quick question

Page2777
Page2777 Posts: 91
edited October 2 in Fitness and Exercise
so my starting weight was 185 and now im 177 and the first week i lost 5 pounds then the second week 3 pounds (TOM was there that week) and this week i think im only gonna lose 1 maybe 2 pounds it seems that only 3 weeks in my weight loss is slowing down and im working harder than ever

my question is is it something exercise wise that i am doing wrong i am working out for at least 45 mins 6 times a week usually however i try to do 90mins on zumba on the xbox or is it because actually 185 isnt a lot to lose i know that people over 200 tend to lose a lot at first so im just wondering is it normal that my weight loss is slowing down and im just gonna have to slog it out to lose every pound of can i do something else to shift this weight ?

Replies

  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    Opening your food diary to the public will help you get useful answers. It's hard to give advice if we can't see what you're doing.
  • oneoddsock
    oneoddsock Posts: 321 Member
    Most of the weight you lost in the first couple of weeks was water weight. Unfortunately fat takes longer to get rid of - 1-2 pounds per week is a perfectly normal amount to lose, and it's what you should be aiming for.
  • clong1985
    clong1985 Posts: 45
    I think it's pretty common for people to lose a lot of weight at first, then taper off even with consistent work. The first couple weeks are a shock to your body up against eating poorly and not exercising, so you lose extra water, etc. The other thing you can run into down the road is needing to change up your workout routine so your muscles are "confused" and challenged. They get used to the same routine after several weeks and need the variety.
    Good progress so far, keep up the good work!
  • hiemerapril
    hiemerapril Posts: 69 Member
    Sounds like your working out quite a bit, your probably gaining muscle mass and if the scale is not going down it can be frustrating, but I bet your clothes are getting bigger?? That is also a good measure of your success!
  • mla5100
    mla5100 Posts: 14
    Yes! Normally when you first start working out the weight comes off quick, and your first 2 weeks are a breeze. The hard part is now....when you stop seeing results on the scale every week. Just because you aren't loosing pounds, doesn't mean you aren't toning your body and loosing inches! Keep yourself motivated and try switching up your exercise routine. The same thing every day becomes "easier" for your body, you have to trick it to get those last pounds off! Keep up the good work you can do it!
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    You can't gain muscle mass from cardio only. And it's nearly impossible to gain muscle mass when you're eating at a caloric deficit.
  • hperowl
    hperowl Posts: 234 Member
    The same thing happened to me and I think that's why I used to get so discouraged in the past and give up after a few weeks. However, I have since learned that your body starts to gain muscle mass as you workout and muscles weighs a little more than fat. Also the initial weight loss was probably mostly water weight. DON"T GIVE UP!!!! It's healthy to loose about 1-3 pounds a week and your body has to adjust to the new routine. Stick to it and you will see the pounds melt away. Just don't forget your water (8+ cups a day) that will help you from retaining water and eat a lot of veggies! You'll feel fuller without the added calories and fat! GOOD LUCK AND KEEP GOING!!!!!!:smile:
  • vanessaclarkgbr
    vanessaclarkgbr Posts: 731 Member
    Hi, and congratulations on the success so far. You don't say how much you are aiming to lose, but if I give you myself as an example, I started out at 205, lost 7lb in the first week, 3lb in the second (from memory) and then 1/2 pounds most weeks after that.. The reason for the bigger loss in the first week is you lose retained water with the first bit of fat, unless you are fairly big you probably won't b see those big drops again. So, you may get the odd bigger drop, but on the whole, 1-2lbs a week is the best way for a sustained loss (if you lose more on a regular basis it initially feels great but it's likely you'd be overexercising and/or over eating and therefore more likely to get fed up with the restrictions and go on a binge.

    Your exercise sounds great, try and keep active all the time as well as your workouts, leave the car at home wherever you can, take the stairs etc, and you could try messing about with your calories (search for zig-zagging on the forums) a lot of people like that - or dropping carbs now and again, or looking at whether or not you want to eat back your exercise cals - but on the whole, pat yourself on the back for doing really well at getting into the diet and fitness in a healthy and sustainable way :-)
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    I definitely lost more weight the first week or two because of the drastic change in the quantity of food I was eating, MFP recommends losing 1 pound per week so that's what I recommend as well. Some weeks I have no loss and others 2 pounds, so just stick with it, and don't obsess about the numbers, just wait until you start seeing your clothes fit differently!
  • Page2777
    Page2777 Posts: 91
    I know i am fitter as dont struggle with the workouts like i did at first and the measure says i have lost 2 inches off my waist but thats the problem i am not seeing a difference in my clothes yet i think that is what is getting to me because if i felt the difference it wont affect me so much with the scale
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
    Women tend to lose a lot of water weight first so it seems like you're losing a ton of weight in the first few weeks and slowing down... but in reality, it's the excess water that you're losing.

    A safe amount of weight to lose is 1-2 pounds/week. So you're actually right on track with that.

    When I first started out, it seemed like I was losing weight pretty rapidly for the first month and then all of a sudden, my weight loss stopped and my energy levels hit bottom. I figured out that I wasn't eating enough calories. I slowly increased my calories from 1300/day up to 1900/day and voila! my weight loss started up again. I've lost 30 pounds in total and have kept it off - and I still eat 1900+ calories/day.

    Have you ever calculated your calories to figure out how much you should be eating based on your activity level? I did mine using the Harris Benedict equation and have been very satisfied with my results based on those numbers - they seem to be much more accurate for my body than what MFP recommends. Here's the equation if you want to give it a try: http://www.melcowenfitness.com/calculating-your-caloric-needs

    Nutrition is 80% of your weight loss/fitness success so spend the time understanding and learning what works for your body. It will be well worth it! Let me know if you need any help. This is one area I struggled with but have been able to overcome.

    Mel
  • Page2777
    Page2777 Posts: 91
    thanks everyone the fact that i am normal means a lot lol its nice to know that this happens to everyone and there is no way i am giving up yet in answer to someones question want to lose about 2.5 stone now also you guys are right i need to change up my exercise think i will try a couple of exercise dvds just to switch things up then go back to zumba
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