This question comes up at least once a month and I also asked that same question when I first started. Here are some of the reasons why you may not be seeing weight loss when you first start trying to lose weight.

Again, disclaimer that I am not a dietician or a healthcare worker. This is my own experience through trial and error and I am still working on it! I have lost 15 lbs and I need to lose 25 lbs!

When I started my journey I was starving and seeing a 1 pound weight loss every two weeks. And that was a touchy 1 pound that could go up at any second.

1. Calorie deficit. I started out with 1250 and I was deducting my calories burned so I’d more than the 1250 but I burn at least 200-500 calories a day. That didn’t work for me, I went with the calorie count from tdeecalculator.net and I stopped deducting the calories burned.
2. Be Honest. Be honest about everything you eat. I know sometimes we think, oh its just one cookie. Yes, it is but add it to your daily totally of food intake because you will see that maybe your calories are too high and that is why? Sometimes it easier to think there is something wrong than to be honest with ourselves! You are only lying to yourself.
3. You don’t have to be hungry or perfect! Just because you are on a diet and possibly doing a calorie deficit doesn’t mean you have to change all of your food choices and go to be starving! Yes, you will need to make some adjustments because maybe you weren’t eating healthy before. Replacing snacks with fruit or veggies is always great but don’t be afraid to treat yourself. Searching for high volume, low calorie recipes!

When people post this question in groups, I totally understand where they are coming from. Its difficult to be in that position because you want it to start happening. The only recommendation that is true is stay positive, keep trying and mix things up. Try things on a week to two week basis. Watch the scale and drink a lot of water. Just know that you are taking positive action instead of sitting there feeling bad for yourself!