Doing everything right and can't lose weight

winnies733
winnies733 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Can someone help? I follow my cardiac diet(low fat, increased fiber, protein, lower carbs and lower sugar. I walk 5 miles on treadmill varying speed 3 mph to 3.7 mph and vary incline from 3-10 most days. In good weather I also do water aerobics for 30 to 45 minutes running, weights, abs treading water. I can't lose a pound but I went to NOLA twice in the last few months for 3-4 days ate what ever I wanted and didn't exercise and lost 2 lbs each time. Just went to MIL's in Oklahoma for 4th of july and did the dame and lost 2 lbs! What gives?

Replies

  • winnies733
    winnies733 Posts: 9 Member
    My calorie goal is 1200 per day. I am not using a scale. I enter what I eat. If the exact thing does not come up I enter it manually. Since my heart attack 2 years ago I have lost about 4 lbs total not including the recent lbs lost on vacation which I eventually gain back within a few days of restarting exercise and watching what I eat.
  • winnies733
    winnies733 Posts: 9 Member
    edited July 2018
    I guess I should add that I am almost 63 and post menopausal. Never had a weight problem until I quit smoking 3 1/2 years ago. Also my cholesterol and labs in general have improved tremendously. Now in normal range.
    Thanks for the help!
  • winnies733
    winnies733 Posts: 9 Member
    So do you eat back the calories you exercise or stick to your calorie goal despite the exercise? I’ll get a scale ASAP!
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    winnies733 wrote: »
    So do you eat back the calories you exercise or stick to your calorie goal despite the exercise? I’ll get a scale ASAP!

    If you are relying on the MFP database, gym equipment, or other estimates of exercise calorie burn, start with eating back half your exercise calories to compensate for the fact that these estimates tend to be very high.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,254 Member
    There is water weight and there is weight level.

    When you stop exercising you sometimes drop water retention associated with muscle repair. When you start exercising again you often pick it back up.

    Are you using daily weigh ins and a weight trending application, or web site? Are you using the same scale every time?
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    If you're losing weight after events, then what you're doing is working. You need to look at your loss over time, not a specific single event number. Are you overall lighter now than you used to be when you first started dieting? That's what matters. Weight comes off where and when it comes off. It doesn't follow the exact weight loss predicted by the calculator. If you told MFP you want to lose 1 pound a week, and you lost nothing for 3 weeks then lost 3 pounds at once, you basically lost 1 pound a week.

    The reason this happens is that body weight is not static. It dynamically changes up and down due to several factors unrelated to fat loss, even within the same day. In fact, introducing a new exercise habit can stall your weight on the scale for a while due until your body adapts to it. Stop focusing on single numbers and look at what your weight is generally doing over time. Using a food scale is good to ensure precision, but even then your weight won't be coming off like clockwork every single week.
  • winnies733
    winnies733 Posts: 9 Member
    Thanks everyone. I'm going to incorporate your suggestions!
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    edited July 2018
    fb47 wrote: »
    When someone says "I'm doing everything right, but I can't lose weight" usually means you're doing something wrong without knowing it. Not having a food scale is definitely one and I am also curious if you weigh yourself once a week or on a regular basis. I only ask that simply because many weigh themselves once a week which isn't the most accurate way to find out if you're losing weight or not.

    Agreed! And, not being ugly with that.

    I think - since I have been doing this for some two years - that we can all look back at the beginning and see just how poorly we did things at the start of our journey. And, it is usually the 'silly things' that we did not do well. All a learning curve. I mean, how hard can it be to weigh food, right? Well, let me share some silly stupid stories about the things that I did.....and, I am in good company.

    Some of the best advise that I ever received was to do my tracking | logging (whatever we want to call it) and after four weeks to take a step back and look at what I was doing. It was clear as day - and not so sure why - just how poorly I was doing this. So, I re-evaluated and made some basic changes. And things got better. But still not good! Anyway, do that three times (after four weeks each time) and you would be amazed at how much better your logging | tracking is after that process of re-evaluation.

    Another thing that people new to this tend to do less than perfectly is "serving size". Reading a label - at first - can be a challenge. I know - how? Well, it just can be. People tend to not pay attention to what "one serving" is....is it 35 grams, is it 1 tablespoon, is it one cup? It makes a difference. One teaspoon of Blue Cheese Salad Dressing vs one tablespoon is a BIG difference (I follow Keto so I do a lot of fats....fats have 9 calories per gram....whereas proteins and carbs have only 4 calories per gram). That, believe it or not, can be the difference between maintenance and gaining two pounds a week....or, in your case, not losing as much as you expect.

    Logging everything (and by everything I mean that, actually....not "what I want" or "what I think is important vs. not important"!) will make a huge difference. Again, using the salad dressing thing...."Oh, I will just throw on some of this blue cheese dressing on my salad....that wont make a difference"! HA! Think again, man! Think again! It will absolutely make a HUGE difference. I have two or three salads a day. Think about that!!!!! There is why I am gaining three pounds a week vs. loosing two pounds a week (for example).

    I work in IT and where I am really good is making sure that the foundation is 'plumb and square'! It might not be sexy, it might not be flashy, but it is d**med straight plumb and square. Without this solid foundation you are never gonna get it right.....meaning, things will never go as you expect (and that will lead to frustration out the wazoo!).

    So, all things being equal, it *USUALLY* is our ability (or, lack there of) to log | track correctly that is the culprit.

    Now, not saying that is what is happening with you. But, if you are doing all of these "basic" things 100% dead-on accurately, and you are still having these issues, then I would wonder what in the heck is going on. We are all basically the same.....but listen to my language: basically the same. There is a TON of wiggle room in that statement. And that is the beauty of us humans. While we are all basically the same, we are all so VASTLY different.


    EDITED: totally forget the "weigh yourself" part of this....

    I weigh myself everyone morning...on the same scale, at roughly the same time, completely bare-*kitten* and simply put that "morning weight" in a spread sheet and I only worry about the trend. Each "morning weight" is simply one data point along the path....whatever that might be. Now, some people have a less than perfect relationship with the scale (just like food....I am very fortunate and blessed in that food is nothing more than fuel....a tool, if you will, to do the things that I do....and the scale is just a snap shot in a specific moment of time as to my "body mass!").

    Find what works for you......but please consider weighing yourself every day. It will really help.
  • Dee_D33
    Dee_D33 Posts: 106 Member
    fb47 wrote: »
    When someone says "I'm doing everything right, but I can't lose weight" usually means you're doing something wrong without knowing it. Not having a food scale is definitely one and I am also curious if you weigh yourself once a week or on a regular basis. I only ask that simply because many weigh themselves once a week which isn't the most accurate way to find out if you're losing weight or not .

    This!!! I weight every day, sometimes multiple times a day. I can see fluctuations as much as 3-4 pounds in a DAY! It definitely helps to keep track of fluctuations and trends, there’s no reason to fear the scale.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    winnies733 wrote: »
    So do you eat back the calories you exercise or stick to your calorie goal despite the exercise? I’ll get a scale ASAP!

    MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1

    That said, it's important to be accurate with the Calories In part of the equation - do get a food scale. It's more accurate than measuring cups and doesn't create additional dishes to wash.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    Diem78 wrote: »
    Weigh your food. If you aren't losing, you are most likely eating more than you think. I'm sure you've been told that 59 times above but it really is 100% true. Eyeballing (or only using measuring cups/spoons) causes you to eat more than you think. If you're serious about losing, you'll invest in a food scale. They aren't expensive. The exercise is a healthy bonus (YAY YOU!) but if you're weighing your food and eating less than you burn (whether you exercise or not)- you'll lose weight. Because.. Science. GOOD LUCK!

    yep I lost weight and gained half back using measuring cups and spoons for my foods. I had no idea food packaging could be off by that much.I also didnt know that when you lose weight you need to eat less too.meaning if I lose 50 lbs I cant eat the same calories I was eating 50 lbs heavier.another example. even with cups for liquids. I took a measuring cup which is one cup but it says 235 ml(most things say a cup or 8 oz is 240 ml). so I took the measuring cup and put water in it. cant remember what the number was but I went to a conversion calculator to see how many gm are in a ml of water. its the same.so 240ml is 240g for liquids.

    the measuing cup ending up being closer to 6 oz than 8 but that is for liquids(I still measure it as being a cup though). as for solids and semi solids its a BIG difference. a half cup of oatmeal which is 40g, I put it in a half cup measuring cup and weighed it and it was over 56g(tared out the cup of course).which is why I never use measuring cups or spoons now for solids and semi solids.they are too inaccurate as it is even with liquids I have found. and I have more than one type of measuring cup. even the glass ones that have the pour spout may not be right on. so you have to try and get as close as you can. if say my kefir is supposed to be 8oz a cup and comes out closer to being 6 oz(which it has) I still log it as 8oz.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    Since you have had a cardiac event dud your doctor recommend the DASH diet. There is a link to it on the American Heart Association’s website. If so, I recommend looking at the recommended dietary guidelines there for your calorie intake and using it as a guide for most of your food. I have a family member that had great results lowering blood pressure through those diet guidelines alone. She is more rigid on the recommended servings than on the specific daily calorie goal but has also lost weight. It is my understanding that DASH is also recommended for cardiac patients. It is worth discussing with your doctor.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    Leptin and insulin resistance, have you been checked?
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    Mari22na wrote: »
    Leptin and insulin resistance, have you been checked?

    even if the OP was IR and leptin levels were high weight loss would still happen in a deficit. leptin levels would signal she is hungry,if too low,too high and she wouldnt be hungry since its a hunger hormone. she didnt say she was gaining weight either. which would mean she is being told she is hungry therefore eating more which would mean weight gain. she isnt losing at all she said which means she is eating maintenance calories. also could be water retention when she exercises masking weight loss. because if she eats and doesnt work out she loses. which to me sounds like water weight gain.
  • shaumom
    shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
    If you do end up weighing your food to make sure you have accurate tracking, and you are STILL not losing weight as one would expect, you might want to go and get checked at the doctors. There are some conditions, like celiac disease and hypothyroidism, that can impact your ability to lose weight and can also trigger at any age.

    Many physical complaints that might be a clue to their existence are written off as 'just getting older' after a certain age, quite frequently, you know?

    Also, with celiac disease, it has a weird issue where some people with it are underweight and have problems gaining weight, and some people are overweight and have problems losing it. Doctors still don't have any verified studies to understand why, either. BUT, the overweight celiac is not a presentation that is as widely known in the medical community outside from experts (and I don't mean specialists, I mean specialists who are ALSO experts in celiac disease), so that's another reason it can be missed.
  • winnies733
    winnies733 Posts: 9 Member
    edited July 2018
    Thanks again! I do weigh every day on same scale at same time. I log everything I eat meticulously. I only need to lose the 15 pounds I gained after I quit smoking. I'm getting a scale this week and will use it! My blood work is perfect so I know cardiac wise I am eating correctly. Also I have been hypothyroid for 10 years but my labs are good on that as well. Yes if I had a nickel for every time a doctor said well, you are a post menopausal woman over age 60 as a reason I can't budge the weight I'd be rich LOL I'm not giving up.

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