Is it okay that I've 'only' lost 2lb?

drshona
drshona Posts: 52 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Please feel free to tell me I'm being neurotic here (in fact, please do!), but I've just completed my first week, I've tracked everything I've eaten, I've stayed within the suggested calorie limit for 1.5lb weight loss peer week and I've run twice (and eaten the calories back!). I've lost 2lb. Which is fine. I am happy to have lost 2lb. I'm just a bit worried as people say things like 'everyone loses loads in the first 1-3 weeks' and suggest 4+lb as a 'normal' amount to lose. It's okay to have only lost 2lb isn't it?

Replies

  • Taterpoof
    Taterpoof Posts: 416 Member
    I would be ecstatic about losing 2lbs in a week. It really is true that slow and steady is the best way to go. Easier to maintain and better results in the long run. At the beginning of your journey you will feel impatient and expect things to happen quickly. This is a long process and eventually that patience will come. I applaud the 2 lbs. that you lost over people severely restricting themselves and losing a lot more because what you are doing is healthy.

    :flowerforyou: kudos
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
    You're being neurotic (you asked for it!). Seriously, everyone's different. Some people lose nothing for a few weeks, while others lose a bunch. 2 pounds is great, congrats!
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Some people lose a lot of water weight at the beginning. Some people don't lose anything. You're fine. Carry on. :smile:
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    Yes! It's totally okay!!

    I had a LOT to lose (and still do) starting MFP back in March at 262 lb, and I read a lot of people talking about up to 10 lb lost in the first week or two from water weight and so on. I lost 1 lb the first week, 0.5 the second, and then nothing for 1-2 weeks...yet my overall weight loss has been very steady, and averages out to 1.59 lb per week (I have my goals set to 1.5 lb per week).

    Don't fret!
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
    Please feel free to tell me I'm being neurotic here (in fact, please do!), but I've just completed my first week, I've tracked everything I've eaten, I've stayed within the suggested calorie limit for 1.5lb weight loss peer week and I've run twice (and eaten the calories back!). I've lost 2lb. Which is fine. I am happy to have lost 2lb. I'm just a bit worried as people say things like 'everyone loses loads in the first 1-3 weeks' and suggest 4+lb as a 'normal' amount to lose. It's okay to have only lost 2lb isn't it?

    Yes, you are being neurotic. Everyone's body is different and everyone is at different levels of fitness when they begin their path. Most of what you lose in the beginning is water weight anyways. Don't worry so much about the scale within the first few months as to what you look adn feel like. There's going to be about a hundred variables which will cause your weight to fluctuate dramatically and nothing can be determined within such a short time frame...
  • shoeloveramber
    shoeloveramber Posts: 291 Member
    What most people lose at first is water weight. If you have been drinking plenty of water you likely do not have water weight to lose. 2 pounds in your first week is great! Congrats on the loss :-)
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Try not to compare your weight loss with others. It won't end well. Everyone starts out at a different place and everyone will lose at their own pace. You're doing great! Keep it up!
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    You are being neurotic.
  • joannadalina
    joannadalina Posts: 112 Member
    That's normal! I loose on average 1 - 1.5 lbs / week. If I lost 2lbs / week I would be jumping for joy!

    Great job! And don't be so hard on yourself! This isn't going to happen over night. It's not a diet, it is a complete lifestyle change, and that is going to take time, patience, and determination. There are going to be weeks where you don't lose anything at all. I went 3 weeks not losing anything, but on the flip side I didn't gain anything either so I was happy!

    Hang in there, sounds like you are on the right track :)
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    You're doing fine. :flowerforyou:
  • wendybird5
    wendybird5 Posts: 577 Member
    Try not to compare your weight loss with others. It won't end well. Everyone starts out at a different place and everyone will lose at their own pace. You're doing great! Keep it up!

    :flowerforyou:
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
    Yup, that's a great start. Welcome!
  • drshona
    drshona Posts: 52 Member
    Thanks for confirming my neurosis! Just needed someone to tell me it's okay and you've certainly done that!

    Now off to fret about why my healthy stir-fry has so many calories....
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    Great start! Don't drive yourself crazy. I usually start off dehydrated and have actually gained weight my first week of a "diet" because I finally drank enough water. :laugh:
  • Chevy_Quest
    Chevy_Quest Posts: 2,012 Member
    Not is it OK - it is great!

    In fact I am trying to lose 2-3 lbs per month and I am estatic. The reason is that I keep getting more and more fit and able to do things physically and athletically that I thought I would never do again.

    On top of that.. I feel like I am already eating at "maintenance" ... I am just eating a little less and exercising a little more.

    You have the right mindset! :drinker: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :smile:

    If you see a post where they say lose 10/lbs per month for 4 months in a row... 97% of those people will fail and come back to the boards screaming (in all CAPS.. why am I not losing weight)!

    Keep up the good work! :smile:
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    Honestly, I *hate* how we are encouraged to compare ourselves to others so much. Even many of the posters here do it...in the last 10 minutes of browsing I've seen numerous posts about how people lost x amount in y time by doing z and *every* time someone does that, there's a benchmark for us to fail to meet.

    It's an internal challenge, really. So I say this to myself as much as to you: STOP comparing yourself to other people. STOP expecting a certain result. The only thing you can control is what you do, so as long as you are making healthy choices then you're succeeding.

    Re: stir-fry - oil?
  • RoyBeck
    RoyBeck Posts: 947 Member
    Great start well done! Keep going. One week you'll lose 2, next week 0 and the next week maybe 1. Don't be disheartened. I nearly quit after 2 months as my loss went 4, 1, 3, 2, 2, 1, 2, 0, 0 then 1. I carried on and I'm now 52 down.

    Don't give up!
  • littleburgy
    littleburgy Posts: 570 Member
    You're being neurotic here! :happy:

    P.S. great start!
  • rabblerabble
    rabblerabble Posts: 471 Member
    2 pounds down is a lot better than 2 pounds up. Stay with your plan and try to patiently take it slow and steady.

    I've lost over half a hundred pounds and that pretty much took me most of the year to do so.

    Keep track of your weekly progress and wait a few months to get a real view of how you are doing.

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