Why am I not shedding pounds?

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georgiab0095
georgiab0095 Posts: 25 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 20 years old, 5'8 and 187 pounds. I've lost 87 pounds by eating healthy and working out. Although, my weight loss completely stopped in November . I literally haven't lost an single pound . I've dropped by calories from 1800 to 1500. I got a gym membership and go at least four times a week, sometimes twice a day. I'm not sure what I can do to lose the last 20 pounds or so . Any advice is appreciated . My diary is opened and I've logged for the past 300+ days . I meal prep, and eat the same food Monday -Friday .
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  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
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    Congratulations on your weight loss thus far! If you haven't lost any weight in 7 months, then you are eating at maintenance. Without the use of a food scale, you cannot be sure you are truly eating 1500 or even 1800 calories, so you're most likely eating much more than you think.

    Looking at your diary, you have way too many generic entries. Also, three ounces of grilled chicken is NOT 93 calories; that is way too low. I also see weekends you go without logging or partial logging. If you're giving yourself cheat days, you're probably wiping out your deficit for the week. You need to tighten up your logging if you want to see results. As you lose weight, you have less room for logging errors.
  • bendis2007
    bendis2007 Posts: 82 Member
    edited June 2016
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    I agree with the above poster- some of those diary numbers may be on the low end. and are very vague - "home made pico de gallo"? Did you input the recipe yourself and calculate? Are you going off another poster's home made pico?
    Are you really measuring that you eat 3/4 of an ounce of chicken? That is quite a small portion - which is fine as long as it's weighed. There's days when my meat intake at a meal is less than 28 grams too- you just want to make sure that it is an accurate measurement.
    No condiments added at all? You don't cook with any oils? Do you brush anything on the chicken when you grill it? Are you drinking anything besides water? You should also weigh everything - eggs, bread, and grains included. I think you'll find that when you weigh even the pre-sliced bread it's more grams than what is stated on the package sometimes by an entire ounce. (I have a slice of bread every morning, sometimes it's the packaged 70 calories, sometimes it's an extra 25% calories - I just log it) I am at the point where I weigh fruits and vegetables as well - and it has made a world of difference.
    Based on that I'd say you're most likely eating at maintenance at the moment, that's why you aren't losing.
    Also, what are you doing at the gym? Why are you doing twice a day workouts? You may not be burning as many calories as you think there and if you aren't sore the next day, unable to hod a conversation, switching up your routine with some HIIT, cardio, various lifting then you may not be getting a solid enough workout to break down and actually build up muscle.
    Best of luck! Congrats on the first 87 pounds - that's amazing.
    With that loss though you're TDEE will change so it's important to make sure your calculations are up to date, get a food scale and weight everything, log everything - I even log stuff that technically has no calories) and you may need to cut out 50-100 calories/day in order to start seeing change again.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    most of your success with weight loss will come via the "calories in" portion, not the "calories out" portion. Exercise for health, count calories for weight loss.
  • bendis2007
    bendis2007 Posts: 82 Member
    edited June 2016
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    georgiab0095 wrote: »
    I started looking at weighing my food yesterday and I'm currently searching Amazon for a scale. Any tips concerning weighing food? I usually only go to the gym twice a day on my off days. I'm in college full time and I'm a part time nanny. At the gym I do Zumba, tonning, trx and power intervals classes . I usually will do 30 min or so on the treadmills too. I got my membership around a month and a half ago. I'm dabbling into weights but not 100% confident in that department yet. Thank you all for your comments and help!

    That's awesome! Sounds like you have a good workout regiment going. I think now that you're going to weigh the food you will actually start to see the weight coming off again. I weigh my meats cooked, and normally I put a bowl on the scale - zero it out - and then add in and measure everything else that way. I try to weigh as much as I can - calculate out the grams to ounces and then attempt to enter into the MFP database off ounces as opposed to "1 cup" and "1 tablespoon" measurements. If it's within a gram or two of the serving size then I'll stick with pre-packaged measurements. I've seen people weigh their eggs and write the grams of each egg on the shell as well.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    georgiab0095 wrote: »
    I started looking at weighing my food yesterday and I'm currently searching Amazon for a scale. Any tips concerning weighing food? I usually only go to the gym twice a day on my off days. I'm in college full time and I'm a part time nanny. At the gym I do Zumba, tonning, trx and power intervals classes . I usually will do 30 min or so on the treadmills too. I got my membership around a month and a half ago. I'm dabbling into weights but not 100% confident in that department yet. Thank you all for your comments and help!

    Awesome! Use the food scale religiously for a week or two. Get a good idea of how many calories you are truly eating and adjust from there. Weight loss occurs via calorie deficit. Any exercise is bonus!
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,953 Member
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    I recommend weighing everything before you cook it. You can't control how much moisture is added/lost while cooking, but the raw product should be fairly consistent. However, make sure you choose matching database entries.

    If you weight the chicken raw, pick an entry that specifies raw. Same with veggies. Pasta or rice is a bit harder, but as long as it doesn't say cooked, it's probably raw.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    OP, when you log, you need to use good database entries. Use entries that match food packaging you have in hand OR use entries that match the USDA Food Composition Database. To find entries that match the USDA, in the MFP database add USDA to your search term. For example, search "usda boneless skinless chicken breast cooked" or "usda boneless skinless chicken breast grilled" and then go to the USDA database, and look for the same thing. Once you find that entry, check to see that the MFP entry matches the USDA entry. Use that entry. As you go along, MFP remembers your most frequently used food items and then it becomes fast to find the entries you need.

    All the measuring and weighing in the world will be pointless if you use erroneous nutrition info.
  • madikasingersmommy
    madikasingersmommy Posts: 15 Member
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    Like everyone is saying, you have to weigh everything and you have to count every calorie. The chicken you put for dinner is not 93 calories it's more in the 200 range. I did weight watchers for a while before switching to MFP, and you really do have to accurately measure every ounce, every calorie
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
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    Another problem is seeing "ounces". You need to weigh in grams. It makes a difference.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    OP, when you log, you need to use good database entries. Use entries that match food packaging you have in hand OR use entries that match the USDA Food Composition Database. To find entries that match the USDA, in the MFP database add USDA to your search term. For example, search "usda boneless skinless chicken breast cooked" or "usda boneless skinless chicken breast grilled" and then go to the USDA database, and look for the same thing. Once you find that entry, check to see that the MFP entry matches the USDA entry. Use that entry. As you go along, MFP remembers your most frequently used food items and then it becomes fast to find the entries you need.

    All the measuring and weighing in the world will be pointless if you use erroneous nutrition info.

    I do something similar but reverse - I go to https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search to get the syntax and then look for the matching system entry in MFP. Any MFP entry that includes the words USDA is going to be a user-created entry rather than a system entry. The only errors I've seen in system entries are the easy to spot decimal entries that cause one clove of garlic to have 3,000 calories, and those are far rarer than errors I see in user-created entries.
  • scoii
    scoii Posts: 160 Member
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    Firstly, congratulations, your before and after pics are a great example.

    Hopefully you're enjoying your exercise and it sounds like a varied program. Just watch the post exercise munchies and portion size. It's quite natural to feel you deserve a bigger portion or Mars bar because you're feeling a bit wobbly.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    MissusMoon wrote: »
    Another problem is seeing "ounces". You need to weigh in grams. It makes a difference.

    This is not necessarily true. You can weigh in ounces or grams. Depending on the scale, it may give you ounce numbers out to .01, .05, or .1. Mine rounds to .05 ounces, which is equal to 1.4 grams. That's a negligible difference and nothing to quibble over.
  • atitagain1958
    atitagain1958 Posts: 160 Member
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    Congrats on your awesome weight loss!! You look great!! I agree with everyone else, you need to weigh and measure. Grams or ounces don't matter if you have a digital scale. Also, make sure you get your calories IN!! Women should never go below 1200 a day or our bodies go into starvation mode and we stop losing weight. If you're exercising at least 4 times a week, you may have to INCREASE your calories by 50 or 100 calories a day, not DECREASE! You are burning off those calories you're eating! OR...you could cut your gym days down to 3. Also, you said you meal prep and eat the same thing M-F...try changing it up a little, our bodies adapt if we have the same calorie intake every day. We need to jolt it awake by eating more a couple days a week. Now, that doesn't mean pig out...just a couple hundred more healthy calories. Also, make sure you drink enough liquids, especially with all that exercise! You actually need MORE fluids if you're going to exercise like that. And last, but not least, the last 10-20 pound are ALWAYS the hardest to lose! So hang in there! Try some of these tricks. I KNOW you will get there!!!
  • scoii
    scoii Posts: 160 Member
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    atitagain1958 wrote: »
    Women should never go below 1200 a day or our bodies go into starvation mode and we stop losing weight. If you're exercising at least 4 times a week, you may have to INCREASE your calories by 50 or 100 calories a day, not DECREASE! You are burning off those calories you're eating! OR...you could cut your gym days down to 3. Also, you said you meal prep and eat the same thing M-F...try changing it up a little, our bodies adapt if we have the same calorie intake every day. We need to jolt it awake by eating more a couple days a week. Now, that doesn't mean pig out...just a couple hundred more healthy calories.

    Just no. This is backwards and will make you gain.

    Your body also doesn't need different diet every day as long as the eight nutrients are present.

    If you drop below 1200 for a prolonged time, your body may react to it. Poor skin, hair and nails, cold hands and feet, missing periods. This is the starvation mode most mortals will experience. What's worse is your body starts to break down muscle which lowers TDEE slightly and you work out less intensely so long term stay at a decent level.
  • atitagain1958
    atitagain1958 Posts: 160 Member
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    synacious wrote: »
    atitagain1958 wrote: »
    Congrats on your awesome weight loss!! You look great!! I agree with everyone else, you need to weigh and measure. Grams or ounces don't matter if you have a digital scale. Also, make sure you get your calories IN!! Women should never go below 1200 a day or our bodies go into starvation mode and we stop losing weight. If you're exercising at least 4 times a week, you may have to INCREASE your calories by 50 or 100 calories a day, not DECREASE! You are burning off those calories you're eating! OR...you could cut your gym days down to 3. Also, you said you meal prep and eat the same thing M-F...try changing it up a little, our bodies adapt if we have the same calorie intake every day. We need to jolt it awake by eating more a couple days a week. Now, that doesn't mean pig out...just a couple hundred more healthy calories. Also, make sure you drink enough liquids, especially with all that exercise! You actually need MORE fluids if you're going to exercise like that. And last, but not least, the last 10-20 pound are ALWAYS the hardest to lose! So hang in there! Try some of these tricks. I KNOW you will get there!!!

    Nope to all of the bolded. I know you're trying to be helpful and encouraging, but this is false information that will set the OP up for failure.
    scoii wrote: »
    atitagain1958 wrote: »
    Women should never go below 1200 a day or our bodies go into starvation mode and we stop losing weight. If you're exercising at least 4 times a week, you may have to INCREASE your calories by 50 or 100 calories a day, not DECREASE! You are burning off those calories you're eating! OR...you could cut your gym days down to 3. Also, you said you meal prep and eat the same thing M-F...try changing it up a little, our bodies adapt if we have the same calorie intake every day. We need to jolt it awake by eating more a couple days a week. Now, that doesn't mean pig out...just a couple hundred more healthy calories.

    Just no. This is backwards and will make you gain.

    Your body also doesn't need different diet every day as long as the eight nutrients are present.

    If you drop below 1200 for a prolonged time, your body may react to it. Poor skin, hair and nails, cold hands and feet, missing periods. This is the starvation mode most mortals will experience. What's worse is your body starts to break down muscle which lowers TDEE slightly and you work out less intensely so long term stay at a decent level.

    I'm sorry but I'm living proof. I'm just sharing what I know...trying to help. I've been there and done that. Have you?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    atitagain1958 wrote: »
    synacious wrote: »
    atitagain1958 wrote: »
    Congrats on your awesome weight loss!! You look great!! I agree with everyone else, you need to weigh and measure. Grams or ounces don't matter if you have a digital scale. Also, make sure you get your calories IN!! Women should never go below 1200 a day or our bodies go into starvation mode and we stop losing weight. If you're exercising at least 4 times a week, you may have to INCREASE your calories by 50 or 100 calories a day, not DECREASE! You are burning off those calories you're eating! OR...you could cut your gym days down to 3. Also, you said you meal prep and eat the same thing M-F...try changing it up a little, our bodies adapt if we have the same calorie intake every day. We need to jolt it awake by eating more a couple days a week. Now, that doesn't mean pig out...just a couple hundred more healthy calories. Also, make sure you drink enough liquids, especially with all that exercise! You actually need MORE fluids if you're going to exercise like that. And last, but not least, the last 10-20 pound are ALWAYS the hardest to lose! So hang in there! Try some of these tricks. I KNOW you will get there!!!

    Nope to all of the bolded. I know you're trying to be helpful and encouraging, but this is false information that will set the OP up for failure.
    scoii wrote: »
    atitagain1958 wrote: »
    Women should never go below 1200 a day or our bodies go into starvation mode and we stop losing weight. If you're exercising at least 4 times a week, you may have to INCREASE your calories by 50 or 100 calories a day, not DECREASE! You are burning off those calories you're eating! OR...you could cut your gym days down to 3. Also, you said you meal prep and eat the same thing M-F...try changing it up a little, our bodies adapt if we have the same calorie intake every day. We need to jolt it awake by eating more a couple days a week. Now, that doesn't mean pig out...just a couple hundred more healthy calories.

    Just no. This is backwards and will make you gain.

    Your body also doesn't need different diet every day as long as the eight nutrients are present.

    If you drop below 1200 for a prolonged time, your body may react to it. Poor skin, hair and nails, cold hands and feet, missing periods. This is the starvation mode most mortals will experience. What's worse is your body starts to break down muscle which lowers TDEE slightly and you work out less intensely so long term stay at a decent level.

    I'm sorry but I'm living proof. I'm just sharing what I know...trying to help. I've been there and done that. Have you?

    You made a similar comment in another thread, but failed to elaborate there either.
    If you want people to know what you're talking about, it would help if you shared your story..
  • georgiab0095
    georgiab0095 Posts: 25 Member
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    Thanks for the advice everyone!

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