Not losing weight

cupasoup28 · May 2020

Hi. I started this just over two weeks ago. I lost 4lbs the first week but only 1lb last week. I have been sticking to my calorie intake but also started cardio workouts at home.
I understand that I may have built muscle which will affect weight but I do want to lose weight and be slimmer. Am I going to lose any weight and get slimmer whilst working out? My other thought is that I lose the weight first then work out after to tone up. Any advice would be great. Thanks

tiptoethruthetulips · May 2020

You've lost 5lb in two weeks how is that not losing weight? I am not sure how much you were expecting to lose but so far looks like you are doing great to me. Perhaps you need to rein in your expectations.

nighthawk584 · May 2020

you can't build muscle weight that fast but increasing exercise can cause water retention. AND, you have lost weight, be happy with your progress so far!

cupasoup28 · May 2020

Thanks!! Based on previous different diets I think I was expecting 3/4 lbs off for the first two weeks as that’s what normally happens to me but you’re right, at least I’m losing.

AnnPT77 · May 2020

A few things:

1. You're so far averaging 2.5 pounds a week, which would be quite fast loss. We don't lose the same amount every week: It tends to fluctuate.

2. It's normal to lose a little more weight the first week (has mostly to do with water weight adjusting to a new way of eating, plus lower digestive system contents), then to have slower loss after that.

3. It's normal to add a little water weight when we start a new exercise routine, because our bodies need it for muscle repair. (It won't keep growing and growing as you keep exercising; it levels off. It's just that it can hide fat loss on the scale for a bit.)

4. Sadly, muscle mass gain is a very slow thing, a matter of months to years to gain meaningful amounts, even when lifting heavy weights - slower if at all from cardio (depends on the cardio). (Strength gain can be much faster, because our bodies get better at recruiting and using existing muscle fibers; and appearance can also improve.) So, no likely weight of muscle gain will outpace any meaningful rate of fat loss, unfortunately.

5. If you work out now, you will earn more calories (good for nutrition), and preserve your existing muscle. Since new muscle is slow/hard to build, keeping what you've got is a Really Good Plan. Further, exercise is good for health. So, keep exercising; don't wait: That would be my advice.

So, the likeliest explanation would be that you've lost some fat (yay!) but have a bit of water weight from the new exercise that's confusing the scale results. It's important to stick to a new regimen for 4-6 weeks, in order to know its effect, on average. Women who aren't in menopause yet should compare the same relative point in at least two different menstrual cycles. Unless you're currently quite overweight, a pound a week may be a fine loss rate (don't believe the crazy things you see in ads, blogs, IG influencers posts, or on reality TV shows!).

This would be a good read for you:

https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations

Hang in there, and give it a few weeks, to know what's really going on! Best wishes!

Not losing weight

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