Not sure what's going on..

princessabbysmommy

New to this site so I hope I'm doing this right..
I started my weight loss journey on 1/13/14 at 260 pounds.. I woke up that morning knowing I could no longer eat the way I was eating.. Since then I feel like I have been doing pretty good.. I watch what I eat.. Eat lots of fruits and veggies. Stay under my calorie limit.. So Far I've lost 17 pounds.. Then these past 3 days it's like I have been doing nothing. I walk or Zumba every single day. Even on days I tell myself I need a break. Mon. & Tue I only lost .2 pounds then today nothing.. Didn't gain but didn't lose either.. Is is possible to plateau so early? Am I doing something wrong??

JTick

Am I doing something wrong??

Yes.

You're expecting too much too soon and not understanding that weight loss is not linear. This is not a plateau, not even close. Patience, young grasshopper.

Greywalk

You are doing nothing wrong...but the body will adjust to whatever you throw at it...so get working but remember to vary and change periodically. In the meantime just like putting weight on...it comes off the same way...slowly and not all at once...and yes you will plateau I am on one now. been here for 6 weeks....no worries it will change soon enough.

jkowula

Am I doing something wrong??

Yes.

You're expecting too much too soon and not understanding that weight loss is not linear. This is not a plateau, not even close. Patience, young grasshopper.

OP - Continue on.. I have had a few weeks where I have worked my *kitten* off and nothing, then next week all the sudden it starts going again. Trust me on this, just keep with it, no cheating, no excuses, no getting discouraged. It will work..

JTick - Can you explain a plateau for us then? I was in the same boat as OP, well still am at times, and just like OP I thought this was a plateau..

fitfan11

I think you are on the right track. Just be patient. If you feel that your weight loss has slowed dramatically change your workout. It's possible that you are not getting your heart rate high enought to burn a sufficient amount of calories. Keep up the good work. you are doing great.

ShaSimone

Not enough information to know if you are doing anything overtly incorrect. However I will add that your body needs rest as well as exercise. If you are fueling your body well it will reward you. 17 pounds is great, but weight loss is a marathon not a sprint! Take your time, nuture yourself, build a maintainable plan and over time you willl lose the weight and gain the health you want. Sorry if this is too zen for you but that's the place I am in right now!

sarahboyd402

Weigh yourself once a week. Remember this is a marathon not a sprint. Good job with the 17 lbs! Depending on how much you have to lose the faster you'll lost those initial pounds but it tends to slow down. 1lb a week is a good goal.

Briargrey

Some days you go up, some days you stay the same, some days you go down. I weigh every day just to get an idea of what my body is up to, but I don't let it get me down, because I know it will vary SO much. I make it 'count' every week, and even then I realize I may just be retaining a bit and go up a bit but that if I am eating a sustainable, healthy deficit then eventually I will show a downward trend on the scale.

Don't let it get you down. Starting large means you may lose more quickly at first and then suddenly start losing way slower. Don't worry, that's as normal as the occasional fluctuations up and the plateauing.

asianmonkie

Keep it mind that it took you YEARS to get ... big. It's going to take at LEAST a few weeks for you to see progress. Just keep at it. And I'm also on your FL so feel free to drop me a line if you need anything Good luck!

echofm1

Am I doing something wrong??

Yes.

You're expecting too much too soon and not understanding that weight loss is not linear. This is not a plateau, not even close. Patience, young grasshopper.

This. It's not linear. You will not see a drop every day, because your body weight fluctuates. Sometimes you had a big meal at dinner, sometimes you ate like a bird because you were running around. You might have water weight from a new workout or too much sodium. Your body might have just decided that it didn't feel like losing weight through the week and then suddenly you're down 2 pounds, for no particular reason.

Just simmer down and have patience. You just started, and you'll drive yourself crazy obsessing over every micro-change on the scale, or even worse get discouraged by a slight increase.

explorationerin

Just dont expect it all to go at a steady rate... our weight fluctuates on a daily basis so i wouldnt worry too much. Today i weighed myself i had put 4lb on since yesterday... i know this is just water retention because of sore muscles and working so hard the last couple of days! It will be gone within a few days and isnt actual weight gain ect.

sarahwilson12

Might help if we could see your diary. I found that when I started, eating only 1200 or so calories was unbearable. After I found my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and took away about 15%, it actually has been working better. To find your TDEE, and more, go to this site:

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

All the best!

JTick

Am I doing something wrong??

Yes.

You're expecting too much too soon and not understanding that weight loss is not linear. This is not a plateau, not even close. Patience, young grasshopper.

JTick - Can you explain a plateau for us then? I was in the same boat as OP, well still am at times, and just like OP I thought this was a plateau..

Sure!

OP: Plateaus are usually characterized by no loss whatsoever over a period of at least 3-4 weeks, even when you are diligent with weighing your food and calculating every calorie you eat. Even still, they are *normally* caused by overeating (not recalculating your goals, etc). It is well within the realm of possibility that you lose nothing for several weeks, and then suddenly drop 3-4 lbs over night, and then lose nothing more for several weeks.

Weight loss is never linear due to fluctuations within our body. Hormones, the amount of waste in your GI tract, water weight, glycogen stores, etc, can all cause wild fluctuations. I can gain 6 lbs overnight by indulging at a restaurant because my glycogen stores fill up and sodium causes bloat. This is a really important concept to grasp early on...if you don't you will drive yourself crazy with the scale.

Also, you lost 17 pounds in like 15 days. That is WAY too fast (and I question if you're eating enough), so now your body is trying to catch up.

princessabbysmommy

Thank everyone for your responses. I opened up my diary to public so you guys can take a look at what I'm eating..
I'm completely new to this and reading everything online is just SO confusing. Don't eat this. Eat that. Do this. Don't do that. I have never really tried to diet because I didn't really feel uncomfortable with myself.. But now I've reached that stage, and I am at a complete loss as to where to start. Or even what to do..

asianmonkie

You live you learn. Everything comes to you as you are going along. I've been here for 3 years and it wasn't until the last 3 months that I STARTED to really figure things out. You can do it

WeepingAngel81

I took a quick glimpse at your diary. For starters, you are not eating enough, and you are taking in a lot of sodium. 1200 is dangerous enough, but you are eating under that and not eating back your exercise calories. You need to start by eating more and cutting back on sodium.

All of this take time. So much time. It can be overwhelming, but at some point you just have to get up and figure it out. It will be slow going, but you won't get anywhere if you don't eat.

JTick

Is your diary accurate?

You are not eating enough. Not even close. You need to meeting the goal that MFP gives you.

nikkihk

Try to judge your progress on inches lost more then weight... though weight helps with the emotional journey? Inches and body fat percentage might be a better gauge. Too many factors dictate body weight.... Hell I jump 5 pounds from morning to night back to morning. It no indication of my fat loss progress though.. I didn't magically drop or gain five pounds of fat in 12 hours...

Give yourself more time to really check progress and make sure you're eating enough to fuel your body. Anything below 1,200 cals is unhealthy really.

PolacaFL

You could be close to getting your monthly visitor. Keep at it and you will see results. The weight loss slows down after the first two weeks. I focus mostly on the calories. Don't worry so much on "don't eat this and don't eat that." You seem overwhelmed as is. You can refine your diet later.

Good job at losing 17 so far!

nikkihk

Is your diary accurate?

You are not eating enough. Not even close. You need to meeting the goal that MFP gives you.

OMG.. ^^^ This!! 500-600 calories a day are scary unhealthy!!! Please increase your intake to 1400-1500 a day and don't be scared of it. Eating enough for your body to fuel itself HELPS weight loss.

See this: "You don’t have to eat 500 calories a day to shed pounds. In fact, unless you’re morbidly obese and supervised by a medical professional, 500-calorie diets aren’t the best choice. A review published in 2006 in “Obesity” reports that very low-calorie diets are not more effective long term than low-calorie diets providing 1,000 to 1,500 calories daily. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute suggests women eat 1,000 to 1,600 calories daily and men consume 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day if they are overweight or obese and want to shed pounds safely and effectively."

Please don't hurt yourself!!

LH85DC

Is your diary accurate?

You are not eating enough. Not even close. You need to meeting the goal that MFP gives you.

This ^^^ If your diary is accurate (and I kind of hope that it isn't), you aren't eating anywhere near enough. And then you're doing exercise on top of it. Weight loss is a long process, and trying to speed it up by eating way under your goal will only lead to health problems in the long run. Eat at the goal MFP sets for you, and remember to be patient.

princessabbysmommy

Thank you guys!! I feel a lot better. I felt so lost. I think my main problem was expecting so much.. My mom recently juiced for like 2 months and lost like 40 pounds. I guess I was expecting something like that.. I try to remind myself that I didn't gain it overnight so I'm not going to lose it overnight .But it feels so good to see those numbers going down on the scale. Now I've kinda got an idea on where to go from here. Again thanks everyone for all the support

echofm1

Thank you guys!! I feel a lot better. I felt so lost. I think my main problem was expecting so much.. My mom recently juiced for like 2 months and lost like 40 pounds. I guess I was expecting something like that.. I try to remind myself that I didn't gain it overnight so I'm not going to lose it overnight .But it feels so good to see those numbers going down on the scale. Now I've kinda got an idea on where to go from here. Again thanks everyone for all the support

Wait for a couple months after and see how much of that weight she gains back. Monitoring your intake is something that will help keep the weight off long term. Juicing might get it off fast, but at the end all you've really learned is to make tasty juice.

And seriously, if the 5-600 calories a day thing was correct, eat more. I've lost my 62 pounds eating 2200-1900 calories a day. I started off pretty heave (343 pounds), but that's just proof that you don't need to starve yourself to see results.

ChrisM8971

Is your diary accurate?

You are not eating enough. Not even close. You need to meeting the goal that MFP gives you.

Agree, you don't want to be trying to lose more than 2 lb per week and eating 50% or more of exercise burns back on top of the calorie limit MFP sets.

Don't starve yourself and remember slow steady weight loss gives you the best chance of keeping it of later

karissalaporte

I am also looking for some guidance. I started my journey on 1/5/14. As of 1/26, I had lost around 7lbs. I am 5’7”, eating around 1500 calories per day, and exercising 5x per week (mix of cardio and strength training). I did calculate my TDEE and suggested daily caloric intake which came in around 1700 and I felt that was a little too high. I do not feel hungry eating 1500 calories per day, but am having a hard time keeping my carb intake in check. I am curious to know if my progress is normal, or if I should see more/less weight coming off. I do understand the number on the scale is not the be all and end all of weight loss (it’s about how you look and feel) but it’s encouraging to see the number get lower! Any thoughts are appreciated.

echofm1

I am also looking for some guidance. I started my journey on 1/5/14. As of 1/26, I had lost around 7lbs. I am 5’7”, eating around 1500 calories per day, and exercising 5x per week (mix of cardio and strength training). I did calculate my TDEE and suggested daily caloric intake which came in around 1700 and I felt that was a little too high. I do not feel hungry eating 1500 calories per day, but am having a hard time keeping my carb intake in check. I am curious to know if my progress is normal, or if I should see more/less weight coming off. I do understand the number on the scale is not the be all and end all of weight loss (it’s about how you look and feel) but it’s encouraging to see the number get lower! Any thoughts are appreciated.

Normal is really anything under 8 pounds a month. Some people get higher, perhaps 10 pounds a month, but they're usually either severely overweight or eating way too low. Your loss rate is on the high end of just fine, so good job!