The scale is not budging!

saramichelle89

Very annoyed. I have been at it since May 30th in anticipation for 4th of July. I am self conscience about my legs so I do not wear shorts! I gave myself a goal and have been trying really hard. It has been 1 month and a few weeks and the scale is still what it was when I started. I have changed my diet and started the IF lean gains approach. I go to the gym and do cardio 3-4 days a week, 40 min. with strength training. The scale has not budged at all. It went down at first by 5 pounds and it is back up now. What gives? I am sadly getting discouraged. :-(

Mr_Knight

Open your diary.

saramichelle89

It's open now

diannethegeek

It's hard to answer these kinds of posts without more details. How long has it been since you last saw a drop on the scale? A plateau is something like 6-8 weeks without a drop on the scale and with no changes to your routine (since diet & exercise changes tend to come with some water weight retention - which can screw with the scale). If it's only been a few weeks, then it's possible that it's just a natural stall and will go away on its own.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear

Other than that, the most common problems we see come from underestimating calories eaten and overestimating calories burned.

Opening your diary might help to get you more specific advice if you're comfortable doing so.

You're logging everything you eat? Including condiments, cooking oils, veggies, cheat days, etc? Are you using a food scale, measuring cups, or eyeballing your portion sizes? Most people can be off in their estimates by several hundred calories when they eyeball portions. Measuring cups are better, but a food scale is going to be the most accurate.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1290491-how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale

And make sure that you've calculated your calorie goals appropriately. Remember that these are just estimates. You may need to play around a little to find what works best for you.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

If you're exercising and eating back your earned exercise calories, be sure that you're using accurate estimates of your burn. MFP and gym machines have a tendency to overestimate certain activities, which can cause you to eat back more calories than you need to. Even a heart rate monitor isn't 100% accurate. If you're eating those extra earned calories it might be a good idea to eat only 50-75% of those.

And there's something to be said for the fact that some people just burn fewer calories than the generic equations predict. If you're an outlier due to age, size, or medical conditions, then you may want to check with your doctor or a registered dietitian for better advice.

tl;dr version:

pauljwalker52

Dont get discouraged. Too many people are stuck on what thr scale says. If you are weight training remember muscle weighs more than fat. How do you feel? If you better now than when you started your making progress

saramichelle89

I started on May 30th. Saw a drop about the middle of June by 5-7 pounds and it has since gone right back up and stayed there. I do not log cheat days because I don't want to literally SEE what I have done.. lol mind tricks right?

ClarityPeace

The only thing I noticed is that you eat out a lot/fast food.. so as a result your sodium is pretty high sometimes.. that always messes with weight loss for me.. but everyone's different.

wizzybeth

+1,000,000, @diannethegeek . Love the info graphic.

ClarityPeace

oh I just saw you said you don't log cheat days.. that could be the problem right there.

x_AmandaJayne_x

Do not be discouraged! Have you been taking your measurements? Before and after pictures!?

diannethegeek

wizzybeth wrote: »

+1,000,000, @diannethegeek . Love the info graphic.

The flow chart is courtesy of @lemonlionheart. I've just added it to my usual copy/paste with links for more information. Though lately I think that I need to revamp my standard text. Too many OPs are answering one or two of the early questions and don't seem to get any further. I'll have to tweak it to see if I can make it more accessible.

Mr_Knight

There are only a few days of logging - too early to tell anything.

professionalHobbyist

saramichelle89 wrote: »

I started on May 30th. Saw a drop about the middle of June by 5-7 pounds and it has since gone right back up and stayed there. I do not log cheat days because I don't want to literally SEE what I have done.. lol mind tricks right?

You just hit on why I say it is bad to bank calories or play games with entering what we eat

Just eat it and log it.

If you are gonna be bad, be bad and own it.

I can see where getting stalked is frustrating.

Really the only thing to do is get strict on weighing and recording every single scrap of food and drink you consume

You have lost weight before and can do it again

Just do it!

Or in the case of some foods, just don't it!!!

i_miss_donuts

Sara - You might have to stop the cheat days. I know that some weight loss experts and nutritionists advise against them because is a single day you can eat back most of your calorie deficit for the week. Perhaps instead you could allow yourself one "cheat meal" per week and log it to have a better sense of what your true calorie deficit is? Alternatively, planning in your calorie allotment for a small treat daily (I eat 1/4 cup sugar free ice cream with Fiber One as a dessert) could help you stay on track without feeling deprived if you give up the cheat day. Finally, if you are not using a HRM to estimate exercise burn, the amount of calories burned during cardio is probably pretty far off. I know that the machines tell me that I burned 100 to 150 more calories during a 30 minute session than my HRM suggests (bummer). Don't give up or lose hope - you just need to keep tweaking it and maybe pull back on your cheat day!

DisneyDude85

There is definitely a learning curve when you start out figure out what works for you! But be prepared to be brutally honest with yourself. If something isn't working, be upfront with yourself and make changes.

JulesVinTX

Do your clothes fit any differently? Could be muscle gain.

saramichelle89

JulesVinTX wrote: »

Do your clothes fit any differently? Could be muscle gain.

No. They fit the same. :-( True!

katsmo

I think you're making things too hard on yourself. Have you tried calories in/calories out? Why the IF route? From your diary, I can't determine if it's an issue with inconsistent logging or it's a fasting period. Be good to yourself.

Mr_Stabbems

kick it, it will move

maillemaker

tl;dr version:

I like the infographic but I find there's an even simpler metric for "I'm not losing weight". If I'm not hungry most of the time, I'm not losing weight.

saramichelle89

katsmo wrote: »

I think you're making things too hard on yourself. Have you tried calories in/calories out? Why the IF route? From your diary, I can't determine if it's an issue with inconsistent logging or it's a fasting period. Be good to yourself.

Its a fasting period. I usually put the fasting time in the notes w/ my vitamin intake but have been inconsistent with that. I dk really, I tried 5:2 IF in the past and it worked really well for me so I am doing a 13/14 hour fast and 11/10 hour feeding now.

What is calories in/out?

Mr_Stabbems

saramichelle89 wrote: »

katsmo wrote: »

I think you're making things too hard on yourself. Have you tried calories in/calories out? Why the IF route? From your diary, I can't determine if it's an issue with inconsistent logging or it's a fasting period. Be good to yourself.

Its a fasting period. I usually put the fasting time in the notes w/ my vitamin intake but have been inconsistent with that. I dk really, I tried 5:2 IF in the past and it worked really well for me so I am doing a 13/14 hour fast and 11/10 hour feeding now.

What is calories in/out?

measuring cals in vs cals out.

IF worked for you before then try it again, it works great for me (16/8).

Ultimately, look at your diary, you eat lots of carbs & sugar, and no where near your target for protein. Your intake is low, your not going to go into starvation mode or anything like that, so dont worry, but i would readjust your targets. your protein target is very very high.

Im not saying anything is wrong with this but i would adjust them to more realistic targets so you dont beat yourself up about it, i try aim for 35%C 45%P and 20%F and that seems to work well for me, i get enough protein & carbs for my workouts, i balance them so i get most of the carbs and protein after weights in the evening.

katsmo

Calories in, calories out or CICO just means take in less calories than you put out. Basically, eat less and burn more. It doesn't have to involve a fast or a schedule or restricting much of anything. The scale will still move.