1 week of sweating

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icanm
icanm Posts: 33 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I started gym last week. I do treadmill and cycling for 40 minutes and 40 min strength + 20 mins cardio on alternate days. I haven't lost even 1 ounce!! I am under my calorie goal everyday. I save about 400 through diet control and burn about 300-400 through exercise. Is it too early? I am getting demotivated :(

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  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
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    by save do you mean thats your deficit? how many calories are you aiming for per day?

    extra cardio and weight training that your body is not accustomed too will cause water retention, which will mask your weight loss. give it a couple weeeks
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
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    Are you sure that what you're eating is accurate?

    I am not trying to call you out or anything, but lots of people - myself included - can't actually be right on with sizes and portions unless they measure/weigh, it's just part of the process, unforunately!

    Also, MFP can over estimate calorie burn on exercises . . . so maybe you aren't burning as much as you think?

    I will also log everything - even if you're embarrased by it, log it. If you can see what you're actually eating, it might give you the push to change. It's almost like having cash in your wallet vs a debit card - if you can physically see how much you're actually spending, you'll probably spend less because the resources are depleating quicker.

    Feel free to add me if you'd like . . . or message if you have other questions

    :)
  • icanm
    icanm Posts: 33 Member
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    MFP shows 1200 as the required number of calories to lose 2 pounds a week. I consume about 800 a day. Before starting the gym I lost 2 pounds/week for 2 weeks only through diet control.
  • ashdawg8790
    ashdawg8790 Posts: 819 Member
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    NOT ENOUGH CALORIES if you're only eating 800!
  • mactaffy84
    mactaffy84 Posts: 398 Member
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    MFP shows 1200 as the required number of calories to lose 2 pounds a week. I consume about 800 a day. Before starting the gym I lost 2 pounds/week for 2 weeks only through diet control.

    Not true. MFP defaults to this if you want to lose 2 pounds per week and you don't have a really high BMR. If I ate 1200 calories, I wouldn't lose 2 pounds per week. You've been at this a week only! That is hardly any time. It is too bad that our culture wants, and is accustomed to, instant gratification. But get over it because you're not going to get that in the weight loss game. Accept this now, and you will be able to deal a lot better!
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
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    MFP shows 1200 as the required number of calories to lose 2 pounds a week. I consume about 800 a day. Before starting the gym I lost 2 pounds/week for 2 weeks only through diet control.

    Ok - so first things first, some people will tell you that if you don't eat enough you're body will go into starvation mode and hold onto calories and so on and that's why you won't lose weight. This is a myth because if you're at a deficit, you will actually lose weight period.

    However, that being said eating this low of calories could have negative long term effects. If you're at too much of a deficit, you will lose fat but you will actually lose lean body mass (LBM) too which is your muscle and once that happens it's starting down a road you probably don't want to go down. I would up your calories - your loss may be slower, but it will be healthier.

    Further - some might say well you're gaining muscle, so see if you've lost inches because muscle weighs more than fat. This is true for the same volume of cells, muscle is more condensed in your body but if you've only been at it for a week you won't have gained that much muscle - especially being a woman . . . just not in our make up ;)

    Also - if you're only exercising for a week here's what's happening in your body: your fat cells have kind of "lost" their fat stores and have re-filled themselves with water in anticipation of being filled again with more fat stores. When you aren't filling them again with more fat stores, they will depleat - they don't disappear, they just get kind of more condensed in your body. Then you will notice a drop . . . some people call this the "whoosh" effect. Basically you're holding on to water, which you body will do when you either introduce exercise for the first time or you change your effort/intensity of exercise. With "whoosh" you may be peeing a lot the day before, some people notice areas where they have what you'd call "cottage cheese" and the fat looks chunky. This theory is somewhat debatable but it can help to explain why one morning you wake up and all of a sudden you're down 4 pounds . . . didn't happen while you're sleeping.

    I would maybe give it some more time, you need about 3 - 5 weeks sometimes before you actually see the difference.
  • GoToSleeep
    GoToSleeep Posts: 4
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    I hate to agree with you, but it's true!! I got a measuring cup/spoon on a ring set from Wal Mart for about $2 and am using it constantly...I HATE what 2 tbsp. looks like in real life, but hey! Good advice :)
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    MFP shows 1200 as the required number of calories to lose 2 pounds a week. I consume about 800 a day. Before starting the gym I lost 2 pounds/week for 2 weeks only through diet control.

    You are supposed to eat up to your calorie goal, not 400 under and if you are exercising now you should be eating back a portion of your calorie burn to fuel your body and supply it with the nutrients it needs. The calorie deficit is already built in for you. If you keep eating such a low amount you will find yourself burning out somewhere down the road.

    Whenever you start a new exercise your body will retain water for muscle repair.

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