Help! No weight loss after 3 years trying.

Ttec72

Hi All,

This is my first post here, so be kind, and apologies if I have posted in the wrong place. Way back in 2012 I was not happy with my weight and body image, and having been inspired by a work colleagues progress, decided to do something about it.

The first thing I tried was increasing my fitness level, after some research I discovered the Couch to 5K programme approved by the NHS, so I started running a couple of times a week and within a short time I was running 5K on a regular basis.

At the same time I kept an eye on what I was eating, using the advice on many of these posts 'eat less, do more' assuming weight loss would follow. It didn't.

Over the years I have tried all sorts of activities, running was causing me pain from a previous knee injury, joining a gym, cross trainer (lower impact), lifting weights etc. without any results.

I started this journey weighing in at 100Kg, which is where I am now. Obviously I am very frustrated not seeing any results after more than 3 years after exercising regularly and eating well, during which time I have been sporadically logging my foods, however for the past 4 or 5 weeks I have been logging every day, most days under my calorie goal, and I still have not lost any weight.

I was hoping someone may have an idea why my weight loss hasn't happened.

I do weigh all my food, and also log everything I eat, even if it's not that good for me. I have turned my diary on to 'Public', so you should be able to see all the entries.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Tony

SwankyTomato

OK, share your stats. Height, weight, goal weight.

I can exercise till the cows come home however unless I am eating in a calorie deficit I will not lose weight.

Are you measuring your food in grams on a food scale and not going by the serving sizes on the package?

mperrott2205

In the diary entries I saw on MFP, you're always very close or just going over your daily calorie limit. Something tells me that you're not accurately recording or measuring your food intake.

Lower your calorie limit for that day, the only thing that makes you lose weight is being in a caloric deficit.

TimothyFish

Wow! Three years without trying something different? Looking at your food diary, it looks like you're just eating too much. 2000 calories is kind of the maintenance level for many people. Try limiting yourself to 1600 calories per day for a couple of weeks and you'll see weight loss.

brookesdsu

I looked at a week of your diary and these are my few questions/thoughts. Are you using the calorie goal given to you by MFP? For your homemade entries are you using the recipe builder and accurate on those numbers? Are you eating back exercise calories and if so, are you eating all of them or just a percentage?

If you are not losing you are not in a deficit.

StaciMarie1974

Your profile shows 5kg lost - is that since you started MFP/logging 4-5 weeks ago?

futuremanda

I see a lot of round numbers. Are you rounding or do you just pick at your food until you get nice numbers? (50g, 120g, 10g, rather than 51, 128, 11, etc)

I don't always see weights. Especially with your packaged food. "2 slices" can vary from what the package says it will weigh. Chicken, 1 cup, chopped, diced, is not weighed.

I also think the questions asked by StaciMarie1974 and brookesdsu are important.

Ttec72

Swankytomato
I do measure my food on a scale in grams, however, when out and about I usually use the scanner for packaged food.

Defmut3
I try to stay on the lower side of the mfp goal, don't always achieve it though.

Timothyfish
As my original post shows I have tried lots of different things over the years, just didn't want to write a load of words if not helpful. I have spent almost a year with an intake of 1200 calories a day, with no loss at all.

Brookesdsu
I do use the calorie goal set by mfp. For homemade meals I find it easier to add each part separately. I use endomondo to track exercise, which links to mfp, so I just consume upto mfp goal.

Stacimarie1974
That was an error with me weighing at different times of the day. Now I measure monday morning before getting in the shower.

StaciMarie1974

Taking what you've said at face value: are you on any medications that might have weight loss side effects? Have you had your thyroid checked?

tulips_and_tea

Have you had your regular medical check ups during this time? Has your doctor mentioned anything about your weight or have you discussed it? Barring some medical issue, the only way to NOT lose weight is by eating too much. The exercise and activity you do is great, but it's the food intake that needs to be examined.

Francl27

You're just eating at maintenance. You're underestimating your calories... I promise you, an apple is not 47 calories... and it's only the first thing I saw.

Weigh your food, log everything, don't use entries like '1 slice' for lunch meat because slices can be any size, etc.

jenniferinfl

I had a similar issue. There are a lot of people here who suggest eating more to lose weight. But, unfortunately that doesn't work for absolutely everyone. When I tried last at 1700 calories plus working out I didn't lose either. Now, I'm netting 800 (eating closer to 1200) and I'm finally losing. I would try 1600 and see if you get results. If you don't get results at 1600, I would buy a new food scale. If you still don't see results, I would lower your processed carbs and replace them with more veggies.

While it is Calories in/Calories out, your calories out may be less than you are estimating.

TimothyFish

Ttec72 wrote: »

Timothyfish
As my original post shows I have tried lots of different things over the years, just didn't want to write a load of words if not helpful. I have spent almost a year with an intake of 1200 calories a day, with no loss at all.

No, I don't believe that.

Sued0nim

Blood work and medical input if you're logging properly

But I reckon it's logging issues so check out the thread

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

cityruss

You aren't eating at a calorie deficit.

jennifershoo

You are not logging properly. You need to use a food scale for everything even the liquids. I do not believe you eat exactly 200g, 400g or 100mL of something.

ana3067

^^ 2000 calories is unlikely to be maintenance for an active male. It's not even maintenance for ME, as a moderately active 156lb female.

Now, is OP likely eating more than he thinks? Yes, very likely. Weighing solids and measuring liquids, and calculating his TDEE (or running the numbers in MFP again) will be a good way for him to see if the estimates are on point. If eating below his TDEE with proper logging doesn't result in lost weight within a month or two, then I'd advise getting medical tests done.

laura3977

I don't think you've shared how tall you are but looking @ your stats on your diary, you are a 47 year old male, current weight 100kg. I'm a 38 year old female, current weight 101kg and my maintenance calories are 2000-2200. From what I saw on your diary (in all fairness I only looked at 2-3 days) I'm noticing you are eating at or above 2000 which tells me the issue is that you have been eating @ maintenance.

You say you spent almost a year @ 1200 and lost nothing, that is extremely hard to believe since I did 1200 for about 2 weeks (too low for me so I changed it) and I lost 4 lbs during those 2 weeks. Barring any health related issues that make losing weight not possible without medical intervention, I don't see why you wouldn't lose any weight @ 1200 calories if you are weighing and measuring correctly.

You may need to purchase a new scale because if, like you said, you are weighing your food and entering it correctly then the issue may be on the scale you are using.

KrunchyMama

You have a lot of processed foods in your diary. I bet if you started making more stuff from scratch you would see better results. I know I feel a lot better overall if I eat homemade fries versus store-bought fries. You'll find that you won't have to eat as much of the whole food to feel full either, because you'll be giving your body better nutrients. Try to eat more leafy greens and vegetables, and less breads. Keep sugary foods out of the house, for a couple weeks to start just to see if that makes a difference. If you need carby foods try having oats, potatoes or rice. High-sodium meats also make me super bloated, which can mask any progress I've made because of the water retention. And if you can afford it, get a FitBit. Maybe you aren't burning as many calories as you think you are in a day, so what you are eating is keeping you at maintenance instead of weight loss.

janejellyroll

KrunchyMama wrote: »

You have a lot of processed foods in your diary. I bet if you started making more stuff from scratch you would see better results. I know I feel a lot better overall if I eat homemade fries versus store-bought fries. You'll find that you won't have to eat as much of the whole food to feel full either, because you'll be giving your body better nutrients. Try to eat more leafy greens and vegetables, and less breads. Keep sugary foods out of the house, for a couple weeks to start just to see if that makes a difference. If you need carby foods try having oats, potatoes or rice. High-sodium meats also make me super bloated, which can mask any progress I've made because of the water retention. And if you can afford it, get a FitBit. Maybe you aren't burning as many calories as you think you are in a day, so what you are eating is keeping you at maintenance instead of weight loss.

What would the difference be between homemade fried potatoes and fried potatoes that I paid someone else to prepare for me?

ana3067

KrunchyMama wrote: »

You have a lot of processed foods in your diary. I bet if you started making more stuff from scratch you would see better results. I know I feel a lot better overall if I eat homemade fries versus store-bought fries. You'll find that you won't have to eat as much of the whole food to feel full either, because you'll be giving your body better nutrients. Try to eat more leafy greens and vegetables, and less breads. Keep sugary foods out of the house, for a couple weeks to start just to see if that makes a difference. If you need carby foods try having oats, potatoes or rice. High-sodium meats also make me super bloated, which can mask any progress I've made because of the water retention. And if you can afford it, get a FitBit. Maybe you aren't burning as many calories as you think you are in a day, so what you are eating is keeping you at maintenance instead of weight loss.

None of this will suddenly cause weight loss unless it puts him at a proper calorie deficit.

Homemade =/= calorie deficit. Neither does exclusion of sugary food. These are just things that can be implemented while tracking calories.

At worst, eating out and eating lots of pre-made food will just be high sodium or less accurate for calories. I've lost 31lbs just fine eating everything you are telling OP to cut out, because CICO.