What should I expect,Why No change, What am I doing wrong?

cetsumi

Hey there, I decided to post here because this morning I got on the scale and was very disappointed to see no weight loss. I'll start by giving you a background.

I started changing my lifestyle about 2 weeks ago. My starting weight was 284 and im 19 years old and 5'6. I weighed myself last week and I was at 276, meaning I lost 8 pounds! Which was fantastic, but this week I was expecting another 1-4 pounds and I saw nothing so I dont understand what happened.

Heres what I did:
-Cut out pop and juice completely. I was drinking almost 2L a day by myself. I allow myself a little juice every few days.
-Started drinking about 3-4L of water a day
-Significantly cut down my portions. I started and I originally ate 3200 cal/day. My goal is 1800 cal/day now.
-I work out EVERY DAY for 20 mins at LEAST. I do turbo jam and a mix of the 30DS.
-about 2 days ago I started taking vitamins and fish oils. I started taking whey protein shakes when I work out as well.
-Sleeping a full 8 hours EVERY NIGHT. I used to not sleep very well and now I make sure I get enough sleep.
-cut out take out. I would eat take out 5-8 times a week maybe more. I have cut it out.

Now, I haven't so much changed WHAT I eat, I just eat in moderation. I decided that changing WHAT i eat would be already so much to change since I have actively been keeping up with all the other changes I made which to me is HUGE. It has been extremely difficult and I've been working VERY hard.

Also, I've noticed I may not eat ENOUGH now? or I dont eat frequently enough? I'm not really sure if that could affect it, because my appetite lessened by so much the last 2 weeks that I was even skipping meals I guess without really noticing? Maybe thats why I didnt lose anything??

Side effects I've noticed:
This may be TMI but I want an opinion on this too... The first week I cut out pop and sugar I got really bad head aches. I felt generally sick I guess the first week. I had watery diarrhea for 4-5 days.. I was confused as to maybe this was all the newly added water that I drink?? Made no sense really but it has gone away somewhat. (still comes and goes from time to time). Since I started taking my multi vitimins, my pee is highlighter fluorescent yellow. What is that about ? lol Scared me at first but I guess vitamins can do that?? I'm not sure. I've been light headed sometimes too. It comes and goes too. Particularly the other day as I was working out, I felt like I was going to pass out. Maybe I'm not getting enough cal before a workout?? or protein ? I dont really know but I really want to fix this and get it right.

I'm afraid because last time, when I tried to lose weight i got so many side effects I got scared and gave up. I'm not doing that this time, i guess im just looking for.. is this normal? will it go away? What else can I expect?

NOW! Finally, save the best for last. I must admit, I was SO excited for today because I was expecting BIG results. I guess I should explain why. I have been feeling so GREAT (despite the side effects) lately! Heres things I've noticed on the bright side:

-I sleep better. Longer, fuller sleep and I'm not in pain when I wake up so much. I used to have really bad back pain when I woke up but it went away I also used to nap more when I got home from college but I dont anymore cause I dont feel so tired during the day.
-Peeing is easier. I know this is random but I dont have to FORCE when I pee. This change has been since my pee turned bright yellow. No clue. Remember, I drink almost 4L of water... so I'm not dehydrated... I dont think? Anyways its easier to pee.
-I feel STRONGER. My muscles feel WAY stronger. I can practically run up the stairs now I dont even get out of breath.
-I have WAY more energy! It feels great! I'm almost hyper, its nice. I have way more endurance, I'm more flexible. I get tired less easy, its good.
-I can lasy WAY longer in my work outs. What I originally started barely being able to do, I can do it now! So thats nice
-I feel generally thinner, even though I didnt lose anything but I feel smaller some how, no idea why.
-I'm happier, my mood is better lately.

Because of all this, I really thought I would see big results but Im not going to lie, I'm pretty disappointed about seeing nothing. I lost some inches I guess too.

Last week:
Arm 17.7
Waist 48
Belly 59
Hips 55
*kitten* 53
Thigh H 32.5
Thigh L 19.9
Calf 17.5
Bust 51.5

This week:
Arm 17.5
Waist 47.2
Belly 56.1
Hips 56
*kitten* 53
Thigh H 31
Thigh L 19.9
Calf 17.5
Bust 52

I feel like its still not much.. I'm sorry for the long post I just wanted to give as much information as possible to know what I'm doing right/wrong, what to expect, is it normal to feel this way? Is progress really going to be this slow even though I changed ALL that?? I thought you could lose like 20 pounds from pop alone (what I heard) trust me, the changes are HUGE! I've never done this well with weight loss before, I could eat a whole 12 inch pizza to myself and now im having salad ._. I'm logging everything and I've been way under my daily goal every day? Is my metabolism broken help..

DaphneAtx

Hey there, I decided to post here because this morning I got on the scale and was very disappointed to see no weight loss. I'll start by giving you a background.

I started changing my lifestyle about 2 weeks ago.

This was as far as I needed to read. You've only been making changes for 2 WEEKS!!! How long have you been eating unhealthy and NOT exercising? A lot longer than that, right? You have to give it time to your body to adjust and start seeing improvements.

Stop freaking out. Stay off the scale. Put the measuring tape down. Relax. Be patient and progress will come. Seriously. It takes more time.

kuunsilta

Like I've told you, how you feel is very important and much more important than he number on the scale moving. So many things can make weight fluctuate in a day. You'll be ok, just stick to it, and in time you'll see how far you've gotten from where you started. You can do it, girly

FitFabFlirty92

Sounds like you're just retaining water, partly as a reaction from the changes you've made in your diet, and partly because of your exercise. It will go away and you will see the weight start to go down again. This is a marathon, not a sprint, so there will be weeks where you stall for no reason. You're just starting out, so it's probably not a plateau, and you're probably not doing anything wrong. Keep doing what you're doing for another week and see if you see any changes on the scale.

umachanxo

Weight loss isn't something that will happen quickly. You need to focus on what it is giving to you and the positives that weight loss has shown you. You were so excited the other day when I saw you - you were pumped and super happy. You were a totally different person than the girl I met at that party.

Your inches have changed, too! That's a really good sign. When you work out a lot, you start to build muscle. Your muscles will also hold water too as they get stronger. Sometimes I go months without losing any pounds, but my inches change and my body gets firmer and stronger.

Focus on your inches and take the energy that you have this week being upset about a no pound loss and fight for it next week. Work out longer, work out harder, and cut down on your sodium.

Sodium is also something that could be making you not lose any pounds. Water retention. Are you expecting your period? Sometimes I gain as much as 4 lbs the week of and it's just from bloating.

Whatever the case may be - don't give up. You HAVE lost inches and that is AWESOME. So your body IS changing. Don't focus so much on the scale, okay?

You are doing AWESOME. DON'T GIVE UP. EVER.

kuunsilta

Listen to Uma ;P She knows what she's talking about

kuunsilta

bump

xSakura

You stated your problem yourself: You've only been doing it for 2 weeks. It takes time, patience and most of all commitment. Work out 3-5 days a week, 60 mins at a time, stay under your calorie goal, drink plenty of water and you'll be fine.

chocl8girl

TheRealParisLove

You won't lose weight every week. Especially after losing 8 pounds your first week, you body is still adjusting.

Try working on cleaning up your diet, because no matter how much you exercise, if you aren't putting the right fuel back in, you won't get the results you want.

Just keep logging and tracking what is going on, analyze your results and try to determine what you can change to get better results in the future. It takes a while to get to that point, but it is worth it.

Helloitsdan

Hey there, I decided to post here because this morning I got on the scale and was very disappointed to see no weight loss. I'll start by giving you a background.

I started changing my lifestyle about 2 weeks ago. My starting weight was 284 and im 19 years old and 5'6. I weighed myself last week and I was at 276, meaning I lost 8 pounds! Which was fantastic, but this week I was expecting another 1-4 pounds and I saw nothing so I dont understand what happened.

Heres what I did:
-Cut out pop and juice completely. I was drinking almost 2L a day by myself. I allow myself a little juice every few days.
-Started drinking about 3-4L of water a day
-Significantly cut down my portions. I started and I originally ate 3200 cal/day. My goal is 1800 cal/day now.
-I work out EVERY DAY for 20 mins at LEAST. I do turbo jam and a mix of the 30DS.
-about 2 days ago I started taking vitamins and fish oils. I started taking whey protein shakes when I work out as well.
-Sleeping a full 8 hours EVERY NIGHT. I used to not sleep very well and now I make sure I get enough sleep.
-cut out take out. I would eat take out 5-8 times a week maybe more. I have cut it out.

Now, I haven't so much changed WHAT I eat, I just eat in moderation. I decided that changing WHAT i eat would be already so much to change since I have actively been keeping up with all the other changes I made which to me is HUGE. It has been extremely difficult and I've been working VERY hard.

Also, I've noticed I may not eat ENOUGH now? or I dont eat frequently enough? I'm not really sure if that could affect it, because my appetite lessened by so much the last 2 weeks that I was even skipping meals I guess without really noticing? Maybe thats why I didnt lose anything??

Side effects I've noticed:
This may be TMI but I want an opinion on this too... The first week I cut out pop and sugar I got really bad head aches. I felt generally sick I guess the first week. I had watery diarrhea for 4-5 days.. I was confused as to maybe this was all the newly added water that I drink?? Made no sense really but it has gone away somewhat. (still comes and goes from time to time). Since I started taking my multi vitimins, my pee is highlighter fluorescent yellow. What is that about ? lol Scared me at first but I guess vitamins can do that?? I'm not sure. I've been light headed sometimes too. It comes and goes too. Particularly the other day as I was working out, I felt like I was going to pass out. Maybe I'm not getting enough cal before a workout?? or protein ? I dont really know but I really want to fix this and get it right.

I'm afraid because last time, when I tried to lose weight i got so many side effects I got scared and gave up. I'm not doing that this time, i guess im just looking for.. is this normal? will it go away? What else can I expect?

NOW! Finally, save the best for last. I must admit, I was SO excited for today because I was expecting BIG results. I guess I should explain why. I have been feeling so GREAT (despite the side effects) lately! Heres things I've noticed on the bright side:

-I sleep better. Longer, fuller sleep and I'm not in pain when I wake up so much. I used to have really bad back pain when I woke up but it went away I also used to nap more when I got home from college but I dont anymore cause I dont feel so tired during the day.
-Peeing is easier. I know this is random but I dont have to FORCE when I pee. This change has been since my pee turned bright yellow. No clue. Remember, I drink almost 4L of water... so I'm not dehydrated... I dont think? Anyways its easier to pee.
-I feel STRONGER. My muscles feel WAY stronger. I can practically run up the stairs now I dont even get out of breath.
-I have WAY more energy! It feels great! I'm almost hyper, its nice. I have way more endurance, I'm more flexible. I get tired less easy, its good.
-I can lasy WAY longer in my work outs. What I originally started barely being able to do, I can do it now! So thats nice
-I feel generally thinner, even though I didnt lose anything but I feel smaller some how, no idea why.
-I'm happier, my mood is better lately.

Because of all this, I really thought I would see big results but Im not going to lie, I'm pretty disappointed about seeing nothing. I lost some inches I guess too.

Last week:
Arm 17.7
Waist 48
Belly 59
Hips 55
*kitten* 53
Thigh H 32.5
Thigh L 19.9
Calf 17.5
Bust 51.5

This week:
Arm 17.5
Waist 47.2
Belly 56.1
Hips 56
*kitten* 53
Thigh H 31
Thigh L 19.9
Calf 17.5
Bust 52

I feel like its still not much.. I'm sorry for the long post I just wanted to give as much information as possible to know what I'm doing right/wrong, what to expect, is it normal to feel this way? Is progress really going to be this slow even though I changed ALL that?? I thought you could lose like 20 pounds from pop alone (what I heard) trust me, the changes are HUGE! I've never done this well with weight loss before, I could eat a whole 12 inch pizza to myself and now im having salad ._. I'm logging everything and I've been way under my daily goal every day? Is my metabolism broken help..

Age 19
Height 66inches

Eat 1600/day and get at least 10k steps.
Lift weights for better body composition and LBM retention.
Dont eat back any calories.

Send a friend request if you need heaps of support.

Check your numbers here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

RedWeb

Work out 3-5 days a week, 60 mins at a time

That advice would frighten most people away. First and foremost you need to create a calorific deficit to lose weight. This usually comes from eating less. I would agree that people should do exercise but it's not mandatory and we shouldn't tell people they have to do it.

seansquared

Whatever you do, don't stop. Just keep it up. Weight loss takes as long as it takes. The best you can do is provide optimal conditions such as caloric restriction, a proper amount of sleep, good water intake, exercise, etc.

You're doing all of those things, so just keep it up.

NCchar130

Looking at your measurements from last week to this week, you've lost inches. That's the most important thing. There are lots of reasons for scale fluctuation/no change (usually I think it's a water retention issue whether from sodium in your diet or muscle repair), but the important thing is you DID lose inches from last week to this week which means what you're doing IS working. :flowerforyou:

ndj1979

it takes four to six weeks for your body to adapt to any kind of work out regimen and diet. So at two weeks in you should not be panicking. It sounds like you are on the right track. I would increase your workouts to three 60 minute sessions a week and throw in some cardio on off days. When you work out learn to do deadlifts, squats, overhead presses, chinups, pullups etc..and as you get comfortable with certain workouts incase the weight by 5pds.

On a side note, I have been at this for six years now...you can't just snap your fingers and melt off the weight it comes in stages. I started at 220 and am now about 170 and about 15% BF ...You will get there but patience will be key...

good luck

kuunsilta

Helloitsdan , thank you for your link. It was a very interesting read

cetsumi

Thanks everyone I will keep it up. So I should change my daily intake to 1600 cal/day and work out longer and less frequently? I dont mind working out I actually enjoy it now. I've been doing 20min/day 7 days a week ish with the odd day more time added. I can do 5-6 of 1 hour. I REALLY want this. I'm just being silly and upset because I feel like all this hard work and I saw no change. Maybe I should stay off the scale for a while cause Its got me crying lol

Crystaleyed

Hey there, I decided to post here because this morning I got on the scale and was very disappointed to see no weight loss. I'll start by giving you a background.

I started changing my lifestyle about 2 weeks ago.

This was as far as I needed to read. You've only been making changes for 2 WEEKS!!! How long have you been eating unhealthy and NOT exercising? A lot longer than that, right? You have to give it time to your body to adjust and start seeing improvements.

Stop freaking out. Stay off the scale. Put the measuring tape down. Relax. Be patient and progress will come. Seriously. It takes more time.

I agree completely, also, although I don't claim to know anything about it, but it sounds to me like you're drinking a lot of water at the moment. You may be retaining water and that's why you seem to not have lost anything, but don't be disheartened, I have gained, lost and stayed the same many times since I joined, you will get there I promise

xnikkixsikkix

Go back and look at your measurements, that should be all the proof you need that you're making progress! Don't obsess over the scale!

swingsintherain

It sounds to me like you've changed A LOT of things at once already, which can often be trying and difficult to stick to. I'd say keep at what you've been doing already for a few more weeks (to let your body adjust to ALL of the changes, especially since you say you had lots of side effects last time you tried to lose weight), see how that goes, and THEN try changing things. If, two weeks from now, you want to increase your workout length, etc, then go for it.

Eating 1800 calories, you're already at a slight deficit, and then adding workouts on to that probably puts you at 1600-ish net calories anyway (I'm assuming that you're not eating back the exercise calories MFP gives you?). If you ate 1600 calories a day and didn't work out, you'd still lose weight, and at a healthy rate too. Again, be wary of doing too much too fast; it's not a race! It's generally not very healthy to try to lose more than 2 lbs a week (though people tend to lose more quickly the first few weeks, like your 8 lb loss, which generally is attributed to water weight ).

XXXMinnieXXX

Week 2 is always a sticking point. Your body is freaking out.. You changed everything... Quickly! It may stall for a week or 2 then you'll get a whoosh.

If the light headed episodes persist go to the doctors to check on blood pressure and sugar levels. Eat regularly it should help. 1800 sounds a good number make sure you get them in... All healthy then maybe a little treat at night.

Keep sodium to 1500 or less 2 days before weigh in... Track it on here... Good diary.... Settings. Too much salt makes you hold water.

If your muscles are sore you hold water. Have a day off exercise the day before weigh in.

8lbs in 2 weeks is incredible.

Still with it next week or the week after you'll get a great surprise and then hopefully get some nice losses for a while.

Zara x

jzammetti

Last week:
Arm 17.7
Waist 48
Belly 59
Hips 55
*kitten* 53
Thigh H 32.5
Thigh L 19.9
Calf 17.5
Bust 51.5

This week:
Arm 17.5
Waist 47.2
Belly 56.1
Hips 56
*kitten* 53
Thigh H 31
Thigh L 19.9
Calf 17.5
Bust 52

I put your numbers into fat2fitradio.com. I estimated your neck measurement at 19 inches (total guess) to calculate your military body fat calculation. I got 57%. Then I put that number in the BMR calculator estimating your goal weight (at least a first goal) of 200 pounds. Here is what it says:

Custom BMR Calculation

Thanks for checking your BMR here on Fat 2 Fit Radio. If you're not already subscribed to Fat 2 Fit Radio, consider doing so today. Please visit the Subscribe page to get the podcast delivered automatically to your iTunes, Juice, e-mail inbox or the podcatcher of your choice for FREE.

Entered information: 19 year old female, 66 inches tall, weighing 276 pounds.

From the information that you entered, you'd like to weigh 200 lbs.




Katch-McArdle Forumla


The numbers above are fairly accurate, however they don't take into account your lean body mass. A more accurate formula that does take your lean body mass into account is the Katch-McArdle formula. Since many of us have scales that will tell us our current body fat, this formula may yield more accurate results. Based on the information you provided, body fat percentage of 57%, you have a lean body mass of 119 lbs., and your BMR is 1538 calories.


How Many Calories Should I Eat?


Based on your goal weight, the following chart was generated. The chart shows the number of calories that you should eat on a daily basis to reach your goal weight. At Fat 2 Fit Radio we advocate eating like the thin, healthy person that you want to become. The calorie levels you see in the chart are not extreme, but they do create that all important caloric deficit that is required to get you to your goal weight in a safe manner. Once you reach your goal weight, you will continue eating the same number of calories for the rest of your life to maintain that weight. You'll never be on a diet again.

Based on how much activity you do on an average day, the calories in the right column will be the number of calories that you will be able to eat at your goal weight. If you start eating those calories right now (eating like the thinner you), you will eventually become that thinner person. As you get closer to your goal weight, your weight loss will start to slow down. It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point.



Activity Level

Daily Calories



Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job)

2095



Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)

2401



Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)

2706



Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)

3012



Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

3317


These numbers mean that you should not eat less than 1537 calories (BMR = minumum number of calories needed to maintain healthy organ function). Based on your exercise, I would start with the lightly active or moderately active designation and set your calories for in between the two. Give it a month (it takes your body a while to adjust and this will lessen your frustration) and check your weight and measurements again. I might set mine, if I were you, at 2050 calories for the first month (you can set a little lower than the nubers given to hasten the loss). Depending upon results you can adjust for the next month. Once you get to (or close to) 200, you should recalculate for new goals. Remember you can fluctuate 5 pounds per day just in water, but remember a full pound is 3500 calories.

Patience is key here - you can do this!!

faireplay

It is very common to see a maintain or even a slight gain the week after a big loss. With women there is also the possibility that you are packing water weight on if you are nearing your period. After about 6 weeks you will begin to see a pattern....for me, in a month, it is Lose, lose big, lose small then maintain or small gain. .Lather rinse repeat monthly.
If you know you have eaten well and have been honest with yourself on portions and calories, just keep plugging along, the body will catch up.

samlankford

it is not going to happen overnight, you need to give your body time to adjust to everything that your doing sweetie... as a side note, your pee color is from the vitamins, no worries, your body is just filtering out what it does not need...

cetsumi

Thanks so much everyone I'm glad my pee color is normal lol. I'm getting confused as to how many calories to consume. I have 1600-2050. :P I know I can do whatever I set my mind to I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing. Thats so much for giving me those numbers by the way. Scary to see that im at 50+% but that will change over time.. I'm going to stay away from the scale for a month or so and just focus on measurements. I'll cut down my sodium to 1750g per/day (just cause 1500 is a bit hard for me AT FIRST, but ill get there eventually). and I was wondering, what should my carbs/fats/protiens be per day? I'm sorry for all the questions but i REALLY appreciate all the nice positive replys! Thanks so much. I know it hasnt been long I'm just really new to this. ><

CkepiJinx

It sounds like you are making lots of changes so your body will need time to adjust. The headaches could be a reaction to the decreased sugar and caffeine, you said you cut pop. I get head aches if I don't have caffeine.

Don't eat way under your calories, it is important to fuel your body, to little could be just as bad as to much. If the light headedness continues talk to your doctor.

Weight loss isn't always linear sometimes I lose four lbs, sometimes two, sometimes nothing but when I average it out in the end I lose two lbs a week on average using the setting MFP gave me to lose 2 lbs a week.

Be patient you didn't gain it overnight and you won't lose it overnight it is a marathon not a sprint!

Good luck

jzammetti

Thanks so much everyone I'm glad my pee color is normal lol. I'm getting confused as to how many calories to consume. I have 1600-2050. :P I know I can do whatever I set my mind to I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing. Thats so much for giving me those numbers by the way. Scary to see that im at 50+% but that will change over time.. I'm going to stay away from the scale for a month or so and just focus on measurements. I'll cut down my sodium to 1750g per/day (just cause 1500 is a bit hard for me AT FIRST, but ill get there eventually). and I was wondering, what should my carbs/fats/protiens be per day? I'm sorry for all the questions but i REALLY appreciate all the nice positive replys! Thanks so much. I know it hasnt been long I'm just really new to this. ><

As long as you eat more than your BMR (which is an estimate, as are all the numbers..but you can actually have your doctor test it if you want), you will be good. So, eat between 1600 and 2050; just pick a number and give it a month to see what happens. If you set it at 1600 and find yoruself hungry all the time, up it a bit. i set my protein at 1gram per pound of lean body mass (weight minus body fat) - I eat 120 grams per day on a perfect day. You should aim for about 140 grams per day. I have to add protein shakes (low carb ones) to get to my protein numbers on most days. i use one that is about 300 calories with 50 grams of protein (after I add fruit to it) per shake so it helps me get to the goal.

Kimsykoo

You are gaining muscle which will affect the results on the scales! Muscle is good! Keep up the great efforts!

ktmmom189

Definitely some great advice going on here. As everyone said change takes time. Looking at your dairy you are eating a lot of sodium. When I go over on sodium or even close to that 2500 mg I drink at least 12 glasses of water. Water weight for women is definitely a bear. I would suggest that you add some veggies to your diet. That will also help you feel better.

kuunsilta

bump

Cranktastic

You are gaining muscle which will affect the results on the scales! Muscle is good! Keep up the great efforts!

nah, not after 2 weeks.

Keep up the good work...I would get at least 100g of protein and go from there
Also look into a good beginner weight training program.

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beginner_Programs
http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/