When did you start to notice weight loss?

[Mizmelzy]

I just started to get more active by using the treadmill nightly.  I walk about 3 mph for about an hour 30-40 minutes on nights when I get home late and have to be in early the next morning to work. I've also been staying within my food intake as well.  Just wondered when you saw some weight loss?

I'm trying to loose some weight for health reasons. I know just by using the treadmill will help.  I've been doing this for a week. And have not seen any weight loss at all. But I know it won't be over night.  Just wanted to get some insight.  Thanks!

Mel

[Alsone]

It took about a week to show weight loss with watching food intake and increasing the steps and exercise. I have lost 2 kilos since I got my Alta HR on May 14th. and I do at least 10.000 steps a day.  Have a stretch of footpath where I can push myself to the tune of about 1,000 steps. My last month average 7.61 kilometres a day which converts to about nearly 4 3/4 miles.

    i have a dog... needs walking twice a day so i am lucky to be able to get my steps in the outdoors.

I am sure with what you are doing it wont be long before weight loss shows for you. I am a 72 year old lady and my friends think I am nuts. I am lucky as I don;t have any health issues.. Persevere and it will happen.

[Esya]

It is hard to say, as water weight fluctuates and can hide the real weight loss. I recommend getting an account at trendweight.com. It is free and you can link it to your FitBit account so you don't have to put in any weight manually. It will add a trendline to your weight data, so you have a better overview of the bigger picture. However, with weight loss you typically should try something for 4 weeks (specially if you are a woman) to see if something really gives a result or not.

[Mizmelzy]

Thanks for your replies.  I had not noticed any weight loss at first. But I am not really going too strict with my calories.  I'm usually always over my calories for the day because I was following them and hungry all the time.  But I work in day care and take the kids for  1+ mile walks with a 4 seat stroller.  Then I was on the treadmill for an hour every night.  So I eat healthy  when I am hungry. Fruit, Veggies ect.  But oddly enough I finally have lost almost 5lbs.  So I just make sure I stay active and I should do fine.

Mel

[FlorentinaFlor]

Hello,

First of all, I wanna congratulate you for taking this decision- to eat healthier and to be more active. Now, about the weight loss, actually fat loss, it will reflect on the scale earlier or a little bit later, depending on a few things like how much weight you need to lose, your water intake, your activity and the most important - food intake. A good combination of these should help you see results after a week or two. Also, you can also try to measure yourself once at two weeks or a month to see were you are.

I would like to end by saying that it's important to have patience at first. It is very good that you are eating healthy and you're more active, that will make you healthier and surely you already feel better, so don't panic if the weight loss doesn't happen as you planned. I am trying to lose some kilos and it helped me embracing the idea that I do this for a lifetime-the healthy eating and going to the gym-a healthy lifestyle and not a diet. I try not to force or stress myself with anything 😄

Good luck with your plans!

[MagsOnTheBeach]

With just adding walking and no other changes, my mood felt better but there was no change.  I had to change my diet, then I lost weight, I'd say people noticed around the -15 mark.  

Once I started to exercise with a purpose (I run 2.5-3 miles a day and walk to hit at least 6-7 miles 6 days a week), the weight fell off better. I think because I gained muscle so it all just shifted into the right spaces.

I find that now that I'm just overweight (working towards a normal weight), that people notice when I lose 5lbs.  When I was heavier it was every 15 pounds or so.  

When I see the scale not moving, I take measurements and often I'm still losing inches even when I'm not losing pounds.  I think being fit is 80% food and 20% exercise.  Maybe even 90% food.

[Mizmelzy]

Before this I had a Jawbone up three and it gave me a daily calorie intake of 1400 generally and then with exercise increased it. So most days I could eat maybe 1500 calories a day.  Days when I walked more I hit the 1700 calorie mark.  I was never one to eat really bad food. I never over ate. I only ate until I was no longer hungry never stuffed.  And the only time I'd eat out would be special occasions which was maybe 2 or 3 times in a whole year.  Never had any ice cream in the house chips or snacks of any kind.  Then I  noticed this year I gained 30+ lbs and I did nothing different at all. Eating the same 3 meals a day.  Went to the doctor and she said about every 10 years or so your metabolism gets slower as you loose muscle mass (women do as they get older).  So I figured I needed to start watching what I ate better.   But I also wasn't that active either.  I work in day care and with infants. So I'm on my feet all day long walking. I get home, the last thing I want to do is more activity.  So I have been on the treadmill since that doctors appointment for an hour - 1.5 hours walking at 3.5 mph with a 3% incline.  I am exhausted afterward.  It's almost as fast as a slog jog.  My average heart-rate is like 129bpm. I feel I should be  burning more than like 500 calories in an hour and a half.

I know I have to be patient But I will get discouraged if I don't see at least  a little more weight loss in a month or so.  

And one thing I don't understand is fitbit's app.  They set your calorie intake to the weight you want to be and then reduce it by so many calories depending on how fast you want to loose the weight.  But I was told by my doctor that If I want to weigh 140 lbs  then I can intake 1400 Calories plus exercising.  Well lets say that I was very active today and I burned like 500 calories.  Well wouldn't that deficit be more than the 250 set? Why do they take 250 calories away from your daily intake if your also exercising? Like let say for today.  I've eaten 951 Calories today and I've burned 1,014. So realistically I have a negative calorie intake for today if I don't eat anything else.  That's not realistic or healthy in my book. But then wouldn't I be loosing weight faster?  I realize this should be a guideline but it should be at least somewhere in the ball park right? Maybe I have something set wrong. Who knows lol

Mel

[emili]

your initial weight loss will be quick as you saw with the 5 pounds. it will get harder as you go forward if you don't truly track your food. calories in vs out is the surest way to lose weight. If I were you, I would look up a TDEE calculator on line. plug in your data and it will give you how many calories per day is your max intake. weight loss is math and science... good luck in your journey... most important have fun and remember to high five your successes!

[Esya]

@Mizmelzy

When you exercise your FitBit will also add that to the calories burned. The FitBit does not split between BMR and TDEE. I just shows 1 number for all calories burned for that day. Then from that number it takes 250 away (if that is the plan you choose). I hope this helps.

[Alsone]

I don't know how the calorie system works on fit bit ..but my goal is to burn 2000 a day and i achieve that most days.Never fret over my intake though with a diabetic husband we a healthy eaters.(Mostly..)

My fitness level  according to their calculations on my data input is  35-39 which they pronounce as excellent"for a woman of my age.. which is 72.

Don't fret the minor things just know that you are doing the right thing.

Cheers

Alex 

[MarciM]

I love the advice "Don't fret the minor things just know that you are doing the right thing."

When I stopped fixating (yes, nearly to the point of being compulsive) on calories and started eating only when I'm hungry and only whole foods, the weigh came off and even better has stayed off. One year ago today I made a big change and committed to being mindful about what I put into in my body. Remove anything my body didn't need, which meant no processed foods, no soda, no caffeine and no alcohol.

7/24/2016 – I stepped on the scale and was horrified at the number I saw. I knew I had been gaining weight, but was in denial about how bad the problem had really become. In my mind I was trying to understand how this has happened, I was walking every day (10-15K steps), shouldn’t that have been enough? For me it’s all about balance. Nutrition, Movement, and Sleep.

7/25/2017 – I am at a healthy weight, feel great and sleep well. I enjoy the food I eat and I’m mindful about the food sources. I have avoided caffeine, processed sugar, and alcohol for a year and don’t miss them. I did miss them in the beginning, but at some point they no longer sounded appealing and smelled terrible.

It was an interesting journey and I am grateful to have seen it through and be on a better path. I no longer stress about calories and don’t track them. I’m not suggesting this method is for everyone, but I hope it inspires or helps someone along the way.

[LilBudyWizer]

A pound a week is a good pace, but more than I was up to. I lost about half a pound a week. Ten pounds was noticeable, I could see my toes without having to lean forward. It took about 25 pounds to see my hips. That took about a year. It depends upon what you weigh as to how much weight it takes to be noticeable. I was about 50 pounds overweight at 200 pounds. I told myself it was just 35, I would be at a good weight at 165, but when I dropped below 160 I saw I could still stand to lose a few more pounds. I took me like 5-6 years to lose 40 pounds.

The best advice I ever got is it's a lifestyle change. Three months of diet and exercise isn't going to do jack for you ten years from now. It's ten years of proper diet and exercise that will make a world of difference ten years from now. I didn't wake up one morning 50 pounds heavier. If I did I would have told that dog to get off of me, problem solved. No, it took ten years. I became inactive and my diet went all to hell. I won't every be able to sit around all day eating Oreos with a long walking being to the fridge in the garage for another beer and be in good shape. It might have seemed I was doing that at 20, but reality was I was lifting weights 4-5 hours a day and walking 100 miles a week. Not at the same time, lift during the winter when it's cold, walk during the summer while it's warm. I could eat 3K-5K calories per day and not move off 148 pounds. Those days will not return, but what I can do is live my life in a way that maintains my health.

If you view it as you have to make some terrible sacrifice for a short while then you can go back to old ways you'll just be back where you started with less incentive to try again. You can do it without the sacrifice. Higher fiber foods make you feel full on fewer calories. You can make tradeoffs and substitutes where you just really don't care. Mine was cheesy potatoes, they've evil. What did I care? It's the steak I enjoy, not the potatoes. Corn, beans, any number of other things does just as well. A whole lot of things are a whole lot less calories. I don't miss it. Them Mt Dews are my downfall. That's how I put 20 pounds back on, 2 free 64oz fountain drinks a day. Not a terrible sacrifice to switch to unsweetened tea, just need something to quench the thirst.

[frecklefaced]

Mel,

 I am wondering about this too.  I tried eating 1200 calories allowed for the day and exercised at least an hour a day, walking at a fast pace or swimming, six days a week.  I burned a lot of calories, but I got so lethargic I did not want to get up off the couch. The only time I was feeling this poorly was several years ago when I was on chemo.  This went on for three days, by the third day I went to the doctor.  At my age and what I was doing to try and lose weight, he wanted me to slow down how hard I pushed myself and increase the calories a bit.  I'm losing weight more slowly, but I do not have that totally lethargic feeling that really scared me.  

[dbibbs79]

Hello, 

Typically people will start noticing a difference in about 2 weeks, but this also depends on your eating habits as well. The rule is 80% nutrition and 20% diet in order to gain results. If you would like to join an accountability group check out the link below there are many different options to choose from based upon where you are at now and where you want to be. 

https://www.teambeachbody.com/checkout/-/bbcheckout/challengepacks/annual-all-access-BOD?referringRe...

Best of luck to you and if you have questions let me know. 

[GraceX660]

Hi Mel!

I started going to the gym 5 nights a week which consists of spin classes and time doing cardio (around 1 hour) this was around 2 weeks ago and since then I have lost 6lbs and a few inches of my waist. I'm certainly getting more "muscles" in my legs and arms but now my weight loss has slowed which I'm putting down to the build up of muscle - don't forget it weighs more than fat!

Just don't get too hung up on what the scales say - It's taken me years to learn that and get over the fact that sometimes I won't lose weight but I may be losing centimetres! My recommendation is to 100% measure your waist, hips and thighs because it is so satisfying to see the reduction and feel more toned.

Good luck 🙂

[Alsone]

Seems to me you are on to it Mel.. I Have never been a calorie watcher.. Find that all just a bit too Much. But I do eat healthy and now I have lost Just on 8 pounds.since the beginning of may..I average about 11.500 steps a day and my fitness level is in the 35 to 39 range which is apparently excellent for my age of 72.: smileyhappy:

[FriendlystNinja]

I always exercised and was active however, I didn't lose any weight until I changed the way I eat. When I cut sugar, carbs and processed foods, I lost 30 lbs over 3 months or so. 

[Alsone]

No two ways about it.. Food is the problem most of us struggle with. carbs are the biggest problem! Sugary drinks probably one of the worst and the thing is if you drink one because you are thirsty it doesn't quench your thirst like water. sensible eating and  10.00 steps is good, but push yourself a bit and it's even better.

[cheryl16]

What you might want to do is vary your time and hill levels on your treadmill.  I wasn't getting very good results and I've recently gone to a 5 minute warm up cool down and then varying the speeds 3.2 to 4.1 or so for a minute each for about 10 minutes and then vary the hills with speeds of 3.0 to 3.5 going up slowly to 5 or 6 on the incline.  I do this for another 20 minutes.  I am  finally getting out of plain old fat burn and kicking it up into cardiac zone.  I've also been sweating and never did before.  I like leisurely walks but no results.  Also if you get MyFitnessPal and sync it with Fitbit, it lets you eat a little more based on your workouts/step counts.

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@Mizmelzy wrote:

I just started to get more active by using the treadmill nightly.  I walk about 3 mph for about an hour 30-40 minutes on nights when I get home late and have to be in early the next morning to work. I've also been staying within my food intake as well.  Just wondered when you saw some weight loss?

I'm trying to loose some weight for health reasons. I know just by using the treadmill will help.  I've been doing this for a week. And have not seen any weight loss at all. But I know it won't be over night.  Just wanted to get some insight.  Thanks!

Mel

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[Pandorama]

I had lost about 20 pounds last year, and I didn't notice it, even though other people said that they noticed. It wasn't until I gained that 20 pounds (plus some) back, that I noticed that I had been smaller. You may not notice the loss for a while, but it is there, and you would notice if you put it all back on.