I am expecting results too soon?

Takeahike86 · January 2011

Ok, so ive been on target with this diet/exercise routine according to myfitness pal for about a week now, Ive seen no changes on the scale whatso ever!!I am still 142.4 ilbs. Am I not being aggressive enough/ do I need to lower my calorie intake even more? Or Am I being too impatient?

MissAnjy · January 2011

You have to give it time. It's possible that your body hasn't figured out just yet what you're doing, so it doesn't know how to respond. Once your body realizes what's going on, it will adjust itself and start working with you. Give it a few weeks to get it goin.

ultraviolet29 · January 2011

Usually when you start eating right and exercising your weight goes up a bit because fat starts turning to muscle. After a couple of weeks you should start to see lower numbers on the scales

javamom · January 2011

Are you eating back exercise calories? I personally think that is an important thing to do to keep your metabolism revved. I retained a lot of water the second week and the scale got stuck until the third week due to the extra exercise.

Rynatat · January 2011

It takes up to 30 days for your body & mind to adjust to any change. You're rewriting your body's blueprints right now - you didn't get this way overnight, it won't change overnight. Patience, Persistence & Consistence are 3 of the keys. All good things come to those who "weight"

:laugh: :flowerforyou:

leslielove · January 2011

Oh my Godddd I was stuck on 142.4 for AGES. That number sticks out in my mind because I was enraged with it haha.. I've gained weight back since then but I hate it enough that it still stays with me.

Anyway, give yourself a little more time to adjust. Make note of how you're sleeping, how your clothes fit, how your skin feels, your moods, your energy level, etc. If those things aren't improving AND you're not seeing results on the scale or measuring tape, it might be worth it to tweak your eating and exercise a little bit after a couple weeks. Ideally, it can take up to 30 days to really see a change from a new routine, but I give a tweak 2 weeks to show itself beneficial to me before I try something else if I need to change things up.

Good luck and keep your chin up!

annam1978 · January 2011

I was wondering, So it is a good idea to eat the calories u earn from exercise? I try to burn 400 calories a day thats my personal goal, and it jumps the amount of calories im allowed to eat...doesnt seem like a cut back with the exercise.

mama2healthy · January 2011

I hear its different with everyone some people eat some of their exercise calorise, some all , and some people dont eat them at all you will find what works for you. Good luck.

ScubyUK · January 2011

Hiya,

Check your fluid intake, you want to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. Also, keep an eye on the amount of salt/sodium you are taking in as this can influence water retention. If possible avoid the fizzy stuff, even the diet ones. Instead, trying Zinging your water with some freshly grated ginger, sliced lemon, cucumber and mint. Make up a fresh Jug every morning and keep it in the Fridge.

Also take a look at what you are consuming in terms of Carbs\Fat\Protein. Ideally you want 50% Carbs, 30% Protein and 20%Fat. I've found that I still have too many carbs in my diet so am trying to find a couple of low carb high protein substitues.

In order to lose a healthy 2lbs per week, you need to consume 1100 calories per day less than you use, so take your BMR (there is a calculator for it on this site), subtract 1100 to get the number of calories you should be consuming WITHOUT exercising. Then, add back on roughly 90 - 95% of the calories you burn while exercising onto that number. Unless your body is being sufficiently fueled, it will keep hold of whatever it already has just in case.

Just to dispell a common myth (and one I clung to for many years! ;o) ), it is impossible for fat to turn into muscle, they are completely different cell types, nor does Muscle weigh more than fat. 1lb Muscle = 1lb Fat.
Fat can be replaced with muscle, and the more muscle mass you build, the better your body gets at burning the fat.

Good luck with Week 2! Let us know how you get along!!

ObviousIndigo · January 2011

Everyone is different. Give it time to see things happen. The scale has not moved very much for me but I have gone from a size 14 to a size 10 and I have lost most of my muffin top (especially the sides) my legs have muscles now and I have WAY more stamina and endurance than I did before. I am trying not to look at the scale right now and I am focusing on measurements and the way my body looks and feels:) My gf is on the HCG diet and has dropped more than 50lbs since the beginning of October and it has taken me looking at her now to get past the number on the scale. Her skin hangs, she looks like a zombie, her eyes bulge and her hips and thighs shake when she walks. I have had to tell myself, "I have 20lbs to lose...If I REALLY wanted it off I know I could eat nothing but salad for the next 3 weeks and they would be gone but... what would I look like? How would I feel? Would I be able to keep up with my 2 boys? Would I be able to talk to people without snapping their heads off? Probably not..." I can see muscle definition happening and to be honest with you, I would be fine with being 172lbs for the rest of my life as long as I am healthy. Afterall, It's a lifestyle...NOT a diet:)

ladyhawk00 · January 2011

Again, good place to stick in this thread (and to help the question from annam) - It's really a must read, IMO

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

Dkwalsh02 · January 2011

You really should eat your calories back! 1200 calories is about what it takes for your body to function a day. This is breathing, heart beating, digestion even blinking. If you eat 1200 calories and work off maybe 400. That is 700 calories. Yes you ate the 1200 but your body doesn't know that. All it knows is that you are only using 700 for your basic body function, and it will hold on to dear life to your fat storage. Everything you eat will be stored. You should eat within the first hour of waking. Lean protein is best in the morning. Heck three slices of the Oscar Meyer center cut bacon is 70 calories and 4.5 grams of fat and DELISH. That with a slice of Cranberry Pumpkin seed yoga bread is a perfect breakfast.. You can even use one of those weight watcher fiber fortified Cream Cheese spreads.

There is a reason why we always hear, "Smaller Portions, More meals" Six small meals a day to keep your metabolism going is really the way to go.

Also, one of the things that really got me going was the Couch potato to 5K program. It is a series of workouts to work yourself up from basically being sedentary to being able to run three miles in 6 weeks. I recommend it to all my friends. I could barely run a quarter of a mile, I smoked... I was overweight. within a month in a half, i quit smoking, I could run 3 miles and I lost 35 pounds. Without really even trying to loose the weight.

Good luck

ladyhawk00 · January 2011

Forgot the other good thread re: slow weight loss and eating exercise cals:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

annam1978 · January 2011

Thank you read the thread and was very helpful:flowerforyou:

Leannek74 · January 2011

Sometimes the inches are more visible than what the scale says!

ladyhawk00 · January 2011

Thank you read the thread and was very helpful:flowerforyou:

Quite welcome!

Iceprincessk25 · January 2011

USE A TAPE MEASURE!!!!!!! There are times when the scale doesn't move and I want to throw it out the window and then I measure and I'm happy again because I've lost inches of my hips/wasit. Keeps the motivation going.

Also, it's not uncommon for it to take up to 4-6 weeks for the changes that you are making now to show up. If you don't have a lot of weight to lose the process is going to be VERRRRRY slow. I'm talking like less than half a pound lost a week. It can be really frustrating to see that other people have lost 3 and 5 pounds that week but just keep going. It will happen.

cadams2004 · January 2011

I'm new to this too and was wondering the same thing...thanks for asking...and thanks to everyone who posted answers!

Jasmine_Moonstone · January 2011

I think that weighing yourself every day is not a good idea. I only weigh myself once a week. No more as if I do I will get discouraged. Sometimes I have to fight it to step on the scale more than that, but most of the time not. Remember that weight fluctuates daily, so it can look like you have not gotten anywhere when in reality you have. So, pick one day a week & only weigh in on THAT day. Also try to pick the same time of day to weigh yourself. For example: I weigh myself on Saturdays. I weigh in the morning right after I get out of bed. I also try to wear something similar in weight every week, so I am not wearing heavy clothes.

Also know that clothes fitting better is a good sign as well. Not only loosing weight. I am excited to say that a pair of pants that was to tight 2 weeks ago are now just a tiny tiny bit tight. So I know I have made progress already.

Keep at it. It does take time to notice a difference, but not to terribly long. Good Luck! You CAN do this. You have a whole group of people behind you to support you.

j9matthews · January 2011

Good luck to you on your weight loss goals.

You may find more success in measuring your inches rather than the scale weight. Really you want your clothes to fit better anyway, right. Remember, things like your womanly cycle, water weight, time of weigh-in, etc. can affect your scale weight within 5 lbs flux on a daily basis. I only weigh in every two weeks. In this way, the scale actually is less discouraging to me. If I am consistent with how I eat and the time of day that I do the weigh in, it seems that the results go down steadily...about 1 lb. per week.

I found some information in the first 28 pages of this cookbook to be a lot of help, too: Master Your Metabolism Cookbook

LorinaLynn · January 2011

By your profile, you're looking to lose 7 pounds. When you're THAT close to your goal, it's going to take longer to reach it. Slow and steady wins the race.

Takeahike86 · January 2011

Thank you all for your great advice!

Very Encouraging!

I am expecting results too soon?

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