Diet and Exercise - scales don't change?

Silver33

Hi all,
I'm 5 foot 7 female and weigh 10 stone. This is what I weighed first thing this morning. The day before it was 9.8 stone. This has been fluctuating daily. Is it water retention? I am trying to lose about 2-3 lbs max.
I'm ravenous most of the time but am on week two of this eating plan along with spinning once a week and 3 x 40 min brisk walks.
Breakfast:- Orange, apple, black coffee. Low Fat mullerice the odd morning.
Mid morning snack: banana, orange, black coffee.
Lunch: green leafy salad, tomatos, tuna/or chicken, hard boiled egg, ryvita, beetroot, scallions, pear, apple, orange.
Dinner: Large Green leafy salad again with mixture of same as lunch varied by using low low cheese small chunks, 2/3 baby potatos.
Snack: 2 liquorice sweets, pink n'white wafer biscuit.
Lots of water all day.
Is it too soon to have lost two pounds? Am on day 12.
Thanks

j1974

Silver33 wrote: »

Hi all,
I'm 5 foot 7 female and weigh 10 stone. This is what I weighed first thing this morning. The day before it was 9.8 stone. This has been fluctuating daily. Is it water retention? I am trying to lose about 2-3 lbs max.
I'm ravenous most of the time but am on week two of this eating plan along with spinning once a week and 3 x 40 min brisk walks.
Breakfast:- Orange, apple, black coffee. Low Fat mullerice the odd morning.
Mid morning snack: banana, orange, black coffee.
Lunch: green leafy salad, tomatos, tuna/or chicken, hard boiled egg, ryvita, beetroot, scallions, pear, apple, orange.
Dinner: Large Green leafy salad again with mixture of same as lunch varied by using low low cheese small chunks, 2/3 baby potatos.
Snack: 2 liquorice sweets, pink n'white wafer biscuit.
Lots of water all day.
Is it too soon to have lost two pounds? Am on day 12.
Thanks

well for starters youre eating too much fruit. more green veg, less fruit. less dairy and cut out the caffiene. even fruit has tons of sugar, have it after or before your training.

optimistic_

I'm no expert, and would never claim to be.

But get more protien in there. Drop some of your morning fruit and replace with an egg or two.

And your lunch, cut out some of that fruit and up the amount of chicken or tuna in there instead.

Be careful of dressings etc for your salads as well.

On a calorie deficit, you would expect to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week.

rubadub

Silver33 wrote: »

Lots of water all day.
Is it too soon to have lost two pounds?

A single pint of water weighs over 1lb, hydration/dehyration can easily cause a few lb difference, with women this can be worse as they would be more prone to water retention -which you already seem to know. Also some scales have "sticking points", i.e. it might get to 10stone and not register an extra 2lb more but will jump up when it gets 3lb more, and then it jumps to 10 3lb. You can test this by holding a can of beer or lb of butter.

More importantly is to not to just focus on weight, measure yourself and take photos, though you are talking of only losing 2-3lb which is not a very discernible amount, maybe have a goal of dropping X inches. it is such a small goal I wonder if it really is a true goal, if you are trying to get fit maybe have a goal of walking X miles in X minutes.

Silver33

thanks for the advice
Coffee has now been replaced with green tea.
Will up the chicken and tuna. As it is am on about 3 eggs a day.
I also eat raw carrots.. No dressings on salad just plain rabbit food.
I gave up smoking Oct 2008 and am still in the habit of chewing on something.
I don't want to lose anymore than 2/3 lbs as I was 10.6 last summer and am happy with that, Just a pound or two in relation to clothes comfort and feeling healthier and fitter.
Scales are digital - I am drinking about 3 pints of water during office hours.
Is popcorn ok for snacking on? not the microwave stuff but popped in a pot type with olive oil?
Thanks everyone.

siochain

rubadub wrote: »

More importantly is to not to just focus on weight, measure yourself and take photos, though you are talking of only losing 2-3lb which is not a very discernible amount, maybe have a goal of dropping X inches. it is such a small goal I wonder if it really is a true goal, if you are trying to get fit maybe have a goal of walking X miles in X minutes.

+1

are you doing and cardio or weights?

Silver33

No cardio or weights. walking/spinning - thats it. I'm not a member of a gym and I'm not a fan of the gym either.

siochain

sometimes when you start training and diet at the same time you may not notice the difference on the scales due to toning up. Lean muscle weights more than fat.

sfag31

seriously folks - the op said 2 - 3 lbs max. You going in for a fight or something?

You are probably holding water due to a fair consumption of food.
All that fruit and water prob means you are consuming 4 litres of water a day - not the famous 2.
The grub you mention maybe healthy but it does seem like a lot.

OP - A dieter can weigh 2 lbs less in 1 day (not fat loss though) by eating less food as they will hold less water. Simple as that.

Silver33

Thanks Sfag31.
It certainly makes sense.
I always thought you could eat any amount of fruit and veg.
I've a voracious appetite - always have. I still feel half starved - I am full for an hour or so and then starving again!
I'll cut down on the fruit a little.

How Strange

Silver33 wrote: »

Will up the chicken and tuna. As it is am on about 3 eggs a day.

How about having 2 eggs for breakfast and 1 at lunch time? Having eggs at breakfast will help keep you full for longer during the morning.

There's a lot to be said for the adage; breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and supper like a pauper.

If I ate an apple and an orange for breakfast I'd be starving in 30mins.

If you're having yoghurt for breakfast have full fat natural yoghurt and nmix some berries into it. The low fat yoghurts are full of sugar which is something I only learned recently. Have an egg or 2 after your yoghurt and you should find you won't be as ravenous at lunch time.

sfag31

Everything in moderation - that includes fruit.

To feel less hungry eat something with fat (good fat obviously). fat is good!.
Meat is good. Eggs are good too. Even two squares of dark chocolate is very filling. 10 fish oils a day.


In terms of long term health some protein with every meal will slow down the conversion of energy from carbs into becoming fat too quickly (simply put) thus allowing the exercise to consume the cals before the fat forms.

Drink only when thirsty.
Melons are good for water retention reducing.

sfag31

Heres a suggestion.
Stop the exercise for a few days.
Eat less - without the spinning you should be less hugry.
Dont drink excess water.
Keep the walking - especially before breakfast. You'll pee upon waking and after walking - helps get rid of the water.
See how it goes.

bladespin

j1974 wrote: »

cut out the caffiene.

What's wrong with caffiene?

Just asking because I'm totally hooked on coffee, please tell me it's not absolutely awful if you're trying to loose weight.

Awwww no, just googled it, that would explian a lot

Silver33

Thanks for that everyone.
I'll have eggs for breakfast tomorrow. Cut back on the water, get some yoghurt, berries and a melon.
I have spinning tomorrow evening - but legs still sore so depending on pain - may give it a miss.
Gonna replace some of the walking with exercise bike - fed up walking the roads.
Cinema tonight - am presuming I can eat a large salt popcorn? or a medium at least?

xgtdec

Silver33 wrote: »

Cinema tonight - am presuming I can eat a large salt popcorn? or a medium at least?

Dear God no...:D

I stopped going to the cinema ages ago...i had a real weak spot for hot dogs and butter on popcorn....solution was just not to go, ive more will power now though i can manage a movie with out them

On the scale weight thing, i can see up to a half stone differance in a day between morning and night, so for 2-3 pounds ya might need a lill more precision than scales!

Mellor

sfag31 wrote: »

seriously folks - the op said 2 - 3 lbs max. You going in for a fight or something?

To be fair, most people once they reach a target, they set a new one.
I wanted to drop 6kg, I did. I immediately added another 5 kg drop target.

OP - A dieter can weigh 2 lbs less in 1 day (not fat loss though) by eating less food as they will hold less water. Simple as that.

The other night I seen a guy drop almost 9lbs in his sleep, he went on to get this up to a total of 14lbs in 16 hours or so. (fyi he's about 14 stone)

This is totally unrelated to the OPs request to lose some weight

xgtdec wrote: »

Dear God no...:D

I stopped going to the cinema ages ago...i had a real weak spot for hot dogs and butter on popcorn....solution was just not to go, ive more will power now though i can manage a movie with out them

lol me too,
I was going to go to see Iron Man 2 tonight. I thinking about putting it off as i'm getting v.strict on my diet this week.

How Strange

Silver33 wrote: »

Cinema tonight - am presuming I can eat a large salt popcorn? or a medium at least?

If I'm going to the cinema and I fancy some popcorn I buy a bag of manhattan popcorn and bring it with me. Similarly if I want something sweet I buy an ordinary bar of chocolate. I avoid all the food sold in the cinema because the portions are way too big and they cost a fortune.