So frustrated. In a deficit, tracking everything but gained weight.

InnerFatGirl
InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

I am 26, little to no exercise (generally), 5'6", 305.4lbs (as of this morning).

My calorie calculator says my BMR is 1569 per day. It says to lose weight at 2lbs a week to eat 1570 calories, and for 1lb a week loss, eat 2017 calories (approximately as I can't remember the exact figure).

I have my goal to eat 1600 calories a day. Sometimes I'm under, sometimes I'm over but I'm never over 1900 calories. It all balances out to net 1600 per day, thereabouts.

I was losing weight for the first two weeks - I lost 8.1lbs.

But for some reason I have gained 0.4lbs this week!

I don't get it. I do eat carbs but I'm not even hitting my carb goal so I'm not eating that much, I'm drinking only water, I weigh and track everything - even little things like oil, I'm eating pretty clean, I'm not eating a lot of sodium, I'm not due on my period and I'm not lifting weights.

Even if my tracking was off somehow, there's no way I'm eating maintenance+

What is the science behind this?!

Also, don't worry. This isn't making me give up, because I have zero interest in going back to my old eating habits. This lifestyle change isn't just about the numbers on the scale.

Replies

  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    Just grit your teeth and keep going. If you are 100% sure you are doing everything correctly then you will lose the weight. But it's not linear and any number of variables could put you off in any given week. It took me three weeks of doing everything right before the scale even started to budge after my holiday weight spike. I didn't even lose water weight, like you are supposed to, after getting back on the straight and narrow.

    I'm glad you see it as a lifestyle change because that is what will work long term for you.
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    Your 4 lb a week weight loss is pretty aggressive and can't last. Weight loss isn't regular unfortunately, even if you do everything perfectly. Just keep going, be persistent and as accurate as you can. You'll do fine. Best of luck.

    I thought the same thing! But then I thought because I'm quite big I would drop the weight quickly at first. Like on 600lb me they lose like 20-30lbs a month!
  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    You go, girl!
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    You are on your way!

    It's very helpful to have goals apart from the scale. The problem is that focusing on body weight alone gets boring-- changes are slow. Easiest is to add a walking challenge (if you have no mobility issues), such as trying to walk 1 mile every day plus get some total number of steps.

    And, here's something really sneaky. If you add a totally different challenge, it can help. This month, I'm going to add a reading challenge. I want to work up to reading an actual book (not work emails, papers, internet news stories), for an hour a day.

    Best of luck!
  • fdlewenstein
    fdlewenstein Posts: 231 Member
    Use the Happy scale app. It does all the averaging weight loss for you and shows trends and when you will meet goals (that you can set). The most difficult thing for me to accept when I started my journey is that weight loss is not linear. You didn't put the weight on overnight, so it will take time, determination, and CONSISTENCY. Be patient (which I still struggle with). Remember there are many variables that can make the scale change, like sodium. As others have also written don't depend on the scale alone. Take body measurements and go by how your clothes are fitting. Good luck!
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,206 Member
    This is actually a really good thing for you to experience! 8 lb over a course of two weeks will not be your norm. Going up .4 lb is not "gaining weight" -- it's probably food sitting in your intestines or maybe you're nearing that time of the month. Losing will look like this a lot. some weeks you may even be up a pound (gasp!) -- but it will be TRENDING downward, and that's real weight loss. if you look back a year from now, you'll see that your weight loss wasn't a consistent diagonal line towards lighter. it zig zags a ton, but still heading consistently toward a lower average weight.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,300 Member
    Great recovery into a much better, from a measurement perspective, plan! Averaging manually for the week. Trending weight apps or web sites all of them do the trick. Compare weight at same point in consecutive monthly cycles / look at trend over 4 to 6 week intervals. All of this does the same thing: show the underlying trend around the inevitable water weight fluctuations.

    Forget TV and 600lb lives. It might actually be better to not even watch shows like that. They are a very poor guide for what is sustainable and has a better chance to work. If long term weight loss success records are, generally speaking, pretty dismal, TV-style weight long term loss records are downright even more dismal! It's better, in my opinion, to buy a ticket that has slightly better odds and to do everything you can to keep skewing the long term odds in your favour! TV style doesn't do that!

    Where you are starting out you even have the option of starting your weight loss as a long term plan at maintenance! If you calculate the expected caloric consumption of a normal weight person of your size, current age+2 years, activity level lightly-active... and practice eating like that! From your current situation you will probably be losing weight for quite a while at that level of intake, and you can adjust as needed. I would expect that by the time you get there you will be clocking in as active or very active so you may not even need to ever drop calories below that initial level which would give you excellent practice for the long term!
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 702 Member
    If you haven't done so already I would encourage you to take your measurements, then do them again in a month.

    I find it really helpful, the scale fluctuates, but those inches don't just re-appear!

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