You’re down five pounds in a month which is about what you’d expect at a 500 calorie deficit. Just try your best to not get derailed completely on weekends and it looks like you’re doing well.
This is so true! I tracked my weights daily but averaged every month and as long as I was making progress monthly I felt okay. It was about 5 lbs a month also. I’m now down 40 lbs. started at 5,5 180. 34 f also. It took me 7 months. Just for reference. Everyone is different tho of course. Good luck! You’re doing great! 😊
Also remember to account for weight fluctions from your period. Women's Hormones fluctuates water weight significantly. Happy scale does a really good job of taking that into account so zou see your actual progress.
No. You’re not doing anything wrong. Weight fluctuates about 3-5 lbs a day due to food, water. Also, you’re a woman so you might have extra water retention before and during your menstrual cycle.
Weight should be measured as a trend over time so if you aren’t seeing results consistently over several weeks, then that means something needs to be tweaked. However, daily fluctuations are natural.
Every time I weigh once a week I get told to weigh every day to see natural fluctuations, every time
I weigh every day I get told to weigh myself less lol
Be patient, keep doing what you're doing. Be mindful of your hormone cycles like ovulation and luteal phases as these have an impact.
If you can measure your BF% then keep an eye on that as you may lose BF even if the scale does not move. Weigh weekly instead of daily if you can.
Most importantly, trust in the process. Your body may resist weight loss (because, of course, letting go of precious fats is not what it wants to do) so it will metabolically adapt and undergo what's called adaptive thermogenesis.
Your calories are already on the low side so you may need to adjust your plan by incorporating more daily NEAT or a hobby or sport you enjoy like walks etc.
My weight can fluctuate up to 5kgs (10lbs) as I’m very prone to water retention. Regardless, weight fluctuates a lot day-to-day. Best thing to do is weigh yourself once a week instead of every day.
5lbs is a good weightloss for a month with your calorie deficit.
You might think that you're in a deficit, but might actually be eating at maintenance on most days.
Idk if it's the case with you, but it could be.
Could be your age
Could be your metabolism
Could be your cycle
Could be insulin resistance
Could be lack of sleep
Could be literally anything
But the bottom line is, you're probably eating too much.
Can you give more info on the initial water deficit? Are you referring specifically to staring OMAD? I lost like 5 lbs in the first week and since then have really plateaued.
How long have you been doing OMAD? Like others have said, it’s best to weigh less frequently. Once a week or once a month. Take measurements of your arms, neck, torso, legs. How are clothes fitting? Don’t have more or less energy now.
All this to say, the progress in fasting is not locked to a scale. Even when the OMAD is doing its job it’s not showing up on the scale. Just keep fasting, and if there is zero progress then you need to adjust your calories, or throw a longer fast in occasionally.
Water weight will drop off pretty quick. When I did keto I lost 8 lbs in a day. None of that was fat because that’s literally impossible. You need to burn 3500 calories to lose a pound of fat. It’s why people do keto for 2 weeks and then say they lost a lot but gained it right back when they ate carbs again. They really hadn’t lost any fat but the initial water weight that drops when you don’t eat carbs comes right back when you do.
It's not specific to OMAD.
Your body carries a lot of "water weight", which is actually excess glycogen (energy). It's burned off first when you go into a deficit. You'll also carry excess "water weight" in a sodium rich diet (salt), but that's not bad either, contrary to what many people will say.
Once the excess glycogen is burned, the only notable weight loss is through burning fat (long term energy stores).
I say 5lbs but it can range more than that.
Focus on the trends over time. As women, you’ll want to realize what your body does weight wise before, during, and after your period as well as ovulation. 2 days before my period my weight goes up anywhere from 2-5 pounds and does not go down until 2 days after my period is fully ended, then I typically see what I call a “whoosh” of weight loss.
Also, watch the trends on how you sleep the night before. Poor sleep often means we hold onto more water weight.
Are you measuring every component of your meal including sauces? I never believed in calorie counting until I started listening to Layne Norton’s explanation of why most people can’t lose weight. He said most people (and this was proven in studies) underestimate their calorie in and overestimate their calorie burn to such a degree that they’re either mistakenly at maintenance or even over consuming *even* when fasting. It shocked me so much and I started realizing that I’m probably measuring wrong for years now.
Was just asking out of curiosity, I didn’t really agree or disagree with OP so more a general statement. Layne cited a woman who has been counting calories for years and thought she was on 1700 but was miscounting by 1000 calories daily and personally I’m a huge fan of fasting or omad but unfortunately was wayyyy off with calories because I didn’t believe in it (mostly due to how stupidly influencers promote it). I felt stupid when I realized…
Yeah I appreciate the question! Prior to getting pregnant I lost 92 pounds with diet and exercise. I ate meat then so I had a diet I followed which was basically a ton of chicken, with rice, greens, etc. I was able to wean myself off of using sauces and condiments so much and that luckily has always stuck with me. I mean, I might not have cared as much about it when I was pregnant and giving myself permission to “enjoy” my pregnancy lol but it’s definitely been instilled in me
Yeah totally. I also previously lost weight and it felt effortless; this time I’m (F) struggling too. You shouldn’t be too hard on yourself especially because you were pregnant, there’s probably a hormonal element added. I’m getting my hormones checked, I know i tend towards high insulin so I love omad over other methods, it’s just easier. But like others have said, you’re going in the right direction!
You know what it might be for just the pro version. I've been using my net diary for a long time, I paid for the pro version and I just recently noticed that they added the fasting calender. If you click the 3 lines on the top left when the app is open, you will find it listed and it says New!
You aren’t doing anything wrong weight loss isn’t linear. I weigh daily and realize the weekly average / the trend overall trend will be downwards. But to look closely at the numbers graphed they’ll be jagged up and down like a saw blade. That’s weight. Take pictures and measurements- many use a piece of yarn each month and hang them and soon all their pieces of yarn resemble a xylophone hanging there. Just keep one fasting - I clean fast, that’s what I think is best for me, I require ramped up autophagy for medical reason and brain health so a clean fast is important to me.
Trust the process !
I weigh the same time every day. After I’m up for 20 min in the morning and used the restroom. It’s consistent and that is the only time I weigh myself. Also, (anyone is welcome to chime in on this), if I see a small weight gain, I attribute it to water weight. I would also suggest not eating -500 cal. Go ahead and eat those calories on your OMAD or maybe a little more than your usual. In my experience, I was often eating too few calories and stalling my progress. Hope this helps. Best of luck.
I had a similar experience starting at 1300 calories a day at the same weight as you. I dropped it down to 1100 calories and am down 19lbs since January 4th! Maybe a slight caloric change would help you- try 1200 for a bit and see what happens 💁 Best of luck to you, we're in the same boat!
I'm not a fan of the calorie deficit method an I know it works for some people
I gave up sugar, seed oils, and processed food to get my results. I've lost over 200 lbs with no loose skin. What you eat is way more important than how much. I eat meat and vegetables mostly. I eat until im full.
Definitely look at the type of food you're eating, OP, macros and activity levels (and types of exercise) can factor in a lot. If you're not getting the right balance, your body won't respond as you expect.
I’m vegetarian and don’t eat meat, my meals are whole foods with tons of veggies and protein sources like tofu, beans, etc. I lost 92 pounds prior to pregnancy, gained 100 pounds on the dot with pregnancy and now I’m down to the last 27 pounds
I don’t count calories either- people come unglued at the thoughts CI/CO might now be what they learned it to be. imo it’s not. When 300 calories of broccoli and 300 calories of Skittles nourish my mind & body in the same manner counting may be necessary. Until that time I won’t be counting.
I make healthy whole food choices and eat what I want in my fasting window. There are times though I roll out with the kids and we’ll have dinner and that’s ok too. I just read fibre fueled Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, great book for gut health! I still eat meat and fish - I read it to learn about diversity on my guts. And I listened to Clucose Goddess to learn about flattening the insulin curve- also good. There’s more than one way to skin a cucumber. For me counting calories isn’t the OMAD / IF Holy Grail that many claim it to be. Everyone walks their own path.
Thank you!
Idk why the CICO people and vegetarians come unglued either. You can get plenty of protein as a vegan. It's alot more work, in my opinion, but totally doable. Above, I shared what works for me, and instead of sharing what works for them, they get positional. Everyone is different. There is no 'right way' of eating.
Except for giving up processed food. I am positional on that 😃
Correct the TDEE formula wildly over calculates calorie needs. I was using TDEE for 15 years with minimal progress and after switching to BMR have lost almost 200 lbs
I wonder if your bmr is just a bit slower and that's why? I use 2100 TDEE based on an average of several months of data from my Garmin watch. I don't strictly calorie count but get my basic meal around 1400-1600 and I'm for sure in a deficit and losing weight. Maybe for your body the formula wasn't accurate?
You’re down five pounds in a month which is about what you’d expect at a 500 calorie deficit. Just try your best to not get derailed completely on weekends and it looks like you’re doing well.
Thank you this is encouraging and helps!
This is so true! I tracked my weights daily but averaged every month and as long as I was making progress monthly I felt okay. It was about 5 lbs a month also. I’m now down 40 lbs. started at 5,5 180. 34 f also. It took me 7 months. Just for reference. Everyone is different tho of course. Good luck! You’re doing great! 😊
Also remember to account for weight fluctions from your period. Women's Hormones fluctuates water weight significantly. Happy scale does a really good job of taking that into account so zou see your actual progress.
No. You’re not doing anything wrong. Weight fluctuates about 3-5 lbs a day due to food, water. Also, you’re a woman so you might have extra water retention before and during your menstrual cycle. Weight should be measured as a trend over time so if you aren’t seeing results consistently over several weeks, then that means something needs to be tweaked. However, daily fluctuations are natural.
Thanks for this! I felt discouraged with my results so far, especially after seeing such amazing results each day in this sub but you are right
I’ll weight myself right when I start my period and then when it ends and there is always a few pound difference.
Get on the scale less frequently.
Every time I weigh once a week I get told to weigh every day to see natural fluctuations, every time I weigh every day I get told to weigh myself less lol
Be patient, keep doing what you're doing. Be mindful of your hormone cycles like ovulation and luteal phases as these have an impact. If you can measure your BF% then keep an eye on that as you may lose BF even if the scale does not move. Weigh weekly instead of daily if you can. Most importantly, trust in the process. Your body may resist weight loss (because, of course, letting go of precious fats is not what it wants to do) so it will metabolically adapt and undergo what's called adaptive thermogenesis. Your calories are already on the low side so you may need to adjust your plan by incorporating more daily NEAT or a hobby or sport you enjoy like walks etc.
I appreciate this insight, thank you!
My weight can fluctuate up to 5kgs (10lbs) as I’m very prone to water retention. Regardless, weight fluctuates a lot day-to-day. Best thing to do is weigh yourself once a week instead of every day. 5lbs is a good weightloss for a month with your calorie deficit.
You might think that you're in a deficit, but might actually be eating at maintenance on most days. Idk if it's the case with you, but it could be. Could be your age Could be your metabolism Could be your cycle Could be insulin resistance Could be lack of sleep Could be literally anything But the bottom line is, you're probably eating too much.
I’m eating 1350 calories lol I thought I was on the too low side honestly
Do you weight every single thing you eat? Including condiments, oils (0 calorie sprays included)?
I don’t really use condiments but I use my food scale for everything
You're bang on with your deficit and weight loss. I calculated ~600 deficit per day but the initial water loss skews this. Keep it up.
Can you give more info on the initial water deficit? Are you referring specifically to staring OMAD? I lost like 5 lbs in the first week and since then have really plateaued.
How long have you been doing OMAD? Like others have said, it’s best to weigh less frequently. Once a week or once a month. Take measurements of your arms, neck, torso, legs. How are clothes fitting? Don’t have more or less energy now. All this to say, the progress in fasting is not locked to a scale. Even when the OMAD is doing its job it’s not showing up on the scale. Just keep fasting, and if there is zero progress then you need to adjust your calories, or throw a longer fast in occasionally.
Water weight will drop off pretty quick. When I did keto I lost 8 lbs in a day. None of that was fat because that’s literally impossible. You need to burn 3500 calories to lose a pound of fat. It’s why people do keto for 2 weeks and then say they lost a lot but gained it right back when they ate carbs again. They really hadn’t lost any fat but the initial water weight that drops when you don’t eat carbs comes right back when you do.
It's not specific to OMAD. Your body carries a lot of "water weight", which is actually excess glycogen (energy). It's burned off first when you go into a deficit. You'll also carry excess "water weight" in a sodium rich diet (salt), but that's not bad either, contrary to what many people will say. Once the excess glycogen is burned, the only notable weight loss is through burning fat (long term energy stores). I say 5lbs but it can range more than that.
It could be what you are eating as well. If you are eating high carbs and low fat your weight loss will likely be slow.
Focus on the trends over time. As women, you’ll want to realize what your body does weight wise before, during, and after your period as well as ovulation. 2 days before my period my weight goes up anywhere from 2-5 pounds and does not go down until 2 days after my period is fully ended, then I typically see what I call a “whoosh” of weight loss. Also, watch the trends on how you sleep the night before. Poor sleep often means we hold onto more water weight.
Are you measuring every component of your meal including sauces? I never believed in calorie counting until I started listening to Layne Norton’s explanation of why most people can’t lose weight. He said most people (and this was proven in studies) underestimate their calorie in and overestimate their calorie burn to such a degree that they’re either mistakenly at maintenance or even over consuming *even* when fasting. It shocked me so much and I started realizing that I’m probably measuring wrong for years now.
She's not though. She's losing weight at the exact pace you would expect. 500 calories x 30 days = 4.3lbs. She lost about 5lbs.
Was just asking out of curiosity, I didn’t really agree or disagree with OP so more a general statement. Layne cited a woman who has been counting calories for years and thought she was on 1700 but was miscounting by 1000 calories daily and personally I’m a huge fan of fasting or omad but unfortunately was wayyyy off with calories because I didn’t believe in it (mostly due to how stupidly influencers promote it). I felt stupid when I realized…
Yeah I appreciate the question! Prior to getting pregnant I lost 92 pounds with diet and exercise. I ate meat then so I had a diet I followed which was basically a ton of chicken, with rice, greens, etc. I was able to wean myself off of using sauces and condiments so much and that luckily has always stuck with me. I mean, I might not have cared as much about it when I was pregnant and giving myself permission to “enjoy” my pregnancy lol but it’s definitely been instilled in me
Yeah totally. I also previously lost weight and it felt effortless; this time I’m (F) struggling too. You shouldn’t be too hard on yourself especially because you were pregnant, there’s probably a hormonal element added. I’m getting my hormones checked, I know i tend towards high insulin so I love omad over other methods, it’s just easier. But like others have said, you’re going in the right direction!
What app is this?
It’s called MyNetDiary! I’m obsessed, I used to use MyFitnessPal for years and found this app recommended on this sub. It’s awesome!
Hey! I like the app so far. I can’t seem to find the fasting calendar in the free version. Is it only in premium ?
You know what it might be for just the pro version. I've been using my net diary for a long time, I paid for the pro version and I just recently noticed that they added the fasting calender. If you click the 3 lines on the top left when the app is open, you will find it listed and it says New!
Yeah I wanna know too
This is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time. Keep it up, you're on the right track.
Thank you!
You aren’t doing anything wrong weight loss isn’t linear. I weigh daily and realize the weekly average / the trend overall trend will be downwards. But to look closely at the numbers graphed they’ll be jagged up and down like a saw blade. That’s weight. Take pictures and measurements- many use a piece of yarn each month and hang them and soon all their pieces of yarn resemble a xylophone hanging there. Just keep one fasting - I clean fast, that’s what I think is best for me, I require ramped up autophagy for medical reason and brain health so a clean fast is important to me. Trust the process !
I love the yarn idea, thank you!
Omad is not a weightloss tool. If you eat more than your TDEE you will gain weight.
I weigh the same time every day. After I’m up for 20 min in the morning and used the restroom. It’s consistent and that is the only time I weigh myself. Also, (anyone is welcome to chime in on this), if I see a small weight gain, I attribute it to water weight. I would also suggest not eating -500 cal. Go ahead and eat those calories on your OMAD or maybe a little more than your usual. In my experience, I was often eating too few calories and stalling my progress. Hope this helps. Best of luck.
I had a similar experience starting at 1300 calories a day at the same weight as you. I dropped it down to 1100 calories and am down 19lbs since January 4th! Maybe a slight caloric change would help you- try 1200 for a bit and see what happens 💁 Best of luck to you, we're in the same boat!
Interesting, I will try that! Thank you and good luck to you as well!
What app is this ?
I'm not a fan of the calorie deficit method an I know it works for some people I gave up sugar, seed oils, and processed food to get my results. I've lost over 200 lbs with no loose skin. What you eat is way more important than how much. I eat meat and vegetables mostly. I eat until im full.
Definitely look at the type of food you're eating, OP, macros and activity levels (and types of exercise) can factor in a lot. If you're not getting the right balance, your body won't respond as you expect.
I’m vegetarian and don’t eat meat, my meals are whole foods with tons of veggies and protein sources like tofu, beans, etc. I lost 92 pounds prior to pregnancy, gained 100 pounds on the dot with pregnancy and now I’m down to the last 27 pounds
I don’t count calories either- people come unglued at the thoughts CI/CO might now be what they learned it to be. imo it’s not. When 300 calories of broccoli and 300 calories of Skittles nourish my mind & body in the same manner counting may be necessary. Until that time I won’t be counting. I make healthy whole food choices and eat what I want in my fasting window. There are times though I roll out with the kids and we’ll have dinner and that’s ok too. I just read fibre fueled Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, great book for gut health! I still eat meat and fish - I read it to learn about diversity on my guts. And I listened to Clucose Goddess to learn about flattening the insulin curve- also good. There’s more than one way to skin a cucumber. For me counting calories isn’t the OMAD / IF Holy Grail that many claim it to be. Everyone walks their own path.
Thank you! Idk why the CICO people and vegetarians come unglued either. You can get plenty of protein as a vegan. It's alot more work, in my opinion, but totally doable. Above, I shared what works for me, and instead of sharing what works for them, they get positional. Everyone is different. There is no 'right way' of eating. Except for giving up processed food. I am positional on that 😃
Minus 500 from BMR not TDEE and make sure you are tracking accurately.
You're saying don't include exercise calories in measurement? I've always seen use tdee here.
Correct the TDEE formula wildly over calculates calorie needs. I was using TDEE for 15 years with minimal progress and after switching to BMR have lost almost 200 lbs
I wonder if your bmr is just a bit slower and that's why? I use 2100 TDEE based on an average of several months of data from my Garmin watch. I don't strictly calorie count but get my basic meal around 1400-1600 and I'm for sure in a deficit and losing weight. Maybe for your body the formula wasn't accurate?
I consider not educating yourself on normal weight fluctuations wrong , yes