Losing only .5 lbs a week is so discouraging.
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Speaking just for me, when I start tracking, it takes me a couple of weeks to see ANY loss. (Not that I've done it that often, but the few times that I have... ) It's like my body likes the pounds that it has, and it takes a while before it realizes that I'm not going to quit so it may as well give in and drop some fat. Once the weight starts dropping though, it goes pretty steadily at the 1-2 pound per week rate.
If you don't want to lose muscle, start strength training. No matter how old you are (I'm 58) a trainer or a Silver Sneakers program can set you up with something appropriate.1 -
Slow and steady wins the race
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Be patient and change your mindset. Instead of saying "darn I only lost .5 pounds", say "wow!!! I'm .5 pounds less than I was last week!"4
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You have to be patient and in it for the long haul. I lost 35 pounds the first year, 5 the second, and 12 the third. I've got another 5? 25? somewhere in between? to go, and then maintenance is forever, so patience and a long-term outlook are useful.2
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RaeBeeBaby wrote: »No matter what some people may believe, it IS harder to lose when you are older. It took me 2 years to lose 30 pounds. Some weeks I'd lose a pound and some weeks nothing, but it came off eventually and I was having fun working at it. Now I'm fluctuating up and down the same 2-3 pounds for the past 6 months, but I still want to drop another 10. I'm patient and having a good time.
I had to tweak a few things to make it work for me (57 yr old female). I increased my calories to around 1400 a day, which was my TDEE less around 20%. That enabled me to have more energy for workouts. I exercise 5-6 days a week and normally eat back about 50% of my exercise calories, but not always. When I don't I see a weight loss, so I know it's those extra exercise calories (plus alcohol) that has me in a stall.
You'll figure it out. Just don't get discouraged by a small loss right away.
Do you have a swimming pool nearby? I go to aquasize class and it is really easy on the joints. We have many older people in the class and a few with recent hip or knee replacements. The class I go to is geared towards strength and balance, so it's perfect for "mature" folks!
@RaeBeeBaby your tdee accounts for exercise, so you don't eat any additional calories. Eating exercise calories is when using mfp's method.
To the op, every one has covered it. Patience. Weigh food. Track accurately. If you weigh daily use a trend app.6 -
Six days. Multiply that by about 8, maybe 10. Keep doing what you're doing for at least that long and then assess. The number on the scale can fluctuate wildly from day to day and that can really mask fat loss that's happening. I currently weight 2.6 pounds more than I did 6 days ago (and 5 more than yesterday). I'm losing just as I should be (down 10-12 from 3 months ago). Deep breaths and time.2
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RaeBeeBaby wrote: »No matter what some people may believe, it IS harder to lose when you are older. It took me 2 years to lose 30 pounds. Some weeks I'd lose a pound and some weeks nothing, but it came off eventually and I was having fun working at it. Now I'm fluctuating up and down the same 2-3 pounds for the past 6 months, but I still want to drop another 10. I'm patient and having a good time.
I had to tweak a few things to make it work for me (57 yr old female). I increased my calories to around 1400 a day, which was my TDEE less around 20%. That enabled me to have more energy for workouts. I exercise 5-6 days a week and normally eat back about 50% of my exercise calories, but not always. When I don't I see a weight loss, so I know it's those extra exercise calories (plus alcohol) that has me in a stall.
You'll figure it out. Just don't get discouraged by a small loss right away.
Do you have a swimming pool nearby? I go to aquasize class and it is really easy on the joints. We have many older people in the class and a few with recent hip or knee replacements. The class I go to is geared towards strength and balance, so it's perfect for "mature" folks!
@RaeBeeBaby your tdee accounts for exercise, so you don't eat any additional calories. Eating exercise calories is when using mfp's method.
To the op, every one has covered it. Patience. Weigh food. Track accurately. If you weigh daily use a trend app.
Well, I might not be doing it exactly right (or maybe I used the wrong words) but my point was that you need to figure out what works for you and the MFP defaults don't work for everyone.2 -
Hi all - Although I set my MFP to lose 2 lbs per week, it still sets my calories at 1200 daily. I am synced to my Fitbit and accordingly, it says I should lose .7 lbs a week. I am eating back many of my exercise calories and believe I am weighing, measuring and logging accurately. Today is Day 6 and I've only lost 6 ounces. I realize, given my age (I will be 68 soon) that I probably need to lose slowly to avoid muscle loss. Nonetheless it's discouraging. Hopefully by tomorrow my scale will reflect another 5 or 6 ounces lost. Anyway, it looks like this week I won't even lose .5 lbs, though MFP says I should be losing .7. I may have to do some tweaking somewhere.
Heavy sigh!
Your scale may show 5 or 6 ounces more (or maybe quite a bit more). Time to reset expectations. Losing at the rate of 1/2 pound per week does not mean that you will 1/2 pound each and every week. It just doesn't work like that. If the process is accurate, i.e. if you are accurate, you will lose fat at that rate. Weight has more components than fat, however. And those components, like water fluctuate much more rapidly and with much bigger magnitude than the fat in the short term. Over time, and with an eye on the trend, you'll see it. But you have to have the time to see it and the trend. Day-to-day and even week-to-week fluctuations based on the scale can and will fool you.
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It's only discouraging if you let it discourage you. I lost weight about .5 lbs per month! And this was during perimenopause so many weeks showed a significant gain because of water bloat. But I didn't let it discourage me. I eventually met my goal and because I'd lost slowly very few changes were needed to switch to maintenance. And I've been able to maintain it for 1.5 years so far.
Slow is the best way IMO.4 -
RaeBeeBaby wrote: »RaeBeeBaby wrote: »No matter what some people may believe, it IS harder to lose when you are older. It took me 2 years to lose 30 pounds. Some weeks I'd lose a pound and some weeks nothing, but it came off eventually and I was having fun working at it. Now I'm fluctuating up and down the same 2-3 pounds for the past 6 months, but I still want to drop another 10. I'm patient and having a good time.
I had to tweak a few things to make it work for me (57 yr old female). I increased my calories to around 1400 a day, which was my TDEE less around 20%. That enabled me to have more energy for workouts. I exercise 5-6 days a week and normally eat back about 50% of my exercise calories, but not always. When I don't I see a weight loss, so I know it's those extra exercise calories (plus alcohol) that has me in a stall.
You'll figure it out. Just don't get discouraged by a small loss right away.
Do you have a swimming pool nearby? I go to aquasize class and it is really easy on the joints. We have many older people in the class and a few with recent hip or knee replacements. The class I go to is geared towards strength and balance, so it's perfect for "mature" folks!
@RaeBeeBaby your tdee accounts for exercise, so you don't eat any additional calories. Eating exercise calories is when using mfp's method.
To the op, every one has covered it. Patience. Weigh food. Track accurately. If you weigh daily use a trend app.
Well, I might not be doing it exactly right (or maybe I used the wrong words) but my point was that you need to figure out what works for you and the MFP defaults don't work for everyone.
The OP has given it only 6 days- which is absolutely not enough time to see any results, especially with such a small calorie deficit. OP needs to give it about 6 weeks to see if it's working.3 -
Boo hoo. You lost weight. You were trying to lose weight. Wait! What am I saying? Congratulations!5
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I don't eat back all my exercise calories. I kind of use them as a safety net in case I go over. I am 65 and also recently joined a seniors exercise class. Thought it would be easy but kicks butt! I also walk. I aim for 8k steps but often hit over. I would rather exceed my goal then have a higher one I don't often make. Plus drink plenty of water.2
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After the 1st wk, the scale went down .2 pounds. After the 2nd wk, .4. >:( I'm on wk 3 now (wk 4 starts Monday), and down 3lbs from my last weigh-in as of this morning (I weigh daily to track the trend, overall it's steadily going down). It's 3.6lbs from day 1. I know it's not a lot, but I've still been able to go out for ice cream with my husband, have a slice of pizza at the carnival, and have an unscheduled last minute night out with friends. 6 days is not nearly enough time to see real results! Don't beat yourself up about it, and give it time.
I've got MFP set at the calorie goal to lose 1lb/wk, but I also know what the goal for 1/2lb/wk loss is. I try to stay at or under the 1lb goal, but I have an upper limit also so I know there is wiggle room for unexpected social events/spontaneous nights out with the SO. I don't exercise a lot either, so far this week I've done 3 days of weights (beginner program that takes about 30 mins), and maybe 1hr of cardio all together. My weekends have all been go-go-go this summer, and I'm still trying to become an early morning person to workout consistently before work. I've done it twice this week, once the week before, so I'm making progress! I'm one of those people who would thrive on a night shift, I have no problem staying up all night, but I am literally dragging myself out of bed in the am whether I go to sleep at 9pm or 2am.0 -
My weekly weight loss rate has been below a pound (around 0.5-0.75lbs weekly) for the last six months. I don't find it discouraging at all. Slow loss feels better for me than fast loss and I seem to be able to maintain the loss easier without feeling ill as I get closer to goal. Also, the smaller deficit allows me to enjoy a bit more food daily than I would get at a higher deficit which appeals to me.0
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You can't come to any conclusions about weight loss in 6 days.0
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.5 pounds a week equals 2 pounds a month. This equals 24 pounds a year. Not too shabby. What's the hurry?
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Ready2Rock206 wrote: »How much do you have to lose total? 2lbs may not be an appropriate goal. .5 a week when you have a smaller amount to lose is excellent. And as mentioned above 6 days is too soon to start panicking.
I gained 30-35 lbs in 10 months. I hurt my shoulder in September and could not participate in usual activities (golf, swimming, pickleball (like tennis for old people), I had rotator cuff surgery in January and couldn't even walk for exercise because my gait was off with the sling. I couldn't even ride a bicycle until recently because it hurt to put pressure on the handlebars. Inactivity was a huge problem, but that led to depression, overeating and drinking.
First of all, big ups to you for getting things back on track. You have been through a lot. Getting back in good physical shape will take time, just like it took 10 months to put on that weight. You are wise to approach this with an eye toward minimizing muscle loss. As you are cleared for activity from your PT, the more you move around the better you will feel. Walking outside will be good for your body and your spirit Strength training may be a ways off yet, but once you are cleared medically, it should definitely be part of your health regimen, and I would recommend getting professional guidance when you start out so that you don't re-injure anything.
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