I need some advice...PLEASE :)

Ok, I have been on CC for about 4 weeks now and have been logging my food for over a week.  As far as I've learned, I need 1400~ calories per day to lose weight.  I have not yet started an exercise routine (starts this Sat!) so I left the activity level at sedetary.  I have been getting between 1200 and 1600 (depending on the day) per day.  I really have only "cheated" 2 days since I started this and every other day I have eaten healthy.   I don't have a scale because I don't feel this is an accurate way of "weighing-in"....especially once I start my exercise program.  I have maybe noticed a LITTLE difference but not much.  I would think when I changed my caloric intake and started eating really healthy that I would drop some weight right of way.....  Can anyone give me some advice as to what I may be doing wrong? 

Stats...

28, 5'3", SW-146, CW-146, GW-130

Thanks a bunch :)

Erica

my guess is you will see and feel much greater results when you start excercizing.  i am not much smaller than you, and for me to loose when i am sedntary i need to be closer to 1250 cals.  I tend to put myself at sedntary and then log my excercize and keep my deficite to about 500 calories. 

and it is going to be slow if you are doing it right.  it didnt jump on in 4 weeks, if you loose it that fast, it will just come back.  the advantage to slow loss is building new habbits that will stick with you so that you can keep your healthy lifestyle after you meet your goals. 

so, if you aren't using a scale to track progress...(and that can be a very good thing, scales are fickle and fluctuate for strange reasons) what are you using to judge your progress?

Sorry if this is silly, but if you're not weighing how do you know you're still at 146?  Let's assume you're losing 1 lb/wk (in the healthy range) - that's only 4 lbs so far.  To me, 4 lbs might be tough to see in the mirror.

Are you sure you haven't lost anything?

It took me a while to lose weight when I first started. Part was due to the fact that I underestimated my calories and weights. Example: I would eat and apple and log an apple. But my apple (once I started weighing everything) was 200 grams and not 150 grams. With an apple the difference is maybe 20 calories. With cheese (1.5 ounces instead of 1 ounce) it can be 45+ caloires and this can add up.

If you need 1400 to lose weight (I haven't done your calculations) and are eating an average of 1400 calories per day (between 1200 and 1600) you will lose weight, but more slowly than if you have a deficit of 500+ calories a day. Exercise will help you increase your deficit without knocking nutrition. Cheat days are ok. It's a matter of portions and overall calories. Heck, I still each chocolate, cheese and drink red wine. I just make sure they fit into my overall calorie goals

Finally, you don' t have a lot of weight to lose before reaching a healthy BMI, which usually means that the progress is slower. Don't give up. Start the exercise and I bet within another few weeks you'll start to see positive changes.

Well, it's hard to say...  I had a baby last June and I have been weighing myself at random people's houses, LOL!  I thought I was 143 and I had a dr appt today and it said 146 :(  VERY frustrating since I've been doing so good!  I know it takes time....  Even though I don't see immediate results, I feel 100% better already!!

Original Post by jessiemccrory:

my guess is you will see and feel much greater results when you start excercizing.  i am not much smaller than you, and for me to loose when i am sedntary i need to be closer to 1250 cals.  I tend to put myself at sedntary and then log my excercize and keep my deficite to about 500 calories. 

and it is going to be slow if you are doing it right.  it didnt jump on in 4 weeks, if you loose it that fast, it will just come back.  the advantage to slow loss is building new habbits that will stick with you so that you can keep your healthy lifestyle after you meet your goals. 

so, if you aren't using a scale to track progress...(and that can be a very good thing, scales are fickle and fluctuate for strange reasons) what are you using to judge your progress?

I am using a tape measure!  That's what I've been doing since I had my daughter.  I would much rather see 4 inches lost than .526lbs, LOL!!!

Every scale is different - weighing yourself at random is not only inaccurate but can be demoralizing. If you don't want to keep a scale at home, pick a single scale to use and take your progress weight on that scale.

In terms of baby weight, I stand by my original comment that it could take your body a bit to kick-start itself. Your body has already lost weight post-baby and additional diet efforts, while justified, usually are met with a tad bit of resistance. Trust me - I had two pregnancies in two years starting at 36 years old and the weight loss was slow. But it happens if you stick with it.

Exercise WILL help - both to help tone, to force your body to lose fat and to help you keep a deficit even when the chocolate brownie is just too good to resist.  Good luck.

I know for myself and 2 of my girlfriends we will not loose a pound if we don't excercise.  The weight won't go up but to reach the max of 2 pounds per week loss, got to work out atleast 30 min.  For me it's the treadmill.