Confused about my weight loss progress

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2003
Confused about my weight loss progress
18
Fri, 06-15-2007 - 8:57am

I started my weight loss journey on May 21. Since then I've lost 12 pounds and although my caloric intake has remained steady at 1450-1500 calories, I weighed myself this morning and am still at 207, the same weight from Sunday.

I am going to weigh myself this coming Sunday because the same thing happened last Thursday when I weighed myself and it showed me at 210, the same weight from the week prior. Then, when I weighed myself last Sunday to see if any weight had budged (last week was also my menstrual week) I was down to 207. I'm STILL 207.

My normally scheduled weigh-in date was every 7 days on a Thursday morning. Maybe I should change that permanently to Sunday? Why do I not seem to lose weight from Thursday to Thursday, but show a marked drop from Thursday to Sunday?

I have been so incredibly diligent with this and have ensured I eat every morsel of food that is nutritious and fills my daily quota. I do not allow myself to go under that calorie limit under any circumstances (other than if I were ill). I cannot see how this is physiologically possible, and I know I am not retaining water this week because my ring is loose. Ughhh, I know it was a positive thing for me to step on the scale and I do believe it is very important to my weight loss goals - but I am now driving myself nuts with worry that if I step on the scale, it will show me as plateaued or even gained.

Can I get a fresh perspective from someone?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-02-2001
Fri, 06-15-2007 - 10:55am

Plateaus are not terrible... though they can be frustrating.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2003
Fri, 06-15-2007 - 11:04am

Hi Glimmer_me,

I am not working out yet. I just received the DVD to the Hip Hop Abs yesterday in the mail, so I've not had the chance to begin augmenting my weight loss with work outs.

Would this be the reason why I am not losing? I calculated my BMR at around 2300 cals a day, and I'm eating no more than 1500, so there is already a calorie deficit. I also eat nutrient rich, low fat foods from every food group except I do not eat much dairy nor do I eat a lot of refined sugars, flours or starches. I found that I tend to react negatively to sugar, dairy and flour-based foods such as milk, cheeses, pasta, bread - unless the bread is organic spelt or "Pioneer Bread", and sweets. It sends me into a vicious cycle of borderline hypoglycemia and I just keep craving more.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-02-2001
Fri, 06-15-2007 - 11:49am
You can definately lose weight by diet alone.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-04-2003
Fri, 06-15-2007 - 1:23pm

First of all Congratulations on your loss!! That is fabulous!


Secondly, if overall you are seeing losses, just not on the days you expected - I wouldn't worry too much. Differences in the scale can be due to (a) where the scale is placed in the room, (b) what time of day you are weighing, (c) how much salt you took the in the day before (water retention), (d) where you are in your menstrual cycle, (e) just about anything I haven't listed here! LOL


I would say that as our bodies adjust to new diets/workout regimens, it takes a while for them to adjust. Your weight loss is unlikely to be consistent from day to day or week to week, but it is important to look at your weight loss trend over a longer period of time like 2-3 weeks or even over a month.


As you add workouts to your routine, take measurements and keep track of those as well - fat weighs more than muscle, but takes up less room, so you may not see pounds lost, but you may be dropping inches.


If you find you are becoming frustrated over a lack of movement on the scale, perhaps weigh yourself every two weeks and see if you find things evening out over than period of time.


Again - it really sounds like you are doing everything right, so I don't know that you would need any major adjustments right now!


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sun, 06-17-2007 - 7:23pm

The other ladies have given some great tips and advice- I agree with them. There's a saying you may have seen here a couple of times- baby steps, we use that a lot- because it works!


The darn scale can be disheartening at times- have you taken your measurements? That's another way to gauge your progress- plus how you feel and how your clothes feel.


Miranda's suggestion of weighing once every two weeks is a good one- but from the sounds of things you would be more comfortable with a weekly weigh in. Can I ask why you chose Thursday? I used to weigh in on Mondays- get me started on the week, but then changed to Fridays....so I would see how the week went and to see if I could take it slightly easy over the weekend ;-)


Lately I haven't had a weigh in day at all-- probably about every 2 weeks I think of it. There was no reason for me to stop the weekly weigh ins.....but it seems to have helped. I'm not as obsessed with the # when I step on.


Adding in some exercise will help- even just a 20-30min leisurely walk. Have you checked out our summer challenge? (see the follow me tag below!)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-22-2006
Mon, 06-18-2007 - 8:48am
Great job so far on the weight loss!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-18-2007
Mon, 06-18-2007 - 12:03pm
I feel your pain!! I have been eating much less than I used to and working out four 1 hour almost every day! Yet, I am stuck at the same weight for months. I have only lost 4 lbs total in 3 months of dieting and exercise. Before I was eating whatever I wanted and not exercising at all. I don't get it. It seems like, what's the point? Today I had some coffee at 7:30 am and egg salad made with fat-free mayo and two slices of double fiber whole wheat bread with 5.5 oz of V8 juice for lunch. I usually have a "sensible dinner". I am stuck at this weight with Slimfast, with South Beach, it doesn't matter. After the hrrible cravings and bowel issues ( I have IBS) I just decided to just try to eat healthy portoins of healthy foods. I have had 2 babies and always go back down to 157 (my current weight), but then I am stuck there. I used to weight 138 before having children. I am just about ready to try starvation!!! Any ideas out there??
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 06-18-2007 - 3:25pm

Hey there Blondie....and welcome to the board!


I'm not sure how many calories you are consuming but for the hourly workouts you're doing you want to make sure you're eating enough not to be going into 'starvation mode'....


Here's a great article with more info: CLICK HERE

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-04-2003
Tue, 06-19-2007 - 12:17pm

WElcome to the board Blondie!

Plateaus are enough to drive a woman to drink. Or eat. Choose your poison I guess. LOL

IG made a good point about making sure your calories are HIGH enough - the article has some great info.

Sometimes making a small adjustment like increasing your calories by 10%-20% for a week and then readjusting to a lower amount, or simply looking at where those calories are coming from can make a difference too. Our bodies slip into the comfort zone, so might just be looking for a shake-up.

The other thing to be careful of as well is setting realistic weight goals. It took me years before I realized that my high school weight was not an attainable goal for me. I've made some changes to how I look at my body and now aim for a healthy size not necessarily a lower weight - so I use tape measures and clothes as well as the scale to judge how I'm doing.

Here's to finding what works for you!!

June 11 – July 16
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2003
Wed, 06-20-2007 - 11:33am

I'm so sorry all for not responding sooner. iVillage gives my pc a hard time often with all of the graphics and scripts, so I have been unable to post.

Thanks so much for your support and your advice. The good news is that I did weigh myself on Sunday and I dropped another 2 pounds to 205. YIPPEE!! To the poster who asked why I chose Thursday - it was just the way it ended up for me because I had been weighing myself every single day in my first week and noticing the weight fly off every day or two, so I had to pace myself so as not to expect this same rapid weight loss (well, not if I wanted it to be healthy) and it happened to be a Thursday that I last weighed myself.

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