I'm 18 days in and feeling disappointed..

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Replies

  • itistobeme
    itistobeme Posts: 12
    It can feel agonizingly slow, however remember that one pound a week is healthy and safe, at at that rate, more likely to stay off then when lost more quickly. Find an object that weighs one pound and another that weighs five and remind yourself how much weight that really is. And also try counting forward 10 weeks on the calendar and stay focused on doing all the right things for those 10 weeks. You'll be down another 10 by then. It's hard to wait. It's worth it though. It didn't go on in 18 days and it won't come off that quickly either! Be strong and use your network.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    First tip: forget how much you weigh and focus on the inches lost
    I'm 8 lbs less than you but I have lost a lot of inches and am in pretty good shape. Those 8 lbs lost were from January til now. Consider your loss a good one and keep pushing forward
  • stephe1987
    stephe1987 Posts: 406 Member
    Inches are more important than pounds. There will be times when your body is changing fat into muscle and the weight will stay close to the same but you will be losing inches. That's why your check-in should have weight as well as measurements.

    You are still losing weight. Nothing to worry about. Losing weight slowly may be annoying, but you're more likely to keep it off than if you lost it all quickly.

    If your weight stays the same for a month or you even gain a pound...
    -lower your calorie goal
    -if your goal is already 1200, make sure you're measuring your food
    -do a more intense exercise program
    -eat back only half of your exercise calories (due to underestimates in calories consumed and overestimation in calories burned)

    If you aren't eating much and exercising a lot for a month and your weight loss stops...
    -take a week off where you eat at maintenance mode and exercise a lot less or not at all
    -after the week is over, go back to normal

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 15-25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

    As you can tell, weight loss slows a lot toward the end. This is because you can no longer eat as much of a deficit and your exercise isn't going to burn as much as it did when you were heavier.
  • Happy_Niss
    Happy_Niss Posts: 95 Member
    That kind of loss then gain is pretty common, especially in the beginning, as you lose the water weight and beginning fat and gain some muscle.
    18 days is not long enough to judge though! Keep going and more good results will come.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Yes I've been moderately working out 3-5 times per week, always drink my water, I do measure and count my food
    In total I have lost 1.5 off my hips and 1.5 off my waist but if I'm noticing inches dropping shouldn't the weight be dropping too?
    It's so discouraging... Thank god I hold my weight well
    That's excellent! Keep up the good work!
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I know 18 days isn't enough to see great results but I really thought I would see more than a 5 pound drop and a three pound gain.. I have lost inches but being 5'1 and 180 pounds I thought I would see a significant weight loss considering I am always in range or lower than my caloric goal... Any tips?

    18 days isn't enough to see results period.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Three pounds of water weight?
    Yep. I was carting around about 4 pounds of extra water the last few weeks due to caffeine increase (I am sensitive to caffeine and it makes me retain water) and very sore muscles from working out.

    Water retention is pretty normal anyway, but increases with our workouts.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Much of your body weight IS water, it is totally normal to fluctuate 5 pounds in water weight just throughout the course of a day.

    You have to track your progress for longer than 18 days to see if you are losing fat because water weight fluctuations will mask any actual fat loss until you lose enough fat to say for sure that the change in the scale is due to actual weight loss and not just fluctuations in water retention.

    This takes time.
  • taramaclaren
    taramaclaren Posts: 95 Member
    Yes I've been moderately working out 3-5 times per week, always drink my water, I do measure and count my food
    In total I have lost 1.5 off my hips and 1.5 off my waist but if I'm noticing inches dropping shouldn't the weight be dropping too?
    It's so discouraging... Thank god I hold my weight well

    Sounds like you are seeing some results, but understandable that you want to see more. I am not an expert by any means, but it does seem like you should be seeing a bit more on the scale, especially with the awesome size drop you are seeing!

    Weight is for sure not the only, or even the most important measure, but it can be encouraging especially when you are starting out. Here are some tips I'd have to help encourage you:

    1) I don't know how you work out, but when I first started running my weight was ALWAYS up for 2 days after a longer run (6 miles). As my body got used to the increased intensity my workouts didn't cause me to retain or gain water weight. If you are starting a new routine, it is possible your body is responding the same way that mine did - are you weighing yourself every day?

    2) Measure your food. Log EVERYTHING. Buy a food scale and use it religiously, likely this is the only thing that you really need to change. Most of the time people over-eat and under-log. They also eat back too many calories as MFP can over-estimate the calories we burn in a workout. So having a solid understanding of your actualized intake can help you figure out where you need to be.

    3) Try to incorporate new, small activities into your day. Go for a 20 minute walk and listen to a book on tape. Do sit ups during one commercial. While you are waiting for something to cook in the microwave, do squats or lunges. I know this sounds dumb, but it will really make a difference! You will find yourself more energetic and making better decisions because you are moving more. It doesn't have to be a "work out" to work! Just get yourself moving every day in some way and it will pay off in spades. Honestly, the days I eat the WORST are the ones that I'm sedentary. When I start my day with a long walk with my dog and then take care to stretch etc, it really puts my focus on taking care of myself rather than indulging my cravings. :)

    Anyways, those are just some things that I've noticed - you keep up the good work. It takes a while but it will all work out!
  • krennie8
    krennie8 Posts: 301 Member
    Three pounds of water weight?

    Yep, could be more with TOM.

    Yep - shark week I gain around 5 pounds. Then it drops right back off. Don't sweat it.

    You're doing just fine. Keep eating well, staying active.

    "Shark week" lol, I like that name.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    Uh, you're only 18 days in? What kind of results were you hoping for, pray tell?

    I gently urge you to give yourself a small reality check. Do a little research and find out how long it takes the average person to see definite weight loss results. Then you might see that the results you have achieved so far are actually pretty freakin spectacular, and you have nothing to whine about. :flowerforyou: Keep reminding yourself that it's completely crazy and unreasonable to expect to lose weight faster than you put it on.
  • leeanneowens
    leeanneowens Posts: 319 Member
    Just stick with it. It took me over a year to lose my weight. I am 5'3" and weighed 196 lbs. the day I started trying to lose weight and 190 the day I discovered My Fitness Pal. I don't exercise a lot, but when I do, I eat back the exercise calories and I never ate below the 1200 calories that MFP said to eat while I was trying to lose. It was not easy and some weeks were great while some were not so great. It is better to lose weight slowly. You will be more likely to keep it off. It is a life changing process that cannot be rushed.
  • Polo8686
    Polo8686 Posts: 2 Member
    Hi,

    I was in the same boat as you, and believe you me, I was beyond upset as I gained 2.5 pounds the first week. I measured everything, ate exactly the breakdown of what my fitness pal stated.

    I didn't give up, and here is what I did:

    I eat 1250 calories a day, based on 40% Carbs 30% Protein and 20% fats

    I do spin classes 6 times a week and burn 536 calories within 55 minutes and do 30 minute of weight training 2-3 times a week and burn about 256 calories.

    I lost in 7 days 4 pounds. This is working for me, as I have to choose wisely my calories and I don't feel hungry. If I do, I just eat a bit extra protein like a hard boiled egg, and maybe 1 oz of lean chicken breast.

    I hope this helps, don't give up, it's a matter of figuring out what works for your body.
  • hearthwood
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
    I think you're expecting to much too soon. A 5 pound weigh loss in 18 days is good. That means you've either eaten 17,500 calories less and or burned and or a combination of both over the last 18 days. Or the equivalent of 989 calories a day. Don't weigh yourself everyday. If you're doing everything right the up's and down's on the scale could be some excess water weight, and if you're working out with weights that tends to happen. The good news is muscles takes up 1/3 the space that fat does. So check to see if you've lost some inches.

    Anyway it's a great start, don't get discouraged, just keep going, never give up.

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