Why am I not losing weight yet?

Advise
1

I started cutting weight and calculated my daily calorie needs (TDEE) using an online tool.

I weigh about 94kg and am 189cm tall. My job is very physical, and I lift weights after every shift, including abs and cardio. My maintenance calories came out to around 3500.

I’ve been on a calorie deficit of about 1500, so I’m eating around 2000 calories daily. I’m strict about this, weighing all my food down to the oil I use and the sauces I add. I haven’t gone over this deficit in the last three weeks.

But here’s the problem; I haven’t seen any weight loss yet. Is this normal when you just start cutting? I expected to lose about a kilo a week, but it’s not happening.

Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

2

Even if your TDEE is lower than 3500 (which seems high for someone your size), you should still be losing weight at 2000 calories a day. How are you checking your weight?

3

Dakota said:
Even if your TDEE is lower than 3500 (which seems high for someone your size), you should still be losing weight at 2000 calories a day. How are you checking your weight?

I’ve been using both a scale at home and one at the gym. They show the same numbers.

4

@Morgan
Are you weighing yourself in the morning after going to the bathroom? If you weigh after eating or drinking, the numbers can be off.

5

Dakota said:
@Morgan
Are you weighing yourself in the morning after going to the bathroom? If you weigh after eating or drinking, the numbers can be off.

Not consistently. I’m sure some of the fluctuation is water weight, but I thought I’d see at least some drop by now. My water intake is pretty steady each day, but my weight hasn’t budged even with the calorie cut.

6

@Morgan
Try weighing yourself in the morning for consistency. The only other thing I can think of is maybe you’re not burning as much as you think, and 2000 calories might be closer to your maintenance level.

7

@Dakota
That could be, but I was eating much more casually before tracking calories, with lots of high-calorie foods, and still maintaining this weight.

8

Morgan said:
@Dakota
That could be, but I was eating much more casually before tracking calories, with lots of high-calorie foods, and still maintaining this weight.

What kind of physical job do you have? And has your gym routine been consistent, or is it something new?

9

@Dakota
I work as a driller’s assistant, so it’s a lot of heavy lifting in the New Zealand sun, which means lots of sweating. The gym routine has been regular since I started this cut.

10

Morgan said:
@Dakota
I work as a driller’s assistant, so it’s a lot of heavy lifting in the New Zealand sun, which means lots of sweating. The gym routine has been regular since I started this cut.

Stick to morning weigh-ins and track how it goes over the next few weeks.

11

@Dakota
I’ll do that, thanks for the advice.

12

Have you been weighing yourself daily during these three weeks? Has your weight changed at all, or has it been exactly 94kg every time?

Water weight can fluctuate by a few kilos, which can make it hard to notice actual fat loss over short periods like three weeks.

13

It’s probably a mix of your body holding on to water, your TDEE estimate being off, and your body adjusting to the calorie deficit. You should still be losing something at 2000 calories a day, even if it’s not as much as you hoped. Give it another month before you get too worried.

14

If there’s no weight loss after three weeks, something isn’t right with your numbers. Try cutting another 200–300 calories.

15

At 2000 calories a day, you should be losing weight. Over three weeks, you’d be in a 31,500-calorie deficit, which should show up as weight loss unless something is off.

16

Tate said:
At 2000 calories a day, you should be losing weight. Over three weeks, you’d be in a 31,500-calorie deficit, which should show up as weight loss unless something is off.

Maybe my TDEE is wrong? I’ve entered the same numbers multiple times, and it always gives me around 3500 for maintenance.