UGH! What am I doing wrong???

[Korrie]

So I started my "once and for all" lifestyle change 3 wks ago....in those 3 wks, I've lost 10 lbs....which is ok by me. Although I did drop my cals from 3000 a day to about 1000/1200 a day. I thought I'd lose more...but I cant complain about 3 lbs a week.

However...the last 5 dys my weight has gone up and down for the same 2lbs. One day it'll be 238 the next 240 back and forth for 5 dys now even though my cals have been the same.

WHY? its frusterating!

 

[Jericho]

Welcome to my world for about the last 2-3 months. I actually had to tighten things up even more for my weight to start dropping. Maybe you had hit a little wall?

Come now, you can break past this.

 

[Korrie]

2-3 mths now??? seriously?? wow thats too bad. Well, I have no intentions of ever giving up. Even if at eating this way will keep me at 238/240 for the rest of my life, its better than gaining weight, which is the only other alternative.

 

[mizzie]

I don't think you need to drop your calories that low. I weigh 166 now and I lose 1-2 pounds a week eating about 1300 calories. Since your weight is higher, you'll burn more calories a day.

Since you are already counting calories, try signing up for a site like FitDay.com or LifeStrong.com. They can help you calculate your calorie needs for weight loss. Eating too low can actually slow your weight loss and you should not eat under 1200 calories a day, no matter what. Having a low day once in a while is fine, but as a general rule, stay over 1200.

Also, are you exercising at all? That can help burn more calories and you'll maintain your lean muscle, so what you lose is fat. You'll also be able to eat a little more if you are active.

And, you can't expect to lose 3 pounds a week every time. A good rule of thumb is to aim for 1% of your body weight a week. So, for you that would be about 2.4 pounds a week, but as you go down, the weight loss will slow. And you'll have weeks where you do everything right and don't lose an ounce, it's normal.

That said, 5 days really isn't much. Try to weigh yourself just once a week if the scale is driving you crazy. I doubt this is a plateau, since you just started, but you should know that they are normal and can last a month or two. Also, be sure to drink a LOT of water. Water retention could be the reason you are going up and down.

 

[dtrain78ou]

My advice would be to keep doing what you do..If you are eating at a deficit and working out, the weight will come off. Maybe not as fast as you want, but it will.

 

[Korrie]

thanks for the advice guys! I wonder if water will help. My stomaches been feeling bloated lately...although TOM isnt' due...I'll try the water and see...thanks

 

[Jynus]

whats your diet? calories might be a bit low, but more importantly is the macro breakdown... In my experience training, 100% of my clients ate way to many carbs, and not enough protein... like in the area of 60-70% of total calories from carbs... since you're feeling bloated I have a sneaking suspicion that this is the case for you as well...

 

[Korrie]

this is a typical day for me...

cerial or yogurt or 2 eggs for breakfast

yogurt or a ff.fudgesicle sometimes baby carrots for snacks

chicken breast for lunch

snacks again the same as above

dinner is a chicken breast or subway normally

snack at night, sometimes toast, sometimes fruit?

little exercise...waiting to buy an exercise bike.....cals are about 1000/1200 cals

 

[biggestloser105]

So I started my "once and for all" lifestyle change 3 wks ago....in those 3 wks, I've lost 10 lbs....which is ok by me. Although I did drop my cals from 3000 a day to about 1000/1200 a day. I thought I'd lose more...but I cant complain about 3 lbs a week.

However...the last 5 dys my weight has gone up and down for the same 2lbs. One day it'll be 238 the next 240 back and forth for 5 dys now even though my cals have been the same.

WHY? its frusterating!

What you're going through is normal, when you first change your lifestyle you experience drastic weight loss in part because of genuine weight loss but in part because you lose a lot of stomach and bowel contents weight from eating a lot less food.

Also if you switch from eating a junky diet high in refined carbs to a healthy diet with fewer carbs you will lose a lot of water weight.

After you've been on a healthy diet for a while, you're not going to notice such drastic drops in weight anymore because now your weight loss will be coming from fat.

It's also possible for a female body to retain different amounts of water at different times because of hormones. As well as eating different types of foods (like salty or carbs) can make you retain water. If you have any food allergies/sensitivities (gluten and dairy can be common culprits), then eating those foods may cause inflammation which would also cause you to gain water.


Keep in mind that a pound is 3500 calories, so you're not going to gain a pound of fat unless you eat an excess of 3500 calories. And similarly as long as you're eating less than you're using you'll be losing fat even if the scale doesn't immediately show it as a result of water weight or constipation or bloating.

Probably you shouldn't eat less than 1200 calories though, because some trainers warn that eating less than that can cause you to go into starvation mode.