Is this working?

amanda07425

I've just started MFP maybe a week or two ago and according to the scale I've lost 6 pounds. I'm tracking my calories and exercising on a regular basis so it seems to be working. Although, I've seen everyone's success from pictures or their trackers and I'm wondering are they doing the exact same thing?! I know it takes awhile to see results but I want to start strong from the very beginning and make sure that I am doing everything possible to see results. So I guess my question is for everyone that's had success on losing at least 20 pounds.. what made that successful? Are you just tracking your calorie intake and exercising? If so.. how many calories are you eating a day and how often do you exercise? What exercises provide the best results? I'd love to hear everyone's success stories and how they did it. I want to follow in my MFP friend's paths and be successful for once in weight loss!!

jen0105

For me it worked. You always lose the most in the first month because your body is shedding water weight. Then it will taper off to a healthy level. For me it was one day at a time. I allowed myself a treat but it was in moderation. I didn't follow a "diet fad" I just watched what I ate and portion control. It took me a year to lose all the weight and I had many bad days and many good days. Just remember that you CAN do this! Congrats on the 6lbs. that is awesome!!

snockers3112

I've been doing this since the beginning of January. I'm just counting calories and attempting to stick to the 1200 figure MFP gave me and have increased my exercise i.e. lots of walking, some gym & cycling. The first two weeks saw dramatic losses, then it slowed down to around 1lb a week, which I hear is a very healthy way to lose it..BUT the last couple of weeks my weight has stayed the same. I've now incorporated weight training into my routine and hoping to see the scale move soon, one thing is for sure my arms really REALLY ache! lol

amanda07425

and when do you normally start losing fat instead of just water weight?!

amysj303

If you only have 20 pounds to lose, 6 pounds is impressive for a short time. Most of that is water weight because our bodies tend to lose water weight when we eat better, if we're eating fewer carbs and less sodium, but it's always good to get that positive reinforcement!
there are a couple of threads you might like to read:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/227513-not-that-heavy-girls-trying-to-lose-weight
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/113609-relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
I have taken that advice and am trying to eat cleaner-mostly whole foods and no refined flour or sugar, and try to get enough protein-1 gram of protein for each pound I weigh, and I track carbs/protein/fat, which I have set to 30/30/40 and I set it to maintenance cals but I don't eat back exercise cals. I try to strength train three times each week and have only a couple days of high-intensity intervals.