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MelanieShannahan
MelanieShannahan Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been doing 1200 cal. a day for 6 days now and exercising at the gym and haven't loss a single pound yet, I'm also drinking 64 oz. of water per day. I'm 55. Is this normal and about how long does it take to start losing weight? I would have thought I would have lost some water weight by now.

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  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Most likely the water weight being depleted by the lower calories is being negated by the water weight your muscles are holding to repair themselves from new exercise. Not everyone gets that initial whoosh. Be patient and give it a couple more weeks while making sure your logging is as accurately as possible.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Not enough information. If you are close to goal a 1/2 pound a week loss would be good progress. That 1/2 pound can easily me masked by water weight fluctuations. Exercise (sore muscles) is one possible cause for water retention.

    1200 is a default minimum - so almost any woman should be able to lose on 1200 + (some) exercise calories. Are you eating some of your exercise calories back because that's how MFP is designed. The problem is everything is estimates so it's easy to eat too many exercise calories.

    For some people weight comes off in chunks, it doesn't always follow a neat linear pattern.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Did you gain all the weight in 6 days?
  • MelanieShannahan
    MelanieShannahan Posts: 8 Member
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    I'm just getting started I know a couple days I had trouble eating my exercise calories wasn't eating enough.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    MelanieShannahan wrote: »
    I'm just getting started I know a couple days I had trouble eating my exercise calories wasn't eating enough.

    You won't not lose weight because you ate too little...
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    MelanieShannahan wrote: »
    I'm just getting started I know a couple days I had trouble eating my exercise calories wasn't eating enough.

    Not eating enough will not stop you from losing weight. Where do you get your calorie burn estimates for your exercise? Many people will start by eating back 50-75% because calorie burns are estimates. Then as weight loss progresses you can move that % up or down based on actual results.
  • MelanieShannahan
    MelanieShannahan Posts: 8 Member
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    I log my exercise and calories burned on MFP and it tells me my estimates.
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,767 Member
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    The problem is with YOU, not with anything else.

    It's been SIX. FREAKING. DAYS. Have some patience.
  • cessi0909
    cessi0909 Posts: 654 Member
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    misskarne wrote: »
    The problem is with YOU, not with anything else.

    It's been SIX. FREAKING. DAYS. Have some patience.

    Ouch, pretty harsh.

    Well I do think OP you need to give it more time and also, are you weighing everything? MFP calorie estimates can be way off from what I have seen. Good luck, give it time.

  • MelanieShannahan
    MelanieShannahan Posts: 8 Member
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    I wasn't being impatient I was thinking a week into it I would have lost at least a pound, I have a medical condition that could hinder weight loss I was just wondering if anyone has experienced no weight loss at first. I know exactly what I need to do to lose the weight and how to do it right but have never gone a week without losing something. I have no support at home and am actually told he won't believe I'll lose weight or exercise and is saying things to make me feel bad so yes it is discouraging.
  • MelanieShannahan
    MelanieShannahan Posts: 8 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Thanks misskarne my husband also tells me the problem is me. Thank-you for those encouraging words.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.

    2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.

    3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.

    4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.

    5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.

    6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.

    7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.

    8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.

    9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.

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