Consistent effort but still NO WT LOSS!
Options
se015
Posts: 583 Member
Hey guys, so my gf doesn't feel like going on these message boards so I thought I'd help her out by asking you guys myself. She is consistently eating under her calories that MFP sets up for her based on her current weight and what her goal weight is. She has noticed a small difference in her size, specifically her pants size have basically gone down a size. She has lost zero lbs though! Her bf% has stayed the same too! She runs on treadmill for an hour about 4 days a week. Does she need to increase the cardio? There are some days that she barely eats enough and I told her I think that if you calorie restrict too much you might not lose any weight. So yea what do you guys think?
0
Replies
-
How long he it been since she lost weight. It sounds more like she's eating too much instead of not enough.0
-
Does she weigh all her food? Does she eat all her exercise calories back? How does she measure her body fat?0
-
What is her goal? Going down a pants size is terrific. The number on a scale is just a number. She shouldn't let it rule her life.0
-
1. Is she weighing EVERYTHING she eats? This is the biggest mistake people make, they think they're weighing everything, but they're missing some things they don't think about, or they're using cups and guesstimates. People in general tend to seriously underestimate how much they eat, so unless she's weighing everything and being honest with herself about it, it's likely she's eating much more than she thinks she is.
2. If her measurements have gone down and she's in a smaller pant size, that's some good progress right there! To me, that's more important then the number on the scale.
3. Weight loss isn't linear. There will be weeks of losing, then weeks of no loss or even small gain. Look at the trend of weight loss over a couple of months. If you can draw a line from start to finish and it's going down, everything's fine.
4. Eating less calories doesn't restrict your ability to lose weight, however it can cause damage from malnutrition. General recommendation for women is 1200 is the lowest you want to go unless you're super short. Like, under 5 foot short.0 -
How does she know that her BF % hasn't changed?
How much is she actually eating (not netting!) on an average day (see if you can get the numbers for a week or so and average them)?
It is possible to eat little, exercise like a maniac, lose body fat, but not lose weight because you end up retaining water like a madman (or madwoman.) Lyle McDonald writes about the phenomenon here. Do you think any of that describes your gf?0 -
What's her age, height, current weight, goal weight, and weekly weight loss goal?0
-
Hmmm . . . it could be a lot of things. First, if she is eating at a small deficit or doesn't have much to lose, it's important that she is weighing her food. Inaccurate logging can make a huge difference. If she is not eating enough (at least 1,200 calories - probably more!), her body could be holding onto the weight, too. If she recently increased or changed her workout, her body could be holding onto water to heal her muscles. She should also look at her sodium intake because it could just be water retention. Without knowing more about her, it's hard to pinpoint. It sounds like she is making progress, though, if she is losing sizes!0
-
Height, age, weight, type of work. And how many calories is she eating a day0
-
Asher_Ethan wrote: »Does she weigh all her food? Does she eat all her exercise calories back? How does she measure her body fat?
Whatever she puts into mfp is pretty accurate as she can be. But she never eats her exercise calories she sticks to the total number before exercise!0 -
How long has she been calorie counting?0
-
1) Did she start running at the same time she started counting calories?
Yes. Possibly retaining water for muscle repair.
2) Losing a pants size means she is making progress.
3) Does she weigh solid foods on a food scale? No. She could be eating more than she thinks easily if she is using measuring cups or guessing at portion sizes.
Yes. She should double check the food entries she is using. Not all entries in the dayabase are correct. In fact a large portion are wrong.
4) How long has it been?
5) Does she weigh herself under the same conditions? If not, that will make it a lot harder to judge progress. There are so many variables that effect our weight that you want the conditions to be as close to the same as possible every time.0 -
She does keep the weigh in conditions as close to the same as possible. How much more specific can you be when portioning your food? I know what she eats and I check her data she puts in. You could be right about the water retention but idk it just seems odd. But if she went from a 6 to a 4 I just don't get why there is no change in weight. She's frustrated and I want her to be encouraged not discouraged. I'd feel the same way If I had the same problem0
-
I would be happy to go from size 6 to size 4 no matter what my weight did. Who cares about the number on the scale? She's 5'4" & size 4 FTLOG.0
-
Is she gaining muscle ya think? Give it a lil while and she'll see the number go down.
Or it's that she's "consistently eating under her calorie goal" and she's not eating any of her exercise calories back so her body's hanging on to the supplies so to speak?0 -
BL_Courtney15 wrote: »Is she gaining muscle ya think? Give it a lil while and she'll see the number go down.
With only cardio and in a deficit, no.0 -
BL_Courtney15 wrote: »Is she gaining muscle ya think? Give it a lil while and she'll see the number go down.
Or it's that she's "consistently eating under her calorie goal" and she's not eating any of her exercise calories back so her body's hanging on to the supplies so to speak?
your body doesnt hang on to "supplies" either0 -
She does keep the weigh in conditions as close to the same as possible. How much more specific can you be when portioning your food? I know what she eats and I check her data she puts in. You could be right about the water retention but idk it just seems odd. But if she went from a 6 to a 4 I just don't get why there is no change in weight. She's frustrated and I want her to be encouraged not discouraged. I'd feel the same way If I had the same problem
Tone honest, this seems a bit overbearing. I know if it were me and one of my significant others were double checking everything, I would quickly get pissed off and rebel.0 -
I actually always gain the first week I start exercising. Beginning of week two I'm up one pound and beginning of week three I'll be back down to my start weight. Then the weight loss becomes more regular.0
-
She does keep the weigh in conditions as close to the same as possible. How much more specific can you be when portioning your food? I know what she eats and I check her data she puts in. You could be right about the water retention but idk it just seems odd. But if she went from a 6 to a 4 I just don't get why there is no change in weight. She's frustrated and I want her to be encouraged not discouraged. I'd feel the same way If I had the same problem
Tone honest, this seems a bit overbearing. I know if it were me and one of my significant others were double checking everything, I would quickly get pissed off and rebel.
Agreed!!!
You might think you know what she eats, but I doubt you're with her 24 hours, and if she's not losing she's not in a deficit. Perhaps she is snacking when you're not watching because this has got all a bit intense?
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.6K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 388 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 916 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions