is this a normal weight loss?
inflictedknight
Posts: 9
I'm 5'2'', 22 yrs old, and started here weighing 220 lbs. I think I was at 58% body fat according to my scale, but I don't know how accurate that is... I've been on a 1200 per day diet, and I've been pretty good except going 100 or 200 calories over on the weekend.
I feel like I'm not making much progress. Is this normal, or is it too early to tell?
9/24/12 - 220
9/25/12 - 217
9/26/12 - 218
9/27/12 - 218
9/28/12 - 218
9/29/12 - 220
9/30/12 - 220
10/01/12 - 218
10/02/12 - 218
10/03/12 - 218
I feel like I'm not making much progress. Is this normal, or is it too early to tell?
9/24/12 - 220
9/25/12 - 217
9/26/12 - 218
9/27/12 - 218
9/28/12 - 218
9/29/12 - 220
9/30/12 - 220
10/01/12 - 218
10/02/12 - 218
10/03/12 - 218
0
Replies
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I'm 5'2'', 22 yrs old, and started here weighing 220 lbs. I think I was at 58% body fat according to my scale, but I don't know how accurate that is... I've been on a 1200 per day diet, and I've been pretty good except going 100 or 200 calories over on the weekend.
I feel like I'm not making much progress. Is this normal, or is it too early to tell?
9/24/12 - 220
9/25/12 - 217
9/26/12 - 218
9/27/12 - 218
9/28/12 - 218
9/29/12 - 220
9/30/12 - 220
10/01/12 - 218
10/02/12 - 218
10/03/12 - 218
it's very normal. are you exercising? if so, you're probably retaining some water (hence, the weight gain). If you look at your overall loss, you are down 2 pounds in a week, which is perfect.
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No, I'm not... but my water intake has been up a LOT more ever since I started dieting. Before I would drink only a few glasses a day (if that) and now I usually take in 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day, so it might be something like that?
Thanks for your reply
eta: Maybe I should just start weighing in once a week so I don't get confused by all the daily ups and downs0 -
I averaged 2 lbs. a week weight loss and it has taken me a little over 38 months now but this was a lifestyle change so time was never a pressing issue cause I would eventually get to my goal and I am not quite there yet. Still a work in progress... One thing I would suggest is staying off the scale and don't let that define your weight loss. I only step on the scale once a week, I log what it says and move on to hitting my goals for the next week. There is so much more to it than the number on the scale.... The way you feel, the way your clothes fit, to name a few..... Your heading in the right direction... Best of Luck0
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Have you calculated your actual TDEE/BMR? Check out the thread "In Place of a Road Map"
It will likely help0 -
Weigh in once a week and fill your mind with thoughts on how you are feeling, the acomplishment of sticking to your calorie target, drinking lots of water and how kind you are being to your body, you will find that all these things will show on the scales over time. I still have a looong way to go but I believe in what I said.0
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I averaged 2 lbs. a week weight loss and it has taken me a little over 38 months now but this was a lifestyle change so time was never a pressing issue cause I would eventually get to my goal and I am not quite there yet. Still a work in progress... One thing I would suggest is staying off the scale and don't let that define your weight loss. I only step on the scale once a week, I log what it says and move on to hitting my goals for the next week. There is so much more to it than the number on the scale.... The way you feel, the way your clothes fit, to name a few..... Your heading in the right direction... Best of Luck
yeah, it's a little difficult to not be obsessed with the number because I'm the type of person who likes actual hard numbers to see that I'm making progress.... Maybe I should start measuring myself instead?0 -
Have you calculated your actual TDEE/BMR? Check out the thread "In Place of a Road Map"
It will likely help
Can't calculate TDEE because I can't measure myself at work, but my BMR according to that is 2144 (using the body fat % provided by my scale). With a 1200 calorie diet, I should have a 944 calorie deficit every day, so 6608 per week means I should be losing around 1.8lbs per week
So I guess it's a normal amount! I just get scared when it shoots back up to the starting rate like that, but like I said, it might be too early to tell...0 -
Do you exercise? What's your daily routine like? Your BMR is usually well under what your TDEE is unless you happen to be bedridden. I think you may be eating too little. When you have the time calculate your TDEE.Have you calculated your actual TDEE/BMR? Check out the thread "In Place of a Road Map"
It will likely help
Can't calculate TDEE because I can't measure myself at work, but my BMR according to that is 2144 (using the body fat % provided by my scale). With a 1200 calorie diet, I should have a 944 calorie deficit every day, so 6608 per week means I should be losing around 1.8lbs per week
So I guess it's a normal amount! I just get scared when it shoots back up to the starting rate like that, but like I said, it might be too early to tell...0 -
I averaged 2 lbs. a week weight loss and it has taken me a little over 38 months now but this was a lifestyle change so time was never a pressing issue cause I would eventually get to my goal and I am not quite there yet. Still a work in progress... One thing I would suggest is staying off the scale and don't let that define your weight loss. I only step on the scale once a week, I log what it says and move on to hitting my goals for the next week. There is so much more to it than the number on the scale.... The way you feel, the way your clothes fit, to name a few..... Your heading in the right direction... Best of Luck
yeah, it's a little difficult to not be obsessed with the number because I'm the type of person who likes actual hard numbers to see that I'm making progress.... Maybe I should start measuring myself instead?
Agreed! Use the weighing in part as just another tool in your weight loss journey. I too in the beginning put way to much into the number on the scale but when you lose over 300 lbs. you realize early on that this is going to take some time and if I let that scale dictate any of this I am going to fail more times than I will succeed ... Definitely take measurements every 30 days for comparison purposes. Best of Luck again....0 -
yeah, it's a little difficult to not be obsessed with the number because I'm the type of person who likes actual hard numbers to see that I'm making progress.... Maybe I should start measuring myself instead?
I like numbers too. The only reason I don't weigh myself daily is because the scale is at the gym, but if I'm there, I weigh. I like to know. In order to "smooth out" the noise, you can use a weighted averaging system like this: https://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/subsection1_4_1_0_1.html#SECTION0410100000000000000. Sorry if that's a bit complicated, but if you have access to a spreadsheet program, it's really simple to set up and then you can weigh every day for the data, but have an idea of what's really going on by looking at the trend. As long as the trend is downward, you're doing okay. Here's the trend for the data you posted:
You're trending downward, so I'd say you're doing okay. Weight loss is slow, unfortunately.0 -
I like numbers too. The only reason I don't weigh myself daily is because the scale is at the gym, but if I'm there, I weigh. I like to know. In order to "smooth out" the noise, you can use a weighted averaging system like this: https://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/subsection1_4_1_0_1.html#SECTION0410100000000000000. Sorry if that's a bit complicated, but if you have access to a spreadsheet program, it's really simple to set up and then you can weigh every day for the data, but have an idea of what's really going on by looking at the trend. As long as the trend is downward, you're doing okay. Here's the trend for the data you posted:
You're trending downward, so I'd say you're doing okay. Weight loss is slow, unfortunately.
Oh, yeah, it's fine if it's complicated! I actually prefer it to be a little more complicated simply because I really like the statistics portion of things. Thank you so much, this will help me out a lot!! I know it's slow going, I just needed to make sure it's not just my body naturally fluctuating and it's actual loss, but it makes sense...Do you exercise? What's your daily routine like? Your BMR is usually well under what your TDEE is unless you happen to be bedridden. I think you may be eating too little. When you have the time calculate your TDEE.
I exercise occasionally, but it's not noteworthy enough to bother mentioning. I work a desk job and spend a lot of my time sitting around, so I'm basically at a sedentary level right now. I've been considering taking up bike riding now that the weather is nice and I've recovered my bike from my old house. I think there actually is a possibility that I'm eating too little, which is why I posted the nutritional information in the first place. I don't want to hit a plateau early because I'm taking in too few calories.0 -
I think fewer people hit the 'sedentary' requirement than they realize. But do your TDEE, and play with calories. This is a lifetime change, so time IS on your side.I like numbers too. The only reason I don't weigh myself daily is because the scale is at the gym, but if I'm there, I weigh. I like to know. In order to "smooth out" the noise, you can use a weighted averaging system like this: https://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/subsection1_4_1_0_1.html#SECTION0410100000000000000. Sorry if that's a bit complicated, but if you have access to a spreadsheet program, it's really simple to set up and then you can weigh every day for the data, but have an idea of what's really going on by looking at the trend. As long as the trend is downward, you're doing okay. Here's the trend for the data you posted:
You're trending downward, so I'd say you're doing okay. Weight loss is slow, unfortunately.
Oh, yeah, it's fine if it's complicated! I actually prefer it to be a little more complicated simply because I really like the statistics portion of things. Thank you so much, this will help me out a lot!! I know it's slow going, I just needed to make sure it's not just my body naturally fluctuating and it's actual loss, but it makes sense...Do you exercise? What's your daily routine like? Your BMR is usually well under what your TDEE is unless you happen to be bedridden. I think you may be eating too little. When you have the time calculate your TDEE.
I exercise occasionally, but it's not noteworthy enough to bother mentioning. I work a desk job and spend a lot of my time sitting around, so I'm basically at a sedentary level right now. I've been considering taking up bike riding now that the weather is nice and I've recovered my bike from my old house. I think there actually is a possibility that I'm eating too little, which is why I posted the nutritional information in the first place. I don't want to hit a plateau early because I'm taking in too few calories.0 -
I just checked my TDEE.
sedentary TDEE: 2144
lightly active TDEE: 2457
moderately active TDEE: 2770
very active TDEE: 3083
extremely active TDEE: 3395
Based on this, is 1200 calories too low? The guide says for the morbidly obese (which isn't technically me but it might as well be because my BMI is 39.7 right now), up to 30% is ok. 30% would be 1500 calories a day. 20% would be 1715.0 -
bump for possible answer tonight0
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Weighing every day can be discouraging. Keep up the good work & try weighing once a week.0
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Why don't you try the 1500-1700 range for a month and see what happens? At the very least, you'll still have a decent deficit. 1200 seems awfully low for your stats. Also, I don't understand how your BMR and sedentary TDEE can both be 2144. Even at sedentary, you'll be higher than your BMR.
Also, I highly encourage you to exercise. Generally, people look smaller and better at higher weights when they do.0 -
I don't think 1200 is too low, but sometimes if can be a struggle for people to maintain. I basically set my MFP up for sedentary and 1 lb per week loss. Any exercise I do I eat back exercise calories above 500. I've been maintaining 1-2 lb/week loss like this and never feel hungry.0
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DEFINITELY take your measurements. I didn't lose an ounce during September, but I did lose 7 inches from all over. So glad I had measured or I would be going crazy wondering why I hadn't made any progress.
My TDEE is about 2848 and I eat 1700, so I'm not sure if I'm eating enough either.0 -
Bump0
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I agree with your statement about weighing once a week. Work the plan, stay within your calories (try not to eat below the 1200) and get moving some and it will all work out in the end. If you insist on weighing every day, you could do that and then after a week add all the weights together and divide by 7 to get your average weekly weight loss. Remember that we as females have the every so lovely hormones playing havoc with our bodies too, and that water retention is not out of the question either, especially during our cycles. I know for myself, that I lose best only 2 weeks out of a month and the other 2 weeks I lose maybe a pound and then will stay the same weight if not up a few pounds for about 5 days straight and then it comes back off. Some people lose consistently from week to week and they are lucky. Good luck in your weight loss journey 0
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I averaged 2 lbs. a week weight loss and it has taken me a little over 38 months now but this was a lifestyle change so time was never a pressing issue cause I would eventually get to my goal and I am not quite there yet. Still a work in progress... One thing I would suggest is staying off the scale and don't let that define your weight loss. I only step on the scale once a week, I log what it says and move on to hitting my goals for the next week. There is so much more to it than the number on the scale.... The way you feel, the way your clothes fit, to name a few..... Your heading in the right direction... Best of Luck
yeah, it's a little difficult to not be obsessed with the number because I'm the type of person who likes actual hard numbers to see that I'm making progress.... Maybe I should start measuring myself instead?
you're obsessing over an instrument that's not very accurate. most home scales can't be trusted. unless you have a properly calibrated medical beam scale, you really can't trust what your scale tells you. all you can do is use it to determine trends. i can step on my little home digital scale 5 times within a minute and get 5 different readings. i take the average of those 5 and use it to determine my overall trend. for this reason, it makes no sense to weigh yourself more than once per week.0
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