One month on plan, little success

Damommachef · April 2014

Hello! I am a 42 year old female and I am no stranger to weight loss. In my late 20s I lost 30 pounds on weight watchers and I have always monitored things when having my four children. So I have gained, and lost, weight over and over again in my life. I am ready to be done with it and lose the rest of the weight once and for all--I am done having children. I would like to lose 20-25 lbs.

I have been doing Fitness Pal now for one month. I have only had a few days that weren't perfect. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies (more veggies than fruits). I try and only eat healthy fats and lean cuts of meat. I do eat carbs, but I try to keep it to whole grains, sweet potato, bran bread (occassionally). But even on some days where I had homemade pizza I tracked the calories, etc. I exercise an hour every day. Some days I walk 3.5 miles with my weight vest; other days I combine that with weight training; other days I do Zumba.

During this last month I am only down two pounds. That seems horribly slow. Like, barely enough to keep motivated! This has been hard work. I am diligent, and a lots of times in the evening I am hungry but I don't give in. But it is hard to keep up the self control when it does not seem to be reflected on the scale. My pants may be fitting slightly better--but even with that, some days it is hard to tell a difference there either.

I do have hypothyroidism but my Doc says according to labs I am balanced right now (I do take meds for that).

Any advice would be helpful! Thanks!

terbusha · April 2014

What is your calorie level? You may simply be eating a tad too much. Check out this blog a buddy of mine wrote about this issue.

http://tdnation.com/why-cant-i-lose-weight/

Allan

PJPrimrose · April 2014

There is a thread on how to weigh your food to be entirely accurate. It basically says weigh the food that isn't a liquid with a food scale. It's the only entirely sure way to know exactly how many calories you are eating. That said, lost weight is lost weight! 2 lbs less is better than 5 lbs more! Keep going!

fluffyfour · April 2014

Are you monitoring your measurements and tracking them on MFP?

It may be, with all the exercise you do, that you're building up muscle which weighs heavier. In that case the measurements may be more appropriate.

One of my friends is also exercising a lot and her weight loss is much slower because of the muscle she's built up.

Keep going, and you WILL see results. I wish you all the best.

Aaron_K123 · April 2014

How can you distinguish between fat loss and water retention weight if you only monitor for one month using a scale?

What if you lost 5 pounds of fat but due to changes in your diet and use of your muscles retained 3 pounds of water so you only saw a shift of 2 pounds on your scale...would you be able to tell?

It takes longer than one month to establish how much fat you are losing over time. I've been logging for 8 weeks and I still don't feel like I have enough data to know what my fat loss per unit time is.

Koldnomore · April 2014

With 20 lbs to lose 2 lbs a month is actually good... I'd KILL for 2 lbs a month..I'm lucky to lose 1 - usually less. You aren't going to lose 2 lbs/ week unless you have a LOT to lose (not in any kind of healthy sustainable way)

Your diary is closed but if you aren't losing you are not in a deficit. Either you are eating more than you think or you are overestimating calories burned.

budobo · April 2014

Hi there! I was reading your post and a few red flags caught my attention.

1) You are 42. You are nearing the age where your hormones and therefore metabolism change drastically. Your body's caloric needs may be changing in both directions, which of course can lead to weight gain if you don't adjust your diet.

2) Exercise is great! However, if you have a routine of exercises you do, you will experience diminished results. Walking is a calorie burner and great for your heart, but you won't experience fat loss like you would if you had a mixed routine of lifting with varying muscle groups. Conversely, if your routine is intense and varied, you will experience muscle gain which you will observe as weight on the scale. NOT ALWAYS A BAD THING!!! Muscle can be sexy!

3) I'm glad you brought up hyperthyroidism. There are many health issues that can cause fat/water retention despite diligence in exercise and eating habits. Just one example is ovarian cysts.

4) If you're eating too little, your metabolism may be decreasing! I'm sure you're aware that caloric intake that is too low or cut out too quickly will put your body into starvation mode. You would notice this sort of thing reflected in feeling tired and having less energy when you're working out.

5) You could already be slim and at a weight your body doesn't want to go lower than. If I were 120 lbs at 5'4", I would have a hard time losing weight because I would already be down to pretty low body fat. Remember that our bodies need fat for health. When you get closer to the essential fats amount (essential meaning, you need that fat for normal organ stability / function), your body will be more and more reluctant to let it go.

At the end of the day, you're still losing weight (which we hope is losing fat, but possibly gaining muscle!). I'd say that 2 lbs a month is great, especially when you're near the end of the road in your healthful weight-loss goals. Remember that your weight loss habits will one day need to transition into lifelong weight-maintenance, which is unfortunately nearly just as difficult as weight loss. Your habits right now should transition into a lifetime habit. So don't be discouraged! Maybe your body is at the happy place it wants to be.

-Jenna

wilsoje74 · April 2014

Hi there! I was reading your post and a few red flags caught my attention.

1) You are 42. You are nearing the age where your hormones and therefore metabolism change drastically. Your body's caloric needs may be changing in both directions, which of course can lead to weight gain if you don't adjust your diet.

2) Exercise is great! However, if you have a routine of exercises you do, you will experience diminished results. Walking is a calorie burner and great for your heart, but you won't experience fat loss like you would if you had a mixed routine of lifting with varying muscle groups. Conversely, if your routine is intense and varied, you will experience muscle gain which you will observe as weight on the scale. NOT ALWAYS A BAD THING!!! Muscle can be sexy!

3) I'm glad you brought up hyperthyroidism. There are many health issues that can cause fat/water retention despite diligence in exercise and eating habits. Just one example is ovarian cysts.

4) If you're eating too little, your metabolism may be decreasing! I'm sure you're aware that caloric intake that is too low or cut out too quickly will put your body into starvation mode. You would notice this sort of thing reflected in feeling tired and having less energy when you're working out.

5) You could already be slim and at a weight your body doesn't want to go lower than. If I were 120 lbs at 5'4", I would have a hard time losing weight because I would already be down to pretty low body fat. Remember that our bodies need fat for health. When you get closer to the essential fats amount (essential meaning, you need that fat for normal organ stability / function), your body will be more and more reluctant to let it go.

At the end of the day, you're still losing weight (which we hope is losing fat, but possibly gaining muscle!). I'd say that 2 lbs a month is great, especially when you're near the end of the road in your healthful weight-loss goals. Remember that your weight loss habits will one day need to transition into lifelong weight-maintenance, which is unfortunately nearly just as difficult as weight loss. Your habits right now should transition into a lifetime habit. So don't be discouraged! Maybe your body is at the happy place it wants to be.

-Jenna

so at what she do your hormones change " drastically"? Are you talking about menopause? 42 is pretty early for that. And I don't think the op weighs 120. She says she wants to lose 20-25.

budobo · April 2014

so at what she do your hormones change " drastically"? Are you talking about menopause? 42 is pretty early for that. And I don't think the op weighs 120. She says she wants to lose 20-25.

Response to Point 1)
42 would be considered young for menopause; however, as it can happen as young as 42, I wanted to include it as a possibility. But more than just being female, as you age your metabolism decreases. a 40 year old doesn't need to eat as much as a 25 year old, because as we age our base metabolic rates decrease. For everyone, this occurs at different ages and with varying degrees of change. It's certainly a possibility and something for the OP to take into consideration when questioning perceived low weight loss.

Response to Point 5)
Some empirical number such as 120 doesn't apply to everyone's healthy weight, even at the same height. I don't know what she weighs, or what that matters. It's all relative. My older sister is my same height but weighs 20 lbs more than me. That is how her body wants to be, she is healthy, and happy. I have a different body build, and weigh 20 lbs less than her at the same height. I am healthy, and happy. It's where my body wants to be. If I were 20 lbs heavier, i would look fat (or I'd have to be buff as ****). If my sister were 20 lbs lighter, she would need to be skinny (scarily) and lose muscle to boot.

On a side note, losing 20-25 lbs can be anyone's goal despite what's healthful. I know of people who are trying to lose 20 lbs but already look too skinny for health. Your goal may be different from what your body needs. That is always something to be aware of.

One month on plan, little success

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