no loss

Question
Hi, i just (about 2 weeks ago) decided to loose some weight so i instantly went on a reasonable diet, but im not starving myself, and working out, but im not overdoing it.  im pretty young and am having no problem being on the diet and my friends and family have already noticed that im looking thinner.  i noticed it.  even people who didnt know i was trying to loose weight notice.  but heres the thing, i haven't lost weight?  i have gained a few pounds.  i was at 290 and now im at a consistent 293-94.  I'm not terribly over weight (dr said im about 20lbs over and i shouldnt loose more then 30) but i look noticeably thinner and more toned.  could i be building muscle that fast?  could it out grow my fat loss?

Answer
Hello John,

Interesting question. Usually people would not notice a weight change until someone changed by about 10% of their body weight, which would be nearly 30 pounds for you, so I'm not sure why people have commented on your appearance change. There is a chance that you've either gotten a bit more toned, or that you are actually presenting yourself differently. When you decided you care about your body and you started giving yourself healthy fuel and becoming more active, it's likely your posture and demeanor changed and made yourself appear different.... perhaps your head is held higher, you don't slump your shoulders, you hold your chest out, and you look like you are in better shape because you present yourself that way!

Be sure to keep an eye on the scale and look for the weight to start going down if you, in fact, continue to eat reasonably.  One factor that stops people in their tracks is that they tend to "reward" themselves with treats when they are doing so well following a healthy diet---this ends up counteracting all the healthy eating and causing frustrating weight gain!  It may help to keep a food diary and there are plenty of sites online to help you with this (Spark people, Fit Day, My diet diary, etc).

Now as for your doctor telling you to lose 20 pounds and no more than 30, I am also curious about that!  You shouldn't weigh more than 220 pounds unless you are more than 6 feet 5 inches tall! And I don't know how tall you are, but weighing 260 pounds or more is not a healthy weight for anyone!  Perhaps to start off with, 30 pounds is a great goal for the first 6 months. In fact, that is the healthiest recommendation supported by the professional weight loss community--Aim to lose 10% of your body weight in 6 months.... this way you are choosing a healthy weight loss plan and making slower but steadier progress that is likely to last (as you are doing!)  After the next 6 months you should be working on  losing 25 more pounds over the next 6 months.... please check back with your doctor then to confirm this.

Good luck with this valiant effort. I'm glad you've made the decision to do the best for your health, and especially to hear that it's going well!!

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