Been doing calorie deficit for a few weeks now but not seen much difference can anyone help please

DanielleLavelle

Hi I'm dannii from the UK. I'm 38 5ft 1 and 13st.. been doing calorie deficit for a few weeks now, getting to drips with it still.. joined the gym now going 5 days a week. Scales haven't budged much this week so need some ideas of what I'm doing wrong... I've been using this app but not sure if my calories, protein are correct. Can anyone help me please. I can give details of what I've been eating if needs be... Thanks muchly

Lietchi

You mention joining a gym and exercising 5 days a week. That's a great way to increase your water weight (muscle repair). That isn't a problem to fix per se, it just means that you need to be more patient to see progress on the scale (in any case, a few weeks is too short to judge progress) and it's useful to use other ways to judge progress (progress pictures, measurements).

DanielleLavelle

Thank you for your reply.. appreciate it. I have ordered a measuring tape so I can measure myself as mine broke.. I have took pics so will see if there is any difference.. thanks just left a little discouraged but will give it time.

rennerkyler

also keep an eye on your carb intake but if your starting to work out you might be trading fat for muscle so you wont see changes on the scale but will in losing inches

DanielleLavelle

Thank you that's great..

Lietchi

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48724207#Comment_48724207

Sorry, but I have to debunk that. It's calories that matter for fat loss, not carbs. If you lower carbs, you're lowering your water weight, just manipulating the scale rather than working on fat loss.

And you can't 'trade' fat for muscle. Even if you mean 'gain muscle at the same time as losing fat': muscle gain is a matter of multiple months, not just a few weeks as it's the case here. Short term, it's a water weight gain for muscle repair, rather than muscle gain already.

jenniferlynn145

Need more details… how many calories were you eating before you started a deficit? How many calories are you eating now? You said youve been following a calorie deficit for a few weeks, how many weeks do you consider to be a few… 2? Chances are if you lost weight in the first week and nothing in the 2nd you might have just lost water weight from changing your diet and not really in a calorie deficit. You also cant expect to see dramatic results in just 2 weeks unless youre significantly cutting calories which isnt the best idea. Also, you said you joined a gym and going for 5 days? What do you do at the gym, weightlift? cardio? how many minutes of cardio and times per week?

brit_teacher

Hey Dannii,

I just want to say a couple of things. Lowering your calories is, of course, a good thing. But be careful - if you overdo it, your body will react and adjust itself to your new calorie intake, slowing weight loss. Also, exercise is important. I walk most days and do resistance training Monday, Wednesday and Friday. (My gym doesn't advise working out more than 2 or 3 times a week.) Losing weight is a marathon, not a sprint, so you probably not going to see much change yet. You can do all the right things and it doesn't always show up on the scale, so I agree with measuring yourself. I have an old pair of jeans that I occasionally put on to remind myself what I have accomplished. Good Luck!

Shancanlift

The best way to look at it - any body fat that you've put on (which was over a significant time of overeating calories), was not put on overnight or even within a few weeks so don't expect that you should lose it within a few weeks. If it were that easy, no one would be overweight.. So be patient, as long as you need to be. Ensure you are in a 200-300 calorie deficit, increase your steps (doesn't have to be vigorous! Just increase the movement of your body for the day!) and give it the time that you don't really want to give it lol - in this instant gratification world that we're living in, we all get sad when something we want doesn't come to us as quickly as we'd like, but if you're consistent 80%-90% of the time, you will make progress. Forget the scale, it measures muscle, fat, water, bowels, hormone-based water storage etc. take photos at the same time of the day, in the same clothing, every 2 weeks. You will get there. What other choice do you have? Staying the same isn't even an option :) Let's go!

csplatt

Are you choosing generic food entries on MFP (example: slice of lasagna; sushi roll; cheeseburger) or are you choosing each individual ingredient? For example, my lunch today was:

• half a teaspoon of olive oil
• 150 grams zucchini (weighed before cooking)
• 80 grams orange bell pepper
• one tofurkey vegan sausage
• 20 grams parmesan cheese

rennerkyler

I agree with putting in steps too! ive been puting min 15k a day