help me?

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legowrangler
legowrangler Posts: 229 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Everyone says I look smaller but the scale hasn't budged in a while.
My diary is open if anyone can look at it and advise

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Replies

  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    On some days, you appear to be eating at or above what I would expect is maintenance for you.
  • pander101
    pander101 Posts: 677 Member
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    Weigh your food instead of use measuring cups. They are not accurate for solids. This includes things that you would count out. You are probably eating more than you think. Also, if you are using MFP to estimate calories burned for exercises just eat about 50%-75% back. MFP overestimates calories burned.
  • legowrangler
    legowrangler Posts: 229 Member
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    I don't eat back calories
  • legowrangler
    legowrangler Posts: 229 Member
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    I usually eat around 1200 calories
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    TimothyFish wrote: »
    On some days, you appear to be eating at or above what I would expect is maintenance for you.

    I only looked back about 1.5 weeks but with her target of 1200 cals and her weight loss ticker, I don't think what she logs would be maintenance for her
  • legowrangler
    legowrangler Posts: 229 Member
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    I upped my calorie target due to mfp suggestion
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    On some days, you appear to be eating at or above what I would expect is maintenance for you.

    I only looked back about 1.5 weeks but with her target of 1200 cals and her weight loss ticker, I don't think what she logs would be maintenance for her

    That was my thought too. I was like, "How far back did he go? All I see is 1200 and 1300 days." That being said, i agree with the advice about weighing and measuring. You say the scale hasn't budged in "a while." What's a while? I see a lot of sodium, water retention could have you temporarily stalled if it's only been a couple of weeks.
  • pander101
    pander101 Posts: 677 Member
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    Try weighing your food. You are probably eating more than 1200.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    That said, first, what's "a while"? Weight loss is not linear sometimes you just need to be patient and hang in there to wait for the results, if you're doing everything right. Especially with people complimenting your shape, I just wonder is all

    I did notice what seems to be other people recipes like market place chicken salad, etc. I don't know if you got the nutritional info from the package (not too bad), but if you just randomly guessed an entry from the database you may wish to scrutinize your selections a bit more. Maybe use the recipe function or add the ingredients individually to see what your cals really come up to

    Then there are what appear to be partially filled days. If these are days where you weren't a perfectly awesome good girl and decided aw screw it, I just won't finish logging, know that you're removing the data that could explain your progress or lack thereof, since you have to take the average. Also if you have the real data it will give you the info to know that the one 2500 cal day every two weeks (for example) may not affect your overall diet like you think, and that any scale fluctuations are just that and not real fat gain

    Also wanted to mention your sodium may be a touch high which unless you have certain health conditions I wouldn't worry too much, BUT the sodium could tend to cause water retention and mask weight loss results. Read these:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

    My post is already long enough but I'll just say you could have a higher daily target than 1200 cals. If another poster didn't already touch on this topic, you could search old MFP posts for some info and perspective on the subject
  • legowrangler
    legowrangler Posts: 229 Member
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    I've been doing this 25 days and lost like 20 lbs the first two weeks but nothing since but everyone says I look thinner
  • Brandolin11
    Brandolin11 Posts: 492 Member
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    May I ask how you arrived at 1,200 calories? That is the absolute minimum women should eat, and that's usually if you either only have a few pounds to lose or are a shorter, much older woman. Do you mind giving us your age, height, weight, level of daily activity at work (i.e., are you sedentary at a desk or do you chase kids around all day), and how many times a week you exercise and for how long each time? If you can do that, I can tell you exactly how much to eat each day.
  • Brandolin11
    Brandolin11 Posts: 492 Member
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    Oh, also, do you have any health issues that make it difficult for you to lose?

    Are you on any medications that make it difficult?

    And how long have you been trying to lose, how much have you lost so far?
  • legowrangler
    legowrangler Posts: 229 Member
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    I just recently upped my goal I'm 26 scale says like 314 lbs and I am 5 foot 3
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    legowrangler wrote: »
    I've been doing this 25 days and lost like 20 lbs the first two weeks but nothing since but everyone says I look thinner

    OK, you did not lose 20 pounds of fat those first two weeks so that explains the stall. You lost a lot of water weight as well, which you've put some back on. So as you lose more fat, it's being masked by that water. So look at the average. 20 pounds in 25 days is extremely fast. It may take a bit for your body to level back out and lose at a steadier pace. Or you may not. I have lost all of my weight in "spurts" after maintaining for 2-3 weeks. Just be patient! :smile:

  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    legowrangler wrote: »
    I've been doing this 25 days and lost like 20 lbs the first two weeks but nothing since but everyone says I look thinner

    20 lbs in four weeks, you should change your thread title you braggin' lady? :laugh:

    Especially with increasing your target to 2110 (and I assume not continuing to eat exercise calories), I'd just keep doing what you're doing with a goal to make sure you're using the right entries down the line. The main reason I'd even take any action is that logging is a skill. Most people who think they're eating X amount of calories are really eating much more. So say if you were one such person, now that you've increased to 2110 are you really eating 2110 + ???? Per day? I can't say this conclusively since you've indeed lost 20 lbs in four weeks. So just hang in there and keep at it, you're at the very start of your journey, be patient, work hard, you can do this!!
  • stjanki
    stjanki Posts: 44
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    Pick a certain time of the week to weigh yourself. I like Monday mornings.
    The reason for this is that your weight can fluctuate about 12 pounds over the day.
    Here is a video on the subject.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYMNPP2ZR1U
  • Brandolin11
    Brandolin11 Posts: 492 Member
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    And how much exercise do you do?
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    legowrangler wrote: »
    I've been doing this 25 days and lost like 20 lbs the first two weeks but nothing since but everyone says I look thinner

    20 pounds in 25 days?

    Wow. That's significant.
  • CarrieCans
    CarrieCans Posts: 381 Member
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    I don't have anything to add but i'm curious about the sodium. I don't know what's normal for others but you regularly consume enough to make me bloat so big i wouldn't be able to button my jeans or bend my fingers.
  • Brandolin11
    Brandolin11 Posts: 492 Member
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    According to the TDEE method (this would be your daily goal, and do not eat back your calories), if you exercised just 1-3x a week at 45-60 mins, you should be eating 2,009 calories a day! If you pushed your exercise up to 5x a week, you should eat 2,392. Even if you were completely sedentary, you would eat 1,625.

    Conclusion: you are eating WAY too little. That will never work. Fuel your body. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but your body desperately needs those calories. Protect yourself from the typical anorexic/restrictive thinking ("the less I eat, the more I'll lose"). It's very dangerous. And worthless - doesn't even work in the long run. You'll end up bingeing, falling off the wagon, and being worse off than before. I challenge you to do it right this time - slow and steady. Win that race! You can do it.

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