The first few weeks of starting an exercise program are ridiculously difficult and frustrating. You are still fat, but now you are also sore, sweaty, out-of-breath and exhausted. It sucks. I always thought that once you started moving the weight would just shed off and then maintenance would be the only issue. Fucking wrong. It's an excruciatingly long process. After about week two, the out-of-breathness and soreness goes away, but you are still chugging along with major extra baggage. You didn't think I was going to tell you this is a quick and easy process, did you? This is going to take time, and a shit-load of it.
After about 3-4 weeks of watching your caloric intake and vigorously exercising you will notice something amazing. Your pants will be a couple inches too big. You might not have even noticed this when looking in the mirror, but pant size does not fucking lie. Buy a belt. You will love it. I like to wear a belt until my pants are about 2 sized to big before I invest in a new pair of "transition jeans". It is so rewarding. The belt notches keep going down and each one is something to celebrate.
Fat is a funny thing. You may not technically be "losing" weight, but your body will readjust and possibly redistribute your weight. You will start getting smaller, slowly but surely, and while the scale can be a scary fucking place, your belt will be your friend.
As I've said before, the healthiest amount of weight to lose in one week is 1-2 lbs. You might not be able to see those kinds of results immediately, but your belt will show you all of your results. Even the bad ones. From now on your belt is not a fashion accessory, it's an asshole indicator.
