Having trouble losing
Replies
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@Jflowwers - Are you set to lose 2 pounds per week? Would you tell us what your stats are (height/weight). I agree with many of the other posters that it's likely water retention... But did you say you are weighing your food with a food scale?@SisterSueGetsFit
Mfp gave me a net of 1200 calories. I eat back about half of my exercise calories, so I have been consistently in a caloric deficit.
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3-5lbs isn't bad. it's progress in the right direction. and you added a new exercise (Strenght training) so again probably some water retention.
i'd double down on the logging. make sure everything is weighed and logged but DOUBLE CHECK all entries. lots of issues are caused by entries used in diary. Raw VS cooked, incorrect entries, and so on. I "use a scale and weight everything" but STILL finding errors in my logging when I double and triple check certain things.
i'd take more rest days for the exercise.
and keep at it.
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Let me clarify, I started 6 weeks ago. I was merely stating that my weight hasn’t dropped much, and this past week it has actually gone up. To the person telling me to “eat less” when I stated I eat 1200-1300 calories a day, pretty irresponsible bogus advice.
I am weighing everything on a scale and logging EVERYTHING. Most days I have pre logged in the morning.
You're not going to lose weight week to week in a linear fashion. Body weight fluctuates naturally and those weight fluctuations can mask fat loss on the scale. Not everything that shows up on the scale is fat. Your body is comprised of 55-65% water and that will always be in flux...you will always have varying degrees of waste in your system...weight fluctuations can be exacerbated by hormonal changes that come with ovulation and menstrual cycle, etc.
This is what weight loss looks like plodded on a graph...even when you're doing everything right. 6 weeks is about the right time frame for linear losses to stop and fluctuations come into play.
The red line is the overall trend...it's the important thing.10 -
@SisterSueGetsFit
Mfp gave me a net of 1200 calories. I eat back about half of my exercise calories, so I have been consistently in a caloric deficit.
That is a pretty low calorie goal for a woman who is regularly working out and only wants to lose 30 pounds. How many pounds per week did you select as your goal rate of loss?2 -
I'm going to chime in here as a woman. Weight loss is impacted as well by your monthly hormones. I track my cycle in another app and I know that one to two days prior to my period arriving my weight will go up 2-3 lbs. It doesn't matter what my eating habits are or if I'm exercising. Also - I won't drop that weight until after my period and usually after I ovulate. So 1-2 weeks of consistently being up on the scale. Then it drops back or below if I've been on track. Also - I've got about 20 lbs left to go and it takes longer. When I had 40-45 lbs I would see an average of 1-2 lbs per week, but now i'm happy with 1/2 a pound. It just takes longer, but we can do it.
Please remember to be kind to yourself in this process. Take rest days as needed, stretch, use a roller, take epsom salt baths for sore muscles etc. An injury will just make things harder (i have a hip flexor injury right now...and i'd like to run again).
Best of luck!
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@SisterSueGetsFit
I set my goals to lose 2 lbs a week. I am weighing my food on a food scale.
Height 5’7
Start-178
Current- 172
Goal- 135
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@SisterSueGetsFit
I set my goals to lose 2 lbs a week. I am weighing my food on a food scale.
Height 5’7
Start-178
Current- 172
Goal- 135
Change to 1 pound a week. This is a reasonable goal given you are not obese. 2 pounds a week is too much for most.
That being said if you have lost 3-5 pounds since starting 6 weeks ago you are doing well. 0.5-2 pounds a week is considered healthy weight loss. Weight loss isn't linear so keep trending your weight. Also remember there are other factors that can affect weight loss (bowel movements, fluid, sodium, hormones, exercise). If you are losing it is working. Have patience.6 -
@SisterSueGetsFit
I set my goals to lose 2 lbs a week. I am weighing my food on a food scale.
Height 5’7
Start-178
Current- 172
Goal- 135
So...in 6 weeks overall you have lost 6 lbs. That is about 1 lb/week which is a completely acceptable (and healthy) rate. You have recently added in weight training which can cause water retention as your muscles work to repair themselves. Keep at it and have some patience with the process.23 -
@SisterSueGetsFit
I set my goals to lose 2 lbs a week. I am weighing my food on a food scale.
Height 5’7
Start-178
Current- 172
Goal- 135
I would suggest setting it a little lower too. 1 pound a wee or so. It's just so aggressive when it doesn't have to be. You'll make yourself crazy and the effect, while quicker, may not be ideal. I lost about 55 pounds by not eating enough (1200 most days) and I don't look good in a bathing suit/naked. At all. Ive gained about 15 pounds back and am taking this off slowly.
Keep weighing on the food scale. Just eat a bit more and try to eat back half your exercise calories. just my opinion.
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When I have gone about losing weight diligently in the past I have always lost 2-3 lbs a week, especially at first. I suppose patience isn’t my strong suit.1
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When I have gone about losing weight diligently in the past I have always lost 2-3 lbs a week, especially at first. I suppose patience isn’t my strong suit.
Many people (myself included) tend to have a big drop in the first week or two. This big drop is likely 20% fat loss (what we're aiming for) and 80% other factors (waste in system, water, etc) so isn't really weight loss at least not the sort of weight we're trying to lose (body fat). As such the drops during that initial woosh aren't sustainable and in my case often result in a bounce during week 3 or 4 where my weight will correct itself back up.
My advice is try to be patient and take a longer view of weight loss. Think in terms of months rather than days or weeks.
If you're not using a weight trending app then I'd definitely recommend getting one and using it. It will smooth out the natural weight fluctuations and reveal the actual progress you're making.
I haven't checked, but if you haven't and you feel comfortable doing it then it's a good idea to make your diary public. This way the old-pros on the forum can take a look at your logging and offer some advice about where you might be able to do things better like choosing better diary entries or whatnot.
G'luck
PS: Ignore the Woo unless there's a bunch of them (like 5+). As mentioned some people think woo is like 'WooHoo!!" and others use it to show disagreement when a sensible post goes against their wacky ideas and others just woo people because they don't like them regardless of what the post contains 3 -
Well, I guess you guys were sending good vibes afterall! Scale budged 1.6 lbs. Not sure how that happened, I upped my carb intake yesterday bigtime.
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Now I saw a woo on my original post. Geez louise, can’t a beginner reach out? This stuff isn’t easy. Maybe this isn’t a great place after all.
Ignore the “Woo.” Since it initially had two meanings, one positive and one negative, some folks still use it as positive. Some folks never knew the meaning, and like you, thought it was woo-hooo!
Pay more attention to the folks here who are trying to help and ignore the less-helpful people. Nay-sayers are everywhere, they only get to you if you let them.
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Thank you @Psychgrrl2
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JFlowwers I've been having the following issues on almost the exact same diet (~1200-1400 cal/day, except for weekends which is a problem for me), and I think it's just sustainable loss that we're experiencing.
I also joined OTF (3x per week, with 1 pilates and/or cycling) and pushed myself too far to injury, so now I have ot modify everything and not jog.. I've been reading OTF success stories and none are quick. One girl only lost 10 lbs in her first ten months. Also, 2lbs/week is a farce for anyone at a sustainable, healthy starting weight.. I've seen about 0.3-0.5 lbs/week over the past 7 weeks and it still varies given changes in water weight.
I've changed my mindset to focus on small gains checked over longer periods of time (measuring hips/waist/belly once per month) and focusing more on how I feel and physical transformation.
Hope that's encouragement! Would love to follow each other on the app and track progress!0 -
Same with me 4 weeks gym 5 times a week average burn 450 calories. 1200 calories in a day.did not loose any weight0
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@laurenjcoop I signed up for a month of classes at OT, but wasn’t able to participate in the strength training last class because I was so sore from my PT. I’m hoping they’ll let me pause it, because it seems like I have to do one or the other for now.0
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OK I’ll admit I had no idea that is what woo meant either, LOL! Jflowwers don’t get discouraged just keep doing what you think is best and wait a little longer. You may not see numbers on the scale change but start measuring yourself, the weights make more difference in size than weight. At least that’s been my experience and YES it is annoying. But it is good to be able to fit your clothes better.1
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When I have gone about losing weight diligently in the past I have always lost 2-3 lbs a week, especially at first. I suppose patience isn’t my strong suit.
If you lose slower, eating in the way you want to eat once you reach your goal weight (just a little less of it), you will be more likely to keep the weight off long term and not have to resort to 'dieting' over and over again. Patience may not be your strong suit but try it, while thinking of the long term success you can have.4 -
Hey - I would say ignore the advice that doesnt fit and take what does. I am in the same boat. I lost 33 lbs last spring and this fall gained back 22. I am really trying not to beat myself up and focus on moving forward. In the Spring I started on 1200 calories a day but after about 10 lbs I stopped losing - at least slowed way down. I started doing the 2/5 diet where I ate 500 cals two days a week and 1200-1400 the other 5 days. It worked like a charm! I started losing again and didnt stop till I stopped dieting! I think my metabolism slows way down when I diet and this fluctuating calorie count seemed to keep it going! Also, I found that if I went over one day - like had one really high cal dinner out or something it did not affect my weeks weight loss...if anything I lost more. Those 500 days were hard at first but with lots of soup and salad it wasnt too bad!
Anyway, you have to find what works for you. I admire your working out - this has always been a challenge for me. I love to swim and the times when I swam 4-5 times a week I was in pretty good shape. I am not someone who enjoys exercise so I had to find something that I actually liked if I was going to stick with it.
I am restarting today - and yes, I am GOING to count every single calorie! I will weigh in Saturday as I dont have the emotional fortitude to do it today!19 -
Sustained weight loss takes time and patience. It is a journey, not a destination. ask yourself this: what happens when you reach your goal weight? Do you continue eating the way you are and exercising as frequently or do you just stop altogether? Losing weight and keeping it off requires changing habits/lifestyle not just reducing calories and getting a bit more exercise. It has to be something you can sustain for the rest of your days or the weight will come back...that's a fact.
Adding weights to your regimen is a great way to start. Building or toning muscle will definitely help burn more calories.
Make sure you are on the right track in terms of calories too. This is likely the most accurate. Too few calories and you start burning muscle tissue for fuel instead of fat.
Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. 8 cups or more per day. And ditch the daily weighing. Weight, like blood pressure, can fluctuate wildly in a 24 hour period. Experts recommend a weekly weigh-in or use a tape measure rather than a scale.
You are on the right track. You just need to adapt what you are doing to make it so you can keep going rather than hang it all up once your target weight is reached. This is why slow weight loss works best...it is easier to adapt to.
Hopefully you are doing exercise that you enjoy. If not, find some form of exercise that you do enjoy because you are more likely to stick with it in the long term.
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Message boards can seem brutal and can be brutal in comments. There is a lack of 'feelings' a lot of the time, it can be intimidating and hurtful when you decide that comments are non-supportive. I used to react the same way until I decided not to take it so personally and grow a thicker skin. You got some really good answers to your concern.
I too am struggling. I can't seem to go down beyond a 6 pound fluctuation! But I am older and have some metabolic/hormone issues that I am doctoring on. I also don't work out, although I am active, I just don't go to the gym or do 'exercises'.
So hang in there, be tough, quiet the negative noise you are hearing. You are on your way to a better you.1 -
Let me clarify, I started 6 weeks ago. I was merely stating that my weight hasn’t dropped much, and this past week it has actually gone up. To the person telling me to “eat less” when I stated I eat 1200-1300 calories a day, pretty irresponsible bogus advice.
I am weighing everything on a scale and logging EVERYTHING. Most days I have pre logged in the morning.
Okay how many pounds are you trying to lose in total?
With 10 pounds to goal, a 1/2 pound a week loss would be great progress. With a total goal of 10-25, it's just 1 pound a week. That 8-16 oz. can get lost in higher sodium meal - retaining water, sore muscles - retaining water, time of month - retaining water. Even bathroom habits will change the scale.
Food scales are very helpful. But picking accurate database entries can be trying at times. Many of the entries are user generated, be careful because there is so much crap out there.
This is a great place, but read the stickie posts.....so many basic questions will be answered there.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest2 -
Trying not to stray off topic ... but apparently if someone is using the app on phone it is possible to accidentally "woo" when scrolling ,,,, that is most likely what happened on the original post.2
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I recently went to the doctor because I was discouraged and confused about not losing weight, and she said "stick to it for 3+ months and if you see zero change, come back and we'll talk." So I think small decreases over time (I've lost ~5 lbs in two months, ~.5 per week) is what you should pay attention to and celebrate. When I started out - I was expecting to lose 2 lbs per week, which isn't realistic loss. It sounds like we're on very similar paths. I would track your progress and stay encouraged by little victories - little victories over longer timespans are great victories, and that's what will help you reach those goals.
Also, I've noticed my weight pattern oscillates. I track my weight with a moving average (5 day and 7 day sliding averages) to ensure I don't get tied down by those 5+ lb gains during my period or random mornings where I'm retaining more water weight. I've attached a screenshot of my doc - happy to share it with you if you'd like. I weigh myself in the morning and track it over time - I'm gunning for 180 days to track full progress and then re-assess. (The gray is real - and all over the place, orange and blue are averaged)
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