Not losing weight

PaulaJaneBourke
PaulaJaneBourke Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
Not sure if this is the right place but after a month I've only lost 7lbs. The first week I lost 5.2 lbs, the second I put on 1lb, the third I lost 3, yesterday I stayed the same. It's really up and down but I feel a bit disheartened, especially when I've had a good week. My husband thinks that I'm not eating close enough to my allowances and my body keeps going in to starvation mode.

Just wondering if anyone can offer some advice.

Many thanks

PJ x

Replies

  • cousa87
    cousa87 Posts: 7 Member
    I just posted exactly the same thing. Lose 7 lbs First week then Nothing for Three.

    I eat 1200-1300 kcal a day. Really don't know What is happening. But I am Pretty sure if i keep This up for 6 months then mathematically i have To have Lost a significant amount of weight. Right...? :( i really hope so...
  • nomad1000
    nomad1000 Posts: 206 Member
    7 lbs in one month is great! Congrats!

    Remember that weight loss is not linear. Some weeks you may lose and some weeks you may not. But that is OK as long as the trend over the longer term is downward.

    There are so many factors that play into why you might not have a loss this week. How much sodium did you have last week? Is it your TOM so you are retaining water? Have you started exercising harder so your muscles are holding onto water to repair themselves? Are you bloated? Are you constipated?

    I think we all need to remember that we didn't gain this weight we are trying to lose in 2-3 months so expecting to lose it that fast is unrealistic. 1-2 lbs a week average is a good pace for long term success.

    And to give you a real life example, last week I was up 1.4 probably because I spent hours that week shoveling so was sore like you wouldn't believe. This week I was down 3.6. I know this is a marathon not a sprint so, for me, as long as the scale goes down from month to month, I am happy.
  • jd1208
    jd1208 Posts: 81 Member
    7lbs in a month is a lot to lose lose. You should be proud of yourself not putting yourself down. However Losing weight at a rate like that you end up with a plateau. Slow and steady wins the race.

    What is your calorie intake and how much exercise do you do?

    I start with a basis of 1200 cals a day and eat back some of my calories I have earned from exercise if I need them. I exercise rigorously about 4 times a week, but I also walk for about an hour a day to and from work. Generally Fridays and Saturdays are not diet days for me. I don't go crazy but I don't log my calories. I am losing 1-2 pounds a week, which I am happy with. On previous diets I have plateaued much sooner than this and so far, no plateau! So I am very happy.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Not sure if this is the right place but after a month I've only lost 7lbs. The first week I lost 5.2 lbs, the second I put on 1lb, the third I lost 3, yesterday I stayed the same. It's really up and down but I feel a bit disheartened, especially when I've had a good week. My husband thinks that I'm not eating close enough to my allowances and my body keeps going in to starvation mode.

    Just wondering if anyone can offer some advice.

    Many thanks

    PJ x

    Pass me the handkerchief.

    Only lost 7lb in a month on a forum post titled 'Not losing weight'. I see these posts fairly frequently. I begin to wonder whether the OPs are just after congratulation rather than advice about weight loss....
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,430 MFP Moderator
    Your first few weeks will be a lot of water weight. After that, below is what you should be aiming for. Outside of that, you will probably be setting yourself up for failure.


    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    only? :huh:
  • 10manda86
    10manda86 Posts: 229 Member
    7 lbs in one month is great! Congrats!

    Remember that weight loss is not linear. Some weeks you may lose and some weeks you may not. But that is OK as long as the trend over the longer term is downward.

    I have created a spreadsheet to track my weight, its up and down....but generally down, the spreadsheet helps me realise hey i put on 300g but over all since last Wednesday I have lost 1.6kg, for example
  • 2Dozen
    2Dozen Posts: 66 Member
    You are good to go, don't change a thing.
  • PaulaJaneBourke
    PaulaJaneBourke Posts: 6
    Thank you for your replies.

    My allowance is 1500 calories, I have a lot to lose. I started at 228.8lbs and am 221.6 today.

    2 years ago I lost 3 stone (42 lbs) by calorie controlled diet but was losing 3 or 4 lbs a week so I guess I'm just basing this time around on that as I'm eating similar foods.

    I'm also not doing any exercise. I make cakes for a living so rolling out kilos of sugarpaste and hefting kilos of sugar/flour around is a fair workout. I stand for long periods of time doing the cakes and by the time they're finished I'm hefting a few stone of cake around delivering them but aside from that I have some health limitations for real exercise.

    The first week was my tom and I lost 5.2 that week. I don't always drink as much water as I should because after a couple of pints I start to retch at the thought of drinking more lol!

    I am grateful for what I've lost already and I have a 6lbs a month goal but feel it should be coming off more this early on.

    Many thanks

    PJ x
  • Purple_Orchid_87
    Purple_Orchid_87 Posts: 517 Member
    your weight didnt go on in equal amounts and it certainly wont come off in equal amounts
    also you are defo not eating EXACTLY the same every day, or walking EXACTLY the same every day, so that will influence your weight loss too
    7lbs a month is average 2lbs a week which is GREAT but Im not the type to congratulate people unless I *know* they're working the hardest they can - some people lose weight easily (i lost 32lbs in 74 days) whilst others cant (some people work so hard amd lose less than 0.5lbs a week)
  • bubbaacat
    bubbaacat Posts: 7 Member
    Funny, I am doing the same thing. Up and Down. I my have a loss of 3lbs. then up it goes. Rollercoaster for me.
    If I eat around 800 cal. I'm down, if I eat 1200 cal. up it goes. Crazy and confused.
  • PaulaJaneBourke
    PaulaJaneBourke Posts: 6
    Not sure if this is the right place but after a month I've only lost 7lbs. The first week I lost 5.2 lbs, the second I put on 1lb, the third I lost 3, yesterday I stayed the same. It's really up and down but I feel a bit disheartened, especially when I've had a good week. My husband thinks that I'm not eating close enough to my allowances and my body keeps going in to starvation mode.

    Just wondering if anyone can offer some advice.

    Many thanks

    PJ x

    Pass me the handkerchief.

    Only lost 7lb in a month on a forum post titled 'Not losing weight'. I see these posts fairly frequently. I begin to wonder whether the OPs are just after congratulation rather than advice about weight loss....

    If I just wanted to hear congratulations I wouldn't have needed to come on here to do that. I feel like I'm not losing what I should based on having a lot to lose and what I have experienced in the past in the first couple of months so, I don't need to hear congrats but whether or not others experienced what I am, that is all!
  • PaulaJaneBourke
    PaulaJaneBourke Posts: 6
    Funny, I am doing the same thing. Up and Down. I my have a loss of 3lbs. then up it goes. Rollercoaster for me.
    If I eat around 800 cal. I'm down, if I eat 1200 cal. up it goes. Crazy and confused.

    I'm the other way round, If I eat less I put on more!
  • PaulaJaneBourke
    PaulaJaneBourke Posts: 6
    your weight didnt go on in equal amounts and it certainly wont come off in equal amounts
    also you are defo not eating EXACTLY the same every day, or walking EXACTLY the same every day, so that will influence your weight loss too
    7lbs a month is average 2lbs a week which is GREAT but Im not the type to congratulate people unless I *know* they're working the hardest they can - some people lose weight easily (i lost 32lbs in 74 days) whilst others cant (some people work so hard amd lose less than 0.5lbs a week)

    Thanks. I don't want congratulations hun so that's cool, just wondering if the up and down is normal if there's a lot to lose, was just expecting a bit more in the beginning but I will congratulate you on your 32 lbs in 74 days, way to go!
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  • nomad1000
    nomad1000 Posts: 206 Member

    The first week was my tom and I lost 5.2 that week.

    Thing is that was the first week and many people have large losses just because of the water weight loss. I would expect that to be the case even if it was your TOM.

    After the first month, the hard work begins because the water weight loss is done.

    You have a good start and are on the right track. Just remember that this isn't something you can change overnight and losing the weight will take time and hard work.

    1-2 lbs a week is a great rate of loss. Don't sell yourself short on the success you have already achieved. Losing weight, and then keeping it off, is a long term journey and a real lifestyle change (at least for me).

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