Where am I going wrong?

[Pandorassox]

I'm 22, 13.5 stone and 5ft 4 I have been dieting with daily exercise now for 10 days. I was off to a great start but now I'm stuck on the same weight and just can't seem to get the bloody scales to budge. My weight loss has been as follows:

Start weight 13.9.   27/09/13

                13.7 3/4   28/09/13
                13.6 1/4   29/09/13
                13.6 1/4   30/09/13
                13.6           01/10/13
                13.5 3/4   02/10/13
                13.5 1/2   03/10/13
                13.5 1/4   04/10/13
                13.5 1/4   05/10/13
                13.5 1/4   06/10/13
                13.5 1/4   07/10/13
Should I be seeing the scales move atleast a little bit more by now?
Any suggestions to get it going in the right direction again?

[awaywego1]

You've lost 4 pounds in 10 days! That's good! Healthy weight loss is usually around 1-2 pounds per week. Don't be disheartened

[Pandorassox]

It's strange as I am noticing huge differences every day in the mirror but my scale is telling me I have lost nothing at all. I did wonder if I was maybe gaining muscle.

[Twiddlebum]

For starters stop weighing yourself everyday!!!
With every diet the first few days you will lose the most then the body needs to readapt. It changes as it goes into starvation mode which is why its bit changing. As long as your outgoings and greater than your intake the weight will come off but only weigh yourself once a week

[Sunnysummer]

You're doing really well, it's the daily weighing that is getting you down! Probably just water retention, could be down to monthly cycle, food types or because some people's bodies tend to retain fluid when they start losing weight - it's trying to make sure that your body is ready to pack the kilos back on when the famine ends ;-)

Drinking lots of water will flush extra fluids and weighing weekly will keep you sane

[IvanaCake]

You've lost loads! A healthy and sensible amount to lose is 1 or 2 pounds a week. Stop weighing yourself every day...therein lies the path to obsession.

[Pandorassox]

Stepped on the scales again today, I'm now 13.4 1/2. My mechanical scales are weighing me in at 12.9 stone which is confusing but I think I shall stick with my digital ones. mirai I am eating 1200 calories a day and burning 200-300 every evening.

[Pandorassox]

travelincolour I'm new to this dieting business so not really in the know about how many calories I should be eating if I'm burning around 300. Would you suggest I up my calorie intake? If so by how much? I've actually burnt 449 this evening by doing some aerobics mixed with toning exercises as I'm worried I will be left with a very saggy tummy.

[phoolani]

You might be gaining muscle. It does make a difference (quite quickly, too in my case). Why worry about the weight if you can see massive differences in the mirror? Nobody's going to come up to you, produce some scales and ask for proof that, really, you're still heavier than you look.

[Pandorassox]

phoolani it's not that I'm upset that the scales are showing me to be a certain weight it's just I really want to get in to a healthy weight range as I am classed as obese at the moment. I gained a lot of weight 4 years ago when pregnant with ds1 and more with ds2 2 years ago which I still haven't shifted. I just want to feel fitter and set a good example for my children.

[hugoagogo]

Chill out a bit, my gp keeps telling me slower is better.

Like others have said stop weighing yourself so much and accept the idea that you cannot fix this overnight, it will take months; you are unlikely to be able to keep up that amount of exercise and food intake for months, you will be miserable.

The way you are going about this is more suitable for someone who wants to lose their last 5lbs not a couple of stone or more.

I have lost 36 lbs since may and I always eat more than you (1500-2000 cals) and do not do a huge amount of exercise although I walk a lot in daily life. Some weeks there is nothing others I lose 4lbs, I don't stress about it.

[Pandorassox]

mirai I've just calculated my bmr which is 1589 and my tdee is 2462. Does this mean I need to eat at least 1589 calories per day? I certainly do not want to starve myself as the main reason I am doing it is for my health. I just thought you had to eat under your limit to loose any weight.

[Pandorassox]

hugoagogo I'm in no means trying to rush my weight loss in fact I have given myself a year to get to my target weight of 10 stone, I know it won't happen over night. It's just I thought the first few weeks I would be loosing around 5-6lb as I am classed as obese.

[hugoagogo]

That's good, you don't want to be miserable for a year do you?

My mind set is that I try and eat as if I am my goal weight, a lifestyle change as they call it, rather than a diet.

So I have chips, I have wine, but I always have my eye on it and don't go mad.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Your net calories need to be at least your BMR. So after you've added your exercise ones as well, or at least some of them.

So if you do 300 calories worth of exercise then you could comfortably eat 1800 calories a day and still have a significant calorie deficit each day.

I would suggest mixing it up a bit though and eating different amounts on different days to keep your metabolism guessing. So 1600 one day, 2000 the next - have you looked at doing 5:2? You would eat 500ish calories on two days a week (easier than it sounds) and then eat to within 10% or so of your TDEE the rest of the time. If you've set your TDEE to include the exercise you are doing then you don't eat back any exercise calories on top of that - does that make sense?

Pop over to the 5:2 thread if you like the sound of it. :)

[Pandorassox]

Thanks for all the advice, it's certainly working! I have upped my calories to 1400 and stepped on the scales today to see I am now 13.3!

[naughtycloud1]

this has happened to me and what i did was is eat a bit more shock it a bit then gradually it will budge and dont give up