I should be losing...

whitmars106
whitmars106 Posts: 118 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If I have a 500 calorie deficit with diet alone, that would be a weekly deficit of 3,500 calories, which would mean I'd be losing slightly more than 1 pound a week. If I averaged 5,500 burned calories a week in exercise, that's a loss of a little more than 2 pounds per week with exercise. So theoretically, I would be losing about 3 pounds per week. Is that acurate? I know you should only aim to lose about 1-2 lbs. per week, but I do have quite a bit of weight to lose, so is the near 3 lb. loss a week okay? I'm in my 3rd week here with this regimen, and have lost 7 lbs. (which would prove my math above correct), and I haven't weighed yet this week to see further progress...but what happens if I don't see the scale move downward? Or what if it goes higher? Is it possible for my weight to still fluctuate this early on even though I'm making tremendously different and better choices? I'm not going to let the scale fool me. I know this is a long term, life long progress, but I just want some good feedback. Thank you! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • phildawson75
    phildawson75 Posts: 205 Member
    3500 + 5500 = 9000.

    9000 / 3500 = 2.57 lbs

    9000 / 7 = a daily deficit of 1,286 calories!

    I have to say weight loss isn't linear so unfortunately its not a case of multiplying the num of weeks x 2.57 lbs to say I must have lost x by now.

    There's so many variables such as under/over estimating calories both burnt in exercise and eaten. Even if you feel you are being truthful in your logging.

    There's also the fact that the first week or so the loss is mostly water weight from basically eating cleaner.

    There's also daily fluctuations in everybody's weight, so even weighing at the same time, same day, same clothes (or naked) can change. In the same day I can be +- 3 lbs depending on the time. It can change dramatically depending what's eaten before weighing both in food in you and water weight. Exercising before can also change this.

    That all said, as long as you're sticking to the recommended deficit (1286 seems high) for your TDEE then you are on the right track. Stick with it and you'll start to notice the difference in how you look and feel. As long as the scale has a general downward trend over each month then you'll do great.
  • whitmars106
    whitmars106 Posts: 118 Member
    Awesome, thank you! For the record, I'm allotted 1,800 calories a day, and I've been exercising at the gym 5 days a week, and I'm relatively active on the weekends as well, which is why the total deficit seems high. Thanks for your insight!
  • Razzy43
    Razzy43 Posts: 32
    Phil had a lot of good points. So many variables but as long as you are seeing a downward trend, and soon enough should be seeing it in the mirror, you are on the right track!! As you are starting to lose, they do recommend recalculating your TDEE when you lose 5lbs or more. A man or woman weighing 250lb needs a certain TDEE then a man at 225-230-240, so your daily TDEE will gradually start lower also as you weight does. If you don't do this recalculation, you will see a plateau due to TDEE for maintenance.

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