Very Slow Weight Loss

[Dezinerbug51]

Hello!

This is my first post on the forum. I had to find somewhere online with other South Beach dieters because I have been getting progressively more discouraged. This is the second time I am trying South Beach. Last year, around this time, I tried it as a quick way to loose weight before my best friends wedding (I was a bridesmaid) and did well. Didn't stick to it completely but still managed to loose about 10 pounds which was great. Well, I gained those 10 pounds (plus a few more) back and decided to really give it a try this time. I started on January 23rd and did not cheat once in my two weeks. Yesterday, I started phase 2 and added in a few apple slices and a 1/2 cup of whole wheat couscous with added veggies at dinner. For the first week, I did well, gradual weight loss that was not as much as last time but it was ok. On February 1st I was down 7 pounds and was content. I was 4 days away from the end of phase 1 and thought maybe I could loose 1 more pound but that didn't happen. Actually, nothing has happened since February 1st. Since then, the scale has said I am up 1 pound for the past 5 days. When I started week 2 of phase 1 I began exercising and am doing hard gym workouts at least 4 days a week but am aiming for 6 days this week. Just starting to get discouraged with this stall. I am very serious about loosing the weight this time as I will be getting married next year and want to make the change for good (and to look amazing in my wedding dress)! Any advice? I started with a goal of loosing 50 pounds total and I feel like I am not making a lot of progress.

Thank you!!

[robin5]

I'm right there with you! And this is a great place for encouragement and advise. I only lost 2.8 pounds in phase 1 and it is also my 2nd time on the beach. My first was about 5 years ago. Lost all my weight/gained it back. Don't really know why it is harder this time and I to was getting very discouraged to the point of giving up. But I transitioned into phase 2 yesterday and am determined to stick with it. I am also exercising this time and thought that would add to my weight loss. Keep going! From what I have read here it is normal to have a stall. Don't give up! Even thought I have not lost nearly as much weight as I wanted to in phase 1 I feel better that I have in a long time.

[RonniRoo]

I think the answer is your recent introduction of strenuous workouts. These are a GREAT idea and in the long run, will help you lose weight, and more importantly KEEP it off, however, in the short term, adding vigorous exercise almost always causes weight gain. It's not fat, but rather, the exercise is stressing out your muscles, causing small micro tears, which your body is working at repairing. To do that, your muscles suck in additional water, which equals more weight. I would be VERY surprised, if you don't have a drop in weight in the next 2 weeks or so as your muscles let go of some of the water ( I don't think they let go of all of the water, as long as you are exercising, I think you will hold onto a little water in your muscles, but your body will be smaller than if you didn't exercise, so don't think stopping exercise is a good idea, LOL). I notice a little bump in weight each time I change the intensity of my exercise, or when I add something that tweaks muscles I haven't really focused on before. Hope this helps, keep at it and you will get good results!

~~Veronica

[qtssima]

It is definitely the workouts. I just started my third week of Phase II, and I gained 2 lbs the first week. Now, I have noticed I will plateau a couple of days, and then all of a sudden have a drop off of 1.5- 2 pounds. I am a daily weigher so I pay close attention to all the ups and downs. I've lost 10 lbs in 4 weeks.

In addition to what RonniRoo said, make sure you are hydrating adequately. Also, I have only introduced a fruit and a grain (usually a slice of toast), but on days when I will be running for a workout, I purposely save one of those items as my pre-workout snack. Working out is great, but it does require carbs. Lo-carb bread with peanut or almond butter is my go to, or sometimes I will do an apple and string cheese or small yogurt.

Rest days are important, so make sure you have a few days that are lower-impact. I have found I usually drop weight the day after a rest day, but I usually have NO weight loss after a hard workout.

Good luck!!

Nina

[Jaylah]

I think it's important to remember, too, that South Beach is not a "quick way to lose weight." It's a lifestyle change that will cause you to lose weight (if you have excess weight to start with), but most weight loss isn't sustainable if you lose more than 1 - 2 pounds per week.

Second, I've read several posts on this forum from people who are starting over on South Beach, and virtually all of them said that they did not experience the same dramatic weight loss during Phase 1 as they did the first time. You're not alone.

Third, when you do lose a lot of weight in Phase 1, it's mostly water weight. When you start adding in some higher glycemic index foods (like fruits and grains) in Phase 2, the water weight-loss is going to slow down.

Fourth, muscle weighs more than fat but takes up less space. (It's kind of like that old joke about "Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of rocks?" They both weigh the same amount, but it takes a lot more feathers by volume to make one pound.) Since you're doing regular gym workouts now, you're probably burning up quite a lot of fat, and replacing it with muscle. So don't just go by your scale's numbers. While you may not be seeing much weight loss on your scale, are you losing inches? Are your clothes a bit looser than they were before?


Although South Beach is not a calorie (or anything else) counting diet, the truth is that you gain weight when you take in more calories than you burn. You lose weight when you burn more calories than you take in. As long as you're eating in accordance with the South Beach way of eating, and especially if you're working out several times per week, you WILL lose weight. But the human body is a pretty complicated thing and, as a result, weight loss (or gain) isn't always a steady progression. (Have you ever totally "pigged out" on something, and it took a day or so for the weight to show up on the scale? I know I have. )

Don't give up. You're off to a great start!!!

And if you want to lose about 50 pounds before your wedding next year, at a sustainable weight loss of 2 pounds per week it should only take you about 25 weeks to lose it all. That should leave you plenty of time for dress fittings on your new slimmer self before the wedding.

[Kimboroni]

This idea that you can lose 2 lbs a week over the long haul is kind of a misconception, though, and can set people up for disappointment. Someone with a lot of weight to lose (significantly more than 50 lbs) may be able to average at that rate for a while (maybe a few months), and someone with 50 lbs to lose might average at 2 lbs per week initially. But that is unlikely to continue for very long. It slows down the closer you get to goal.

I know that during my rapid weight loss stage, I averaged at 1 lb per week, and then it slowed down from there.

You really just have to keep at it, like everyone said. You might not lose weight faster by incorporating exercise, but you will probably look better and be smaller and more fit. Just stick wth the program-- eat balanced meals, eat adequately, but don't overeat. Exercise. Drink your water and get enough sleep. Maybe you won't weigh exactly what you want to in X months, but how much will you weigh in X months if you quit?

[Magna]

Adding to what Kimboroni said, remember that you can benefit just by making progress, even before you reach your goal. It isn't as if everything stays as it is until you reach some magic number on the scale. Based on the experiences of people on this board, people usually start looking and feeling better, and noticing a variety of other benefits you might not even expect, long before they are even close to reaching their goal weight.

[bec]

This is my second go around on this way of eating. The last time around, I was a very different shape than I am now. I am much more in shape (even with the extra pounds). I don't know that I will get down to where I was last time, because I know I have a lot more muscle mass than last time. I was about a size 14-16 when I started last time around the same weight. Starting this time I am a solid size 12. I imagine, I will get down to a size 8 by the time I go into phase 3. The numbers themselves don't mean too much to me. The inches sure do, though!