I started counting calories on Sept. 1 (so one week, 4 days ago). I've lost 7 pnds so far. The last time I lost 80 pnds, I had just had a baby, was breastfeeding and walking everyday. The weight came off in 6 mo. I'm sure it will be different this time.

I'm suppose menstruation can slow weight loss due to water retention. However, I'm wondering how consistent the weight loss should be if I stick to my calories and exercise. Meaning, just because I consistently burn more calories than I eat doesn't mean I'll consistently lose a certain amount, right?

I'm sure we've all done this, but in my head I'm trying to calculate where I could be by Christmas and so on.

I exercise just about every day and burn anywhere from 570-780. My SIL is a trainer and says the machines are off by approx. 10%, but I still follow what they say.

What has been your experience?
Thanks

Lesson #1, and it is VERY important.

Weight loss is NOT...I repeat, NOT...linear. It cannot be predicted, and your body is going to lose weight in it's own time, even if you do everything "right" and stay perfectly on plan.

I did everything the same for 6 months, and stayed the same. Then I was forced to lower my exercise, and I dropped an additional 6 lbs in two weeks. With less exercise. Repeat - weight loss is not linear and cannot be predicted!

Focus on where you are now, and whether you're getting an overall downward trend. Other than that, you're just setting yourself up for frustration.

Print this out and pin it up on your bathroom mirror. Read it every day.

Unfortunately our bodies are not machines. It would be really really nice if it was just the mathematical equation of calories in and calories out. But there are so many other variables.

Your age can affect your metabolism which means you burn calories more slowly.
How much sodium you consume can cause you to retain water.
Your blood sugar levels can affect your weight loss.
Your time of month can affect your weight loss.
Whether there's still food or product in your digestive system can affect your weight loss.

And .. aside from all of that, your body does get used to what you're giving it/doing with it, especially when you put yourself in a deficit. The body's instinctive response is to AVOID STARVING. So if you put your body in a deficit for a long time, your body will start to change it's own metabolism to more effectively use what you're giving it and not lose weight. It's that biological imperative to survive. It's one of the things that causes stalls and it's one of the reasons that people will tell you to continually mix up your exercise routine and not do the same exact thing every day. Keep your body guessing.

And ... on top of all of that, keep in mind that calorie calculation is not 100% exact. No one can say you're burning exactly 100 calories or eating exactly 100 calories or whatever. You have to figure that in every calculation, BMR, calories burned, calories consumed, etc. there's a margin of +/- 10% or so. And 10% doesn't sound like much but over a period of time it can make a difference.

So ... like Mandalinn said ... don't try to predict too much long term. But don't focus on too short term either. It's not instantaneous. It's a life journey, not a sprint to the finish line.

.

Echo, echo, echo -
Same as above. It can't be stressed enough. I pretty much stuck to my plan for one solid year. Some weeks I lost 2 lb.s Some weeks I lost 0 lb. Some weeks I gained 2 lb. Same plan, same amount of exercise - absolutely NO way to predict the results. No rhyme or reason to the gains.

Adjust your lifestyle and prepare for a very bumpy ride. Come here for support, use clothing or measurements to help validate your progress when the scale isn't cooperating.

You CAN do this, but DON'T expect it to be predictable.

Pretty variable, both from day-to-day and month-to-month.

Here's my weight loss chart:

http://gloriana.myphotoalbum.com/vie...bum02&id=chart

I started in early July around 200 lbs (I didn't weigh myself until 2 weeks in, I was afraid to get on the scale). I lost weight very consistently, usually 2 lbs a week (a few happy 3 lb weeks, many 1 lb weeks and several 0 loss weeks).

The graph ends in March - I hit a huge plateau. I did everything "right" for months and didn't lose another pound until July!

I lost a pretty consistent 1 lb per week (except for weeks where I was off plan) until I got within 10 lbs of my goal. Then things slowed down and got really inconsistent (I wouldn't lose for two weeks, then would drop a couple of lbs in one week--TOM had a lot to do with it). Also, once I got within ten lbs of my goal, one day or even one meal off plan would mean no progress for a week or longer. Now that I'm in maintenance, if I gain a few lbs back and have to lose them again, I feel pretty lucky if I can manage to lose .5 lb per week and I can only manage that if I am 100% POP and super restrictive on my calories (1400 or less).

My weightloss has been consistent in that I am always losing or maintaining. I have not bounced around as far as losing 3 and regaining 1 etc. But this is primarily because I have been very consistent in staying on plan and I am always working on mixing up the exercise and increasing the intensisty.

When I had a lot to lose it came off fairly consistent. 3lbs per week then 2lbs then 1lb. Now I just don't worry about it. I am in this for the long hall so the weight will come off whenever. I suppose I could cut back more on calories to try to lose faster but I am vey happy with my plan right now (could keep this up for a lifetime - that is the point) and I continue to make progress

Girl, you can say that, again!

So far, my weight loss has been pretty consistent. But I am aware that there will be times when it slows or stalls and that I will just have to work through those episodes so that I can move forward.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could count on x number of pounds a week, every week, until we hit our goal? How nice would that be?

For the first 2-3 months, my weight loss was somewhat erratic, but as I've mentioned elsewhere on 3FC I think that's because my diet was erratic too.

I was averaging 2 lbs a week, but that doesn't mean I was actually losing that much every week. Some weeks I lost nothing. Other times I lost 1 lb. Maybe 3 or 4. Sometimes I went up, before going back down the following week. It was crazy, but I was happy that things were progressing in a downward trend.

Once I switched over to calorie counting, my weight loss became more consistant and I've steadily been losing 2 lbs a week for the last 10 weeks. (Except for one week where I only lost 1 lb).

But, that's just my story so far.