforts to reflect in scales/clothes fitting differently for encouragement!

4legsRbetterthan2

It usually takes me a few weeks to see the scale move. Some people see pretty drastic drops in the beginning, but that is usually the result of a large diet overhaul where they completely change the way they are eating. If you are keeping things relatively the same but tracking and trying to stay within your calories you may not see those upfront drops. It can be more discouraging but weight loss is all about the long game, so settle into your plan and stick with it.

Additionally, new exercise can cause your muscles to retain weight during the repair process, so that may also be masking any scale progress you could be seeing. Again, things will settle in so you just have to relax and give it a bit of time.

laurenhamilton3

Thank you. I forget that most results come from diet initially and apart from making sure I’ve been eating enough, I didn’t really make any changes in that department.
Slow and steady looks like the game here!

SolitaryVulcan

You might consider taking measurements and tracking your progress that way instead. If you've mostly made changes to your fitness routine you may not see the results on the scale, but might notice more of a difference in your measurements instead.

callsitlikeiseeit

Starvation mode as you are thinking about it, doesn't exist in that manner. If you are working out more/harder than typical, water weight may be masking any weight loss. also, make sure you are accurately weighing (on a food scale) and logging your food. this includes oils and butters you may use in cooking food (like in a frying pan), the creamer in your coffee, salad dressings, etc. These little things that dont seem like much can add up to a lot. Also, time of month and hormones if you are a female of that age can affect water weight.

And, take it from someone who has lost a LOT of weight... there will be weeks, even when you do everything PERFECT (as possible, because there is no 'true' perfect). that the scale does not move. or moves up. bodies are weird. Weight loss is NOT linear. stay the course.

laurenhamilton3

Oh no, the starvation mode refers to me in my natural state, which is not having an appetite at all and I literally have no desire to eat, so I often just don’t…I’ve set alarms to make me eat every 2 hours, and yep I weigh everything I eat. I meal prep every week and generally eat the same things, I’m just eating more of them, that’s all. Thank you for your advice!

Fuzzipeg

I wonder if you are experiencing anything else along with your "naturally"(?) apparently for you low appetite. I'm thinking low moods or cycle issues, there could be other things you might know of. If so it could be useful to talk to your doctor for an educated input.

Unless you are eating the same foods because of intolerances or similar could you add something to ring the changes and make meal times more, dare I say interesting? I wonder if you might have vitamin or mineral deficiencies. I have seen the suggestion using more cheerful crockery might lift ones interest.

To pursue intolerances I'd suggest a functional practitioner would be more helpful in this issue, could be from deficiencies, they try to get to the bottom of the issue rather than provide a sticking plaster.

Take care.

laurenhamilton3

I’ve been to many doctors and nutritionalists and they have no answers. My mood is great, especially given that I’m in lockdown. My cycle is regular, and always has been. Trust me, I’m very proactive when it comes to my health and leave no stone unturned when it comes to getting to the root cause of things. My diet is largely the same every week due to being so busy and I need quick and nutritious meals to make sure Im on top of everything. I also take supplements to fill any areas I might be lacking, like B12 due to being a vegan.