new to this: am I doing it right?

Options
TI30x
TI30x Posts: 25 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm new to all of this, having used another website since 2 January but got annoyed about adding recipes and the general state of the database. Ok, lots of problems here as well, but still things look better. I know it's early hours.

I started at 64.6kg, and am currently 64.4kg. I'm hoping to slowly lose 6-8kg that I've gained while being depressed for most of last year. I've set mfp to lose 0.25kg/week, which gives me 1330kcal/day.

I use a food scale on everything. Though if I cook for 3 days I divide the whole dish through 3 and might have a bit more on one day, and a bit less the other two. I also weigh the whole loaf of pre-cut bread and the stuff I put on and divide it by the number of slices. Saves some weighing in the morning while things should sill equal out.

I've consistently been 1 chocolate bar over my calories per day (90-132kcal) but am doing a workout each day. I have no idea how many calories it burns though. I've been running slowly for years but had to temporarily stop due to an injury. Been doing those bodyweight exercises (old bodyrock ones) since Christmas, thus water weight should be gone by now.

Yes, I know that I've set mfp to lose 0.25kg per week, still I'm kind of disappointed that I've only lost 0.2kg in a week. Anyone mind helping me rectify my expectations? Am I on the right track?

Replies

  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,106 Member
    Options
    Water weight fluctuations happen constantly so whilst your Christmas Indulgence water weight may be gone, you're still going to have fluctuations affecting your scale weight at any given time.

    To get an idea of what your actual weight loss rate is, you need to establish a trend, for a female that's going to take 4-6 weeks. A trendweight app like Libra (Android) or Happy Scale (iOS) are helpful for this.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Options
    You don't have much to lose and having that 1 chocolate bar over ever day means that you are lessening your calorie deficit. You still lost weight and some weeks loss shows up on the scale and on others it can take a while. When we don't have much to lose its a slow process but its healthy to lose slower anyway.
  • TI30x
    TI30x Posts: 25 Member
    edited January 2018
    Options
    Thanks a lot @tinkerbellang83

    I didn't indulge over Christmas but instead enjoyed a quiet day at home and a long hike on the other day. I live alone (which is part of why I was depressed for most of 2017 and gained weight. Husband left me).

    All I did was: do research from Christmas on about weight-loss and then started counting calories about 8 days ago, just cutting out those comforting crisps and other snacks to a certain amount. I also kicked diet coke as I think it's not good for my teeth, and results in too much garbage. Back to tea and water now.

    Water weight fluctuations are a fact for women I guess, even though I'm on long term cycle with the pill. I'll have a look at Happy Scale, though I might as well write my own bit of code. My Fitbit has a very basic function as well, though, like everything with Fitbit I feel it's not well thought out.

    Ok, more patience required. Understood :)
  • TI30x
    TI30x Posts: 25 Member
    Options
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    You don't have much to lose and having that 1 chocolate bar over ever day means that you are lessening your calorie deficit. You still lost weight and some weeks loss shows up on the scale and on others it can take a while. When we don't have much to lose its a slow process but its healthy to lose slower anyway.

    Yep. I know. I just have a sweet tooth and enjoy this bar as it's the only candy I currently eat. I'm sure Ill offset it mostly with my workout again. Unless of course my BMI turns out to be rubbish. But time will tell, right? I don't want to increase my deficit as the amount of food I eat at the moment feels comfortable. I'm not hungry or having any big cravings at the moment.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Options
    I know I understand, I have one or two most days too and they fit into my calories. Don't rush to change anything yet, next week you could get a lovely whoosh. :smile: All the best, Ruth.
  • TI30x
    TI30x Posts: 25 Member
    Options
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    I know I understand, I have one or two most days too and they fit into my calories. Don't rush to change anything yet, next week you could get a lovely whoosh. :smile: All the best, Ruth.

    Whoosh? I thought I'd done my research, but I've not come across this yet :D Surely not diarrhea? :s
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited January 2018
    Options
    TI30x wrote: »
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    I know I understand, I have one or two most days too and they fit into my calories. Don't rush to change anything yet, next week you could get a lovely whoosh. :smile: All the best, Ruth.

    Whoosh? I thought I'd done my research, but I've not come across this yet :D Surely not diarrhea? :s

    LOL we often refer to it here when we lose a few pounds in a 'whoosh' or all at once. The scale can stay much the same for a few weeks, then whoosh we drop more weight than we thought we would :smiley: get it now? :smiley:
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,106 Member
    edited January 2018
    Options
    lols no by whoosh it just means sometimes you get a big drop in water weight, happens to me every month after my period. I'll bounce up and down a couple of pounds for a couple of weeks and then I'll drop 3-4 in one go and then it stays off.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Options
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    lols no by whoosh it just means sometimes you get a big drop in water weight, happens to me every month after my period. I'll bounce up and down a couple of pounds for a couple of weeks and then I'll drop 3-4 in one go and then it stays off.

    this happened to me too when I was in my 'losing phase' :smile:
  • TI30x
    TI30x Posts: 25 Member
    Options
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    TI30x wrote: »
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    I know I understand, I have one or two most days too and they fit into my calories. Don't rush to change anything yet, next week you could get a lovely whoosh. :smile: All the best, Ruth.

    Whoosh? I thought I'd done my research, but I've not come across this yet :D Surely not diarrhea? :s

    LOL we often refer to it here when we lose a few pounds in a 'whoosh' or all at once. The scale can stay much the same for a few weeks, then whoosh we drop more weight than we thought we would :smiley: get it now? :smiley:

    Oh phew! I was getting worried for a moment. Thanks a lot Ruth! Yes, lets see what happens. I didn't gain this weight in a week but rather in the course of a year.

    Actually, I'm surprised I only gained 8kg considering all the snacks I ate. A big bag of crisps in stead of my usual dinner (which I guess is around 500-600kcal, compared to nearly 800 in crisps), a big bag of crisps despite dinner, 3 snikkers or mars bars on a day for weeks, etc.
  • TI30x
    TI30x Posts: 25 Member
    Options
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    lols no by whoosh it just means sometimes you get a big drop in water weight, happens to me every month after my period. I'll bounce up and down a couple of pounds for a couple of weeks and then I'll drop 3-4 in one go and then it stays off.

    But that would only be water weight then, right? So at a certain time this water is gone. Or I gain water weight again, and lose it again. But it changes nothing about my actual weight...

    Actually, the scale app looks nice! It's a keeper.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    you've lost exactly the amount of weight you should be doing. well done.
  • TI30x
    TI30x Posts: 25 Member
    edited January 2018
    Options
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    you've lost exactly the amount of weight you should be doing. well done.

    Yes, I guess I just learned the difference between deciding to lose 0.25kg per week, and actually doing so :D It's like: what the heck, only 200 grams?!? Oh, but that's what I chose, right? :o I guess I'm kind of missing the noob losses many people report on.
  • TI30x
    TI30x Posts: 25 Member
    edited January 2018
    Options
    Yep, it's still a downward trend, though no idea what my weight looked like in the month before.

    1/10/2018 64.2 kg
    1/09/2018 64.2 kg
    1/08/2018 63.8 kg
    1/07/2018 64 kg
    1/06/2018 64.4 kg
    1/05/2018 64.4 kg
    1/04/2018 64.7 kg
    1/03/2018 64.5 kg
    1/02/2018 64.6 kg
  • Jingsi84
    Jingsi84 Posts: 127 Member
    Options
    Look up your workout on MFP and log it. People usually start off eating back 50% of those calories until they are better able to estimate their workout burn. After you factor in these calories you might not be eating much if anything over your goal.

    Also a whoosh isn’t just water weight (although your newbie loss will include lots of water weight). When we lose weight we also lose connective tissues etc. So these whooshes are real weight loss and not just temporary (although you will retain water next TOM and notice another gain or slow loss). Weight loss is not linear for most people. The weight loss rates on MFP are usually an average rate of loss not a steady daily reduction.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Options
    and to confirm, a 'whoosh' isn't water weight, its mostly fat unless you are just starting out and that's when its mostly water.
  • TI30x
    TI30x Posts: 25 Member
    Options
    Thanks all. That really helps. So I guess I'll see what happens in the coming weeks. Maybe I do get a visit from the whoosh fairy :p
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,106 Member
    edited January 2018
    Options
    TI30x wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    lols no by whoosh it just means sometimes you get a big drop in water weight, happens to me every month after my period. I'll bounce up and down a couple of pounds for a couple of weeks and then I'll drop 3-4 in one go and then it stays off.

    But that would only be water weight then, right? So at a certain time this water is gone. Or I gain water weight again, and lose it again. But it changes nothing about my actual weight...

    Actually, the scale app looks nice! It's a keeper.

    No there is actual weight loss throughout the month, but I tend to retain a lot around ovulation and my period which masks some or all of the loss, I then have a massive drop of water weight after my period but then when the water weight goes on the next month it's a little lower than the month before.

    For example:

    After period in 1st Month: 230lbs
    Between period & ovulation: 225-230lb
    Around period: 228-229lbs
    After period in 2nd Month 226lbs
    Between period & ovulation: 222-226lbs
    Around period: 224-226lbs
    After period in 3rd Month: 223lbs

    and so on..
  • TI30x
    TI30x Posts: 25 Member
    Options
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    TI30x wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    lols no by whoosh it just means sometimes you get a big drop in water weight, happens to me every month after my period. I'll bounce up and down a couple of pounds for a couple of weeks and then I'll drop 3-4 in one go and then it stays off.

    But that would only be water weight then, right? So at a certain time this water is gone. Or I gain water weight again, and lose it again. But it changes nothing about my actual weight...

    Actually, the scale app looks nice! It's a keeper.

    No there is actual weight loss throughout the month, but I tend to retain a lot around ovulation and my period which masks some or all of the loss, I then have a massive drop of water weight after my period but then when the water weight goes on the next month it's a little lower than the month before.

    For example:

    After period in 1st Month: 230lbs
    Between period & ovulation: 225-230lb
    Around period: 228-229lbs
    After period in 2nd Month 226lbs
    Between period & ovulation: 222-226lbs
    Around period: 224-226lbs
    After period in 3rd Month: 223lbs

    and so on..

    Thanks a lot. That explains. Fortunately, ovulation and period doesn't play a role for me. But yes, there are probably sufficient other reasons to hold onto water.

Categories