So I was losing 2-3 lbs a week for the first month and it looks like I have dropped to losing a pound or less a week. I was eating 1200 cals/day but I have decided to up it to closer to 13-1400/day. I wak my dog for 30min at a brisk pace in the am 5 days/week and I go to the gym 30min on elliptical 4 days/week 2 days on upper body weights and 2 days on lower body weights (usually, sometimes it varies). I am hoping that by upping my calories a little it will kick my metabolism in the butt, if I see no change in the next couple week I'll re-evaluate. My sister mentioned that maybe I was still losing the same amount of fat but was maybe getting to the point where I was actually gaining muslce (6+ weeks into lifting). So my question is... is it possible that some slow down in weight loss could be due to my body gaining a little muscle weight? I know that weight loss slows some, but I was hoping to average closer to 2 lbs/week.
You probably can't average 2 lbs per week forever, and this is most likely just your body slowing down. Still, you may be on the right track with raising your calories...you're doing a LOT of activity and, at your current weight, probably your body is rejecting the idea of doing THAT much activity on 1200 calories a day. See if upping it adjusts.
As we say here over and oven again, this is all a learning process...we're our own science experiments. So if your weight loss still isn't where you want it to be in 2-3 weeks, try something else. But do remember that 2 lbs a week is the VERY HIGHEST level of what is considered to be "healthy" weight loss, and it probably is unrealistic to expect to lose at the very highest level consistently.
It would be pretty hard to gain a lb of muscle a week, but it can be done if you are lifting REALLY heavy and just starting out with strength training. Have you considered having a body fat % done? Are your measurements going down at a more acceptable rate to you?
Safe weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. If you consistently lose more than that after the initial 'honeymoon' period, it's going to be more muscle that you lose (not a good thing). You really should take measurements - they really can help keep you motivated and focused that you *are* making good progress.
peachcake: I feel like you and I have been along side each other with similar goals, and similar starting points. I was trucking along pretty nicely with the weight loss, but now it appears to have stalled a little. BUT I have been trying to focus on how great I feel from doing regular exercise, eating healthy, etc. My pants are loose! I feel strong. I am confident that if we continue with what we've been doing - our weight loss will pick up again (I know it won't go up!!) If in another couple of weeks, I still haven't lost anything, then I will re-evaluate. Slow and steady... slow and steady... I am the turtle!!!
Last edited by SCraver; 03-12-2008 at 12:56 PM.
Reason: Inability to spell
Thanks for the advice. I am trying to stay motivated with a 1lb a week loss. I know it's healthy and that it will stay off better if I do it slowly. And no, I'm not lifting REALLY heavy. I am not lifting very heavy at all actually. I do 3 sets of 15 reps per machine right now at a weight where the last 2 or 3 in each set is really hard to push out. I know free weights are generally better but I can't bring myself to work out in front of the mirrors just yet.
SCraver: I see you all over the place and we're always agreeing with eachother. I think we do have some very similar goals.
Funny I was just reading an article yesterday about this. You know how we yo-yo with the weight loss? The way to fix it is sometimes to give your meals a "mix-up", fooling your body with different foods or portions or times of day we eat.
Well, same goes for our exercise! Some days, go a little slower, some days punch it up. Skip one day. Some days stay at a fairly even pace.
We need to switch up our food intake as well as our exercise regimen!
I can completly understand what you are going thru. I am losing but it sure has slowed down and i have had to stop weighing daily. When i weigh daily i see alot of gains that are not real gains. SO im trying to weigh every few days. I am still loosing but I am really having a hard time getting in all my calories because im eating alot of veggies and lean meat.
Guess as long as we can tell a differnce in our clothes something is working.
I think I will have to stop weighing daily too, maybe that will help so instead of seeing it go up down up down i will only see the downward direction.
I would try getting off the elliptical and doing another form of cardio exercise. Try the treadmill, a bike, a spinning class, a cardio kick boxing class, etc. I don't know how long you've been doing the elliptcal 4 times a week, but your body might be getting too used to it and you need to mix it up. The elliptical is a good piece of cardio equipment, but it shouldn't be the only form of cardio you are doing at the gym. Are there classes available? If there are, I suggest trying them becuase they are such a great cardio workout. Keep up the good work! It may seem like it will take forever to get to goal if you are only losing about a pound a week, and I thought the same thing 6 months ago, but those little pounds sure do add up after a while.
When I lose weight, it is never a consistent 1-2 pounds a week. When I lose, I might lose 2 pounds one week, nothing the next week, half a pound the next week, etc.
I would recommend going more by how much you lose over the course of a month, rather than how much per week-because of the fluctuations. My example above does indeed average out to about a pound per week, when you average it out over a month's time.
I would recommend trying the 1300-1400 calorie range for a while-and I am also a firm believer that the cleaner and healthier that you eat, the better your results are. Someone eating lots of diet "junk" usually doesn't do as well as someone eating oatmeal, fruit, chicken breast, etc.
I second the idea of trying something new for cardio-even for weights! Your body does get used to doing a particular activity if that is all that you do. I belly dance, which is cardio AND toning, but I also do treadmill, weights, yoga, and other activities as well. Even when I do the treadmill, I vary the workout. One day might be a longer walk, the next time might be shorter but more intense, with running intervals, etc. One day I might do traditional bicep curls and squats during my weight routine, the next time I might do a variation on my exercises, like hammer curls and lunges instead-both are working the same muscle groups, but in a different way.
I feel that my body responds better when it doesn't get used to the same workout routine.
But do remember that 2 lbs a week is the VERY HIGHEST level of what is considered to be "healthy" weight loss, and it probably is unrealistic to expect to lose at the very highest level consistently.
Yup. I'll echo what others have said, too. Try mixing up your routine - move from the elliptical to the treadmill or the bike. Try taking a class once a week. Try swimming if your gym has a pool. Anything to break your body out of it's adaptation to a routine.
don't get discouraged peachcake. even if the weight loss slows down the point is you're still losing and getting healthy. those 1 pound weeks will add up!!
Weight loss slow down
BUT I have been trying to focus on how great I feel from doing regular exercise, eating healthy, etc. My pants are loose! I feel strong. I am confident that if we continue with what we've been doing - our weight loss will pick up again (I know it won't go up!!) If in another couple of weeks, I still haven't lost anything, then I will re-evaluate. Slow and steady... slow and steady... I am the turtle!!!
