The scale

wifeofpepsiguy
wifeofpepsiguy Posts: 24 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
How long was it util you started to see a change onthe scale? I have been struggling with losing since ihad my kids. My body/weight just doesnt budge onthe scale. Its been over a week now counting calories again,and i saw a small difference 2 days ago.But this am when i weighed it was back up? ugh. What am i doing wrong?

Replies

  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    edited July 2015
    A week isn't long enough to expect to see a change. Weight loss isn't linear - some weeks you'll lose, some you'll stay the same, some you'll gain. Also bear in mind that fluctuations happen. As you say, you saw a change and now you're back up. You need to track your progress over several weeks to see the trend, because your weight won't always go down. Also make sure you have realistic expectations, with 30lbs to lose 1lb/week is a healthy rate loss to aim for (and that should get lower as you get closer to your goal).

    That said, it's a good idea to weigh things if you're not already to make sure you're counting accurately. It's easy to overeat if you're estimating or using cups. Also make sure not to overestimate your exercise calories if you eat any exercise calories back - a lot of people eat back 50-80% of their exercise calories as the MFP database and exercise machines tend to overestimate.

    Just stick with it for a bit longer :) Good luck!
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    Everyone's journey is different. Some people take a few weeks to start seeing a difference on the scale. You should also be taking body measurements. Those can change a lot with no difference on the scale, which is awesome progress. What does your nutrition look like (calories and macros)? Are you exercising? If so, how?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    It takes longer than a week. Patience is key.
  • vinerie
    vinerie Posts: 234 Member
    Several months in I noticed a downward trend. Every day and even some weeks there are oscillations. But I do like looking at my graph using the 1, 2 and 6 month time periods and seeing a general downward trend. It really does take time to see noticeable results, I think.
  • wifeofpepsiguy
    wifeofpepsiguy Posts: 24 Member
    ok thankyou everyone...i will be patient. Yes im tracking and weighing foods. Whats is macros?

    i walk everday pretty much and some days(4 days a week)i do toning with weights and my body.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    A week.

    Lol.

    You were preggers over 9 months, right? It's only fair to give it 9 months to lose.

    A week ...
  • timtakel
    timtakel Posts: 50 Member
    edited July 2015
    Normally you should be able to see weight loss from the first day on. 1kg of human body fat has 7000kcal if you save around about that amount of energy, you lose 1kg of fat plus the water that is bound by it. If your body needs more energy than food is providing, he will use your fat.

    But there is a catch. First of all its hard to calculate the amount of calories you really eat and it's hard to calculate what you really use. What MFP gives you and what is printed on your food are estimations, these can be off by 25%. The same thing is true for calculated burned calories for exercise. That's why you need to be very accurate while logging your food. If you're just estimating the amount of calories, or the weight of your food you will be off by a huge margin most of the time, in addition to the up to 25%.

    So, put your information into MFP, select how much you want to lose and follow the goal MFP is giving you. Than you have to log and weight everything you need. Than you have to lose weight.

    But there is another catch. You're body can store water, fast. It's able to easily store 2kg of water and up to 5, by then it will become dangerous. That's why you still can lose fat, without losing weight. For your health it's the same.
  • angiewf
    angiewf Posts: 175 Member
    Regarding fluid, if you lose a lot of weight fast when you start a diet, it's because the first thing you burn is the glycogen stored in your liver, which is bound up with a LOT of water, and people then sometimes get upset because after that initial big loss things seem to slow down.Plus if you increase exercise it makes your muscles hold on to fluid. Eating sugary/salty/fatty foods can also cause fluid retention, as can some medical conditions. It's not wise to weigh more than once a week because of these fluid fluctuations. A good idea is to take your body measurements too, as sometimes these will change even if your weight doesn't. Or, if you can't be bothered to take measurements, use a piece of clothing as a guide. If it starts snug and gets looser, you know you're on the right track. 1-2lbs a week is a sensible loss to aim for.
  • wifeofpepsiguy
    wifeofpepsiguy Posts: 24 Member
    No i had my kids 2.5 years ago. I have been struggling since. This mornings weigh in shows a 3 lb loss!!:)
    So im happy somethings starting to change!!:)
    Thanks for your support and helpful tips !!
  • Osiris275
    Osiris275 Posts: 228 Member
    2-3 weeks before I started seeing a regular change. I was 252lbs. Stick with it! I'm 208lbs now after 6 months.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    I didn't use a scale at first and don't know.

    But give it 3-4 weeks before you start thinking you need to make some changes. You need that long to get any idea of how it's working and you need that long to be able to look at what you've done and see where you can make changes.

    It's a long process and requires adjustments as you go. Stick with it and be patient. :)
  • wifeofpepsiguy
    wifeofpepsiguy Posts: 24 Member
    Thank you!!:)
  • SquatNSparkle
    SquatNSparkle Posts: 477 Member
    ...is a lying ho... (the scale, not you lol)

    Measure, judge by your clothes. really.

    Judging yourself by the scale alone is like measuring the success of our educational system by how kids do on standardized tests. Oh, wait, we do that. And it's sooo working. Anyway I digress.

    Water weight can and is huge. It can affect your "weight" by 3 to 5 pounds. Hang in there!
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