Starting again

stlouis7474

Been back using the app for 3 weeks. I weigh 240 and set my calories below 2000. I have yet to lose a single pound. Very frustrating, may have to go keto or long term fasting. Anyone else body this stubborn ?

amzelda0418

Hi there! I’ve been there so many times...I totally empathize! I couldn’t seem to figure out the right thing for my body. Not to say I’ve got it figured out, but I started a new regimen a week ago tomorrow and as of today I’m down 5.8 pounds!! I am so excited, I thought I was reading the scale wrong haha!

Sometimes I lose track of connections in the Community but shoot me [a private message] and I’d be happy to share what I’m doing...I-have a wedding coming up in September so that darn dress better zip!! It’s always more fun to do things with a buddy, so Inhope we can connect

TheArchyBunker

Starting over myself bud. Add me if you wish.

Kim_S_G

You do not need to go on a water fast to lose weight.

First, be sure your calorie goal is appropriate. Someone with more experience than me can help you with that if you provide height, weight, gender, age and activity level.

Second, be sure you are accurately calculating the amount of calories you are eating. Most people recommend using a food scale.

Third, be sure you are accurately calculating calories burned from exercise. Most people recommend only eating 50% of your exercise calories.

Take measurements - sometimes water retention can mask fat loss.

Be sure you are weighing yourself at the same time every day wearing (or not wearing) the same thing.

Deviette

cheryldumais

I started at 232.5 and had to drop my calories to 1200/day. I lost an average of 1.3 pounds per week the first year. I know most people here would tell you that you don't need to go that low and I was 59 years old when I started so my metabolism is slower. I'm 5'5" tall. Make sure you are logging EVERYTHING you eat. That means a bite here and there counts. If you are tasting as you cook, that counts. I always told myself that my body counted calories perfectly so I might as well log them. Be careful too about exercise calories if you eat them back. Some people have trackers that overestimate their burn or machines at the gym which are notorious for being off. All these little things can affect your calculations. Last of all every body is different. You may have a slower metabolism. It sucks but not much you can do about it. You may take longer to arrive but you'll get there if you perservere.

livingleanlivingclean

amzelda0418 wrote: »

Hi there! I’ve been there so many times...I totally empathize! I couldn’t seem to figure out the right thing for my body. Not to say I’ve got it figured out, but I started a new regimen a week ago tomorrow and as of today I’m down 5.8 pounds!! I am so excited, I thought I was reading the scale wrong haha!

Sometimes I lose track of connections in the Community but shoot me [a private message] and I’d be happy to share what I’m doing...I-have a wedding coming up in September so that darn dress better zip!! It’s always more fun to do things with a buddy, so Inhope we can connect

@amzelda0418, couldn't you share what you're doing straight on this post? Surely many people would appreciate info to help them?

OP - you don't need to starve yourself, and keto is no better as a fat loss tool than any other way of eating in a deficit (you just lost some water initially which makes it seem like it is "working faster"). How are you determining how much to log - do you weigh all solids and measure all liquids?

gracieJ1957

I am also starting back so include me too.

303lissy

I wanna emphasize the second point on the flow chart deviette posted - the food scale is SO important! Eye balling food and thinking you're eating a half cup of this and a tablespoon of that reeeeally adds up, and that 1700/2000 calorie allowance all of a sudden is really 2300, 2500 or more. You don't need to go all out - the one I have at home was $10 on Amazon. Just yesterday, I had a banana... I don't remember what a "medium" banana was on MFP, but what that gave me versus what I weighed was ~40 difference, which doesn't sound like a lot, but if everything I ate was 40 difference during the day, that adds up to a couple hundred.

There's another forum post in this section called "You don't use a food scale?" which has some other great infographics about how deceiving eyeballing food can be.

But I agree with Kim - a water fast isn't sustainable. Look to making life changes and choices as opposed to crash diet decisions. That'll help you lose weight and keep weight off in the long run.