Can it take a few weeks to notice weight loss? page

[diverchick]

I am a 33 yr old 5'6" female who weighs 178 lbs. I do everything from IRONMAN distance Triathlons to power-lifting competitions...basically if I can compete, I am in!! I have quite a bit of muscle mass. According to the charts my BMI is 28.7 which puts me in the highly overweight range, but I can do 10 wide grip pull ups, run my 5km under 25 min, bench press 185 lbs and deadlift 315lbs...so I know I am not obese and unfit!! But I do have 15lbs to lose.

I have just begun primal 1 week ago, but it wasn't a huge jump for me as I had already cut out breads and pastas. I feel an incredible difference in steady energy throughout the day and also I never feel hungry which is fantastic! I really enjoy it. (Thanks Mark!!!)

I was just wondering, is it normal that I havn't dropped any weight yet? I do track calories/carb stats with fitday and I have an average daily deficit of 900 Cal. I have read some posts that describe the body needing time to heal, is this an explanation for why I have not dropped any weight yet?

I do not expect to be dropping a million lbs in a week! But just thought I may see a half a pound or a pound down by now, since almost everyone that I read says they saw weight loss immediately.

Thanks in advance for your reply!!

[paleodutch]

You.might not be eating enough and your body can be holding on to the weight because it thinks there is a food shortage. Try eating a little bit more and see if it works. For me eating a piece of chocolate has worked several times.
Dont stress about the bmi, it is known to be wrong for bodybuilders and others with a lot of muscle wich it sounds you have. And because you do not have a lot to lose it will take more time, people who lose a lot at the start are usually really obese and have lots to lose.
Just enjoy feeling better for starts.

[diverchick]

You.might not be eating enough and your body can be holding on to the weight because it thinks there is a food shortage. Try eating a little bit more and see if it works. For me eating a piece of chocolate has worked several times.
Dont stress about the bmi, it is known to be wrong for bodybuilders and others with a lot of muscle wich it sounds you have. And because you do not have a lot to lose it will take more time, people who lose a lot at the start are usually really obese and have lots to lose.
Just enjoy feeling better for starts.

I will try it, but I am just scared to overeat....maybe by upping my Cals by say 250, it might help. Thanks a lot for your reply! I will be sure to re-post with results!

[halfbunny]

Maybe take a day off, not excercising at all ?

It took me a month before I noticed any weight loss on my body frame of 5'7".
It seems you are fairly healthy, your extra flab (if you even have it) will go in time, don't worry! Please don't start eating less!

[calee]

It took me three weeks to see the scale move. I had to add more calories in the form of fat. On day 22 the scale started moving. That said,mthe first 21 days I felt great.

Good luck!

[Damiana]

If most of your weight is muscle, it might be really difficult to see any loss unless you're willing to work out less and lose muscle mass. You are probably in excellent shape already and there might not be much to lose.

[Richard Seekins]

It would be interesting to find out what your body mass is made up of. As has been said your probably carrying a lot of muscle mass. Do you have lots of visible fat to lose?

[Kelly Korg]

I have been at this about three weeks and the scale has only moved a pound. I am 35, 5'4 and 150. My goals is to lose 15lbs. I am hoping that the slow and steady approach works better than the crash diets I have tried repeatedly in the past.

[sbhikes]

I had a lot more weight than you to lose, at least 30lbs, probably more. I do a lot of hiking, I was bicycle commuting and doing some jogging at lunch back then. I did not see any weight loss at all for 5 weeks and I got really sick from the low carb flu to the point I cramped up horribly at about week 4.5 and then learned I needed a lot more sodium and potassium if I was going to keep up my active life and survive. Right about then, the weight started to move and I lost it pretty quickly.

But I'm only where you are now. I could probably lose 10-15lbs. I lift heavy 2x a week. I sprint. I walk and hike. I don't lose weight anymore though. This seems to be where my body wants to be. For some people (like me), you have to eat so much less that life is not worth living. I do not want to live like a concentration camp survivor. I want to eat when I'm hungry and not worry about food so much.

You might not be the same as me, though. After patience stops working, you might enjoy calorie cycling. Or maybe intermittent fasting. IF has not done anything for me but could help you. Maybe plain old portion control. Maybe more calories from fat and fewer from meat and starch. Maybe more from starch and less from fat. Maybe less exercise, as opposite as that sounds. More sleep. Lots to try, but I'd wait and see what happens first.

[14emom]

Take a look at this blog, she is not primal/paleo, but she has a lot of smart things to say. Her journey might strike a familiar cord:

Go Kaleo | Kale + Paleo = Kaleo. It's a JOKE, yo. You are not your diet, and I am not mine. Don't starve yourself. Get some exercise. Skip the Kool-aid.