Am I Doing Something Wrong?

thisistotallysarah

I have been watching my calories and exercising everyday for 2 and 1/2 weeks and I have only lost 2lbs. I remember when I dieted when I was younger losing like 5 lbs in the first week alone! I know its very early to get a little discouraged but can anyone help me out here?

I don't have my diary public but if you add me you can see what I've been eating. I have logged every crumb and I dont know what the deal is... I don't have some kind of deadline to meet or anything but I'd like to make SOME progress here and not feel like I'm just breaking even everyday.

I drink TONS of water-- not only when I am losing weight but in my general life. I have been VERY much a water drinker since birth basically. I can drink it all day no problem, and I think thats how I have kept myself from ever gaining an obscene amount of weight.

Let me know what you guys think. Will it ever pick up?

Lots of love to everyone!

Lyndzo

I've had the same problem in the past. People's bodies react different to changes in eating and exercise. Give it time, I am sure you will notice a difference soon!

thisistotallysarah

I'll just make my diary public but feel free to add me anyway

luv2ash

It may have something to do with where your calories are coming from??? Fresh fruits, veggies, lean proteins. Stay away from those fancy prepackaged low calorie snacks that people think are designed for people on diets but actually just make you crave more junk.

stephierae25

Take your measurments you may notice you have lost inches. I do this I lose inches instead of weight sometimes.

SmashleeWpg

Unfortuately our metabolisms do slow down as we age, and they tend to march to the beat of their own drum. As much as we want to think there is an absolute formula to losing weight, there isn't! I can put $20.00 in my bank account every payday and know that a year later I'll have $520.00 saved, but I can "burn" 7000 calories a week and there is no absolute guarantee that I will lose 2 pounds!

If you've been working out with weights, it is entirely possible that you're gaining muscle at the same time as losing fat. Perhaps for the first little while, go by how you feel and how your clothes fit - or inches. Don't focus entirely on the number on the scale - it can fluctuate up to SEVEN pounds a day!!

Adding more protein to your day and getting the majority of your carbs from veggies, fruits, and healthy grains is always helpful too - essentially eating clean

At the end of the day, remind yourself that you're trying your best to be healthy, slow and steady wins the race and is the best way to KEEP the weight off, and pat yourself on the back for 2 pounds in 2 1/2 weeks, because that's nothing to turn your nose up at! Keep it up, girl!

RoniDoll

maybeyou should start tracking your sodium. but... 2 pounds in 2 and 1/2 weeks is great! you don't want to lose any more than that. I lose one pound a week and its staying off and i look and feel great! I was able to drop weight like it was nothing when i was a teen but when you get older it is harder to lose. keep up the awesome work and keep doing what you are doing.

xaintes

I don't think you're doing anything wrong - when I started exercising and eating the recommended calories I gained weight. I've never tried to lose weight the healthy way before, and I think it took my body some adjusting. Then, I started losing. I've only been at this for a month and a half, and some weeks I lose nothing.

KendraElmendorf

i would suggest drinking water... alot of it... i noticed my weight started to go down when i started drinking more

qtpiesmom

WELL a good weight loss is only 2 pounds a week. No Offense but weight shouldnt just fall off quickly to be healthy.
Looks like your eating fine saying within your calories
Could be a little high on the sodium from what your eating. may want to watch that.
Keep Positive and know your working towards your goal you will get there it just takes time and truthfully anything worth doing is worth doing well will take time

ygrad2001

How is your sodium intake? And are you eating enough? Also what type of exercising are you doing? Are you doing cardio and strength training? Dont get discouraged you didn't gain the weight in a day so you are not going to lose it in a day. U can do this!

CandyAlexia

You are actually on track they say healthy weight lost is about a pound or two a week anyways, I feel your pain tho, I think the same way. I started taking Oxy Elite Pro for some extra support and it is helping me I was averaging about a pound or a half a week, when I first started my weight loss journey, since taking the Oxy Elite I am now losing about 2 to 3 a week, depending on my activity level also, but my first week with them I lost 5lbs which was exciting but scary also, so I don't know I am going to finish the bottle, and use my fitness pal, and workout and see what happens.

evseqvar

Maybe changing exercise routine, because I also noticed the same lately. Like I'm in "pause" mode. What the heck? And just like you I'm watching everything I eat. I just order 30 day shred to kick some butt and I know it's gonna help! Don't get discourage, someone said loosing weight takes a lot of PATIENCE too! :flowerforyou:

EDesq

I can see your diary...I think then it is public.
But don't be discouraged, I was reading an article posted on here today about women eating so little calories over several years and NOT being able to lose weight because their Bodies have become adjusted to that small amt of calories. That to correct the situation they will have to eat more food (calories) to bring their metabolism back up...and during this process you may actually gain weight before you begin to lose weight. So if you have been a yo-yo dieter, eating very little calories, it may take a while on a less restrictive plan before you begin losing steadily. But actually, 1-2 lbs. loss a week is normal. Good Luck

Levedi

You lost 2lbs in 2.5 weeks. That's exactly where you should be in terms of weight loss. Don't be fooled by shows like the Biggest Loser. That kind of weight loss is not normal and it's not healthy as a long term approach.

So pat yourself on the back and be proud of your good start. And then keep going! You're doing fine. Don't over stress yourself or starve yourself - that will just lead to backlash and weight gain. Just keep on the road you're already on.

TourThePast

I'm sure you know that first high loss in the first week is your body losing water, which is how it reacts to a diet.

You won't have built any measurable new muscle in two weeks, but if you're new to exercising your existing muscles may well be holding more water - that might be why you have not lost the expected amount at first.

Just do ensure that if you're logging (eg) 1 oz of cheese, you're pretty sure that what you are eating does actually weigh 1 oz. People are generally pretty bad at guessing amounts of food.

spaztastic13

Actually losing a half a pound to a pound a week is healthy...

spaztastic13

Actually losing a half a pound to a pound a week is healthy...

liftingbro

Are you measuring portions? Eyeballing it can be very inaccurate. I know I was off by about 20% when I was eyeballing it. So if you have a 1500 calorie daily limit and are off by 20% that's 300 calorie per day dfference and that's a good half a pound per week.

Now, you are losing over a pound per week and unless you are very obese that's pretty good.

shelly650

Well when I started MFP in March, I lost 5lbs in the first week! Then I came to a standstill for 2 WEEKS!! It was the longest two weeks of my life! Then I gained 2 pounds! Now although 2lbs isn't that much, it is when you are so close to your mini goal! My mini goal was to get under 12 stone (168lbs), by April 30th, I still haven't reached it but this morning I got down to 168lbs, so I need to lose 1lbs more!!

I started eating 1200calories as MFP recommended, but when my weight stalled, I went up to 1300cals and finally my weight becan to move!! Why dont you try increasing your calorie intake!! It cant hurt and you may even lose more!!

thisistotallysarah

Thank you everyone--- very good advice! I really appreciate it!

saltorian

I took a quick peek at your exercise diary, and it's possible that MFP may be overestimating what you're burning. In the past few days it shouldn't be a problem, since you've been eating under your goal, but people have said that the numbers on here for walking are probably pretty inaccurate (meaning that you're not burning as much as the database suggests). Maybe this is part of the problem, since you walk quite a bit from what I saw in my brief glance.

thisistotallysarah

I took a quick peek at your exercise diary, and it's possible that MFP may be overestimating what you're burning. In the past few days it shouldn't be a problem, since you've been eating under your goal, but people have said that the numbers on here for walking are probably pretty inaccurate (meaning that you're not burning as much as the database suggests). Maybe this is part of the problem, since you walk quite a bit from what I saw in my brief glance.

Yeah, I have been walking alot-- the thing is I have another app on my phone thats pretty much a pedometer and tracks calories burned so I take it from that app (CardioTracker) but who knows if that is even right haha

PrairieRoseNE

Since you don't have your diary set to track your sodium, it's hard to advise, but too much sodium in your diet will cause you to retain fluid, which shows up on the scale as water weight. Which is better than too much fat - LOL - but the scale doesn't know the difference.
Maybe try tracking sodium for a month to see how much you are getting and if you go over your allowance regularly, try cutting back the sodium and see it that helps get the scale moving downward. Just a suggestion ok ?? Wishing you well

ChickenTuna

Your weight loss is pretty much in the health range of a pound a week...but also look at the carbs, sugar, & sodium in the foods that you choose to eat.