First week and I've lost five pounds!

congrats that is an awesome start :-)

wow thats great!!

Congratulations for starting your journey. I don't want t o discourage you, seeing quick results is hopefully something that motivates you and keeps you going. However, you might bounce back very quickly, and I want to give you some information so that you are not discouraged by that. I started two weeks ago, lost 8 pounds very quickly, and gained 6 pounds back just as quickly, although I ate less and exercised harder in the second week than the first. So, let me explain why that is.

To gain one pound of body fat, you need to eat 3500 calories more than you burn over a period of time. You can't stuff it in all at once, so let's say 500 calories a day more than you need over a week. The reverse is also true: To lose one pound of fat, you need to eat 3500 calories less than you need over a period of time, let's say 500 calories less than you need every day for a week.

Now, you burn maybe 1500 calories a day (it varies from person to person, but for my purpose here, it doesn't matter). To lose 5 pounds of fat in one week, you would have to eat 5*500 = 2500 calories less than you need every day! That's impossible. You would be very unhappy by now if you tried to do that

So, what did you lose if not body fat? In all likelihood, it's water and solids from the bowel. Every day we drink and lose a lot of water, much more than food and fat. You can gain and lose a couple of pounds over the course of the day without even noticing.

So, in order to stay motivated, I would encourage you to not only look at the scale, but also take measurements, pictures, your posture, and anything else that changes while you are adopting a healthier life style! You might discover new kinds of food, or find out about muscles you didn't notice in a long time when you work them out Have fun, and enjoy the ride!

Everybody loses 5 lbs in the first week. After that, it's a slog. But a good slog.