Feeling Deflated!

redorchid35

Hello MFPs,

I recently started MFP after trying many different diet plans. I'm loving how easy it is to log meals and snacks.

I am on a 15 day streak of measuring, weighing, and logging every single thing I put in my mouth. I drink about 50 oz. of water daily. This is all a big change from my usual eating pattern where I have been constantly gaining weight.

The problem is, the scale is not budging.

I am staying within my calorie range and exercising moderately. This is a BIG change for me.

Why am I not seeing any results? I am feeling so deflated, but I'm going to continue on. It's got to break somewhere.

I noticed when I exercise, MFP gives me extra calories. I've been using these calories up. Is that correct? The funny thing is I feel like I'm stuffing myself, because most times I am not even hungry.

I'm over 50 and wondering if this has anything to do with it.

If anyone has any tips or help, I'm all "eyes" and "ears".

RickDube64

There is a lot of information you didn't include. Do you have your MFP plan set to lose 0.5 lbs, 1 lb, or 2 lb's per week? What do you consider to be moderate exercise? Do you log in every physical thing you do under exercise? IE: housework, etc? (you shouldn't). Are you only making sure you stay under your calorie goal, or are you making sure you stay under the set number of carbs per day? You haven't given yourself much time for your body to become adjusted to a new lifestyle.

mama2redhead

Do not eat back all your exercise calories and never eat if you arent hungry. Good luck!

redorchid35

Thanks so much for the responses. @RickDube64‌, I'm set to lose 2lbs per week. My exercise is walking i do the treadmill a couple times per week and once per week i walk three miles. I dont count regular tasks. I have been staying under the calorie goal but i haven't been watching the carb goal. That could be the problem. I'll start watching that tomorrow. @mama2redhead‌ , i have always been eating back my exercise calories I'll stop that. I'm also going to stop eating when I'm not hungry which is often. Thanks again to both of you for the insight. I'll see how this next week goes.

queenliz99

Hi and welcome!! You may need to give it more time. One thing I want to mention that eating carbs has nothing to do with weight loss. But being in a caloric deficit is what you want to do. How do you calculate your exercise calories and do you use a food scale to weigh all your foods?

Derpes

redorchid35 wrote: »

Hello MFPs,

I recently started MFP after trying many different diet plans. I'm loving how easy it is to log meals and snacks.

I am on a 15 day streak of measuring, weighing, and logging every single thing I put in my mouth. I drink about 50 oz. of water daily. This is all a big change from my usual eating pattern where I have been constantly gaining weight.

The problem is, the scale is not budging.

I am staying within my calorie range and exercising moderately. This is a BIG change for me.

Why am I not seeing any results? I am feeling so deflated, but I'm going to continue on. It's got to break somewhere.

I noticed when I exercise, MFP gives me extra calories. I've been using these calories up. Is that correct? The funny thing is I feel like I'm stuffing myself, because most times I am not even hungry.

I'm over 50 and wondering if this has anything to do with it.

If anyone has any tips or help, I'm all "eyes" and "ears".

Some say to use half of the extra calories given.

Sometimes calories burned doing a given exercise are wrong, sometimes they are not, but it is worth looking into.

cj94404

Just keep it up. It sounds like you are doing the right things. I'm nearly fifty too and it does come off slowly (much more slowly than it goes on!). It could be metabolism, alas.
But do you feel better? More in control of your food intake? Because those are good things too.

RickDube64

I have to respectfully disagree when someone says that excess carbs have nothing to do with weight loss. If this were not true, then MFP would simply calculate calories, and not carbs, proteins and fats. Another point would be the people that have great success on the keto diet. Simply put, what you eat matters. I would also offer the advice of lifting weights. Having and using muscle burns fat. I am 50 years old, my wife is 51, and we are at planet fitness lifting weights 5 days per week. and have made great changes in our bodies.

queenliz99

RickDube64 wrote: »

I have to respectfully disagree when someone says that excess carbs have nothing to do with weight loss. If this were not true, then MFP would simply calculate calories, and not carbs, proteins and fats. Another point would be the people that have great success on the keto diet. Simply put, what you eat matters. I would also offer the advice of lifting weights. Having and using muscle burns fat. I am 50 years old, my wife is 51, and we are at planet fitness lifting weights 5 days per week. and have made great changes in our bodies.

Calories in versus calories out. Carbs have nothing to do with weight loss unless you are over eating them. Protein and fats are more satiating and makes dieting more sustainable.

redorchid35

This is all good information. I think I have been overdoing the carbs as that is one of my issues. I have been staying under the calorie intake, 95% of the time. I think I will lower the carb intake and up the exercise, based on the above comments. And yes, I do feel better and more in control, so that is a good thing.

Thank you for the comments. I feel better already!

D_squareG

Be careful about overestimating exercise calories. Maybe invest in a fitbit

SoUl_ReBeL2021

My opinion you shouldn't eat back any calories that you get from exercising because then it's defeating the purpose.

Kida_Adeylne

dramafree69 wrote: »

My opinion you shouldn't eat back any calories that you get from exercising because then it's defeating the purpose.

This is true for the original poster. It's only necessary to eat back calories once you get to crazy calorie burns, really.

eldamiano

My tip is that if you want the scale to budge, you have to lose weight.....

kjurassic

Make sure you are weighing and measuring ACCURATELY everything that goes into your mouth. I'm 60 and have lost almost 90 pounds. Oh, and I ate carbs!

Omeggan

queenliz99 wrote: »

RickDube64 wrote: »

I have to respectfully disagree when someone says that excess carbs have nothing to do with weight loss. If this were not true, then MFP would simply calculate calories, and not carbs, proteins and fats. Another point would be the people that have great success on the keto diet. Simply put, what you eat matters. I would also offer the advice of lifting weights. Having and using muscle burns fat. I am 50 years old, my wife is 51, and we are at planet fitness lifting weights 5 days per week. and have made great changes in our bodies.

Calories in versus calories out. Carbs have nothing to do with weight loss unless you are over eating them. Protein and fats are more satiating and makes dieting more sustainable.

I also disagree with the calories in/calories out myth. It doesn't account for our bodies' reaction to insulin. We process 500 calories of meat much differently than 500 calories of gummy bears.

queenliz99

Omeggan wrote: »

queenliz99 wrote: »

RickDube64 wrote: »

I have to respectfully disagree when someone says that excess carbs have nothing to do with weight loss. If this were not true, then MFP would simply calculate calories, and not carbs, proteins and fats. Another point would be the people that have great success on the keto diet. Simply put, what you eat matters. I would also offer the advice of lifting weights. Having and using muscle burns fat. I am 50 years old, my wife is 51, and we are at planet fitness lifting weights 5 days per week. and have made great changes in our bodies.

Calories in versus calories out. Carbs have nothing to do with weight loss unless you are over eating them. Protein and fats are more satiating and makes dieting more sustainable.

I also disagree with the calories in/calories out myth. It doesn't account for our bodies' reaction to insulin. We process 500 calories of meat much differently than 500 calories of gummy bears.

CICO is not a myth!!! Science!!

OkSusan

redorchid35 wrote: »

This is all good information. I think I have been overdoing the carbs as that is one of my issues. I have been staying under the calorie intake, 95% of the time. I think I will lower the carb intake and up the exercise, based on the above comments. And yes, I do feel better and more in control, so that is a good thing.

Thank you for the comments. I feel better already!

Don't rely on the calorie information on here. If there is an * next to the food item it means a member put the information it, and I have noticed more often than not it's incorrect. Read your labels