Joined a week ago and I want to cry

rjadams

:sad: Hi all, I joined a week ago and I had a good week of staying on point with calories and enjoying my exercising. I am frustrated that I weighed in this morning and lost nothing. NOTHING!. How can a person who was drinking about 500 calaries per day to not drinking anything (alcohol) and exersizing and eating right not loose anything the first week? Is my metablolism so messed up that it thinks I am starving it from day one? I thought that took at least a week or two. I am frustrated but will keep going because something has to happen right? and I know there are tons of you out there to help me.

BrendaLee

Please don't be so upset over the results of a week. Stick with the plan, and I would bet that you'll see a drop on the scale next week. Some people drop big numbers the first week, some people don't.

iRun4wine

My first suggestion would be to give it time- easier said than done, but it's essential.

My second suggestion, if you truly want honest feedback, is to make your food diary public (even if it's only temporarily) so that others can take a look and give you some suggestions :flowerforyou:

libbrady

You may be losing fat and gaining muscle. Take a few measurements and keep track that way too. I am lucky enough to have a trainer and he shows me the amout of fat lost vs. muscle gained. So even though the scale doesn't necessarily go down as quickly as I want it to, I know I am still making progress. Muscle is much more compact than fat, so if this is the case for you , you will still be losing inches and transforming your body! Hang in there!

libbrady

I agree with the food diary. I tend to be a carb person, but I notice when I balance the proteins with the carbs I am more successful.

waguchan

Don't feel frustrated. It's common to not lose weight the first week. There are so many factors that can influence the scale: gaining muscle from exercise, sodium intake, TOM/PMS, etc. You should use something other than the scale as a measure of success. How do you feel? Do your clothes fit a little looser? Do you have more energy and less tired? Are feeling less hungry all the time? (You shouldn't be feeling hungry.) Are you happier?

Also, check how often you are eating everyday. You'll lose weight easier if you keep you blood sugar levels stable throughout the day by not going more than 3 hours without eating something. Eat 6 small meals a day, or eat 3 meals and 3 snacks. Never skip breakfast or other meals. And make sure that you eat protein at every meal and snack.

Hope that helps! Keep it up and you'll see results soon!

kgasser

OK, breathe! In with the good...out with the bad! Yes...your body is probably in shock! It doesn't know what to do with itself. My experience has been that when you start exercising your muscles and joints swell and that extra fluid weighs some that you may not see any results. Same thing goes if you were not drinking water and you start doing so. Your body retains it until it learns that you are going to keep giving it, then it will start to release it. Make sure you are eating enough calories...at the most 100-200 less that what MFP tells you...eat back your exercise calories...at least 1/2, if not all...drink your water....exercise, but not to an insane amout/intensity at first and you will soon see results.

Also realize that I personally fluctuate 1-2 pounds per week, just depending on what I ate or drank or did in the way of exercise the day before. I personally weigh each morning HOWEVER...this is not something everyone can do. It does not bother me when I gain, I am only happy when I lose. For those that are bothered by gaining...this is NOT a good idea.

jzbaby626

Patience is a virtue. You didn't gain the weight over night & it's not gonna come off over night. It is a slow process for most people (including myself) . Stick with it and it WILL work. Good luck!

jillybeanruns

Water, water, water and make sure you're getting in your fruits and veggies. You will lose, but it doesn't always happen for everyone right away!

johnmcfarm

Hey, try not to worry about this, it takes time to lose weight. You have not even had enough time to really get your eating patterns changed yet. You will be firming up over the weeks more than the scale shows in pounds loss.

You are at the beginning of a very exciting, enjoyable adventure! Getting fit and healthy for a longer, happier life. Rejoice in the opportunity, glorify in the struggle, and always remember...your friends at MFP are always here to help you!

rjadams

Thanks, I didn't think about the water retention. That may be it. I drink too much water. I have to watch it. (16 to 20 cups a day) I only post up to 12 on my food diary. I also didn;t think about joint swelling. As far as how I have felt all week, I have more energy but I feel really bloated. I am not giving up I am just really frustrated. I didn't eat my exersize calories so I will try to do that more next week. I used to wegh my self twice a day. I know I can fux up to 3 pounds in one day. I think I should try more frequent weight measurements to keep me sane. I thought I would give the once a week weigh in thing a try. Big no no for me I guess. thanks for all the support

cmw66

Way to go, you did a week and have proved to yourself that you can do it, you have exercised, quit drinking and watched what you ate . .YOU ROCK . . that is a huge lifestyle change. Even if you dont lose weight you should be PROUD of yourself because you are healthier than you were a week ago and THAT is what is important. Keep it up.

muth3rluvx2

:sad: Hi all, I joined a week ago and I had a good week of staying on point with calories and enjoying my exercising. I am frustrated that I weighed in this morning and lost nothing. NOTHING!. How can a person who was drinking about 500 calaries per day to not drinking anything (alcohol) and exersizing and eating right not loose anything the first week? Is my metablolism so messed up that it thinks I am starving it from day one? I thought that took at least a week or two. I am frustrated but will keep going because something has to happen right? and I know there are tons of you out there to help me.

also depends on how many cals you're taking in. I'm in sort of the same boat. I have to gain/maintain before I get to play with losing *because* my metabolism is so screwy. So, I keep going back and forth back and forth mentally but in action, I'm really just trying to make sure I get all my cals and then some. I haven't even gotten to the exercise part consistently yet because this is some SERIOUS habit changes. I've been here for 2 or 3 weeks and I've GAINED - but slowly. 2 lbs (although it can get as high as 5 gained - but it's consistently 2). On Monday, I start maintaining my cals for real probably around 1500 to start (even though I have it set at 1200 now). After a week or so, I'll drop it 50 cals to 1450 and really start to push the exercise daily. If I don't see some changes after a week, I'll up my cals beck to 1500, keep exercise the same (EATING MY EXERCISE CALS!!) and see what happens. It's something of a trial and error without having a nutritionist on hand and if you've abused your system for a long time, it's going to take longer to figure out what's "natural".

Believe me, I get how frustrating it is and depressing. You really just gotta be determined, committed and focus on the long term and work your way through the negative feelings - keep on keepin' on, you know? Don't let yourself be your own worst enemy anymore - be your own best friend. But your body has to learn to trust your decisions again if the trust has been shattered and we all know that takes time. UGH. I'm pretty much right there with ya' though, emotionally.

jzbaby626

Thanks, I didn't think about the water retention. That may be it. I drink too much water. I have to watch it. (16 to 20 cups a day) I only post up to 12 on my food diary.

Drinking too much water is not the problem. Drinking a lot of water is great for your body. Too much Sodium is going to make you retain water. Water is great, too much sodium is bad. You can track Sodium on your food diary.

lollygirl52

Same with me. I bet you lost an inch or two though. My second week I saw a pound difference. Sometimes your body has to catch up with the changes your making. I say hurray for progress, even if it starts slowly.

astrosnider

I think you are realizing, as we all do, that this is a longterm commitment, not a quick fix. I started Jan. 1 of this year and lost only 5 pounds in the first six weeks. I was really frustrated. I had doubled my exercise, lowered my food intake (had already cut out alcohol and sugary sodas a couple years ago) and nothing much was happening. Then suddenly I shed another 2 pounds in the last 2 days! Stick with it and it will happen.

rjadams

Thanks, I didn't think about the water retention. That may be it. I drink too much water. I have to watch it. (16 to 20 cups a day) I only post up to 12 on my food diary.

Drinking too much water is not the problem. Drinking a lot of water is great for your body. Too much Sodium is going to make you retain water. Water is great, too much sodium is bad. You can track Sodium on your food diary.

I was once told that if I drank too much water I would start to flush electorlytes out of my system and it wasn't a good thing.

Willow_28

Hang in there... it took a while for my body to start losing weight when I started too... but when it starts to come off its so worth it in the end... just hang in there and keep at it...
Keep Smiling...

johnmcfarm

Thanks, I didn't think about the water retention. That may be it. I drink too much water. I have to watch it. (16 to 20 cups a day) I only post up to 12 on my food diary.

Drinking too much water is not the problem. Drinking a lot of water is great for your body. Too much Sodium is going to make you retain water. Water is great, too much sodium is bad. You can track Sodium on your food diary.

I was once told that if I drank too much water I would start to flush electorlytes out of my system and it wasn't a good thing.

There have been cases, especially in sports where athletes have died from drinking too much water in too short of time. Too much of anything we ingest can be harmful...

rjadams

Thanks jzbaby626 I just went back and looked at my sodium, and it was off the charts yesterday. not bad the rest of the week but bad yesterday. I will weigh in tomorrow and see if it gets better

dragonfly74

Oh my gosh your story sounds just like me. I gave up alcohol for lent and stuck to my calories and burned between 600 and 750 calories a day, every day, this week. Guess what? I went up a bit (one ounce) I DID cry and I have been going to Jenny Craig. This was week 5 for me staying at the SAME weight. So no more paying $100 + a week for food I will need to do this on my own. I thought giving up the beer on it's own would have gotten me somewhere. NOPE.

junipuni

How much fiber are you getting a day? I would check that too and make sure you are getting enough. IMO the fiber setting on here is on the low side. I have my goal up around 30-35 a day and that has helped me a ton.

What worked for me is to do this process in baby steps. First I got to my calorie goal. Then I started adding exercise. Then I started switching out snacks for healthier snacks - cut the granola bars and the sugary yogurt. Now I do plain fat free yogurt with some agave nectar and fruits instead of granola bars. After I got that pretty well under control I figured out my carb/fat/protein ratio that should work best for me. I just did that recently so I'm still in the preliminary stages of getting my food diary balanced with those. I feel SO much better and am already seeing results from that.

So, my advice is not to worry about it! Watch your sodium, keep drinking lots of water, up your fiber if you are not getting enough and start working on balancing your carbs/protein/fat while you are still meeting your calorie and exercise goals. It's a process and you will be most successful by sticking in there for the long haul and taking it slowly. It's not super satisfying each week but in the long run you will see amazing results.

One more thing - take some pictures and do some measurements and keep track of those as well. I was down 4 pounds - *just* four pounds and didn't notice any difference. I redid my measurements and took a picture to compare and the difference was pretty substantial considering I only lost 4 pounds. That really helped me stay motivated. Good luck! You can do this!

rjadams

Dragonfly74, Isn't it frustrating when they tell us that alcohol calories are useless and we cut all of them out and nothing happens? I have known so many people that cut one or two a week and drop weight like no tomorrow. Maybe thats the key, moderation? I can only hope. Keep your chin up and there are so many supportive people here we can do this.!

jzbaby626

Your welcome. I know if I go way over on my sodium, the next day my scale can jump 3-4 lbs. higher & can stay for a couple days. 16-20 cups of water a day may be a little excessive. But water is great for flushing out sodium & other unwanted stuff out of the body. I have heard on this website that a general rule of thumb is when your urine is very light to clear in color, you are drinking enough. Measurements are a more accurate way to tell changes in your body. Get a cloth tape measure & start measuring. There is a section on MFP to keep track of your measurements.

Thanks jzbaby626 I just went back and looked at my sodium, and it was off the charts yesterday. not bad the rest of the week but bad yesterday. I will weigh in tomorrow and see if it gets better

kgasser

You CERTAINLY can drink too much water...it results in what is called water intoxication and it can KILL you. Be careful...that is an aweful lot of water, especially if you are not used to it.

iRun4wine

Sodium is a killer. In general, I don't think people pay enough attention to it. I eat 1450 calories before exercise and am religious about keeping my sodium under 1800 mg per day. The scale will likely jump up a few pounds if you have too much sodium.