What went wrong?

I first started my lower calorie diet about 3 1/2 weeks ago. In the first to weeks I lost 10 lbs. Now I can't even lose 1 lb. and I'm afraid that I'm going to gain the pounds back. What happened?? All I did was lower my calorie intake by 100 after losing the ten pounds so it could go according to my weight and I also stopped eating snacks between meals because when I first started my body was not used to having less food/calories. But now my body adjusted... so less hunmger pains yet, my weight seemed to plateau and I can't fix it. I wonder if not eating between meals affected my metabolism and that's why I have not lost weight in 1 1/2 weeks.

Original Post by bunny810:

I first started my lower calorie diet about 3 1/2 weeks ago. In the first to weeks I lost 10 lbs. Now I can't even lose 1 lb. and I'm afraid that I'm going to gain the pounds back. What happened?? All I did was lower my calorie intake by 100 after losing the ten pounds so it could go according to my weight and I also stopped eating snacks between meals because when I first started my body was not used to having less food/calories. But now my body adjusted... so less hunmger pains yet, my weight seemed to plateau and I can't fix it. I wonder if not eating between meals affected my metabolism and that's why I have not lost weight in 1 1/2 weeks.

We'll need some stats to help you out better: 

Age

How many calories per day do you eat (then and now)

If you exercise, how often and for how long?

Typically, if you start to plateau, it's because you're burning more calories than you're consuming (relatively).  This site offers that you should eat NO LESS than between 500 and 1000 calories than you burn. 

For example, if my burn meter says that I burn 2000 calories per day, I should eat between 1200 and 1500 calories per day (now, this will vary by person and by activity level).  The burn meter will be very helpful with this estimation.

I eat approximately 1300 calories and this seems to work for me.  Unfortunately, I lost my will power while I was sick last week and gained some weight (I'm too scared to weigh myself this week).  But I'm back on track as of Monday and I'm feeling thinner already :)

Try eating healthy snacks like fruit or nuts... 

Exercise???  Change up your routine or add more weights and /or time.

My ultimate word of advice is go by how your clothes are fittng you.  My weight flexuates between 5-7 pounds.  I got tired to seeing the numbers and so now I go by how I feel.  I still weigh myself but less and do not obsess over the numbers.

Hang in there....do what you can and try to stay positive. Slow and steady wins the race! 

I believe that you have inadvertantly slowed down your metabolism. Many weight-loss coaches will tell you that your metabolism needs fuel (food). by decreasing on your snacks, you have made your body try to conserve energy by decreasing fuel burnt, therefore not aiding your weight loss. Keep your calorie intake low but increase the number of times you eat in a day. the snacks may be vegetables or fruit or anything that will not let your calories slide. keep those portions small, and remember that the body will protect itself. good luck

10 pounds in two weeks is a huge loss.  I wouldn't be suprised if you body needs to readjust a bit after that.  Weight loss will NEVER be steady.  You will lose some weeks and not others.  Just keep at it.  I think 3 weeks is awfully soon for a plateau or metabolism slow down, but if you cut too far back it is possible.

im in the same boat also.. during the first 3 weeks i loss weight... about 9 lbs... eating between 1400-1600... now for the past 2 weeks ive been stuck at the same weight.. its to early to hit a platue ( well depending on how much you weighed starting out...)  I looked back at my cals and realized that i started eating a little more because i had started to work out... so this week i've cut back a hundred cals and still continue to do my work outs.. ill see how that goes.. but yeah... maybe look back at ur cals.. and readjust everything?   ohh.. and i realized that i wasnt drinking as much water as I had started out.. so i might be retaining a little...  good luck

Original Post by clharr:

10 pounds in two weeks is a huge loss.  I wouldn't be suprised if you body needs to readjust a bit after that.  Weight loss will NEVER be steady.  You will lose some weeks and not others.  Just keep at it.  I think 3 weeks is awfully soon for a plateau or metabolism slow down, but if you cut too far back it is possible.

 I agree. So many people see a quick, big loss and assume it is all fat--it's not. You lost a lot of water weight at first and now your body is resuming a normal amount of water to hold WHILE burning off the extra fat as you have continued your good habits. The water is "heavy," so you don't see the scale go down while this exchange/adjustment is taking place.

You may also be undereating, but 3.5 weeks is an awfully short time for that to have a dramatic impact. Just be sure to keep your calorie deficit between 500-1000 and you'll be ok.

Remember, .5 to 2 lbs lost per week is a steady, healthy, SUSTAINABLE rate of loss. Although it is unlikely to happen, you could see no change for weeks and still show a rate of loss like this b/c of your early loss--if you went 10 weeks, you'd still be averaging 1 lb a week lost! So try to take the "long haul" perspective and not to change things around if you are pretty sure you are doing it right. The fast loss was, unfortunately, not a true indicator of what it takes to lose fat.

Good luck.

oh girl- Im in the same boat right now. TOTALLY frustrated!  I think it's time to up exercise...

Good luck :)

I did look at my calories recently and noticed that I have a greater deficiency than I should, between 1100-1300 on some days. That's because sometimes I try to eat lower calories during the day so that after work (around 5:30pm) I can eat a more calorie filled meal without going over my limit. Well sometimes that backfires because I see that I didn't eat enough calories so I am stuck with a lot later in the day and in the night and I feel if I eat 3 hours or less before going to bed that I will gain weight. So I've been trying hard to plan ahead but I seem to over do it. I need help w/ that. And I am trying to eat 100-150 calorie snacks between meals again but I tend to forget with all the running around between school and work. Weekends seem to be my only time to get organized and actually have time to eat correctly.

1100-1300 deficit will put you into starvation mode if you keep it up.  You don't mention your current weight, but studies have shown that you can only lose about 1% of your body weight in fat a week.  To lose 1 pound a week requires a 500 calorie daily deficit.  A daily deficit of 1000 will get you to lose 2 pounds a week.  If you weigh less than 200 pounds, that is too much for you.  Take it slower, and you will look and feel better as well as having a better chance of keeping it off.

The thing about eating before you go to bed making you gain weight is a myth.  The only reason not to eat before you go to bed is if it makes you physically uncomfortable, or disturbs your sleep (a large heavy meal right before bed often gives me weird dreams and I wake up cranky). 

Having some healthy calories that aren't too filling late in the evening is not going to hurt your diet if you are under your calories for the day.  Have a spoonful of peanut butter on whole wheat toast.  Or a nice large glass of milk.

karozel - thanks for sharing this information.  I have heard too many times that people don't want to eat at night because it makes them gain weight.  Calories are calories and it depends on how many you eat, not necessarily when you eat them.

bunny810 - don't give up!!  There's a lot of GREAT information, support, and great friends on this site and I hope that you find the tools necessary to make you successful.  If you need support, don't hesitate to ask for it!!!