So Frustrated
phdmom
Posts: 11 Member
Been counting calories, tracking macros, and doing cardio 120-150 min per week for 3 months now. According to calculators, I should be losing a modest 1 lb per week... and I often don’t eat my exercise calories, so show a larger calorie deficit. But in 3 months I have lost a total of 3 lbs!!! Thyroid checked and meds are on track, but I am 52 and menopausal. I am losing hope... and it just doesn’t make sense cuz I track absolutely everything I eat/drink. Target calories are 1200.... so I need to eat even less than that? UGH!!!
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Replies
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How are you tracking the food that you are logging? Are you weighing it? What you think you're eating and what you're actually eating could be quite different, take below as an example...
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I hear you. I haven't lost anything in nearly a month. I hope we both get out of this slump SOON! Are you tracking food with a weight scale? I noticed that even the pre-packaged items can be off by 30 or more calories, which is weird because why would a company make the mistake of putting more food into their package? Wouldn't that be less cost effective for them?5
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Yes, been very vigilant in counting/tracking and using labels and measuring for portions. I wasn’t for the first month, and thought that I was underestimating calories, so got more strict the last 2 months... but wow....3
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"Measuring" is not weighing. Big difference.Yes, been very vigilant in counting/tracking and using labels and measuring for portions. I wasn’t for the first month, and thought that I was underestimating calories, so got more strict the last 2 months... but wow....
Can you open your food diary so we can troubleshoot with you? On this link, scroll down and click, "Public."
Here: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
I posted in your other identical thread...
You say thyroid meds are in line? How long since you've had a blood test?
It's not menopause. I lost 75 pounds at age 54, pretty much right on track with predictions.
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When I say “measuring” I mean all of it... weighing, measuring by volume, etc.
Just curious if anyone had similar issues and managed to find what worked... eating less? Eating more?5 -
When I say “measuring” I mean all of it... weighing, measuring by volume, etc.
Just curious if anyone had similar issues and managed to find what worked... eating less? Eating more?
I was 100% sure I was eating 1400 cals and not losing weight. Then I started using a food scale for every single thing, whole food packaged food condiments snacks everything, and started verifying every entry I used in the database (many of them are user entered and are not correct). I discovered I was actually eating more like 1700-1800 cals than 1400. Once my logging was on point I started to see progress.
Edited to add: Once my logging was on point, it was easier to see where I was wasting calories, so I could be more strategic about where to "spend" my calories and see what foods were filling me up.15 -
When I say “measuring” I mean all of it... weighing, measuring by volume, etc.
Just curious if anyone had similar issues and managed to find what worked... eating less? Eating more?
Please open your FOOD page.
If you're not losing weight, eating more is not the answer. You're already eating too much if you aren't losing.
How much weight do you need to lose to get to a healthy BMI?5 -
cmriverside wrote: »If you're not losing weight, eating more is not the answer. You're already eating too much if you aren't losing.
I'm stealing this for my refrigerator door.
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When I say “measuring” I mean all of it... weighing, measuring by volume, etc.
Just curious if anyone had similar issues and managed to find what worked... eating less? Eating more?
When I began tracking I lost some weight initially (probably about ten pounds) and then began going through losing and regaining the same five pounds over and over. I began using a food scale for all solid food and made some other logging changes (avoiding generic/database entries whenever possible, double-checking the database entries I was using for accuracy, etc) and that fixed the problem.4 -
Current BMI is 38.2.... meaning I need to lose over 70 lbs....so I have a long way to go which again, makes no sense why I eat in the neighborhood of 1100 - 1300 calories per day AND exercise and lose at a snail's pace.
However, I do appreciate the advice to not just go by what's on a package for calories, and will start measuring those items as well. But even if I am off by a couple hundred calories, shouldn't I still be losing more than a lb a month??
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Current BMI is 38.2.... meaning I need to lose over 70 lbs....so I have a long way to go which again, makes no sense why I eat in the neighborhood of 1100 - 1300 calories per day AND exercise and lose at a snail's pace.
However, I do appreciate the advice to not just go by what's on a package for calories, and will start measuring those items as well. But even if I am off by a couple hundred calories, shouldn't I still be losing more than a lb a month??
From my own experiences and looking at what others have shared here, logging errors usually aren't just in one thing. It's an overall pattern of logging that leads to you underestimating what you eat and that can add a lot of calories that you aren't accounting for. You're losing weight (although more slowly than you like) so you do appear to be creating a deficit. It's just not a large as the one you think you're creating.8 -
And thyroid was checked 3 weeks ago.... as I thought that might be the culprit, but my current dose is doing just fine, so I can't blame it on that!
And btw, I followed this calorie counting plan over 10 years ago and was successful with losing weight, so I know I can do it!
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Here's a good read which explores every possible reason why you're not losing weight, and offers solutions for each of them: https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/5
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And thyroid was checked 3 weeks ago.... as I thought that might be the culprit, but my current dose is doing just fine, so I can't blame it on that!
And btw, I followed this calorie counting plan over 10 years ago and was successful with losing weight, so I know I can do it!
You absolutely can! Sometimes in life, for whatever reason, more accuracy and better tools are necessary. Who knows why? I know it's frustrating, but 3 lbs down is still progress and hopefully you'll be able to pick up the pace soon. I'll bet after a week or two of weighing everything and picking apart the entries you're using in the database, you'll be able to spot where the issues are and figure things out. If not, temporarily opening your diary and letting fresh eyes in can help too, but I know not everyone is comfortable doing that. Good luck!3 -
Whatch this: How to Lose Weight | 3 Simple Eating Tips.
It's about eating frequency vs. training frequency.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nXiz_jGYZWg17 -
lowcarbmale wrote: »Whatch this: How to Lose Weight | 3 Simple Eating Tips.
It's about eating frequency vs. training frequency.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nXiz_jGYZWg
You may be getting woos because you've misrepresented the video a little, and most of us are looking at your summary and pointing out that how often you eat and/or when you eat vs. train are irrelevant to weight loss. Points number 1 and 3 in the video are fairly standard advice - you generally can't make up for overeating with exercise, and eat more slowly to let your feelings of saity catch up with the amount of food you've eaten.
I have to say number 2 is just silly - hold up the food to your body before eating. Maybe meant as an impulse-control method, but it just made me giggle, especially because he's demonstrating with a whole pie 6 -
Been counting calories, tracking macros, and doing cardio 120-150 min per week for 3 months now. According to calculators, I should be losing a modest 1 lb per week... and I often don’t eat my exercise calories, so show a larger calorie deficit. But in 3 months I have lost a total of 3 lbs!!! Thyroid checked and meds are on track, but I am 52 and menopausal. I am losing hope... and it just doesn’t make sense cuz I track absolutely everything I eat/drink. Target calories are 1200.... so I need to eat even less than that? UGH!!!
For older people i think it is recommended to get 300 minutes of exercise per week.
Maybe try gradually upping your exercise until you get to 300.
https://cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm
Scroll down to older adults.
This should also help with menopausal symptoms as well.
I'm a 61 year old male and usually get between 600 and 1300 minutes per week. Vigorous exercises gives you 2 for 1, so a 30 minute vigorous workout will give you 60 exercise minutes.4 -
I'm in menopause in my 30's and find it very challenging to loose weight sometimes. I hear it's common. I'm strict on my logging and work out like a demon, changed my eating habits and finally I'm seeing some shift. I realise that i wasnt strict as I could have been. some days I move less due to fatigue and aches so bought a fitness tracker. Also plateau can really bum you out.. so I focused on some non weight related goals which helped get over the hurdle. Hope you are a shift soon.2
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I was told the same advice when I posted my struggles. The key is to eat less than u burn... people are not saying that. Just screw what everyone says because we all are different. Most people was telling me to eat more 🙄🙄🙄. When I’ve told them I tried that it didn’t work. So now I listen to my body. Some days I eat 1200-1400 calories. Other days I eat less. At the end of the week I just make sure I’ve burned more I’m exercise than I ate and I’m losing! So do what works for you!!! Plus people have to understand if you are obese or morbidly obese it’s ok to go low calorie at times. You can’t eat the same Calories for expect to lose weight. Also drink up that gallon of water everyday. Flushed everything out in urine and poop 💩. Weight release! I’m rooting for ya!!!
[edited by MFP mods]22 -
I am around your age - here are my insights. When I lost weigh over a decade ago the weight melted off. Possibly because my kids were younger and I had to be more active to tend to their basic needs. Now that I am in my 50s the weight is consistently coming off at a slower pace. 8 months has netted me a 25 lb. loss and I moved from size 16 pants down to an 8/10.
My advice is to relax a bit and find peace in the process. I am finding that keeping my goals focused on the process instead of the results has made it easier for me to keep going.
As others have suggested, logging errors are the most common culprit. Weighing your food will give you more insight about that. I personally don’t weigh my food simply because I don’t want to. I am still losing weight consistently and may change that in the future if I go several weeks without a loss. But for now I am satisfied with the estimated calories based on volume measurement.
Another consideration is that of the three months you have been logging, the last two months are what you indicated have been more accurate. I am not sure when you introduced exercise. Exercise can often cause an initial water weight gain that may mask fat loss. Don’t let that stop you from exercising. It has added greatly to my fitness. I am feeling stronger than I have in years. If you haven’t already, take measurements. That way when you have a bad month, you’ll have another way to measure your progress. After a few weeks of slow loss in the scale, I found that I had lost a full inch in my hips and my waist. I found having the data encouraging.5 -
Thanks everyone... I took a hard look back through my last month alone of food diaries and did see a few instances where I guesstimated and was probably off. Eating out is hard from this perspective!
But I know from experience that the formula (eat less and move more) is scientifically sound, and I still haven’t found what my new “normal” calorie needs are or what my deficit should be, so I will keep up this experiment (thanks to my stubborn streak).
It’s hard when DH is doing this with me and steadily loses a lb or two EVERY WEEK!
**sigh** 🤨5 -
Thanks everyone... I took a hard look back through my last month alone of food diaries and did see a few instances where I guesstimated and was probably off. Eating out is hard from this perspective!
But I know from experience that the formula (eat less and move more) is scientifically sound, and I still haven’t found what my new “normal” calorie needs are or what my deficit should be, so I will keep up this experiment (thanks to my stubborn streak).
It’s hard when DH is doing this with me and steadily loses a lb or two EVERY WEEK!
**sigh** 🤨
Heh. I know better than to compare my weight loss to my husband's. At our goal weights he is still easily 90-100 pounds heavier (currently 130, as I am close to goal). I celebrate my tiny losses for me and his big ones with him
After you've made certain your logging, measuring, and database entries are all accurate, just keep on keeping on. Fussing with macros, meal timing, and calorie levels can help you fine tune once the basics are in order.
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I may have missed this in the previous comments and if I did I apologize. But we also need to count as part of our calories the oils, butters that are used to prepare food. A few examples I love roasted veges and use 1-2 Tablespoons of extra light virgin oil and spices to roll asparagus in. That oil needs to be counted as part of your daily calories. Same if you use milk say in coffee, or in preparing a scrambled egg. Or I chew gum sugarless but not caloriefree so I need to count that 30 calories per day as well. Everything that goes in our mouths we need to account for. The above was eye opening for me as it was an area I was not originally accounting for. And the scale has to be used for everything.
As for exercise I have read nothing about 300 minutes per week. Actually I read just last week that 22 minutes per day 5 days a week walking is enough for heart health, brain health and so on. But still what is stated as the one to hit for a minimum is 30 minutes per day for 5 days a week. But not everyone on here even hits that and still will lose weight.
I too have a thyroid issue and am on medication. Take 100mg per day. And am 60 way past menopause, for 11 years now. And losing very steady every week.6 -
... But even if I am off by a couple hundred calories, shouldn't I still be losing more than a lb a month??
A couple hundred calories/day could indeed explain the difference between the loss you see and your 1 lb/wk goal. 340kcal, to be exact, explains the difference.
ETA: small changes add up over time. That can work to your advantage!3 -
somethingsoright wrote: »I noticed that even the pre-packaged items can be off by 30 or more calories, which is weird because why would a company make the mistake of putting more food into their package? Wouldn't that be less cost effective for them?
It goes both ways. Machines are calibrated but there is a very small margin of error on either side of an average0 -
Thanks everyone... I took a hard look back through my last month alone of food diaries and did see a few instances where I guesstimated and was probably off. Eating out is hard from this perspective!
But I know from experience that the formula (eat less and move more) is scientifically sound, and I still haven’t found what my new “normal” calorie needs are or what my deficit should be, so I will keep up this experiment (thanks to my stubborn streak).
It’s hard when DH is doing this with me and steadily loses a lb or two EVERY WEEK!
**sigh** 🤨
Have you been eating at a deficit for 3 months straight now? Accuracy is important, but so are controlled diet breaks. It might be time to spend 10-14 days eating at maintenance to 1) give yourself a mental break from the dieting and 2) give your hormones a chance to rebalance. It's explained much better here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p14
This discussion has been closed.
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