When does the scale number go down really?

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burksr
burksr Posts: 5
in Introduce Yourself
Hi All,

My name is Romi and I am a 38 yr old, married woman with two Bichons as my "children." Lots of
various stresses in life seem to have contributed to a big weight gain in the last 6 months.

I've been doing MFP for 3 weeks now...and I find it encouraging. I feel better but the scale does not
seem to be going "down" as much as I would wish. Depends on time of day, etc... and I know that
muscle development may slow down the process.

However, I'm at the 1200 cal level and really want/need to see some "numbers" progress. I'm doing overall
pretty well with cals and mostly good on the distribution among nutrients. Have been doing a lot of aquafitness
as cardio work.

Any ideas on when I might see a "real" number difference? Doesn't seem to be much in the last week or so.
Thanks,
Romi

Replies

  • HilarieXcore
    HilarieXcore Posts: 214 Member
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    Are you eating back your exercise calories?
    Are you weighing daily or weekly?
  • psb13
    psb13 Posts: 629
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    are you eating back you exercise calories and netting the minimum mfp gave you? are you drinking enough water and getting enough sleep? these things all contribute to your weight loss.
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    Your ticker says "6 pounds lost." That means in 3 weeks you've lost 2 pounds per week--a reasonable, steady, and safe weight loss :)

    Congratulations, and good luck with your continued healthy lifestyle--keep in mind that if you take it off slowly, you will be more likely to keep it off and it will be an easier lifestyle to maintain.
  • deeharley
    deeharley Posts: 1,208 Member
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    Hi - I'm 38, married, three kids, a dog, 35 chickens and a temporarily full-time job. I weighed 223 when I started here, and I ate 1700 calories a day and lost a pound a week from the get go - more at first actually. I'm sending you a friend request.
  • akknowlton
    akknowlton Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi Romi,

    Sounds like you are doing great and should keep up the good work. Since everybody is different, we all have different basal metabolic rates (BMR), or the rate at which our body burns calories. So if your are only maintaining your weight while eating 1200 calories, that means you may have a low BMR. As you continue to build muscle, that will increase your BMR and you may start to see the scale moving. One other thing that I recommend is to weigh yourself at the exact same time everyday. For example, I weight myself right after I wake up and go to the bathroom but before I eat any breakfast (this is probably the point in the day where you weigh the least and best reflects your true weight, because even the amount of water you drink throughout the day could affect your apparent weight)

    I hope that helps.

    Aaron
  • burksr
    burksr Posts: 5
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    Wow - this is a quick response.

    For "eating back the calories" - I think that is a yes. I eat more than 1200 on days that I exercise.
    Doing very well for me on water (8-10 per day) and I am a good sleeper.

    The 6 lbs in 3ish weeks may be a little artificial as I used the weight from the doctor and then a new
    scale at home. Haven't picked a particular time to record a weight.
  • needamulligan
    needamulligan Posts: 558 Member
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    initial weight loss in the 1st week or 2 will be slightly higher and you will level out to 1-2 pounds per week. that's the healthiest way to go. i know it's frustratingly slow but be patient. it does add up eventually if you stick to it. it seems to defy logic that the difference between the calories it took to maintain our "heavy" weight to the 1200 or so calories mfp recommends doesn't make the weight melt off.....i know! just keep going! you may see quicker results in your clothes or in your measurements. every healthy change you make is progress!
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,243 Member
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    One to two pounds a week is a great weight loss. If you lose faster it would be because you are either losing water (not necessarily a bad thing) or muscle (a very bad thing). Stick to what you are doing. The things that can help are eating more protein than what MyFitnessPal (MFP) suggests and eating more fiber than MFP suggests. Both are helpful for weight lose. Also, drink lots of water, at least the eight 8-ounce glasses a day, I would suggest drinking the number of ounces in water of half your weight in pounds. That will make sure you are not retaining water.

    Finally, weighing yourself though the day is a waste of time. Your weight will vary a lot through the day mainly because you are eating and drinking and that food and drinks physical weight will add to your weight. The best time to weight is the same time in the morning after going to the washroom that will give you the most accurate representation of your actual weight. Weighing daily is not particularly helpful either as your weight will vary a lot from day to day due to a whole host of factors. If you want to do it and don't freak out because you are up a pound or so from one day to the next only to drop it the next day, then you can weigh every day. Also remember the scale is a liar. Get a measuring tape and start taking your measurements (chest, waist, hips, etc.) they will often tell you much more than just the scale.
  • burksr
    burksr Posts: 5
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    Thanks for all the good replies. They do help. I am just one of the most impatient people on the planet.

    I'm finding most of the FMP bits manageable and not too burdensome and it definitely encourages me to exercise more when I want to eat 3 meals a day. Not hard to get to 1200 cals. However, I thought a personal scale might be helpful but I think I should return my scale to the store b/c I think I am letting it psych me out.

    Suppose I could just go to the doctor and ask to use their scale for it to be more consistent. And probably every two weeks might show me a big enough difference to be more encouraging. Just working on keeping up the mental energy this takes!
  • deeharley
    deeharley Posts: 1,208 Member
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    Thanks for all the good replies. They do help. I am just one of the most impatient people on the planet.

    I'm finding most of the FMP bits manageable and not too burdensome and it definitely encourages me to exercise more when I want to eat 3 meals a day. Not hard to get to 1200 cals. However, I thought a personal scale might be helpful but I think I should return my scale to the store b/c I think I am letting it psych me out.

    Suppose I could just go to the doctor and ask to use their scale for it to be more consistent. And probably every two weeks might show me a big enough difference to be more encouraging. Just working on keeping up the mental energy this takes!

    I ave a scale in my home, but rarely pay attention to it. I weigh in once a week at my gym, and write it down in a little notebook - it's so cool to watch that number get smaller. I also measure myself with a measuring tape once a month - and take photos occasionally. I'm actually due for some photos soon since I'm down nearly twenty pounds.
  • XxBri22xX
    XxBri22xX Posts: 183
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    You may not lose weight as quick as you would like. It took awhile for the weight to be put on, it will take awhile for the weight to be put off. The faster you lose weight, the worse your chances are at a weight rebound. You want the weight to stay off, not come back. It looks like your losing a little over a pound a week which is great! Just give it some time, and you'll eventually see results. I promise. Just keep doing what your doing.

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