This is just temporary.. Right?

Nico_the_enabler

So after losing nearly 40lb without really exercising.. I decided it was time to start moving. (and before I am asked. I had a calf and foot injury that made it very hard to exercise without a lot of pain before now) Anyway.. Monday i jogged for 20min. Tuesday I went for a 5km walk which, I jogged a lil in. Wed I didnt do anything, No idea what happened Thursday. Friday I did a 45min of interval training on my upper body.
So, on Sunday before I began I weighed in, By tuesday I was up a whole kg and its still there. I have made sure I am drinking lots and such. And have been on or under my cals every day. So I am hoping its water retention.
If so. How long till it levels out and I start to lose again?
And sorry if this has been asked before.

joshdann

very normal. muscles freak out a little bit the first time they've been worked in a while. They boost glycogen stores (which necessitates water) and also retain extra water for repair purposes. You're fine. Stay hydrated and your weight will normalize... you didn't gain any fat through the process

Nico_the_enabler

So anyone got any idea how long it takes for said weight to 'normalise'?

jvbrooks

Varies. Could be a few days, could be longer. But since it isn't "real" weight, you don't have anything to worry about (ie, an extra kilo of water is not an extra kilo of fat).

Keep on walking, drinking water, and it'll sort itself out.

joshdann

it depends on how much of a deficit your diet plan contains and how regularly you're exercising. If you are sustaining somewhere close to the max LBM-sparing deficit your fat stores can handle, *and* exercising regularly, you should lose a noticeable amount of fat before you lose that water. If you've fallen prey to the "eat more to lose" myth and have a small deficit, the fat will come off much more slowly. You could also stop exercising, which I do not recommend, and the water weight will come off sooner... but come back when you go back to exercise.

cstoney2013

I started to get really serious again a little more than two weeks ago and my weight has stayed the same, but I am not discouraged because I have improved on my endurance in my cardio and I am still finding my way back to my lifting. I don't expect anything dramatic for another month or so, by dramatic I mean pants fitting better....

Nico_the_enabler

I definately dont subscribe to the 'eat more to lose more' thing. as i have a low metabolism anyway..if anything. I dont eat enough some days. But I am working on that and try to at least hit a net cal of 1200 a day. So.. guess i will just have to weather the storm and accept that it will take some time to start losing again.

symonspatrick

It took 3 weeks to see the scale go down when I increased my exercise but when it did the loss was big. I felt slimmer and slimmer but the extra water weight was masking the fat loss.

joshdann

I definately dont subscribe to the 'eat more to lose more' thing. as i have a low metabolism anyway..if anything. I dont eat enough some days. But I am working on that and try to at least hit a net cal of 1200 a day. So.. guess i will just have to weather the storm and accept that it will take some time to start losing again.

keep in mind that if you're obese, or even close to obese (like me) then there isn't a hard definition of the minimum number of calories you have to take in per day. Your real minimums come from macros (protein again, also a small amount of fats), and meeting them will naturally require that you take in calories. The best, non-fad way to look at it is from the opposite side. You have a *maximum* net deficit. Figure on 31kcal per lb of body fat. If you're sitting around doing absolutely nothing, you will probably be just fine taking in fewer than 1200 calories in a day, assuming you meet your minimum protein. I say probably because I don't know how much fat you're carrying around. If you're exercising every day, and hopefully you are, then you will probably burn enough to make that minimum deficit come into play.

for a normal, non-exercising adult, fat mass alone can support a net deficit of about 31 kcal per lb, meaning your body will spare LBM up until that point. Also for that same non-exercising adult, .65g of protein per lb of LBM (everything per fat) should be your minimum. Using myself as an example:

6'6" 34 yr old man
80 lbs of fat (up to 2480 kcal per day deficit, or a 5lb per week potential fat-only loss)
210 lbs of LBM
2250 kcal RMR (measured, not calculated online)

on a minimum day, as in zero activity or couch potato day, I need 137g of protein (about 550kcal) and 25g of fat (about 225kcal). That puts me at 775 calories, assuming I can eat pure protein and fat. round it up to 1000 to include some carbs and other stuff, and that's pretty much my minimum intake per day. On that couch potato day, I'll only be at a deficit of 1250, or about half what I *could* safely support. Since I really want to avoid any sort of LBM loss and build strength, I up it to 1g of protein per lb of LBM, which adds nearly 300kcal to my daily needs. Knowing that I'm never that sedentary, and I have plenty of room for error in my max deficit, *and* i do enjoy some carbs for energy, etc... I set my daily goal to 2000 kcal (yes, that's lower than my RMR and perfectly safe). That means if I hit my protein and kcal goals, I can safely burn up to 2200kcal through exercise without risking LBM loss.

Of course that's all theorycraft, and in practice I have trouble hitting my minimum protein goals most days. I get more than the .65g number, but usually less than the 1g number. I also have trouble exercising that much every day because of the need to recover between heavy workout days. When I do well, I can lose about 4.5 lb per week. Normally it's more like 3.5. My average weight loss (all fat, my LBM has stayed the same) over the last 7 weeks is almost exactly 4 lbs per week.

I went through all of that to help you figure out your own minimum intake and maximum deficit needs. I hope it helps... there is so much misinformation out there about what is safe, healthy, and possible with regards to fat loss. I built this plan based on tons of reading actual scientific studies and compiling important aspects from each. I've put it into practice as an experiment, and so far the compiled theory is proving correct. Other, less vocal people have done many of the same things with equivalent success. This is a plan based on real science that works... not a fad or bro science. Good luck!

Nico_the_enabler

I am going to have to go partake of another coffee and wake up more and read that again a few more times. Its a lot of imformation to take in, but it seems pretty logical. And for what its worth, I am a 42yr old woman. 164cm tall and 87kg. Around 34kg of fat apparantly. Thats all the info I have at present :P. I am exercising 6 days a week, mix of cardio and weights. Day off on a Sunday. And did my weigh in today and after all that. Was only up 400gm. So wasn't too bad. Bring on the water.
Thankyou for all your information and time. It is appriciated

joshdann

so, a quick online calculator estimate puts your BMR at about 1588. Keep in mind that this is an estimate and not the actual number for you... but a good place to start. If your 34kg fat mass number is correct, then you can use the 68kcal per kg method to reach a maximum deficit of 2312. That's a rather large deficit, and may be tough to attain, but that's pretty much what your body can handle. It's best to look at this as your "safety net" - you know with relative certainty that you will not be exceeding this any time soon. It would be very difficult to do so while getting your minimum macro nutrients.

Using the same method I use, your diet plan *could* look like this:

115g protein - 460 kcal
25g fat - 225 kcal
100g carbs (mostly veggies!) - 400 kcal
total kcal: 1085

that leaves you a nice deficit of about 500 calories per day if sedentary. It's a small number of calories and therefore might be very tough to stick to. Let's say you add in a bit more fat and carbs (like most normal people do, at least at first):

115g protein - 460 kcal
50g fat - 450 kcal
150g carbs (still mostly veggies!) - 600 kcal
total kcal: 1510

at that rate you're eating just about maintenance, which of course does not meet your goal. Now, let's say you aren't so sedentary and are willing to start out by walking say, 25km per week at a nice, leisurely pace. that's about 5k per day, just over an hour of walking. You should burn about 300-350 kcal per day on those walks. A HRM will give you a better estimate. Now we're getting back into a deficit! Add in some heavy lifting 2-3 days per week and you're set up for a great start.

As you get more fit and (hopefully) more motivated, you will almost certainly find ways to cut out a few calories without sacrificing macros. You will probably also become more active, thus increasing your daily calorie burn. Over time your daily caloric needs will get smaller (as your body weight will get smaller), so it's important to re-evaluate this stuff weekly. Adjust your macros to your needs. You might not need to hit that high of a protein number (unless you're lifting heavy, and you should be!). You might not like fatty foods or breads or sugar as much, so don't feel obligated to hit those numbers. there is no real minimum carb count (though you should decide if you want to go keto or not) and the minimum fat count is only about 20g for women. you're the only one who can truly fine-tune your diet to suit your goals and your tastes, just do it with as much knowledge as you can.

For you, it's all about exercise. You can currently tolerate a significant deficit, as shown above, but you need to create the majority of that deficit through activity. The more you exercise, and the better track you keep of your food (and stick to your macros), the faster you will safely lose weight.

Disclaimer: I'm not a medical doctor. I'm an engineer and a nerd. I have tirelessly scoured the web for as much real scientific info as I can find, and I'm giving this advice based on that research, my experience, and the experience of others. That said, please put a plan together using this data and talk it over with your doctor first. He/she knows more about you than some random stranger on MFP. I like to help but trust the experts before you trust me

Nico_the_enabler

ha. Of course. Am an engineers daughter :P (that apple never falls far from the tree) so I hear ya loud and clear. More research is needed. But thankyou for a good place to start It is most definately appriciated

WestCoastWild

Don't worry about the scale! It sounds like you're doing well Start working on a routine that you can stick w on a regular basis...the weight will come off. Just keep in mind that this us a lifestyle change, not a race to lose pounds.

dezb64

Congratulations! you are doing great! As a women with a very slow (almost non existent) metabolism (hypothyroid) what I found that works well is never eat the same thing day after day. Vary your calories from day to day, one day at the top of you limit, next day much lower. Switch it up as much as possible. Do the same thing with your workout. One day I do the elliptical for my cardio, the next day treadmill, the next a run with my do etc. You have to keep your body guessing. Same thing with weight training, one day upper body only, the next lower, then 3 both, 4th abs and lower etc.

Allterrain_Lady

You've already lost nearly 40lbs. THAT'S A VICTORY! It's a lifelong process, sometimes adjustments are needed. I, too, worry way too much about the numbers on the scale. I'm afraid to eat more when I exercise. There's a lot of information on the internet, both accurate and borderline dangerous. If you listen to your body and give it time to adjust, you'll be fine!

Nico_the_enabler

Thankyou everyone. And yes I am keeping it varied. Its the only thing that works. lol. and doing the body for life exercise plan type deal.. as it fits in really well with my life and gives me a place to start. And as of the thismorning my ever halarious addiction to the scale informed me I am back to what I was when I started exercising last week. So woot.. I didnt break anything (sarcasm) On wards and downwards. Todays effort.. lower body workout.