1 week disappointment - do you change it up?

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Angie789
Angie789 Posts: 61 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just completed my weekly weigh in and I am SUPER disappointed. I am a few weeks into my new lifestyle (losing after having a baby), and so far I've had a lot of success. But this week, I lost only 1 pound - compared to a little over 2 pounds a week for the past weeks (for the record, my BMI is in the obese category, so 2ish pounds a week is a safe loss for me). I've gone back and checked my calories consumed, calories burned, my macros, sodium levels, water - and I can't see any reason why I am having a 50% reduction in my results this week.

So my question: when you have a disappointing weigh in for no clear reason, do you immediately start making adjustments to your calories/exercise? Or do you consider it a one-off and wait and see what happens over the next week or two before changing a plan that has been working?

Replies

  • hamncheese67
    hamncheese67 Posts: 1,715 Member
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    Wait and see.
  • JasonD334
    JasonD334 Posts: 94 Member
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    It is perfectly natural, and will happen on occassion. Stay the course, don't do anything drastic, and you'll be back to posting the numbers you want in no time.
  • tyresank
    tyresank Posts: 174 Member
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    You body is adjusting to the changes and at time it slows down. I would give it some time before assuming you need to change or restrict in anyway.
  • IOWAlapbanderette
    IOWAlapbanderette Posts: 74 Member
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    Slow and stead wins the race..you got this!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    since you have less than 40 lbs to go you should only be expecting 1 -1.5lb loss per week, a 2 lb/week goal is a safe goal if you have 75+ lbs to lose. Try changing your goal to 1.5 lbs/week and enjoy the extra calories and energy you get from them. the less you have to lose the smaller your deficit should be (the smaller your weekly loss goal should be). Once you get to about 30 lbs to go you should change to 1 lb/week and for the last 10-15 you should change to 0.5 lbs/week. This helps get you ready for maintenance and ensures your deficit is not too large for the amount of fat stores you have on your body. A smaller deficit will also help you lose less muscle while losing fat.
  • stephanie8625
    stephanie8625 Posts: 119 Member
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    1 pound is still good !!! you have already lost a significant amount. It is normal to slow down, speed up, it is all part of your body getting used to the changes --- stick with it, you have not reached a plateau !!! YOU ARE STILL LOSING and that is the most important part !! Hang in there !! :flowerforyou:
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  • julie4760
    julie4760 Posts: 125
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    it's a difficult one, play the waiting game for a little while and please remember it depends on your time of the month and any water retention so please don't give up hope and immediately think you have plataued, add me as a friend if you would like added support and good luck to you on your journey.
  • vasare
    vasare Posts: 18
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    It might be a one-off time.. and it happens to plenty of people, myself included... just see how it goes next and the one after that... if it keeps on happening over and over again, you might need to revise something you're doing. For now, however, I'd keep up with the usual routine if I were you.
  • quara
    quara Posts: 255 Member
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    It's always possible that you've lost some weight, but the number on the scale is being masked by excess water, food still in your system, etc.... daily fluctuations are normal and don't always show the true number of "fat" pounds lost. Just keep chugging on! If you go for a month or two without changes, then maybe look at making changes.
  • sweets2001
    sweets2001 Posts: 106
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    A loss is still a loss regardless of whether it's 2 lbs or 1 lb
  • amfaery
    amfaery Posts: 267 Member
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    just keep going I have weeks I lose 3 pounds some I lose 3 ounces. could be so many factors!!!!! 1 pound is actually really good! look in the fridge at a pound of butter to visualize you success this week I always do that ! yay a pound of butter off the tush LOL
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    since you have less than 40 lbs to go you should only be expecting 1 -1.5lb loss per week, a 2 lb/week goal is a safe goal if you have 75+ lbs to lose. Try changing your goal to 1.5 lbs/week and enjoy the extra calories and energy you get from them. the less you have to lose the smaller your deficit should be (the smaller your weekly loss goal should be). Once you get to about 30 lbs to go you should change to 1 lb/week and for the last 10-15 you should change to 0.5 lbs/week. This helps get you ready for maintenance and ensures your deficit is not too large for the amount of fat stores you have on your body. A smaller deficit will also help you lose less muscle while losing fat.

    I agree with all of this.

    Your expectations are too high- don't set yourself up for failure! One pound/week is healthy and what you should be aiming for. I had 30 total to lose (I have 2 pounds until goal!) and mostly lost 1 pound/week until I plateaued. For the last 10-15 pounds I lost I have only been losing 0.5 pounds/week. Unless you are very overweight, you aren't going to see those high numbers on a consistent basis.

    Additionally, weight loss is NOT consistent. Along the way I have lost 2 pounds one week, zero the next, 1 pound the next week, etc. Keep doing what you are doing, stay focused, and the weight will come off. We say this a lot on MFP and it is so cliche but true...you didn't put on this weight in 3 months so don't expect it to come off that fast either.

    Now go on and keep up the good work! :flowerforyou:
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Youre losing so why switch? There will be several weeks wher eyou won't lose at all or maybe even gain. It's inevitable. You need to stick with the same plan. If you stop losing after a month or two (yes months) then you should switch but when you switch, its more than likely, you will need to increase caloric needs. But overall, you should be re-evaluting this stuff every month to make sure you are staying on track.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    One pound in a week is a perfectly reasonable amount of weight to lose.

    My advice is adjust expectations.

    Consider your feelings if you'd gained a pound. It wouldn't seem so small then, would it?
  • GrandmaJody
    GrandmaJody Posts: 140 Member
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    I agree with what the others have said. And don't let yourself discount what a pound is, 4 sticks of butter!
  • MJ7910
    MJ7910 Posts: 1,280 Member
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    i still consider 1 lb pretty fantastic. i woudl say unless you're staying at the same weight for more than 2 weeks or gaining i woudln't worry about it. change is slow. think about 3500 calories being 1lb of weight. that would be hard to get off any faster than a week. dont' be so hard on yourself. it is a new LIFESTYLE is the thing. as much as we will want to go back to our old ways we are training our bodies not to overeat and most likely it will be gradual. i'd be excitd about even a 1 lb loss.
  • Angie789
    Angie789 Posts: 61 Member
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    Thanks for all the responses! I'll keep doing what I'm doing! Oh, and I did want to add - my ticker is misleading. I have much more to lose than 38 pounds to get to a healthy BMI. That is just a shorter term goal. I actually need to lose 80+ pounds to get there, so based on everything I've read, 2 pounds a week is not unrealistic. But I do understand that I need to look at the big picture - any loss is a good one. Thanks again!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Thanks for all the responses! I'll keep doing what I'm doing! Oh, and I did want to add - my ticker is misleading. I have much more to lose than 38 pounds to get to a healthy BMI. That is just a shorter term goal. I actually need to lose 80+ pounds to get there, so based on everything I've read, 2 pounds a week is not unrealistic. But I do understand that I need to look at the big picture - any loss is a good one. Thanks again!

    You can hope for 2 pounds a week, but very few people (no matter how much they have to lose) achieve that consistently.
  • vsetter
    vsetter Posts: 558 Member
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    Best of luck to you with reaching your weight loss goals! You are doing great! And 1 pound per week is awesome! It is also a pretty typical and realistic weekly weight loss. Keep doing what you are doing.

    I didn't change it up until I was stuck (losing zero pounds per week) for a full month.

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