Not losing even a pound

cbowman1114

I'll try to make this as short as possible, but really needing some opinions. I lost 70 pounds with diet and exercise all on my own. Then got pregnant and gained every single pound back. So now I'm starting all over and obviously know what I need to do to accomplish it. I've been eating around 1600 calories a day, and tracking it all on here. All healthy food. No tv dinners or anything high in sodium, also drinking around 100oz of water a day. I weigh 230.4 and am 5'5. I've been working out 5 times a week and yesterday even did two workouts. This is week three and I literally haven't even lost half a pound! I thought just from not eating fast food every meal, and drinking more water, that itself would've made me lose about 5 pounds, not even including the workouts. I do have am under active thyroid. I never had this much problem seeing the scale move before having my son. Any advice anyone?!?! I'm becoming very frustrated and really don't want to emotionally eat over this because I know that won't do anything but make things worse, but *kitten* it's making me mad! Lol

malibu927

Can you open up your diary?

cbowman1114

How do I do that? Lol I'm new to this

DemoraFairy

cbowman1114 wrote: »

How do I do that? Lol I'm new to this

Go here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings and at the bottom under Diary Sharing set it to public.

Do you weigh everything? Do you eat back your exercise calories?

cbowman1114

I weigh literally everything! I have all sizes of measuring cups and a food scale as well. And I never eat back my exercise calories

kickassbarbie

Are you weighing all your food?
And logging those bites you grab on the go? (The slice of ham from the fridge or apple on the side counter etc)
Logging liquid calories?

I have an underachievement thyroid too, sometimes for no reason my thyroxine needs adjusting (personally I think diet changes affect this as they time in pretty similar but my doctor says "it's just one of those things...") when did you last have your levels done?

DemoraFairy

cbowman1114 wrote: »

I weigh literally everything! I have all sizes of measuring cups and a food scale as well. And I never eat back my exercise calories

No need for measuring cups if you're weighing everything :P

You may just need to give it more time, or lower your calories slightly. Do you weigh daily or weekly?

DawnieB1977

How old is your baby? I have three, and I gained a lot in all my pregnancies, despite exercising, eating under my calorie allowance etc. My third baby has just turned 1, and it took a while for the weight to start coming off, and I still have some to lose. I went back to the gym at 6 weeks after each of my babies, and didnt lose much weight at first, but I did lose inches, so it's important to take measurements too.

tattooed_mom

Im having this same issue except for a year. Ive lost 6 pounds in a year.

cbowman1114

My son is 18 months old. I just had my levels checked about 6 weeks ago, so I'm about due for them to be checked again. I also just got my Mirena taken out yesterday. I'm hoping that helps some, because I am constantly bloated and never felt this way until I got it in. I weigh myself weekly

oneloopygirl

Given your weight, 1600 calories may not be enough. Calculate your BMR (MFP provides this on the Apps tab if you're on a computer). BMR is what you burn just being alive and breathing. Also, be honest about your typical activity levels when you do your calculations. Don't call yourself sedentary if you are up on your feet chasing a toddler all day or moving around frequently at work, etc.

Get your thyroid checked. And I've heard others fuss about Mirena and bloated and weight gain. That could be a possibility.

Also, if MFP gave you the 1600 as your calorie intake, consider eating back at least part of your activity calories... I tend to eat maybe half of mine, sometimes more. MFP calcs calories on a minimum. Many people often find that they can eat more than MFP calcs and still lose.

When you get your thyroid checked, consider having them check to see if there's anything else going on that could be causing you issues.

And while weight loss isn't rocket science, it isn't the same for everyone. We all have to find what works for us. Be patient, play around with things and you'll find what works for you.

janejellyroll

Are you currently getting treatment for your thyroid issues?

cbowman1114

oneloopygirl wrote: »

Given your weight, 1600 calories may not be enough. Calculate your BMR (MFP provides this on the Apps tab if you're on a computer). BMR is what you burn just being alive and breathing. Also, be honest about your typical activity levels when you do your calculations. Don't call yourself sedentary if you are up on your feet chasing a toddler all day or moving around frequently at work, etc.

Get your thyroid checked. And I've heard others fuss about Mirena and bloated and weight gain. That could be a possibility.

Also, if MFP gave you the 1600 as your calorie intake, consider eating back at least part of your activity calories... I tend to eat maybe half of mine, sometimes more. MFP calcs calories on a minimum. Many people often find that they can eat more than MFP calcs and still lose.

When you get your thyroid checked, consider having them check to see if there's anything else going on that could be causing you issues.

And while weight loss isn't rocket science, it isn't the same for everyone. We all have to find what works for us. Be patient, play around with things and you'll find what works for you.

Thanks for the info! When I told my doctor about it yesterday all she had to say was I think you need to go down to about 900-1000 calories a day. I looked at her and said I'll stick to what I'm doing and left pretty discouraged

cbowman1114

janejellyroll wrote: »

Are you currently getting treatment for your thyroid issues?

Yes I take 75mcg of levothyroxine

3bambi3

oneloopygirl wrote: »

Given your weight, 1600 calories may not be enough. Calculate your BMR (MFP provides this on the Apps tab if you're on a computer). BMR is what you burn just being alive and breathing. Also, be honest about your typical activity levels when you do your calculations. Don't call yourself sedentary if you are up on your feet chasing a toddler all day or moving around frequently at work, etc.

Get your thyroid checked. And I've heard others fuss about Mirena and bloated and weight gain. That could be a possibility.

Also, if MFP gave you the 1600 as your calorie intake, consider eating back at least part of your activity calories... I tend to eat maybe half of mine, sometimes more. MFP calcs calories on a minimum. Many people often find that they can eat more than MFP calcs and still lose.

When you get your thyroid checked, consider having them check to see if there's anything else going on that could be causing you issues.

And while weight loss isn't rocket science, it isn't the same for everyone. We all have to find what works for us. Be patient, play around with things and you'll find what works for you.

Disagree. Weight loss is the same for everyone. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight. Eat more than you burn and you will gain weight. No one failed to lose weight because they were eating too little.

That being said, sometimes finding the right numbers for you can be challenging. Medication, medical issues, etc. can all affect the Calories Out portion of the equation, but as long as your Calories In are less than that, you will lose weight.

janejellyroll

cbowman1114 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

Are you currently getting treatment for your thyroid issues?

Yes I take 75mcg of levothyroxine

Do you feel comfortable opening up your diary? You might get some useful advice.

cbowman1114

I'll open it. But there's not many posts yet. There were some days I wrote down my meals for the day in my notebook, so there not on here. But I would love to hear advice

cbowman1114

I think I changed it now

janejellyroll

cbowman1114 wrote: »

I think I changed it now

You mentioned above that you were weighing and I do see weights for a lot of items. I would encourage you to weigh all solids, including things like turkey bacon. I notice you log 100 grams of banana frequently -- are those really weights? Since you were logging in a notebook, I'm not sure about the unlogged days.

cbowman1114

100 grams? Idk why it says that lol I just choose the ones that say there the closes to that size. Like 1 large banana. For the turkey bacon I don't measure that because 1 slice is 25 calories so I obviously know 4 slices is 100 calories

DemoraFairy

cbowman1114 wrote: »

100 grams? Idk why it says that lol I just choose the ones that say there the closes to that size. Like 1 large banana. For the turkey bacon I don't measure that because 1 slice is 25 calories so I obviously know 4 slices is 100 calories

But you said you weigh literally everything, now you're saying you just choose the entries closest to the size?

malibu927

You should be weighing everything. The banana I had this morning was 120 grams. One I ate a few days ago was 160 grams, which is a huge difference. Even the bacon won't necessarily be the same weight every time (and can oftentimes run above what a serving says).

You still may need to adjust your calories due to your thyroid, but make sure you're weighing and logging everything first.

cbowman1114

I don't weigh food if I can look at the label and know how many calories it is, I don't need to weigh my quest bars it says on the package there 190 calories. I'm talking about fruit, veggies, chicken, stuff like that

janejellyroll

cbowman1114 wrote: »

100 grams? Idk why it says that lol I just choose the ones that say there the closes to that size. Like 1 large banana. For the turkey bacon I don't measure that because 1 slice is 25 calories so I obviously know 4 slices is 100 calories

If you aren't weighing your solid foods, that could be why you're struggling. I would begin weighing all solid foods, including fruit and meat. Package weights can have quite a bit of variance and fruit comes in all difference sizes. Example: I eat cucumbers frequently and even when I grab cucumbers that look about the same size, they can vary as much as 150 grams. That doesn't matter as much because cucumber is so low calorie, but for bananas, it can be a huge difference!

DemoraFairy

cbowman1114 wrote: »

I don't weigh food if I can look at the label and know how many calories it is, I don't need to weigh my quest bars it says on the package there 190 calories. I'm talking about fruit, veggies, chicken, stuff like that

That's fine for things that come individually wrapped and are always the same, like bars, but for bananas that's not the case - they're all different sizes. You've also got a lot of measurements by teaspoons and cups. These are things that need to be weighed.

malibu927

community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide#latest
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101#latest

Definitely take a look at these threads

DawnieB1977

I lost 66lbs after my 2nd baby and only weighed things like porridge oats. Then again, I was losing weight so obviously my logging was pretty accurate. Maybe if I hadn't been losing I'd have started weighing stuff.

I do weigh things now (losing after my 3rd baby) but my weight loss is no faster than it was after my 2nd baby.

Marilyn0924

Based on your stats, at 1600 calories per day you could lose 1 pound/week. That being said, weighing/logging every single item accurately makes a massive difference. Using measuring cups and eyeballing solid foods can have you eating way more than you realize. i.e. a small potato...they don't all weigh the same, and you could end up consuming 200+ more calories than what is listed as a "generic" item in database. Look for the USDA listings, and weigh by grams not ounces (grams are more precise) Use the recipe builder when cooking, include spices/herbs/oils/sprays etc. These items all add up. It seems like a pain at first with all the weighing/measuring, but in the end it works! Good luck!

Sephixteeo

Just an aside, but when I went from nothing to 5-6 times a week workouts, I stalled for a month. Then one day I was down almost 3 pounds. It still goes up and down for a bit.

Don't discount some retention of fluids for your muscles, they're getting used to more work.

All of the above is great advice too, just wanted to throw this in as well.

Lleldiranne

DawnieB1977 wrote: »

How old is your baby? I have three, and I gained a lot in all my pregnancies, despite exercising, eating under my calorie allowance etc. My third baby has just turned 1, and it took a while for the weight to start coming off, and I still have some to lose. I went back to the gym at 6 weeks after each of my babies, and didnt lose much weight at first, but I did lose inches, so it's important to take measurements too.

This ^

Also, are you breastfeeding? That can throw in other dynamics (and not always make it easier to lose).

krismurphydc

I am only three months in but I am starting to realize that as long as you keep going it will happen. Don't get discouraged because the scale is not moving. If you continue to eat clean and stay active the scale will catch up.