just started, but not losing weight

anti
anti Posts: 20 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I haven't done any exercise for nine years. Nothing. I need to lose 12kg (82 -> 70kg), so I've started static bike and 'couch to 5k' intervals, as well as eating healthier and a bit less.

In the last week and a half I've done 5 hours on the bike (100km at 20km/h, the bike says that's 1500cals burned). I've also done 2 hours interval walking/jogging (10km) which seems to be about 700cals burned.

If I've got a proper balance of diet and exercise, should I be seeing any difference to my weight at this stage? I expected 1/2 a kilo less by now. Maybe I'm not seeing any difference because my muscles had atrophied so much that I'm losing fat but gaining muscle? Or is it more probable that my calorie intake is still too high?

Cheers.

Replies

  • RedHotRunner
    RedHotRunner Posts: 850 Member
    It could be both - I'm training for a half marathon and running about 4 hours a week and still am only losing at the most 1/2 pound a week. My intake ranges from 1400 - 2000 calories, depending on my work out for that day.

    Keep at it. I'm sure the scale will start to move soon.
  • Rynatat
    Rynatat Posts: 807 Member
    You didn't get this way overnight, so the "change" won't happen overnight. I had gained back about 20lbs of what I had worked so hard to lose a couple years ago & really buckled down around December '09 to lose it. For the first 3 months, nothing changed: not the scale, not my clothes, nothing: I felt a bit better due to energy levels picking up thanx to exercising, but that was it. And then, suddenly, the scale showed a loss! I had lost 2 lbs in March. Then another pound, and now, 9 months later I've lost 11lbs. It doesn't seem like a lot, but but my clothes fit better, I dropped almost a full size (depends on the brand, etc.) and all my old clothes that I hadn't got up the courage to get rid of are starting to fit :happy:
    It takes time to rewrite your body's blue-prints (at least 30 days to reprogram old ways), and you have to give your body time to adjust. The support on this site is incredible & all the MFP's, whether they are friends or not are fantastic :flowerforyou: Please don't get discouraged because the scale doesn't show you what you want to see, it's just a number and can lie. Muscle weighs more than fat as well (more dense), so if you're exercising, you're probably like me: I was building a couple lbs of muscle compared to each pound I lost so wasn't seeing a change in the scale, but started to see & feel the change in my clothes. You can do this & everyone here is here for you when you need that extra smile :happy:
    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • tcam70455
    tcam70455 Posts: 128 Member
    It took me a while for the weight to start dropping also. Don't get discouraged, and realize the exercise you're getting is making you healthier. You will have more energy, and you will start burning more calories as time goes by. I kept up with the exercise and good eating habits because I felt better. Came close to giving in when after 5 weeks the scale hadn't moved much, and then it started. Lots of support here at MFP.
  • anti
    anti Posts: 20 Member
    Thanks for all the reassurance.
    I definitely feel better already, so I'll keep doing it on that basis alone.

    I guess I'll need to be patient for a month more before re-evaluating my intake and exercise level.

    Thanks.
  • rodney73
    rodney73 Posts: 15
    it took me over two weeks for things to show
  • schnarfo
    schnarfo Posts: 764 Member
    sometimes taking measurements with a tape measure show you changes you didnt think were happening when the scale doesnt move :)
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