Not losing weight yet

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hollybygolly316
hollybygolly316 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,

My name is Holly, and I am 23 years old and currently 380 pounds. I have been on my exercise/healthy eating routine for 2 weeks now and have actually gained 2 pounds. I have cut out every drink but water, all fast food, and basically most junk food (I have a small cheat once in awhile but not very often). I'm wondering if the weight I have gained is muscle or if I need to change something I am doing? Anyone have any suggestions?
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Replies

  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    you should open your diary so people can review it and give you more accurate guidance. fyi 2 weeks is not a long time and it is most likely not muscle gain.
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
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    Can you give us an idea of how many calories you're eating on a daily basis and what you are doing for exercise?

    In two weeks, you will not have seen a 2lb gain in muscle mass...that'd be more like 2 months for a woman who is doing everything correctly!
  • hollybygolly316
    hollybygolly316 Posts: 8 Member
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    Ok, I think I have the privacy setting right now, so you should be able to see my diary. Any tips are appreciated.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    If your logging is accurate, it's looking pretty good.

    I find that weight came off in the first few days pretty easy, and then there was about a month of plateau before it started coming off again.
  • elvensnow
    elvensnow Posts: 154 Member
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    Two weeks isn't long in the grand scheme of weight loss.

    Are you making sure to weigh yourself at the same time of day? Is it hormones (TOM)? These things can contribute to odd fluctuations in the scale that really don't mean anything.

    Also I will say that when I started, I was at 240, my first week I dropped about 5 lbs but my second week I GAINED 3 lbs, then I dropped another ~8lbs, then gained 5 lbs.... It was really weird. But it finally evened out and I started losing consistently.

    So final answer is: If you're honest with tracking and feel you are doing it right, just give it time.
  • lgl003
    lgl003 Posts: 19 Member
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    Are you doing any exercise? It looks like you are doing good as far as your calorie goals, but maybe going for a walk each day or a few times a week might help. Also, it looks like we're in the same boat when it comes to going over daily sodium goals, but I guess that comes along with a busy life and having to eat convenience foods. I'm sure you'll start seeing results soon if you stick with it. Good Luck!!
  • KinoM
    KinoM Posts: 359 Member
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    It looks like your sodium intake is the culprit here. That much sodium in your diet is going to make you retain water, which will mask any actual weight loss. Try to watch out for highly processed or salty foods and keep your sodium levels under your target for a week or two & see how you get on. I'd bet you dollars to donuts you start losing weight. Good luck on your journey!
  • eroyboy93
    eroyboy93 Posts: 32
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    Check with your BMR and make sure you're actually eating enough. If your body isn't getting enough fuel, it will go in to starvation mode, causing it to hold on to fat! Research this for more info :)
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
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    First, although I don't know what type of exercise you are doing, it is highly unlikely that the 2 pounds is muscle, particularly if you are eating at a deficit. I took a quick look at some of your diary and agree that it is pretty good ASSUMING that you are logging everything AND measure/weighing. Those are big assumptions. The other thing is there are a couple of days where you are way over on your sodium... Like WAY over. I think you really should focus on sodium intake as well as overall calorie intake for a couple of weeks and I think you will see progress. You could be losing fat, but masking it with water weight. Best of Luck and keep up the good work!
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
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    You are clearly starving yourself. I weight 1/3 of what you do and eat more on a day to day basis. Your really need to be hitting that goal calorie number every day. Eating under 1000 calories should NOT be done by any adult.

    You should also drop your carbs in favor of higher fat and protein. Aim for at least 150g/protein and 70g/fat. High carb diets also make you retain water, I'll bet if you drop your carbs to under 200g/day for a week, you'll lose several lbs of water alone.

    Please don't starve yourself. It's super counterproductive.
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    Ok, I think I have the privacy setting right now, so you should be able to see my diary. Any tips are appreciated.

    your sodium is out of control - and i suspect is one of the reasons you gained. lots and lots and lots and i mean LOTS of water to help flush out all that unnecessary sodium. now as for your eating habits i see alot of processed foods in your diet. have you thought about making some of the foods you eat (velvetta mac and cheese is not the best thing for you) but you can make your own cheese sauce using hard cheeses, milk, flour, salt and pepper by doing this you're able to control the amounts plus you could use whole wheat pasta too. also instead of deli meat how about thin sliced chicken breast for your sandwich. it's these little changes that will make a world of difference. :)
  • hollybygolly316
    hollybygolly316 Posts: 8 Member
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    I do see that I have a lot of sodium in my diet, and the sad thing is that it was way higher before I started this, because of all the fast food we used to eat. I basically eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch and generally dinner on the weekdays, because I am working full-time, and it's convenient for me. I've seen a couple tips on here such as reducing sodium and carbs and increasing my fats and proteins. Any tips on making some of these changes? I've been eating the sandwiches and rice, because the fiber/whole grains help me feel fuller. If I start to feel hungry, I have a tendency to binge and go crazy, so I've been trying to make sure I don't get that hungry feeling. What could I substitute to help lower the carbs/sodium while increasing the fat/protein without feeling like I'm hungry all the time?
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
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    I highly recommend preparing your workday meals on Sundays. Invest in a $20 crockpot, some Tupperware, and an insulated lunch bag.

    On Sunday mornings, throw 5lbs of chicken/beef/port into a crockpot with seasonings and a little water, sliced potatoes, and veggies of your choice (frozen works as well as fresh if you don't want to spend the time prepping!). Cook on high 6-8 hours.

    Set aside 1/2 the meat for easy dinners or freeze for next week. Separate out the rest into 5 portions of the meat, potatoes, and veggies into the tupperware. Now you have lunch for the workdays. In the morning, throw a container of food into your lunch bag and add to it apples/bananas/etc, string cheese, cups of greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or trail mix. Surround yourself with healthy, whole foods.

    Dedicating 10 minutes Sunday morning to tossing ingredients together and 20 minutes after it's cooked will actually save you time compared to making sandwiches every morning.
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
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    I do see that I have a lot of sodium in my diet, and the sad thing is that it was way higher before I started this, because of all the fast food we used to eat. I basically eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch and generally dinner on the weekdays, because I am working full-time, and it's convenient for me. I've seen a couple tips on here such as reducing sodium and carbs and increasing my fats and proteins. Any tips on making some of these changes? I've been eating the sandwiches and rice, because the fiber/whole grains help me feel fuller. If I start to feel hungry, I have a tendency to binge and go crazy, so I've been trying to make sure I don't get that hungry feeling. What could I substitute to help lower the carbs/sodium while increasing the fat/protein without feeling like I'm hungry all the time?

    Try to make small changes in the way you eat. Start with cutting out one of those high salt foods you eat all the time. The highest I see is that broth. It says low salt but that is far from low salt. To prevent that feeling of always being hungry you may want to try low calorie dense foods. Try having a large fresh salad with diced up fresh chicken breast on top. Roast your own boneless skinless chicken breasts and every day dice one up and put it over a salad in a container to take with you to work. It will keep you fuller longer than those 2 slices of deli lunch meat which is high in sodium and is better for you.

    I used to have high BP. The first thing I did when my dr. said I had high BP was to cut out all salt, move more, and try to lose weight. You're off to a good start.

    Also high in sodium are those processed cheese and that mac and cheese stuff you eat. Start to make small changes every day and you''ll get there.
  • pippywillow
    pippywillow Posts: 253 Member
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    I do see that I have a lot of sodium in my diet, and the sad thing is that it was way higher before I started this, because of all the fast food we used to eat. I basically eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch and generally dinner on the weekdays, because I am working full-time, and it's convenient for me. I've seen a couple tips on here such as reducing sodium and carbs and increasing my fats and proteins. Any tips on making some of these changes? I've been eating the sandwiches and rice, because the fiber/whole grains help me feel fuller. If I start to feel hungry, I have a tendency to binge and go crazy, so I've been trying to make sure I don't get that hungry feeling. What could I substitute to help lower the carbs/sodium while increasing the fat/protein without feeling like I'm hungry all the time?

    What helps me a lot is to make things ahead of time so I don't have to use so many convenience foods. Boiled eggs are a great source of protein, and you can boil a bunch ahead of time to take to work. Or make up a big batch of real macaroni and cheese and pack it to go.

    Carbs may make you feel fuller at first, but proteins will actually keep you fuller for longer.

    When I first started I wasn't counting calories. I was just eating what made my body feel good. Processed food makes me feel like crap, fresh food gives me energy. You should think about how the food makes you feel.
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
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    My favorite go to for dinner is stir fry. Again, I cook up enough for several meals...I guess I don't mind eating the same thing for days at a time :)

    Fill your biggest fry pan with sliced meat and a couple bags of frozen veggies. Saute in some olive oi, soy sauce, and teriyaki sauce. I like to eat mine with some sliced avocado or full fat cheese sprinkled on top (a little cheese goes a long way if it's full fat!). Load up on the veggies and healthy fats and you shouldn't need the rice to help feel full. Do you know how many veggies you could eat instead of that one serving of rice?? A LOT!

    Peanut butter spread on a couple of celery sticks, baby carrots, or an apple are a great snack for a sweet tooth. I love my air popper for popcorn. I spray it with the spray butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese or ranch seasoning if I need something other than chips. You may also want to check out a chocolate protein powder (if you are a chocolate fan!). I mix a 1/2 scoop (60cal) with a cup of almond milk(30cal) for a chocolate milk fix.

    Feel free to PM me, I'd love to give you more suggestions!
  • hidbee
    hidbee Posts: 52 Member
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    eating fast food because its "convenient" isn't an excuse, especially if you are seriously motivated to lost the weight. To start, like everyone else has already said, your sodium is OUT OF CONTROL. I would assume most of us MFP are working adults, much like yourself, and eating fast food is a conscious decision to not prepare foods that you know are healthier and quite frankly cheaper. Learn to prep your meals the day before, or heck even the week before. I usually do most of my cooking and meal preps on Sunday and then put them in tupperwear so in the morning I can grab and go--the new fast food. If you have a smart phone invest in apps like Fooducate. It will triple your time in the supermarket but learn to read the labels and see exactly what is bombing out your diet. It will help tremendously.

    Learn to change your old habits and excuses. Making excuses for your bad food habits will hurt no one except yourself. It takes a minute before you might start seeing results. Be patient.
  • CeeRache
    CeeRache Posts: 5 Member
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    I have looked at your diary and have to agree with a lot of the posts on here that the issue would seem to be processed foods.

    You will be amazed how much better you feel both physically and mentally when you eat a so-called "clean" diet.

    Lots of protein will make you feel fuller for longer and release energy much slower than sugar and carbs.

    If you still feel hungry I would recommend something like berries - you can eat plenty of these with very low calorie intake and feel like you are still getting "volume". A nice snack is blueberries and 0% fat yogurt / greek yoghurt for example - and no prep time!

    Some tips that I use myself - porridge oats mixed with just water for breakfast - takes 2 mins in the microwave. Cook up some chicken or other lean meat at the weekend and turn this into lunches or use as snacks. Have lots of fresh fruit on hand at home and at work.

    You will be carrying plastic boxes everywhere you go but you won't be hungry and the weight will drop off!!

    Best of luck.
  • hollybygolly316
    hollybygolly316 Posts: 8 Member
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    eating fast food because its "convenient" isn't an excuse, especially if you are seriously motivated to lost the weight. To start, like everyone else has already said, your sodium is OUT OF CONTROL. I would assume most of us MFP are working adults, much like yourself, and eating fast food is a conscious decision to not prepare foods that you know are healthier and quite frankly cheaper. Learn to prep your meals the day before, or heck even the week before. I usually do most of my cooking and meal preps on Sunday and then put them in tupperwear so in the morning I can grab and go--the new fast food. If you have a smart phone invest in apps like Fooducate. It will triple your time in the supermarket but learn to read the labels and see exactly what is bombing out your diet. It will help tremendously.

    Learn to change your old habits and excuses. Making excuses for your bad food habits will hurt no one except yourself. It takes a minute before you might start seeing results. Be patient.

    I appreciate your honesty and suggestions, but at the same time, it is a little discouraging to have someone who has probably never been even half my weight scolding me like I'm a lazy child. If you read some of the previous comments, you would see that I said I have completely cut out fast food (i.e. McDonald's, Arby's, etc.). The only "fast food" I eat is microwavable macaroni and cheese, because it was something that was portioned small and was easy to throw in the microwave once I had lunch at work. I didn't come on here to make excuses. I have been doing my research, and the whole reason for this post was to help me get additional ideas to help me change some of my old habits. I am working on changing the old habits, but I need to learn new habits and what works/what doesn't work. That's why I posted this in the first place, to get advice from people who have done this longer than me and have had personal experience with what can work in my situation. I don't appreciate the assumption that I am trying to make excuses because I came on here asking for advice. It is precisely this attitude from "healthy" people that discourages really obese people like myself from even trying in the first place.
  • hidbee
    hidbee Posts: 52 Member
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    If you felt like I was scolding you because you asked for an opinion, I am sorry but that is so off base. Don't get defensive if you ask for an opinion, you receive one, and then automatically assume you are being scolded. Just like I don't know you, you don't know me either. And don't get discouraged if someone says something you don't like and then say that its "healthy" people, such as myself that discourage you from losing weight. You are making quiet a few assumptions about me too, you know.

    Please don't seek out advice and then get upset when someone says something you feel is hurtful. Remember that it was you asked for suggestions.

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