Weight Coming Off Slowly...advice?

Options
Hi everyone!

I am hoping someone with similar experiences can help me out with some insight. About 1.5 months ago I started a personal training program. I meet with my PT 2 x's a week for 1 hour. I'm also following a 1500 calorie meal plan from a registered dietitian. But I am having trouble losing weight at the rate I should be. My PT said initially we should aim to lose 1-2lbs a week. I am now at a point where I'm losing about .5lbs/week if that. I know I shouldn't make comparisons, but there are others with much less weight to lose than me in my PT challenge group but are losing at a faster rate.

i do have PCOS which tends to slow things down. But I have also integrated other exercises to no avail. Has anyone been through something similar? Any advice?

Replies

  • meridianova
    meridianova Posts: 438 Member
    Options
    i'm in the same boat. in 11 weeks i've lost 7lbs, and i should be up in the range of losing about 1lb per week. i've dropped my calories by 200 and go to the gym 3-5 days a week, with circuit training (machines) and 30 minutes of cardio each time. while i don't have PCOS, there's something going on with my body that is just ridiculously adverse to weight loss.

    i don't have any advice, but i'd love to see what others suggest.
  • MsBetteDavis
    MsBetteDavis Posts: 118 Member
    Options
    Can I ask your age, how tall you are and your current weight? And are you measuring all of your food accurately? It could be that you're not eating at enough of a deficit to lose 1-2 pounds per week.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    Options
    Progress is always progress, and should never be sniffed at. Take what you can get and be glad it's working. So it's slow, so what? You'll get there eventually. There's no fire, it's not a race.
  • shadowofender
    shadowofender Posts: 786 Member
    Options
    You have PCOS of course things will e slightly different for you.

    Patience is a virtue. There's nothing wrong with half a pound a week...but, how much do you have to lose, how are you logging (measuring) foods and calorie burns, height, weight, etc.?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    Options
    Well...weight loss is a slow process...that's about it.

    I would add that the less you have to lose the slower it's going to go...

    If you're really concerned, go to the doctor and get some blood work done...but in most cases, this is primarily a matter of patience...and often underestimating intake and/or overestimating burn if you really feel like you should be losing at a certain rate.

    Also keep in mind that things like "cheat days" and what not...while they may not completely halt the progress, they most certainly can slow things down...this fact seems to be lost on a vast many who for whatever reason can't grasp the math.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Options
    Can I ask your age, how tall you are and your current weight? And are you measuring all of your food accurately? It could be that you're not eating at enough of a deficit to lose 1-2 pounds per week.

    This!^

    OP: With 29 pounds to go.....2 pounds a week is not very likely.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    Options
    Slow weight loss is still weight loss, I'd chalk that up as a win in my book. Aim for long term results and monitor your results over a 4-6 week period.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Options
    Progress is always progress, and should never be sniffed at. Take what you can get and be glad it's working. So it's slow, so what? You'll get there eventually. There's no fire, it's not a race.

    this.

    you're still losing and that's all that matters.

    It's a win.

    And long term loss is better when it happens slowly- I think mentally because it's more of a fight- it means more- when I los e5 pounds of water weight- it's so much more dismiss-able. But when I can go man I've been fighting over that last 2 pounds... and now it's gone!!! SO worth it!!!
  • lisaanne1369
    lisaanne1369 Posts: 377 Member
    Options
    slow and steady wins the race...
  • msiamjan
    msiamjan Posts: 326 Member
    Options
    If the trajectory is down, then you're successful. Slow and steady does win this race. You want to be doing something sustainable for the long haul. Keep on keepin on!
  • simplydelish2
    simplydelish2 Posts: 726 Member
    Options
    One of the hardest lessons learned on this journey is that I can't control the numbers on the scale. I can eat at the correct calorie level, exercise, drink water and basically do everything "right"...that still does not guarantee that the scale will move downward.

    With less than 30 lbs to lose - it is unlikely that you will lose more than .5-1 lb. in a week. Don't compare yourself to others - they may be eating poorly, way below healthy calorie levels or they may just have a different body composition and metabolism.

    Keep doing what you are doing. The excess weight will come off.

    Good luck!
  • krstn102109
    krstn102109 Posts: 20 Member
    Options
    Thanks for the feedback everyone. A lot of you mentioned how much I have to lose impacting. I actually have a lot to lose. Realistically I could lose 75-100lbs to be at a healthy weight for my age/height. I am tracking all of my foods through MFP & I use a digital scale to weigh everything. The only thing I do not track accurately is how many calories I am burning as I do not have a HRM.

    I do understand that PCOS slows things down so I will keep moving along. I was just curious if there was something more that I could do. I am already doing a mix of strength and cardio and following the meal plan from the dietitian as mentioned earlier.

    And for those that mentioned it, my goal settings do say 29lbs to go because it is less overwhelming to set it as a smaller goal than a larger one.

    Thank you for all of the suggestions and encouragement! I will just keep at it!
  • TheBookSiren2316
    Options
    Thanks for the feedback everyone. A lot of you mentioned how much I have to lose impacting. I actually have a lot to lose. Realistically I could lose 75-100lbs to be at a healthy weight for my age/height. I am tracking all of my foods through MFP & I use a digital scale to weigh everything. The only thing I do not track accurately is how many calories I am burning as I do not have a HRM.

    I do understand that PCOS slows things down so I will keep moving along. I was just curious if there was something more that I could do. I am already doing a mix of strength and cardio and following the meal plan from the dietitian as mentioned earlier.

    And for those that mentioned it, my goal settings do say 29lbs to go because it is less overwhelming to set it as a smaller goal than a larger one.

    Thank you for all of the suggestions and encouragement! I will just keep at it!

    I don't have any advice but I have been in similar situations. I used to work out with friends, all smaller than me to begin with, all ate worse/more calories/fast food and all lost twice as much weight as me for half the work I would put in. It was so disheartening. According to many on mfp I was doing something wrong, not accurately accounting calories, or not doing the work I said- I was. I had to see multiple different doctors/nutritionists ect. to figure out I did have a medical issues (some from being seriously anorexic for many many many years before I stopped and gained all the weight) along with sleep issues and stress issues over obsessing over my weight. I took time off from losing weight to learn how to accept myself the way I was. I told myself I'd never lose weight to come to terms with the fact that my weight does not define who I am or change the person I am- it sounds cheesy but it worked haha.
    After a while I missed hard core workouts and decided to start lifting instead of focusing on cardio- just because I wanted to, not to lose weight. I ditched all the medications the doctors gave me for a "metabolic syndrome" and just adjusted my food and took vitamins that do the same thing without the disgusting side effects. I'm losing now, but I am more excited at how much I can lift since I started and how much longer I can chase my kids without getting winded. lol I wish they had tickers to track that instead of weight. I want one counting up to being able to squat 200lbs :)



    Anyways Good Luck on your journey. You're not alone. We are all individuals and not all cookie cutter aspects will work for everyone, (but also "quick" fixes and trying to reinvent the wheel doesn't work either.) You just need to try out a few things and find out what works for you, even if it's getting excited over what you can do and ignoring the fact you're "only" losing so much a week instead of more like the girl next to you. <3