[howellbe]

So I lost 40lb last year and gained it all back. So for the last 2 weeks I've been back at diet and exercise. First week I lost 3lb, and I hopped on the scale thus weekend and it hadn't gone down at all!

I feel like I worked really hard and ate well and don't understand this

Help?

[LockItUp]

It happens. It is probably water fluctuation. The scale doesn't always reflect our work.

If you are CERTAIN that you are eating in a caloric deficit; if you are 100% honest and count every single bite you take, you WILL lose. And you will most definitely have more weeks like this throughout your journey. As long as you are doing what you need to do, the weight will come off.

I've been at this nearly 6 months now, and there have probably been at least 6 of those weeks where no weight was lost for no particular reason. Probably add another 3 to 4 weeks on top of that where I didn't lose or I gained because I didn't eat well.

If you are on track, you will see the scale move soon. If I'm 100% on, and have a week or 2 where I don't lose, usually I get a big whoosh shortly after.

Hang in there.

[juliastl27]

it can be SO frustrating. like she said, as long as you're SURE you're keeping up a calorie deficit, just keep at it. you cant fail if you keep at it.

last week i gained 0.4 lb with no reasonable explanation, i wanted to cry. just keep going!!

[howellbe]

does a calorie deficit mean i have to work out 1400 calories if i eat 1300?

[QuilterInVA]

Realistically you can't expect to lose every week.

[LockItUp]

Originally Posted by howellbe

does a calorie deficit mean i have to work out 1400 calories if i eat 1300?

Google "BMR calculator". You burn tons of calories just being alive! Eating 1300 calories would put you at a big deficit even if you don't work out at all!!!

[Hotaruchan]

I had the same thing this week. I almost wished for a tenth of a kilo more just so that the number wasn't EXACTLY THE SAME. Bleh.

Just keep trucking...one of the most frequently echoed things on this site is that weight loss isn't completely linear. There's a thousand things that can have an effect on the number from day to day or week to week, so you have to look at the overall trend as opposed to one stuck number.

[juliastl27]

yes, like the above poster said, a deficit means that you're burning more than you're eating.

a BMR calculator will tell you how many calories you burn just existing, like she said.

when you get that number, just make sure what you're eating is creating a deficit. for example, if your BMR is 2000 calories, and you eat 1500 (not counting exercise) your deficit is 500 calories/day and that will equal about a pound a week.

the numbers dont always come out perfect though, some weeks are just frustrating.

if you try to burn off more calories than you eat (i.e. working out to burn off 1400 calories when you're only eating 1300) your body will starve. your BMR is just enough calories to keep your heart beating, brain functioning, etc. if your total intake for the day was -100 calories, your body would start failing.

make sure the deficit isnt too much! never eat below your BMR (and dont count calories burned by exercise!)

not telling you what to do, just my personal opinion based on the medical advice ive gotten.

[novangel]

I feel your pain, my scale hasn't moved in a month.

ETA: At least it's holding steady and not going up so I'll deal with it for now.