Should have lost 4.2 pounds, but only lost 2!

JackPudding
JackPudding Posts: 37 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
The last two weeks is the first time i've recorded everything i've eaten on mfp. I've also recorded the exercise i've been doing. According to mfp I burn around 700 calories for a 7 mile walk, is that right or is it way to excessive?

I've worked out the calorie deficit for the last 12 days and I should have lost 4 pounds but have only lost 2! :(

Can't see how it's water retention either because I've been consistently exercising for the last 6 weeks!

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    The calorie burn is generally over estimated so cut it in half

    Weight loss is not linear, nor is it a mathematical calculation that exact ...you can lose fat but go up in weight due to excess sodium, water retention from exercise, hormone fluctuations. You can weigh more because of the time of day, food, clothing

    Look for the overall trend line over months not the daily loss ...that way lies madness

    And congratulations on losing 2lb

    That's two of these

    1lb_fat.jpg
  • JackPudding
    JackPudding Posts: 37 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    The calorie burn is generally over estimated so cut it in half

    Weight loss is not linear, nor is it a mathematical calculation that exact ...you can lose fat but go up in weight due to excess sodium, water retention from exercise, hormone fluctuations. You can weigh more because of the time of day, food, clothing

    Look for the overall trend line over months not the daily loss ...that way lies madness

    And congratulations on losing 2lb

    That's two of these

    1lb_fat.jpg


    That looks a bit gross ;) Cutting it in half, bloody hell! That's a bit disappointing! Thanks for the reply tho ;)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    It does, doesn't it?
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,284 Member
    This is not an exact science OP - I doubt you will often lose exactly 4.2 lb in a given period.
    -
    But if you are doing everything right you will lose weight steadily, over time.
  • timberowl
    timberowl Posts: 331 Member
    Paper's right. If it were an exact, predictable science, EVERYONE would do it. It's tough. Sometimes you're going to get on the scale and you will have GAINED weight, even when you do everything right. It's unpredictable, it's a pain, and it's time consuming. You just have to stick it out and keep with it.
  • FatJockSing
    FatJockSing Posts: 164 Member
    Did you ever track if you put your weight ON in a linear predicatable manner??? Most probably not . . . so dont get too obsessed with the pattern at which you lose - just try and lose!! Great news on losing 2lbs - celebrate the success - if you want to be accurate on exercise calories I recommend a Heart rate Monitor . . . but as your BASE metabolic rate is aguess, in the early days there can be a lot of 'suck-it-and-see" until we find our own individual baselines. I bet if you stick at it - in another 6 months you will be smiling.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    If you think your results are the equivalent of 7000+ calories out don't look at small difference in calorie estimates for your running - look at your food logging accuracy first. It's far easier to get that significantly wrong. Buy some digital scales and use them.

    If you want to cross check your running calorie burns then use some of the online running calculators - running is a very standard activity so they are plenty accurate enough.

    Really though the essential things are food logging accuracy, patience (4 weeks min) and willingness to make adjustments based on your actual results over time.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    JackPudding wrote: »
    The last two weeks is the first time i've recorded everything i've eaten on mfp. I've also recorded the exercise i've been doing. According to mfp I burn around 700 calories for a 7 mile walk, is that right or is it way to excessive?

    I've worked out the calorie deficit for the last 12 days and I should have lost 4 pounds but have only lost 2! :(

    Can't see how it's water retention either because I've been consistently exercising for the last 6 weeks!
    100 calories per mile walked might be a little generous, depending on your size.

    Water retention and increase in exercise often go hand in hand. It's hard to tell when our water is up or what causes it. We're practically made of water. It varies based on many things. To have your deficit equal your weight loss usually takes months of averaging out the blips due to weight change from other things.

    Good luck!

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Losing 2 pounds in two weeks is excellent!

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