I need answers

[Denicp]

So I am extremely overweight and recently was going to get the gastric sleeve but chickened out at the last minute.  I want to try to do this my way.  I have been heavy for 30 years and only got real with myself this past month.

So I have logged in to my Fitbit for a 1000 calorie deficit. Which I never ever go over if I even reach it at all.  However I am not loosing the weight in a steady manner.  I will loose then gain then loose then gain.  It is so frustrating. I do not know what to do to loose and continue in that path of just loosing. 

i have osteoarthritis so both knees need to be replaced.  Makes walking very difficult.  I do swim at least twice a week and do upper weights at least twice a week.  I drink a minimum of 2L of water, eat only whole grains when choosing carbs. I have cut out all sweets, fast food, processed food and any pork or red meat. 

HELP! I do not want surgery to be my only choice 

[Dominique]

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@Denicp wrote:

However I am not loosing the weight in a steady manner. 

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Weight loss is seldom fully linear, so it is to be expected you lose more on one week, less on another, and even gain some on yet another. This is especially true for females, because of the impact of their hormonal cycle. What matters is the trend, so you want to look at things like weekly averages. A very handy tool for that (as a Fitbit user, especially if you have a smart scale that can sync to your account) is Trendweight (link in my signature).

The other thing is the time scope. You didn’t reach your current weight in a few weeks, so you should also accept it will take you more than a few weeks to get rid of the extra weight. There has been some amazing weight loss stories in the community, but what they have in common in long-term dedication ("long-term" meaning at least one year).

[Denicp]

Ok so I downloaded the app trendweight, I have a quick question when it say the calories I need to cut to match my plan is that my deficit or is that an amount on top of what I eat I need to cut out 

[Dominique]

First off, Trendweight is not an app in the sense it would be something you download and install on to your device: it’s a web-based service you can use to connect your Fitbit account to. Once you have done so, it will pull out your weight and body fat data (if available) from your Fitbit account and do some fancy math with them. Unlike Fitbit, Trendweight has no idea about your activity level and your dietary intake. It’s just observing changes in your weight over time and deducting from that whether you’re in a caloric deficit or surplus, and how much is the deficit/surplus. The more data points it has, the more relevant its results will be. Look at the 4-week and 3-month curves and see if they are trending down or not, regardless of the daily ups and downs.

[emili]

you list a lot of things you have eliminated from your diet which is great. but the things you are still eating should be weighed. not measured, weighed. there is a big difference between what you and I will consider a tablespoon, but a gram is gram. you also have to consider sodium and monthly cycles. all of this plays a role in your weight loss. even if you no longer get a monthly, you may still experience symptoms like water retention. you also should consider changes in bowl movements due to diet changes. it could go either way, and if it goes left.. no weight loss. It took you 30 years to get to this place of your journey. it will take time for you to get into a groove of things and see steady results. I also completely understand not wanting surgery, but a doctor wouldn't do it without you being a good candidate. not encouraging, just sharing a thought