Why only 1?

[iamamra]

I bought my fit bit sunday, I have tracked and weighed(to the gram) everything I have eaten. I only lost one pound this week though. Here is my deficit for this week, I eat about 2k calories and burn around 4k a day.

This week deficit

-14,463cals

[yldthng]

Sounds pretty normal to me - there are just so many factors involved in weight loss. I'm happy if my scale moves down any each week. Many times, it doesn't. But it IS moving, and that's what matters.

Take a look at THIS THREAD - there's a lot of good info in it.

[Caramammal]

I had a 1lb loss, then the week after a 4lb loss, and i didnt do anything differently. For me, i figured its easier to concentrate on the overall downward trend rather than worry about the actual lbs as there will be spikes for no reason at all.

[HopeGraceLove]

A few things I've noticed...

1. Weigh yourself at the same time of day. In general, you will weigh less in the morning than in the evening - there could be a few pounds difference based on what you ate, how much you drank, whether you went to the bathroom or not, etc... In general, I do not compare my previous week's morning weigh-in to this week's evening weigh-in. It's bound to result in disappointment.

2. With that said, our bodies still can vary greatly - and who knows the reason sometimes. I've stopped trying to figure it out. Yesterday morning I weighed myself and had gained a half pound from the previous week. I recalled that I had some pretty salty foods the day before - soup, popcorn, etc. Maybe that's what it was. Again, who knows. But I weighed myself again this morning, and no lie, it's nearly 2 pounds less than yesterday at the same time. Do I really think I lost 2 pounds in one day? No. So, even though my routine yesterday was really not any different activity or calorie-wise than the day before, should I suddenly praise myself today whereas I could have beat myself up yesterday?

Bottom line... I've come to learn that a number does not determine my worth or my success. Using the Fitbit Flex, I've been much more concious of increasing my activity and tracking my food. I feel better and have noticed my pants fitting a little better. I've had it for only a month now and have lost 5 pounds - or is it 7 pounds? Ha! Guess it depends if I use today's weight or yesterdays. Either way, overall it's headed in the right direction.

Over time is the best way to measure weightloss success. If you're still saying after a month or two that you've only lost a pound, then you'll need to decrease your caloric intake and up your activity. Until then, my suggestion is to not panic and keep moving forward. 

Good luck!

[melly11]

Hi,

As strange as its sounds, I don't think you are eating enough calories if you are burning that many.

Your deficit equates to 2,000 less calories per day than you are burning.

Depending on the weight loss you have selected in the programme you should be aiming between 750-1000 calories less than you are burning.

There's lots of threads and explanations about this in the weight loss forum.

If you are not eating enough calories your body will go into starvation mode.

I had the same when I first got my fitbit, it motivated me to increase activity, but I didn't loose anything because I wasn't eating enough.

Keep your eye on the dashboard.   Aim to be "in the zone" rather than under then I think next week you'll see a difference although a lb is a pound in the right direction.

☺

[SunsetRunner]

@iamamra while technically a deficit of 3,500 calories = 1 pound of lost weight that is over simplifying it.  As others have said there are many factors that determine what the scale reads:

1. Did you have a lot of sodium in your diet recently? (retained water weight)
2. Did you weigh yourself under the same conditions every time (time of day, same clothing/lack thereof, after going to the bathroom or not, etc)
3. Did you workout hard that week?  Muscle repair from increased workouts retains water which increases your weight

And similar to others I have had weeks where my weight went down by .2lbs (even though according to my caloric deficit I should have lost 2lbs) but then the next week I was down 5lbs.  There is no rhyme or reason why some weeks you lose more if all other things being equal but just stick with it and the weight will shed off.  I also suggest getting a sewing cloth tape measure and track your measurements (chest, waist, hips, etc.) as the scale might not budge but you are losing inches.

[iamamra]

@SunsetRunner 

1. Not typically, i do the sweat test, if it taste salty you have to much sodium

2. Yes same clothes same time of day same scale(at weight watchers)

3. Actually yes I did, more than I have in a long while! Almost every day as opposed to once a week.

Not going to get discouraged, but might re-evaluate how I plan my week out.

Thanks!

[Dominique]

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@iamamra wrote:

I bought my fit bit sunday, I have tracked and weighed(to the gram) everything I have eaten. I only lost one pound this week though. Here is my deficit for this week, I eat about 2k calories and burn around 4k a day.

This week deficit

-14,463cals

---

One week is a short time. In the story you shared last week, you mentioned you have been at a high of 450 pounds, losing 150-185 and (apparently) experiencing a yoyo effect.

A 2k calorie deficit (50% of what your body expects) sounds high, even if you have plenty to lose. You may want to go for a smaller deficit and a slower weight loss, which will likely be easier to sustain over time.

Several success stories have been posted by people who also started very high:

@jav81: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Share-Your-Story/465-pounds/m-p/200233/highlight/true#M3331

@Direwind: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Weight-Loss/From-32-stone-to-16-stone-My-tips/m-p/647592#M17015

@SunsetRunner: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Share-Your-Story/My-Journey-Fat-to-Fit/m-p/650254#U650254

You may find them interesting and motivating.

[iamamra]

Thanks, this week I am going to try for 1500 and slowly work down to see what works. Thanks for the links I will check them out later when kids nap!

[maadhunter]

I tell all my friends,

1. "Trust the program" , try not to jump start weightloss by eating "less" eat healthier and eat what the program says you need.

2. Set goals that are tangible. " X amount of steps", "x many pushups", "x many workouts", notice that you get better at your exercises. Those are things you can control. Ultimately you can't control how much weight you will lose on a given day, otherwise the contestants on the Biggest Loser who exercise for hours and have, I assume, only good things to eat would always lose a bunch of weight each week.

I can have my diet to a tee and still not lose the weight I want in a week. But every time I exercise I track what I do and KNOW i get BETTER. 

Learn to love the PROCESS. Think like an athlete and you will become an athlete.

[1Queen]

U should utilize a tape measure. Mines sometimes go up and down as well, but its depressing to look at the scale. Measurements give some various numbers at least. Some go down some go up. But with the scale, when up we are down. Lets go we got this.

[SunsetRunner]

Attempting rapid weight loss, will cause your body to "think" it is in starvation mode, and it will try to conserve energy (calories) and body fat. One is much better off to "go short" about 500 calories per day, which would result in 3,500 calories per week, equals one pound of weight loss (if done consistently).

Exercise is very important to good health. Interestingly though, not eating the extra calories is more productive (for weight loss) than exercise, since it takes about one mile of walking or running to use only 100 calories. So, the "burger fries and a coke", would require about 35 miles of walking or running.

[Dominique]

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@yarddog wrote:

Attempting rapid weight loss, will cause your body to "think" it is in starvation mode, and it will try to conserve energy (calories) and body fat. One is much better off to "go short" about 500 calories per day, which would result in 3,500 calories per week, equals one pound of weight loss (if done consistently).

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The fear of "starvation mode" is often exagerated. If you have a lot to lose, your deficit can be more aggressive than 500 calories per day. Take @SunsetRunner, for instance: in this post, he explained he lost 100 lbs in one year. That's about 2 lbs per week, which entails to an average daily deficit of 1000 calories.

[Saramarie1973]

Here is what I know about my body (I am also a WW Member).  My weigh in often reflects LAST WEEKS intake and not the current weeks intake.  So, if I have been less than stellar, I will see it next week and not current week.  Give it time.  And losing one pound is FANTASTIC!  Its not at all a bad thing.  Keep it up!!

[SunsetRunner]

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@Dominique wrote:

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@yarddog wrote:

Attempting rapid weight loss, will cause your body to "think" it is in starvation mode, and it will try to conserve energy (calories) and body fat. One is much better off to "go short" about 500 calories per day, which would result in 3,500 calories per week, equals one pound of weight loss (if done consistently).

---

The fear of "starvation mode" is often exagerated. If you have a lot to lose, your deficit can be more aggressive than 500 calories per day. Take @SunsetRunner, for instance: in this post, he explained he lost 100 lbs in one year. That's about 2 lbs per week, which entails to an average daily deficit of 1000 calories.

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Let's be more specific. Daily nutritional calorie deficit of 500 is about the right amount, and the remaining should be a daily exercise calorie eficit of 500, for a total of 1,000 per day.

[SunsetRunner]

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@Dominique wrote:

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@yarddog wrote:

Attempting rapid weight loss, will cause your body to "think" it is in starvation mode, and it will try to conserve energy (calories) and body fat. One is much better off to "go short" about 500 calories per day, which would result in 3,500 calories per week, equals one pound of weight loss (if done consistently).

---

The fear of "starvation mode" is often exagerated. If you have a lot to lose, your deficit can be more aggressive than 500 calories per day. Take @SunsetRunner, for instance: in this post, he explained he lost 100 lbs in one year. That's about 2 lbs per week, which entails to an average daily deficit of 1000 calories.

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The "starvation mode" is a scientifically documented response. There is no need to "fear" it, but it is an explanation for the initial loss of weight, when the calorie restriction is severe. Using a dietary calorie deficit of 1,000 per day, would be about 50% of total calorie requirement, and would mean a loss of about 50% of dietary nutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc.). This would require the daily use of supplements to compensate for the nutrient shortage. It's much better to get the nutrients naturally (by fork and spoon), with a good nutritional plan.

[Dominique]

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@yarddog wrote:

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Let's be more specific. Daily nutritional calorie deficit of 500 is about the right amount, and the remaining should be a daily exercise calorie eficit of 500, for a total of 1,000 per day.

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I don't get this "nutritional deficit" vs. "exercise deficit": do you have two tanks that you use to refuel, one for "nutritional" food (isn't food nutritional by definition?) and one for "exercise" food (now, what would that be!?)? I only have one, through which all the food goes. If I burn 2500 calories throughout the day and I only eat 1500 calories, I have a 1000 deficit. I don't see how I would have to / be able to split it into two 500 calorie deficits.

[Dominique]

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@yarddog wrote:

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Using a dietary calorie deficit of 1,000 per day, would be about 50% of total calorie requirement.

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A 1000 calorie deficit would only be 50% of the total expenditure if that expenditure were 2000 calories. I was talking about people who have a lot to lose. Let's take @SunsetRunner as an example, again: at the beginning of his weight loss journey, he was 330 lbs with a BMI of 43.5, which makes him 6' 1" tall. Let's say he's 33: his BMR alone would have been 2500 calories (you can use this calculator). You can easily add 1000 calories burned through exercise, which gives you a TDEE of 3500 calories. Now, a 1000 calorie deficit is less than 30% (not 50%) of the TDEE. This is manageable, as his success indicates.

Of course, if you are obese, but are male, young and tall, the same absolute 1000 calorie deficit will be much more bearable than for an obese woman who is older and shorter. Life isn't fair.

[SunsetRunner]

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@Dominique wrote:

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@yarddog wrote:

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Let's be more specific. Daily nutritional calorie deficit of 500 is about the right amount, and the remaining should be a daily exercise calorie eficit of 500, for a total of 1,000 per day.

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I don't get this "nutritional deficit" vs. "exercise deficit": do you have two tanks that you use to refuel, one for "nutritional" food (isn't food nutritional by definition?) and one for "exercise" food (now, what would that be!?)? I only have one, through which all the food goes. If I burn 2500 calories throughout the day and I only eat 1500 calories, I have a 1000 deficit. I don't see how I would have to / be able to split it into two 500 calorie deficits.

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The "nutritional deficit" is the calories lost by eating less food.

The "exercise deficit" are the calories lost by doing more exercise.

Two completely different things.

[Knowledge]

I don't buy the starvation mode nonsense. Someone posted a link I read about the topic and it was insightful:

http://wordpress.kylegrieve.com/wp/2011/04/28/the-myth-of-starvation-mode-2/

Why don't I buy it? Because I've lost nearly 36 lbs (of which 10 lbs is roughly water weight) since January 3rd, with a 2000-2500 calorie deficit per day. I burn roughly 3800-4500 calories per day and eat roughly 1300-2000 calories per day with some days a little less (maybe 1100 and others more like 2400). I don't vary it much and I eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full. I am doing a low-carb diet so I can't comment if someone is trying something else but at least on a low-carb diet the calorie deficit doesn't seem to be that important as long as its a deficit!

You know what's interesting? Just for the sake of this post I calculated my entire calorie deficit for the last 6 weeks of my weight loss journey and it turns out to be identical to my weight loss. So yes, its possible our body's metabolism may slow down by a few hundred calories if we under eat, but we'll burn so much more than that with our calorie deficit that it is miniscule in the long run.