Lost 5 pounds in 4 weeks... now nothing?

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I got back on my routine about 5 weeks ago and at first I was losing weight steadily... Now, no matter how hard I work in the gym, I haven't wight in a week! The scale tells me I've gained 3 pounds... It's frustrating! I try to eat healthy and if I eat something I shouldn't, I make sure to record it properly and not go over my calories... I've calculated my TDEE and done the -20%... I just don't know what to change now to get back on track!

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  • Llamapants86
    Llamapants86 Posts: 1,221 Member
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    Give it some time. Lots of things that can impact your weight on the short term. If you are staying (honestly) with the tdee-20 it should start moving again. I know it is hard to wait but I wouldn't really start worrying about it for a couple of weeks still.
    Weightloss is not linear. Good luck!
  • williamshl10
    williamshl10 Posts: 60 Member
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    What are your set calories?
  • mrsfeuer
    mrsfeuer Posts: 69 Member
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    I would try to switch up your work outs. Your body might be used to the same thing each time. Circuit training is a good switch up or biking. Also, maybe try to eat some more protein? Those are some suggestions that have helped me.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    you lost water weight when you started back... and your body naturally fluctuates. If you've calculated TDEE and set your deficit, just stick with it.
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    Took a quick peek at your diary, be careful when logging your food stay away from those labeled Generic, or some one's Homemade you have no idea what they used to make the end product. Also, use a digital food scale will help lots with being more accurate.

    Also have patience your weight fluctuates all the time, for lots of different reasons.
  • Thanks all... I weigh everything I eat and only use generic when I know the calories of what I'm making/eating but can't find it in the library of food... my calories are set to 1670... I can't figure out how to get more protein in my diet... I really don't eat much meat and I can't stand any type of beans... I started snacking on almonds, but I don't even like those very much...
  • wren337
    wren337 Posts: 9 Member
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    Review the calories you're recording for your food, make sure it's as accurate as possible. If there are two entries for a food I tend to pick the one with the higher calories.

    Are you being too generous with your exercise calories?

    Also possibly you're reacting to lower intake by doing less when you're idle - spending more time on the couch? If so you need to up your activity or reduce your daily calorie base to be more accurate to what you're actually doing.

    If your weight isn't going down (over a period of more than a week), you're not producing a calorie deficit.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    Thanks all... I weigh everything I eat and only use generic when I know the calories of what I'm making/eating but can't find it in the library of food... my calories are set to 1670... I can't figure out how to get more protein in my diet... I really don't eat much meat and I can't stand any type of beans... I started snacking on almonds, but I don't even like those very much...
    dairy, eggs, protein supplements.
  • bizeb02
    bizeb02 Posts: 2 Member
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    I would have to agree with llamapants, stick to the diet for another week or two and if your not loosing weight by then, drop your calories by 50-100 a day. You have to remember sometimes scales lie. you could be retaining more water than usual or a number of other factors. good luck
  • mrsfeuer
    mrsfeuer Posts: 69 Member
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    Other protein ideas could be cottage cheese with fruit (I personally don't like cottage cheese), pumpkin seeds, peanut butter - delish with an apple or celery, edamame, hummus, or leafy greens.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    From a purely calorie deficit standpoint, you should have lost a bit over a pound this past week, so it's easy for just normal variation to mask that. As I'm sure you know, woman's weight will vary over a number of pounds depending on the time of the month, and some people retain water easily from other factors (for instance, your sodium intake runs pretty high, which can cause water retention). And if you've intentionally upped your workouts, you're going to have water retention in those sore muscles.

    I agree with most of the other posters -- let it ride for now, and if you don't see a big correction next week, take it from there.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    I can't figure out how to get more protein in my diet... I really don't eat much meat and I can't stand any type of beans... I started snacking on almonds, but I don't even like those very much...
    Feel free to look through my diary for ideas -- I average 120g of vegetarian protein daily.
  • clarebear230786
    clarebear230786 Posts: 30 Member
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    Don't worry, just continue how you are as long as you're counting and exercising as you were you will lose again. I lost a few pounds then stalled for 2.5 weeks then dropped 3lbs. When I worked out what I had lost and how long it had been it was exactly 1lb per week.
    Stick with it :)