Am I doing something wrong?

lybl11
lybl11 Posts: 11
edited October 3 in Health and Weight Loss
I started eating healthy and working out three weeks ago. Everyday I eat oatmeal, salad with chicken or egg for lunch, and chicken or fish with some veggie for dinner as well as work out 6 days a week doing 45 mins of cardio. Occasionally I have a biscotti since I have a major sweet tooth. But lately I'm getting discouraged because Ive only lost 3 lbs. I know weight loss takes time but is it really normal for it to go THIS slow? Especially because before I started eating healthy and working out, I would eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted (lots of pizza and cookies) and NEVER work out. I just feel that I made extreme diet changes and I should have lost a little more. How long did it take you to lose ten lbs, and am I doing something wrong?
Thanks :)

Replies

  • hollyc32
    hollyc32 Posts: 4 Member
    I was getting frustrated, also. I signed onto www.myfitnesspal.com and it has really helped. I was eating healthy foods, but I was still getting too many calories. It is a good tool to use for weight loss. I got the app on my phone that way I can log it in no matter where I am. I hope this helps!
  • inskydiamonds
    inskydiamonds Posts: 2,519 Member
    I have pretty much lost a pound of week for the last year of being a member of MFP.
    A pound a week is healthy, so if you've lost 3 pounds in 3 weeks, that's nothing to complain about.
  • lindy1608
    lindy1608 Posts: 49
    I have only just started with my fitness pal so cant speak directly forthis diet however with others i have found that when extreme changes are made the body tries to hold onto weight then all of a sudden a lot of lbs will come off when ur body finally!! Also muscles weighs more than fat so doing a lot of exercise might be meaning less of a lb change....however if u check ur measurements i bet u will c a difference...keep it up :)
  • Liss416
    Liss416 Posts: 209 Member
    The same thing happened to me... I was exercising and eating healthy, but I was eating way too much. So I lost some weight, but nothing significant. I was eating salads, but I had nuts, raisins, and other healthy, high-in-calorie type foods in it. Boy those salads were delicious!!! My advice is to plug both exercise and food choices into my fitness pal... that will give you a better sense of how many calories you are burning and how many calories you are consuming. Don't give up! Feel free to add me as a friend - have a great weekend!
  • JRMcCaghren
    JRMcCaghren Posts: 114
    Actually, I lost eleven pounds the first two weeks, BUT I was very out of shape, and my body had a lot of cleansing and flushing to do, so most of that was not fat loss. I would ask if you're watching your calories, because it seems that you may not be eating enough. If you suddenly started eating very little, your body may be holding onto fat for energy. Also, if you're working out, you could be gaining muscle mass.

    I know this is easy to say, but hard to implement, but it is true that the scale doesn't matter. Do you feel better? Do you have more energy? Have you possibly lost inches and not pounds. There are many more measures of success than the scale. Ultimately, if you're doing right, you will be healthier and happier. I wish you the very best of luck!
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
    Since I can't see your food diary, I can't really say.

    On what you've said, first you need to start to vary your diet. The same old same old isn't going to do anything but bore you to death. Google healthy recipes or buy a book and get your diet into a much more interesting place.

    Next question, are you eating enough? Are you eating all your calories (including the exercise ones?). If not this could be why you're not losing weight. Believe it or not less is not always more when losing weight.

    Next drink water. If you're not getting enough water then losing weight is made harder.

    You should really only aim for 1lbs weight loss a week. Any more is just gravy.
  • gesho
    gesho Posts: 2
    healthy is good for starter, but how about quantittes?

    also, starting workout stalls weight loss for about a month or so. i lost 40lb with diet alone, then stagnated for 6 weeks or so after starting workout (same net calories) but weight loss resumed after that (at third of speed comparative to first stage).

    takes a while. in fact, apparently its not gonna work unless change is permanent.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Our bodies don't always respond to "extreme". So before you were probably eating 3000 calories a day, and how many are you eating now? 1200? Eating the same thing every day IS boring and does SUCK. This isn't how you HAVE to "diet". Just make small gradual changes. Figure out how much you could eat to maintain, subtract 250 calories and eat that level. You can even have pizza occasionally, or lower calorie versions. This shouldn't be a "hard diet" but an relatively easy and enjoyable "lifestyle change".
  • cherryObebe
    cherryObebe Posts: 189
    It is impossible to make any sort of judgement based on the limited amount of information that you have shared. Your weight, your food diary, and more details about your workout/cardio would be helpful if you want someone to tell you more.

    Assuming that you are eating the proper number of calories (not too little and not too many) with a healthy balance of protein, complex carbs and healthy fats, then losing a lb per week is completely normal when losing weight in a healthy manner. If you are not eating your calories and/or don't watch things like sugars or sodium, that could be playing a role as well. Another thing, the less weight a person has to lose, the slower it typically comes off.

    Hope you find some of this helpful.
  • downtome
    downtome Posts: 529 Member
    No, your not doing anything wrong, just stay the course you are on and you will drop the weight. It also depends on how much weight you have to lose in the first place. If you are extremely overweight then you will drop weight faster in the beginning then if you don't have much to lose. Give your body time to adjust to the changes and eventually it will come around! It sounds like you are doing everything right but make sure you are eating enough calories so as to keep your body from staving and holding on to the fat, also, if you haven't already, eat back some of your exercise calories or zig zag your calories every few days and see if that helps. It takes time, but you have to be patient, believe me, i would love to drop the rest of my weight quickly but i know its just not reasonabe but i also know that if i keep going and stay focused that it will eventually happen! good luck, you can do this!
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    I don't think you're doing anything wrong as you're losing a lb a week, which is great! As someone else mentioned drinking water really does help, if you don't drink enough your body will retain water if it's not getting enough, it also helps repair your muscles after working out and generally keeps you hydrated and is great for your skin!

    Don't get disheartened, keep at it!!
  • campfirecrafter
    campfirecrafter Posts: 25 Member
    I don't think so ,
    I have been working on this seriously a little over a month now, and while I haven't lost much on the scale , I have noticed a lot of difference in the way my clothes fit...

    I keep telling myself that I didn't put the extra weight on overnight , so I can't expect to lose it all overnight.

    One thing I would check is if you are drinking enough water, sometimes when I don't drink enough my body retains it (something I never noticed until recently) but that can really make a difference on your weight
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