Advice on Weight loss slump

latashalaine

Hi guys! I am fairly new to my fitness pal starting January 2nd of this year. I am a 26 y/o female, 5'8'', and started out at 242 lbs. The first week on my fitness pal, I just did the calorie counting. My recommended intake being 1610 cal per day. I have been very successful at keeping my caloric intake between 1400-1600. I saw the weight drop 8 lbs during the first week and that motivated me to begin small 20-40min workouts. Cardio, circuit training, and interval training. I have stayed the exact same weight for 7 days straight and it is beginning to discourage me. I knew starting workouts, I would begin replacing fat with muscle. I didn't think that I would stay the same weight for 7 days. I am a bigger gal but always had an athletic build before marriage and babies. I guess my questions are: Is it, in fact, muscle gain that is keeping me at 233 lbs? and How long should I expect this to continue? (I am much more motivated by seeing results on the scales!)

*Side note* Since I started (Jan.2nd) I did a complete pantry clean-out and have changed my eating lifestyle completely to whole healthy foods and have saw an inch maybe two come off my waist, hips and bust each.

Thank you for any advice you can give!

LexiMelo

I find that if I weigh myself every day, I get obsessive. Weight loss isn't linear. Congrats on your great first week! Do you ever watch the Biggest Loser? The second week is infamous on that show - your body is just getting used to things. Remember that your weight can go up and down pounds in one day just from fluid levels and such.

So I would pick a time and day of the week and weigh myself at that time. Also I'd recommend measurements as sometimes that is another way to show progress.

You are doing what you need to do - just keep it up!

luckydays27

Initial weight loss is almost always water weight and glycogen excess dissipating from the body. Maybe a little fat with it.

Weight loss is not linear. You need to look at it over the course of a week or better yet, a month.

I do step in the scale everyday but only because I dont really care what the number is, so long as its not several pounds higher than the day before. I weight in officially weekly. I dont obsess about the actual number, its only for verification that what I have been doing is right.

You need to either stay off the scale, or just follow your plan and not worry about what the number is.

latashalaine

Thank you ladies! I guess I am obsessive about the scale. My goal is to lose 8 lbs per month, so I have been monitoring the crap out of my weight. Does that seem an unreasonable goal?

TheSageMage

Take measurements. As you mentioned, if you are working out, depending on the workout type, you may end up replacing some fat with muscle in terms of overall net weight. People always say "Muscle weighs more than fat" but it's really that Muscle is more dense than fat. So take measurements, they will help you to see if you are slimming down/bulking up.

That's not an unreasonable goal, but don't get down if you don't meet it. Your end goal should be maintaining a healthy diet and workout routine, and if you do that, the weight loss should come as it wants.

luckydays27

Thank you ladies! I guess I am obsessive about the scale. My goal is to lose 8 lbs per month, so I have been monitoring the crap out of my weight. Does that seem an unreasonable goal?

Initially it might not be to bad but the closer you get to 200 lbs, you should slow down to 1 lb a week.

2 lbs a week loss is hard to do, unless you are working out so you can eat more food. Food is the key to being successful, I think. Well at least for me it has been. I eat like a mad woman and still lose weight.