It's not working for Me

katelynmatt

I started mfp about two weeks ago and I am slowly getting back into the habit of exercising.
On most days my calorie intake is actually less than it says I should be taking(I'm not starving I'm actually very full) but I haven't really lost any weight at all. I'm getting married next June and I really want to lose about 40 pounds before then.
Can anyone help with some advice on maybe what I SHOULD be eating and stuff??

kristen6350

It's never about what you should be eating, it's about how much. You are more than likely over estimating how much you are actually eating. Do you weigh your solid foods and measure liquids and log accurately? Do you use a lot of generic entries or are you logging each food separately? For example, say you make a recipe and you have 10 ingredients - do you weigh each and put them in to the recipe builder or do you just find an entry that "looks right"?

brynnsmom

I don't think there's anything you should or should not eat per se; in order to sustain the process you need to stick to things you like to eat provided you can stay within your calorie goal. Me personally, I really like fruit and vegetables, and I can eat more volume of those foods since they are lower in calories. I also found ways to create lower-calorie versions of things I like (pizza on whole grain flatbreads, for example).

The most important thing for me was ensuring that my portions were accurate, so I bought a food scale. I would recommend getting one if you don't already have one and measure, measure, measure. I measure and log just about everything with the exception of black coffee and chewing gum.

Don't be discouraged though. It takes a little time to adjust but the pounds will come off. If you've just started exercising you might be retaining a little extra water which could mask any losses. Keep at it!

katelynmatt

Y'all are probably right. I may be underestimating the servings and such.
I will try to do what y'all said and see what happens.

dirtyflirty30

Define "haven't really lost?"

TR0berts

Two weeks, adding exercise?

Could be that you're retaining water, could be exercise burn overestimation, could be food intake underestimation. We don't really have enough information to help at this point.

NikiChicken

kristen6350 wrote: »

It's never about what you should be eating, it's about how much. You are more than likely over estimating how much you are actually eating. Do you weigh your solid foods and measure liquids and log accurately? Do you use a lot of generic entries or are you logging each food separately? For example, say you make a recipe and you have 10 ingredients - do you weigh each and put them in to the recipe builder or do you just find an entry that "looks right"?

This. You have to weigh and measure your food. Get a food scale and use it. Be precise on your food log. Be careful about exercise calories. If you plan to eat them back, be aware that estimates of calories burned in MFP and on exercise equipment tends to be overestimated.

If you just stated exercising, you may also be holding onto some water weight.

Finally, be patient!! You didn't gain the weight in one day and you won't lose it that way either.

marievinejackson

Drink loads of water, don't eat your exercise cals either (I know a lot of people will disagree with that) cut out sugar and evil gluten. If that still doesn't work go speak with your GP and make sure there is no medical reason for you not losing.

Hope you find come thing that works for you soon x

gemmathehut

I am a little pleased that someone else is having problems I have just started two weeks ago and haven't lost any weight!! Reading the responses has helped I'm going to try not eating the exercise calories x

NikiChicken

marievinejackson wrote: »

Drink loads of water, don't eat your exercise cals either (I know a lot of people will disagree with that) cut out sugar and evil gluten. If that still doesn't work go speak with your GP and make sure there is no medical reason for you not losing.

Hope you find come thing that works for you soon x

I have to respectfully disagree. Sugar and gluten are NOT evil. Unless you have a diagnosed medical condition (i.e. diabetes or celiac disease ) there is absolutely no need to avoid either. Eating too much of anything is not a wise idea, but eating everything in moderation is absolutely fine! Sorry, it just really bugs me when people unnecessarily demonize food. Food is food. Eat too much of anything and you gain weight but if you eat less (of everything) than you need to maintain, you will lose.

dargytaylor

The recipe builder is a big help to me ~ I weigh whatever container the food is being cooked in (weigh it empty) ~ log ALL the ingredients into the recipe builder as I am making the recipe ~ weigh the finished product, minus the "empty" container weight and this is how many servings you have. When you eat, weigh your serving and this is how many servings you are entering into your daily log. I hope I explained this correctly! A little time consuming, but works for me to keep on track and loose these pesky 25 pounds!

PrizePopple

marievinejackson wrote: »

Drink loads of water, don't eat your exercise cals either (I know a lot of people will disagree with that) cut out sugar and evil gluten. If that still doesn't work go speak with your GP and make sure there is no medical reason for you not losing.

Hope you find come thing that works for you soon x

That is full of nope. If not eating her exercise calories drops her below 1200 net that is not really a wise idea. The whole premise of MFP is to eat back those calories, not ignore them. The general rule of thumb is to eat back 50%-75% of what it says you've burned because it does tend to be a little generous with the caloric burns. In regards to the second part of the bolded, unless she has a medical reason to cut out sugars and gluten there is zero reason to do so. Nor is gluten "evil", unless you're Celiac of course but that would mean there's a legitimate medical reason to not consume it.

OP, get a scale and measure your food properly. Two weeks isn't long enough to determine anything. My sister has been at it for 9 weeks now, and up until stepping on the scale today had only lost 5 pounds. It takes time. Good on you for starting now, a year out, and not 2 months before!

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

OP, do you have a food scale? If not, you should get a digital one to help you track more accurately. My food scale has been amazing.

marievinejackson wrote: »

Drink loads of water, don't eat your exercise cals either (I know a lot of people will disagree with that) cut out sugar and evil gluten. If that still doesn't work go speak with your GP and make sure there is no medical reason for you not losing.

Hope you find come thing that works for you soon x

This is not true. There is no reason to cut out anything unless you have an allergy or a medical reason to do so.

blankiefinder

MFP How To:

Buy a food scale, weigh and log everything.

Do cardio if you want, and if you do, only eat back 50% of your calories (if you are losing faster than expected after logging for a few weeks, then up the % you eat back). Lift weights and hit your protein goal to help maintain muscle mass while losing.

Cheat meals that take you over maintenance will sabotage your efforts. Log the cheat meals too (falls under the 'log everything' rule).

Eat anything you want in moderation, keeping in mind that your diet will be easier to stick with if you chose foods that make it easier to stay under your calories without feeling hungry.

Also it would be a good idea to read some of the best forum posts such as:
Calorie Counting 101
Logging Accuracy, Consistency, & You're Probably Eating More Than You Think
A Guide To Get You Started on Your Path To Sexy Pants

ChantalGG

Try to avoid eating before sleeping, give yourself at least 3 hours to digest, the more hours the better. drink lots of water. try having your largest meal when you wake up or at lunch and smallest for your last meal. Add a walk each day to whatever you are doing for exercise. Maybe the walking will turn to jogging.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

ChantalGG wrote: »

Try to avoid eating before sleeping, give yourself at least 3 hours to digest, the more hours the better. drink lots of water. try having your largest meal when you wake up or at lunch and smallest for your last meal. Add a walk each day to whatever you are doing for exercise. Maybe the walking will turn to jogging.

Actually, meal timing does not matter at all. You could literally eat while you are asleep and lose weight as long as you stay in a calorie deficit (PSA: please do not eat while sleeping to avoid choking to death).

WinoGelato

marievinejackson wrote: »

Drink loads of water, don't eat your exercise cals either (I know a lot of people will disagree with that) cut out sugar and evil gluten. If that still doesn't work go speak with your GP and make sure there is no medical reason for you not losing.

Why does she need to cut out sugar and LOL "evil gluten" if she doesn't have a medical reason to do so?

ChantalGG wrote: »

Try to avoid eating before sleeping, give yourself at least 3 hours to digest, the more hours the better. drink lots of water. try having your largest meal when you wake up or at lunch and smallest for your last meal. Add a walk each day to whatever you are doing for exercise. Maybe the walking will turn to jogging.

Nope on this too. Meal timing doesn't have anything to do with weight loss. I eat small breakfast, not till around 9am (get up before 6am), medium sized lunch, and save 1000 cals or more for dinner. I eat gelato usually within an hour of bedtime. Hasn't hindered my progress.

OP - the best advice you've gotten on here is to get a food scale, and to read the stickied forum posts linked above. Oh and be patient. It's only been 2 weeks. I'm glad to hear you've given yourself a year to lose the 40 lbs. That seems completely reasonable.

blankiefinder

I eat right up until bedtime, sometimes until 1 AM, and it never slowed my loss.

cwolfman13

you are likely underestimating your intake...it's fairly common, especially if you're just eyeballing your servings.

skeo

Buy a food scale, track religiously EVERY LITTLE THING, ketchup packets, soy sauce, a fortune cookie..etc
provide a solid basis of what you eat and if you incorporate any exercises, do this for at least 1 month, then check back in.

PaulaWallaDingDong

katelynmatt wrote: »

Y'all are probably right. I may be underestimating the servings and such.
I will try to do what y'all said and see what happens.

^ I like her.

DaliaMaria73

katelynmatt wrote: »

I started mfp about two weeks ago and I am slowly getting back into the habit of exercising.
On most days my calorie intake is actually less than it says I should be taking(I'm not starving I'm actually very full) but I haven't really lost any weight at all. I'm getting married next June and I really want to lose about 40 pounds before then.
Can anyone help with some advice on maybe what I SHOULD be eating and stuff??

DaliaMaria73

Two weeks is nothing. We don't all lose weight in a linear fashion. The last time I started a weight-loss regime, I went six weeks with no change on the scale, then overnight, boom! Six pounds gone from one day to the next. The one-pound-per-week loss showed up all at once. Forty pounds by next year is totally doable but this is a marathon, not a race. Take it a day at a time.

VenusStar101

Once you start working out there is actually a weight gain. Muscle building weights more than fat loss. It takes about a month of steady exercise to have the scale tip back the other way. Also be generous with your intake calories. Better to guess high and eat less.

PrizePopple

VenusStar101 wrote: »

Once you start working out there is actually a weight gain. Muscle building weights more than fat loss. It takes about a month of steady exercise to have the scale tip back the other way. Also be generous with your intake calories. Better to guess high and eat less.

Unless she's in a caloric surplus there is likely not any noticeable amount of muscle building going on. Especially not in 2 weeks.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

arditarose

VenusStar101 wrote: »

Once you start working out there is actually a weight gain. Muscle building weights more than fat loss. It takes about a month of steady exercise to have the scale tip back the other way. Also be generous with your intake calories. Better to guess high and eat less.

In a deficit, muscle building in two weeks, no. Water retention from new exercise-yes.

999tigger

It really helps if you take time to understand the basics and how to execute them properly. Accurate calorie counting is where it starts. The links given by blankie are must reads. You have a nice amount of time within which to lose 40, so the bit in the beginning can just be learning and perfecting your plan.

dlevans_59

Everybody has good things to say. Hang in there!

senecarr

marievinejackson wrote: »

Drink loads of water, don't eat your exercise cals either (I know a lot of people will disagree with that) cut out sugar and evil gluten. If that still doesn't work go speak with your GP and make sure there is no medical reason for you not losing.

Hope you find come thing that works for you soon x

Never knew of food that had morals.
Can she eat gluten that feeds starving orphans and does other good deeds?

jenniferplatter

Jumping on the bandwagon here...log everything you put in your mouth. I have had people ask "You count the calories of the creamer you put in your coffee?!?" Yep. And food scale...even the good ol' eyeballing is usually inaccurate. I use a small digital scale. I don't log any physical activity, just food. As for eliminating certain foods...eh...I don't believe the
anti-gluten/carbs/sugar/dairy hype. I do think what should be limited is saturated and trans fats. I recently had a vegetarian, sometimes vegan friend tell me if I quit eating dairy or went vegan I would drop 10 pound like that. NOT true. I know alot of non-gluten, non-dairy, vegan, vegetarians, "clean eaters" or whatever who are overweight.