3 weeks and I only lost 5 pounds!!!

matgh124

Hello All,

I'm just a little frustrated. I've been using my fitness pal for maybe 3 weeks or more... maybe 4 weeks. It has me at around 1700 calories and give or take i have tried staying within those ranges. I consume ALOT of protein and i lift a lot of weight about 3-4 times a week focusing on different muscle groups each day. thus far I have only lost about 5 pounds or so. I started my fitness pal weighing in at 268 pounds....and my lowest has been 259.4.... but i go back and forth from 259 to 262.4 or 263. And it seems i cant move lower than 263??? I just started measuring myself and my measurements dont seem to change much. but i have noticed some clothes feeling more "comfortable" and not super tight like they used to (shirts primarily).... I'm a male and I'm 30 yrs old. I have tried to be consistent with a high protein and low carb diet and on the weekends I'll refeed my carbs into my diet while maintaining my protein. I wont say I'm 100% by any means on my diet... more so like 85% give or take a little...

StaciMarie1974

3-4 weeks is a good start, but this is not something you start and end in such a short period of time. 5 pounds in 3-4 weeks is great. Now give it another 3-4...

malibu927

That's 1.67 pounds a week, which is a good rate. Just remember that it's a marathon, not a sprint.

MN_HGirl

Like already posted... 5lbs is a great start!

diannethegeek

What were the results that you were expecting? 5 pounds lost in 3 weeks is excellent progress.

HeatherScent37

What's wrong with 5 pounds in 3 weeks? It's been a month and I've only lost 4 pounds. This isn't the Biggest Loser! lol We aren't going to be dropping 10-20 lbs a week. We gained our fat gradually and the only way to get rid of it forever is to lose it gradually.

Look at it this way - you haven't GAINED any weight, right? I was actively gaining weight until I started MFP, so I look at it as a success that I've stopped that gain, even if I haven't lost a lot of weight yet.

TeachTheGirl

I think that's awesome progress so far! You're getting a little ahead of yourself.

Go with how you're feeling. Your clothes are a great indicator to keep at what you're doing.

jtrack3d

One pound per week is a good healthy rate to lose weight. If you are heavier it can sometimes drop a little faster but you don't want it to.

You don't want your body taxed.
You want to give your skin time to contract.
You need to relearn how to eat and not starve yourself.

Losing weight is not an ALL or nothing cram for exam... it is a constant journey where you have to relearn ways that work for you.

Your graph will be all over the place like mine



http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jtrack3d

CoolDad67

That's actually a pretty good rate of loss like others have said.

JArroyo2121

I agree with everyone else, that is great progess! But maybe try and focus less on strength training and work on some cardio. Whatever fat you lose is being replaced with muscle. Maybe try doing cardio 3 days out of the week and 2 days strength. If you don't go to the gym that much, just try adding in more cardio to your workouts. Good Luck! Keep up the good work!

dym123

Just a friendly reminder of how this actually works.

NathanAHicks

That's a pretty good rate of loss. Also, remember that muscle weighs much more when compared to fat so it's possible that you are building muscle while losing fat at the same time. So while you might be gaining weight at times you will look skinnier. Often times people gain weight over a period of years and that takes a lot of time to get off so don't get discouraged! Just keep at it!

If you haven't already done it, take a picture of yourself now and then once a week/month so you can actually see that you are making progress.

tkdgirlms

Don't be frustrated! That's a great start, although a lot of it is probably water weight but you are off to a great start!

brower47

Once you realize your goals are unrealistic, you'll find that 5 lbs in 3 weeks is a good thing and not something to be frustrated over.

Be happy about your progress so far, not unhappy about not attaining the fantasies you've had in your head.

KylaDenay

5 pounds in 3 weeks is awesome! I say good work!

low_esteem23

5lbs in 3 weeks is good. also you're working out.. you're building muscle. so it may not read on a scale but you're losing fat and gaining muscle.

brower47

5lbs in 3 weeks is good. also you're working out.. you're building muscle. so it may not read on a scale but you're losing fat and gaining muscle.

No. You can't gain muscle while on a deficit. That's like building an addition to a house without any building materials and while people are stealing bricks from the original house during the night.

You can't build something (muscle) from less than nothing (a calorie deficit).

DeguelloTex

5lbs in 3 weeks is good. also you're working out.. you're building muscle. so it may not read on a scale but you're losing fat and gaining muscle.

No. You can't gain muscle while on a deficit. That's like building an addition to a house without any building materials and while people are stealing bricks from the original house during the night.

You can't build something (muscle) from less than nothing (a calorie deficit).

It's not from nothing. Your body has 3500 calories per pound of fat to use as something.

matgh124

ok. thanks a lot guys! I guess my frustration came from when i logged my calories MFP was saying "if every day was like today you'd weight 149 pounds in 5 weeks!" and i was just thinking to myself.... "I'm not even close to that! d@mmit!" lol. Thanks again for the motivation

brower47

5lbs in 3 weeks is good. also you're working out.. you're building muscle. so it may not read on a scale but you're losing fat and gaining muscle.

No. You can't gain muscle while on a deficit. That's like building an addition to a house without any building materials and while people are stealing bricks from the original house during the night.

You can't build something (muscle) from less than nothing (a calorie deficit).

It's not from nothing. Your body has 3500 calories per pound of fat to use as something.

Only the very obese see gains in muscle mass because there's enough fat stores to release the needed energy to run the body at a deficit while the eaten food can be then used to build muscle. The average person, while eating in a deficit, will not gain mass. They can gain strength but those are two different things.

diannethegeek

ok. thanks a lot guys! I guess my frustration came from when i logged my calories MFP was saying "if every day was like today you'd weight 149 pounds in 5 weeks!" and i was just thinking to myself.... "I'm not even close to that! d@mmit!" lol. Thanks again for the motivation

How little are you eating that MFP thought you'd lose 110 pounds in 5 weeks?

KylaDenay

ok. thanks a lot guys! I guess my frustration came from when i logged my calories MFP was saying "if every day was like today you'd weight 149 pounds in 5 weeks!" and i was just thinking to myself.... "I'm not even close to that! d@mmit!" lol. Thanks again for the motivation

Whoa huge deficit there! Eat up...

DeguelloTex

5lbs in 3 weeks is good. also you're working out.. you're building muscle. so it may not read on a scale but you're losing fat and gaining muscle.

No. You can't gain muscle while on a deficit. That's like building an addition to a house without any building materials and while people are stealing bricks from the original house during the night.

You can't build something (muscle) from less than nothing (a calorie deficit).

It's not from nothing. Your body has 3500 calories per pound of fat to use as something.

Only the very obese see gains in muscle mass because there's enough fat stores to release the needed energy to run the body at a deficit while the eaten food can be then used to build muscle. The average person, while eating in a deficit, will not gain mass. They can gain strength but those are two different things.

So your earlier statement that it "can't" be done was overbroad and wrong.

brower47

5lbs in 3 weeks is good. also you're working out.. you're building muscle. so it may not read on a scale but you're losing fat and gaining muscle.

No. You can't gain muscle while on a deficit. That's like building an addition to a house without any building materials and while people are stealing bricks from the original house during the night.

You can't build something (muscle) from less than nothing (a calorie deficit).

It's not from nothing. Your body has 3500 calories per pound of fat to use as something.

Only the very obese see gains in muscle mass because there's enough fat stores to release the needed energy to run the body at a deficit while the eaten food can be then used to build muscle. The average person, while eating in a deficit, will not gain mass. They can gain strength but those are two different things.

So your earlier statement that it "can't" be done was overbroad and wrong.

Nope. Just as I don't automatically add a disclaimer of "certain medical conditions being exempt" when giving advice, I didn't add the "If you're obese, you could, under the proper circumstances, see miniscule gains in muscle mass while eating at a deficit."

It wasn't over broad or wrong. It was a fact that didn't include the tiny outlier. Why are you fighting this information so much? Your assertion that 3500 calories per pound of excess fat could be used to create muscle was over broad and wrong. Yours was misinformation that people who aren't losing could use to attribute non weight loss to muscle building in conjunction with fat loss when in reality, they are likely eating too much. Your information would stall a person and give them false hopes for a healthier body that they aren't actually attaining. Mine, on the other hand, is forcing a person to take a second look at their diet/exercise, make corrections and eventually attain their goals.

Good information is more useful to people than misinformation every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

DeguelloTex

5lbs in 3 weeks is good. also you're working out.. you're building muscle. so it may not read on a scale but you're losing fat and gaining muscle.

No. You can't gain muscle while on a deficit. That's like building an addition to a house without any building materials and while people are stealing bricks from the original house during the night.

You can't build something (muscle) from less than nothing (a calorie deficit).

It's not from nothing. Your body has 3500 calories per pound of fat to use as something.

Only the very obese see gains in muscle mass because there's enough fat stores to release the needed energy to run the body at a deficit while the eaten food can be then used to build muscle. The average person, while eating in a deficit, will not gain mass. They can gain strength but those are two different things.

So your earlier statement that it "can't" be done was overbroad and wrong.

Nope. Just as I don't automatically add a disclaimer of "certain medical conditions being exempt" when giving advice, I didn't add the "If you're obese, you could, under the proper circumstances, see miniscule gains in muscle mass while eating at a deficit."

It wasn't over broad or wrong. It was a fact that didn't include the tiny outlier. Why are you fighting this information so much? Your assertion that 3500 calories per pound of excess fat could be used to create muscle was over broad and wrong. Yours was misinformation that people who aren't losing could use to attribute non weight loss to muscle building in conjunction with fat loss when in reality, they are likely eating too much. Your information would stall a person and give them false hopes for a healthier body that they aren't actually attaining. Mine, on the other hand, is forcing a person to take a second look at their diet/exercise, make corrections and eventually attain their goals.

Good information is more useful to people than misinformation every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Look, you were wrong. Just deal with it. The guy said in his original post that he was 268 when he started. Per BMI, 268 is obese all the way up to 6'7". So, unless the guy is taller than 6'7", he was obese when he started. It's not a "tiny outlier," it's the specific guy in this specific thread.

Also, don't put words in my mouth. I never said he could attribute the lack of weight loss to muscle gain. It's borderline impossible for him to gain muscle mass quickly enough for that to be the case. Maybe he could do it with freaky genetics and steroids, but that's beside the point, because I never made that claim in the first place. All I claimed was that your bald assertion that gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time "can't" be done. It can. And, specifically, it can be done by the obese and the OP is obese (unless he's taller than 6'7") so he is exactly the kind of person who is potentially capable of doing what you said can't be done.

So, to recap: what you said was wrong, especially in this particular case and I didn't make the statements you claim I did.

brower47

5lbs in 3 weeks is good. also you're working out.. you're building muscle. so it may not read on a scale but you're losing fat and gaining muscle.

No. You can't gain muscle while on a deficit. That's like building an addition to a house without any building materials and while people are stealing bricks from the original house during the night.

You can't build something (muscle) from less than nothing (a calorie deficit).

It's not from nothing. Your body has 3500 calories per pound of fat to use as something.

Only the very obese see gains in muscle mass because there's enough fat stores to release the needed energy to run the body at a deficit while the eaten food can be then used to build muscle. The average person, while eating in a deficit, will not gain mass. They can gain strength but those are two different things.

So your earlier statement that it "can't" be done was overbroad and wrong.

Nope. Just as I don't automatically add a disclaimer of "certain medical conditions being exempt" when giving advice, I didn't add the "If you're obese, you could, under the proper circumstances, see miniscule gains in muscle mass while eating at a deficit."

It wasn't over broad or wrong. It was a fact that didn't include the tiny outlier. Why are you fighting this information so much? Your assertion that 3500 calories per pound of excess fat could be used to create muscle was over broad and wrong. Yours was misinformation that people who aren't losing could use to attribute non weight loss to muscle building in conjunction with fat loss when in reality, they are likely eating too much. Your information would stall a person and give them false hopes for a healthier body that they aren't actually attaining. Mine, on the other hand, is forcing a person to take a second look at their diet/exercise, make corrections and eventually attain their goals.

Good information is more useful to people than misinformation every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Look, you were wrong. Just deal with it. The guy said in his original post that he was 268 when he started. Per BMI, 268 is obese all the way up to 6'7". So, unless the guy is taller than 6'7", he was obese when he started. It's not a "tiny outlier," it's the specific guy in this specific thread.

Also, don't put words in my mouth. I never said he could attribute the lack of weight loss to muscle gain. It's borderline impossible for him to gain muscle mass quickly enough for that to be the case. Maybe he could do it with freaky genetics and steroids, but that's beside the point, because I never made that claim in the first place. All I claimed was that your bald assertion that gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time "can't" be done. It can. And, specifically, it can be done by the obese and the OP is obese (unless he's taller than 6'7") so he is exactly the kind of person who is potentially capable of doing what you said can't be done.

So, to recap: what you said was wrong, especially in this particular case and I didn't make the statements you claim I did.

It wasn't wrong. At most, it was trivially incomplete. Any muscle he gained due to being obese was insignificant and not worth mentioning outside of interesting trivial science facts because it's hardly measurable.

You never mentioned attributing weight loss to muscle gain but you quoted my correction of the woman that said, " you're building muscle. so it may not read on a scale but you're losing fat and gaining muscle." with, "It's not from nothing. Your body has 3500 calories per pound of fat to use as something." This was an indirect validation of the poster I corrected. If you didn't want to validate the incorrect statement, you shouldn't have included it in the quotes and only quoted my statement.

In the end, your 'correction' of, "It's not from nothing. Your body has 3500 calories per pound of fat to use as something." wasn't useful in the least. It was nonsensically out of context at its best, misleading at its worst. My original statement contradicting the poster at the start of this quote chain stands. Everything that has been argued after, has just been silly, nit picking nonsense.

Just to reiterate, this was the statement that I corrected before you came in and muddled it up:

you're building muscle. so it may not read on a scale but you're losing fat and gaining muscle

The OP didn't gain enough muscle to offset fat losses (despite being obese). My statement stands. .

photochik71

I'd kill for 5lbs. in 3 weeks!

dbmata

Oh my god! 5 pounds in 3 weeks!

Call back in a couple months. kthxbai.

sarahrosheen

only?! that's more than 1 pound per week, I would celebrating!

Unknown

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CleanUpWhatIMessedUp

Well according you most experts, you're only supposed to lose 2 pounds per week. So in 2 weeks you should lose 2 pounds. In 3 weeks you should lose 6 pounds total. So it seems like you are right on track.