New to this and have a few questions...thanks! (Wall of text, sorry!)

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  • Snooozie
    Snooozie Posts: 3,447 Member
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    oh duh.... thanks spun - totally forgot that was one reason i replied - I've been a shift worker for 30 years, rotating shifts on days/evenings/midnights - and it plays a bit of havoc with sleep and schedules, not to mention finding it hard to face tuna at 3am some nights! But it's just another challenge like everyone has theirs, and the good news is it does get easier as you learn more and more.. (and thanks @ spunmommy.. i may check out that thread too lol).
  • boredfatman
    boredfatman Posts: 100 Member
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    Up until recently I would always have a snickers or twix from the vending machine if I started early, around 4:30AM. Now avoiding those machines like the plague. Whats worse is that they are part subsidised where I work!
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Have you read forum superstar SideSteel's "Guide to Get You Started" post yet? If not, it's well worth the time.

    Two weeks isn't enough time to see many results, especially if you've just started a new exercise routine and are retaining water. Give yourself 4 weeks. If you're still seeing no progress, then you're either overestimating exercise calories, underestimating food intake, or both. It's completely normal to do so; most people, even trained dietitians, are terrible at estimating calorie intake, and most fitness machines and databases overestimate calories burned in exercise. (On estimating calorie intake, see this article and the discussion in Marion Nestle and Malden Nesheim, Why Calories Count.) In that case, either work on estimating more carefully, or—if you prefer a simpler solution—just keep estimating as you are but reduce your total calorie goal.

    While there is such a thing as "starvation mode," it is literally starvation. It's a reduction in total energy expenditure caused by two things: (1) When you lose lots of weight, you need less energy to keep going. Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) drops proportionally to your weight loss. (2) When you're seriously under your caloric needs, you stop moving except when it's absolutely necessary. Subjects in the Minnesota Starvation Study became lethargic and carried out their assigned tasks grudgingly.

    There's some evidence that formerly obese people who lost a lot of weight very quickly need less energy to maintain at their new weight than people who have always been that weight. But you're not in that position.

    Good luck!
  • sengalissa
    sengalissa Posts: 253 Member
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    cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »
    It took me 3-4 weeks to see any change on the scale. Hang in there.

    Exercise can cause your muscles to retain water as they rebuild. That's in addition to, as you mentioned, the fact that the food and drink floating around in your stomach and intestines can also affect your "weight." Some people also use a tape measure (chest, waist, hips, thighs, etc) every month or so because the scale isn't always the best metric--especially if you're strength training.

    We all have a day or two where we eat more than we intended. The trick to making this work long-term is realizing it was one meal or one day or one vacation and that has zero impact on your ability to make the right decision tomorrow. :) It's about building a healthy life, not driving yourself bonkers demanding "perfection."

    I drop 2 lbs when I don't exercise for a few days. So yes, muscles retain water! Could easily hide a 2-3lbs loss of FAT loss.
  • debbye001
    debbye001 Posts: 4
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    Change your work outs. Dont do the same thing every day

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