Not losing weight

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Davinci2

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Hi, I am a 47 year old man who has struggled with weight since my 30's. A lot due to lifestyle, but I also find it very hard to drop the pounds when I do go on a fitness regime, which ultimately sends me back to binging on food and drink again, with the sod it mentality.

I often hear that 2 pounds per week is a good, steady weight loss. I would be happy with that!

So, prior to the CV lockdown I was drinking every day and eating what I wanted, including crisps and chocolate. For the last two weeks, I have dieted, eating healthily, and under 1,800 calories per day. I have worked out every day apart from two rest days. Mostly cardio, running, I am up to around 6 miles now. And also circuit training for around an hour.

I have lost 1 pound in that two weeks!

From my pre lockdown calorie intake and exercise, compared to my new regime, I was at leat hoping for the 2 pounds per week. Sadly, I am baffled.

Can anyone help?

Thanks
 
Hey Davinci and welcome! I can understand your frustration given how much effort you´re clearly putting in. My first guess is that the sudden increase in exercise is causing your muscles to retain water. This is normal and generally goes down again after around 6 weeks if you stick with the same intensity (or within a week if you stop exercising again, but you don´t want to do that). It doesn´t stack, so at two weeks in you shouldn´t be gaining more water weight and ought to start seeing normal weightloss around now. 2 pounds/week would be on the high side of normal weightloss, by the way, not average, but I could definitely see you losing that much given your calories in/calories out balance. Best of luck with your plans, and please keep us informed!
LaMa
 
Thank you so much LaMaria, this is really helpful. It's two weeks today, so I will see how things progress in the coming week and report back.

DV
 
i'll second LaMa's advice that 2lbs/week isn't average, it is on the high side of weight loss. i lost most of my weight through intermittent fasting and even at the most aggressive point i never exceeded 2-2.5 lbs/week.

the second thing i can tell you is that your body doesn't react to any change overnight, especially when it involves a large change in your routine or your diet. my basic rule of thumb is that your body takes about 5-7 days to react to the change and then another 5-7 days for you to start seeing any positive or negative effect.

there are also a few different schools of thought about checking your weight. when i was losing weight, i checked and recorded my weight 3-4 times a day, every day. the downside is that you have to accept the high readings as well as the low readings. over time i could see a jagged line, but a definite downward trend in the long term. in a single day i know my weight can change by up to 4-5 lbs. if you are an advocate of weighting yourself once/ week, there is a better chance than not you will see a misleading number. hit a momentary high and you will be discouraged... hit a momentary low and you will get a false sense of reality.
 
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Hey DV, welcome!

The advice you have gotten from LaMa and Flyer is right on. Weight loss varies and starting exercise can slow the loss, but only temporarily, keep on exercising. I have been averaging about 2 lbs a week of loss, but I eat fewer calories than you do. It is also easier to lose weight the fatter you are, and I was pretty fat when I started. So 2 lbs per week is possible, but may not or may not be the best goal for you.

I suggest starting a diary on the Weight Loss Diary thread https://weight-loss.fitness.com/forums/weight-loss-diary.9/ There you can tell us more about yourself and your goals. You will get more traffic there with support and advice.

Best of luck to you!
 
Thank you all for your advice. its very much appreciated
 
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