First Timer - Is the weight I've lost water weight?

jessicac00k
jessicac00k Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
It's my first time ever getting fit/losing weight, and I've lost 11 pounds in the last week or two. I also seem to fluctuate a pound or two throughout the day and I'm not sure if that's regular during weight loss or not. I've been drinking 4-8 8 oz glasses of water each day, and I usually got in 1-4 glasses a day before I started. I am coming in around 1200 (my recommended calorie intake) after exercise. I don't know what to expect and don't know if I'm going to gain that weight right back or keep losing, or what. Any shared experience on your first few weeks of weight loss or any advice would be appreciated!

Replies

  • dittmarml
    dittmarml Posts: 351 Member
    You have to burn 3500 calories more than you take in to lose a pound.

    So the 1-2 during the day is definitely water. It can be influenced by what you ate, when you ate it, how hydrated you are, what your salt intake is, hormonal cycles, ambient humidity....in other words, ignore it.

    Also weighing that many times during the day is likely to make you crazy.

    11 pounds in a two weeks is likely to be good part water but probably not all - just keep eating well, exercising, and things will continue to move in a positive direction!
  • WifeofPJ
    WifeofPJ Posts: 312
    everyone's weight fluctuates throughout the day, even throughout the week that is why most will suggest to weigh yourself once a week the same day around the same time. The first pounds are technically water weight so you may not see a change in inches but if you make your healthy changes into habits you will continue to see overall success. you may have weeks where your gain just don't let that get you down most peoples weight loss has ups and downs.

    DO be careful though with your calorie allowance MFP does have low allowance compared to what trainers say. I let MFP set my calorie target but I own a fitbit and so it adds back calories for every day living and try to not go lower than 1400, but if I need to I will go as high as 1900. I have lost 42 lbs in about 3 1/2 months.

    Good luck with your weight loss!
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    1) Don't weigh yourself more than once a day. Your weight can fluctuate several pounds in a day. I also, wouldn't weigh daily if water weight is going to bother you. Water weight can cause a gain of several pounds over night.

    2) Take measurements, sometimes weight won't go down, but you will lose inches.

    3) Yes most of that is probably water weight.

    4) Keep in mind the closer you are to your goal, the slower weight loss is going to be.

    5) You might be eating too little at 1200 net cals a day. Most people (not all but most) can eat more than this and still lose weight.

    6) Don't expect to lose the same amount every week. Weight loss doesn't happen at a steady rate sadly. I chart my weight loss in excel, so I can see how it compares to my net calories. I only started doing this recently and I only do 4 weeks at a time. So here is what Week 5 (since charting) through week 7 day 4 looks like for me:

    fz1ddu.jpg

    7) Strength Training is a good idea. It will not only make you stronger (not bulky), but help you preserve lean body mass so you don't become "skinny fat."
  • jessicac00k
    jessicac00k Posts: 5
    You have to burn 3500 calories more than you take in to lose a pound.

    So the 1-2 during the day is definitely water. It can be influenced by what you ate, when you ate it, how hydrated you are, what your salt intake is, hormonal cycles, ambient humidity....in other words, ignore it.

    Also weighing that many times during the day is likely to make you crazy.

    11 pounds in a two weeks is likely to be good part water but probably not all - just keep eating well, exercising, and things will continue to move in a positive direction!

    Thanks!! I appreciate it a lot - and the 3500 calorie figure helps. I just bought a nice new scale, I figure the best way to get a consistent read is to always weigh myself when I wake up? I didn't weigh myself for 2 weeks before Thursday, so I thought everyday measuring would help me see what's working, but now that I see that I'm fluctuating so much, maybe not. :wink:
  • zentha1384
    zentha1384 Posts: 323 Member
    Most likely water weight.

    When I first started I dropped 10 lbs in one week. I didn't do exercise it was just a monior change of diet, and a huge change in the amount of fluids I drank. Before I started I NEVER drank water. I drank pop and coffee and that was pretty much it, and it was maybe 30oz a day so not much fluid at all.

    The first week I started I upped my water intake to 64-80oz, and I started 16 oz of green tea every meal.
  • jessicac00k
    jessicac00k Posts: 5
    1) Don't weigh yourself more than once a day. Your weight can fluctuate several pounds in a day. I also, wouldn't weigh daily if water weight is going to bother you. Water weight can cause a gain of several pounds over night.

    2) Take measurements, sometimes weight won't go down, but you will lose inches.

    3) Yes most of that is probably water weight.

    4) Keep in mind the closer you are to your goal, the slower weight loss is going to be.

    5) You might be eating too little at 1200 net cals a day. Most people (not all but most) can eat more than this and still lose weight.

    6) Don't expect to lose the same amount every week. Weight loss doesn't happen at a steady rate sadly. I chart my weight loss in excel, so I can see how it compares to my net calories. I only started doing this recently and I only do 4 weeks at a time. So here is what Week 5 (since charting) through week 7 day 4 looks like for me:

    fz1ddu.jpg

    7) Strength Training is a good idea. It will not only make you stronger (not bulky), but help you preserve lean body mass so you don't become "skinny fat."

    That chart is AWESOME. And this community is awesome. I'm usually well-read in anything I set out to do, but this is a totally new world to me and it seems like the info I find on the internet is always different - it definitely helps to be able to hear from people I know have been there. Thank you! I love the Slim in 6 DVDs - I know it isn't Strength Training necessarily, but hopefully the ab workout will help. :smile:
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    It's my first time ever getting fit/losing weight, and I've lost 11 pounds in the last week or two. I also seem to fluctuate a pound or two throughout the day and I'm not sure if that's regular during weight loss or not. I've been drinking 4-8 8 oz glasses of water each day, and I usually got in 1-4 glasses a day before I started. I am coming in around 1200 (my recommended calorie intake) after exercise. I don't know what to expect and don't know if I'm going to gain that weight right back or keep losing, or what. Any shared experience on your first few weeks of weight loss or any advice would be appreciated!

    Who recommended 1200 calories per day?
  • jessicac00k
    jessicac00k Posts: 5
    MyFitnessPal, CalorieCount, and a few different calculators I've used online all recommend 1200 calories after exercise. If you have a better tool to calculate what my intake should be, could you please send me a link?

    This site recommended: 1200 calories; 165g Carbs, 40g Fat, and 45g Protein each day. The BMR says I burn about 1,300 calories each day through daily activity, so that's a 100 cal deficit before exercise. This is also assuming I eat the calories back, so if I exercise and burn 300 calories, I "earn" those calories back, and my recommended calorie allowance increases to 1500.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    MyFitnessPal, CalorieCount, and a few different calculators I've used online all recommend 1200 calories after exercise. If you have a better tool to calculate what my intake should be, could you please send me a link?

    This site recommended: 1200 calories; 165g Carbs, 40g Fat, and 45g Protein each day. The BMR says I burn about 1,300 calories each day through daily activity, so that's a 100 cal deficit before exercise. This is also assuming I eat the calories back, so if I exercise and burn 300 calories, I "earn" those calories back, and my recommended calorie allowance increases to 1500.

    Your BMR is different than your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) which is the total amount of calories you burn each day, including from exercise. This is the number you need to know and subtract 10-20% from that number to get the amount of calories you should be eating. Do a search for Level Obstacles here on the forum and read the first post.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Also, readjust your macro settings, you need more protein, roughly 1g/#lbm. A 40%/30%/30% Carb/Fat/Protein ratio is the usual generic ratio to shoot for.

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