Why am I seeing such little progress?

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A little background...a few years ago I weighed 370 pounds. Over the course of about a year, I lost 125 pounds and was down to 240 with the help of a personal trainer (I'm 6'5, so 240 was pretty close to a healthy weight for me). Unfortunately, life (and B.S. excuses) got in the way and I gained a lot of the weight back.

I decided I wanted to get healthier again this summer, so two weeks ago I started another weight loss program with a different personal trainer. I have been killing myself in the gym (in a good way) 4 times per week the last two weeks, for an hour to an hour and a half each time. My trainer has me on a work out plan that includes cardio and a good amount of lifting/weight training and resistance training. I have been very careful about my eating as well. No more than 2000 calories per day, lots of water, fruits and veggies, etc.

2 weeks ago when I started I weighed 312 pounds. This morning, I weighed 311 pounds. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I feel smaller, in my opinion I look slimmer and my clothes are looser, but apparently I am making no progress. When I worked out this diligently before (during my previous weight loss journey), the weight literally melted away. I am very frustrated and not sure what the problem is. I will obviously talk to my trainer, but I won't see him again until next week. Anyone with any similar experiences or insight you can provide, so I can get this turned around? Because quitting is NOT an option. Thanks and I'm sorry this is so long!

Replies

  • ACanadian22
    ACanadian22 Posts: 377 Member
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    Gaining muscle?
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    Two weeks is not very long - and you did loose a whole pound, give it another month!
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
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    Start taking measurements every week or two to help track your progress as well as weigh ins. The amount of exercise you're doing suggests to me that you're probably not seeing a loss on the scale due to water weight. The measurements will help you see the progress even when water weight is masking the scale loss.

    And congrats on the loss! A pound is still a pound and a loss is still a loss, no matter how small. Keep up the good work!
  • eileensofianmushinfine
    eileensofianmushinfine Posts: 303 Member
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    Great start...you have lost .5 pounds per week. Just keep doing what you're doing. Keep close track of your foods. Make sure you're eating enough protein.
  • leahk80
    leahk80 Posts: 114 Member
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    Good Morning, I don't think you are doing anything wrong, just need to adjust a few things. it may be that you are not getting enough protein..since you are working out 4 times a week at one or more hours you will need more fuel. Maybe print out your food log and take it to your trainer and let them look it over.

    Take it one day at a time, one step at a time, You can do this!
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
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    2 weeks is nothing...and to ACanadian22 - no, he didn't gain muscle (enough to offset fat loss) in 8 workouts/2 weeks...
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    Its pretty normal for people to see a gain when they first start new exercise and/or change up their routine, muscles will hold water during recovery and while they are adapting, and I am sure there are some other contributing factors as well.

    If you have a loss of a lb so far that is pretty good because alot of times people just see a gain and freak out.

    For right now I would say keep doing what your doing, give your body time to settle into the new routine, and re-evaluate in a couple weeks once you have a solid data set from your weigh ins and can observe your trend line
  • ziggy2006
    ziggy2006 Posts: 255 Member
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    <snip>
    I decided I wanted to get healthier again this summer, so two weeks ago I started another weight loss program with a different personal trainer. I have been killing myself in the gym (in a good way) 4 times per week the last two weeks, for an hour to an hour and a half each time.

    <snip>2 weeks ago when I started I weighed 312 pounds. This morning, I weighed 311 pounds. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I feel smaller, in my opinion I look slimmer and my clothes are looser, but apparently I am making no progress. When I worked out this diligently before (during my previous weight loss journey), the weight literally melted away.

    The scale measures weight. It includes fat and lean tissue, fluids, and solid waste. So, you can lose fat, but if you are retaining fluids (as might happen when you begin a new exercise program), the extra water weight can make it appear that your weight remains the same. To test this, weigh yourself before and after a meal. You have not actually gained any fat by eating a meal, but the food and fluids you consume add weight to the scale.

    If your clothes are getting looser, then that tells you that you are on the right track, regardless of what the scale says. Sadly, the scale does not always accurately reflect the progress we are making. I weigh daily and like to use a website that shows the trend my weight is taking over time, as that is what ultimately matters. I like the information I get from tracking my daily weight against a trend line. Using measurements and how clothes fits are other ways you can judge whether or not you are making progress toward your weight loss goals.

    If you are a teacher (based on your username), I'd also like to invite you to participate in a new MFP group that has been formed for teachers to support each other and share their experiences. I think you can join by following this link: Fit Teachers PLC...Beginning of the year survival!

  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Couple of things to consider:

    1. General activity: it is common for people who start vigorous exercise routines to subconsciously reduce their overall activity. Sometimes this is due to fatigue, sometimes it's the thought (again, more subconscious) that "I've worked hard, so I don't have to do as much-I can skip the steps because I did 30 min on the stair master). It's been my experience that your overall activity is every bit as important in maintaining a deficit as your exercise activity. For example, yesterday I burned 3368 calories (Polar V800 estimate). 569 of that was from a hard 45 min cardio workout (75% of time in Zone 4). 945 calories burned through "activity"--I.e. Non-exercise casual activity. Ironically enough, I find some of my lower daily calorie burn days are the days when I burn the most calories from exercise (800-1000). That's because those are usually on my day off from work, and I have to struggle to make up for the reduced activity calories.

    2. Food intake. Everyone says they "monitor their intake" and I'm not saying that you aren't being accurate, but it's something to check and recheck. You statement that you "eat a lot of fruit" is a small red flag since fruit, while overall healthy, is not calorie-free, and can add up quickly if you rely on it for snacks. I have had the most success in the beginning when I have stuck with a fairly limited + structured eating plan, eating simpler foods/meals that have much more reliable calorie counts than, say, larger prepared dinners. It's a little monotonous eating the same sandwiches, salads, and protein bars for breakfast and lunch every day, but it makes it easier to stay consistent while you are evalulating the effectiveness of all of your variables.

    3. Scale timing. You only have two data points, so the simplest explanation might be that there was some type of dynamic shift going on at one of the times you weighed. For example, maybe at the initial weight you were slightly dehydrated so your weight actually went up after the first weigh in and is coming down now, but since you only have the one starting number for reference, it seems like little has happened. I have not experienced this at the beginning of programs, but it is possible that if you jumped right into a vigorous workout program, the muscle soreness caused some water retention. Like I said, I have seen this when starting a program (usually there is a sharp fluid loss), but I did notice about 8 weeks ago when I ran on pavement for the first time in a few years and then lifted some weights for the first time in months (same workout), my weight went up 4 lbs in 3 days. Kind of spooked me until I got to our body comp analyzer and it showed that it was all water and lean mass gain. As I look back on your comment that "clothes are looser", that suggests it might be the case for you as well.
  • daniip_la
    daniip_la Posts: 678 Member
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    My guess would be that you're retaining water since you only started these workouts two weeks ago. Anytime I start a new workout, I tend to hold my weight steady for a few weeks before normal weight loss patterns start.
  • Teachcincy2016
    Teachcincy2016 Posts: 2 Member
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    I appreciate all the feedback. Many of you have commented on the fact that I'm likely retaining water weight and that is why the scale hasn't moved much yet. This makes sense, but it wasn't like this before. I specifically remember losing 11 pounds during the first two weeks of my workout program a couple years ago (granted, I started at a higher weight of 370).

    I know two weeks is not a lot of time, and I didn't expect to lose 10+ pounds, but I also thought it would have been more than one pound. Like I said, I will definitely keep at it. I just want to make sure I'm not doing anything to sabotage my efforts that I don't realize.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    Gaining muscle?

    No.
    A little background...a few years ago I weighed 370 pounds. Over the course of about a year, I lost 125 pounds and was down to 240 with the help of a personal trainer (I'm 6'5, so 240 was pretty close to a healthy weight for me). Unfortunately, life (and B.S. excuses) got in the way and I gained a lot of the weight back.

    I decided I wanted to get healthier again this summer, so two weeks ago I started another weight loss program with a different personal trainer. I have been killing myself in the gym (in a good way) 4 times per week the last two weeks, for an hour to an hour and a half each time. My trainer has me on a work out plan that includes cardio and a good amount of lifting/weight training and resistance training. I have been very careful about my eating as well. No more than 2000 calories per day, lots of water, fruits and veggies, etc.

    2 weeks ago when I started I weighed 312 pounds. This morning, I weighed 311 pounds. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I feel smaller, in my opinion I look slimmer and my clothes are looser, but apparently I am making no progress. When I worked out this diligently before (during my previous weight loss journey), the weight literally melted away. I am very frustrated and not sure what the problem is. I will obviously talk to my trainer, but I won't see him again until next week. Anyone with any similar experiences or insight you can provide, so I can get this turned around? Because quitting is NOT an option. Thanks and I'm sorry this is so long!

    Two weeks is not long enough to tell what is going on. Patience is a virtue.

    Do you weigh your food and log everything you eat? Do you eat exercise calories back? If so, where do you get those numbers from?
  • helen_demun
    helen_demun Posts: 33 Member
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    There's some stuff that helps me stay on track- maybe it'll help you!
    1. Leave fitness/goal pictures up or laying around so you can be reminded of your goal. I keep them in the kitchen and by the couch so I can be reminded.
    2. NEVER EVER EVER have foods you like to binge on or junk food in the house. I can't stress this enough, and I'm a HUGE binge/emotional eater. That's my biggest rule. Throw away any and all junk food & your go-to binge foods (like peanut butter for me.. Ugh!) because for me that's literally the only way I won't eat them. Only buy and keep healthy/raw/fresh/clean food in your house, PERIOD! For most people they can have a "snack" and "just a taste" so they keep their cheat foods on hand to curb cravings. I can't resist so I can't even have that in my house.
    3. Record everything, every binge, every meal. This will help be a reality check when you see the calories of every binge or cheat day you have. You start to see patterns.
    4. Have something you do when you feel like you wanna binge- I love to either go take a walk or drink some tea or water, and also love coming to the forums/community here. Really helps to see the success and support of people in the same boat!