I'm new & feel as if I'm not losing weight

[zakiyahxo]

Hello!!! I just got my fitbit 2 weeks ago and I love it! I'm able to set goals for myself and see my sleep schedule so it's pretty awesome. I have been trying to eat better and have been going to the gym since the start of this year. I go to the gym almost every night & don't hardly eat sweets like I use too. I just feel like I'm not losing anything 😞 I really wanted to lose 30 pounds before June but looks like I need some extra help, lol!! Any advise??? (btw I am 17)

[Dominique]

Between today (March 20) and May 31 (your deadline), there are 72 days, ie. 10 weeks. You want to lose 30 pounds, so your weight loss would need to be 3 pounds per week. For that, you need a weekly deficit of 3 x 3500 = 10,500 calories. That translates into a daily deficit of 10,500 / 7 = 1500 calories. Not realistic IMO. You should therefore either scale down the weight loss goal you want to achieve by the end of May, or push the deadline (a lot) further if you want to keep the same weight loss goal of 30 pounds.

The other thing is that your profile shows you have been using your Fitbit for just 12 days:

It’s still a very short period to expect any results in terms of weight loss. You’ve only managed to reach the generally accepted daily goal of 10,000 steps on one day (Friday 18). No offense, but at age 17, you should be able to move more than that.

Getting enough sleep is important for weight loss (and you do need more sleep at your age anyway), so is being able to set goals, but in the end, what matters for weight loss is the caloric deficit you will be able to achieve. It has to be reasonable and sustainable. It’s really a numbers game: figure out how much you burn in average (Fitbit is telling you, and you can affect that by moving more), figure out what deficit you want to achieve and you will know how much (or how little) you can eat. Going to the gym and no longer eating sweets is not sufficient, it’s the caloric deficit that matters.

[PattyBee314]

Hello

I have recently lost 14 lbs (since Xmas) but more importantly - I've lost inches and dress sizes. 

I've done so w/ Weight Watchers. My weight loss is slow, steady and healthy. I lose anywhere from.5 to 1.5 per week. 

I agree w/ the other community poster - don't try to lose too much too fast. It  isn't healthy. 

There's more to weight loss than 'cutting out sweets' - portion control, swapping low cal choices in place of high cal choices; eating lots of fruit, veggies, lean meats etc.

Don't give up and keep doing what you are doing. Try taking measurements. Sometimes you lose inches but the scale won't show it.

[zakiyahxo]

I never go over 1200 calories a day... I also am in school, sitting in a desk for 7 hours a day. I then go to work (work @ an office so I am sitting for another 4 hours) So it is kind of difficult to get my 10,000 steps a day. Thanks for the advice!!! 🙂

[HATCOM]

If you are wanting to lose in a healthy way, I don't recomend having such a high number in such a short span. I have seen plenty of people lose a lot of weight in a matter of months and as hard as they try, they can keep it off. There is always a bounce back (of course there are always the special few who are exceptions). I personally lost 25 lbs from Sept 2013-May 2014 by simply getting up 30 min early and running. It wasn't far at first but I got better and did my first marathon last October.

Since then I lost an additional 10lbs (hardest 10 yet). It was honest to goodness hard work, but I fully believe that since I didn't take shortcuts (fat burning pills, fad diets, meal skipping) and I didn't try to take the easy way out I was, and still am, more successful than my friends who continue to fad diet just before summer.

My thought, it's best to do it right the first time so you never have to revisit the heartache later. Plus as a perk you will appreciate your body so much more! 

Best of luck to you!

[zakiyahxo]

Thank you!!! Congrats on your weight loss 🙂