What's the secret behind weight loss??

Hi everyone! Hope you all are doing well. I lost just 0.9 lbs in a month which is kinda disappointing. According to the theory of weight loss, If you create a calorie deficit of 3500 calories/week, you would lose 1 pound. That amounts to around 4lbs in a month. Even though I could create this calorie deficit I lost only little the entire month. Is there something I'm doing wrong?
On an average, how much have you lost in a month?
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Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Accuracy is the 2nd part of that secret. Are you weighing all solids? Measuring all liquids? Accurately calculating exercise calories if you eat them back? Actually logging EVERYTHING you put in your mouth? Preparing your own food so you know exactly what you're eating?
  • La5Vega5Girl
    La5Vega5Girl Posts: 709 Member
    Accuracy is the 2nd part of that secret. Are you weighing all solids? Measuring all liquids? Accurately calculating exercise calories if you eat them back? Actually logging EVERYTHING you put in your mouth? Preparing your own food so you know exactly what you're eating?

    i agree with the above. log mints. log sugar-free gum. long diet soda. if it touches your lips, it goes into your log.
  • sarajenivieve
    sarajenivieve Posts: 303 Member
    how are you creating the deficit ? are you actually eating what you should be and excerising if your starving yourself your body will try and store what do eat. also what are you eating? when your eating are you eatting fatty or highly processed foods, those will be harder on your system and could cause fat storage. I recommend a Whole foods plant based diet
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    how are you creating the deficit ? are you actually eating what you should be and excerising if your starving yourself your body will try and store what do eat. also what are you eating? when your eating are you eatting fatty or highly processed foods, those will be harder on your system and could cause fat storage. I recommend a Whole foods plant based diet

    Just...no

    OP, I agree with the others...you're most likely underestimating what you're eating and/or overestimating what you're burning.
  • jenschroll
    jenschroll Posts: 162 Member
    Are there sodium traps in that diet, or anything else happening that would make you retain water? It would help if you opened up your diary so we could take a look.
  • tabicatinthehat
    tabicatinthehat Posts: 329 Member
    I recommend a Whole foods plant based diet

    On what basis?
  • TheRoseRoss
    TheRoseRoss Posts: 112 Member
    Don't trust "one size fits all" websites that say "plug in this data and we'll tell you what your needs are." Use that as a guide, and then adjust accordingly. If a site says that based on your height, weight, "activity level" etc, you need to eat 2000 calories a day to maintain your weight, set your calories @ ~1700 a day and track your weight after 2 weeks. That should be enough of a sample size to tell if you're in a true caloric deficit.

    You also need to consider your metabolism, and the way you're restricting your calories. Our bodies are very good at doing just enough to get by, and nothing more. It will not burn 20 calories, if it can get by burning 10. If yours is a sedentary lifestyle, your metabolism is going to be lower/slower because your body doesn't need to burn as many calories for fuel as an active person. Think of it like this: You can sit at a desk all day, eat 2000 calories, and not lose weight. A construction worker can work on a job site all day, eat 4000 calories, and still lose weight. When you put your body into a deficit it thinks "oh crap! Why are you not eating? There must be a famine and no food available. I need to slow down your metabolism in order to burn fewer calories so that we can outlast this famine." Your metabolism slows down so even though you're eating less calories, your body is also burning less calories, so you're right back where you started.

    Track your calories, but try to space your meals so that you're eating regularly, and not triggering your body's "oh crap! There must be a food shortage. Time to slow down the metabolism" response. And get active if you can. Weight training. Even if it's body weight training. No! Weight training will not make you bulky/manly. Women don't produce enough testosterone to build "muscle like a man."
  • sarajenivieve
    sarajenivieve Posts: 303 Member
    it would have less calories,less fat,less cholesteral which would help with her weightloss goal and once her goal is met its over all a healthier way to eat both for the body and the planet, as sited by the UN and WHO
  • sarajenivieve
    sarajenivieve Posts: 303 Member
    how are you creating the deficit ? are you actually eating what you should be and excerising if your starving yourself your body will try and store what do eat. also what are you eating? when your eating are you eatting fatty or highly processed foods, those will be harder on your system and could cause fat storage. I recommend a Whole foods plant based diet

    Just...no

    OP, I agree with the others...you're most likely underestimating what you're eating and/or overestimating what you're burning.
    just no? do you just no science,whats your reasoning?
  • BramageOMG
    BramageOMG Posts: 319 Member
    Just don't lift anything too heavy.. or this could happen:


    8ab5ed543151.jpg
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    it would have less calories,less fat,less cholesteral which would help with her weightloss goal and once her goal is met its over all a healthier way to eat both for the body and the planet, as sited by the UN and WHO

    Not necessarily. You can easily eat over your calorie goal on a plant based diet, and less fat isn't necessarily a good thing. Plus blood cholesterol and dietary cholesterol are not mutually exclusive. You can have high dietary cholesterol and low blood cholesterol.
  • KylaDenay
    KylaDenay Posts: 1,585 Member
    Accuracy is the 2nd part of that secret. Are you weighing all solids? Measuring all liquids? Accurately calculating exercise calories if you eat them back? Actually logging EVERYTHING you put in your mouth? Preparing your own food so you know exactly what you're eating?

    This^ and also weight loss is not linear. There are a ton of reasons as to why you did not lose 1 lb a week or 4 lbs for the month. Could be your logging is not accurate, could be water retention, stress, etc.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    The best way for you to lose weight is to make sure you are eating at a calorie deficiency by weighing your food as often as possible. Understand high sodium causes water weight as well so keep an eye on your sodium level, too.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    how are you creating the deficit ? are you actually eating what you should be and excerising if your starving yourself your body will try and store what do eat. also what are you eating? when your eating are you eatting fatty or highly processed foods, those will be harder on your system and could cause fat storage. I recommend a Whole foods plant based diet

    Just...no

    OP, I agree with the others...you're most likely underestimating what you're eating and/or overestimating what you're burning.
    just no? do you just no science,whats your reasoning?

    My reasoning? I eat what I want in moderation and don't worry about special diets, and I've lost fine. I've earned the ice cream I'm eating right now.
  • harshada10
    harshada10 Posts: 43 Member
    Accuracy is the 2nd part of that secret. Are you weighing all solids? Measuring all liquids? Accurately calculating exercise calories if you eat them back? Actually logging EVERYTHING you put in your mouth? Preparing your own food so you know exactly what you're eating?

    Yes I prepare my own food and log each and everything I eat in a day. My exercises are automatically logged as I'm using Map my fitness. I do more of brisk walks as I like working out in the open.
  • harshada10
    harshada10 Posts: 43 Member
    Yeah I log everything. I don't starve myself. I eat at least the minimum required amount of calories.
  • harshada10
    harshada10 Posts: 43 Member
    Are there sodium traps in that diet, or anything else happening that would make you retain water? It would help if you opened up your diary so we could take a look.

    I've the diary open now.
  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member
    how are you creating the deficit ? are you actually eating what you should be and excerising if your starving yourself your body will try and store what do eat. also what are you eating? when your eating are you eatting fatty or highly processed foods, those will be harder on your system and could cause fat storage. I recommend a Whole foods plant based diet

    I must be a mutant then.

    The only thing that causes fat storage is a calorie surplus. But nice try.
  • caesar164
    caesar164 Posts: 312 Member
    Just don't lift anything too heavy.. or this could happen:


    8ab5ed543151.jpg

    Disregard this post because its complete bs...

    No secret to losing weight, just eat at a deficit, a true deficit..
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    How much exercise? How big is the calorie deficit on food tat you think you have created? Do you weigh everything or are you estimating?
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,856 Member
    You might be overestimating your deficit but it's hard to say. A month is a short time. Keep doing what you're doing and come back in a month. ;-)
  • harshada10
    harshada10 Posts: 43 Member
    It took me maybe two weeks to lose the first pound... I think it was due to building muscle. After the first two weeks, I was losing more quickly. You could be approaching that point, so don't give up ????

    Ya might be. Currently I'm just doing brisk walks. I'm really not a gym person. I should try to incorporate more intense exercises in my routine which I can do outside.
  • harshada10
    harshada10 Posts: 43 Member
    You might be overestimating your deficit but it's hard to say. A month is a short time. Keep doing what you're doing and come back in a month. ;-)

    Yeah will try :)
  • sarajenivieve
    sarajenivieve Posts: 303 Member
    how are you creating the deficit ? are you actually eating what you should be and excerising if your starving yourself your body will try and store what do eat. also what are you eating? when your eating are you eatting fatty or highly processed foods, those will be harder on your system and could cause fat storage. I recommend a Whole foods plant based diet

    Just...no

    OP, I agree with the others...you're most likely underestimating what you're eating and/or overestimating what you're burning.
    just no? do you just no science,whats your reasoning?

    My reasoning? I eat what I want in moderation and don't worry about special diets, and I've lost fine. I've earned the ice cream I'm eating right now.
    you certainly can eat those things and lose weight i never said you couldnt but my suggestion was for optimal health and weightloss, i also didnt diss' treats there are whole food plant based treats if you want to be super healthy or no whole food but still plant based treats etc no one mentioned you or what you eat i was making a suggestion to the poster based off of science. sorry if i seem harsh but if you wanted to offer an opinion to the OP you didnt need to reply to my post to do that which is why i replied to the clarify that my recommendations are based in science from research iv done both indendantly and as taking nutrition in uni and recommendations from the UN.
  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member
    I notice you pick generic entries from the data base like "medium bananas" rather than a weighted value of the item. Are you eyeballing or using a digital food scale to weigh solids? This could help with potential logging errors. Calorie dense items do add up if logged in accurately
  • harshada10
    harshada10 Posts: 43 Member
    The best way for you to lose weight is to make sure you are eating at a calorie deficiency by weighing your food as often as possible. Understand high sodium causes water weight as well so keep an eye on your sodium level, too.

    Thanks! Will cut down on sodium.
  • let me help you out. Consume 66% or more of fat from whole foods. 22-26% from protein and keep carbohydrates 10% 0r below. Drop the sugar/sugar drinks/breads/grains. and gluten wheat products, cakes and processed foods, and you will have FAT melt off.

    stop counting calories................a waste of time. I lost 60 pounds in 2 years. I eat 2800- 4500 calories all the time.
  • harshada10
    harshada10 Posts: 43 Member
    I notice you pick generic entries from the data base like "medium bananas" rather than a weighted value of the item. Are you eyeballing or using a digital food scale to weigh solids? This could help with potential logging errors. Calorie dense items do add up if logged in accurately

    I actually don't have a food scale. :(
  • counting calories is dumb
  • sarajenivieve
    sarajenivieve Posts: 303 Member
    please dont cut your carbs that low, you will lose weight but its bad for your body long term , if you feel you need to lower carbs try not to go lower then 20%