Not Losing Weight Fast Enough
 

I am starting month two of my weight loss journey. My weigh in today put me at 20 pounds down and a lot to go. I have only lost 2 pounds this week and feel I should have lost more.

I worked out Monday - Saturday and stuck with my 2000 calorie diet. I would think I would be dropping pounds so fast since I am 400+ pounds.

My workouts consist of riding the stationary bike for 15 minutes and weights or dry sauna for 15 minutes daily. I also mix in walks for 2 miles throughout the week and pool exercises on Saturday. I did weights during the week and gained 2 pounds that week so I stopped the weights.

I am eating basically cereal for breakfast, fruit for snack, turkey sandwich for lunch, fruit for snack and chicken and vegetables for dinner.

It is getting me a little down that I am not losing more on a weekly basis.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I might increase weekly weight loss?

Thanks
GarryB

Garry, hi and welcome to FitDay and the forums!

While 20 lbs isn't bad, I agree that you might expect to see a bigger loss at your weight (I know, I was there and then some 10 short monts ago).

While I can't see your food logs (unless you care to share them), it "sounds" like you're fairly heavy on the carbs. Personally, I've found pretty good success with a 40/30/30 calorie mix (carbs/protein/fat).

I would restart the exercise--any small gains are temporary and caused by inflammation that will pass. The calories you burn and any muscle mass you save/make will be a blessing both now and when you get down to your goal weight.

Now, are you being brutally honest about tracking calories? Weighing and measuring and logging every single thing you eat/drink? Hey, guys like us don't get to be over 400 pounds by making wise portion/food decisions.

Because, at the end of the day, this whole deal pretty much boils down to calories in vs. calories out. At your weight (IDK your age/height) you should be burning up to 4,000 calories a day (that's what I figure I was burning when I was over 400 lbs.--now I'm down to around 3,000). IF you are truly eating 2,000 a day your loss "should" be around 4 lbs. a week, on average.

Personally, I like an even bigger calorie deficit, if you can be comfortable on it (I can, with wise food choices) and shoot for 1500 calories (not going over 1600). I've done this for 10 months now with pretty decent results. That would get you, on average, around a 5lbs a week loss.

Also, how much water are you drinking? I do at least a gallon a day and should drink more. Within reason, the more you drink the faster you lose.

Don't hesitate to ask if you have questions or if there is anything we can do to help.

Regards,
Michael

PS You might check out our "100 + pounds to lose" theard in the Diet Tips forum--there are a bunch of us that are/have been where you're at.

Hi, I am also just starting my weight loss journey. I would like to rush weight loss too, but i have read from several sources that a healthy amount to lose each week is 1-2 pounds. So it sounds like you are on track. I would only suggest to stick with your workouts on a daily basis and gradually build up more activity. Good luck to you!! :)

okay, maybe I read this differently. I think you are losing it pretty quickly. Since you said you lost 20 pounds and you are STARTING month two, I take it that you like 20 pounds in ONE month, right?

Ha ha--I kinda missed that--still, I might have expected a bit more in the first month but yes, 5 lbs a week isn't bad.

Regards,
Michael

Thanks for the reply. I am not saying that the weight loss I have experienced is not good, I just expected more. I have completely changed my diet and exercise life and have really put forth a lot of effort.

It is like a video game for me so I do track all food I intake. With the exception of Saturday where I choose to use as a splurge day. However, I cannot believe an intake of 4000 calories as apposed to 2000 on Saturday would cause my weekly weigh ins to be so low.

I might be a little Carb heavy with my sandwich's, but I always was told Calories in / Calories out was all I need to focus on. I hate to have to start looking at fat and other stuff.

I did also start taking a multi vitamin about half way through February and hope that has nothing to do with it.

My water intake is good in my opinion. I have a 32 oz cup on my desk at work that I drink at least 2 sometimes 3 of a day. Then I have 24 oz cup I use for water at home for meals. I have even stopped drinking fruit juice that I love in hopes that helps. I have tried Diet Dr. Pepper since it has Zero calories, but probably only 3 a week.

I have shared my journal I think:
http://www.fitday.com/fitness/Public...wner=gbargsley


So if anyone has any helpful suggestions I would be greatful. I am dedicated to making this positive change in my life.

Thanks
GarryB
______________________________________
Age: 34, Sex: Male, Height: 6'4
Starting Weight 01/24/2011: 489lbs
First Goal 05/31/2011: 399lbs
Goal Weight: 250lbs

Garry, took a look at your food journal.

I agree that technically calories in vs. calories out should work. BUT, I have found that my body releases fat more quickly if I go a little heavier on the protien and as an added plus, protein helps keep me from getting hungry so quickly.

Honestly, I see quite a few "empty" calories in what you're eating. I would really go heavier on the lean meats, fruit and veggies and get rid of the junk.

Go for at least a gallon of water--you'll see a big difference.

I, too, started out with one "day off" per week. My losses slowed down and even stopped for a couple of weeks. I now have one day a month off and that seems to work OK.

The multivitamin is fine--I take one daily.

You're a bit bigger than I was 10 months ago, but a lot taller as well. I'm no expert, all I can offer you is what works for me. From 440 or so to 267 in 10 months, while not earth-shattering by any means is still not too shabby, I think.

Regards,
Michael

Gary,

Be patient, you are doing great! We all lose at different rates. Just know that it will come off faster than it went on... if you stick to it. IMO impatient or unrealistic goals will lead to frustration which will lead to giving up. If I had to guess it probably took you many many years to go from your ultimate goal weight to 489 pounds, don't expect to take it off overnight. You'll get there, just keep doing the right things and before you know it you'll be really happy with your progress.

Thanks for the feedback and encouragement.

Michael, how do you decide foods to eat that are good protein? I am a picky eater and have basically stuck with grilled chicken and green beans and turkey sandwich's. I am trying to stay away from beef, because I have heard that it makes you feel weighted down and after someone told me that I tend to agree as I used to eat beef two meals a day.

I really want to succeed and I don't want to get burnt out on chicken and green beans. However, I need to find things to eat that will keep my in my calorie range.

Also, I think I will change to just the last Saturday of the month as my day off.

Thanks again.
Garry

I eat very lean cuts of beef 1-3x/week, because it's a great source of protein and iron. If I eat it more than 3x/week it tends to stall me out a little. For other sources of protein you might try cottage cheese, reduced fat cheese, Greek yogurt, soy nuts, almonds, fish, eggs, tuna, protein supplements like bars or powders. And I can say for certain that one cheat day a week can cost you the loss you worked all week for, unfair but true. Also you don't want to give up on weight training, the more muscle you carry the more efficient your body is at burning calories.

Hi Gary,
I agree with the guys above. Your calories may be low but they're too loaded with carbs. The carbs that your body can't use get stored as fat. If you can manage to get some of the things from Almeeker's list into your meals you should start seeing improved results.

Absolutely agree with the above. Don't quit your muscle building exercise. Muscle weighs more than fat, and you might gain weight, but you're still LOSING fat. So build up the muscle and use it. The more you use it, the more you're going to burn. It's not ALL about weight, although it may seem that way. It's hard not to splurge, but my experience, having lost about 30 lb., is that splurging leads to backsliding, which in turn leads to discouragement and quitting. You didn't gain all that weight overnight, and you will not lose it overnight, but progress is infinitely better than regress, right? As far as beef goes, if you stick with lean cuts like round steak and tenderloin and trim any fat, you're okay with eating it. It's not entirely bad for you. Just don't consider cheeseburgers "okay". Watch the portions, too. Protein will help you continue to feel full through the day. I've been making salads for lunch every day and tossing in turkey, chicken, or tuna to up the protein factor. Sometimes when suppertime comes, I'm not all that hungry. If you've been used to eating 4000 calories a day, cutting back to 2000 probably feels like a big drop in volume. So while you're cutting back on calories, add some veggies that are low in calories but big on volume. I probably ate between 3000 and 4000 calories myself before I started paying attention. Currently, I eat 1500-1600 calories a day and walk a couple of miles every morning. I also take care of a couple of donkeys, so I tote hay bales and water during the day. Try to find other ways to reward yourself for sticking to your eating plan. Treat yourself to something other than food, and give yourself a pat on the back for your persistence. One of the downers of watching programs like Biggest Loser is that we start to think that a couple of pounds a week aren't enough. After all, all those "big losers" who are killing themselves in the gym and dropping huge amounts are getting yelled at for losing "only" two pounds. It's not ONLY two pounds, it's TWO POUNDS!!! Grab a couple of cans of food that weigh a pound each and give 'em a heft when you get discouraged. Two pounds are a LOT of weight that you're not lugging around anymore. Learn to give yourself pep talks when you're doing the right thing. I have a sign in front of my treadmill that reads, "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground in the morning, the devil yells, 'OH, CRAP! She's UP!'" Try not weighing yourself every week if the scales seem to be giving you negative feedback. Shoot for every two weeks or even every month. You're just getting started. Wait for it...before long somebody's going to ask, "Geez, are you losing weight?" When they do, you'll KNOW you're on the right track. Above all, be good to yourself. This is something that takes courage and internal strength, and you're DOING it. Keep on keepin' on, and don't let yourself put yourself down or belittle the progress you're making.

I know I'm wordy, but I just had another thought that might help. Try adding a protein to breakfast: an egg, yogurt, or something. It will stay with you longer. And switch one of your fruit snacks to a handful of almonds (20, not 50). Maybe instead of a sandwich, go for half the bread and more meat? Or, if you're near a SubWay, grab a six inch sub and pile on the veggies. You can get a lot of food into 280 calories doing this and also get your vegetables. Stick with the low-cal/low-fat dressings. Vary your entrée at suppertime so you don't get bored. If you're dying for something sweet, calorie-free Jello and lowfat yogurt (maybe with some crunchy cereal on top?) can help you get past that craving. Variety in textures and tastes helps a lot.

Not to hy-jack, but that is hilarious!!! I might have to add that to the display on the elliptical.

Thanks everyone for the encouraging words. I am excited about my progress, just felt like I had accomplisded more this week with my eating and workout.

I am going to try and up my protein and lower my carbs starting this week. Is there an amount of protein I should try to get to daily? If I read the report correct, over the past 4 -weeks my averages protein is 49 grams a day.

I look forward to the next week starting weights again.

Thanks all.

Garry, on my 1500 calorie limit (actual average, including now monthly "day off" is 1580) I eat, on average, 100 grams of protein, so about double what you are doing right now.

Regards,
Michael

Something to consider
 

Detoxing to remove excessive yeast in the body might help you along. It's easy and inexpensive. Add deodorized garlic capsules and acidophilus to your daily routine. Omega 3 supplement and Acai berry is a huge benefit as well. I was 460, now at 280 and continuing on.

Walk walk walk. Every day, thirty minutes or more at 2.5 miles per hour or faster if you can.

No white flour, refined sugar.

Eat every two to three hours so blood sugar doesn't spike. Watch high fats, and carbs.

Water, don't forget your water, 64oz baseline and another 8oz for every 10lbs you want to lose.

oh my, water makes a big difference!!

Keep up the good work. 20lbs is alot of weight off. Weight loss can be frustrating and can seem to make no sense sometimes. Just make the next right choice food wise, then the next. You can do it. You will reach that goal!!

Hi Garry, You ARE doing good. We all want fast results but getting healthy takes time and hard work. Congratulations for making it thru the hardest part already! In time things will get much easier for you and you will also discover that it is easier to add more "healthy" foods such as fruits and vegetables. You really want to be adding more variety to your meals for the nutrients you get from them and because that will keep you happy. Every week try to add in a different thing...maybe this week you add 2 vegetables instead of just one for supper and so on. It's okay of the portions are small at first. Your body will still enjoy the vegetables. Try to get used to them as plain as possible..no butter for example. 2 bites of spinach without butter is better for you then 20 bites with butter!!

You might want to try to get away from cereal. Not sure what type you are eating but there are much better foods out there for you for breakfast. Have eggs and cantalope or greek yogurt and blueberries. You can even save some grilled chicken from dinner and have that with your eggs or make real oatmeal and top with cinnamon and a spoon of chopped walnuts. There really are so many possibilites. Cottage cheese is an easy protein food to use. Mix in some hummus and it makes a great sandwich spread full of protein. Let your focus be on trying something different in your meals especially vegetables and fruits. And keep some chopped vegetables in the fridge so you can grab a handful to add when you are cooking something. You can put chopped red peppers in your eggs when you cook them or chopped tomato in your eggs. You can use them on your sandwiches too. The easier you make it for yourself to just have everything ready to be used then it becomes easier to add in a new vegetable every week. That makes you healthier and your body will function better..and make it easier to lose weight.

Good for you for starting exercising! But you need to keep adding on to that too. 15 minutes is great for someone just starting out but you are getting more used to that so start adding on a couple minutes. Try to go for 17 minutes this week and 20 minutes next week. Consider doing some twice a day on some days.

Find new ways to move too. Try to walk more! If you go to the market walk around the entire store before you even put anything in your cart. The next week walk the whole store and go up and down a couple aisles too and then go back to the door area and start your shopping. In time you will see you can easily add in little bits of exercise and not notice it. Every pound you lose makes it that much easier to be active. Remember you ARE doing great! Don't give up on yourself and PLEASE think about NOT having a day off from dieting...instead add a certain amount of extra calories to that one day such as every other week have 400 calories extra from a HEALTHY treat. Be careful not to have junkfood in the house and try to add more water each day too. Little changes here and there add up to big changes at the end of a couple weeks. Have a small plan each week for a way to make little improvements to your eating and exercising and you will be feeling like a new man fast!!

Great Info!!

Hello everyone!
I need to lose 10-15 pounds, and I've been watching my diet for a month now (with a day or two off every week :D ),working out every day (Jillian Michaels 30 day shred) + cardio 3 times a week. Today I wanted to throw my scale out of the window because it showed the same weight, so I've lost... 0 pounds. All the hard work...And 0 pounds. :mad: Okay,my body does look different, but still...0 pounds. :(
I eat around 1000-1100 calories per day because I drink at least 2 liters of water, and after that I'm just not hungry at all...

Comments? Suggestions?

It's possible that your days off the diet are killing your progress.

There's a saying that you cannot out-train a bad diet; you can burn 300 calories in a session but you can eat that with a single extra helping.

I gotta agree with Geoffers--staying on plan 70% of the time isn't the way to see good results! Without knowing your daily calorie deficit it's hard to predict what your average weekly loss should be, but surely if you stopped "cheating" you'd be able to maintain a 500 cal a day deficit which translates into (on average) a one pound per week loss.

So, I'd think seriously about committing to one month of "cheat free" eating, keeping up on your exercise, and perhaps bumping up that water intake a bit, if you can.

Regards,
Michael

Thank you! :)

I'll try it that way... No unhealthy food for me until Easter. :o
I'm just worried that I don't eat enough calories, and that I'm putting my body in starvation mode... But, just like I said, I can't eat more than this with all that water. And now I'll add up another 0.5 liter of green tea, hope it works! :) *fingers crossed*

Sounds good, and we'll hold ya' to it! :D

BTW, I don't think "starvation mode" will kick in at daily consumption of 1,000 to 1,100 calories.

If you figure out your average daily calorie burn and are accurate in logging your calorie intake, you should be able to predict, on average, what your weekly/monthly loss should be so there's no "luck" involved. :)

Regards,
Michael

Yep I agree the 2 day cheat day is slowing your progress, maybe try for 1 cheat day every 2wks or so....and don't go overboard on the cheat day tho!!

Oh no, no cheating for me until Easter! :mad: :D
(But... What do you use as a sweetener? Is stevia ok?)

new here
 

I just wanted to say I love this forum and the site as well. I am new here and havn't seen a site this friendly in a very long time. I look forward to loosing weight and getting fit.

I always find it interesting to know what other people do, I am losing steadily on 1300 cal per day, actually between 1250 & 1350 max. I lose 1 lb a week right now without exercise but will be able to start very soon. I have one regular cheat a month that I build in to my cal per day which is an Icelandic Kleiner, it is a cake style donut and I have 2 of them with a mug of hot strong black tea. They are small and the size of one N. American donut. I eat them very slowly and savour every morsel!! I may even give them up by summer, who knows? Lol

I drink 16 cups of water per day which keeps the weight coming off and my kidney stones at bay. I have oral cancer and under plenty of stress but this actually gives me something to do and I am tickled with this site and the great people. I have no risk factors for this cancer, my dentist found it so please don't skip your twice a year checkups!!

cheers folks,

meggie

Hi Meggie
 

I find this site to be a lifeline for me. It makes me accountable in a way that nothing else can. From the weigh in, to the food log to the exercise. All of it makes me do what I need to get in gear and stay in gear.

I walk one hour everyday without fail. Every other day I lift weights with the walk. I joined my town YMCA and get on the treadmill. I walk at a small incline and it is really making the difference.

I am a compulsive overeater and have never been hungry a day in my life. I got rid of sugar, white flour and white rice.


While it is work, and a complete lifestyle, there is alot of joy in working on my health and well-being.

Good luck.

I know what it is to be frustrated with how slowly the weight is coming off. I have AS, which is a very bad form of arthritis that affects mostly the spine but can affect other joints as well (I also have issues with my hip joints). So, I am very restricted in what I can and can't do. Even prolonged walking causes immense pain. I'm a 38 year old, 5'6" female currently at 204 pounds and eventually want to get to 150, or even 140. I was down to 176 at one time, but then everything just stopped. FOR 4 MONTHS! Talk about discouraging. I just started a new drug, Humira, and the pain finally seems to be lessening. So, time to get back on the kick and hopefully be able to throw in some exercise this time as well. I actually took a 1 mile bike ride with my kids a couple nights ago (the weather in Michigan is finally starting to warm up), so that's a good start for me. As my tagline in my signature says, "I'm gonna do it this time!" Don't give up! I did and look where it got me. Right back to square one. You've made great progress and with a few tweaks, you'll continue to make more. Don't give up and end up where I am (again).

It's tough, being a compulsive overeater. After almost a year of being in control, I still get the urge from time to time. One wonders if it will ever totally go away--I suspect not. Sigh!

Regards,
Michael

As per my view you should stop eating oily food as well as fast food too also you must start eating fruits and juice every day it will help you a lot as well do always exercise and yoga on a daily basis. This will help you a lot and will maintain your diet and routine too. You will definitely going to loose weight in a week.