Unrealistic expections

Pick a time of day and a day of the week that suits you and weigh in then. Do it the same time/day every week. Weighing in daily will drive you mad as water weight gain/loss can fluctuate +/- 6lbs some days. 11 days is also not much time, most you could hope to lose in that time would be 2-3 lbs max which it sounds like you might have done.

A bit over a year ago (at roughly 195 lbs) I started tracking calories. I spent about six months tracking my weight and calories but not much else. At the beginning of this year (208 lbs) I was confident in my tracking and in the number of calories it takes to maintain my weight without gaining. I started gradually reducing from there one month at a time and after a quick drop in January am losing about 2-4 lbs a month. It's a long journey and I don't feel the need to rush - my goal is to lose another 50 lbs over the next 18 months, but whatever happens, happens. I think it's all about realistic expectations and recognizing that you're trying to make changes that will last. You've got a good start for less than two weeks - don't get discouraged!

jessica_laney542 wrote: »

I started my weight loss journey 11 days ago my starting weight 225 and im not sure how much i weigh now because the scale wont stop fluctuateing between 219 and 223..what gives losing motivation .. When did the pounds start coming off for everyone?

Your best time to weigh yourself is in the morning. Try to weigh yourself at the same time as you last weighed yourself. Try not to weigh yourself everyday, its much more likely you'll see a difference the longer you leave it, I personally do it once a week. Also, I only learned this myself, but women can gain 2-10 pounds during the week before their period so don't get thrown off by that, maybe set a reminder on your phone to expect the weight gain so it doesnt surprise you. (It goes away as quickly as it comes).

I weigh myself once a week almost first thing in the morning after I potty and weigh naked. Lol.
If I know I exercised a lot and ate well, I may weigh myself more because I love seeing it go down and it motivates me to keep going. I agree take photos. Where the same outfit!

I think it was about 2 weeks in before the scale really started moving downward for me. Don't give up!

VintageFeline wrote: »

It's 11 days. Nothing gives. It's perfectly normal. Your body isn't a nice consistent machine that loses every single day in correspondence to your calorie intake. And the scale is a crude tool because it can't tell what is water retention, food in your system and fat.

So you're going to have to learn patience. You didn't put it on in 11 days.

This.

Op-the scale will fluctuate daily, due to all sorts of things not related to actual fat gains. Digestion timing, bowel movements, water retention due to sodium and exercise, tom/pms/hormones, weighing yourself at different times of day etc etc etc. Here's a fun little fact-if you weigh yourself before/after taking a shower you'll most likely get different readings. That's how fickle the scale can be!

Look at your monthly trends and not so much daily or even weekly weigh-ins. Start comparing your first weigh-in at the beginning of the month, with your last weigh-in at the end of the month. That will give you a more accurate picture of how you're actually doing.

I remember reading somewhere that the first 3-7 pounds that come off is just water weight. I have a large frame (5'8'') and I didn't see a difference until I dropped 15 pounds (219-204 lb.) I wasn't exercising at the time, so it took about 3.5 months. For just getting started, I recommend just hanging in there for the first 30 days. If you log every bite of something you eat, even just a handful of it and stay within 100 calories of your daily goal, you will definitely have lost weight by the end of your first month.
Waiting is the hardest part. This process is ridiculously slow. I do several things for motivation.
1. Take pictures of myself in a swimsuit. Pictures of my belly remind me that I'm overweight, but if I stick to something as easy as scanning the barcodes of my food, I won't be. Tough self love keeps me consistent and I actually do see changes every month. That month will pass regardless of what I eat during it, so I may as well use the time to get healthier.

2. Finding tv shows to marathon at the gym. One day while watching tv on my couch, I realized that I could be spending this time exercising. So I took my tablet to my neighborhood gym, and spent half an hour watching an episode of something while I burned calories on a elliptical. working out becomes semi-enjoyable instead of an ordeal. If you try to lose the weight without exercising, it will take twice as long and again, waiting is the hardest part. Finding a way to enjoy burning off an extra 300 calories every few days (or every day, ellipticals are pretty low impact) speeds up the process considerably. Definitely get a gym membership if you don't live near a free one; some even have 5 dollar monthly memberships. Or, if you want to save money, download some interesting podcasts to listen to while walking around your neighborhood. You gotta find time to exercise.

3. Do not waste calories on alcohol. Nothing stalls weight loss like weekend drinking. 2 oz of wine (1/4 cup, so like, nothing) is 200 calories. An ounce of tequila (a shot) is 70. I never log calories when I'm drunk, and I have lost weeks worth of diligent logging by drinking while I try to lose weight.

4. Don't give yourself a ritual cheat day. Picking one day a week or one day a month to let loose and eat whatever will slow you down. It might even keep you from losing weight period. The capacity for the human stomach is incredible. I have shoveled 8000 calories into my system in less than an hour, thanks to Chinese buffets (avoid these delicious food traps). I rationalized it by telling myself one day a month can't do that much harm. But 8000 calories is just over two pounds, which to me, equals an extra two weeks, so half a month, of additional logging. It's ok to eat over your daily goal every now and then. Just got the gym to burn it off. And always log it. Always.

5. Limit your processed foods and animal products intake. cutting meat, cheese, eggs, yogurt, and milk, to just a day or two a week will bolster your metabolism, clean out system, give your more energy, clear your skin, and streamline your weightloss. the first week is hard, but keeping your diet primarily vegan makes for magical weight loss (I'm talking an additional 7-10 lbs your first month, on top of the 4-8 lbs lost from logging.) Protein is important, but the best proteins can be found in beans, lentils, quinoa, nuts, even spinach has protein. I did this, and I dropped 15 pounds my first month of eating vegan. It's like total body rehab.

6. Lastly, every day logged is a victory day. I celebrate the end of every day that I track my calories by moving a penny from one jar to another jar. Seven pennies is a pound I lost. The time will drag on and the only time I didn't lose weight is when Id get bored and stop logging my food. Every day I don't log is an extra day I stay overweight.

So, take pictures in skimpy clothing, watch Netflix at the gym, quit drinkimg, never justify unlogged binge days, don't waste calories on meat and cheese, and above all, stay comsistent. At 5'8, I've gone from 219 lbs to 182 lbs (37 lbs) since February (5 months). I would have lost more by now if I'd started doing these things sooner.