Only 7 lbs Down in a Month...

Hi there OP, I also have a lot to lose and started at 372. I am nut for data so I've been keeping track of all sorts, including monthly loss. Here's what I've got so far.

May: lost 6 pounds (started mid-way), 366
June: lost 13 pounds, 353
July: lost 8 pounds, 345
August: lost 6 pounds, 339
September: lost 13 pounds, 326
October: lost 7 pounds, 319

And THAT all averages out to about 9 pounds a month.

Anyway, I'm not losing super fast, but I am also aiming to create a way of eating and exercise that is sustainable for a lifetime. If the weight will stay off because I took longer to lose it, that is fine with me. I've been yo-yoing most of my life so that last point is very important to me.

7 pounds in a month is awesome no matter who you are. Any weight loss is awesome. Celebrate your successes and keep doing what you're doing – though I do agree, you may want to give yourself more fuel. At your weight and activity level you probably need a few more calories!

I wish I could lose 7 lbs in one month……..

Congrats, OP! Keep up the hard work!

man, I'd be thrilled to lose 7lbs in one month! That's awesome!

I think you might not be eating enough. You are THOUSANDS of calories under your MFP goal for the day. At your size you could probably lose weight on 2500 calories a day. Or more.

Try adding a few hundred calories a day and see what happens.
Try also adding more bulk to your meals with lots of vegetables and more fruit. I find I lose weight better when 50% of my plate is non-starchy vegetables. I figure the bigger the mass of food that goes in, the more my metabolism has to work to deal with it.

If you aren't hungry, add more calories with dense foods like nuts. Don't be scared of fats - they're good for you. Or protein bars and shakes - you can get them very reasonably priced on Amazon, and I'm finding they work out cheaper than buying all the meat I'd need to stay within my macros. Plus some of them taste pretty good, and I'll have a bar at the end of the day if I think I've not eaten enough.

Look at it this way - as your weight goes down, you'll need to reduce calories even more to keep losing. The way you're eating now, you're not leaving any room to do this. At over 400 pounds, you will have more success doing this slow, steady, gently and above all in a way that is kind to you and your body.

Patience is really hard when you want to see the numbers on the scale go down. Weight lost slowly comes back on slowly too. (I lost about 30 kilos slowly and kept 15-25 of them off for about 6 years without dieting at ALL. This is my second phase, and I intend to lose another 10 the same way... rest a while... and then another 5... and so on.)

So, set your goals to sedentary, and try eating the amount MFP tells you for a while. The exercise burned calories may be out, but I've spent hours going over the maths and the daily calorie requirements on MFP are actually pretty damned accurate.

I agree with the above!

You are doing a great job thus far - 7 pounds is nothing to scoff at. I also agree that you are probably eating way too little!

It can definitely be difficult thinking about how long it will take to get to goal, but setting up goals along the way can help!

To keep me on track, I participate in 5 several 5Ks during the winter, which keep me motivated.

I also have 10 pound goals in which I can do something special when I reach the marker. I am one pound from my next goal and am debating between new running shoes or a mid summer race at the moment. But it could also be going out to a movie, buying a new video game, etc.

Most people who do the mini goals will choose larger goals as they get closer to their final goal.

IrZeo wrote: »

999tigger wrote: »

The point was consistency in the key and remind yourself that it will take time to get to target.

Pthers will be better at looking at your diary. The exercise sounds good, but the thing I noticed is you are eating very little and I would question as to whether you are going too severe. The danger of too severe is you can give up due to boredom or you binge out.

The estimate for your mainteance calories I looked at was near 4000, so 2lbs a week would be 3000 calories a day but looking at your diary it shows you are eating between 1300-1500 calories a day and not taking into account your exercise calories. Talk to your Dr and dietician. You need to pace yourself and be patient.

So far only my Dr is helping me with my plan, I have been referred to a 'weight management programme' at the Hospital in my city on the 12th December, so hopefully they'll help me figure it out a bit better... since I clearly suck at it so far.. I'm actually terrified I'm burning more muscle than fat because I can't really notice a whole lot of change after losing a little over 40lbs, besides one of my coats now fit a tiny bit better.

You don't suck at it! You've lost a lot of weight! That's not sucking.

It has been my experience that the longer you lose, the harder it gets. I'm not the first one to experience that and I won't be the last. Some weight loss experts will recommend losing for six months, then staying steady for a few months, then going back to losing again. Some don't. There are several schools of thought on that.

One person here who lost like 200 pounds or something high said she stalled out for like five months. It happens.

It's great that you're going to get advice. Don't give up. Plugging along when it doesn't come easy...that's the reason you will be so damn proud of yourself when you're done!!

Hang in there!

You are going great. Pat yourself on the back.