Obese and not losing weight
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Yesterday I went way over on fat, yet stayed under my 1,200 calorie allotment.
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Nobody logs 100% accurately. Everyone has inaccuracies. That doesn't mean that we're cheating or stupid or doing anything purposefully wrong; it just means that we can't track our intake to that degree of accuracy. Even with our best efforts, we're still just hitting a ballpark (not an actual calorie target). I think the people who recognize that fact are better able to adapt when something isn't working to plan. Would you be willing to open your diary for a short amount of time for us to take a look? Other users may be able to spot things or ask questions that might not be readily apparent to you.
1200 isn't your maintenance level; that's just not possible. There is something else going on that is causing you to either retain water (masking your fat loss) or to not be losing at the rate you expect.3 -
Agree with others that 1200 is not your maintenance. If you're accurately weighing and logging your food and still not seeing loss, then it's time for a trip to the doctor because something is wrong.2
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Amanda, I don't think you are gaining weight back. I think you are weighing yourself too often. You've been on this journey for 3 weeks. I think you need to relax a bit and put the scale away. Don't weigh yourself for a full week. Just focus on the food.
Now, about the food. Based on your stats, I think 1200 is likely too low for you. I'd encourage you to play around with the MFP settings. See what it gives you for maintenance. See what it gives you for 0.5 lbs. per week. See what it gives you for 1 lb. per week. Write down on a piece of paper all the different calorie goals so that you can see them. Then take a breath. You need a moment to yourself. Realize that 1200 is the lowest. There is a reason for that. If you eat anywhere between 1200 and whatever the number it gives you for maintenance is, you've had a good day. This will help you find a way to fit in foods you enjoy. I worry that when you call your food rations that you have somehow put yourself in a prison and are punishing yourself. You deserve better. I can tell that you are quite passionate. Be kind to yourself.
Let's talk about that health scare.... If there is anything about the health scare that impacts how you break down your calories, incorporate that. (Example, if your health scare was blood sugar related, adjust the carbs according to what your doctor advised. If your health scare was cardio related, adjust your foods to meet a heart healthy diet if that is what your doctor advised.) Other than health related reasons, don't worry so much about the macros. Being a over and under in those areas isn't as important as calories. But, as long as your doctor didn't advise you otherwise, you might want to consider eating a bit more protein.
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How do I open my food log? I’d love to keep it open for accountability.Nobody logs 100% accurately. Everyone has inaccuracies. That doesn't mean that we're cheating or stupid or doing anything purposefully wrong; it just means that we can't track our intake to that degree of accuracy. Even with our best efforts, we're still just hitting a ballpark (not an actual calorie target). I think the people who recognize that fact are better able to adapt when something isn't working to plan. Would you be willing to open your diary for a short amount of time for us to take a look? Other users may be able to spot things or ask questions that might not be readily apparent to you.
1200 isn't your maintenance level; that's just not possible. There is something else going on that is causing you to either retain water (masking your fat loss) or to not be losing at the rate you expect.
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Nobody logs 100% accurately. Everyone has inaccuracies. That doesn't mean that we're cheating or stupid or doing anything purposefully wrong; it just means that we can't track our intake to that degree of accuracy. Even with our best efforts, we're still just hitting a ballpark (not an actual calorie target). I think the people who recognize that fact are better able to adapt when something isn't working to plan. Would you be willing to open your diary for a short amount of time for us to take a look? Other users may be able to spot things or ask questions that might not be readily apparent to you.
1200 isn't your maintenance level; that's just not possible. There is something else going on that is causing you to either retain water (masking your fat loss) or to not be losing at the rate you expect.
She's been losing weight according to the chart on page 1. She had a two day uptick in her weight.2 -
emmamcgarity wrote: »Amanda, I don't think you are gaining weight back. I think you are weighing yourself too often. You've been on this journey for 3 weeks. I think you need to relax a bit and put the scale away. Don't weigh yourself for a full week. Just focus on the food.
Now, about the food. Based on your stats, I think 1200 is likely too low for you. I'd encourage you to play around with the MFP settings. See what it gives you for maintenance. See what it gives you for 0.5 lbs. per week. See what it gives you for 1 lb. per week. Write down on a piece of paper all the different calorie goals so that you can see them. Then take a breath. You need a moment to yourself. Realize that 1200 is the lowest. There is a reason for that. If you eat anywhere between 1200 and whatever the number it gives you for maintenance is, you've had a good day. This will help you find a way to fit in foods you enjoy. I worry that when you call your food rations that you have somehow put yourself in a prison and are punishing yourself. You deserve better. I can tell that you are quite passionate. Be kind to yourself.
Let's talk about that health scare.... If there is anything about the health scare that impacts how you break down your calories, incorporate that. (Example, if your health scare was blood sugar related, adjust the carbs according to what your doctor advised. If your health scare was cardio related, adjust your foods to meet a heart healthy diet if that is what your doctor advised.) Other than health related reasons, don't worry so much about the macros. Being a over and under in those areas isn't as important as calories. But, as long as your doctor didn't advise you otherwise, you might want to consider eating a bit more protein.
I actually don’t know how to play around with the MFP numbers. I’m also confused...when calculating maintenance calories, would it make sense to calculate what it would take to maintain my goal weight, and then make that my new calorie allowance? I need to learn more about the app. I also can’t figure out how to get it to sync with my Apple Watch (which I wear religiously).
Anyways, for the record, I call the meals I eat “rations” because my ex was a lifer in the Army. Also, I lost all the weight before (3 kids ago I went from 212 down to 127 in 6 months), and it actually helped me to treat my food like “rations”. I know, I’m weird. As far as my health scare went, it was gastric related (probably my erosive gastritis flaring up again, but I had myself convinced it was chronic pancreatitis, which is what killed my grandpa). Basically, I need to be eating high fiber, lower fat, and somewhat bland food. Exciting, eh?0 -
Try clicking on the … in the upper right, then click goals, then change your weekly goal.
Knowing maintenance calories will help you know what you need to maintain your weight (not lose or gain). I use this info for days when I have a kid's birthday party to go to, etc. I don't adjust my settings on those days. I just know that is a reasonable number of calories to have in a day for my size. It's a mental trick I play on myself. I have found that even if I have a day I eat at maintenance, if the rest of my days that week are still at a deficit I generally still lose a little weight that week. I also believe that knowing your maintenance calories helps you learn how to fit foods you enjoy into your diet. I don't want to end up at my goal weight and have no idea how to maintain it. Fitting days in at maintenance for me is a strategy in learning more about myself on this journey.2 -
Amandachanges wrote: »
How do I open my food log? I’d love to keep it open for accountability.Nobody logs 100% accurately. Everyone has inaccuracies. That doesn't mean that we're cheating or stupid or doing anything purposefully wrong; it just means that we can't track our intake to that degree of accuracy. Even with our best efforts, we're still just hitting a ballpark (not an actual calorie target). I think the people who recognize that fact are better able to adapt when something isn't working to plan. Would you be willing to open your diary for a short amount of time for us to take a look? Other users may be able to spot things or ask questions that might not be readily apparent to you.
1200 isn't your maintenance level; that's just not possible. There is something else going on that is causing you to either retain water (masking your fat loss) or to not be losing at the rate you expect.
Settings > Diary settings > Public1 -
Amandachanges wrote: »emmamcgarity wrote: »Amanda, I don't think you are gaining weight back. I think you are weighing yourself too often. You've been on this journey for 3 weeks. I think you need to relax a bit and put the scale away. Don't weigh yourself for a full week. Just focus on the food.
Now, about the food. Based on your stats, I think 1200 is likely too low for you. I'd encourage you to play around with the MFP settings. See what it gives you for maintenance. See what it gives you for 0.5 lbs. per week. See what it gives you for 1 lb. per week. Write down on a piece of paper all the different calorie goals so that you can see them. Then take a breath. You need a moment to yourself. Realize that 1200 is the lowest. There is a reason for that. If you eat anywhere between 1200 and whatever the number it gives you for maintenance is, you've had a good day. This will help you find a way to fit in foods you enjoy. I worry that when you call your food rations that you have somehow put yourself in a prison and are punishing yourself. You deserve better. I can tell that you are quite passionate. Be kind to yourself.
Let's talk about that health scare.... If there is anything about the health scare that impacts how you break down your calories, incorporate that. (Example, if your health scare was blood sugar related, adjust the carbs according to what your doctor advised. If your health scare was cardio related, adjust your foods to meet a heart healthy diet if that is what your doctor advised.) Other than health related reasons, don't worry so much about the macros. Being a over and under in those areas isn't as important as calories. But, as long as your doctor didn't advise you otherwise, you might want to consider eating a bit more protein.
I actually don’t know how to play around with the MFP numbers. I’m also confused...when calculating maintenance calories, would it make sense to calculate what it would take to maintain my goal weight, and then make that my new calorie allowance? I need to learn more about the app. I also can’t figure out how to get it to sync with my Apple Watch (which I wear religiously).
Anyways, for the record, I call the meals I eat “rations” because my ex was a lifer in the Army. Also, I lost all the weight before (3 kids ago I went from 212 down to 127 in 6 months), and it actually helped me to treat my food like “rations”. I know, I’m weird. As far as my health scare went, it was gastric related (probably my erosive gastritis flaring up again, but I had myself convinced it was chronic pancreatitis, which is what killed my grandpa). Basically, I need to be eating high fiber, lower fat, and somewhat bland food. Exciting, eh?
A good place to start would be to try what MFP gives you for a reasonable loss and sticking to it about a month to see how it works for you. If you feel like more protein might help you stay satisfied, then bump up the number (just as an example). Eating to what your maintenance calories would be at goal weight is one way to do it, but what everyone's talking about is what your maintenance calories are right now. It's definitely not 1200cal.
Reading that big weight loss you had, that's a bit of a steep loss for such a period of time. That would have been 14lbs a month, which would have been about 3lbs a week and at 212lbs even a 2lb/week loss would have been pushing it a bit. That might be giving you unrealistic expectations.2 -
Amandachanges wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »Amandachanges wrote: »Well I’m DEFINITELY not eating excessive calories. I struggle to hit the 1,200 mark more often than not.
but you said you are not losing so you are eating maintenance calories(if you were eating excess calories you would be gaining actual fat). its very easy to do that, I dont know if you are weighing everything yet, but prepackaged food can be off by up to 20% per serving, no two pieces of fruit the same size will weigh the same or be the same calories, a tsp of peanut butter can be 1.5-2 tsp if not weighed,oils are very calorie rich so if you use any oils(without going back and reading all the posts) and not weigh/measure them that adds up too. you have to weigh all solids and semi solids including prepackaged food and measure all liquids.
I learned the hard way when I used measuring cups and didnt weigh food.I lost weight at first but I gained back half of what I lost a few months down the road. once I started weighing everything and using the proper entries I started losing again. if you arent losing then you are eating more than 1200 which Im sure someone already stated that. you could also be retaining water for some reason, could be inflammation,could be caused by some meds you may take. if you are using a bmr calculator and have health issues that can be off too.
I know MFP and other calculators give me 1400-1500 for a bmr,when in acutuality its 1272,but I have years of data that tells me that. so for me I have to eat less than MFP and calculators give me by 200-300 calories. although I cant do 1200 thats too little for me and my activity. I lose weight super slowly even when trying,but I have health issues and things are wonky. so when I have say a 1000 calorie deficit,for me and I dont know why I dont lose 2lbs a week. I lose if Im lucky half a lb a month. I do better at maintaining my weight than anything lol.
all my tests come back normal too so no thyroid issues or anything that should hinder weight loss. so I just said F it and am maintaining and working out,walking,etc Im losing fat though so thats a plus. but even if I didnt eat back my calories from exercise I still wouldnt lose as quick as calculators state but then again everything is an estimate.I have to watch though because its easy for me to gain it.so I will stick to what Im doing and either get in better shape and lose the fat I need to over the next millenium(lol) or I wont. Trust me I do know your struggle with weight loss. it takes forever for me to show a loss on the scale when Im trying to lose. months in fact. but I also take meds that make me retain water longer than usual so thats part of it,my loss is being masked by water retention. just keep going and give it some time and see what happens.
if your weight continues to climb and you are weighing everything then you need to see a dr to see why. I know excess calories caused me to become overweight,I was at a healthy weight most of my life too. then one day I ate the same but wasnt as active so I started gaining the weight. maybe you arent moving as much as you were before? that could be a common factor too. But good luck and hope you see the numbers go down soon.
If my maintenance caloric allotment is 1,200kcal’s a day at 228 lbs, I am rife with fear over what my maintenance will be at 125 lbs! Seriously, do you think a person lugging around an excess 100 lbs could possibly have a maintenance level of 1200? And if that is the case, what then? 700kcal’s a day in order to make that 500 calorie cut in order to lose half a pound a week? If that’s the case, I’m giving up. What really has me befuddled is the fact that for months (if not a year) prior to this journey, I basically ate whatever I wanted. I drank a 32oz. vat of either Vernor’s or Sprite from McDonald’s nearly everyday. I ate all assortments of fast food, cooked with butter, pizza night every Friday was no-holds-bar (I ate till I was full). We even went to Olive Garden at least once a month and I ordered the Chicken Fettuccine with EXTRA Alfredo sauce. I played with the numbers for an average week of the “old me”, and I was ingesting between 2,000-3,000 a day (sometimes more). Yet over the past year my weight has remained between 236-240lbs, consistently. So I can safely say that at an average weight between those numbers, my maintenance level (conservatively) at an average weight of 238 lbs., was 2,500kcal’s.
Now jump ahead, as of today my scale is recalibrated. I stepped on it this morning, and my weight is 228 lbs. Thus, I have lost 10 lbs. could my maintenance level of 2,500kcal’s at 238 lbs be reduced to 1,200kcal’s at 228 lbs? I can’t imagine! And if that’s the case, how much lower will it drop if I’m blessed with another 10 lb. loss?
As far as portions and weighing my foods, yes...I am. My trusty food scale is hard at work. Funny thing is, when I was losing those first ten pounds I wasn’t weighing my foods. Now that I am, I see that I was 5-10% off in any given meal. Some overestimated, some under...so I think it kinda evened itself out. That and my youngest child takes little bites out of my food, which I cannot possibly account for.
You really are a trooper, sticking with it while only losing 1/2 lb. a month. Honestly, I’d give up! I’m putting way too much time and effort into this to see little return, and it’s frustrating me. My guess is that you don’t have 100+ lbs. to lose? I would think, and every calculator/Doctor/website is telling me that at my current weight and caloric intake I should be losing 2-3 lbs a week.
not saying that your maintenance is 1200 unless you are very short,sedentary,elderly or a combo of the 3 and doubtful with kids that you are sedentary. Im saying if you werent losing weight you were eating whatever your maintanance calories were.its easy to do when you are not weighing everything. I know I have been there.I dont have 100lbs to lose but I was close. I had 70 to lose and in the last almost 5 years I lost only 44 of that and gained back about 10 lbs maybe a little more.,the first year I lost 17 and gained back half because I wasnt weighing my food. by the 2nd year I lost 25 lbs total(including what I gained back) I took several diet breaks of the years too to make sure by body would not adapt to the lower calories(adaptive thermogenesis).
my weight loss has always been really slow dont know why but it is.I have struggled the last year and a half to lose the rest and for me its really really slow. once you start being consistent with the weighing everything you should see the weight start coming off it may be really slow like mine. hard to tell. if your maintenance was 2500 10 lbs heavier then its not going to be that much less than it was then at 10 lbs lighter.you also cant expect 2-3 lbs every week either because thats not how weight loss is going to be. weight loss isnt linear.
you want to look for the numbers going down over time. I still have over 35 lbs to lose and I just decided to stick with maintaining,work out and go from there. Im losing fat and Im fine with that. I could never eat less than what Im eating now. which is 1400 without exercise(calculators say higher but the calculators for me are wrong). Im maintaining on 1900+ and calculators give me 2300 or more. when I first started I was eating 2000 calories and losing weight but it was still slow. I dont give up though because Im getting results whether its fat coming off or the scale number going down. one day I may lose the rest I dont know. if I dont then I guess thats life.4 -
I set my diary to public. Now you guys can see...well I know you can see my daily food journal. Hopefully you can see everything.0
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Amandachanges wrote: »I set my diary to public. Now you guys can see...well I know you can see my daily food journal. Hopefully you can see everything.
those entries dont show weighed food.it shows cups and numbers. 14 almonds can be more than a serving.1.cups of cereal? how much did the cereal weigh? if you weighed it you need to pick entries that reflect the weight in grams. im not trying to offend you or make you feel bad or anything so please dont take it that way. but we cant be sure how much you are really eating if we dont see the gram weight. each stick of cheese can weigh more than the package states(out of the wrapper).0 -
While I agree that your logging appears to be measured by volume instead of weight, I still believe this issue is related to not enough time to see another loss on the scale. It's only been 3 weeks since the beginning of your journey. While volume is not as accurate as a food scale (assuming your volume measurements are correct), I'm really concerned that you are not eating enough for your current weight. I stand by my assertion that at this point, the issue daily weighing. That said, you seem to still be finding your footing on a plan.
You stated that you need to eat high fiber, low fat, bland food. And it's clear that this is not exciting for you. What type of foods do you enjoy? What would you be eating for dinner tonight prior to your health scare?3 -
emmamcgarity wrote: »While I agree that your logging appears to be measured by volume instead of weight, I still believe this issue is related to not enough time to see another loss on the scale. It's only been 3 weeks since the beginning of your journey. While volume is not as accurate as a food scale (assuming your volume measurements are correct), I'm really concerned that you are not eating enough for your current weight. I stand by my assertion that at this point, the issue daily weighing. That said, you seem to still be finding your footing on a plan.
You stated that you need to eat high fiber, low fat, bland food. And it's clear that this is not exciting for you. What type of foods do you enjoy? What would you be eating for dinner tonight prior to your health scare?
I too have to eat high fiber low fat but not bland foods.wonder why a dr or whoever would suggest that?1 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »emmamcgarity wrote: »While I agree that your logging appears to be measured by volume instead of weight, I still believe this issue is related to not enough time to see another loss on the scale. It's only been 3 weeks since the beginning of your journey. While volume is not as accurate as a food scale (assuming your volume measurements are correct), I'm really concerned that you are not eating enough for your current weight. I stand by my assertion that at this point, the issue daily weighing. That said, you seem to still be finding your footing on a plan.
You stated that you need to eat high fiber, low fat, bland food. And it's clear that this is not exciting for you. What type of foods do you enjoy? What would you be eating for dinner tonight prior to your health scare?
I too have to eat high fiber low fat but not bland foods.wonder why a dr or whoever would suggest that?
I believe Amanda's concern was from symptoms similar to a family member's history with pancreatitis. And she is adjusting her diet to compensate since her symptoms are not severe enough at this point for her doctor to warrant additional tests.2 -
You've only been logging since July 11, with a few missing days in there. I agree that patience is called for here. I'd also recommend you start weighing as many of your foods as possible in grams and choosing entries that offer grams as a unit of measure (double-checking for accuracy, of course).0
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I am weighing my foods, I just don’t fully understand the app yet. For instance, when I put in a half serving of wasabi almonds the package says “about 28 nuts/ 28g”, but what I do is look at the grams and make sure I’m eating 14g...since I only eat a half serving at once (same as the lunch meat, cheese sticks, etc). I just don’t know how to input the exact weight into this app. That said, I am weighing everything. I will spend some time tonight and learn how to use the app in this way, but for now just trust that I’m weighing my servings.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »Amandachanges wrote: »I set my diary to public. Now you guys can see...well I know you can see my daily food journal. Hopefully you can see everything.
those entries dont show weighed food.it shows cups and numbers. 14 almonds can be more than a serving.1.cups of cereal? how much did the cereal weigh? if you weighed it you need to pick entries that reflect the weight in grams. im not trying to offend you or make you feel bad or anything so please dont take it that way. but we cant be sure how much you are really eating if we dont see the gram weight. each stick of cheese can weigh more than the package states(out of the wrapper).
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If you can find an entry that has the grams, it's easy to enter (no advanced degree in maths needed). Then you can even eat 17 or 13 grams of almonds! :laugh:0
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Amandachanges wrote: »
I am weighing my foods, I just don’t fully understand the app yet. For instance, when I put in a half serving of wasabi almonds the package says “about 28 nuts/ 28g”, but what I do is look at the grams and make sure I’m eating 14g...since I only eat a half serving at once (same as the lunch meat, cheese sticks, etc). I just don’t know how to input the exact weight into this app. That said, I am weighing everything. I will spend some time tonight and learn how to use the app in this way, but for now just trust that I’m weighing my servings.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »Amandachanges wrote: »I set my diary to public. Now you guys can see...well I know you can see my daily food journal. Hopefully you can see everything.
those entries dont show weighed food.it shows cups and numbers. 14 almonds can be more than a serving.1.cups of cereal? how much did the cereal weigh? if you weighed it you need to pick entries that reflect the weight in grams. im not trying to offend you or make you feel bad or anything so please dont take it that way. but we cant be sure how much you are really eating if we dont see the gram weight. each stick of cheese can weigh more than the package states(out of the wrapper).
okie dokie then. if you need help just ask most of us will be willing to help1
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