4lb in 8 days? :(

plantbasedslimming
plantbasedslimming Posts: 1 Member
in Getting Started
Hi everyone. I’ve struggled with my weight since having a c section & tend to binge eat, never leave the house & rarely drink water. But just over a week ago I had enough and my mindset changed. For 8 days I have consumed approximately 1,000 calories a day, drank 2lt water a day and for the last 4 days I’ve been walking around 10k steps. I weighed myself this morning and I’ve only lost 4lb. Is this normal? I just felt it should be more than that because I’ve cut so much out too, like bread and unhealthy snacks, keeping them to a minimal. I’m not going to give up, but just need to know if there’s anything I’m doing wrong?
Thanks x

Replies

  • niknarayanan
    niknarayanan Posts: 1 Member
    Hello there, 4lb is not insignificant at all for a week. In fact its a really good start and you should be proud of the initial progress. For continued results I would recommend
    • Continue your physical activity: 10k steps a day is a good start. If you can, try to augment it with light jobs.
    • 1000 calories a day seems low, it would be hard to sustain that over a longer period. For some people, starvation can actively lead to binge eating. Try to find your BMR and then deduce a diet that has about 200-300 fewer calories a day
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,021 Member
    Actually if you're over 200lbs, that's DOUBLE what most should try to lose per week.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • StaciInGa
    StaciInGa Posts: 60 Member
    edited March 2023
    Think of it this way: if you have a net pay of $500 per week and cut back all your nonessential spending, would you expect to have saved $2000? Weight loss is kind of the same thing. Your body uses a certain amount of energy in a day, so losing 1-2 pounds per week is the most many people can expect.

    Look for long term habits. Can you eat this way for a month? A year? If not, what adjustments can you make so that it is sustainable? Likely eating 1000 calories per day is not the answer. When you go thru the guided setup, what does MFP recommend?
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,155 Member
    Coming at this from a slightly different angle: how long ago was your C-section? Recovery can take longer than you think. Are you breastfeeding your baby? That will affect your calories too - if you need to keep up your milk supply, you should be sure you are eating enough (recommendations I usually see are 500 for exclusive breastfeeding, 250 if supplementing or baby is eating some solids - you can do some experimenting to get a closer estimate if needed.)

    You mentioned not leaving the house and binge eating - is there a possibility you have postpartum depression? I have had it after several of my pregnancies and it is really hard. Being active and taking care of yourself are really important steps for recovery so that's good you feel up to that, but with a really intense calorie deficit the elevated mood might not last.

    Pregnancy and recovery from childbirth (regardless of method) are long-term situations not short-term. The advice I have always been given from midwives is "nine months in, nine months out" for going back to what your body was like pre-pregnancy in terms of weight, joints, hair growth, etc. For some women it is longer still for cycles to come back especially if breastfeeding, so hormones are still different. Some things won't ever be the same and that's OK, too.

    FWIW, I gained a lot during my last pregnancy and I anticipate being back at my pre-pregnancy weight when my baby is a year old (so about four months from now.) I probably could have gone a little faster, but had a stall over the winter months while our household was plagued by every respiratory and stomach ailment imaginable (at least, it felt like it!) But I'm not trying to rush it. Slow and steady wins the race. :)
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,874 Member
    edited March 2023
    Out of concern, I would suggest not being as hard on your body. 1000 calories is very low, unless perhaps for very petite/older/inactive women. IF you're still healing from a C-section, that's another factor which imho should be taken into account, your body needs the necessary nutrients to heal.
    8lbs in 4 days is also very, very quick. The only 'hopeful' element I see in that is that you've probably lost water weight (sounds like you've decreased your carb intake) so your actual deficit is not as extreme as it sounds.

    You ask if anything is wrong: I'd say 'not in the way you think' - I would certainly advise a more moderate approach, less health risks that way and less chance of you burning out/giving up. Also: not eating enough can also push you to binge.
  • PrfChaos
    PrfChaos Posts: 17 Member
    Lots of good advice here already, but FWIW, if you have just increased your activity, that can add muscle mass which is heavier than fat. So sometimes people don't see as much progress on the scale while gaining muscle at the same time. Also, I've read that if you eat too few calories, your body will realize it is not getting enough calories for long term, and try to hold on to its reserves. So make sure you are eating a recommended amount of calories for a healthy rate of weight loss. Keep up the good work! Sounds like good progress to me!
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,155 Member
    PrfChaos wrote: »
    Lots of good advice here already, but FWIW, if you have just increased your activity, that can add muscle mass which is heavier than fat. So sometimes people don't see as much progress on the scale while gaining muscle at the same time. Also, I've read that if you eat too few calories, your body will realize it is not getting enough calories for long term, and try to hold on to its reserves. So make sure you are eating a recommended amount of calories for a healthy rate of weight loss. Keep up the good work! Sounds like good progress to me!

    In the short term, a sudden stall on the scale that's activity related is much more likely going to be water retention due to muscle soreness. Muscle building is a slow process, especially for women.

    It's very common for women especially to have periods where the scale stalls and then suddenly drops due to natural hormonal fluctuations affecting water retention. It's also very common to lose a lot of water weight at the beginning of a new weight loss attempt especially when cutting carbs. The initial four pounds OP lost was probably mostly water.

Categories