Defeated on week 2...where am I going wrong?

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  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,124 Member
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    Guaranteed most of that 8# was water weight. Now... 1#/week is excellent. I've been at this now for about 5mo and I'm still at 6# lost total.... but I've lost inches.

    Chin up..... you didn't gain all that weight in 1 week... so its not going to come back off that fast either.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Hello- Wondering if anyone has any advice/tips. I just completed week two of working really hard at losing weight. I desperately need to. The first week I did great with eating/ exercising and lost 8 pounds. I have dieted enough to know the first week is usually a huge success with big pounds lost. However, my second week I did even better with food/ exercise and lost a measly 1 pound. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful it was still a loss and not a gain, but after working so hard, it is somewhat disappointing to only see 1 pound gone this week. I have been so diligent about logging everything I eat. Have always been under the allotted daily calories + workout calories (I don't even dig into those too much). I have walked 1.5 miles+ on the treadmill (1/2 hour) every single day, and then some. So why only 1 pound? Its so hard to stick to something when you expect more out of it. ugghhh...Any advice out there?

    being disappointed at losing 9lbs in 2 weeks is where you're going wrong....
  • mmstone13
    mmstone13 Posts: 60 Member
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    Truly thank you for all the advice and encouragement. Please understand I am not disappointed in the 9 lbs. Just disappointed in the one :) Its that one pound that will get you every time. lol :) By no means am I giving up. Just wanting to make sure that I am confident I am doing the right thing. Thanks again everyone!!!
  • Canderson58054
    Canderson58054 Posts: 132 Member
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    Hello- Wondering if anyone has any advice/tips. I just completed week two of working really hard at losing weight. I desperately need to. The first week I did great with eating/ exercising and lost 8 pounds. I have dieted enough to know the first week is usually a huge success with big pounds lost. However, my second week I did even better with food/ exercise and lost a measly 1 pound. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful it was still a loss and not a gain, but after working so hard, it is somewhat disappointing to only see 1 pound gone this week. I have been so diligent about logging everything I eat. Have always been under the allotted daily calories + workout calories (I don't even dig into those too much). I have walked 1.5 miles+ on the treadmill (1/2 hour) every single day, and then some. So why only 1 pound? Its so hard to stick to something when you expect more out of it. ugghhh...Any advice out there?

    being disappointed at losing 9lbs in 2 weeks is where you're going wrong....

    I would say exactly this. I seen on your profile your total goal to lose is 46 lbs. You've already done 9lbs in two weeks. That's amazing. How long would it take you to gain 46 lbs? It should be the same or longer to lose that weight. None of us got overweight overnight, you don't get healthy overnight either.
  • Mrs_Bones
    Mrs_Bones Posts: 195 Member
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    The first week is where you lose a lot of your "water weight", so the number on the scale might go down a lot but it's not fat just yet. Don't beat yourself up! 1 lb per week is a wonderful thing to achieve! When you set your expectations above that, you'll be disappointed because 1lb of fat is 3500 calories gone and plenty of work alone! I'm lucky if I lose a pound every week! Just keep taking care of yourself and don't get discouraged. You're off to a great start :)
  • Duchy82
    Duchy82 Posts: 560 Member
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    I would be happy with one lb a week really well done to you so far! It has taken me a year and 3 months to lose 37lbs so i don't even average a lb a week . if you put it in a different perspective if you have a lb a week weight loss for a year you would lose 52lbs in a year. be prepared for the tough weeks where you plateau working just as hard as you are now and dont lose a thing for weeks!

    also If you are exercising more that before bear in mind muscle is more dense than fat so you may have replaced fat by muscle, take waist and hip measurements too and you will be pleasantly surprised if you haven't lost weight you have lost inches!
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
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    there will come a day when you are exercising and eating healthy simply to maintain your weight, none of your friends or family are complementing your weight loss anymore, and you are getting no rush of weight loss achievement for your efforts anymore. Unfortunately you are either in this for the long haul or not, if you are then this is a complete lifestyle change and you need to remove trying to gain a sense of achievement from your mind and simply eat, exercise and dont obsess over scales

    Excellent advise!
  • BACKTOCHRISSY
    BACKTOCHRISSY Posts: 73 Member
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    Great visual of what 1 pound looks like!!!

    9 lbs in two weeks is awesome!!!
  • jacz83
    jacz83 Posts: 19 Member
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    not to come off harsh, but set some realistic expectations. 9 lbs in two weeks is awesome and think of your overall goal. You are just getting into this. throw your scale away for the first two months. Concentrate on eating healthy, working out and developing those good habits. Take some measurements. In a month retake those measurements and see the inches come off. Do that the second month and see inches and lbs.



    I like this! The idea of not being a slave to the scale. Focus on the changes you are making. "A watched pot never boils"

    I'm moving this week. I think I should slip and toss that sucker (the scale) good bye. Whoops! :bigsmile:
  • AnaCoffee
    AnaCoffee Posts: 95 Member
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    Thanks for starting this thread as I'm in a similar position! Despite knowing that my first 6.5 lbs (week 1) was all water weight, I lost only .5 lbs this past week. Even though I was expecting a gain since I over ate my calories (including the exercise ones) and I *know* I should be satisfied with it, I've been beating myself up for daring to be hungrier. And I've lost weight before, so I know how it goes. It's just the whole mind set - same as you. So again, thank you! And thanks to all who responded. :flowerforyou:

    Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like. :smile:
  • TribeHokie
    TribeHokie Posts: 711 Member
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    Truly thank you for all the advice and encouragement. Please understand I am not disappointed in the 9 lbs. Just disappointed in the one :) Its that one pound that will get you every time. lol :) By no means am I giving up. Just wanting to make sure that I am confident I am doing the right thing. Thanks again everyone!!!

    Since no one has said it yet, keep in mind that the scale can fluctuate a couple lbs based on time of day, how much you have in your system, and water retention among other things. For funsies I weighed myself every day for two weeks. I started at 219, went down steadily for the first six days to 215.5, up to 217 in the next two, down to 213.5 four days later, and ended at 216. It is a roller coaster but at the end of the day I lost 3lbs in 2 weeks which is quite reasonable. Especially considering the fact that this was over the long fourth of july weekend!

    If you're going to obsess over the scale, I suggest hiding it for a month. Or just not stepping on it and making that an exercise in self-control (which, lets be honest, is one of the main reasons we're all here)
  • missability
    missability Posts: 223
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    I doubt you are going wrong anywhere....I started on January 1, 2013, at 280.4 lbs....I lost 10 pounds of that in 3 days! and only 7 more the entire remaining 28 days of the month! for a grand total of 17 pounds for the month of January.

    After that it has been a steady 1.5 to 2.5 pounds a week....(7 to 10 Lbs.) per month.....so once the initial water weight is off, it slows, but if you keep at it, watch your portions, lot's of water, (I drink half my weight in ounces), eat fresh, lean, and healthy, it is steady, and you will be successful!...

    I have my own set of rules that work for me, but it took several months of "tweaking" to figure them out...you will read a lot of "expert" opinions, advice, etc etc here...but we are all individuals, with different needs, so do not let what you read influence your decisions...listen to your body....stay focused, do whatever it takes! In the end you will be glad you did! Good luck to you!
  • the_green_midget
    the_green_midget Posts: 80 Member
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    To put things in perspective, here's might weight loss chart after a couple of months of dieting:

    ScreenShot2012-06-13at30411PM.png

    And here's my weight loss chart today:

    chart_1_zps163d8645.png

    I weight myself every day because I love data and I actually like understanding how my weight fluctuates. You have to understand that it's not the individual measurements that matter, but the overall trend. For the first year of my weight loss, my weight would sometimes fluctuate by up to 3 lbs in one day, but the overall trend shows that I've been losing exactly 1 lb/week, exactly as planned. I've since upped my calories to be losing 0.5 lb/week, and even with slight plateaus and fluctuations, I've still been able to maintain that. Don't give up!
  • IrritatedDoro
    IrritatedDoro Posts: 89 Member
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    Thanks for the encouragement and advice! I totally understand that it is a complete lifestyle change, and I accept that. I guess I was just hoping for a teeny bit more than 1 pound on week 2. I am not giving up, but I want to make sure that I am doing the right things as well.

    I lost for about three weeks, then went on a 4.5 week plateau. You just have to keep your head in the game. I'm losing quickly again, but it sure was a frustrating June. Consistency is your friend, the scale/your measurements are a lagging indicator.
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
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    If "only" losing one pound makes you think you're doing something wrong, you're going to have a hard road ahead of you. Obviously that pound took a ton of work and you should be proud of it, especially considering you lost 8 your first week. Sometimes people see a gain the second week if they lose such a large number the first.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    LMFAO

    just wait until you are trying to cut. If you think this is difficult now- just weight till you are at 20% trying to get to 15% then 15% trying to get to 12%.

    1 lb a week is realistic- stop sweating it. Just keep putting in the hard work. The steps are simple. But the most difficult thing about this process is that it takes TIME. And patience. most people lack the latter.
  • cingle87
    cingle87 Posts: 717 Member
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    If what an OP says you are looking to lose around 48lb you should be aiming to lose around 1-1.5lb per week, so you are right on track. When you get closer to you goal weight itas going to get harder to shift those last few pounds, so keep it up remember its a marathon not a sprint
  • Gee_24
    Gee_24 Posts: 359 Member
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    I lost quite a lot in week one. Probably 5-6lbs. Then got stuck on 8 stone for 10 days. It was horrific and I was obsessed with the scales. I Then dropped 1lb..then gained...then dropped 2...

    You get the idea. I'm still at a deficit, still exercising. but I can tell you 4 weeks into calorie counting and my trend IS going down. It spikes up and down here and there but in general ( just like the graph above will show ) I'm losing.

    It will take time, weight loss isn't linear. You might see no change in the scales but can be losing inches around your body! Get a measuring tape and see what changes in your waist, neck and hips.
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
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    When the scale does not move, dont get discouraged. think about all the progress you made in other areas - #1 - you were able to not eat the things that got you oveweight. You were able to discipline yourself and track food and you were able to exercise and you may be able to fit better in your clothes and in chairs, and in restaurant booths.. and you may have increased your stamina.. so those are good things.

    Write down the good accomplishments you made and dont give up :)

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