Help...3 weeks and only 2inches off & 0 weight changes

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

I am three days shy of week 3 and have lost about 7 lb. I haven't done measurements on my waist but I defintely notice less of a buldge, less bloating, and some room in the waistband of my trousers. I agree that weight is not perhaps the best way to gauge progress because weight is a combination of water, muscle, bone and fat. I found it worthwhile to buy a body Withings scale to get somewhat of a gauge of those measurements. Are you sticking to healthy foods and logging in calories? Did you set your profile based on your BMR and goals. My normal BMR is about 2,500 calories but my goal is 2 lb a week, so that is a deficit of 1,000 calories. Exercising allows you to eat more calories, so you don't go crazy but more importantly, your body will quickly adapt to new parameters. It's a survival thing, so you have to mix it up to fool it. You have to exercise to drive your BMR and caloric requirements up. That is why nutrition alone will never work. If you eat 1,000 fewer calories a day, your body will go into survival mode and lower the metabolism, so you will essentially be starving yourself for nothing. Also, vary your caloric intake and trick your body by actually deviating from your plan here and there to include exercise. If you do the same workout everyday, then your body adjusts as well. It's an awesome machine so to speak. I vary my workouts with HITT runs (sprints 30 sec to 1 min, then walk or jog x 10 sets). Sometimes, I integrate pushups, burpees, and some dumbells into it. I have synched my Withings scale, MapMyRun and MyFitnessPal. I don't have a FitBit, so I don't measure my activities over the course of the day. You are born with x number of fat cells. They don't go away unless you get them liposuctioned out or cooled out with Cool Sculpting. Fat cells are like balloons. They don't go away and fill up and expand. There is no such thing as spot reduction, so it takes time for the process to take place across your entire body, and viseral (organ fat) and subcutaneous fat (under the skin) reduces at different rates. There are advanced photo imaging to measure it such as DEXA but it is costly. You can research it. Ultimately, log in your items religiously and overestimate on the entries vs underestimate; exercise frequently (almost everyday with a rest day here and there); and drink LOTS of water and add fiber and protein to your mix. ATHLEANX has some great videos if you wish to see some workouts, etc. and get good advice. I did my routine back in 2013 and went from size 42 waist to 35 and from 218 lb to 187 lb. Unfortunately, after much progress, I injured myself and had two surgeries, so I am at it again. I said I would never go over 200 lb again but did and slightly. I started this time at 206.5 lb and am at 199 lb and about a 36 in waste. My goal is 2 lb per week and ultimately get to 175 - 180 lb. The problem is that the more muscle mass you put on, the more weight you put on, so my goal is driven primarily by looks and loss of waistline more so than loss of lb. We'll see how it goes. I wish you and others the best on your efforts, and you are not alone.

To answer you question "is this normal?" This is actually quite common. There are threads on here every day by others experiencing the same thing.