What am I doing wrong?

Options
arwen8211
arwen8211 Posts: 5 Member
in Getting Started
Hi friends, any advice/support for a noob would be deeply appreciated. Is there a delay period before one starts to lose weight, or an adjustment time for your body to start burning fat?

I joined MFP two weeks ago and have been dutifully logging my calories. I'm female, started at 353lbs, and set my goal to lose 100lbs at 2lbs a week, with a goal of staying under 2,300 calories a day. I've come in consistently under calorie goal by 200-1000 calories a day with the exception of going slightly over on three days (not by more than 100 calories). I exercise 3-5 times a week, alternating cardio and weight lifting (I do a lot of walking and yoga and swimming).

I've bounced up and down on a 2 pound loss for the last two weeks. It's so frustrating! This morning the scale showed that I weighed two pounds more than my start weight, at 355! I just finished having my period, so could water retention be an issue? Does the weight really bounce around that much?

I guess I'm just frustrated because I got the impression from so many posts that reducing caloric intake automatically equals steady weight loss. Plus with the exercise on top of that, I don't understand why I'm not losing yet. Do I just need to give it more time?
«1

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    Options
    There's no such thing as steady weight loss. You'll have weeks where you're down a lot, down some, steady, or up. Most likely you're retaining water from a combination of introducing exercise and your period. If you don't see losses in another two weeks, then look into your logging to see what you can tighten up.
  • debubbie
    debubbie Posts: 767 Member
    Options
    malibu927 wrote: »
    There's no such thing as steady weight loss. You'll have weeks where you're down a lot, down some, steady, or up. Most likely you're retaining water from a combination of introducing exercise and your period. If you don't see losses in another two weeks, then look into your logging to see what you can tighten up.

    This, and are you weighing your food on a digital scale to make sure your serving sizes are accurate? If not, you may be eating more calories than you think. I initially had this problem when I first started and quickly realized that my estimates of portions was way off!

    Good luck!
  • cupcakesplz
    cupcakesplz Posts: 237 Member
    Options
    Since I up my exercise these past 7 days my weight went my 800g (1.7lb)

    It's normal but I don't like it!
  • ShashayLee
    ShashayLee Posts: 178 Member
    Options
    This, and are you weighing your food on a digital scale to make sure your serving sizes are accurate? If not, you may be eating more calories than you think. I initially had this problem when I first started and quickly realized that my estimates of portions was way off!

    Good luck![/quote]

    I totally agree with the logging, once i realized i needed to be accurate with portions, i had way over estimated portions for almost everything
  • arwen8211
    arwen8211 Posts: 5 Member
    edited August 2015
    Options
    Thanks for the replies. I've been really careful about weighing food, counting out the exact serving of crackers and listing the nutritional info from the box, and asking for the nutritional info for everything and logging it when I go out to eat. I guess I was hoping for more obvious success; it's so discouraging to be working really hard on finally taking care of myself, only to see the scale go up, instead of down. I guess I'll just have to give it more time?
  • Pinnacle_IAO
    Pinnacle_IAO Posts: 608 Member
    edited August 2015
    Options
    My downward trend with weight loss is wrought with various spikes and dips.
    It looks like the outline of a jagged piece of broken glass, but as the weeks past, the weight went down.

    We can't become daily slaves to the scale. Take body measurements as well, and judge progress on how your weight and body fat moves lower over time.
    oz3o37dxkae3.png
  • faithsimmons526
    faithsimmons526 Posts: 162 Member
    edited August 2015
    Options
    If you were given 2300 calories to lose and you're eating less than that, it WILL happen.

    From my own experience I've gleaned that sometimes the body just doesn't want to lose, and will put up a fuss for a little bit, hoping things will go back to normal. Some 'expert opinions' suggests that every fat cell we deprive goes into survival mode for a little while, filling with water in hopes that it won't die. Eventually the cell will give up, shed the water and stop being a jerk (my words lol). I HAVE experienced this myself (29 lb loss), and so has my daughter who has lost 40 lb since March.

    Hang in there beautiful ... success is on your horizon.
  • zombiemusicgirl
    zombiemusicgirl Posts: 98 Member
    Options
    Starting can be quite frustrating. There can be a real expectation of 1 lb a week. But it's never exactly 1 lb, every week. Lose all expectations, and keep going. You will find your way and you will learn and grow. Just keep it up.
    You will be so happy later that you started now.
  • LilannB
    LilannB Posts: 99 Member
    Options
    You look at the overall trend. I set MFP to lose 2 pounds a week. However I have a pattern where I'll go 2-3 weeks with no loss then have a week where I lose 3-4 pounds followed by weeks where I lose 1-1.5 pounds. However the trend is consistently down.It's frustrating to lose slowly however I've developed the attitude that it took many years for me to gain my weight so I can't expect to lose it all over night. As long as I'm headed in the right direction I'm satisfied.
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
    Options
    What you eat is also important to weight loss. Science has disproved the calories in calories out theory. If you are eating a lot of processed foods, weight loss will be slower and you won't be as healthy. To lose fat and preserve muscle, you need plenty of protein - 4-6 ounces with every meal and 1-2 with snacks.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Options
    arwen8211 wrote: »
    Hi friends, any advice/support for a noob would be deeply appreciated. Is there a delay period before one starts to lose weight, or an adjustment time for your body to start burning fat?

    How many calories are you eating each day, and what is the % protein / fat / carbs ?

    2300 sounds wrong, the equations are less accurate at high body weight. An open diary will allow people to assess your food logging. How tall ?

  • ShandaLeaS
    ShandaLeaS Posts: 136 Member
    Options
    Are you using a digital scale to weigh your food and measuring cups for liquids? If not thats where you start. A box of crackers can say 10 crackers=28grams that=100 calories. But if you weigh them out on a digital scale 28grams may=7 crackers one time and =12 crackers the next (for example). If you aren't weighing everything on a digital food scale you're probably underestimating the calories you consume
  • SaffronSunrise
    SaffronSunrise Posts: 182 Member
    Options
    A couple of weeks ago I took a week off from the gym. I continued to eat in a deficit. The following Monday I weighed myself at the gym and I had lost about 5 pounds. I went back to my weigh lifting split and gained a couple of pounds by Tuesday gym time. Weds. I had gained another pound. Not what I wanted to see, but I knew it was just water from lifting and sore muscles because I had been weighing everything and knew I had been in a deficit. If you just finished your period, you're probably still retaining water too.

    I agree with everyone who says that you have to weigh your food on a digital food scale. I've invested many dollars in different weight loss "programs" and a digital scale has been , by far, the best and the cheapest.
  • Mrpalmer1
    Mrpalmer1 Posts: 12 Member
    Options
    Weight lifting builds muscle which adds lbs to your weight. Definitely keep that in mind when you weigh yourself. The most important thing though is to not get discouraged. Losing 100 lbs is going to take a lot of determination and sometimes you might hit a wall or two. You just gotta bust through those walls with everything you've got and keep moving towards your goal. Also make sure to weigh what you eat so your getting an accurate size when you log it
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    QuilterInVA wrote: »
    What you eat is also important to weight loss. Science has disproved the calories in calories out theory. If you are eating a lot of processed foods, weight loss will be slower and you won't be as healthy. To lose fat and preserve muscle, you need plenty of protein - 4-6 ounces with every meal and 1-2 with snacks.

    No
  • LaurenNotLaura
    LaurenNotLaura Posts: 64 Member
    Options
    I like to weigh myself everyday, just out of curiosity and no matter what, that one horrible week a month i "gain" at least 2-3lbs. As soon as it's over, I'll be 4lbs lighter. Its water retention and bloating DONT GET DISCOURAGED!! Lol
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    Options
    Mrpalmer1 wrote: »
    Weight lifting builds muscle which adds lbs to your weight. Definitely keep that in mind when you weigh yourself. The most important thing though is to not get discouraged. Losing 100 lbs is going to take a lot of determination and sometimes you might hit a wall or two. You just gotta bust through those walls with everything you've got and keep moving towards your goal. Also make sure to weigh what you eat so your getting an accurate size when you log it

    Unless you're eating in a calorie surplus on in your first weeks (like 1-2) of lifting, you won't gain muscle.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    Options
    QuilterInVA wrote: »
    What you eat is also important to weight loss. Science has disproved the calories in calories out theory. If you are eating a lot of processed foods, weight loss will be slower and you won't be as healthy. To lose fat and preserve muscle, you need plenty of protein - 4-6 ounces with every meal and 1-2 with snacks.

    ahhh NOPE.


    OP, patience is key. Keep doing what you're doing and you will lose.
  • babyboo422
    babyboo422 Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    I jumped on a diet. I'm doing the Paloe diet and I've lost 10lbs in under 3weeks. It's been hard because I love eating all the food I use too. I add my food into MFP but I don't pay attention to the calories. Try cutting down on things like CARBS, and SUGARS. It's really hard but it's worth it. Helps your body run on the good stuff like more meats and veggies and fruits. I eat like 6x's a day and my body uses what I gave it now. I'm going to add in working out in a short bit, but I want to make sure my knee can handle it.
    Keep up the work and if you would like, please add me! I love MFP friends and always need and am a good wooter!

Categories