HELP! Having issues with weightloss and diet... maybe?
thejerrapist
Posts: 13 Member
I have been logging consistently for over a week. I began really trying about two weeks ago. I have given up regular soda, I stopped snacking at night (which is huge because I am still nursing my 1 year old). I began drinking more water and eating fairly clean. I have been a deficit for my calorie intake every day and I am also working out for at least 30-45 minutes everyday including lifting weights. I feel like I have been a saint about my diet and exercise, but somehow I gained a pound in the last week. I run around like crazy, I am a mom of two young boys.
I am just getting nervous that this won't make a difference. Of course, when I feel defeated I want to just eat whatever. It makes it difficult to stay on track.
Any advice, ideas, help for me to get the ball rolling on this?
I am just getting nervous that this won't make a difference. Of course, when I feel defeated I want to just eat whatever. It makes it difficult to stay on track.
Any advice, ideas, help for me to get the ball rolling on this?
5
Replies
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I would say to give it another week. We all want fast results, but unfortunately it rarely works that way. Taking your post at face value, it sounds like you are on the right track, but just need to be a little more patient. And just for a bit of perspective... some weight fluctuation is very normal, up to 5lbs or more for some people. I wouldn't worry about 1lb here or there.
All that said... how confident are you in your estimates/logging? Are you weighing/measuring what you eat? Is your daily calorie goal reasonable? Are you logging your exercise and then eating back those earned exercise cals?
Lastly, consider using a weight trend app (I use Libra on Android) - it'll track your individual weigh-in numbers and create a trend... this helps take some of the emotion out of the individual numbers and help you see what's actually happening. Long term trends are MUCH more meaningful when using weight as an evaluation of progress.7 -
Your hormones are possibly all over the place plus the added weight could very well be water rention, food ij your stomach or even lack of a bowel movement. Give it 2 more days2
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Be patient. Weight loss isn’t linear. If the exercise is new you’re likely retaining water from it.4
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did you start working out about 2 weeks ago as well. ??
Its too early to tell as its only been 2 weeks, but its most likely water retention ... if you stress your body it holds on to water.
(1) sudden change in diet - water retention
(2) start lifting weights OR change routine OR up the weight - guaranteed water retention
(3) time of month - everything retention (big weight gain)
(4) stress - water retention
number 2 is the most likely cause, your muscles are going to need repairing, this requires water and if you are using them regularly they will be storing more glycogen to meet demands - again water
keep going and reassess in the next 2 weeks ... but dont panic, most people temporarily gain weight when they start in the 1st couple of weeks2 -
If you're nursing (other veteran poster mum's may want to chime in on this because I am not a mum at all) I do believe that in itself will create a deficit for you (around 300 calories per day if I remember correctly) because it increases your metabolism and you shouldn't really be trying to add a further deficit on top of this.
As already mentioned you're probably still experiencing hormonal water retention on top of the normal weight fluctuations you would experience anyway in addition to any water weight from new exercise too (normal fluctuations can be anywhere up to 5 pounds for most of us), 1-2 weeks is not enough time to establish if weight loss is happening, you need a good 4-6 weeks weigh in data to look back over.
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You're logging your food consistently, that's great!
keep on doing that, a week is too soon to tell.
It takes a month to see true loss/progress on the scales as weight fluctuates so much for a variety of reasons. For us women TOM really can make the scale throw a wobbly and veer up by several pounds masking any true loss.
All the best.3 -
I would say to give it another week. We all want fast results, but unfortunately it rarely works that way. Taking your post at face value, it sounds like you are on the right track, but just need to be a little more patient. And just for a bit of perspective... some weight fluctuation is very normal, up to 5lbs or more for some people. I wouldn't worry about 1lb here or there.
All that said... how confident are you in your estimates/logging? Are you weighing/measuring what you eat? Is your daily calorie goal reasonable? Are you logging your exercise and then eating back those earned exercise cals?
Lastly, consider using a weight trend app (I use Libra on Android) - it'll track your individual weigh-in numbers and create a trend... this helps take some of the emotion out of the individual numbers and help you see what's actually happening. Long term trends are MUCH more meaningful when using weight as an evaluation of progress.
I am fairly confident in my estimates. I log everything as I am eating. I have been measuring out all my portions. I did start working out at the same time. I kind of started hard too; kickboxing, weight lifting, cardio. I think MFP set my daily calorie goal at about 1300 calories. I am logging exercise but not eating back all of the calories I lose while doing so. Thanks for the advice. I will look into a weight trend app.1 -
did you start working out about 2 weeks ago as well. ??
Its too early to tell as its only been 2 weeks, but its most likely water retention ... if you stress your body it holds on to water.
(1) sudden change in diet - water retention
(2) start lifting weights OR change routine OR up the weight - guaranteed water retention
(3) time of month - everything retention (big weight gain)
(4) stress - water retention
number 2 is the most likely cause, your muscles are going to need repairing, this requires water and if you are using them regularly they will be storing more glycogen to meet demands - again water
keep going and reassess in the next 2 weeks ... but dont panic, most people temporarily gain weight when they start in the 1st couple of weeks
I did start working out at the same time. Thank you for the advice. I will stick with it longer before I start getting super concerned.
I think that my biggest thing is that I have a lot of weight to lose. Roughly 60-70 lbs. I lost my first 30ish after having my son in January of 2017 fairly quickly. Then I have just been stuck. I figured if I changed my eating, drinking, and exercise habits it would get me out of the rut I was in.2 -
Is having too much of a deficit a bad thing. I was not considering that I already, most likely have a deficit from nursing my son. What is a good amount of deficit to have?0
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thejerrapist wrote: »Is having too much of a deficit a bad thing. I was not considering that I already, most likely have a deficit from nursing my son. What is a good amount of deficit to have?
that very much depends on how much weight you have to lose?0 -
I have been logging consistently for over a week. I began really trying about two weeks ago.
It's going to take much longer to have reliable results. Think in terms of months rather than days and weeks. Weight can fluctuate up and down a lot day-to-day. Try downloading Libra or HappyScale apps to trend your daily weigh-ins to keep focused on the big picture.
I have given up regular soda
If you can fit your favourite sodas into your daily calorie goal, there's no reason to give them up. If you're equally happy with other beverages or diet sodas, saving those couple hundred calories for solid foods is a good option.
I stopped snacking at night
Meal-timing is irrelevant for weight loss. I personally like to skip breakfast so I can snack more in the evening. I don't like going to bed feeling hungry so I stack my calories later in the day.
I began drinking more water and eating fairly clean.
Increasing water intake is fine if it was low before. Eating "clean" isn't necessary for weight loss, you can continue eating whatever you want within your calorie goal. I eat plenty of desserts, fast food and junk food and still lose weight at a very steady pace.
I have been a deficit for my calorie intake every day and I am also working out for at least 30-45 minutes everyday including lifting weights.
Are you tracking your solid food intake with a scale, and liquids with measuring cups? How are you calculating your exercise burnt calories? The more accurate you get, the more reliable your results will be. People often overestimate their workout burnt calories and underestimate their food intake, leading to slow results.
I feel like I have been a saint about my diet and exercise, but somehow I gained a pound in the last week. I run around like crazy, I am a mom of two young boys.
It's only been a week, woman! That pound you gained is most likely water weight from your new strength routine. Water weight can also be caused by menstruation/hormones, salt intake or stress. You can also register a higher weight if you have poop/pee in your system. There are tons of variables at play, a pound gained is meaningless in the big picture.
I am just getting nervous that this won't make a difference. Of course, when I feel defeated I want to just eat whatever. It makes it difficult to stay on track.
Be patient, keep doing what you're doing, and look at your losses in a month's time. Averaging a pound lost a week is a fantastic pace for most people, so keep your expectations realistic. Good luck!
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thejerrapist wrote: »Is having too much of a deficit a bad thing. I was not considering that I already, most likely have a deficit from nursing my son. What is a good amount of deficit to have?
What are your stats? Age, Height, Weight.
Sometimes a deficit can be too agressive and whilst that won't stop weight loss, it will impact sustainability, because this is when you are more likely to have deflated eat everything moments! Fairly sure too much of a deficit can also impact milk production.0 -
I have about 60-70 pounds to lose.0
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It is really to early to see significant changes on the scale. Tons of things factor into what you see on the scale. Make sure you are eating enough to sustain your body and your activity. How do you look, how do you feel, how do you perform are other indicators of positive changes. Don't hang all your progress and success on one factor.0
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Perhaps just set yourself for a half pound loss per week and use the Breastfeeding entry in your log (Search food for "Breastfeeding" and there are some entries that will take 250 cals off your total for the day. That way you should be around a pound loss per week which is a nice steady rate of loss. Aim to eat at least 50% of your exercise calories back and review your loss in a few weeks time and adjust from there.1
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thejerrapist wrote: »I have about 60-70 pounds to lose.
you can add breastfeeding to your food diary to get extra cals. its usually something between 200-500 cals.
or set MFP to lose 1lb per week, and dont add the breastfeeding back. you dont want a larger deficit than that though.1 -
thejerrapist wrote: »I would say to give it another week. We all want fast results, but unfortunately it rarely works that way. Taking your post at face value, it sounds like you are on the right track, but just need to be a little more patient. And just for a bit of perspective... some weight fluctuation is very normal, up to 5lbs or more for some people. I wouldn't worry about 1lb here or there.
All that said... how confident are you in your estimates/logging? Are you weighing/measuring what you eat? Is your daily calorie goal reasonable? Are you logging your exercise and then eating back those earned exercise cals?
Lastly, consider using a weight trend app (I use Libra on Android) - it'll track your individual weigh-in numbers and create a trend... this helps take some of the emotion out of the individual numbers and help you see what's actually happening. Long term trends are MUCH more meaningful when using weight as an evaluation of progress.
I am fairly confident in my estimates. I log everything as I am eating. I have been measuring out all my portions. I did start working out at the same time. I kind of started hard too; kickboxing, weight lifting, cardio. I think MFP set my daily calorie goal at about 1300 calories. I am logging exercise but not eating back all of the calories I lose while doing so. Thanks for the advice. I will look into a weight trend app.
Estimates are still not accurate. When I first started I was confident that the 2 Tbsp of peanut butter I measured out were really that, but when I weighed it the serving I had was almost 3 Tbsp. Same thing for my oatmeal and my meats. A food scale is a really good investment.4 -
Thanks all! I'll keep at it and try adding the breastfeeding into my calories.0
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thejerrapist wrote: »...I feel like I have been a saint about my diet and exercise...thejerrapist wrote: »I am fairly confident in my estimates.
I'm going to be pragmatic here. Your feelings have no effects on facts. If you can say something like "I am almost certain that my food journal reflects my diet" then I would say start looking into why your diet and exercise routine is not working. For now, take some extra time and make sure your food journal is accurate and honest. Every single thing you put in your mouth effects your weight.
Please don't get me wrong here - I'm not trying to be offensive or jump to conclusions. But you have to make sure that Step 1 in the diet process is being done correctly or your hard work in the gym is going to waste.
Keep up your hard work. Be patient and smart. Good luck.3 -
Hormonal cycles can cause your weight to fluctuate upwards by up to around 10lbs, and that's only one thing, so you gotta focus on the trend. For now, I'd recommend just focusing on how your new diet and lifestyle makes you feel (better, hopefully!). Your body's adapting to new food and your muscles are probably retaining water as they get used to the exercise.
It takes a while to see results; that's why finding a sustainable routine is key!
It takes a while to see results, which is why1 -
In addition to all the great advice above, I just want to chime in and say that counting calories really does work, but you have to give yourself time to get a hang of it. It seems pretty straightforward - eat less, move more - but getting things rolling can take time! People are bad at estimating how much we eat, so a food scale is a great tool for figuring out portion sizes.
I started off last year about 75 pounds over weight, and after an initial gung-ho month (12 lbs down, although certainly much of that was water) I stayed at the same weight for 2-3 months. It was really depressing and I wanted to give up many times, but I reminded myself of two things: (1) that not gaining weight for three months after several years of steady gain was an improvement, and (2) I knew I would start losing weight once I figured out how to eat less in a way that was sustainable. For me, that involved really looking at how I much was eating and moving, and coming up with areas I could change. Some of those were small but easy. Others were larger and really difficult, and I still work on them a year and 40 pounds later. But the key is patience and perseverance. You can do this!4 -
Thank you! I think I may need a food scale. I use measuring cups and spoons but maybe my measuring is not as accurate as it could be. I am still working out the kinks. I am hoping to lose 50 pounds by the end of 2018... It's a huge goal but that is my far off goal. My current goal is to just get the hang of changing things and adjusting to a comfortable routine.
One thing that is hard is that nursing makes me feel like I am starving. I have adjusted to healthier snacks and more water but I still feel like this could cause issues.
I appreciate all of the input and am going to use it to motivate myself to keep on!2 -
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Be patient and stick with it. Sometimes I'll stick at a weight for 2 or 3 weeks and then lose 2 lbs the week after. If you don't make progress after a month, then slightly reduce your calorie goal and see what happens. You could just consider this an "information gathering stage" if that makes you feel better!?!1
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thejerrapist wrote: »I would say to give it another week. We all want fast results, but unfortunately it rarely works that way. Taking your post at face value, it sounds like you are on the right track, but just need to be a little more patient. And just for a bit of perspective... some weight fluctuation is very normal, up to 5lbs or more for some people. I wouldn't worry about 1lb here or there.
All that said... how confident are you in your estimates/logging? Are you weighing/measuring what you eat? Is your daily calorie goal reasonable? Are you logging your exercise and then eating back those earned exercise cals?
Lastly, consider using a weight trend app (I use Libra on Android) - it'll track your individual weigh-in numbers and create a trend... this helps take some of the emotion out of the individual numbers and help you see what's actually happening. Long term trends are MUCH more meaningful when using weight as an evaluation of progress.
I am fairly confident in my estimates. I log everything as I am eating. I have been measuring out all my portions. I did start working out at the same time. I kind of started hard too; kickboxing, weight lifting, cardio. I think MFP set my daily calorie goal at about 1300 calories. I am logging exercise but not eating back all of the calories I lose while doing so. Thanks for the advice. I will look into a weight trend app.
As a previously nursing mom, who is only 5 feet tall, I will say from my own experience, 1300 calories wasn't enough, even when my baby was over 1 year. You may want to consider eating more, or at least eating back your exercise calories to account for the nursing. However, not getting enough calories is not what caused you to gain a pound.
Another thing I noticed is that I had real difficulty losing any weight while nursing. I think our bodies hold on to as much as they can to ensure there are enough calories and nutrients for the milk.
I'm not sure how much you have to lose. The closer you are to goal, the harder it is to lose and the more just little things will cause a gain -- not all of these gains are real. For example, did you eat more carbs this week? That can cause a water weight gain.
Also, did you lose weight the first week? Are you up a pound from two weeks ago or just from one week ago. Sometimes, when we have a big loss the next week we'll see a gain. Although we're still down from our starting weight, that can feel really discouraging.
As others have said, two weeks isn't much time. Weight loss isn't linear and there are a number of things that can be causing fluctuations. Look at the loss over a longer period.
Also, has your period started yet? I had a pretty big gain with my first one and I get a small gain each month at the same time. It's not real.
Good luck, I know how hard this is with kids, especially when you're nursing. There is very little time for yourself. You can do this, just keep consistent.0 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
Love this chart, @tinkerbellang83 ! Going to save it and use it a lot. I especially like that it mentions that water weight isn't bad- it's your body doing it's job- since the next question people ask is usually, "How do I get rid of it?" 1 -
I gained a couple of pounds when I first started lifting heavy, but the pounds went away (along with a couple more) after 2 to 3 weeks. Stick to it! Make sure you're tracking calories and being consistent! Feels amazing once you start to reap the rewards of your effort and hard work. 0
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tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
Love this chart, @tinkerbellang83 ! Going to save it and use it a lot. I especially like that it mentions that water weight isn't bad- it's your body doing it's job- since the next question people ask is usually, "How do I get rid of it?"
@try2again yeah I am trying to make my most repeated stuff into infographics save me re-typing stuff. I am thinking of starting an "FAQs answered only with infographics"
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You definitely need a food scale to be accurate. A few ounces could mean the difference of being under or over your calories for the day. Also, limit weighing yourself to once a week, same day, same time (if possible, when you first get up in the morning). That could be your 1lb fluctuation, I know I'm a pound or two heavier toward the end of the day than in the AM.1
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First off, that's a LOT to change all at once. The issue with making that many changes all at one time is that there's a really good chance you're going to give up on most of them (if not all) once it starts getting tough(er).
So, to start, I'd suggest making some smaller changes and giving your body some time adjust. If you're just starting working out, there's a really good chance you're going not see much progress on the scale for awhile. For me, it can take a good month or so (in which time the scale may very well go UP), and I go through this every time I make a fairly significant change to my current workout (which I have been doing here lately as I'm trying to come back from a mostly year long injury and get ready for this upcoming race season).
The scale isn't always your friend. Also take measurements once a week, and progress photos each week. That'll give you a better idea of how you're doing than just a number on a very fickle "machine."1
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