I am sure this has been done to death...but...not from me.

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hsr728
hsr728 Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I started MFP about a month ago. My weight loss has been on track at about 11 lbs in 3 weeks. I am staying anywhere from 1200-1500 calories. This week (check in is tomorrow) I am weighing 3 lbs heavier than last week. I drink tons of water, do 30 DS every weekday morning and usually find some outside work to do in the evenings. I am scared to eat at TDEE as I already feel terrible eating up to 1500 now. Will my body eventually get used to the 1200 again and continue weight loss? I need tips and suggestions. Help!!!!
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  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    Could just be water weight, but as you're female and it's been three weeks, does it happen to be your time of the month? Most women bloat and retain water.
  • ichorica
    ichorica Posts: 475 Member
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    Weight fluctuations are normal. Stick to your plan and continue Rollin. Also don't be afraid to eat, once you understand the deficit and TDEE it makes sense. But if you decide 1500 is what you want just keep it up and try not to think that every week the scale must move. You have lost 11lbs in 3 weeks, average it out and that's over 2 lbs weekly, which is well above recommendation. It's rare to consistently lose large amounts of weight weekly. Stay focused and keep going.
  • hsr728
    hsr728 Posts: 12 Member
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    No, my monthly relative was in town last week. :(
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    11lbs in 3 weeks isn't slow.

    Part of that was probably water weight, so you gained some of it back. Could be your hormones (time of the month), you ate a lot of sodium, had some alcohol, exercised harder than normal, etc, etc, etc. It happens to all of us. Weight loss isn't linear - the scale will go up and down.


    Also, the name of the game shouldn't be "eat as little as I can". Don't be afraid to eat back your exercise calories or figure out TDEE-20%. Staying too low for too long can impact your metabolism and result in a lower TDEE.....which means your maintenance calories will be lower (when you get to goal - you have a lot to lose, so this may not apply right now, but it will become increasingly important the closer you get).

    My tips and suggestions? Don't stress about it.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Yeah - it could just be water. Had any high sodium meals of late? Do you weigh in the same time of day?

    Take measurements ..... sometimes your weight can stay the same ... yet you've lost inches.
  • yksdoris
    yksdoris Posts: 327 Member
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    Could just be water weight, but as you're female and it's been three weeks, does it happen to be your time of the month? Most women bloat and retain water.
    this; most probably. also, note: people's hormones are different; I always gain right *before* TOM, some do during and some right after...

    also, when you're hormonal, it's that much harder, emotionally, to keep going with the food limits, that much harder not to panic; but it's important that you try and rationalize this.

    The way it usually goes is: normal weight loss - gain of 2 to 4 lb - maintain the gain for about a week - drop LOADS. repeat.
  • hsr728
    hsr728 Posts: 12 Member
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    You guys are awesome. :) I drink lots of water, have had some high sodium, but figured my 1.5 gallons of water a day would make up for it. My measurements have gone down some. I just hate the scale! It is hard for me to figure out how to get healthy calories without processed foods or tons of sugar or sodium.
  • drojen
    drojen Posts: 203 Member
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    No, my monthly relative was in town last week. :(

    I have been tracking my weight daily for interest purposes and have discovered that I don't gain before or during, I gain about a week after. It sticks around for about a week and suddenly drops away again. Don't know why, don't really care. Just good to know that it happens consistently this way month after month. Just how my body works. Maybe yours works that way too. Keep doing what you are doing, and remember this next month and see if the same thing happens again.
  • So_Much_Fab
    So_Much_Fab Posts: 1,146 Member
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    1. Do not be scared to eat at TDEE (TDEE minus 10-20% to be specific). It's better to fuel your body! Most of us need more than 1200 calories/day.
    2. When you first start you'll see big losses at first...this will eventually lead to smaller weekly losses (depending on what you have to lose). This is very normal.
    3. Being up 3 lbs. all of a sudden is also very normal. It could be water retention, TOM, etc.

    The best thing you can do is stay the course, do what you're doing, weigh occasionally (not every day!) and take measurements/progress pictures.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    It is hard for me to figure out how to get healthy calories without processed foods or tons of sugar or sodium.

    peanut butter
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
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    1lb in 3 weeks is slow. 11lbs in 3 weeks is scary.
  • yksdoris
    yksdoris Posts: 327 Member
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    No, my monthly relative was in town last week. :(

    I have been tracking my weight daily for interest purposes and have discovered that I don't gain before or during, I gain about a week after. It sticks around for about a week and suddenly drops away again. Don't know why, don't really care. Just good to know that it happens consistently this way month after month. Just how my body works. Maybe yours works that way too. Keep doing what you are doing, and remember this next month and see if the same thing happens again.

    not only that, I'm almost always heaviest on Mondays and lightest on Fridays. It has to do with my eating patterns, which during the week are consistent but in the weekends I often sleep through "breakfast" and that alone throws my whole system through a loop. The weekly fluctuation can be as much as 2 lb; so it *looks* like I've gained 2 lb in just 2 days. nope, that's just my system being confused about meal times.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    It is hard for me to figure out how to get healthy calories without processed foods or tons of sugar or sodium.

    peanut butter

    Olive oil
    Full fat dairy products
    Nuts
    Pasta
    Potatoes
    Avocados
    Butter
    A little treat every day - 1/2cup of ice cream or a cookie
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    No, my monthly relative was in town last week. :(
    I "gain" when I ovulate... many women do. Give it a few days. Don't panic!
  • xiamjackie
    xiamjackie Posts: 611 Member
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    11 pounds in 3 weeks is an awesome achievement. I wouldn't look to change anything at all. MFP sets you up to lose about a pound per week and you've lost almost four times that. I don't think you should be concerned about anything.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    No, my monthly relative was in town last week. :(

    I have been tracking my weight daily for interest purposes and have discovered that I don't gain before or during, I gain about a week after. It sticks around for about a week and suddenly drops away again. Don't know why, don't really care. Just good to know that it happens consistently this way month after month. Just how my body works. Maybe yours works that way too. Keep doing what you are doing, and remember this next month and see if the same thing happens again.
    Mine too. I "gain" when I ovulate.
  • DaniH826
    DaniH826 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    Your body will eventually adapt to low calories and your fat loss will stall out at that point, and you might even gain weight. Our bodies are highly adaptive and programmed to adapt to and survive in all sorts of situations.

    My suggestion to you would be to find a healthy range rather than a set number, and aim to consistently stay within that range. Because really, fat loss and fitness is all about what you do over a span of months and years, rather than days and weeks. Don't apply short-term fixes to a long-term problem because that's not going to work. Slow changes over time are usually better when it comes to stick-with-it-ness than immediate radical changes (which often lead to a gradual reversal to old ways and a giving up altogether).

    And a loss of 11 lbs in 3 weeks is probably mostly water fluctuation and not true fat loss.
  • joleenl
    joleenl Posts: 739 Member
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    1lb in 3 weeks is slow. 11lbs in 3 weeks is scary.


    11 lbs in 3 weeks is not scary for a newbie. It is common to drop a lot of weight in the beginning and then slow down to a more normal weekly loss of <2lbs a week. This is also what happened to me.
  • yourenotmine
    yourenotmine Posts: 645 Member
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    1lb in 3 weeks is slow. 11lbs in 3 weeks is scary.


    11 lbs in 3 weeks is not scary for a newbie. It is common to drop a lot of weight in the beginning and then slow down to a more normal weekly loss of <2lbs a week. This is also what happened to me.

    ^^ That. Not scary at the beginning. I lost 12 pounds in a WEEK when I started, and was fine. Tapered off to normal after that.
  • endoftheside
    endoftheside Posts: 568 Member
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    For me, high sodium is not instantly cancelled out by extra water, it takes a day or two to process through, so I don't worry if I am on track otherwise--I just wait it out. 11 pounds in 3 weeks is high, but not crazily so if you are just starting out (mostly water weight). However, I wouldn't expect that rate to last and if it did I would definitely up your calories...this is a good time to figure out how you can sustainably eat for the rest of your life, not a race to a goal. Even if your real weight loss was 8 pounds in three weeks, that is still great progress.

    Home-cooked meats and vegetables (prepared without salt) are the easiest ways to get in calories without excess sugar/salt, processed foods, even "healthy" ones are usually packed with sodium. I am still working on getting my sodium down because I am sensitive to it, and it was a downer to see how much salt I was getting from packaged foods, even ones with healthy ingredients (except for the excessive salt).

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