Why am I not loosing weight?

Jenna__XoXo

I didn't loose any weight last week even though I had a calorie defect of 500-700 everyday, drank plenty of water and didn't have more than 2,500Mg of sodium a day. I'm just trying to decide what I need to do different this week to get back on track.

diannethegeek

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

^Useful post

And my own very generic tips:
1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.

2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.

3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.

4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.

5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.

6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.

7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.

8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.

9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.

queenliz99

As long as you are accurately tracking your intake, stay the course. Weight loss takes patience.

Sabine_Stroehm

Are you ovulating or PMS-ing?

strong_curves

The majority of the time it will take longer than a week for a newbie to see any change in the scale.

janjunie

jennamburchette2014 wrote: »

I didn't loose any weight last week even though I had a calorie defect of 500-700 everyday, drank plenty of water and didn't have more than 2,500Mg of sodium a day. I'm just trying to decide what I need to do different this week to get back on track.

It's just a week. Sometimes people lose 3 pounds one week, gain 1 the next, lose 2 the week after and lose nothing the week after that. Fluctuations are normal.

I say the above assuming you are accurately logging your calories.

snickerscharlie

Afw94

If you've really got a cal deficit of 500-700 a day (make totally sure you're counting EVERYTHING and logging it all correctly, it's really easy to forget little things like oil or milk in tea for example, or to measure your food wrong and log the calories wrong as a consequence) then you will lose weight, sometimes it just takes a while to show on the scale.

Another thing is if you've upped your exercise recently then that can affect the number on the scale, especially if you're doing more cardio than you would normally.

Salt, periods, diet drinks, coffee, even some vegetables can cause bloat that will show on the scale, so that's something to take into account as well.

It's all about calories, as long as you're eating less and moving more you will be losing weight.

Jenna__XoXo

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

Are you ovulating or PMS-ing?

No, I just had my period about 2 weeks ago but I'm cramping really bad today for some reason, could that have something to do with it? Bloating and water weight maybe?

Sabine_Stroehm

jennamburchette2014 wrote: »

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

Are you ovulating or PMS-ing?

No, I just had my period about 2 weeks ago but I'm cramping really bad today for some reason, could that have something to do with it? Bloating and water weight maybe?

If you had your period 2 weeks ago, you're probably ovulating (or it's ovulating time if you've chemically stopped ovulation). Yes, Many women find the scale goes UP 2-5Lbs at ovulation time, just like it does just before the period.

tara_means_star

jennamburchette2014 wrote: »

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

Are you ovulating or PMS-ing?

No, I just had my period about 2 weeks ago but I'm cramping really bad today for some reason, could that have something to do with it? Bloating and water weight maybe?

You sound like you are ovulating. It can also cause scale fluctuations. Two weeks after your period is about the right time period.

pineygirl

tara_means_star wrote: »

jennamburchette2014 wrote: »

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

Are you ovulating or PMS-ing?

No, I just had my period about 2 weeks ago but I'm cramping really bad today for some reason, could that have something to do with it? Bloating and water weight maybe?

You sound like you are ovulating. It can also cause scale fluctuations. Two weeks after your period is about the right time period.

I agree. I bloat more with ovulation than my period and it also can cause worse cramps than my period can. For me I have a really long fertile phase and I'll stay the same weight for a week, the gain 1-2lbs....and lose 2-3lbs a couple days after ovulation. Then I might gain 1lb before my period...or not. My period doesn't cause as much bloating...but I also don't lose from a couple days before it starts to a few days after it starts.

Lucky for me (or maybe it's the PCOS)...I have really long cycles (like 40+ days)....so I have 3 to 4 weeks out of the "month" that I consistently lose.

ldowdesw

I bounce down the scales, it's never an easy ride, I just think my body is trying to resist, it will have to give in somewhen because my mind is set!!