Whats going wrong?

[timmyd1924]

My wife and I started to change our lives at the beginning of this month and there have been some...issues?  We started lifting and doing cardio.  We also have been eating low to no carb.  The first week we lost 6 and 7 pounds.  Since then it has been .8 or 1 pounds.  Our deficit is more than enough to be dropping 2+ pounds.  What could be the issue?

 

I understand we need to use other measuring and we do.  Took our first pictures last week and we measure.  What is with the scale though?

[SpecialSundae]

Weight loss is seldom linear and there can be a lot of reasons for this. Give it some time and see what happens, because losing 1lb a week is actually pretty good.

[Luds]

Also, keep in mind that going in too much of a deficit while working out can be counter productive.

Made that mistake myself and went too low for my weight and exercise level and my body responded accordingly, ultimately plateau'd in terms of weight loss and muscle gain was very slow due to lack of "building materials".

[Guzzi]

I second what @SpecialSundae said. It's normal to have a big drop the first week or two and then for it to slow drastically. One common reason for the slowdown is inflammation. If you have recently started an exercise program then it's very likely that you will have some inflammation in your muscles. 

 

How long have you been recording your weight for? Personally I find that weekly weigh-ins are useful for documenting the trend, but I wouldn't try to compare week to week, it will fluctuate like mad. As long as I can see the over all trend is going in the right direction then I'm happy. 

 

I was also also going to ask how you calculated your deficit and how you are working out your calorie intake. There might be some advice we can give you based on that.  

[timmyd1924]

Ive used a bunch of deficit calculators and took the lower numbers to ensure I was not over eating.  I am not necessarily counting calories but I know I am well below my weight maintenance caloric intake.  I am also doing some strength training 3-4 times a week and cardio for 20-30 min 3-4 times a week.  

 

 

[SpecialSundae]

If you're not counting, how are you so sure what your deficit is?

[Guzzi]

I would recommend using a calorie counting app for a couple of weeks and being quite strict about measuring and such. That will give you an accurate calorie count. As someone said earlier, eating too few calories can be detrimental too so you want to make sure that you're taking in enough to fuel your workouts and still be running enough of a deficit to lose weight. I'd recommend My Fitness Pal, it's fairly comprehensive 

[timmyd1924]

4 hours ago, SpecialSundae said:

If you're not counting, how are you so sure what your deficit is?

I am not logging my calories or measuring 100% of the food but I have in the past and eyeball some of it.

 

I have used My Fitness Pal in the past.  We took pictures yesterday and there is some noticeable change so I think I am still headed in the right direction.  

[Emerald Eagle]

There are hundreds of things that affect weight loss. Sleep, stress, hormones. On top of that if what you're doing is new for your body it can take a while to adjust.

 

My biggest piece of advice would be to stick with the process you know is good for your body and over time the weight will come off.

[Haikoo]

That number on the scale doesn't necessarily mean anything. There are plenty of pictures floating around here of the same person at the same weight looking completely different. If you are putting in the working and eating to fuel that, you will see results in time. Patience!

[AnnaBecker]

What you did that first week is REALLY unusual.  The first pounds seem to go quick, but yours was almost impossible unless you were fasting.  So don't use that as a benchmark of what you should be losing.  1-2.5 lbs per week is "normal" (whatever that is).  You didn't take a few weeks to put it on so don't expect to lose it in a few weeks either.  Just be consistent.  Good diet (protein, lots of veggies, low carbs, no processed food) and exercise. I have found that the best thing for me is to walk 10,000 steps a day for weight loss.  That seems to work better than other forms of exercise - for me anyway.  Keep going and don't get discouraged! 

[Artinum]

Losing 6-7 pounds in a week is not sustainable. If you lose six pounds every week, you should see a doctor immediately!! Most likely a good chunk of that was water weight - now you've adapted to the new diet/routine, it's gonna be a slower crawl. A pound a week is GOOD.

[Machete]

 

It does take time. Don't feel bad though, we've all thought about it at some point.

[Gina R.]

I read on mavasports.com an article about the high-protein breakfast. It says you can lose up to 7% body-fat in two weeks. This works well if you work out too. The trick is to have protein first thing in the morning (Meat or other protein source and Mixed Nuts). This will suppress cravings throughout the day and give you more energy than a carb based meal.