Almost 3 weeks, 1,000 to 1,200 calories, not much lost...?

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New member
To ensure that everyone understands how strange it is that I have only lost about 7 pounds in 3 weeks, I will give a brief background on myself...

I have always known the correct things to eat, but never have. I have battled with my weight for almost 16 years (I am 24) and have finally decided to get serious about it. Prior to April 5th, I was eating between 2,000 and 6,000 calories DAILY. This had been going on for about 8 months during which I gained 40 pounds going from 175 to 215. I had already been about 200 pounds, but lost it...

2006-2007: 185 to 200
November of 2007: I quit eating fast food and dropped from 200 to 175 in ONE MONTH without exercise or restricting calories.
April 2009 to December 2009: 175 to 215

So, as you can see... weight loss has been sporadic for me. Onto my current situation:

I have been restricting my calories to 1,000 to 1,200 daily while incorporating exercise. I have only lost around 7 pounds. I am thoroughly confused and not sure if this is normal mainly because of my former ability to lose quickly and concern that a thyroid disorder may be causing problems. I am drinking plenty of water, but feel VERY bloated. I am just wondering if this sounds normal or if not, what I can do to fix the problem.

Thanks!
 
Wow. I think part of your problem is that you're doing all these drastic things, making radical changes, yo-yo-ing your calories in a pretty extreme way ... and you haven't actually spent any time on a moderate, reasonable, healthy plan being CONSISTENT.

You also have some extremely unreasonable expectations. 7 lbs in 3 weeks is an EXCELLENT rate of loss for someone of your weight. A good goal line to aim for is about 1% of your current body weight per week - which puts 7 lbs right on target for you.

I would suggest that instead of flailing around and wondering what's happening, you actually spend a period of time - say 6 weeks - eating a reasonable and healthy diet of about 1600 calories, getting a reasonable amount of exercise, and tracking your food and weight loss. I think you'll see that there's nothing wrong with you except that you're not being consistent.
 
Couldn't agree more with Kara...additionally, without knowing your height it's hard to tell, but you might be actually dropping your calories too low. I know it's hard to believe, but you might actually see more progress if you were to eat more.

Consistency is key though - keep at it and you'll see progress.
 
Thank you, and yes, I probably am expecting too much. I am just used to seeing quicker results. I will be patient and stick to a consistent plan. :)

I am 5"9'-ish. My BMI is about 29.2. I guess I am just worried about a potential thyroid disorder (as everyone in my family has been diagnosed with Hashimoto's) and perhaps I am being paranoid.

Thank you for your help. :)
 
I'll add that one reason you probably saw such a dramatic loss the first month is that cutting out junk food means you cut out probably 70% or more of your sodium intake. Sodium is the #1 culprit for causing you to retain fluids and water. Of the 25# you lost that first month, probably a good 15# of it or more was fluid and retained water from cutting back on the sodium and processed greasy junk.

You probably lost about 10# of actual fat ... which, again, is right on target for someone of your weight who is just starting out. :)
 
Well, your biggest problem is having really high expectations. You're not supposed to lose more than 3 pounds a week for your weight. In order to even lose three a week you have to be extremely dedicate to your diet and exercise, everything has to be planned out and honestly it is not a long term route. If you try to lose a lot of weight quickly then you pretty much set yourself up for failure.

Weight loss takes months, many people will be in the long haul for maybe one or two years. It requires you to make permanent changes to your diet and incorporate more physical activity into your daily routine.

There doesn't seems to be problem with you at all regarding weight loss, but a checkup never hurts. Right now you are making very good progress, but remember that you want to alter your lifestyle so you can keep the weight off when you finally reach your goal weight.
 
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