Where am I going wrong?

allanrjudge · January 2019

I started a weight loss plan on the 7th of January. At the time I weighed 247.6lbs.

I set my calories to 1500, and done Country Heat 6 days out of 7 and lost 5.6lbs. This week I’ve only lost 1.8lbs. Outside of exercising I live a particularly sedentary lifestyle, I’m embarrassed to say. But have to be honest.

When someone knowledgable gets the time, could you take a look at my food and exercise diary for the past week and tell me if I’m doing something wrong? I track literally everything. At my weight I should be losing at the very least 2lbs a week when I’m in that much of a deficit.

Thank you.

eminater · January 2019

You are not going wrong at all. Just stick with it, you need to look at long term trends, as weight loss won't be linear. You have already actually lost 7.4 lbs which is awesome.

A large loss at the start might just be water weight. Just stick with it over time and count every loss as a victory - that's how you will achieve your long term goals. This is not a race, it's a long term process about developing new habits and a new healthier lifestyle.

Congrats on your progress so far ... keep doing what you are doing!

Longshore · January 2019

PUT IN WORK EVERYDAY

Panini911 · January 2019

allanrjudge wrote: »

I started a weight loss plan on the 7th of January. At the time I weighed 247.6lbs.

I set my calories to 1500, and done Country Heat 6 days out of 7 and lost 5.6lbs. This week I’ve only lost 1.8lbs. Outside of exercising I live a particularly sedentary lifestyle, I’m embarrassed to say. But have to be honest.

When someone knowledgable gets the time, could you take a look at my food and exercise diary for the past week and tell me if I’m doing something wrong? I track literally everything. At my weight I should be losing at the very least 2lbs a week when I’m in that much of a deficit.

Thank you.

From jan 7 to jan 20 (13 days) you lost 5.6+1.8=7.4 lbs? a rate of of 3lb/week (a bit more)?

the issue is your expectations. you rate of loss is outstanding. the initial loss was likely lots of water weight which is nice as it makes people feel good initially but 2lb/week max is a good rate if you have a LOT to lose (by 20lbs to go you should look at 1-1.5lb/week)

TavistockToad · January 2019

allanrjudge wrote: »

I started a weight loss plan on the 7th of January. At the time I weighed 247.6lbs.

I set my calories to 1500, and done Country Heat 6 days out of 7 and lost 5.6lbs. This week I’ve only lost 1.8lbs. Outside of exercising I live a particularly sedentary lifestyle, I’m embarrassed to say. But have to be honest.

When someone knowledgable gets the time, could you take a look at my food and exercise diary for the past week and tell me if I’m doing something wrong? I track literally everything. At my weight I should be losing at the very least 2lbs a week when I’m in that much of a deficit.

Thank you.

only? :huh:

zeejane03 · January 2019

Get a weight trending app like Libra or Happy Scale and focus on your trends over time (weeks and months) and don't worry so much about daily fluctuations, which are very normal.

Averaging around 1lb a week/4lbs a month is what you'll want to see trending. The first few days will sometimes be higher though, due to water weight 'whooshes'. That's not actual fat losses though for the most part.

AprilMLowe · January 2019

I would say that your diet seems ok. You have made good progress! I would try weighing in on a digital scale that gives you your muscle mass, water percentage, and such. I weigh in a few times a week . Maybe cut down some of your sodium intake. Good Luck and you have made great progress! I will befriend you so we can help motivate each other.

TavistockToad · January 2019

AprilMLowe wrote: »

I would say that your diet seems ok. You have made good progress! I would try weighing in on a digital scale that gives you your muscle mass, water percentage, and such. I weigh in a few times a week . Maybe cut down some of your sodium intake. Good Luck and you have made great progress! I will befriend you so we can help motivate each other.

scales that give muscle mass etc are really inaccurate.

cmriverside · January 2019

Yeah, like has been said already:

Initial big losses are water loss due to restricted food.
You've lost at a good rate already. Stay the course, there will be ups and downs.
It's been two weeks. Play the long game. You didn't gain the weight overnight.

Patience.

allanrjudge · January 2019

Thanks so much for the advice and support I really appreciate it and it’s definitely spurred me to go on.

Thank you.

toolzz · January 2019

I can't believe nobody has mentioned that 1500 is the bare minimum for a male and at your weight you could eat considerably more.

allanrjudge · January 2019

But I’d lose weight even slower then and I don’t want to. I’m trying to shed fat so I can reach around 180lbs then eat in a surplus to gain muscle. Or is that wrong?

kami3006 · January 2019

allanrjudge wrote: »

But I’d lose weight even slower then and I don’t want to. I’m trying to shed fat so I can reach around 180lbs then eat in a surplus to gain muscle. Or is that wrong?

Well the goal is to sustain a healthy rate of loss by eating enough to fuel your body and retain muscle mass. Larger deficits will increase the amount of muscle you lose along with fat and under eating has a significant list of other long-term negative effects. Plus, it usually sets people up for not being able to adhere to their plan.

It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Having said that, I don't see your stats: Age, height, current weight. So, it's impossible to tell how much you really should be eating.

AliNouveau · January 2019

You're doing great. Just keep plodding along. Some weeks you will lose more than other weeks, it's just the nature of the beast. Keep up the good work

kimny72 · January 2019

allanrjudge wrote: »

But I’d lose weight even slower then and I don’t want to. I’m trying to shed fat so I can reach around 180lbs then eat in a surplus to gain muscle. Or is that wrong?

It is much easier to protect the muscle you already have, hiding beneath the fat, than to rebuild what you lost afterwards. Your body can only burn so much fat at one time. It is probably unavoidable to lose some muscle when you lose fat, but the faster you lose weight, the more likely you are losing far more muscle than you would want to.

With 70 lbs to lose, you can probably get away with 2 lbs per week at the start, though that is still aggressive and 1.5 would be my unprofessional rec. You will want to continue to slow it down as you approach goal to 1lb per week to lose as little muscle as possible. Getting plenty of protein and focusing on strength training as you lose will help too.

Check out these threads too when you get a chance:

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

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

csplatt · January 2019

Whenever I diet, I lose 3-4 pounds immediately then get discouraged because that wasn't actual fat burn, that was all the food in my system plus bloating.

Where am I going wrong?

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