Not losing weight at first

nicola8989 · August 2014

I can't help but get down about the fact I'm not shifting much weight even though I'm exercising at least 4-5 times a week and eating so much better than I used to. I've been reading lots about how going from a sedentary lifestyle to exercising actually makes you gain weight to begin with because of your muscles changing the way they store energy, but it's really hard not to get disheartened, I almost want to give up sometimes.

I've been doing mainly weights/strength training and eating plenty of protein, lots of good whole foods e.g. chicken breasts, nuts, fruit, etc, with the odd treat in an evening. I used to just do a lot of sitting around and eat almost 3000 calories some days, now I am on 1500-2000.

Does anyone have any words of advice to keep me going through this bit until I start losing weight properly? I know that it will come off eventually and my body is just adapting, and my key aim is to be healthy not just lose weight but it's so demotivating!

Firefly0606 · August 2014

The light bulb came on for me recently after seeing my brother. He reached his goal weight and looks amazing....30kg gone - in 3 years.
3 YEARS?!?!
Yep....he changed his lifestyle. No magic pill. No potion. No crash fad diet of shakes, or cutting out certain food groups. Simply track what goes in, and move more.
Keep going!!!! A few weeks is too early to tell. I know there are a lot of fads/products out there and we live in a world now where we expect instant results for everything. It will be worth it in the end, you will look great, feel amazing and be much healthier and on track for a long life.
Try some cardio as well. Even a 10-15 minute walk around the block will help to break up your strength training routine a bit. Try to stick to 1500 calories - or do a bit of research into your BMR and how many calories you would need to lose weight for your age/sex/height/current weight/activity level. There are heaps of websites around that will give you an idea....2000 cal might be too much?

DON'T. GIVE. UP

You got this.

nicola8989 · August 2014

Thanks guys

I'm quite heavy so my BMR is pretty high, I think it's around 2700, and I do cardio as well - cycling and very strenuous uphill walking!!

That is a good point, I didn't gain it overnight! I haven't lost inches either though, but my clothes do feel looser which makes no sense!

1peanutandapumpkin · August 2014

I am having the same problem. I've been at a standstill for the past month as far as the scale goes. I was so close to giving up it was scary. But finally the scale moved! It's your body...it needs to figure out what the heck you're doing and realize it's ok to start burning fat and that it's not going to starve. Push through, it's worth it. I'm glad I did. Yes, clothes fit different and it is weird, lol.

gothchiq · August 2014

To avoid being discouraged, don't step on the scale just before or during your monthly cycle, or the day after eating a lot of salt.

Drink plenty of water each day to flush out water that could otherwise sit around in your body and make you seem heavier.

MinnieInMaine · August 2014

Thanks guys I'm quite heavy so my BMR is pretty high, I think it's around 2700, and I do cardio as well - cycling and very strenuous uphill walking!!

That is a good point, I didn't gain it overnight! I haven't lost inches either though, but my clothes do feel looser which makes no sense!

While body measurements can be helpful, they can also be a bit misleasing if you're not measuring in exactly the same spot as you did last time. Think about how the leg tapers from the groin down to the knee. If you were to measure closer to the knee one time then slightly higher the next time, it won't show any progress even if you've actually lost an inch.

If your clothes are fitting better, you must be losing inches.

No one really talks about patience being a big part of weight loss but it really is. Just keep doing the right things and you'll see progress in one form or another.

ETA: I personally disagree with avoiding the scales. IMHO, it's better to learn why fluctuations happen and develop a more logical way of thinking of them, rather than resorting to the usual emotional reactions. If I'm up a pound or two after a hard workout or pizza night or during TOM, I know it's water weight and nothing to get worked up about.

melindabrock · August 2014

I noticed this too ive decided I may not be losing inches but my body must be changing shape bc certain clothes fit differently

keep it up and one day the scale will just drop out of no where. that's how it was for me anyways.

leslime8 · August 2014

Hi,

Hang in there!! The same thing is happening to me right now: regular exercise, diligently tracking food for 25 days, yet only 1 pound down.

But I've promised myself I'm not changing a thing until I've given this approach 6 weeks (then I'll adjust exercise, etc., since I'm already eating at the lowest calorie level).

The reason I'm sticking with it in spite of seemingly breaking the laws of physics is because of my last experience with successful weight loss. This happened about three years ago, where I was exercising 5 days a week, often an hour in the morning (mostly running) and an hour at night (biking, weights, etc.), while eating 1200-1400 calories a day. For over a month, the scale didn't budge.

I knew in my heart I was logging honestly and, like you, recognized how much I'd changed my habits. For once, I told myself, I was going to give myself a fighting chance! Finally, finally, I dropped 4 pounds in one week. After that, I'd go down, then up, then down again. I gave myself a psychological rule not to get attached to any "new" low number until I'd "visited" it on the scale at least three different weigh-in days. Eventually I lost about 30 pounds.

Now I've slowly gained back about 5 or 6 and I'd like to lose another 10 on top of that. I know my body loses weight very slowly, even when I'm doing the things I should, and I just accept that now. But I know it's possible. It's almost as if the real test is how many days/weeks I can tolerate doing everything "right" without the reward from the scale.

Don't give up. It sounds like you're doing great.

He1loKitty · August 2014

How long have you been at it? It takes a while to lose weight. You have to be diligent and consistent over months. Expecting big results right away will lead to disappointment. That said, it will come off eventually so keep at it and you'll see changes soon!!

ana3067 · August 2014

Thanks guys I'm quite heavy so my BMR is pretty high, I think it's around 2700, and I do cardio as well - cycling and very strenuous uphill walking!!

That is a good point, I didn't gain it overnight! I haven't lost inches either though, but my clothes do feel looser which makes no sense!

I'm thinking you have BMR (what your body needs just to operate) and your TDEE (how much energy your body uses up with your added daily activities) confused. I would guess that your TDEE was calculated as being 2700, and if that's the case then your deficit is far too large and could easily impair your results in the long run. I personally prefer this website for estimating TDEE because you can input an average amount of time spent for each type of activity level:

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html (copy + paste it)

This website gives me about 2450 as my TDEE, which is in between most other calculators that have you simply enter in the number of days or hours per week spent exercising. Based on that, I've removed 20% from this number and am eating 2000 calories to lose weight. I'd been averaging around 1950 for my first 2ish months counting calories - in that time I've gone from 1800 to 2200 calories, back down to 2000. If your estimated TDEE really is actually close to 2700, then 2200 calories would be low enough to see a difference in weight loss.

Just be consistent with how you track your food, weigh your food if you want to really be precise, and don't get discouraged if you don't see results every day... because you won't. You also could have already experienced results without noticing because you see yourself every day. When I first lost weight 4-5 years ago, I honestly didn't feel like I was losing much weight until I went shopping and I found that I could fit into clothing that was about 3 sizes smaller.

yassy124 · August 2014

How long have you been sticking to this plan? Like you mentioned, it's very normal for people to retain a lot of water weight after starting a new exercise plan (thus masking any real fat loss). I went through the same thing you're going through. When I first started eating right I lost some water weight almost immediately, but then when I started exercising, I stayed at the same weight (and even gained some) for about 3 weeks. It was soooooooooooo discouraging! Especially b/c, like you, I felt that I made such drastic eating changes that I should have been losing weight whether I was exercising or not. Then, one day, I remember peeing way too much and the next day I was down 3 pounds. Now I'm staying pretty much at the same weight and expect to lose a few pounds soon. It's a cycle a lot of people go through, especially if they are strength training. If you just started your journey, I'd say just wait it out and continue what you're doing (use measurements beside the scale - that can be really helpful). If you've been stuck for more than a few weeks, then you can sort of force a loss by eating above your calorie limit for 1-2 days and heavily increasing your water intake. Just be persistent, change will come!

nicola8989 · August 2014

That's really great advice guys thank you. I do tend to have a weekend off - not going crazy but eating 2500ish. I guess I'm discouraged because I know I'm doing the right things and the weight isn't coming off - in the past when I've really put an effort in the weight has dropped off, but in the past I've mainly dieted or done cardio and diet with no strength training

nicola8989 · August 2014

Thanks guys I'm quite heavy so my BMR is pretty high, I think it's around 2700, and I do cardio as well - cycling and very strenuous uphill walking!!

That is a good point, I didn't gain it overnight! I haven't lost inches either though, but my clothes do feel looser which makes no sense!

I'm thinking you have BMR (what your body needs just to operate) and your TDEE (how much energy your body uses up with your added daily activities) confused. I would guess that your TDEE was calculated as being 2700, and if that's the case then your deficit is far too large and could easily impair your results in the long run. I personally prefer this website for estimating TDEE because you can input an average amount of time spent for each type of activity level:

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html (copy + paste it)

This website gives me about 2450 as my TDEE, which is in between most other calculators that have you simply enter in the number of days or hours per week spent exercising. Based on that, I've removed 20% from this number and am eating 2000 calories to lose weight. I'd been averaging around 1950 for my first 2ish months counting calories - in that time I've gone from 1800 to 2200 calories, back down to 2000. If your estimated TDEE really is actually close to 2700, then 2200 calories would be low enough to see a difference in weight loss.

Just be consistent with how you track your food, weigh your food if you want to really be precise, and don't get discouraged if you don't see results every day... because you won't. You also could have already experienced results without noticing because you see yourself every day. When I first lost weight 4-5 years ago, I honestly didn't feel like I was losing much weight until I went shopping and I found that I could fit into clothing that was about 3 sizes smaller.

thanks - do you think I need to eat more or less then?

manunit99 · August 2014

You won't lose weight overnight as I'm sure your aware now. Another thing you have to take into consideration is that water weight can make up a few extra kilos on the body, especially if you were not drinking enough before you changed your diet and exercise. Remember most importantly however that the BMR you received from a calculation is only your ESTIMATED intake. It's a good base and make sure you are logging everything that goes in. It should take you a week to work out a good idea how much your true BMI is at.

Of course I will always point out that exercise can raise your intake for you and if you log this into the system you can get an idea how much you need to eat extra. Let's say you wish to lose 1kg (2.2lbs) a week and you have set this in myfitnesspal and fitbit (or any other tracker.) On the first day you should stick to the recommended BMR however if you aren't losing anything after 2 days, like not even a pee, then drop 300 calories and weigh yourself in another 2 days. Still no loss? Drop to 500 calories less however don't drop any further than this from your BMR.

eg. Tim weighs 186lbs (84.5kg) and his recommended BMI is 2300 calories. However Tim has a sedimentary lifestyle, is an endomorph (puts on weight fast), has just quit smoking so his metabolism is probably going to lower than 2300 calories. He begins exercising and following his diet on myfitnesspal. After 2 days he steps on the scales to find he has gained .5kg! When he puts his head to it he can't work out why this has happened as he did everything he was told. He goes down to his local gym and asks his trainer who asks do you feel like your eating too much despite what you have been told? Yeah I feel full all the time and I don't normally eat anywhere near this amount. His trainer tells him to drop 300 calories and the next weigh in he has dropped down to 84.6kg. Tim is beginning to regret paying his pt when he is instructed to drop down to 1800 calories. He goes to the scales a few nights later a little nervous but when the number came up as 83.9kg he was finally relieved. His first loss!

The 3 golden rules
* Recommended BMR will fit the majority of the population but many binge eaters and others who share low metabolism problems will fall out of this zone
* It is ok to decrease your calories up to a further 500 and never go below 1200 (you just won't get enough macros (vitamins and minerals to keep your body functioning at optimal level.
* Attempt exercise if you are the opposite and need more calories and you aren't making up your protein goal. It can be tough to hit or 3 but target protein everyday.

Finally my tip: Weigh yourself every day or every other because you can monitor swings more quickly. I don't log every time and I have been guilty of skipping because I know the night before I went out with friends and had a few drinks. However make sure you live life, enjoy your diet and learn from your spikes.

P.S. I have just completed Cert III & IV in PT + Fitness if you need further advice feel free to ask and don't fall for the ancient myth that it takes a long time to lose weight. It doesn't and I've had personal experience and have lost 11kg in 8 weeks. Any faster can be done but you risk muscle loss which I wasn't keen on as a male.

Not losing weight at first

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