Ideas about why I am not losing weight?

24

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,990 Member
    If you don't supply enough calories for your body activity, it will compensate by lowering your resting metabolic rate, which is where you burn the most fat calories by percentage. You CANNOT undereat to try to lose weight effectively.
    Your BMR is 1800, so even just eating 1300 with NO EXERCISE should result in a loss of 1lbs a week. But if you're eating 1100 and doing all that exercise along with regular activity (walking to your car, walking around work/home, etc) then you're likely only netting less than 500 calories a day to survive on. Body will compensate for that.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    This might seem like a really silly question, but do you also log drinks? Including cream in coffee (and sugar) or milk in tea? Despite the name, "vitamin water" is full of sugar and calories (unless it's Vitamin Water Zero). So, is it possible you're getting a bunch of extra calories from something like that?
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,254 Member
    Note that 1 second of PAM is approximately 1 gram (try it on a scale), and approximately 9-10 Cal, regardless of what the bottle says.

    A food "portion" under 5 Cal can be reported as 0 Cal and many manufacturers take advantage of that labeling rule. Same sometimes with subtracting fiber calories even though some of the calories may be absorbeable.

    Having said that, @ninerbuff said the same thing I told you earlier, and as @SueSueDio says above... do you plan on eating this way forever?

    Note that you can be losing 5lbs a month and still on a random day weigh the same or more than you did 30 random days before. It is just a matter of the number of samples you recorded and whether the particular pair of samples you're comparing happen to be a "high" or "low" in respect to the timeframe they were recorded in.

    Hence the advice to sample every day for a while and enter the info into a trending weight program such as weightgrapher, happy scale, or libra (I use trendweight)
  • scrocke
    scrocke Posts: 39 Member
    edited November 2016
    If I eat/drink it, I log it (except water). The only drink I consistently have, other than water, is tea. I log the sugar, milk, and tea leaves. Even the rare occasions I have 0 calorie drinks, I log those.
    Is this how you intend to carry on eating in the longer term? Is it lack of time that causes you to eat this way?

    No, I don't intend this long term. I have a lot of academic pressure right now and don't have/make as much time for 'proper' meals. To exacerbate the issue, I just haven't been hungry the past couple weeks. It is often a struggle to eat the last meal of the day as I really am not hungry. I am further limited by budget, so I can't afford a large variety of items and portability/ease of consumption. That is I need to be able to fit a mid-day meal in a small area of my pack and be able to eat it in 5 minutes or quietly during class.
  • Athena98501
    Athena98501 Posts: 716 Member
    scrocke wrote: »
    What you are seeing as peanut butter is powdered peanut butter, 1 serving is 2 TBSP or 12g, what I do is put my shake on the scale and weigh it, but it is listed in the database as 2 TBSP (or half that if I use half a serving). Well, I do use a measuring cup for the quinoa/bulgur, so I will start weighing that. I will also start weighing my protein powder. Otherwise, I am confident in my logging.
    Can you point to specific days where you are not seeing completion or need an overhaul? There was a week in late Oct where I was significantly below 1000, but it was a very stressful week and I couldn't make myself eat more. So I did complete my diary but it won't post due to the very low calories.
    I am also a bit confused as if the only major issues are the powdered peanut butter and quinoa, and I am logging less than 1100 cals a day, then an extra half serving of powdered peanut butter would add 32 cals a day (if I do not weigh correctly, for example) and an extra half cup of bulgur would add 75 calories a day. This is still below 1200 calories. So is that the major issue, that I am not eating enough?

    Edit: I worked in a lab, so I have a lab scale that goes to 4 decimals. I am pretty confident in its precision. Also, I hope I am not sounding like I am making excuses, I am just trying to reply to specific points, and as we all know, weight loss is frustrating. So my apologies if I seem, snarky.

    I should also mention that early this year a I had a full panel done and have no thyroid, diabetes, cholesterol, or other health issues.

    Did you have a thyroid panel, or just TSH tested? Does Your body temp run low?
  • scrocke
    scrocke Posts: 39 Member
    edited November 2016
    I see a lot of generic entries, as well as one I know is wrong and others I suspect are wrong.

    Please be specific if you see an obviously wrong entry. I wouldn't want to use that one in the future.
    You have salmon as 47 calories per 28 grams, when it's actually more like 58-60

    I used a verified entry in the MFP database, not sure what else I could do other than cross referencing via the USDA.
    Eyeballs, tablespoons and measuring cups are not great for solid foods

    I mentioned in an earlier reply, the two main solid foods I hadn't been weighing were bulgur and protein powder. I will be weighing these in the future. Although many things, such as the powdered peanut butter and sugar, are listed in measurement(s), this is because the serving in the database is listed so. I do weigh these things and will have a half or whole serving and list it as such.
    Make sure you log every single thing you eat[...]
    I do :(

    Regarding exercise, I realize the numbers are overestimated, which is one of the main reasons I have not been eating back any calories.

    There is now doubt for me, either I am starving myself and my body is eating itself or I am so far off in my measurements of food that I am eating at maintenance level.
    Did you have a thyroid panel, or just TSH tested? Does Your body temp run low?
    I would have to ask my doctor, I was told no thyroid problems. And no, pretty normal during the day, I am sometimes a hot sleeper though.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    You mention stress.
    I wonder if cortisol is an issue. i personally have never heard it affecting weight loss that much, though.

    If not, you might be sleep eating.

    Do you have roommates? I yes, could they be the pranking type to add a bunch of oil or sugar to your food (yes, it has happened to me)?

    Do you drink alcohol?

    If no to the above...I agree with seeing a doctor. Something is not right here. You should be losing weight if you say that you're counting all foods, beverages, cooking oils/condiments, coffee add-ins, etc.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    There are a lot of cup entries and some recipe entries

    Never use the cup entries or anything that says "homemade" unless it's a recipe you have created in the recipe builder weighing every ingredient and weighing the finished dish

    Even if you think the grams you have equate to a cup it won't necessarily with the entry
  • Athena98501
    Athena98501 Posts: 716 Member
    Did you have a thyroid panel, or just TSH tested? Does Your body temp run low?
    I would have to ask my doctor, I was told no thyroid problems. And no, pretty normal during the day, I am sometimes a hot sleeper though.[/quote]

    It would be worth checking into, particularly if you have any other hypothyroidism symptoms. Most doctors will only test TSH without a lot of prodding, and that doesn't actually measure thyroid function. My TSH was good, but my free t3 & free t4 were borderline low (diagnosis of subclinical hypothyroidism). Getting those where they should be has made all the difference for me, but you'd have to be seeing a doctor who's relatively open-minded.

    I'm shorter than you, older, same starting weight, and less active, and I'm now losing as I should, and eating 1800-1900 per day.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    When I gave my very brief answer last night, I thought of accounting for you not weighing your protein powder, inaccurate data base entries, things like sprays of Pam.

    That still isn't enough to explain away why there's been no loss.

    I do believe you should up your calories, schedule breaks to move more, switch your commute to a walk, and did think that there's possibly a big role that cortisol is playing, but I admit, I'm stumped.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    Either someone is trolling (notice the perfect answers to every single common MFP question in these cases?) Or not everything is being logged. Is there Ambien sleep-eating going on?

    Unlike some, I do believe that its possible, if you are very small AND have been eating very little for a long time, to drop your TDEE below 1200. But that's not the case here.
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    You might just have a significantly slower metabolism than most calorie formulas account for. I do -- when I was first losing weight I, too, weighed everything accurately, logged everything perfectly, worked out a lot, and failed to drop any weight. I had a breath test to find my true RMR and a fair approximation of my TDEE and, surprise, they're a lot lower than my stats would indicate. It sucks, but it happens (though very rarely, from what I understand).
  • Ming1951
    Ming1951 Posts: 514 Member
    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    How are you weighing your food? You should be using a food scale, set to grams.

    Ok.. just commenting here..I am learning some new things..what is the difference in weighing in grams as opposed to a tablespoon. Yesterday my daughter weighed her cereal in grams, and when we placed it in a measuring cup, it came to 1/4 cup which was the serving size. What am I missing? Thanks
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    edited November 2016
    A cup (or tablespoon) is a measurement of volume. Food serving sizes, caloric content, nutrients, etc. are calculated based on weight. This is why nutrition labels list servings as "2Tbsp (28g)" or "3/4cup (86g)" -- they're telling you how much a serving actually is, because cups and spoons are variable depending on altitude, how much you pack in, which brand of cups/spoons you're using, etc.

    You may find plenty of things for which the volume measurement and weight match. These are pleasant surprises! But for most things, a tablespoon and 14g (or whatever) will not often -- or ever -- match. Weight is the accurate measurement for logging calories and nutrients.

    ETA: I forgot to mention that unless otherwise specified, the serving size on a food label is for the food in its uncooked state. For rice, the serving is 1/4cup (90g) dry rice; for chicken, a serving size is 4oz raw, etc.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I'm curious to know how you were eating before you started trying to lose weight?
  • Ming1951
    Ming1951 Posts: 514 Member
    avskk wrote: »
    A cup (or tablespoon) is a measurement of volume. Food serving sizes, caloric content, nutrients, etc. are calculated based on weight. This is why nutrition labels list servings as "2Tbsp (28g)" or "3/4cup (86g)" -- they're telling you how much a serving actually is, because cups and spoons are variable depending on altitude, how much you pack in, which brand of cups/spoons you're using, etc.

    You may find plenty of things for which the volume measurement and weight match. These are pleasant surprises! But for most things, a tablespoon and 14g (or whatever) will not often -- or ever -- match. Weight is the accurate measurement for logging calories and nutrients.

    ETA: I forgot to mention that unless otherwise specified, the serving size on a food label is for the food in its uncooked state. For rice, the serving is 1/4cup (90g) dry rice; for chicken, a serving size is 4oz raw, etc.

    Thank you for this insight. Guess I should change my mode of measuring. I
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    Definitely give it a try, @Ming1951 ! You can get a good digital scale for less than $20 on Amazon and, with a week or two of consistent practice, you'll find that measuring and logging by weight is actually easier than using cups and spoons. :)
  • ClosetBayesian
    ClosetBayesian Posts: 836 Member
    +1 for aacademia-induced cortisol being a factor. How much sleep are you getting per night?

    I didn't realize how sedentary I was until I got an activity tracker (Jawbone 3). I'' not saying that CICO doesn't work- it does! - but even with my settings at sedentary, I still gained weight at 1200 - 1300 calories (even weighing things out in grams) because I was ridiculously inactive. I use a Pomodoro app, especially when I'm writing, and make sure I move around during the 5m breaks. Might want to try that, too.
  • JShann246
    JShann246 Posts: 5 Member
    I don't see water consumption being logged. Water is a critical component for fat metabolism, and insufficient water consumption will lead to water retention and reduced metabolic rate.

    I have a friend (5'10", 210 lbs) who was averaging 1600 calories a day consumed and 1200 calories a day burned, but saw no movement of scale weight (though saw some modest reduction in waistline) for 5 solid weeks. When he realized water could be an issue, he started drinking 5 quarts a day (instead of the 1 quart per day he had been getting), and his weight started dropping regularly (he also had a couple of big calorie surplus days and reduced his exercise at the same time he increased his water intake).

    Fasting (going without food or otherwise experiencing significant caloric restriction) has been shown to TEMPORARILY increase metabolism and fat burning (presumably a survival adaptation geared towards giving you the energy to go out and find food), but when sustained for more than 3 or 4 consecutive days, has been shown to drastically DECREASE metabolism (putting the body in the dreaded "starvation mode"). At 230 lbs and exercising regularly, 1100 calories a day is effectively fasting. You might need 2 or 3 days of big eating to kickstart your metabolism and at least one larger meal every 3 or 4 days to keep it up.

    Cortisol is indeed a significant factor (for women) when it comes to weight loss. It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on how much you are consuming and have been pretty meticulous about weighing everything. I might be inclined to stop weighing everything (at least for a time) and obsessing less about keeping food intake down (obviously still being mindful of quantity). I know that being able to relax and getting rid of the stress that releases cortisol isn't like flipping a switch, but giving yourself a period of time (a couple weeks? a month?) where you aren't weighing yourself and don't care if you accidentally gain a little weight could be a good thing. I'm not suggesting that you should be trying to gain weight in that period, just being okay with having your weight loss efforts not necessarily be effective.

    Another poster suggesting walking, which I will second. Walking is fantastic as it doesn't significantly increase appetite, it reduces stress (and thus cortisol levels), it tends not to cause the breakdown of lean muscle tissue even when you do lots of it, and it is simple (if not easy) to add to any daily routine. (Another friend of mine just earned his Pro bodybuilding card and swears by adding 2 hours a day of walking as his go to method of getting down to competition bodyfat levels without losing all the hard-earned muscle he spends most of the year trying to build)
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Ming1951 wrote: »
    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    How are you weighing your food? You should be using a food scale, set to grams.

    Ok.. just commenting here..I am learning some new things..what is the difference in weighing in grams as opposed to a tablespoon. Yesterday my daughter weighed her cereal in grams, and when we placed it in a measuring cup, it came to 1/4 cup which was the serving size. What am I missing? Thanks

    When you read a package, you will see the serving size as something like "1 tablespoon (28 grams)". Take your version of a tablespoon of that food and weigh it on the scale. It's almost always guaranteed a tablespoon (or a cup) of something will come out to more than the grams indicated on the package. What this means is you are eating more calories than you realize, and this adds up over time and can kill or lessen a deficit. :)
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    This is literally the first time I have seen someone who's lack of weight loss is a complete mystery!
  • goodasgoldilox165
    goodasgoldilox165 Posts: 333 Member
    If you are accurate on clear medical tests, what you put in and on the exercise you do and your age and height... then you need new bathroom scales!
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited November 2016
    OP, what time do you stop logging, and what time do you stop eating?

    I ask this because a while ago, I encountered someone who couldn't lose weight just like you. Turns out, they stopped logging at midnight and went to sleep at 3am. The thing is, they were eating after midnight and believed they shouldn't have to log anything they ate from midnight until the time they went to bed. This put them over their maintenance.
    JShann246 wrote: »
    I don't see water consumption being logged. Water is a critical component for fat metabolism, and insufficient water consumption will lead to water retention and reduced metabolic rate.
    No, it really isn't... All it does is keeps us hydrated.
    Fasting (going without food or otherwise experiencing significant caloric restriction) has been shown to TEMPORARILY increase metabolism and fat burning (presumably a survival adaptation geared towards giving you the energy to go out and find food), but when sustained for more than 3 or 4 consecutive days, has been shown to drastically DECREASE metabolism (putting the body in the dreaded "starvation mode"). At 230 lbs and exercising regularly, 1100 calories a day is effectively fasting. You might need 2 or 3 days of big eating to kickstart your metabolism and at least one larger meal every 3 or 4 days to keep it up.
    Starvation mode....nope. It's not a thing. It if was, no one would die from starvation.
    Scientific sources for your information regarding fasting, please?



  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,990 Member
    JShann246 wrote: »
    I don't see water consumption being logged. Water is a critical component for fat metabolism, and insufficient water consumption will lead to water retention and reduced metabolic rate.

    I have a friend (5'10", 210 lbs) who was averaging 1600 calories a day consumed and 1200 calories a day burned, but saw no movement of scale weight (though saw some modest reduction in waistline) for 5 solid weeks. When he realized water could be an issue, he started drinking 5 quarts a day (instead of the 1 quart per day he had been getting), and his weight started dropping regularly (he also had a couple of big calorie surplus days and reduced his exercise at the same time he increased his water intake).
    Water isn't as "critical" for fat metabolism as you state here. When I see people drinking a gallon of water at the gym, I have to laugh a little for the broscience behind it. Drinking that much water will fill one up more and reduce eating calories which is the main reason one loses fat weight. Yes one will lose weight by drinking water, but it's water weight and that's not what people are looking to lose since water weight isn't what makes you fat looking.
    Fasting (going without food or otherwise experiencing significant caloric restriction) has been shown to TEMPORARILY increase metabolism and fat burning (presumably a survival adaptation geared towards giving you the energy to go out and find food), but when sustained for more than 3 or 4 consecutive days, has been shown to drastically DECREASE metabolism (putting the body in the dreaded "starvation mode"). At 230 lbs and exercising regularly, 1100 calories a day is effectively fasting. You might need 2 or 3 days of big eating to kickstart your metabolism and at least one larger meal every 3 or 4 days to keep it up.
    Or she could just eat enough calories daily to support weight loss without the up and downs of calorie intake. Not saying that fasting is bad, but if it ain't gonna be a lifestyle, there's really no reason why she should up take it.
    Cortisol is indeed a significant factor (for women) when it comes to weight loss. It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on how much you are consuming and have been pretty meticulous about weighing everything. I might be inclined to stop weighing everything (at least for a time) and obsessing less about keeping food intake down (obviously still being mindful of quantity). I know that being able to relax and getting rid of the stress that releases cortisol isn't like flipping a switch, but giving yourself a period of time (a couple weeks? a month?) where you aren't weighing yourself and don't care if you accidentally gain a little weight could be a good thing. I'm not suggesting that you should be trying to gain weight in that period, just being okay with having your weight loss efforts not necessarily be effective.

    Another poster suggesting walking, which I will second. Walking is fantastic as it doesn't significantly increase appetite, it reduces stress (and thus cortisol levels), it tends not to cause the breakdown of lean muscle tissue even when you do lots of it, and it is simple (if not easy) to add to any daily routine. (Another friend of mine just earned his Pro bodybuilding card and swears by adding 2 hours a day of walking as his go to method of getting down to competition bodyfat levels without losing all the hard-earned muscle he spends most of the year trying to build)
    This we agree on.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,254 Member
    On re read I will say that while it still doesn't explain the lack of results, based on your descriptions you may actually be sedentary as opposed to lightly active assuming you sit or study at all times when you're not biking or doing your cardio.

    That distance on a bike at a leisurely speed is less than 15 minutes each way.

    So my suggestion, other than eating a good deal more.... pack an apple with you.... is that your health is important and moving is a big part of being healthy.

    Even if it means temporarily ditching your cardio to gain back that amount of time, I would seriously suggest as @Sued0nim and others said...it is time to ditch the bike and walk to class instead.

    And institute a no less that 2.5 minutes walking around the block rule, every hour on the hour (or half hour, or 11, or whatever you want that turns it into habit)

    You will be able to eat more, lose weight, and feel better!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    scrocke wrote: »
    I see a lot of generic entries, as well as one I know is wrong and others I suspect are wrong.

    Please be specific if you see an obviously wrong entry. I wouldn't want to use that one in the future.
    You have salmon as 47 calories per 28 grams, when it's actually more like 58-60

    I used a verified entry in the MFP database, not sure what else I could do other than cross referencing via the USDA.
    Eyeballs, tablespoons and measuring cups are not great for solid foods

    I mentioned in an earlier reply, the two main solid foods I hadn't been weighing were bulgur and protein powder. I will be weighing these in the future. Although many things, such as the powdered peanut butter and sugar, are listed in measurement(s), this is because the serving in the database is listed so. I do weigh these things and will have a half or whole serving and list it as such.
    Make sure you log every single thing you eat[...]
    I do :(

    Regarding exercise, I realize the numbers are overestimated, which is one of the main reasons I have not been eating back any calories.

    There is now doubt for me, either I am starving myself and my body is eating itself or I am so far off in my measurements of food that I am eating at maintenance level.
    Did you have a thyroid panel, or just TSH tested? Does Your body temp run low?
    I would have to ask my doctor, I was told no thyroid problems. And no, pretty normal during the day, I am sometimes a hot sleeper though.

    I am stumped, then. Something feels off that I can't put my finger on.

    I am confused: you say you don't eat your exercise calories back but your diary indicates otherwise. Those numbers are overestimated too.
  • scrocke
    scrocke Posts: 39 Member
    Either someone is trolling (notice the perfect answers to every single common MFP question in these cases?) Or not everything is being logged. Is there Ambien sleep-eating going on?

    First time I've ever been called a troll or a liar on here. Really not helpful. Not to mention both are untrue.
    n re read I will say that while it still doesn't explain the lack of results, based on your descriptions you may actually be sedentary as opposed to lightly active assuming you sit or study at all times when you're not biking or doing your cardio.[..]as @Sued0nim and others said...it is time to ditch the bike and walk to class instead.

    I'll try walking more for sure. I hadn't really thought of it that way.
    OP, what time do you stop logging, and what time do you stop eating?
    Stop logging when I am done eating and usually stop eating maybe two hours before bed. If I do eat something after I've logged I just edit the entry.

    A couple people asked about my sleep, I sleep around 5 hours each night. I have insomnia, but don't take anything for it. I was having to take really high doses of every sleeping med, they improved quantity of sleep but not quality. I am positive I don't sleep walk/eat. I have a roommate and sleep on a bunk bed. Further, it has never been observed from other roommates.

    Someone asked about my diet before MFP and trying to lose weight. It was a typical student diet, that is.. crap. Fast foods a couple times a week, pizza, instant noodle, pastas. I ate whatever I wanted.

    I appreciate all of the really helpful responses, SLL, Sue, Pav, Cerise, Niner. Thank you :)


    So it seems like I should: walk more as I am likely sedentary from school, weigh/double check foods more carefully (looking at you protein powder), the one part I am unsure of is raising calorie limit. I still have some confusion about weather I am starving myself (and thus not losing) or or grossly misrepresenting what I am weighing/recording. Should I try walking more and being more accurate at this calorie level for a week or two first?

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