I (5’2, 24F) started at 234 pounds. I shed 20 pounds in the last six weeks, but I’ve been stuck at 214 for the past two weeks. I walk 10,000 steps per day and consume 1,200 calories. I am still motivated, but I am becoming annoyed since I am not seeing any improvement. Am I doing something wrong, or am I simply being impatient?
You’re doing fantastic. Keep going and be patient.
20 pounds gone in 6 weeks is quite fast. A significant percentage of that weight was most likely water weight, and some of it has returned in the last two weeks, masking your fat reduction.
Water fluctuations like this are common. Continue to check for 6 to 8 pounds of weight loss per month.
You are most certainly struggling because you are constantly striving to be flawless. Most of us believe that the more effort we put in, the better our results will be, but this is not a one-to-one trade. Because you want it so badly, you are most likely making blunders or failing to see things. Take a deep breath, and gradually improve.
“You put a bucket of water on a rock, and nothing happens. Every time you let a drop of water fall on a rock, it develops a hole in it.” This means showing up on a consistent basis. Sometimes the scale does not display the desired figure, but I assure you that there is more going on behind the scenes than you realise, and weight can rise even during a deficit before dropping a day or two later.
Losing weight was simple, but not always easy. However, once I hit 196 pounds, I maintained it for about a month before giving up and gradually reverting to my previous habits. Now, 5 years later, I was back to 269 pounds and feeling like absolute trash. I had also abandoned several goals since I had failed. I had a goal, and I gave it up so easy.
You must have reasonable expectations regarding weight loss and your physique. Increasing your effort does not always result in faster outcomes. 1lb of pure body fat equals approximately 3500 calories, yet as a 6’0 238lb male, I consume approximately 2500 calories in a day of basic exercise, so even if I fasted all day, I would not equal 1lb. Exercise will help, but practically, you won’t burn more than a few hundred calories; it takes time!!!
First and foremost, losing 20 pounds in 6 weeks is fantastic, and you should be very proud. Plateaus are an expected element of weight loss. Try varying your physical activity and see if that helps.
Also, as a female, water retention is very real throughout the menstrual cycle. I mostly stopped weighing myself during the week of my cycle since it hurt my feelings hehe. For example, I weighed 185 pounds on the first day of my period this month. It’s been 5 days since then, and I haven’t changed a thing in terms of diet or activity; this morning, I’m back down to the 178 pounds I was before my period began. Did I drop 7 pounds of fat in 5 days? Absolutely not; it is water retention.