Weight loss – not sure if I am concerned any longer

WelshPhil1975

I started this journey in March 2014 and my goal was solely to lose weight. I knew this would have obvious knock-on effects to my size (if successful), but I decided to throw all my eggs into the weight loss basket and see how it went.

The first few weeks/months were great; I was losing 2lb per week and as a result of eating healthier I was feeling energised and motivated.

I then got a Fitbit, and it has revolutionised my life that bit further; I am now more active than I have ever been and I keep wanting to go further & higher on my walks with my dog (I live in the bottom of a valley with beautiful surroundings); and whilst it doesn’t directly track all other activities, I am doing more swimming, etc, than I was doing before, so it has motivated me to get fitter than I ever have been.

I am also getting thinner, and I know this due to needing to tighten my belt regularly, buying new clothes in smaller sizes and I have had compliments by people who don’t even know I have been dieting (I tend to keep it to myself).

However, one glaring anomaly to this is that I have stopped losing weight as regularly as I was in the beginning; I have only lost 10lb in the last 14 weeks (which has included 3 weeks of weight gain) and I haven’t changed my eating habits atall – I still eat within my calorie limit and if I go over I will only eat about 40-50% of the exercise calories back. I think I have only eaten above my net calorie limit twice, ever, (well, since I started in March) and both times were only out by 20-30odd calories. Weighing has almost become an “ordeal” lately; getting on the scales after what I KNOW to have been a good week (both in food and exercise terms), only to find I am heavier than I was 7 days ago. I know weight loss is not linear, etc, but the rate I have “eased up” on getting lighter is showing a depressing trend to me now.

I seem to lose a lot in one go (say, 5lb) then nothing more than the odd lb or 2 for the next 3-4 weeks, then another 5lb in one go. I know this is not unusual and I am ok with that, but I can’t see why I gain every couple of weeks either (which was doubly frustrating, because the last time I lost 5lb it was losing the 5lb I’d put on over the previous couple of weeks).

I think the best solution is to keep the food diary (it’s the best motivation a tool out there), keep my activity levels up and start weighing every month (or even 3 months) instead of every week – I am eating healthier, I am more active than ever and I am getting thinner, which is way more than I set out to achieve.........yet I am not even halfway to my target weight yet. But I don’t know if I can happily live with that – I would be too curious to check my weight every week, seeing as that was my original focus and I can’t seem to shift the emphasis of it in my head.

Lizzy622

You are doing great! Keep up the good work. Have you readjusted your calories since you lost weight? This is something people forget. As you lose weight, your calorie requirement goes down since you are doing less work carrying all that extra weight you dropped.

WelshPhil1975

Thanks for the compliemt, and yes, I do readjust every few lbs lost (I forgot to mention that bit).

tulips_and_tea

Sounds to me like you're doing really well! Your expectations are realistic and you continue to make progress.

I think one of the hardest things to accept about this whole journey IS that it's a bit sporadic and unpredictable, simply because that's the way the human body works. Even if you did exactly the same thing every week your weight loss and progress would not mirror it exactly (as far as I know; I could be wrong).

It's also about (as was mentioned) adjusting continuously to your new body, metabolism, and activity level. Just be consistent and stick with it - good job so far!

WelshPhil1975

Lost 4lb on the scales this morning. I guess that means another 3-4 weeks of little to no gain or even putting weight on, if the current pattern is to still apply. I will simply have to try all I can to break the pattern.

Liftng4Lis

Sounds like you're doing a great job, keep up the great work and be patient. It's obviously working!

ukaryote

Since March you have lost 50 lbs? Six months and 50 lbs? Holy smokes, that is great!

Perhaps you could find an activity you like to do and set that as a goal instead of weight. Hiking? Dog training? I was also focused on weight. I tried to find a short-term physical challenge - specific workouts at the gym - increasing weights, increasing effort on the stationary bike. Slowly my attention turned to fitness with weight being just one component.

cdoesthehula

No-one has mentioned it yet, but they probably will - if you're excercising more, you are increasing the amount of muscle in your body. And muscle is heavier than fat.

If you're a bit over the prescribed weight for your height but still healthy, that's OK so long as you're happy.

I've reached the same conclusion as you.

I have specific fitness goals rather than weight loss ones, and so long as I make those and I feel healthy, weight loss is not terribly important. I'll be logging calories forever because it is good to be able to measure and make sure you're not doing anything that will impact your health in the longer term.

bradsbaby1996

You are doing an amazing job!

I have lost 111 (finally past 110) and it took me from the first of August to lose that one measly pound!! In that time frame, I have been lifting and running usually 6 days a week! I have been noticibly getting smaller especially in my legs and my arms getting a more scuplted look as well as my chest getting muscular! But the dang scale wouldn't budge! In fact, when I first began lifting, it went up 4 pounds!! That was gone very soon but the scales have constantly read 154-156 on a daily basis all of August and September!

I finally get up this morning to 153!! So keep doing what you are doing so well and the scales will eventually catch up!

trisH_7183

" think the best solution is to keep the food diary (it’s the best motivation a tool out there), keep my activity levels up and start weighing every month (or even 3 months) instead of every week – I am eating healthier, I am more active than ever and I am getting thinner, which is way more than I set out to achieve.........yet I am not even halfway to my target weight yet. But I don’t know if I can happily live with that – I would be too curious to check my weight every week, seeing as that was my original focus and I can’t seem to shift the emphasis of it in my head"

Been there,still happening.....but looks to me as if you are doing great! Have read that your body soon gets tired of the same old routine in exercise. Maybe trying to change that around for a few wks? Could be you will need to do that several times. Good luck.

Francl27

FYI I've followed the same weight loss pattern the whole time. So it's totally normal, even if it's extremely frustrating.