Hi 30-Somethings!
I'm new here to 3FC. I've been doing the WW Flex plan (points) and at my 5 wk weigh-in, I had only lost .6 lb!! Not even a full lb! I don't understand what went wrong. I did everything right -- exercised 5 days that week (at the gym, 45 min cardio, at least, sometimes step class). and I ate within my points.
Anyway... so far I've lost 11.8 lbs and I'm in my 6th week now. I know that slow weight loss is the way to go, but I'm feeling discouraged. Have yall have weeks like this ... when you did everything right and you didn't even lose one full lb??
Is there something else I should be doing? I know ... one confession is that I love coffee and I cannot give that up! I usually have at least one a day. And I know I don't always get my full 8 glasses of water everday -- more like 4 and then I might have a diet soda, too.
Thanks in advance for the advice!
I'm not doing WW, just calorie counting, but no matter what diet plan you are on, I think everyone has weeks like this. I have lots of weeks where I don't lose any weight at all, despite the fact that I haven't gone over my calorie limit and exercise 7 days a week. For the past 4-5 months, I've only been able to lose weight during the first two weeks of my monthly cycle, the rest of the time I'm just holding (but boy, sometimes the weight really comes off in those two weeks). The closer you get to your goal, the more weeks you have like this.
11.8 pounds in six weeks is great! That's about 2 pounds per week, which is an excellent rate of weight loss. I would not be concerned at all. It sounds like you are doing everything right. The lack of progress you are seeing on the scale this week is probably just water retention, which could be due to all sort of factors (you got a little dehydrated at some point, TOM, it's hot outside, you ate something particularly salty, etc.) I also read an article somewhere (of course, I can't find it now) that said that fat holds water and when you lose fat, your body doesn't always let go of the water right away. It takes a little while for the water loss to catch up; while that is happening it can look like you aren't making progress.
That's why it's important to look for progress in other ways. Are your clothes fitting looser? Have you taken your measurements and are they continuing to get smaller? You won't see a difference in your measurements every week, but I would recommend taking them as least once a month so that you have another measure of progress besides the scale.
Well, considering that 2 to 2.5 pounds per week is a GREAT steady rate of loss, you are RIGHT on target! I think you should focus on the total lost, and not the one weekly amount.
I am not even following WW, but any plan that helps you to lose 2 or so pounds a week in a healthy manner is a winner!
I say to you:
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!
Also, I notice that my weight and weightloss fluctuates depending on what my body is doing at the time (menstrual cycle & ovulation). It WILL fluctuate week to week and day to day. Please don't get discouraged. 11.8 pounds is nothing to sneeze at!
Edited to add: BlueToBlue, you took the words right out of my mouth! I was trying to find that article also, about the water weight in fat! I'll keep trying to find it, because it is a very valuable article to have!
Thank you so much Barbara and Olivia! You guys are absolutely right and bring up great points. I'm sure I probably did eat something salty or I'm holding onto water. Also this is my 2nd month of not being on the pill, using other birth control methods, and my body is probably getting used to ovulating again and it's probably doing lots of crazy stuff. Thanks for the reassurance that my total weight loss so far is something to celebrate! I appreciate that so much!
11.8 pounds is awesome!! I'm doing WW's flex plan as well and am currently on my 7th week and at my last weigh in (after 6 weeks) my total loss was only 8.8 pounds. I had weeks where I went up in weight, even though I have not gone off plan at all, and then the next week I lost over 3 pounds. I was also told by my leader that maybe the reason I had gone up that week instead of going down was that I hadn't eaten enough, I hadn't used my activity points at all and had only used some of my flex points (and only those because they had already told me I needed to start using some), so the next week I did what she said, used my activity points and all but 5 of my flex points and I was down 3.2 pounds at my last weigh in. So, I'm doing it again this week and we'll see what happens. It sounds to me like you are doing great!!
You are doing great! I remember that in my fifth week on WW I only lost .4 and I remember being disappointed, but it was the dreaded PMS week, so keep that in mind. I also only lost .6 in my 6th week, but a loss is still a loss and its better than going up. most people hit a plateau around week 6 and if you stick with program you'll see a weight loss within a couple of weeks (I lost 4.4 last week all of a sudden in week 8) and I didn't do a single thing differently...so don't get discouraged - keep it small and slow so we can keep it off!!!!! I'm right there with you!
Hi 30-Somethings!
I'm new here to 3FC. I've been doing the WW Flex plan (points) and at my 5 wk weigh-in, I had only lost .6 lb!! Not even a full lb! I don't understand what went wrong. I did everything right -- exercised 5 days that week (at the gym, 45 min cardio, at least, sometimes step class). and I ate within my points.
Anyway... so far I've lost 11.8 lbs and I'm in my 6th week now. I know that slow weight loss is the way to go, but I'm feeling discouraged. Have yall have weeks like this ... when you did everything right and you didn't even lose one full lb??
Is there something else I should be doing? I know ... one confession is that I love coffee and I cannot give that up! I usually have at least one a day. And I know I don't always get my full 8 glasses of water everday -- more like 4 and then I might have a diet soda, too.
Thanks in advance for the advice!
Hello and welcome. I am not on ww , but there is times when our bodies
just dont want to release much weight. cylce building muscle just a number of things and congrat on the weight lost. Dont be hard on yourself and be patient with you. As long as you know you are dong the right things , dont worrie about it , it will have to come off sooner than later. Have agood evening
Melody -- I feel so much better. I'm not using my activity points and I'm not using all my 35 flex points either (I used only about half last week and no activity pts.) I thought I was doing a good thing by not using those.
Linda, Nic and Susan - thank you for the pep talk. I really need to hear that. i know that things will eventually catch up soon. it can't go on like this forever, right? i just have to remember this is a journey not a sprint. thanks!
SMU.... Sorry I didn't get here sooner! You're doing great soo far! And don't worry about the coffee! Try to up your water though. Do you put sugar in it? I recently gave up sugar in my coffee once and for all! It's soo much better now!
Thanks Lauren!
Well, I put splenda in my coffee and a tsp of dry creamer. i really only have 1 cups -- 2 at the most. there are some of those crazy days that I have a VENTI size iced Cafe Americano (only like 25 calories) and I may put 2 splendas and maybe a 1/4 c skim milk in there.
I know that my water intake could be better. I definitely wake up in the mornings feeling so thirsty. That's bad, right?
LOL, I drink an XL Dunkin' Donuts coffee with milk at least 2-3 times a week. If i don't have time to stop, I have at least 2-3 regular cups at work.
I would worry more about the water, honestly. I keep a 1/2 gal. jug of water on my desk at work and some days I drink just one. Other days I drink almost 2, while at work. I drink probably another 40 oz. or so at home...and I haven't floated away yet!
I'll bet if you make an effort to get more water in, you'll see a difference on the scale! Why do you only get that much? Is it because you don't like the taste of water? You don't think to get up and get it? It's not cold enough? Figure out what will work for you to get more water in and I bet you see a difference!
If you don't like plain water, flavoured water and juices all count as water. Just provided they have no added sugar. I don't drink enough plain water either but I do drink a light cranberry juice drink which is only 12 cals per 250 ml glass and counts as water.
As for the coffee - got you beat there - I have four mugs - big ones - a day. One after each meal and another in the evening. I pour myself a pint (UK pint) of semi-skimmed milk every day into a jug and that is just enough for my breakfast cereal and my four mugs. I add it to my daily calories and it comes in at 278 cals.
A 0.6 loss is great - better than nothing. Ah *lapses into nostalgia* I remember when I had my first less than 1 lb loss - I was upset too. But I have since battled with a shocking summer, struggling to lose the same damned 2 lbs over and over, gaining it, then losing it, and gaining it again. Finally I managed to dip down to a new low in the 150s, then went away on holiday and came back 6 lbs heavier!!
So, it's a case of sighing and getting back on the weight-loss wagon and trying again. It WILL come off so long as you stick with it. But no one can do it for you. I guarantee there will be weeks when you do everything right and you end up a pound or even two MORE than last week. But you've got to stick with it - because what's the alternative?
I have a piece of paper on my fridge with two pictures I found on the intenet. One is a great big fat woman and the other is a sexy girl in a bikini. It says "Which do you want to be?" on it. I look at it every time I get disheartened or tempted or just plain fed up (no pun intended) with dieting. I actually bought my first ever bikini this summer. I don't look great in it and I haven't dared wear it in public - but I bought it!
Newbie--discouraged about .6 lb loss this past wk
Not even a full lb! I don't understand what went wrong. I did everything right -- exercised 5 days that week (at the gym, 45 min cardio, at least, sometimes step class). and I ate within my points. 
That's about 2 pounds per week, which is an excellent rate of weight loss. I would not be concerned at all. It sounds like you are doing everything right. The lack of progress you are seeing on the scale this week is probably just water retention, which could be due to all sort of factors (you got a little dehydrated at some point, TOM, it's hot outside, you ate something particularly salty, etc.) I also read an article somewhere (of course, I can't find it now) that said that fat holds water and when you lose fat, your body doesn't always let go of the water right away. It takes a little while for the water loss to catch up; while that is happening it can look like you aren't making progress. 
Sorry I didn't get here sooner! You're doing great soo far! And don't worry about the coffee! Try to up your water though. Do you put sugar in it? I recently gave up sugar in my coffee once and for all! It's soo much better now!
