I CAN'T lose weight. :(

Options
2»

Replies

  • juhnell2610
    juhnell2610 Posts: 291 Member
    Options
    2 lbs a week is not healthy for anyone. Plus you'll just gain it right back very quickly because you might put your body in starvation mode.
  • daybehavior
    daybehavior Posts: 1,319 Member
    Options
    your goal is way too aggressive for your size, OP
    2 lbs a week is not healthy for anyone.

    I've been losing an average of 2.5 a week since December and I'm doing fine.
    Plus you'll just gain it right back very quickly because you might put your body in starvation mode.

    No. That's not how starvation mode works.
  • juhnell2610
    juhnell2610 Posts: 291 Member
    Options
    your goal is way too aggressive for your size, OP
    2 lbs a week is not healthy for anyone.

    I've been losing an average of 2.5 a week since December and I'm doing fine.
    Plus you'll just gain it right back very quickly because you might put your body in starvation mode.

    No. That's not how starvation mode works.

    You're right my response is inaccurate but like you said, her goal is pretty aggressive for her size. That's what I was trying to get at.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Options
    Hello! I've started my weight loss journey a month back and the first week I lost about 5 pounds:

    SW: 135
    HW: 138.5
    LW: 129.5
    CW: 132.5
    GW: 125

    But recently I've been stuck in 132lb for a full week and I don't understand why. I walk everyday, I do Zumba everyday for an hour, I do situps, jumping jacks and squats everyday, I go to the gym on the weekends, I usually eat under my calorie goal and I've cut all junk food and sodas out of my life only drinking water. So my question is, if I'm doing everything right, why am I not getting any results?

    Welcome.

    So, you've been doing this a month, lost an average of 3.5 pounds and you are worried?

    First of all, that first five pounds was probably water. Second of all, three weeks is not enough time to make a judgment that you CAN"T lose weight. My advice is to chuck that horrible word.

    Also, you have very little to lose, which means you need to lower your expectations and up your calorie goal to lose .5 pounds per week. Weigh all your food and measure your liquids and log every single thing you eat. If you exercise, eat back a portion of your exercise calories. If you are consistent with keep to your calorie goal, you will lose weight unless you have some medical condition stalling your weight loss. However, based on what you say in your original post, this is probably not the case.

    Finally, you must be patient because of how little you have to lose. If you are aggressive and lose those ten or so pounds quickly, it will come back as soon as you return to maintenance.

    Remember: slow easy, patience, and keep it simple. :smile:
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Options
    My goal is to lose at least 2 pounds a week.
    Nope. Too aggressive, thus you are setting yourself up for failure.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Options
    2 lbs a week is not healthy for anyone. Plus you'll just gain it right back very quickly because you might put your body in starvation mode.
    Well, it can be healthy for someone who is obese and needs to lose the weight quickly for health reasons and is under a doctor's care.

    However, you are wrong about starvation mode. People who are normal weight or obese do not go into starvation mode.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
    Options
    You night also be building up some muscle. Muscle is usually denser than fat, so you may be getting fitter and leaner, but your weight may stay the same as you replace fat with muscle.
    IF the OP is a newbie at exercise, there may be a little gain, but in calorie deficit, building muscle is an improbability because it would require adding tissue. And adding tissue means adding mass which happens when one is in calorie surplus.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Niner, in NROLFW, author Lou Schuler states a calorie deficit of no more than 300 cals/day is permissible. But I see so many posts saying you can't gain muscle or strength with a deficit. The book is a few years old so I don't know if that idea is now outdated. Could you give us your take on that?
    Gaining strength isn't impossible due to neuromuscular adaptation. One can easily gain strength after a couple of weeks of lifting whether if they are new at it or returning after a long layoff.
    Realize that weight loss is a catabolic (tissue wasting) process while muscle building is an anabolic process. Almost impossible to gain muscle if deficit is the dominating factor. While it's possible to recomp if nutrition is correct and training is right for hypertrophy, a newbie trying this approach probably wouldn't see progress until well into their weight loss journey. Even for experienced lifters, the process is quite slow.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Options
    Weight loss is not linear, you could be retaining fluid, and one week is NOT long enough to even begin thinking you "can't" lose weight.

    This!!!! It's been a week! Weight loss isn't linear, it just doesn't work like that. What matters is the big picture, the overall trend over time.

    From your profile, it looks like you've only been using this site for a few weeks. Be happy with the loss so far, and it will even out.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
    Options
    My goal is to lose at least 2 pounds a week.
    With so little to lose and already being well under 200lbs, this is not a reasonable goal. This goal is causing you to have an extreme calorie deficit for your size now and that will cause your body to "suspend" any weight loss. And if you did by any chance lose some weight continuing it, lean muscle tissue will be a target and loss of lean muscle tissue will only lower your metabolic rate more.

    Be sensible and safe. Since you have so little to lose, your calories should be at about your TDEE minus 250 calories.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • porscheparcher
    porscheparcher Posts: 81
    Options
    I would say it has to be your eating. Something is going wrong there. Yes more protein, and maybe you are eating too many carbs! What have you changed recently? Maybe added on some stress too?
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Options
    You have lost weight, so don't say you can't. You just aren't losing it at the rate you thought you would. You should be losing 0.5 pounds per week at your weight and height for healthy sustainable weight loss. Don't give up!
  • Jburch1982
    Jburch1982 Posts: 17
    Options
    You want to build muscle to burn the fat. Your intake might be to low with all the exercise. Your body goes into starvation mode and stores fat when it's not getting what it needs. Are you taking any supplements to improve your nutrition that your body might be missing out on.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Options
    I would say it has to be your eating. Something is going wrong there. Yes more protein, and maybe you are eating too many carbs! What have you changed recently? Maybe added on some stress too?
    Macros are for satiation and fuel, calories are for weight loss. It doesn't matter how much protein or how few carbs she eats, if she's not eating at a calorie deficit she won't lose weight. :smile:
  • Jburch1982
    Jburch1982 Posts: 17
    Options
    Just don't give up. Weight loss is a steady climb up hill. Your doing great and it will happen.
  • kiyuchan
    kiyuchan Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    Think your body might be too used to the exercises. I was in the exact same position 6 weeks ago, stuck to the point where I wanted to give up. Are you gaining weight? Or does your weight just stay the same? For the last 2 days my weight has gone back down again. Think what you are experiencing is called a "weight loss plateau", you need to trick your body into losing weight again. Perhaps increase the intensity. I realised cutting calories did'nt work for me. Try using dumbbells when you're doing Zumba. I do Zumba and after increasing the intensity on it I'm building muscles on my arms and losing weight again.

    Don't give up hope. I have been there and I know the feeling it is frustrating when you know you're doing all the right things.
  • Makenna29
    Makenna29 Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    2 pounds sounds like a lot. I am 5'2 and l also started at 135lbs 9 weeks ago. If I'm lucky I lose maybe a pound a week. (more like .5 ) I go swimming everyday for a hour and did bootcamp 3x a week for month. ive lost 8 pounds in 9.5 weeks. I am pretty sure I am right on track. See if you have lost inches. You may be gaining muscle which weighs more than fat. Give it some time. Slow is good! Hang in there :)
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    Options
    Height? Weight? Age? TDEE? You Calorie Intake?

    Are you logging? Do you log EVERYTHING? What do you estimate your calorie burns at for exercise?

Categories