"...You would weigh Xlbs in five weeks!"...yeah, right.

Giantess

So when I started losing weight last year around this same time, it took me SIX WEEKS of working out for an hour six days a week, watching my calories, and drinking tons of water to even see a one pound drop in my weight.

My measurements, too, remained the same.

I lost weight, but as I always do, I gained it all back again. I'm the epitome of a yo-yoer.

Starting again, I am finding the same thing to be true. This week, I lost no weight. I worked my butt off. I did have three bad food items this week, but I was still well below my calorie intake.

What gives? Does anyone know the science behind why my body lags so far behind the little predictions MFP makes for me?
I thought we were calories in/calories burned. I've made some pretty steep deficits this week, with no results.

I want to know WHY, dammit! What makes me take six weeks to start losing weight, when my boyfriend stops drinking soda and drops five pounds in a week? Where's "Teh Science!?"

almostatgoalweight

I don't know what is going on in your case, but you have the following to consider:

Muscle gain
Water retention
Scale error

Muscle gain is apparently slower than what a lot of people think it is, however there is one rule above all others: you can't gain more muscle than what you eat in protein. That's because your body can't create the protein used in muscles, it comes from your food.

Water retention: your weight has a tendancy to fluctuate. I have found that my body can store water for nearly 24 hours (I often drink a lot of water at midday then I end up going to the toilet twice the following night)

Scale error: this is a large consideration, most people don't know how large it is. Anyway, my advice if you want to monitor your weight better is to weigh daily and take the lowest reading in the last 4 days as your official weight that day.

The biggest issue for many people is simply eating too much.

caraiselite

cal restriction doesn't work for me.
i do low carb, and it works well.

adam1885282

The "you'll weigh x in five weeks" is an estimate assuming every day for 5 weeks is exactly the same. I'd go back and check your goal and starting weight settings. Calorie in, calorie out works! Eat less than you use and you will lose weight (absent a medical condition, perhaps). But, that doesn't mean MFP has given you the right numbers for you. It's all done by estimates.

leslisa

Sure I have ideas: thyroid, blood sugar, slow metabolism.

All the above.

My killer is blood sugar. I'm diet/exercise controlled diabetic. Did I mention insulin causes you to put on white fat? It can be very counterproductive to losing weight.

Here's my "cheats": Green / Black tea - 5 8 oz glasses a day lowers blood sugar issues and are antioxidents, almonds - fat blockers (4 servings of 6 each), cinnamon - regulates blood sugar, and strawberries - fat blockers and antioxidents.

Also, I take a multi-vitamin and it helps like you would not believe.

Good luck!!