I think I'm doing this right? So why am I not seeing results?
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JusDiana
Posts: 31 Member
Hi All,
I'm a 5'5" female. I started this journey at 165 - I'm currently hovering at 140lbs (with fluctuations daily of 2 lbs below or above that).
I've cut my calorie intake to 1200-1300 calories.
I work a desk job and prior to this month I was not physically active at all. But this month I have been walking/and slow jogging to get my steps in and started 21 day fix and some yoga.
Also I track my food (every single bite), use a food scale and drink my water.
My problem is the scale is barely moving. I've only lost 2.5 lbs in 30 days (tracked with Happy Scale so that's the average loss).
I would understand it being this slow if I was near my goal weight of 125, but I still have 15 lbs to go.
Do I need to add more exercise in? Just give it more time? I know it would be unsafe to cut my calories any lower...
Any help or tips would be amazing!
I'm a 5'5" female. I started this journey at 165 - I'm currently hovering at 140lbs (with fluctuations daily of 2 lbs below or above that).
I've cut my calorie intake to 1200-1300 calories.
I work a desk job and prior to this month I was not physically active at all. But this month I have been walking/and slow jogging to get my steps in and started 21 day fix and some yoga.
Also I track my food (every single bite), use a food scale and drink my water.
My problem is the scale is barely moving. I've only lost 2.5 lbs in 30 days (tracked with Happy Scale so that's the average loss).
I would understand it being this slow if I was near my goal weight of 125, but I still have 15 lbs to go.
Do I need to add more exercise in? Just give it more time? I know it would be unsafe to cut my calories any lower...
Any help or tips would be amazing!
0
Replies
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It sounds like you're pretty close to goal weight, so losing 2.5 pounds in a month actually sounds like good progress. The last 5-20 pounds can be slow.
If you know your logging is good, I would just stay patient.25 -
are you measuring your body? The scale can be a real b1tch sometimes and so can your body. Start tracking your measurements to see if its moving down.5
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Yeah, I'm 5'4 (and 1/2"
) and I started at 145lbs, and I could barely lose a half lb per week. It's going to be slow. I would've paid money to lose 2.5lbs per month 
15 -
You're currently in the optimal BMI range for your height. I would recommend starting recomp if you're unhappy with how your body looks, rather than focusing on weight loss.10
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are you measuring your body? The scale can be a real b1tch sometimes and so can your body. Start tracking your measurements to see if its moving down.
I haven't been tracking measurements - I had planned to do that when I was close to my goal weight. But you at right I should probably start that now. Darn scale is the worst!3 -
Yeah, I'm 5'4 (and 1/2") and I started at 145lbs, and I could barely lose a half lb per week. It's going to be slow. I would've paid money to lose 2.5lbs per month
It does feel slow- I expected it in a way, but had hoped only the last 5 or 10 lbs would stick around. Not this full 15.
Can I ask what your goal weight is/was (just with us having similar heights) - I'm always curious if I'm setting a realistic goal or if I should push myself harder.
1 -
You're currently in the optimal BMI range for your height. I would recommend starting recomp if you're unhappy with how your body looks, rather than focusing on weight loss.
This. You're already within the healthy BMI range so you can expect for your rate of loss to be extremely low. Better off exploring recomp!4 -
You just started exercising, so give it some time and be patient. It's possible that your body will initially retain water (you're not retaining fat) as your muscles get used to being used. Keep drinking water, though - your goal is not to lose water weight, but fat, and dehydration is your enemy). I think you'll see in the next month or so that your scale will start moving down again as your body gets accustomed to increased activity. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying the jogging and yoga, it's all good for your body to move around!2
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I've been working on my last 10 pounds since September! I gained a couple at Christmas time, but those came right back off. Fluctuating between the same 2 pounds all these months. I'm eating at 1240, exercising 6 days a week, some cardio, some strength and toning. Clearly, my body likes this weight! But I'm not done yet! I'm just keeping at it, changing up the exercise, tweaking little things here and there with my eating. And although the scale isn't moving the way I want it to, I can see changes in my body in these last couple of months from doing more strength and toning work. Just keep at it!3
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Just to add to what everyone has said, you may be starting gaining muscles (as you mentioned that you are now exercising). Muscles are much heavier than fat, and actually burn calories so in the long term this will be a double benefit. I'd measure instead of weighting, as the others have said. You are doing great!22
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Yeah, I'm 5'4 (and 1/2") and I started at 145lbs, and I could barely lose a half lb per week. It's going to be slow. I would've paid money to lose 2.5lbs per month
It does feel slow- I expected it in a way, but had hoped only the last 5 or 10 lbs would stick around. Not this full 15.
Can I ask what your goal weight is/was (just with us having similar heights) - I'm always curious if I'm setting a realistic goal or if I should push myself harder.
Sure! I got down to the point where I am hovering between 125-130 for the past couple of years. I think I will eventually decide to lose another 5 lbs, as I'm "okay" with where I am but not "totally okay". For the time being, I'm focusing on fitness - I want to see if building a little muscle will get me closer to the look I'd prefer, and I'm trying to slowly increase my activity level so if I do end up going back to a deficit I'll at least have more calories to work with.
Check out this thread, it was really helpful to me:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p16 -
Just to add to what everyone has said, you may be starting gaining muscles (as you mentioned that you are now exercising). Muscles are much heavier than fat, and actually burn calories so in the long term this will be a double benefit. I'd measure instead of weighting, as the others have said. You are doing great!
It's 100% unlikely that OP is building muscle in such a deficit.13 -
I'd about kill for 2.5 lbs a month LOL! I'm another slow loser here - the good thing about losing slower is that you learn what it is going to take to KEEP the weight off. If you lose it more quickly, maintaining may be more of a challenge.
Once you're into that last 20 pounds, it can be slow going, and small things (like sore muscles or a couple high sodium meals) can throw off your progress for DAYS (at least as far as the scale is concerned).7 -
Just to add to what everyone has said, you may be starting gaining muscles (as you mentioned that you are now exercising). Muscles are much heavier than fat, and actually burn calories so in the long term this will be a double benefit. I'd measure instead of weighting, as the others have said. You are doing great!
um, no. she said she is walking/jogging and eating 1200-1300 calories per day - not exactly a recipe for muscle building!!14 -
Just to add to what everyone has said, you may be starting gaining muscles (as you mentioned that you are now exercising). Muscles are much heavier than fat, and actually burn calories so in the long term this will be a double benefit. I'd measure instead of weighting, as the others have said. You are doing great!
1lb lead= 1lb feathers
1lb muscle = 1lb fat
Lead and muscle take up less space than feathers and fat.
7 -
longkathleenann9291 wrote: »Just to add to what everyone has said, you may be starting gaining muscles (as you mentioned that you are now exercising). Muscles are much heavier than fat, and actually burn calories so in the long term this will be a double benefit. I'd measure instead of weighting, as the others have said. You are doing great!
1lb lead= 1lb feathers
1lb muscle = 1lb fat
Lead and muscle take up less space than feathers and fat.
When people talk about muscle weighing more than fat, almost everyone understands that volume is being kept constant in the comparison.
1gallon lead= 1gallon feathers
1gallon muscle = 1gallon fat
Lead and muscle weigh more than feathers and fat.
The bigger issue is that muscle is almost never gained as quickly or under the circumstances that the OP describes. I mean, I love me some pedantry, but it feels like it's missing the point in this particular case.10 -
If you have less than 20lb to lose, average of 1/2 lb per week is good rate.
So 2.5 lb in 1 month is right on target.
Your only problem seems unrealistic expectations. .3
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