183 this morning. Up two pounds from two weeks ago. In spite of gym and 1500 calories a day.
Uh… yeah. I’d better be “building muscle” from the weightlifting. And I’d better have lost five pounds next Monday when I weigh myself.
This is BS.
Hang in there Sattua the only way to fail is to quit. This is a journey, a process. It takes everyone a different amount of time. Sounds to me like you’re doing everything right.
And yes, I’m sure it’s muscle you’re building. Good luck!
I’ve started to track the amount of calories that I eat every day, and it has surprised me how fast I can get to 1800. I thought that I was eating healthfully before, but now realize how many calories I was consuming. I figure that I’ve gained a couple of pounds every year since I had my son (he is 13). Those extra snacks and treats really do add up over the course of a year, and the years really add up to towards my gradual weight gain.
How much is a reasonable amount to expect to lose each month? If I weigh 151 or thereabouts and am consuming 1800 calories, is that about right? As of right now I’m not exercising, other than walking the dog several times a week (about a half mile each time).
I’m having the same week. I’m working out every day and eating no more than I had been the weeks before and today I showed that I gained another pound. Even though I have my period (I know, TMI) and should expect this I still want to bang my head into the wall. There’s only 9 days until Thanksgiving and I know I’m not going to lose the extra 5 that I wanted to lose by then.
I suggest you sign up with SparkPeople and enter your weight and current goals. It’ll give you a calorie range to hit each day. It’s free, and if you want to use it to track food and/or exercise, you can.
Or, you can Google for a Baseline Metabolic Rate calculator. That’ll tell you how many calories it takes just to keep you alive but comatose. That’s an eye-opener.
Are you a man or woman? 1800 calories per day sounds like maintenance for a 151-pound woman who isn’t getting much exercise. I weigh 183 and go to the gym three times a week, and I’m trying to get about 1500. And not losing weight. :smack:
Well, I gained 3 pounds since my last weigh in, but it’s better than I expected (203 on Monday). I have been feeling very tired lately, and I didn’t work out for a couple of weeks. I’ve exercised 3 days this week so it’s better. I’ll be discussing my fatigue with my endocrinologist in a couple of weeks at my regular 3-month appointment. Tomorrow, I’m off for blood tests; maybe it’s just my thyroid again.
I hear your frustration. I’ve been lifting 3x a week plus at least 3-4 days of aerobic and I’m still not losing. I’m doing portion control but not calorie counting, but really. Don’t give up, Sattua! Maybe throw in another day of non-lifting exercise?
Still, I find it hard to attribute significance to fluctuations +/- 1-2 lbs. There are so many variables in that range. Am I wrong to think this?
Sattua, thanks for the suggestion. I signed up with SparkPeople and see that I should eat,at most, 1550 calories per day. I’ve set a goal of losing five pounds by December 23rd. I tracked everything I ate today and so far, so good.
Another added benefit of this is that I’ll be much more motivated to pack a lunch instead of eating out, which will save some money. I already have my lunch for tomorrow ready to go, and have planned for breakfast and a snack as well.
I think my biggest downfall will be dinner. I’m pretty good during the day, but DH is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I just need to take that into account when planning meals.
My weight fluctuates by up to a kg on a day to day basis, even with measurements taken at the same time. I don’t consider a goal passed until I have weighed in at under the goal weight three days running.
So hang in there Sattua, it will get better. I never thought I would get back under 100kgs - but did. 90kgs was a dream too far - I passed it. Now, I am eyeing up 80kgs and I can dare to believe. It has just taken some time and effort. And I know all about plateaus - for each of those significant milestones passed there was a period of weeks sitting just above the line. I knew I was getting smaller, as I had to drill holes in my belt occasionally, but it was still demoralising to see the same weight week after week. But the breakthrough will come. The weight didn’t appear overnight, it will take a while to go.
Here is something I worked out. I gained ~40kg over ~20 years, so 2kg a year - thats 14000 calories, or 270 calories a week. Just 1 bag of crisps a week over my basal metabolic rate. Gaining was easy and subtle, losing (in less than than 20 years) is hard.
Si
Absolutely. Hydration fluctuations alone can account for around 1 kg ±
Yes, significant changes in fitness take time. I wasn’t even obese, just overweight, but losing the 13–14 kg of fat took me about a year. I probably could have done it in a bit less if I’d really pushed things by working out 3 days on, 1 off like the hardcore guys, going on a strict diet where portions are weighed and every meal and snack was accounted for and planned, and made losing weight my main goal and focus for about 8 months. That doesn’t account for having a life, ramping up fitness to actually be able to do heavy workouts without injury, inevitable days off due to illness or lack of time, etc.
The more you’ve got to lose, the harder it is initially, and the longer total time it will take. Healthy sustainable weight loss is probably no more than 1 kg a week, on average, and might be less than that some months. Figure on only losing about 3–4 kg a month. That means that, yes, you might be able to drop 10 kg in 12 weeks, but it could take you 16, or even longer.
And again, going by just what the scale tells you can be misleading. I have had periods where I didn’t drop any weight, but I sure as heck had some body composition changes. Making various fitness marks your goal is, as I’ve said, a healthier outlook than focusing on gross weight or even measurements like waist size. It’s easier to see direct benefits every time you compare past workouts, you’ll have a better mindset for long-term lifestyle changes that you’ll need to sustain if you want to keep the weight off, and you’ll probably feel better about it because it’s mostly under your direct control. Sure, you can have an off day where you feel like you’re going all-out but not doing as well time/weight wise as you thought, but usually your workout results are a reflection of your effort at that time and in every session working up to that one.
I agree that judging how I’m doing by how much looser my clothes are is a better indicator than basing it all on what the scale says. I always have at least one article of clothing that’s too small and I try it on once a month to see how much better it fits. In only 10 pounds I went from being barely able to squeeze into my favorite jeans after they came out of the dryer to having to put them in the dryer after one wearing so that they don’t get droopy. I know that I’m not going to make the goal of being 5 pounds under my ideal weight by Thanksgiving and I’ll probably gain a few by the end of December, but another few months of this isn’t so bad. If nothing else it will forestall having to figure out how to maintain the loss without eating too little or too much.
Thanks for all the support, guys. I wouldn’t freak out about fluctuations that went away after a day or two, but for the past two weeks, I’ve gained and kept a pound each week. After some industrial-strength pouting, I’m ready to get back on the wagon today. It’s muscle weight, right?
It’s muscle weight, right?
I feel like this is the elephant in the room, and I REALLY REALLY don’t want to put you in a bad mood, but I feel like since you asked again, we need to address this.
First - am I correct that you’re a gal? If so, it is really tough for a woman to build enough muscle that her weight increases. So I find it highly unlikely that in the past two weeks you’ve gained two pounds of muscle. Men work HARD to build and gain muscle, and it’s a bit harder for women.
Having said that, maybe it’s partly true. The other thing to think about is that if you have started doing different weight exercises, and your muscles are sore, that could be contributing to your weight gain. From what I understand, when muscles are worked out, you actually are tearing the muscle fiber - just a teeny bit, but that’s what happens. Then the muscles repair themselves and become stronger. Also from what I understand, your muscles require water to help with the repair somehow. So often if you’re sore, you’re also retaining water in your muscles.
Now, I am not a scientist, so someone will pop in shortly and tell me I’m completely full of shit. But I guess what I’m saying is be realistic about the changes going on in your body. But also know that if you’re eating well and getting active, IT WILL SHOW UP ON THE SCALE…eventually. You just can’t give up. Because then it will never show up!
So I’m thinking of joining a gym since hopefully that will give me the motivation to actually exercise. It’s getting cold and I won’t really be able to go for walks outside much longer, not that I was doing that with enough frequency to do much good. Does anyone have any tips on what to look for? How much should I expect to pay?
I’d really like to lose 10 lbs by Christmas but I would settle for 5. My long-term is more than that but this would be a great motivator.
What I’m telling myself is–
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I am seeing more definition in my legs, so there has been some amount of muscle gain
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I know the thing about sore muscles retaining water. Checkity.
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Two pounds of muscle isn’t so very much, especially when spread over the whole body.
I have a degree in animal physiology, but I wouldn’t say I’m a scientist.
Arien–I’m living in the ever-affordable Midwest and going to an independent gym. Sparks and I pay $47/month for both of us.
Depending on your health insurance carrier, you may qualify for a discount on health club membership. My husband and I only pay $7 apiece for our gym membership with our insurance discount. We do have to pay for a year in advance and make sure we go at least 12 times a month, but it’s worth it. I think our gym costs $30 a month for a single or $50 for couples otherwise.
Put away the scale and break out the measuring tape. Muscle weighs more than fat, as you know, but if you’re losing fat and gaining muscle you’ll see it in the tape measure.
Well, technically a pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle. A pound of muscle does take up less space than a pound of fat, though, so it is heavier by volume.
I’m going to start poking everyone who points that out.
<poke>
Scales are for fishes!
Anyway you slice you’re headed in the right direction…we all are as long as we don’t quit.
Last night, for the first time in a long time and notably the first time since Weight Watchers, I purchased new clothes. I’ve been shopping but gotten disappointed because the 14s were too loose and the 12s were too tight. Not so anymore. The 12s, every pair I tried on, fit just fine and two were actually loose.
I only bought two pair of pants because I don’t expect to be hanging around the 12s for all that long.
But I’m really very, very happy to be in a new size. 