Slow progress - feedback/opinions?

netitheyeti

I started logging in mid-november 2017 - but I've done calorie counting before (5-6 years ago), just not on myfitnesspal
I weigh everything I eat and drink on a kitchen scale (it's meant to be accurate within 2g) - the only thing I'll occasionally eyeball is stuff like lettuce

I try and log everything - this includes things like milk in my coffee, or the occasional 10 calorie "zero sugar" soda/energy drink, and the cups/packages of cottage cheese/yogurt etc because they're often off by 10-20g
There are no "just one bite"s or other stuff going unrecorded

Anything logged as "tbs" or a "cup" HAS been weighed on a kitchen scale, if I can't find the exact brand I'll use the one that's closest to what's on the label and make sure what I log is within 5 calories of what it should be

I lost some weight by late december (not huge amounts, about what I'd expect after a month of what's supposed to be a 500 calorie deficit)
I don't appear to have lost *anything* in january (I weigh every 2 weeks at the moment) - I also keep measurements, my waist is smaller by a good half an inch but that kinda falls into the "could be normal day to day fluctuation" range for me

I'm about 5'2-5'3 and 150lbs
I'm 27, I have PCOS (not on any medication etc, was just told to get my weight to a normal BMI), and I'm mostly sedentary though I've been trying to get about 30 minutes of exercise at least every other day for the past month, month and a half - which myfitnesspal estimates burns around 120-150 calories

I've been aiming for 1200-1300 calories a day (it depends on my activity, if I don't exercise and spend most of my day at my desk I'll often stay closer to 1200, if I do I eat closer to 1300)

Is it possible I'm completely missing something/making dumb mistakes? Or am I just impatient? I know you don't always see consistent losses from week to week, but this has been about a month now
I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask, as I'd prefer to fix stuff now rather than 2-3 months later
I like to keep my profiles online private, but I'll add a few of my journal entries that I feel are fairly standard for me at the moment (I keep going between oatmeal and toast for breakfast a lot):

toxikon

Well, let's see. At 5'2" and 150lbs, your Sedentary TDEE should be around 1600-1700.

So if you're consistently logging around 1300 net cals every day, that should give you a daily deficit of 300-400 calories or .6lbs-.8lbs lost per week.

If you're only weighing in every 2 weeks, your projected 2.4lbs-3.2lbs loss for the month could be masked by normal daily weight fluctuations (caused by a high sodium meal the previous day, menstruation, a strenuous workout, constipation, etc.).

Have you thought about weighing in daily and tracking your progress with a weight trending app like Libra or HappyScale? It might give you a better picture of your monthly losses.

Since you're probably averaging a small deficit, patience and accurate logging is key. Your logging sounds pretty accurate to me, so just keep chugging along! It's hard to lose weight when you're already at a fairly low weight and mainly sedentary.

netitheyeti

thanks for the advice, toxikon, unfortunately I have a history of getting way too unhealthy about weighing myself so I consciously try NOT to do it too often because I don't want to get too stuck on numbers this time around

it IS possible that something like my cycle could be hiding a small weight loss though, that's a good point

toxikon

netitheyeti wrote: »

thanks for the advice, toxikon, unfortunately I have a history of getting way too unhealthy about weighing myself so I consciously try NOT to do it too often because I don't want to get too stuck on numbers this time around

it IS possible that something like my cycle could be hiding a small weight loss though, that's a good point

That's totally reasonable! Do what works for you. If you still find yourself struggling to lose any weight after another few weeks, you could try only eating back a portion (50-75%) of your exercise-burn calories to see if that makes a difference. Sometimes those numbers can be overinflated.

netitheyeti

toxikon wrote: »

netitheyeti wrote: »

thanks for the advice, toxikon, unfortunately I have a history of getting way too unhealthy about weighing myself so I consciously try NOT to do it too often because I don't want to get too stuck on numbers this time around

it IS possible that something like my cycle could be hiding a small weight loss though, that's a good point

That's totally reasonable! Do what works for you. If you still find yourself struggling to lose any weight after another few weeks, you could try only eating back a portion (50-75%) of your exercise-burn calories to see if that makes a difference. Sometimes those numbers can be overinflated.

Yeah.. that's kinda what I'm aiming for... to be fair my exercise is fairly mild at the moment, I'm just trying to get a bit stronger so I can move on to more advanced stuff with proper form... I wouldn't mind being able to eat a bit more eventually, if a bit more active

toxikon

netitheyeti wrote: »

toxikon wrote: »

netitheyeti wrote: »

thanks for the advice, toxikon, unfortunately I have a history of getting way too unhealthy about weighing myself so I consciously try NOT to do it too often because I don't want to get too stuck on numbers this time around

it IS possible that something like my cycle could be hiding a small weight loss though, that's a good point

That's totally reasonable! Do what works for you. If you still find yourself struggling to lose any weight after another few weeks, you could try only eating back a portion (50-75%) of your exercise-burn calories to see if that makes a difference. Sometimes those numbers can be overinflated.

Yeah.. that's kinda what I'm aiming for... to be fair my exercise is fairly mild at the moment, I'm just trying to get a bit stronger so I can move on to more advanced stuff with proper form... I wouldn't mind being able to eat a bit more eventually, if a bit more active

I hear ya! I have a desk-job as well and I'm trying to drop the last 15lbs. Sticking to a low calorie goal is pretty tough so I'm trying to slowly start a strength routine. Otherwise, my only form of exercise is a lunch-time walk, which doesn't burn many calories.

netitheyeti

toxikon wrote: »

netitheyeti wrote: »

toxikon wrote: »

netitheyeti wrote: »

thanks for the advice, toxikon, unfortunately I have a history of getting way too unhealthy about weighing myself so I consciously try NOT to do it too often because I don't want to get too stuck on numbers this time around

it IS possible that something like my cycle could be hiding a small weight loss though, that's a good point

That's totally reasonable! Do what works for you. If you still find yourself struggling to lose any weight after another few weeks, you could try only eating back a portion (50-75%) of your exercise-burn calories to see if that makes a difference. Sometimes those numbers can be overinflated.

Yeah.. that's kinda what I'm aiming for... to be fair my exercise is fairly mild at the moment, I'm just trying to get a bit stronger so I can move on to more advanced stuff with proper form... I wouldn't mind being able to eat a bit more eventually, if a bit more active

I hear ya! I have a desk-job as well and I'm trying to drop the last 15lbs. Sticking to a low calorie goal is pretty tough so I'm trying to slowly start a strength routine. Otherwise, my only form of exercise is a lunch-time walk, which doesn't burn many calories.

eh, walks are still better than nothing I miss losing on 1700 calories a day, back when I was working out a lot... definitely a no-no at the moment though, I'd just end up injuring myself if I tried to get straight into that routine

I'm trying to get to roughly 125lbs as I've been at that weight before and felt good - so I probably have about a year of work ahead of me :P I've been lower than that but I figured something I only achieved and briefly maintained due to dental issues was not a sustainable weight/size for me, hah

netitheyeti

well. I'm at a bit of a loss.. I've now lost a grand total of 1lb in a month and a half... still weighing *everything* I eat/drink, with my average intake around 1200-1300 a day, and the highest around 1700-1800 (about 2 days out of a month of logging), and I'm still working out 3-4 days a week

try2again

netitheyeti wrote: »

well. I'm at a bit of a loss.. I've now lost a grand total of 1lb in a month and a half... still weighing *everything* I eat/drink, with my average intake around 1200-1300 a day, and the highest around 1700-1800 (about 2 days out of a month of logging), and I'm still working out 3-4 days a week

By "average" intake, do you mean your typical calorie intake or the mathematical average? Maybe just a consistency issue?

toxikon

netitheyeti wrote: »

well. I'm at a bit of a loss.. I've now lost a grand total of 1lb in a month and a half... still weighing *everything* I eat/drink, with my average intake around 1200-1300 a day, and the highest around 1700-1800 (about 2 days out of a month of logging), and I'm still working out 3-4 days a week

Hmmmmmm that is tricky!

I wouldn't usually recommend restrictive diets over plain ol' CICO, but I wonder if lowering your carbs would help at all. Keto diets seem to have a positive effect for people with PCOS.

https://www.reddit.com/r/xxketo is a subreddit dedicated to women who do keto, and there are quite a few PCOS-related posts. Here's one: https://www.reddit.com/r/xxketo/comments/6ggeeh/pcos/

And a study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334192/

netitheyeti

but 1700-1800 calories should be my maintenance, roughly (on an exercise day)? not maintenance + 1800? I mean my net calories for a normal day hover around 1200, my 1700-1800 days show my net at roughly 1650

try2again

netitheyeti wrote: »

but 1700-1800 calories should be my maintenance, roughly? not maintenance + 1800? I mean my net calories for a normal day hover around 1200, my 1700-1800 days show my net at roughly 1650

I had a feeling I was missing something- brain's fuzzy this a.m. I had in my head 500 calories was a week's worth of deficit instead of a day's... duh. Going back to edit.

netitheyeti

toxikon wrote: »

netitheyeti wrote: »

well. I'm at a bit of a loss.. I've now lost a grand total of 1lb in a month and a half... still weighing *everything* I eat/drink, with my average intake around 1200-1300 a day, and the highest around 1700-1800 (about 2 days out of a month of logging), and I'm still working out 3-4 days a week

Hmmmmmm that is tricky!

I wouldn't usually recommend restrictive diets over plain ol' CICO, but I wonder if lowering your carbs would help at all. Keto diets seem to have a positive effect for people with PCOS.

https://www.reddit.com/r/xxketo is a subreddit dedicated to women who do keto, and there are quite a few PCOS-related posts. Here's one: https://www.reddit.com/r/xxketo/comments/6ggeeh/pcos/

And a study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334192/

thanks, will have a look... had some bad experience with low carb years ago, but might be worth a 2nd try
(basically went through 2 weeks of constantly feeling sick and unable to work out, then got some overly concerned speech from a doctor because I happened to have a physical exam one of those weeks and they seemed to think I was doing something wrong/weird with my diet to be in ketosis?)

toxikon

netitheyeti wrote: »

toxikon wrote: »

netitheyeti wrote: »

well. I'm at a bit of a loss.. I've now lost a grand total of 1lb in a month and a half... still weighing *everything* I eat/drink, with my average intake around 1200-1300 a day, and the highest around 1700-1800 (about 2 days out of a month of logging), and I'm still working out 3-4 days a week

Hmmmmmm that is tricky!

I wouldn't usually recommend restrictive diets over plain ol' CICO, but I wonder if lowering your carbs would help at all. Keto diets seem to have a positive effect for people with PCOS.

https://www.reddit.com/r/xxketo is a subreddit dedicated to women who do keto, and there are quite a few PCOS-related posts. Here's one: https://www.reddit.com/r/xxketo/comments/6ggeeh/pcos/

And a study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334192/

thanks, will have a look... had some bad experience with low carb years ago, but might be worth a 2nd try
(basically went through 2 weeks of constantly feeling sick and unable to work out, then got some overly concerned speech from a doctor because I happened to have a physical exam one of those weeks and they seemed to think I was doing something wrong/weird with my diet to be in ketosis?)

Definitely listen to your body first and foremost! Keto flu is quite common in the first week or two - basically flu like symptoms, headaches, tiredness. This can be mitigated by consuming lots of electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, potassium).

But yeah, if you didn't love it before, no need to do it again. I was just throwing out a random suggestion as I'm running out of any other useful suggestions LOL. I hope you figure it out!!

netitheyeti

toxikon wrote: »

netitheyeti wrote: »

toxikon wrote: »

netitheyeti wrote: »

well. I'm at a bit of a loss.. I've now lost a grand total of 1lb in a month and a half... still weighing *everything* I eat/drink, with my average intake around 1200-1300 a day, and the highest around 1700-1800 (about 2 days out of a month of logging), and I'm still working out 3-4 days a week

Hmmmmmm that is tricky!

I wouldn't usually recommend restrictive diets over plain ol' CICO, but I wonder if lowering your carbs would help at all. Keto diets seem to have a positive effect for people with PCOS.

https://www.reddit.com/r/xxketo is a subreddit dedicated to women who do keto, and there are quite a few PCOS-related posts. Here's one: https://www.reddit.com/r/xxketo/comments/6ggeeh/pcos/

And a study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334192/

thanks, will have a look... had some bad experience with low carb years ago, but might be worth a 2nd try
(basically went through 2 weeks of constantly feeling sick and unable to work out, then got some overly concerned speech from a doctor because I happened to have a physical exam one of those weeks and they seemed to think I was doing something wrong/weird with my diet to be in ketosis?)

Definitely listen to your body first and foremost! Keto flu is quite common in the first week or two - basically flu like symptoms, headaches, tiredness. This can be mitigated by consuming lots of electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, potassium).

But yeah, if you didn't love it before, no need to do it again. I was just throwing out a random suggestion as I'm running out of any other useful suggestions LOL. I hope you figure it out!!

yeah it was literally making me feel dizzy and like I was about to throw up just by getting out of bed or walking...
I mean, I've heard of "keto flu" but I was never quite sure if what I experienced was normal or if my body just really can't tolerate it well

1houndgal

I would suggest trying to up your excercise activities to at least 5 days a week. Also, you really seem to be not eating very much in terms of both calories and nutrition overall.

netitheyeti

1houndgal wrote: »

I would suggest trying to up your excercise activities to at least 5 days a week. Also, you really seem to be not eating very much in terms of both calories and nutrition overall.

this is my exercise log for the past month or so.. the really low calorie days are yoga days which I don't really count as "exercise" but log for consistency

netitheyeti

right. progress photo time and I'm getting convinced my scale is broken (it's pretty old) & I'm about ready to throw it out the window and go back to just keeping a photo journal.. this can't possibly be only a 1-2lb loss right? (I wear a lot of loose/stretchy clothes in general so don't necessarily notice size fluctuations much unless they're really big)

Crafty_camper123

Great progress pics! I have a stupid question... Is your scale digital? Just wondering... Mine seems to have a memory, and I have to step on it twice to get what I actually weigh. 1st time I step on it it reads 150, 2nd time it read 146 and then reads that way consistently.

I noticed someone mentioning going low carb. I'm about the same stats as you, and find I do really well with low carb-ish. I usually get my carbs in in the morning in the form of oatmeal or something, and don't eat much in terms of grains/carbs for the rest of the day. This helps me prevent that low energy crappy feeling by not eating enough carbs. I still eat carby fruits & vegetables though. I find that when I eat a lot of refined grains that I tend to retain water, which makes me bloaty looking and masks my progress. Perhaps limiting refined carbs (IE: bread and pasta) might help??

Just some thoughts... But it looks like you are making progress still. I have to constantly remind myself, this isn't a race. Some progress Is better then no progress, and no progress sometimes isn't a big deal either. Just keep moving forward and stay consistent and you'll get there.

netitheyeti

Crafty_camper123 wrote: »

Great progress pics! I have a stupid question... Is your scale digital? Just wondering... Mine seems to have a memory, and I have to step on it twice to get what I actually weigh. 1st time I step on it it reads 150, 2nd time it read 146 and then reads that way consistently.

I noticed someone mentioning going low carb. I'm about the same stats as you, and find I do really well with low carb-ish. I usually get my carbs in in the morning in the form of oatmeal or something, and don't eat much in terms of grains/carbs for the rest of the day. This helps me prevent that low energy crappy feeling by not eating enough carbs. I still eat carby fruits & vegetables though. I find that when I eat a lot of refined grains that I tend to retain water, which makes me bloaty looking and masks my progress. Perhaps limiting refined carbs (IE: bread and pasta) might help??

Just some thoughts... But it looks like you are making progress still. I have to constantly remind myself, this isn't a race. Some progress Is better then no progress, and no progress sometimes isn't a big deal either. Just keep moving forward and stay consistent and you'll get there.

I think I'm gonna try and borrow my mother's scales (digital and old fashioned) and see if mine matches what those show me... if mine's off then I guess it's time to replace it

oh yeah, oatmeal is great for breakfast, I love soaking it overnight and eating it cold in the morning, sometimes with bananas

beatyfamily1

I would GRADUALLY decrease your carbs and increase protein. You are already at a fairly low weight so at this point it may not be enough to just cut calories. Start including strength training in your exercise program. Start with full body strength training 3 days a week (1 exercise per muscle, about 10 reps each). You may gain weight in the beginning but don’t worry. Changes are happening even though you may not see it on the scale.

middlehaitch

You are certainly looking good, so something is happening- slow recomp maybe.
Have you replaced the batteries in your scale lately?
Have you tried standing on it holding a known weight (10+lbs)?

If you test on other scales, or get a new one, know that the readings will be different. I had to get a new scale part way through my weight loss. I ended up weighing a few lbs more on it. To this day, over 8 years later, I don't know if I lost 25, 30, or 35lbs, I opt for the 30 . It's not tattooed on my forehead so it doesn't matter.

You could try increasing your neat a little if you are desk bound most of the day. That is what helped me get the last 15 lbs off, albeit slowly, as I couldn't drop calories any further.

Here is a good thread about it.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

Cheers, h.

HoneyBadger302

I think your photos are showing the real story.

My photos and measurements will show dramatic changes while weight, with a weight trending app (Libra) shows a very, very, very slow downward trend.

As long as my clothes are fitting better and my measurements are going in the right direction, I don't care what the number on that stupid scale says!

ellenmlove

This seems like a mystery!! Your pics really look like progress to me. Curious what another scale says.

PAV8888

The first response fully addresses the issues.

This is an evaluation of success not lack of success issue.

I've lost weight at a slow rate. Even a month apart you can have water weight fluctuations that show scale weight higher than a month before while successfully losing.