This is just dumb

  • At the beginning of the year, I committed to a 100 day challenge to lose weight. With many aspects of my life in all sorts of chaos, including a reoccurring nearly disabling back issue, I figured that what I put in my mouth was the only thing I could truly control. Today is day 17 of no sugars no flour no processed 1000 calories a day living. I eat chicken and lots of leafy greens. My starting weight was 287lbs. In the first week and a half I lost 11 lbs. And then I gained a half a lb, then a full lb, and for the past few days there's been no change. I can't exercise much so I have to rely on diet for weight loss. How is it possible to see no net lose for nearly a week on 1000 calories a day of chicken and green veggies? Yes, I count everything. This is just dumb.
  • Hi Ste11a. Welcome to 3FatChicks. You are experiencing what everyone experiences when they first start a weight loss plan. You get a good drop at first when your body is releasing water weight. After that, you will start to lose fat and that's a lot slower going. There are a lot of variables. Maybe you need to up your calories a bit, maybe to 1200 or 1400 by increasing healthy foods. Or maybe you just need to be a little patient. We all get these little upticks now and then, due to fluid retention, hormones, etc. Some times the body will go for a while at the same weight, then you get a whoosh. Basically, you are on the right track.

    As far as exercise is concerned, anything you do to move your body is beneficial. Maybe you can do some seated exercises, just leg lifts or arm exercises. I don't know your limitations. Are you going to any type of physical therapy for your back? Sometimes certain exercises can help with a back issue. Don't do anything that is going to cause more of a problem. Talk to your doctor about choices, and good luck to you.
  • You have lost 9.5 lbs. in 2.5 weeks? That is an insane amount of weight to lose in such a short time period, you should be so proud!!! Weight loss is not linear, there will be plenty of weeks where you will lose but also weeks that you stay the same or show a gain. This is a huge mind game and it gets so frustrating at times, but if you stay consistent and patient I promise that it pays off!

    I am not sure how tall you are, but I agree with Carol that you might want to up your calories. I am 5'4 and weigh 171. I aim for a range of 1400-1650 per day and still lose on that.

    I am sorry about your back, that can be miserable. I have had back issues that come and go but nothing like what you are dealing with I have lost 85 lbs. since November 2016 and I have worked out very little in that time. Something I hope to change, but in my case it was changing the diet that made the biggest difference.
  • Compliance and persistence pay off over time - it is a bumpy journey. I would put away the scale for awhile.

    Make sure you are getting adequate nutrition. I use cronometer to make sure I am getting enough protein, vitamins, minerals and it is hard to do that around 1000 calories. I normally eat between 1000 and 1200 and it is a balancing act but if you are missing certain nutrients that can impair fat burning.

    Remember this is not a race but a change in a way of life.
  • Chiming in to agree. You are not getting enough calories. Your body is revolting.

    You may want to make sure you are getting enough fat (the healthy kind of course) as well. Fat is your friend when you aren't eating a bunch of carbs and sugar.

    Stick with it, adjust it to find what works for you. You wont be sorry.
  • From what understand 1200 is the bottom line of calorie intake for women. I don't think it is healthy if you calorie intake is less than 1200.
  • Quote: Hi Ste11a. Welcome to 3FatChicks. You are experiencing what everyone experiences when they first start a weight loss plan. You get a good drop at first when your body is releasing water weight. After that, you will start to lose fat and that's a lot slower going. There are a lot of variables. Maybe you need to up your calories a bit, maybe to 1200 or 1400 by increasing healthy foods. Or maybe you just need to be a little patient. We all get these little upticks now and then, due to fluid retention, hormones, etc. Some times the body will go for a while at the same weight, then you get a whoosh. Basically, you are on the right track.

    As far as exercise is concerned, anything you do to move your body is beneficial. Maybe you can do some seated exercises, just leg lifts or arm exercises. I don't know your limitations. Are you going to any type of physical therapy for your back? Sometimes certain exercises can help with a back issue. Don't do anything that is going to cause more of a problem. Talk to your doctor about choices, and good luck to you.
    I was doing physically therapy before and after surgery but it always made things worse.

    Since my post I tried increasing good calories to 1200. I've gained 2 lbs.

    I committed to 100 days so I'm going to stick with it, but I'm not feeling very optimistic. Maybe some people are just broken and what should work just doesn't.
  • Quote: You have lost 9.5 lbs. in 2.5 weeks? That is an insane amount of weight to lose in such a short time period, you should be so proud!!! Weight loss is not linear, there will be plenty of weeks where you will lose but also weeks that you stay the same or show a gain. This is a huge mind game and it gets so frustrating at times, but if you stay consistent and patient I promise that it pays off!

    I am not sure how tall you are, but I agree with Carol that you might want to up your calories. I am 5'4 and weigh 171. I aim for a range of 1400-1650 per day and still lose on that.

    I am sorry about your back, that can be miserable. I have had back issues that come and go but nothing like what you are dealing with I have lost 85 lbs. since November 2016 and I have worked out very little in that time. Something I hope to change, but in my case it was changing the diet that made the biggest difference.
    I'm 5ft 10inches. Used to be 5 11. I lost 100lbs about 7 years ago. It was after having my 3rd child. I could exercise then and I did to the tune of 6 days a week for at least an hour a day, but it still took 2 years to do it. I immediately gained 10lbs back when I stopped restricting myself to 1000 calories but then maintained the weight (215 lbs so I still wasn't thin) with a few ups and downs until about 18 months ago. I gained 72 lbs in that time. Aside from the back and some hypertension that I've had since I was a kid due to kidney damage, I check out as being in good health. No diabetes. No hormone imbalances. No adrenal or thyroid problems. There is no justifiable reason why it is so hard for me to lose weight.
  • Quote: Chiming in to agree. You are not getting enough calories. Your body is revolting.

    You may want to make sure you are getting enough fat (the healthy kind of course) as well. Fat is your friend when you aren't eating a bunch of carbs and sugar.

    Stick with it, adjust it to find what works for you. You wont be sorry.
    Doing avocado oil on my spinach salads. And I take an omega 3 supplement. I increased to 1200 and gained 2lbs. I tried a safe diuretic to get rid of water retention and it did nothing.
  • Stella, I spent over 30 years convincing myself i was different and had a tougher metabolism even though the medical tests said otherwise. I am finally lower than I have been since 1985 and still losing. And I am post menopausal which DOES make weight loss harder.

    Between 1000 and 1200 calories a day. I weigh my food. I eat no sugar or flour. I don't snack. Three planned meals. For the first time I have found an approach that works for me [see signature] but everyone is different and you may need to find what works for you but you have scarcely giving your approach a chance. Yes 1200 is low. 1000 is very low. You need to make sure at that level you are getting adequate nutrition because you need it to burn the fat. The biggest other change I made was getting ENOUGH sleep! Major thing to get enough sleep.

    So you dropped a lot of weight first week and your body has fought back a little. Consistent behaviors and persistence do pay off. Don't mess with diuretics (even safe ones). A healthy diet and drinking enough water should push the water out.

    EDIT stress raises cortisol which favors holding onto the weight and you seem very stressed about this whole thing!
  • Use a food scale to weigh out your foods. Record everything you eat. You might not be eating the 1000 calories you think you are. Try the Lose it app.

    Also, measure your waist and track the changes for fat loss. Make sure you are hydrated (urinating mostly clear). Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night and moderate your stress.

    Leave the diuretics alone.

    This is a process for life, not 100 days. You need to find a way of eating that's sustainable. Otherwise, you will gain back the weight. Don't expect your body to linearly drop weight. You will see nothing and then a few pounds could disappear overnight.