18 days. 2lbs lost. See any diff at all? (w/ pics) ...

rusialeelee
rusialeelee Posts: 143
in Motivation and Support
Hello, you!~ I'm a college student on summer break and because of a stressful yr, I gained 20lbs.
Time to lose!

STATS: I'm 21 y/o and 5'7 and weigh ~192lb
My goal is 135 lbs.

EXERCISE: I'm working out 60 minutes every day except Sunday.
~30-40min of cardio; and sets of hip abduction, ab/oblique twists, and tricep pull downs.

DIET: I eat 1200 cals and workout off 200-350 cals.
I don't eat them back. (Yes, I know it's not as healthy but I have a August deadline for my bf's wedding).

Today is my 18th day and don't see much difference on the scale.. but I do feel healthy!
Does anyone have any advice for room for changes in workout/ diet routines?


Before Pic -- DAY 0 -- 193 lbs
BeforePic-Day0.png

BeforePic2-Day0.png

DAY 18 -- 191 lbs (just took these pics right now)
Day18.jpg

Day18bikini.jpg

Also, feel free to add me if you and I are twins :D or you just need moral support!
Thanks in advance! Can't wait to hear from everyone :D.

Replies

  • barrveen
    barrveen Posts: 9
    The only thing I can tell you is ..... if you burn 350 calories in exercise you need to eat them back in food. that will let your body know that you are not starving it and it will release what it has been holding onto. try it for a couple of weeks and see if you have any changes. Too few calories and your body goes into starvation mode. It will hold onto everything including the kitchen sink. comfort your body by replacing the calories you burned I am pretty sure it will reward you by dropping the pounds.
  • rusialeelee
    rusialeelee Posts: 143
    ^ will do. All the explanations I read were confusing... but I think you got it spot on. I'll try eating back and let you know how it's going :D
  • xalexxandrax
    xalexxandrax Posts: 43 Member
    Your stomach seems slightly flatter.. im 200 and 5'7".. help motivate me im losing it :'/
  • rusialeelee
    rusialeelee Posts: 143
    so two things that keep me going make the situation live or die..

    (1) showcase event -- bff's wedding: everyone I ever met will be there and as the bridesmaid I want to present myself well.. the deadline is end of August. So maybe you can have a similar scenario where the public eye will be on you. If there is not event any time soon, you can invite your family members and friends for dinner at your place or outside like 6 months from now to showcase your new body.

    and

    (2) clothing: I found this really cute sundress in my closet that I used to wear in high school. I am 3 inches of zipper away from fitting into it. And I really want to wear it this summer!! So badly... So maybe you can look for several clothing from your past (or buy new ones) and have each piece of clothing be stages in order to get to the size you want to be.

    hope that helps! :D
  • gnat45
    gnat45 Posts: 833 Member
    I can't tell yet if you've lost (it's early), but you look much smaller than 191.
  • urasweethart
    urasweethart Posts: 123 Member
    did do any measurements before??? I would do measurements and watch that way esp if the scale not dropping but it looks like your tightening.
  • rusialeelee
    rusialeelee Posts: 143
    yup! I took measurements!

    ............ Start ....... Current
    Bust...... 42........... 39.5
    Waist ... 35 .......... 34
    Hip ....... 43 ......... 41
  • jennismagic
    jennismagic Posts: 243 Member
    The only thing I can tell you is ..... if you burn 350 calories in exercise you need to eat them back in food.

    This seems counterintuitive. Why would someone eat all the calories they just burned? Doesn't that erase the deficit and keep their weight in the same place?
  • urasweethart
    urasweethart Posts: 123 Member
    yup! I took measurements!

    ............ Start ....... Current
    Bust...... 42........... 39.5
    Waist ... 35 .......... 34
    Hip ....... 43 ......... 41

    wow you have lost 5.5 inches total so far in JUST 18DAYS thats only 2 1/2 weeks your doing amazing, you've got this by aug. keep up all your hard work
  • rusialeelee
    rusialeelee Posts: 143
    thank you so much for your encouragement. It was a little disheartening to see no change in the scale and I didn't realize the 5.5 difference in measurement was much.. thank you so much! it definitely gives me the push to keep going at it harder :D
  • megantron3691
    megantron3691 Posts: 9
    My scale was going up for a while and I got really upset (and thus deleted my first account). This time around I noticed the scale fluctuating a LOT. Luckily I took measurements the first time and decided to use that as my primary judgement of success. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had lost 1.5 inches even though I "gained" 2 pounds. Sometimes the scale just isn't an accurate judge of the changes your body is going through. I think you definitely look different in the pictures. Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Even if you only lose .5" a week, it is something. Keep it up!
  • doornumber03
    doornumber03 Posts: 221 Member
    DIET: I eat 1200 cals and workout off 200-350 cals.
    I don't eat them back. (Yes, I know it's not as healthy but I have a August deadline for my bf's wedding).

    The fact you know it's not healthy and still decide to do it is perplexing. Putting a deadline on this is just a bad idea.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    The only thing I can tell you is ..... if you burn 350 calories in exercise you need to eat them back in food.

    This seems counterintuitive. Why would someone eat all the calories they just burned? Doesn't that erase the deficit and keep their weight in the same place?

    If you eat 1200 and burn 350 you're netting 850, so if you eat them back you're netting 1200, which is still a deficit.

    Eating back calories burnt doesn't always work for everyone btw.
  • michcruz
    michcruz Posts: 152 Member
    Just keep it up. Sometimes your body takes time to really adjust. You also may not see changes in weight, but in inches, especially if you are toning. Take your measurements and try and go by that more so. You'll see your clothes fitting a bit better and you know you are on your way. I am 5'7'' and when I first started out, I was 220 lbs. I'm now maintaining at around 150. It's taken me almost 3 years to get here and I've had some ups and downs. Just keep at it and you'll get there.

    As for your work out cals, make sure you eat at least half of them back. Your body needs the cals to burn for energy.

    Add me as a friend for support if you'd like!
  • bodiva88
    bodiva88 Posts: 308 Member
    Jenni, if you are eating fewer calories and exercising too, you can end up eating too few calories for your activity level, scaring your body into famine mode. Moderation! You don't want to go too low.

    And Ruslaleelee, your measurements are telling the tail. Your scale may not be showing it but you're getting fitter and looking better and the scale will follow!
  • gguynes
    gguynes Posts: 20
    You look tighter in all areas compared to your first photos... You may not see the weight falling off, but there is a definite difference in appearance.

    Watching the scale can be frustrating... Keep focused on your goal and look for ways to stretch yourself when exercising, particularly the cardio... changing the cardio routine and pressing your performance may help... I have to set goals for myself every time I step on an Elliptical, treadmill, or bike... Everytime I get into a groove with one machine, I switch to another and push myself... BTW, I've only lost 10 pounds and have been doing this for awhile... But I wouldn't have lost anything without the app...
  • markpmc
    markpmc Posts: 240 Member
    thank you so much for your encouragement. It was a little disheartening to see no change in the scale and I didn't realize the 5.5 difference in measurement was much.. thank you so much! it definitely gives me the push to keep going at it harder :D

    Solid progress. Keep it up you're doing just fine. It's to feel the pressure of your big day, but it's still 60 days off. Plenty of time.

    Oh and I'm sure others have made this same point. The scale is just a number. Let it go where it wants to go and focus on your measurements. It's the inches that you measure that others see when they look at you.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
    I would say up your calories to at least 1400 and exercise every single day. even if only on Sundays all you do is walk for 30 minutes. Do something to move your body every day. I figure my fat isn't taking a day off so why should I take a day off to do absolutely nothing.

    Eat back some of your exercise calories. I don't eat all mine back, I don't come even close, but I do eat some back. Seems to be working for me. Check out my diary to get an idea of what I do/eat. I've been on MFP for 15 days.

    Watch your salt intake! if you are eating a lot of salty foods your body will hold onto a lot of water weight.

    It simply is not possible for you to get to 135 pounds by August. Or do you mean August 2013?
  • evenduchess83
    evenduchess83 Posts: 28 Member
    thank you so much for your encouragement. It was a little disheartening to see no change in the scale and I didn't realize the 5.5 difference in measurement was much.. thank you so much! it definitely gives me the push to keep going at it harder :D

    Just remember hun that muscle weighs more than fat. Even though you do not see much difference in the scale....you are still losing weight and inches. I do see a little bit of a difference in your pictures but its still early yet. I think you will be fine by august.
  • cavewoman15
    cavewoman15 Posts: 278 Member
    i agree with the previous poster that you sure don't look like you weigh 190 pounds! my guess is you aren't eating enough. seems crazy, but your body is a crazy machine and needs some food love. i'd add in a couple hundred calories a day for a couple weeks and see what happens. you won't gain weight b/c you're still at a deficit, so worst case scenario is that you will stay the same and get to eat some more :)
  • doornumber03
    doornumber03 Posts: 221 Member
    thank you so much for your encouragement. It was a little disheartening to see no change in the scale and I didn't realize the 5.5 difference in measurement was much.. thank you so much! it definitely gives me the push to keep going at it harder :D

    Just remember hun that muscle weighs more than fat. Even though you do not see much difference in the scale....you are still losing weight and inches. I do see a little bit of a difference in your pictures but its still early yet. I think you will be fine by august.

    Completely false that muscle weighs more
  • gnat45
    gnat45 Posts: 833 Member
    yup! I took measurements!

    ............ Start ....... Current
    Bust...... 42........... 39.5
    Waist ... 35 .......... 34
    Hip ....... 43 ......... 41

    Good progress!
  • ohthatzhott
    ohthatzhott Posts: 19 Member
    Don't stress over the pounds and if you can see it, that can potentially discourage you and make you think your diet isn't working. You said the key words, "I FEEL Healthy". Feelings go a long way when you're trying to lose weight. You won't see drastic change right away but you can tell when it is on the horizon. When I first started I swear I felt different after three days - and that was what kept me going. I didn't weigh myself too often in the beginning because I knew I was making progress and didn't want the lbs to distract my mindset. I'm comfortable with the scale now but I always rely on how I feel! Sometimes the scale reads that I'm two lbs lighter and I felt better the week before when I was two lbs heavier. Rely on what your body - not the numbers - tells you.

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