need motivation.. no lbs lost

Options
charlcoopx
charlcoopx Posts: 13
in Motivation and Support
okay so im female 19 yrs old about 5'6 and weigh 14 st
in the past i've been able to lose weight fairly quickly through significantly lowering cal intake (losing maybe 6 lbs in a week) but it piles straight back on so trying a less drastic cal intake + exercise
been at this only 2 weeks so far..
i'm aiming for 1200 cal per day and so far haven't gone above 1300 so im not doing bad. also going to the gym twice a week, signed up for 12 months membership so i HAVE to go. doing about 90 mins cardio per week at the gym and some strength/resistance training at home (maybe 30 mins per week). i know it's not a lot but it's a big change for me.
i've noticed i have a lot more stamina already and my legs feel a lot firmer but i have not lost even 1/4 lb :(
am i doing anything wrong?? looking for motivation as i need something to help keep me going with this

Replies

  • ChipChocolatePancake
    ChipChocolatePancake Posts: 77 Member
    Options
    You haven't done anything wrong! Often when you start a new weight loss regimen, your body takes a while to catch up. It might be clinging to the weight because it thinks you're in starvation mode. Also, as your fat turns to muscle, you may even GAIN weight for a bit, because muscle weighs more than fat. Don't give up hope - and make sure to use a tape measure in addition to the scale, because you could be decreasing in size without even realizing it!
  • charlcoopx
    charlcoopx Posts: 13
    Options
    ChipChocolatePancake wrote: »
    You haven't done anything wrong! Often when you start a new weight loss regimen, your body takes a while to catch up. It might be clinging to the weight because it thinks you're in starvation mode. Also, as your fat turns to muscle, you may even GAIN weight for a bit, because muscle weighs more than fat. Don't give up hope - and make sure to use a tape measure in addition to the scale, because you could be decreasing in size without even realizing it!
    okay, thanks for the advice :) i won't give up just yet, and i'll definitely start using the tape measure! thanks
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
    Options
    OP-you're not in starvation mode. Two weeks is too soon to panic, but if I were you I would look at how accurately I was measuring my calories. I suspect you're eating more than you think. If you are confident about your calories, stock with it.
  • charlcoopx
    charlcoopx Posts: 13
    Options
    sheldonklein wrote: »
    OP-you're not in starvation mode. Two weeks is too soon to panic, but if I were you I would look at how accurately I was measuring my calories. I suspect you're eating more than you think. If you are confident about your calories, stock with it.
    definitely confident with cal intake, i'm also adding every little thing eg. a single chip lol, think i'm maybe going to try to exercise slightly more.
  • superexcellently
    superexcellently Posts: 25 Member
    Options
    Do you drink enough water?
  • charlcoopx
    charlcoopx Posts: 13
    Options
    superexcellently wrote: »
    Do you drink enough water?
    ah, probably not as much as i should.. i feel like an idiot for not taking this into account!

  • pinkshoelaces
    pinkshoelaces Posts: 111 Member
    edited February 2015
    Options
    Do you weigh your food? It's easy to over eat when you're just assuming you're eating the correct serving size. For example, a bag of chips will say "11 chips is 150 calories" when in reality the more accurate way to determine this is by looking at how much the serving size is in grams and weighing it out. Otherwise, you could be eating 50 more calories than you thought. The chips are just an example, this goes for all food.
  • charlcoopx
    charlcoopx Posts: 13
    Options
    pinkshoelaces wrote: »
    Do you weigh your food? It's easy to over eat when you're just assuming you're eating the correct serving size. For example, a bag of chips will say "11 chips is 150 calories" when in reality the more accurate way to determine this is by looking at how much the serving size is in grams and weighing it out. Otherwise, you could be eating 50 more calories than you thought. The chips are just an example, this goes for all food.
    i don't weigh food with calories on the packet, but i do check the calories per 100g for example and multiply it up/down. i weigh foods without the info eg pasta / meat
  • kknox2980
    kknox2980 Posts: 15
    Options
    If you go 3 weeks without a change in weight you may need to up your calories depending on how active you are. Also sometimes numbers on a scale don't matter if you are losing inches. If you need anything or have questions feel free to message me. I might be able to help
  • charlcoopx
    charlcoopx Posts: 13
    Options
    kknox2980 wrote: »
    If you go 3 weeks without a change in weight you may need to up your calories depending on how active you are. Also sometimes numbers on a scale don't matter if you are losing inches. If you need anything or have questions feel free to message me. I might be able to help
    okay, thanks :)
  • kknox2980
    kknox2980 Posts: 15
    Options
    You're welcome
  • pinkshoelaces
    pinkshoelaces Posts: 111 Member
    edited February 2015
    Options
    Well, I'd suggest starting to weigh everything; also don't use tablespoon or teaspoon measurements either as its easy to jam pack a tablespoon and a half's worth of butter into a tablespoon for example, weigh out these kinds of foods as well on a scale. Packaging labels aren't entirely trustworthy for reasons I explained before as they're not always packaged equally, but they normally do tell you what a serving size is in grams and this is what you should always go by. Especially when it comes to foods like chips and pretzels and all those snackish type things seeing as every chip will weigh differently.

    Honestly, though, I'd suggest increasing your calories anyway; I'd suggest at least 1,500 calories a day. I've lost 60 pounds eating nearly 1,600 a day so it is doable. I do not think you're in starvation mode or anything silly like that, but rather it'll be easier and more maintainable in the long run eating more. Especially if you're exercising. At such a low number, you could end up burning yourself out and finding it way too hard to stick to such a strict diet. It's not a race, so don't do drastic things to get there only to find you have no clue how to maintain it once you get to that weight.
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    edited February 2015
    Options
    ChipChocolatePancake wrote: »
    You haven't done anything wrong! Often when you start a new weight loss regimen, your body takes a while to catch up. It might be clinging to the weight because it thinks you're in starvation mode. Also, as your fat turns to muscle, you may even GAIN weight for a bit, because muscle weighs more than fat. Don't give up hope - and make sure to use a tape measure in addition to the scale, because you could be decreasing in size without even realizing it!

    Sorry but this is complete bro science. Starvation mode is a myth, and muscle and fat are two different cells. Calories in vs. calories is the law of physics, you can't build something out of nothing. Fat turning into muscles is like saying water turning into gold.

    Op, I suggest you purchase a food scale to help with the accuracy of your logging, because if you don't weigh your food then you wont really know how much you are eating. Also, you mentions losing 6lbs in a week and that it came back on really fast; most likely what happen was you lost a bunch of water weight which is why it was so easily to lose and regain in a short amount of time. IMO, a good way to measure progress is to weigh yourself every day at the same time, log it, then add it up at the end of the week and divide it by seven to see your average weight for the week. If you weigh yourself at different times every so often, then it might mask any progress you are making because so many things can influence your weight throughout the day.
  • charlcoopx
    charlcoopx Posts: 13
    Options
    pinkshoelaces wrote: »
    Well, I'd suggest starting to weigh everything; also don't use tablespoon or teaspoon measurements either as its easy to jam pack a tablespoon and a half's worth of butter into a tablespoon for example, weigh out these kinds of foods as well on a scale. Packaging labels aren't entirely trustworthy for reasons I explained before as they're not always packaged equally, but they normally do tell you what a serving size is in grams and this is what you should always go by. Especially when it comes to foods like chips and pretzels and all those snackish type things seeing as every chip will weigh differently.

    Honestly, though, I'd suggest increasing your calories anyway; I'd suggest at least 1,500 calories a day. I've lost 60 pounds eating nearly 1,600 a day so it is doable. I do not think you're in starvation mode or anything silly like that, but rather it'll be easier and more maintainable in the long run eating more. Especially if you're exercising. At such a low number, you could end up burning yourself out and finding it way too hard to stick to such a strict diet. It's not a race, so don't do drastic things to get there only to find you have no clue how to maintain it once you get to that weight.
    thanks for the advice :)
  • charlcoopx
    charlcoopx Posts: 13
    Options
    j6o4 wrote: »
    ChipChocolatePancake wrote: »
    You haven't done anything wrong! Often when you start a new weight loss regimen, your body takes a while to catch up. It might be clinging to the weight because it thinks you're in starvation mode. Also, as your fat turns to muscle, you may even GAIN weight for a bit, because muscle weighs more than fat. Don't give up hope - and make sure to use a tape measure in addition to the scale, because you could be decreasing in size without even realizing it!

    Sorry but this is complete bro science. Starvation mode is a myth, and muscle and fat are two different cells. Calories in vs. calories is the law of physics, you can't build something out of nothing. Fat turning into muscles is like saying water turning into gold.

    Op, I suggest you purchase a food scale to help with the accuracy of your logging, because if you don't weigh your food then you wont really know how much you are eating. Also, you mentions losing 6lbs in a week and that it came back on really fast; most likely what happen was you lost a bunch of water weight which is why it was so easily to lose and regain in a short amount of time. IMO, a good way to measure progress is to weigh yourself every day at the same time, log it, then add it up at the end of the week and divide it by seven to see your average weight for the week. If you weigh yourself at different times every so often, then it might mask any progress you are making because so many things can influence your weight throughout the day.
    okay, thanks :) definitely using my food scale more and i'll start weighing myself at the same time each day

  • acmanna
    acmanna Posts: 200 Member
    Options
    I agree with the food scale. The more accurate the better. I notice a big difference in progress when I use the food scale, weigh and measure everything, vs not using it and guessing. When I'm not losing it is most likely because I've slacked off with weighing/measuring food.
    You could be retaining water as your body gets used to the new routine.
    There is no such thing as starvation mode, and you can't really gain muscle by eating a calorie deficit. Keep at it, tighten up on your food logging and see what happens in a week or two. Best wishes to you
  • charlcoopx
    charlcoopx Posts: 13
    Options
    acmanna wrote: »
    I agree with the food scale. The more accurate the better. I notice a big difference in progress when I use the food scale, weigh and measure everything, vs not using it and guessing. When I'm not losing it is most likely because I've slacked off with weighing/measuring food.
    You could be retaining water as your body gets used to the new routine.
    There is no such thing as starvation mode, and you can't really gain muscle by eating a calorie deficit. Keep at it, tighten up on your food logging and see what happens in a week or two. Best wishes to you
    thankyou, hoping for the best :blush:

Categories