4 lb loss in a month after hard work. confused

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Blazinbarbz
Blazinbarbz Posts: 18
in Health and Weight Loss
hey guys. so i just got back from my weigh in today. checked in at 206, making is a 94 lb loss (from 300). and 38% BF, down from 50% where i started.

kinda sucks i only lost 4 lbs this moonth, but i lost 2 inches from my waist, 1.5%bf, 1.5 inches from my chest. i don't understand how i didn't lose more. i seriously feel and look like i'm out the 200's. ugh i don't understand how this all works. the harder i work, the less weight i lose? does someone mind explaining this to me

a little info about my diet: i'm on a keto diet, 3 days no carbs, 2 days low carbs (under 110).. so on the days im on no carbs i take it about 1k-1.1K cals? (not including workout 40 min cardio, 30 min lifting) and on carb days i usually have my 1.2k, 1.3k cals (again, not including exercise)
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Replies

  • halliedoll
    halliedoll Posts: 171
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    Well it seems as though you've had fantastic results altogether! Maybe your body is getting used to your eating and exercise patterns. Perhaps after so much weight loss, your body is starting to plateau. Just keep pushing forward. You can do it! :D
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
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    If you are logging everything you are eating, I would say you aren't eating enough. 500-800 cal/day, probably shutting down your metabolism.
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
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    wow, awesome loss!

    You still lost and you lost at a reasonable rate. Sometimes there are just plateaus......I find that if I change things up a bit (diet or exercise or both) it helps to kick past that. But you still lost. If you lost inches, my guess would be you hit a spot where maybe you gained a bit more muscle that month. :)
  • Blazinbarbz
    Blazinbarbz Posts: 18
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    1.2k cals is a good amount for 2lb weight loss a week(this is what myfitnesspal recommends). but i guess i'm not getting all that 1.2k in since i don't count my exercise. blah.
    my brain is going to be like wtfff you shouldn't eat that much.

    anybody recommend a good cal range to eat at for a steady loss of 2 lbs a week? and also i'm not losing much muscle because my lifts are staying the same, and in some cases my legs are getting stronger.. my biceps have lost a little strength but i thought that was normal since i'm losing weight
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
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    Four pounds in a month is actually very healthy and good progress. Remember, 1lb a week is generally recommended for sustainable weight loss.

    Weight loss is a long and slow journey, and will not happen over night. Give it time.
  • Blazinbarbz
    Blazinbarbz Posts: 18
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    i understand that, but i've been losing 10 lbs a month up to this last month, which is incoincedently the month i decided to get REALLY serious with my fitness and log everything, weigh everything out, lift weights 4x a week, and actually start running.

    i've worked my hardest ever this month, and i'm still in shock i only lost a measly 4 compared to the other months where i'm just dieting and doing cardio with light weight lifting (once a week
  • nursenikki829
    nursenikki829 Posts: 432 Member
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    You should try consistently eating around 1500 calories... if your diet is accurate and you are eating under 1000 cal per day while exercising, you are starving your body! The cells in your body need energy to function.
  • docktorfokse
    docktorfokse Posts: 473 Member
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    If you are logging everything you are eating, I would say you aren't eating enough. 500-800 cal/day, probably shutting down your metabolism.
    If her metabolism "shut down," she'd be dead.

    Nonetheless, eat more. Your weight loss is reasonable for a month, but I'm telling you to eat more because it's pretty likely that you're sacrificing lean mass just to make a number go down.
  • Blazinbarbz
    Blazinbarbz Posts: 18
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    regardless, i appreciate the inches i've lost this month and BF. i look amazing this month. i had to get my pants tailored because they were already too big (bought them a month and a half ago) and i dont want to keep wasting a ridiculous amount of money buying new ones.

    i feel better, lighter, stronger.. i can see it. it's just weird to me i only lost 4lbs this month. maybe i should start eating a little more? but i'm just mentally scarred of eating more. i'm going to think i'll get fat, and that in turn will get me incredibly depressed.. blaaah, the life of a former fatty ):
  • zaithyr
    zaithyr Posts: 482 Member
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    MFP numbers tend to be a bit extreme honestly (I see a lot of people who are set too low) so I would recommend double checking with other sites to see if that's a good calorie range for you. And 1 lb a week weight loss is a normal, healthy rate. The smaller you get, the slower you will lose, but it sounds like you are still slimming down. I do agree that you should eat more than what you are currently eating.
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    If you don't get a healthy diet in there you will then become anorexic. I agree with at least 1500 but maybe more depending on your exercise!!
    Also 10# a month is huge and more than one can maintain. As you weigh less it will come off slower, get use to it and just eat well and exercise reasonably.
  • Blazinbarbz
    Blazinbarbz Posts: 18
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    yeah i actually think so as well. and usually when i put i did cardio for 40 mins, it tells me that burns 600 cals.. i mean, how can that be so? how can i be sure that i really did burn 600 cals? it's pretty tricky. if anyone can help me getting my macros and cals in check for a nice steady weight loss of 1.5-2lbs a week i'd appreciate it ALOT!

    my macros now look like(on no carb days): 35g fat, 25g carbs, 180-200g protein. 1.2k cals (not including exercise sadly)
  • piebird79
    piebird79 Posts: 201 Member
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    Here you go. Check out Helloitsdan's thorough explanation of BMR and TDEE. This should get your started. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map
  • BeSophisticate
    BeSophisticate Posts: 132
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    2 lbs is the MOST you're supposed to lose per week. If that's your goal, that's fine, but it's probably not going to happen every week and the less you weigh, the less likely it gets that you're going to hit that 2 lb target every week.

    If you're working out that much (and it sounds like quite a bit), and you're not eating back at least some of your calories, you might be shorting yourself. I've noticed that if I don't eat back some (if not all) of my exercise calries, exercise gets harder and harder so that I'm not working out as vigorously without realizing it. My body just runs out of steam.

    Also, how long have you been on low/no carb? It's very difficult to get all your nutrition on those types of diets. I wonder if your body is telling you you're running low on something. If you aren't taking a mutli-vitamin, you probably should.

    I think the most likely thing, though, is that you've hit a bit of a plateau. If you've been losing steadily thus far, that seems extremely likely. You've lost quite a bit and it might just be plateau time for you. The mix-it-up advice is very good.
  • BeSophisticate
    BeSophisticate Posts: 132
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    yeah i actually think so as well. and usually when i put i did cardio for 40 mins, it tells me that burns 600 cals.. i mean, how can that be so? how can i be sure that i really did burn 600 cals? it's pretty tricky. if anyone can help me getting my macros and cals in check for a nice steady weight loss of 1.5-2lbs a week i'd appreciate it ALOT!

    my macros now look like(on no carb days): 35g fat, 25g carbs, 180-200g protein. 1.2k cals (not including exercise sadly)

    MFP waaay over estimates calorie burn for me. My heart rate monitor was probably the best weight loss investment I've made.
  • AReasor
    AReasor Posts: 355 Member
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    When you are working out hard(lifting and strength training) the scale is a really inaccurate way to judge progress. Get the measuring tape out and go by that. You are losing fat but gaining muscle(which weighs more).

    I am 4lbs heavier than 2 months ago, but a heck of a lot skinnier and stronger.

    Keep at it!:smile:
  • Blazinbarbz
    Blazinbarbz Posts: 18
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    besophisticated; if that's what i need to be SURE of what i'm actually eating, then i'll buy one too.

    do you mind explaining how it works? and will it work as i'm weight lifting too, taking rests in between lifts etc.. sorry for all the questions, i'm a noob lol
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    i understand that, but i've been losing 10 lbs a month up to this last month, which is incoincedently the month i decided to get REALLY serious with my fitness and log everything, weigh everything out, lift weights 4x a week, and actually start running.

    i've worked my hardest ever this month, and i'm still in shock i only lost a measly 4 compared to the other months where i'm just dieting and doing cardio with light weight lifting (once a week

    1) Holy moly, you're doing great!

    2) You might be reaching the point where more than 1 pound a week is no longer a realistic goal. By your ticker, your total goal was to lose 100 pounds, so you're almost there.

    3) If you've recently stepped up your exercise, you're probably temporarily retaining fluid, which would cause you to not seem like you're losing as much weight. Give it a few more weeks.
  • alicialwest
    alicialwest Posts: 16 Member
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    Heart rate monitors are really good.
    Celebrate the slim feeling, inches lost, and the pounds that came off. It helps to recognize those things as well as the weightloss.
  • jenniferlmartinez
    jenniferlmartinez Posts: 95 Member
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    Last year when I was going crazy with my workouts. One month I only lost 3 pounds but I lost more then 15 inches!! I was upset but I had gained muscle. So dont relie on a scale. Dont get discourage.

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