Is my weight loss slow?

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fazedout82
fazedout82 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all, looking for some advice. So I am female, 5'5, starting weight 150lbs. I lost 3lbs first week and then nothing for about 3 weeks, I am working out about 4 days a week and walking 10000 steps a day. I then lost another 2lbs over the next month and this month (over past two weeks) have lost half a pound.
I am consuming approx 1500 Cals a day ( I weigh and measure everything). I have used my Fitbit and MFP food log to figure out that I have a calorie deficit of about 5000-6000 Cal's per week.
So my question is why am I not even losing 1lb a week if I'm in a deficit. I'm currently at 143.5lbs.
Also, my body fat has pretty much remained at 30% and clothes are only a tad bit loose but don't feel like anything of significance.

Replies

  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    You don't have much to lose so actually your loss to date has been good. Keep up the good work :smiley:
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    p.s you've lost 1lb a week roughly, so thats a weekly deficit you've had of 3500 calories rather than the 5000-6000 you had thought, sometimes gadgets over estimate the burn.
  • fazedout82
    fazedout82 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks for the quick response, I should have said it's been about 8 weeks since I started my healthy eating/exercising. I just feel like maybe I could do less and still achieve this slow weight loss 😅
    In my head I thought I would have reached 140lbs by now, so feel slightly frustrated that it's not there yet! Ideally wanted my body fat to come down somewhat.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,169 Member
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    How do you know that your bodyfat percentage hasn't gone down?
    If you're using a scale that gives you this percentage, don't put too much faith in it, they're unreliable and can give you different numbers depending on your hydration level etc.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    fazedout82 wrote: »
    Thanks for the quick response, I should have said it's been about 8 weeks since I started my healthy eating/exercising. I just feel like maybe I could do less and still achieve this slow weight loss 😅
    In my head I thought I would have reached 140lbs by now, so feel slightly frustrated that it's not there yet! Ideally wanted my body fat to come down somewhat.

    I think we all expect the weight to come off quickly but that's not how the body works, even with 8 weeks, 5lbs lost is still good progress, that makes it more like an average of 0.5lb a week, so your deficit is then 1750 approx over the week. It just means you aren't burning as much as you think with your workouts. You can stick to this loss pace or cut some calories but at the end of the day with not having much to lose you don't want to be losing more than 1lb a week anyway.

    All the best,
    Ruth
  • fazedout82
    fazedout82 Posts: 5 Member
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    Lietchi wrote: »
    How do you know that your bodyfat percentage hasn't gone down?
    If you're using a scale that gives you this percentage, don't put too much faith in it, they're unreliable and can give you different numbers depending on your hydration level etc.

    My scale says it's still at 30% but thanks I know what you mean.
  • MelodyH32
    MelodyH32 Posts: 10 Member
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    I have a lot of weight to lose. I feel like my scale has plateaued. 😂😂 I have been also taking body measurements and they are lower each week. Which is the only reason I can account for my clothes being loose.
  • fazedout82
    fazedout82 Posts: 5 Member
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    LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »
    fazedout82 wrote: »
    Thanks for the quick response, I should have said it's been about 8 weeks since I started my healthy eating/exercising. I just feel like maybe I could do less and still achieve this slow weight loss 😅
    In my head I thought I would have reached 140lbs by now, so feel slightly frustrated that it's not there yet! Ideally wanted my body fat to come down somewhat.

    I think we all expect the weight to come off quickly but that's not how the body works, even with 8 weeks, 5lbs lost is still good progress, that makes it more like an average of 0.5lb a week, so your deficit is then 1750 approx over the week. It just means you aren't burning as much as you think with your workouts. You can stick to this loss pace or cut some calories but at the end of the day with not having much to lose you don't want to be losing more than 1lb a week anyway.

    All the best,
    Ruth

    Thanks, I know what you're saying I feel like even if I say Fitbit is overshooting by 40% then I still should be at 3000 cal deficit, but hey ho I know it's not an exact science. So thanks!
  • fazedout82
    fazedout82 Posts: 5 Member
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    bmeadows380 wrote: »
    also, don't forget that water weight will also be skewing your results, so you might lose an actual pound one week, but because of water weight, the scale may look like it stalled or even went up. When the water weight lets go, it looks like a 3 lb or more loss. The only key to dealing with water weight is patience and consistency - meaning stick to your routine and wait it out; look at the long term trend not the week to week or day to day weigh ins.

    Water weight really is a pain in the rear-end, especially when you are down to losing at 0.5 - 1 lb a week; it ends up creating a cycle of weeks of no loss - whoosh - weeks of no loss. That's where consistency and patience have to come in.

    Thanks that's made me feel more determined just to keep on at it!
  • tnh2o
    tnh2o Posts: 159 Member
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    I know most of are here because we want to lose weight - including me - but I'm approaching it as a lifestyle change. I couldn't continue to eat the way I was and feel good. It's only been a week that I've been on track and I do feel better. My calorie target is around 1500 so I'm not expecting anything dramatic.
    BTW, when I was in my 40's I lost 25 pounds on WW and I think it took about 4 months. I stayed on track and it was not unusual for me to have a week or 2 with no weight loss and even an occasional small weight gain but the weight eventually did come off and stay off for some years.

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