No weight loss this week...

[SunsetRunner]

So, I lost six pounds my first week. I've increased my exercise activities and maintain my caloric intake.

However, no weight loss this week, the second week. I have been eating my "calories eaten" for five days and then two days I don't track what I've eaten. Activity levels remains the same.

Are these two days throwing me off?

[SebringDon]

@SunsetRunner

It's possibly the two days you didn't log. It's also possible that your first week was water weight, and you really haven't settled into steady weight loss yet. The only way to know is to Log. Every. Single. Bite. Every. Single. Day.

Even logging every day, you won't see mechanical results. Your body isn't a machine, it's an organism. Some days or even weeks you'll carry more water, void less solid food, or have other reasons you don't lose exactly what's expected. Results tend to even out over time, though. I've been at it for 22 weeks, set on a 1-pound deficit plan. Some days I leave a hundred or more calories uneaten, and some days I nail my deficit within a few calories. I've had weeks I've lost nothing, and weeks I've lost 3 pounds or even a bit more. Overall, over 22 weeks, I've averaged 1.3 pounds per week working the plan. 

Hope this helps.

[JohnRi]

First of all, ignore the **ahem** scale.  I mean it.  I've had weeks were I lost 3 lbs, followed by two weeks were I lost or even gained, then suddenly have 6 weeks of 2 or more lbs lost.

Often, especially at first, you lose weight, but you gain muscle.  So you have a net gain/loss of zero. 

Get the tape measure out, measure your waist, arms, thighs, neck...  Look at how your clothes fit....

How do you feel? 

There are so many BETTER indicators or weight loss, than just a scale.

I've been running a 250, then 500, then 750, and now a 1000 calorie deficent for almost 6 months...  I've lost 43 lbs.  I've got 54 to go... 

Trust me you will have bad days, bad weeks, but if you keep at it, that's all that matters.  I had strep throat, and couldn't work out for over a week...  I currently have all kinds of injuries...  Left shoulder hurts, runner's toe (lost a nail), runner's knee(wearing a brace), right ankle issues... And I'm still going...  I walked 3 miles today...  A big drop from my 4 to 6 miles, but it's better than sitting on my couch!!!  I will heal, and I will get back to normal.

Just keep at it, and look at weekly, and monthly results.  And if you don't like it, cut your calories some more, and exercise more.  Just keep at it!!!!!

[divedragon]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:
So, I lost six pounds my first week. I've increased my exercise activities and maintain my caloric intake.

However, no weight loss this week, the second week. I have been eating my "calories eaten" for five days and then two days I don't track what I've eaten. Activity levels remains the same.

Are these two days throwing me off?

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Curiouseater,

You've gotten some good advice here, but let me add some recent observations regarding my own experience and you two day lack of tracking.

I'm currently engaging in a multi-day fast where I take only water, coffee, tea or bone broth.  I also purchased a ketone/glucose meter to monitor my blood ketone level which is the byproduct of fat oxidation.  The optimal range for fat burning is 1.5 to 3.0 and my first reading around 24 hours was 1.9.  I've always enjoyed a drink or two in the evening to help wind down and get to sleep and I had 4 oz (256 calories) of vodka the first night.

The next morning at 9:30 am, I tested again and my ketones had dropped to 0.7 - basically I was out of ketosis or in other words, I had haulted fat burning.  Throughout the day, I stuck, to my water, coffee, tea and on re-test at 9:30 that night, I was back to 2.6.  I didn't drink alcohol Friday night and Saturday morning, my ketones had risen to 3.6.  Saturday evening I had some bone broth (strained and defatted) and 3 hours later at 9:30 pm, my test was 2.2, so still optimal.

The point in this is, depending on the intake, type of food, you can slow or even stop your weight loss.  Those two days in which you didn't track, you may very well have stalled or even increased your weight.  And it could also be just an adjustment period.  I wouldn't obsess over it, but if you're serious about weight loss, be consistent and committed.  Log all your food.  Weight your food.  For a long time, I just estimated the amount that I ate, but once I got a food scale, I realized I was way under in my estimates.

I cook a lot and there are hidden calories as you taste the food during cooking. Grazing is very dangerous for the dieter as you can consume a lot of calories without realizing it.  And finally, remember it is a journey, not an end.  Make decisions that will become part of your new lifestyle, not the short term weight loss most often undertaken.  I've been at this a little over a year.  I've lost 50 lbs so far and down to the last 10-15 to go.  These are the most difficult, but I'm determined to get there.  Set and stay the course!

[Dominique]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:
So, I lost six pounds my first week. [...] However, no weight loss this week, the second week.

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Two weeks is a very short time to draw any conclusions, one way or the other. Weight loss isn’t necessarily linear, and the initial loss may be mostly water, especially if you have made sharp changes in your diet. You should take a longer-term approach.