No real progress

flschwartz

I left weight Watchers because I did not like the new Freestyle Program. I started MFP which I definitely like better because of feeling more in control and viewing my actual nutrition verses WW mumbo jumbo. I set it to lose one pound a week and don’t eat my cardio calories hardly ever. I started out ok but now gaining and loosing same two pounds so basically lost less than 1/2 pound per week in a month. I get 1460 calories a day. Any suggestions? Need to lose 50 and want this to work!

thatjodiegirl

I had 50 pounds to lose back in September. Now I only have 20 more to go, so MFP works. You could either be making logging errors, or you could be briefly plateauing. For the entire month of February, I stagnated at 178 pounds. Then March hit, and I dropped to 174, and now I'm at 170.

I started doing interval training, and dropped my calories by 100 per day.

musicfan68

Are you accurately tracking your calories by weighing solid food on a food scale, and measuring liquids with measuring cups and spoons? Make sure you are also using correct entries in the database. There are a whole lot that aren't right.

flschwartz

I’m thinking of a trainer. I could also try dropping calories though I don’t want to go too low. Do you eat your net calories at all? Thanks

flschwartz

Yes I weigh foods and measure liquids. I try to use scanner when I can. I set it to light activity. I usually do Jazzercise 3 times a week ang gym one or twice.

thatjodiegirl

My calorie limit is 1340 per day. When I dropped it back to 1240, then I would eat between 1400 and 1500 calories a day and eat back my calories on days I exercised. Otherwise, that would have put me below 1,000. Hope this makes sense. My lowest net calories on any day since I began this journey is 1180. My food diary is public. I'm back at 1340 calories per day now that I've stopped plateauing.

musicfan68

flschwartz wrote: »

Yes I weigh foods and measure liquids. I try to use scanner when I can. I set it to light activity. I usually do Jazzercise 3 times a week ang gym one or twice.

Your purposeful exercise does not count for your average daily activity level. I go to the gym 3 days a week, but otherwise, I am sedentary. I have a desk job.

flschwartz

So are you saying you keep your calories at your goal and eat back exercise calories to stay at that goal?

flschwartz

I do low impact aerobics for 30 minutes plus weight training. I only count the cardio at about 240 calories. I am considering meeting with a nutritionist. I’m wondering if I just have a very sluggish metabolism.

flschwartz

Your purposeful exercise does not count for your average daily activity level. I go to the gym 3 days a week, but otherwise, I am sedentary. I have a desk job. [/quote]

I’m confused. Do you mean I should not put in lightly active ? Change to sedentary?

emmamcgarity

What are the time frames we are looking at? How long has it been since you started tracking calories? How often do you track your bodyweight?

88olds

How long have you been doing MFP? If your total time on MFP is 1 month, that’s not long enough of a test to warrant revamping your program.

There’s a significant calorie counting learning curve. I agree that at this point you need to look at tightening your tracking. There are always calorie counting gray areas. Look at those. Check all of your numbers.

You need to decide about your exercise calories. Doing it sometimes is not the same as not doing it. Whatever you do, do it consistently and test it for a couple of months. Keep your diary no matter what. Then after a good test period, use what you know about how this works for you to make adjustments.

And consider this- if you are losing .5 per week, even with 50 lbs to lose, it’s working. Are you satisfied with how you are living now? Can you live like this long term? If you answer yes to those questions you only need some more patience and maybe a bit of adjusting. Losing a significant amount and keeping it gone takes persistence. Keep working. You’ll get it. Calorie counting works.

Last. Yes I know .5. It is working. That voice in your head is screaming that you can’t possibly stand to spend 2 years getting to GW. I’ve lost 100 lbs, in the end I spent about as much time losing as I did gaining. Keep reading this board. You’ll see that most people wreck themselves over the time factor. Don’t.

Dilvish

Sustained weight loss takes time and it should be lifestyle changes not setting a goal date. Ask yourself this, once you reach your goal weight then what? Do you stop exercising and/or start eating more?

You have to find a balance. Weight loss takes time and unfortunately most people want the weight gone tomorrow.

If you are not seeing any progress then you need to do some adjusting.

Aim for lower amounts of carbs in your caloric goal and increase protein. Also, if you really want to lose weight fast switch to 3 days weights and one day cardio . Cardio is great for overall health but to lose weight fast and keep it off muscle is way more metabolically active so building or just toning muscles is a better option for weight loss. Change it up every few months because the body tends to adjust.

Je55ica_79

When you scan thing double check the lable vrs the database its not always right.

I have months of no loss then weeks of large losses. Just keep logging and it will work. The process isn't always fast and simple but its worth it. It took time for your weight to come on its gonna take even more time to lose it appropriately.

Also how many calories you're taking in is more important for weightloss than exercise.

Wishing you lots of success and hope you stay the course!

flschwartz

Thanks for your support. I like the system and feel healthy. Decided to change my activity to sedentary and exercise will be a bonus. I also changed to 1/2 pound verses 1 pound. 1250 seemed to low for me. If I wind up with that as a net and don’t use I’m good with that.

flschwartz

Dilvish wrote: »

Sustained weight loss takes time and it should be lifestyle changes not setting a goal date. Ask yourself this, once you reach your goal weight then what? Do you stop exercising and/or start eating more?

You have to find a balance. Weight loss takes time and unfortunately most people want the weight gone tomorrow.

If you are not seeing any progress then you need to do some adjusting.

Aim for lower amounts of carbs in your caloric goal and increase protein. Also, if you really want to lose weight fast switch to 3 days weights and one day cardio . Cardio is great for overall health but to lose weight fast and keep it off muscle is way more metabolically active so building or just toning muscles is a better option for weight loss. Change it up every few months because the body tends to adjust.

Dilvish wrote: »

Sustained weight loss takes time and it should be lifestyle changes not setting a goal date. Ask yourself this, once you reach your goal weight then what? Do you stop exercising and/or start eating more?

You have to find a balance. Weight loss takes time and unfortunately most people want the weight gone tomorrow.

If you are not seeing any progress then you need to do some adjusting.

Aim for lower amounts of carbs in your caloric goal and increase protein. Also, if you really want to lose weight fast switch to 3 days weights and one day cardio . Cardio is great for overall health but to lose weight fast and keep it off muscle is way more metabolically active so building or just toning muscles is a better option for weight loss. Change it up every few months because the body tends to adjust.

Thanks. Good idea. I’m going to work with a trainer to learn proper use of weights. I already do some but need to revamp. I do eat less carbs and more protein than the default. Thanks for the encouragement. I had been 45 pounds heavier at one point so I have to feel good about that.

88olds wrote: »

How long have you been doing MFP? If your total time on MFP is 1 month, that’s not long enough of a test to warrant revamping your program.

There’s a significant calorie counting learning curve. I agree that at this point you need to look at tightening your tracking. There are always calorie counting gray areas. Look at those. Check all of your numbers.

You need to decide about your exercise calories. Doing it sometimes is not the same as not doing it. Whatever you do, do it consistently and test it for a couple of months. Keep your diary no matter what. Then after a good test period, use what you know about how this works for you to make adjustments.

And consider this- if you are losing .5 per week, even with 50 lbs to lose, it’s working. Are you satisfied with how you are living now? Can you live like this long term? If you answer yes to those questions you only need some more patience and maybe a bit of adjusting. Losing a significant amount and keeping it gone takes persistence. Keep working. You’ll get it. Calorie counting works.

Last. Yes I know .5. It is working. That voice in your head is screaming that you can’t possibly stand to spend 2 years getting to GW. I’ve lost 100 lbs, in the end I spent about as much time losing as I did gaining. Keep reading this board. You’ll see that most people wreck themselves over the time factor. Don’t.

You are so right. Thanks so much. Will keep at it. I guess I was frustrated after a year of WW and feeling like their plan made no sense anymore. Whereas MFP DOES. THANKS

emmamcgarity wrote: »

What are the time frames we are looking at? How long has it been since you started tracking calories? How often do you track your bodyweight?