What is going on??!!!

STC02
STC02 Posts: 48 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I'm going to be honest, seen as my username is anon.
I started at 19st 10lb, I now weigh 18st 10lb. This has been a 5 week period losing this weight.
However I have a few questions that I really need answers to.

For the past two weeks my weight has stayed around the 18st 10 mark, in fact I was 18st 10 yesterday and 18st 12 this morning, it is frustrating me so much! Meanwhile my friend has lost over 2 stone (Started around 19 4) whilst "eating what they want" and going to the gym not even twice a week.

I know some of the responses to this will be that I am gaining muscle mass and I know my clothes are getting looser but I'd rather not be 18st on the hope that most of it is muscle. I get so confused reading so many different things online and I track my calories to a tee using MFP so I really don't know where I am going wrong here. I surely haven't hit a "plateau" so early on whilst still being so heavy?
I normally eat around 1400-1700 calories a day and my scales tell me I need to eat 2400 a day to maintain. I do some strength training 3 times a week and a boxercise class once a week
In a normal day I would eat

2 boiled eggs
Roast chicken leg
Chicken Salad/Ham salad/ Sandwich
Pepperami/Fridge Raiders
Beef steak/homemade curry/ homemade burgers/ chicken, potato and veg.
for something sweet every 2-3 days I'd have a curly wurly or a milky bar.

I really don't know where I am going wrong here. I track every single thing I eat, even butter on a sandwich. I stick to the correct serving sizes for everything so I hope someone can give me some sort of answer. It's imperative I lose weight as I have a graduation in June and a holiday in August to look forward too.
Hopefully someone can help!
Thanks

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    You've lost a stone in 5 weeks...not seeing the problem myself...? Just keep doing what you're doing. Weight fluctuates, weight loss isn't linear
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
    You have been losing at a crazy fast rate, you cannot expect that to keep going forever. At your weight 2lb a week would be reasonable, 3 and a half is not. There will be fluctuations, there will be stalls, you need to adjust your expectations and be patient. This is real life, not The Biggest Loser.
  • STC02
    STC02 Posts: 48 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    You've lost a stone in 5 weeks...not seeing the problem myself...? Just keep doing what you're doing. Weight fluctuates, weight loss isn't linear

    Yeah I get that, one of the things that sticks with me is weight loss is like a graph it isn't just a straight line. For example in week 3 I lost 6 pounds and since that week I've lost 1lb overall. 1lb in 3 weeks eating almost 1000 calories less than my body needs to maintain without starving myself is so frustrating!

    I do feel as if my competitive nature is niggling at me with regards to my friends weight loss, not that I don't want him to lose weight, I would just rather he was honest as to what he was doing/eating differently and hopefully gain a few tips off him but he's completely secretive about it.

    So do you think I should keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully see the results soon?
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    The first thing you need to do is stop competing with your friend- that's just making the process harder and more stressful than necessary.
    The 2nd thing you need to do, if you haven't already, is purchase an inexpensive food scale and weigh everything you eat. It's gobsmackingly easy to eat many more calories than you think you are by going by package sizing, or measuring cups, or eyeballing portions.
    Finally, if you just started an exercise routine, there's no way you put on enough muscle to make a scale difference. What CAN happen when you first make an exercise change, is that your muscles will retain water in order to repair themselves, causing a temporary stall in weight loss.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,817 Member
    STC02 wrote: »
    I started at 19st 10lb, I now weigh 18st 10lb. This has been a 5 week period losing this weight.

    You lost 14 lbs in 5 weeks. That's fast. It's not surprising that you slowed down a bit.

    STC02 wrote: »
    I know some of the responses to this will be that I am gaining muscle mass
    ...
    I do some strength training 3 times a week and a boxercise class once a week

    Nope. You're not gaining muscle mass. Or maybe you are, a little bit, but it won't affect your weight.


    Do you use a food scale?

  • STC02
    STC02 Posts: 48 Member
    jennifer_417 wrote: »
    The first thing you need to do is stop competing with your friend- that's just making the process harder and more stressful than necessary.
    The 2nd thing you need to do, if you haven't already, is purchase an inexpensive food scale and weigh everything you eat. It's gobsmackingly easy to eat many more calories than you think you are by going by package sizing, or measuring cups, or eyeballing portions.
    Finally, if you just started an exercise routine, there's no way you put on enough muscle to make a scale difference. What CAN happen when you first make an exercise change, is that your muscles will retain water in order to repair themselves, causing a temporary stall in weight loss.

    Yeah I think that first part is dragging me down a lot. It's the fact he's so secretive and claims he eats what he wants which is frustrating, instead of sharing tips etc.
    I have a food scale and I weigh everything, even chicken breasts. My servings are the recommended on the packaging and it is weighed like that as well.
    I just started lifting weights again the past couple of days, the first 5 weeks I had been working on the treadmill and doing boxercise but losing nothing in the past 2 weeks encouraged me to go back to the free weight areas and see if I can see a difference.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
    When it comes to weight loss, faster is not better. If you can wrap your head around that, you'll have better long term success. The ideal is to lose weight as slowly as possible, as that gives you a minimum of bad side effects and the maximum chance of keeping the weight off long term without burning out, binging and/or quitting.

    Also, if this is going to work, you need to be doing it for you, not to impress anyone else. That motivation will not last.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    You're losing weight really fast and started weight lifting again. Weight lifting slows the rate of loss. Seriously, 1lb per week is a better rate. Stop competing with your friend... fast weight loss isn't better as one will lose more muscle that way.

    That fast weight loss will be counterproductive to muscle building.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    As you've seen sometimes the scale may go up, then a few days/next week later it's back down. This is why we try to remind people that weight loss is not linear. If you are focused on the number on the scale, put it away. Don't get on the scale, and keep making sure your food is weighed, and you're staying under an appropriate amount of deficit. Also, measuring your body is more accurate than the scale as there are factors that will throw it off.

    As @CattOfTheGarage said, faster is not better. Restricting calories so you can get bigger losses ultimately does not usually work as it's too much too fast and too unsustainable. You have to remember that this isn't an instant process, you're not always going to see a loss on the scale, and there are going to be weeks when you're cursing the scale (if you continue to use it).

    I don't think there's a one of us that hasn't experienced this issue to varying degrees. There was a time when I saw a personal trainer, was logging my food with a scale, and exercising at least 3 days a week and I saw no loss for over a month. It was completely demotivating, and my trainer thought I was lying to her about what I was eating so it made it even worse. Ughhh.

    Buckle down and keep with it, when you're feeling down come visit, and remember you're not alone in these struggles.
  • KiwiAlexP
    KiwiAlexP Posts: 185 Member
    Just had to convert to kg and I would love to be able to lose a stone in five weeks - that's more than a kilo a week. Recommended guidelines usually say 0.5 - 1 kg a week so you're doing well.

    Don't compare yourself to your friend, everyone's metabolism is different
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    STC02 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    You've lost a stone in 5 weeks...not seeing the problem myself...? Just keep doing what you're doing. Weight fluctuates, weight loss isn't linear

    Yeah I get that, one of the things that sticks with me is weight loss is like a graph it isn't just a straight line. For example in week 3 I lost 6 pounds and since that week I've lost 1lb overall. 1lb in 3 weeks eating almost 1000 calories less than my body needs to maintain without starving myself is so frustrating!

    I do feel as if my competitive nature is niggling at me with regards to my friends weight loss, not that I don't want him to lose weight, I would just rather he was honest as to what he was doing/eating differently and hopefully gain a few tips off him but he's completely secretive about it.

    So do you think I should keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully see the results soon?

    Yep.

    Comparison is the thief of joy
  • stjohn8us
    stjohn8us Posts: 12 Member
    For what it's worth, the owner of the small gym I go to says the 5th week is always the hardest. Just stay motivated and carry on. :)
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    Just remember the Tortise beat the Hare! Keep going; slow and steady wins the race. BTW, I would love to be losing at the rate you have been but as many have said it's not surprising you are slowing down and often the first week or two you lose alot of water so when weight loss stalls you are actually regaining water and losing fat which is our ultimate goal anyway right? Don't despair you are doing amazing! Not only that but your plan is sustainable.

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