Just started, when does scale move?

[Aleeesa]

Assuming my calories and exercise are on target for loosing 1.5lbs a week, how long before some of you noticed the scale actually moving?

I've been sedentary, but really kicked it up a few notches with this thing (training for a "couch to 5k) and just trying to make my 10k steps per day. 

To go from couch potato to that, I'm assuming my muscles may be wondering what is going on. 

I've been keeping to my allowed calories as well.

So assuming I'm doing everything right (water, food etc.), when did most of you see the scale move down?

[justMonica · Accepted solution]

In my experience, the scale didn't move at all on the first week. On the 2nd week I lost a measly 1 pound. It wasn't until the end of the 3rd week that I dropped 4 pounds.

I also went from being Sedentary to working out every day (mostly cardio). I was set to a 1000 calorie deficit to lose 2 lbs a week but only dropped 4 out of the 6 that I was supposed to lose. I did notice that the weight started to come off faster as more time went by. I even met my 2 lb per week goal until my first plateau 3 months in.

[Aleeesa]

This is very helpful justMonica, I am trying not to let the scale get in my head. So reading about when the scale moved for others will help. 

Good for you, that you stuck it out for the full 3 weeks to get that 4lb loss, and have kept going! It seems as if the hope is eventually you get to that 2lb per week goal at the point when things start to "come off quicker"...

I'm doing the same thing, setting to 1000 calories deficit and going from sedentary to 10k steps and is a lot for peoples bodies to acclimate to. 

[Dave001]

Some people weigh daily. 

Some people weigh weekly. 

Some people don't bother at all. 

I try to weigh every week or so, I don't obsess about weighing on the same day every week, but do try to weigh first thing in the morning. 

How soon and how quickly the scale moves is down to myriad individual factors. 

Whilst weight is important to many of us, try to focus on the improvement you'll notice in your health and wellbeing. 

For example, I went for a walk today in the pouring rain. I walked about 11 miles in 3 hours. It was wonderful. I felt fit, healthy, happy and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Before my recent health (and weight loss) drive, I wouldn't have even considered going on such a walk.

Enjoying the benefits of improved health is a greater reward than weighing an arbitrary number of pounds or kilograms. 

[Telly2]

I have had the same frustration - I have a post on here about it that has some good advice and information.  https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Manage-Weight/Nothing-happening-frustration/m-p/1980841#U1980841

I have been logging all my food and strength training at least x4 a week plus a walk/run weekly for almost 4 weeks now.  The scales have refused to budge.  I am just starting to notice clothes being a little looser now and the scales have moved 800g.  I think that my fitbit (charge HR) was overestimating my calorie burn so I have upped the deficit.  I was regularly under my calories allowance by 500 cals and still nothing.  I am trying to take a long-term view and give it 10 weeks.  I do know that I am much fitter and healthier for doing this and feel great even if the scales aren't rewarding me.

[DavidSchneier]

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@justMonica wrote:

In my experience, the scale didn't move at all on the first week. On the 2nd week I lost a measly 1 pound. It wasn't until the end of the 3rd week that I dropped 4 pounds.

I also went from being Sedentary to working out every day (mostly cardio). I was set to a 1000 calorie deficit to lose 2 lbs a week but only dropped 4 out of the 6 that I was supposed to lose. I did notice that the weight started to come off faster as more time went by. I even met my 2 lb per week goal until my first plateau 3 months in.

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First, regarding the original post, you will potentially notice a subtle difference within the first week due mostly to the body adjusting (shedding some water and waste). You may also notice tight-fitting clothing feeling a touch looser. However, in terms of numbers, your mileage may vary. I experienced steady drops since starting back in January; so if you're creating a 1,000 calorie per day deficit, you should enjoy a consistent trend of a two-pound decline per week (I also officially weigh in the same time each week).

Second, justMonica, if your results aren't aligned with your numbers, your numbers are probably wrong and need to be adjusted. I relied on the FitBit forecast initially but realized it was way over and ever since adjusting based on my results, I can predict my weight within a half-pound on most any day. One caveat is, that's on most days; some days the number is off by a pound or three only to adjust a day or so later.

[Aleeesa]

That is a very well balanced approach Dave001. I'm early in the process and will try to remind myself to enjoy it along the way. 

11 miles in the rain, wonderful. I am hoping to get to that point myself only it's not getting as winded working in the garden. There was a point when i thought that was exercise enough, but it just wasn't. I was tired after every excursion. A non-scale victory would mean coming in from some outdoor work and not being pooped!

[Aleeesa]

OMG, Thank you Telly2!!! That is a great post as it breaks down a lot of different factors in the process.

I read an article a womens mag that said it takes 8 weeks. 

The article is here if you are curious, i don't think it's a great article - but it was a source that actually gave a weekly expectations. http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/why-am-i-gaining-weight

So by my math, you should be seeing that scale really move a lot more sooner. At least it seems like adjusting the deficit might encourage that. 

Keep going! 

[DanielleinDC]

Depending on how much exercise you get (and what type), you may be losing fat and gaining muscle. A pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat, so if you are building muscle, you may not notice the scale moving much. 

A better way of determining weight loss is whether or not your clothes are looser on you. If they are, that's a good sign.

[Dominique]

I see your profile was created on May 4, 2017 (less than three weeks ago). Ask yourself this question: how long did it take you to gain the weight you now want to lose. My guess is at least several months, or possibly years. This doesn’t mean you can’t lose it faster than you gained it: most likely, gaining it wasn’t the result of a conscious decision, whereas you now have a plan to lose it, and tools to help you doing so. However, the scale may not start moving immediately the way you want it to, for a number of reasons that were mentioned in the other topic you were pointed to.

Don’t expect too much from the muscle aspect: starting from couch potato and reaching 10k steps will significantly improve your fitness and your health, but it won’t build muscle to the point it will offset fat loss and hide progress on the scale. If you’re serious about gaining muscle and strength, you should have a specific plan for it.

[JenniferinFL]

I also am set for a 1000 calorie deficit. For me, according to trendweight (a handy tool by the way) my actual based on my weight loss is around a 600-670 calorie deficit per day. This comes from being slightly different than the average or foods with inaccurate labels and so on. 

I've been losing around 1 lb per week. That is an almost imperceptible amount of weight loss at first. It doesn't even sound worth bothering with. At 4 weeks in I wasn't even sure I was definitely losing weight or whether it was just typical fluctuation. Now I can tell because I'm like 12 weeks into it and closing in on the 13 lb weight loss mark. But, at the beginning, you can't tell if you are really losing or just experiencing fluctuations. I weigh in everyday and cannot remember from one day to the next if that's lower or higher than the previous days. My weight is changing now by .2 lbs up or down from one day to the next. If I wasn't logging it, I couldn't tell you for sure whether I'd lost or gained. 

Even now, I'm tempted to increase my deficit a bit (I could, I'm obese) to speed the whole thing up. But, what I'm doing now works and is not hard to do. 

[Aleeesa]

Good points Dominique, 

The 10k steps "won’t build muscle to the point it will offset fat loss and hide progress on the scale." You are right when you say you have to incorporate another plan for that.

From the couch potato (starting) point of view, I'm not expecting it to move immediately, I'm just trying to manage my own expectations around when most people notices the scale moving if they went from couch coasting to getting active. I read a few articles, one even said 8 weeks, which didn't make sense to me. Any kind of a mental edge really helps to keep me in the mindset.

Basically, I'm trying to level set my brain in terms of weight loss expectations.  An additional point I'm getting from you post may be for me to just relax about it a bit since it took time to put the weight on. Yes, thank you for that!

[MagsOnTheBeach]

I think every body is different.  I went from being on the highest end of obese and doing no activity to changing my diet and then a few weeks later doing some exercise (I set my goal to 6000 steps).  I lost right away - 14lbs in the first 2 weeks.  

But other people doing the exact same stuff lose less and some lost more.  I think a lot has to depend on what you were doing before you start to make changes.  Someone who was already exercising might lose less.  Or someone who was eating only fast food might lose more.  Someone who was doing a diet that is super strict might even gain.

So for me, I make my goals non scale victories.  How do my clothes fit?  What is my mood? Are there body changes? I remember being proud to walk a mile in 30 minutes.  Now I can run over 2 in the same amount of time.  It's that sort of motivation that keeps me on track.  The scale is a bonus.

Good luck!!!

[Sarcastrid]

Thanks everybody, it was really helpful to read your experiences

[Mitzman]

I am exactly the same.  When I decide that I need to lose weight, I really go for it.  I reduce to between 12-1500 calories and do daily cardio combined with 10,000 steps.  Every time I begin a diet, for the first 2-3 weeks, the scales never change, and just as I am becoming really disheartened and about to give up, the magic happens, and I find myself consistently losing 1kg a week, but the beginning stage is very frustrating indeed!