Not Losing...feeling discouraged

moonjewel76

Hi everyone!
I have been steady going for about three weeks and have not lost any weight. I started at 308 in November and got down to 288. I started REALLY trying and being super diligent about entering my food 3 weeks ago. I went to 284 and today it says 289! I am so incredibly discouraged and confused. I am eating way less carbs than I'm supposed to, entering everything I eat (even over-estimating sometimes) and I think I am making decent choices for the most part. I am definitely eating completely differently than I was before which was basically all carbs.

Being this overweight and having so much to lose I assumed it would come off faster at the beginning. What am I doing wrong? I do walk, but haven't incorporated a lot of exercise but I thought that in the beginning, at least, losing was more about what I eat.

I used to eat fast food, pizza and all carbs every single day.



Help?

stranger2310

Hi there! Sorry to hear you're feeling discouraged! Can you open up your food diary so we can see what you're eating and what your calorie goals, etc. are? Thanks!

blankiefinder

moonjewel76 wrote: »

Hi everyone!
I have been steady going for about three weeks and have not lost any weight. I started at 308 in November and got down to 288. I started REALLY trying and being super diligent about entering my food 3 weeks ago. I went to 284 and today it says 289! I am so incredibly discouraged and confused. I am eating way less carbs than I'm supposed to, entering everything I eat (even over-estimating sometimes) and I think I am making decent choices for the most part. I am definitely eating completely differently than I was before which was basically all carbs.

Being this overweight and having so much to lose I assumed it would come off faster at the beginning. What am I doing wrong? I do walk, but haven't incorporated a lot of exercise but I thought that in the beginning, at least, losing was more about what I eat.

I used to eat fast food, pizza and all carbs every single day.



Help?

Hi jewel! Are you using a food scale? Are you exercising, and if so, do you eat back any or all your exercise calories? What did you set as your activity level? Post your stats for more specific advice (age, height)

I'd recommend reading this: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257474/starting-out-restarting-basics-inside#latest

queenliz99

moonjewel76

I thought my diary was open
I am 39 and 5'4.
I don't have a food scale, so I will get one.

moonjewel76

I don't log exercise and therefore don't eat extra. I only stay under my daily goals.

ravi_tiwari_786

moonjewel76 wrote: »

I don't log exercise and therefore don't eat extra. I only stay under my daily goals.

Tracking both food and exercise are very important, since we may think some food are ok to eat but they can be filled with tonnes of sugar and carbs

blankiefinder

ravi_tiwari_786 wrote: »

moonjewel76 wrote: »

I don't log exercise and therefore don't eat extra. I only stay under my daily goals.

Tracking both food and exercise are very important, since we may think some food are ok to eat but they can be filled with tonnes of sugar and carbs

can be filled with tonnes of calories...

low carb is one route people can take to lose weight, but it is by no means necessary.

moonjewel76

I log all of my food very carefully. Ibam always under goal.

blankiefinder

moonjewel76 wrote: »

I log all of my food very carefully. Ibam always under goal.

A few points: 1, it sounds like you've been losing, and just had a brief blip where the scale went up? Weight loss is not linear. A brief jump could be food passing through your digestive tract, water retention from a high sodium meal, time of month, etc etc. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

2. You'd be surprised the difference a food scale can make. I consider it the best $10 I ever spent. It is also easier than you would imagine. Get one that has a zero function, so you can put your bowl on, hit zero, add ingredient (lets say lettuce). Log lettuce by weight. Hit zero. Add tomatoes. Wash, rinse, repeat. Get a scale that can do grams too.

Marilyn0924

If you're not weighing solids/measuring liquids, you really have no accurate way of calculating what you are actually consuming. In taking a peek at your diary, you are using a lot of generic entries and some of which are incorrect. Look for the items listed as USDA for produce, and use packaging labels as a guideline. The scale will make a huge difference. Keep in mind also that things like ToM, lack of sleep, extra sodium can make a difference in weight with water gain.
Stay patient, be diligent, the results will happen.

jakobscalpel

blankiefinder wrote: »

2. You'd be surprised the difference a food scale can make. I consider it the best $10 I ever spent. It is also easier than you would imagine. Get one that has a zero function, so you can put your bowl on, hit zero, add ingredient (lets say lettuce). Log lettuce by weight. Hit zero. Add tomatoes. Wash, rinse, repeat. Get a scale that can do grams too.

This! Scales with grams are the way to go, along with the zero out function. Makes a big difference.

strong_curves

moonjewel76 wrote: »

I log all of my food very carefully. Ibam always under goal.

Are you using a food scale?

MadamChick

I quickly looked at your diary and I don't think you are eating enough. Try eating more calories even if it is a delicious snack of popcorn.

blankiefinder

MadamChick wrote: »

I quickly looked at your diary and I don't think you are eating enough. Try eating more calories even if it is a delicious snack of popcorn.

To me it doesn't look that bad. If she's not using a food scale, it's impossible to say.