5'5" @ 163 lbs, been logging for 37 days, only 1.5 lbs lost!!! WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?
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Coming from a person who started at 272 and stands at 5'5" in 2007 and has been fighting since then....dieting and weight loss is not supposed to be done in a quick amount of time. In order to lose it and keep it off it is a journey that takes time. 37 days is really not a good measure of time depending on your height and weight. Slow down and give your body a chance to get used to the changes that you are making. Remember one day, one step at a time and it is not a competition with the person next to you but a lifestyle change that fits you.0
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Agree with pretty much everything Runyan2002 said up there ^.
I completely and utterly understand the frustration! I can say, though, that if there's one thing I have learned throughout my personal journey--ditch the scale. Celebrate the non-scale victories, take measurements and progress pictures... The scale is depressing and there are many, many different things that factor into that number. I weigh myself every so often just to check progress...but I don't use it to define my success. I did for a long time, and it ended up being more of a stressor than anything...not to mention it's quite easy to become obsessed with the number.
I get the frustration, though, wholeheartedly. Been there and still hit it from time to time! My advice: eat well, keep exercising, drinking water, and try tracking progress in different ways. It'll come back around! Lots of good (and, as Runyan said, snarky, as well) advice in here. This community rocks!
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Which is probably because you aren't weighing your food so you don't really know what you are eating. Politeness doesn't ensure correctness.Runyan2002 wrote: »Oh and I DEFINITELY yo-yo'ed that first month. This past week has been more straight loss, but the first four weeks have been from 1-4 lbs weight loss back and forth! It drives me insane! Hopefully my body keeps up the losing streak. LOL!
Nope, I actually do weigh most of my food to a point (I have a food scale and weigh my food when I can, unless it isn't around). It's because of my water, sodium (I acknowledge and know I consume a lot), but mostly my exercise routine why I yo-yo'ed. I have been building muscle and my body is adjusting. While my weight has yo-yo'ed my body is not (measurement wise). I haven't changed anything this week and have now lost. I am surprised a fitness forum wouldn't agree on this....most people involved in fitness say not losing a drastic amount the first month or so is VERY normal and a good thing (if you are working out / building muscle). My trainer hasn't even batted an eye and said my strength and abilities are going up, I am losing inches, and he isn't worried at all. Neither am I. It can be frustrating for sure but happy to know it's normal.
Heck he even said I could expect it before I started. I also have a fitbit to track steps / exercise so I'm pretty happy with my accuracy. Of course I am not purely doing exercise to burn calories either, I am doing a lot of strength training / yoga as well and alternating with running, etc. so maybe that is why it's different for some. I'm sure if you ONLY eat right and don't exercise you will see your weight drop suddenly, since you aren't building muscle as well.0 -
Agree with pretty much everything Runyan2002 said up there ^.
I completely and utterly understand the frustration! I can say, though, that if there's one thing I have learned throughout my personal journey--ditch the scale. Celebrate the non-scale victories, take measurements and progress pictures... The scale is depressing and there are many, many different things that factor into that number. I weigh myself every so often just to check progress...but I don't use it to define my success. I did for a long time, and it ended up being more of a stressor than anything...not to mention it's quite easy to become obsessed with the number.
I get the frustration, though, wholeheartedly. Been there and still hit it from time to time! My advice: eat well, keep exercising, drinking water, and try tracking progress in different ways. It'll come back around! Lots of good (and, as Runyan said, snarky, as well) advice in here. This community rocks!
THIS!!! I have also purposely ignored that tiny scale of doom and been happy with seeing my arm flab decreasing. ;-)0 -
Runyan2002 wrote: »Oh and I DEFINITELY yo-yo'ed that first month. This past week has been more straight loss, but the first four weeks have been from 1-4 lbs weight loss back and forth! It drives me insane! Hopefully my body keeps up the losing streak. LOL!
Scales fluctuate. It's very normal to go up and down. Watch the overall trend. If it's mostly down, it's working.
Don't spaz about little ups and downs. And when it is period time, don't spaz if you go up six pounds and stay there for a few days. Trends, trends, trends. 0 -
I am 5'3 and started my journey at 163 lbs. Feel free to add me. 0
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MichelleMaryCas wrote: »I have been logging into myfitnesspal for 37 days now and have had very minimal weight loss. I have been trying to stay within a 1400 calorie per day intake and I have been exercising 3-4 times per week for 30-40 minutes per day. I recently purchased a fitbit to make sure my calories burned is accurate.
I have cut out most processed foods, caffeine, milk and sugar from my diet. I no longer drink soda and I hardly drink juice. I feel that I have been pretty accurate with my calorie reporting. I use the scanner whenever possible, I import recipes from the internet, I log all veggies, all small bites that add up, everything, I am a little neurotic.
I know I have not been perfect but this yoyo weight loss of 5 lbs up and down is getting old. I have had some red wine and have gone over calorie intake a few times but compared to what I was eating prior to 37 days ago I must be cutting at least 1000 calories from my diet daily!
Does it really take your body 1-3 months to realize that it should be losing weight??? Or am I just not being as good as I think I am? My profile is public. Any feedback from people with similar issues or knowledge is appreciated. I am feeling frustrated but am not ready to give up. I have been measuring myself as well and there does seem to be 1/2" gone here and there although I feel like that fluctuates a little also. I am planning on doing my 2 month measurements right before thanksgiving, hopefully I will see at least an inch gone from my waist or thigh, or both....!
I'm 5'6 and started at 174 - now 159.5 and also from NJ I target between 1200 - 1300 calories a day. I try to keep it on the lower end because I don't have access to measure everything all the time (but 75% of the time I am) and I'd rather shoot lower and overestimate than the opposite.
Add me on here and we can help each other!!!
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I have had this exact same issue! Here is what I have gathered on the matter. Yes, it takes your body a while to realizing its loosing weight, especially if you are a woman and especially if you have made a lot of failed attempts at weight loss in the past. Also, if you are working out you are building muscle and, as the old adage goes, "muscle weights more than fat." Also, if you are doing challenging workouts your muscles will retain liquid to help them build and repair, more added weight. If you drink alcohol, and I do, and I too prefer wine, you will hold water weight, so the best thing to do is take three or so days off from drinking any booze and flush with water, that weight will go away, but come back again (I found) when you drink again. I love to drink, so thats just the trade off I accept. Most importantly though, dont give up! Good things take time. Stick with it, and come here for support when you need it. The support here has gotten me through some discouraging times! You can do it girl!! -1
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I feel your pain, I've been logging for 52 days, and have become so frustrated I've resorted back to cheat days more often than not. Thought I was doing great and have only lost 4 pounds. MFP told me to lose 2 pounds a week I needed to eat 1260 calories a day... it's so hard to do but I was doing well until nothing changed and I got discouraged! Friend request me if you want, maybe we can encourage each other!!0
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Hey, I'm almost your height/weight twin! 5'5", started at 161.5. Feel free to add me.0
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Btw! I am also 5'5" and am currently somewhere in the 160s. Still sticking to it, slowly but surely! Feel free to add me, or any of you guys looking for more friends! More the merrier! 0
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Runyan2002 wrote: »
Which is probably because you aren't weighing your food so you don't really know what you are eating. Politeness doesn't ensure correctness.Runyan2002 wrote: »Oh and I DEFINITELY yo-yo'ed that first month. This past week has been more straight loss, but the first four weeks have been from 1-4 lbs weight loss back and forth! It drives me insane! Hopefully my body keeps up the losing streak. LOL!
Nope, I actually do weigh most of my food to a point (I have a food scale and weigh my food when I can, unless it isn't around). It's because of my water, sodium (I acknowledge and know I consume a lot), but mostly my exercise routine why I yo-yo'ed. I have been building muscle and my body is adjusting. While my weight has yo-yo'ed my body is not (measurement wise). I haven't changed anything this week and have now lost. I am surprised a fitness forum wouldn't agree on this....most people involved in fitness say not losing a drastic amount the first month or so is VERY normal and a good thing (if you are working out / building muscle). My trainer hasn't even batted an eye and said my strength and abilities are going up, I am losing inches, and he isn't worried at all. Neither am I. It can be frustrating for sure but happy to know it's normal.
Heck he even said I could expect it before I started. I also have a fitbit to track steps / exercise so I'm pretty happy with my accuracy. Of course I am not purely doing exercise to burn calories either, I am doing a lot of strength training / yoga as well and alternating with running, etc. so maybe that is why it's different for some. I'm sure if you ONLY eat right and don't exercise you will see your weight drop suddenly, since you aren't building muscle as well.
You won't build muscle in a calorie deficit. You will lose both fat and muscle in a true deficit. If you are working neglected muscles, they may retain water to repair thereby masking weight loss but you aren't likely creating new muscle.0 -
Fitbit is great as a way to monitor your movement & activity level - but assume 5-10% error at least in your burn rate. So if you want a 500/day deficit and Fitbit says you've burned 2200: 2200 x .9 (10% error) = 1980, less 500 and you're right around the 1400 mark you are aiming for.
For accurate logging, weigh all solids. Log everything.
But with that said, weight loss is not a perfect science. And you're not always going to see big #s. If you are consistently lower today than you were 30 days ago, you're moving in the right direction.0 -
For my success, I used a Fitbit started 12-25-13. Starting weight 178.5, 5'5.5" and was 39 years old. I hit my goal of being under 130 on 10-11-14 just before my 40th birthday. Have been fluctuating 127-129 since.
From Jan-Jul: 1400-1600 calories aiming for 500/day deficit plus a little to spare. Fitbit had me burning ~2100-2200.
From Aug-Sept: 1600-1800 calories aiming for 250/day deficit. Fitbit burned 2000-2100 per day.
Now 1900-2000, Fitbit says I burn 2000-2100 and am maintaining.0 -
I have dropped over 120 lbs and I still yo yo if I weigh myself daily, it's all about water intake and retention. Don't let it get you down, you want to look at the trend over time and 5 weeks is a pretty short period of time. Here is a typical week for me sunday morning is the day I'm usually down, no idea why. Monday up a pound, tuesday up another pound, wed & thursday flat, friday flat or down a pound, saturday maybe flat or down less than a pound, sunday suddenly down several pounds and maybe a pound or 2 below where I was last sunday. Next week start all over again.0
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My guess would be: Eating too much.
CICO, OP.0 -
You won't build muscle in a calorie deficit. You will lose both fat and muscle in a true deficit. If you are working neglected muscles, they may retain water to repair thereby masking weight loss but you aren't likely creating new muscle.
*Sigh* Okay Fred. I understand that you believe it is so.-1 -
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Runyan2002 wrote: »You won't build muscle in a calorie deficit. You will lose both fat and muscle in a true deficit. If you are working neglected muscles, they may retain water to repair thereby masking weight loss but you aren't likely creating new muscle.
*Sigh* Okay Fred. I understand that you believe it is so.
It's been well discussed in this forum and generally agreed upon that exercise in a calorie restricted diet will help preserve lean body mass over calorie restriction alone, but barring some "newbie" gains, a calorie surplus is required to add lean body mass.
Here is a paper that discusses it:
http://jap.physiology.org/content/81/6/24450 -
Runyan2002 wrote: »You won't build muscle in a calorie deficit. You will lose both fat and muscle in a true deficit. If you are working neglected muscles, they may retain water to repair thereby masking weight loss but you aren't likely creating new muscle.
*Sigh* Okay Fred. I understand that you believe it is so.
It's been well discussed in this forum and generally agreed upon that exercise in a calorie restricted diet will help preserve lean body mass over calorie restriction alone, but barring some "newbie" gains, a calorie surplus is required to add lean body mass.
Here is a paper that discusses it:
http://jap.physiology.org/content/81/6/2445
I agree. Nutrition is 80% of the game. I believe you can't count calories alone, you need to consider all your macronutrients. For example if you're mostly (80%) carbs and the majority of those are sugar....Houston we have a problem!
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Runyan2002 wrote: »You won't build muscle in a calorie deficit. You will lose both fat and muscle in a true deficit. If you are working neglected muscles, they may retain water to repair thereby masking weight loss but you aren't likely creating new muscle.
*Sigh* Okay Fred. I understand that you believe it is so.
It's been well discussed in this forum and generally agreed upon that exercise in a calorie restricted diet will help preserve lean body mass over calorie restriction alone, but barring some "newbie" gains, a calorie surplus is required to add lean body mass.
Here is a paper that discusses it:
http://jap.physiology.org/content/81/6/2445
Hi...Do you notice that, in the paper you referenced, the diet and exercise, as well as the diet and resistance exercise groups both gained lean mass (skeletal muscle), thus proving that you can increase lean body mass in a calorie deficit? Thank you for disproving your own point.0 -
Are you eating your exercise calories back? Did you measure yourself before starting? do that because you may be losing inches and shifting rather than weight loss. Keep going and watch the sugar and salt intake closely. It will work -- stay with it0
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I returned to MFP and started using it regularly almost a year ago. When I first started my change, I was stuck at my weight as well for almost a month. I was frustrated and felt defeated, but I realized that I have to keep going for my health, not just for what the scale says. Once I started logging what I ate more regularly, and did not eat the calories that I burned from working out, the scale started moving. Remember that this journey is more than just what the scale says and it's about overall health. I do believe that it takes a while for your body to figure out what you're doing. I had this image in my head of a ship going full steams ahead and then trying to reverse. This is like our bodies. When your body is going full steams ahead with gaining weight it can't just immediately reverse - it first must slow down, stop and then reverse. You're in the slowing down to stopping phase first, you'll soon be in the reverse phase! Keep doing what you're doing and following your MFP recommendations for what your goals are and it will work. I'm down 41 lbs so far and I know you'll make it, too!0
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