program not working for me :(

askeates

I have been on this program for about a month

How did 4 pages of responses miss this.

After 12 months tell us how you're doing.

Reread the thread.

Actually take a look at the diary. You will see that from day to day there is no consistency with the calorie intake. So no matter what deficit OP should be at (either using TDEE-20% or 1200+exercise calories) it's just not there. One week the goals are 1200, another week the goals are at 1500. Patience is going to be the key for the OP once they decide which route is really going to work best for them. And we all know, it takes way more than a month to successfully lose and keep weight off.

Patience Grasshopper, Patience!

What does reading the diary have to do with your post? He said everyone missed that she's only been dieting a month. No, we didn't.

Because the program OP has been on for a month isn't really a program. I read that part and my first inclination was to review the diary to see that yes, they have been logging for a month, however, it has been inconsistent, and that is part of the problem.

johnrossmckay

Your body runs on fuel.
Fuel = calories from wherever your body can get them,
Eat fewer calories than your body needs to fuel the daily effort, and your body will be forced to burn fat as fuel.
There is no magic or shortcut. The human body is hardwired not to starve and doesn't need much to operate so don't be surprised that it takes a while to lose, but if you eat less, you will lose weight.

Being fit requires exercise
Being thin requires controlling how much you put in your mouth
Being healthy requires that you eat the right foods
You can be one or all of these things in my opinion.

Annawaywego

Don’t give up! I have been on here ONE year exactly now, and lost only 3lbs!! what I have learnt:

Patience, determination, that a calorie is not the same as another, if you have been on lots of diets like I have, your body builds up a resistance to lose like it did when you first dieted. I wanted to give up on so many occasions but they MFP buddies on here have been so supportive and that's so important too- that you don't feel alone in this- you’re not! take the advice and wealth of information and experience on here!

I now look at more of what I should be eating to boost my metabolism rather than concentrating on the whole 1200 cals and under thing as it doesn't work for me, if we were all the same, we would all lose weight at the same rate right?
There are lots of things to consider and hopefully you will figure those things out along the way....

I have lost only 3 lbs- but look at my picture! Those trousers were a year ago- and sometimes clothes are your best measurement than the scales!

Turnaround2012

Your body runs on fuel.
Fuel = calories from wherever your body can get them,
Eat fewer calories than your body needs to fuel the daily effort, and your body will be forced to burn fat as fuel.
There is no magic or shortcut. The human body is hardwired not to starve and doesn't need much to operate so don't be surprised that it takes a while to lose, but if you eat less, you will lose weight.

Being fit requires exercise
Being thin requires controlling how much you put in your mouth
Being healthy requires that you eat the right foods
You can be one or all of these things in my opinion.

Well Said! ^^ This!

degan2011

Okay maybe you can shed some light on something that I have been asking around for 2 weeks now, but no one seems to know the answer. I knew I was eating too few calories, but I can't seem to get more calories in without going over on my carbs, and fats, do I ignore that and just go for the calories, I have been eating so many veggies and only carbs with 1 meal a day, no processed foods and everything is fat free or low fat I cook very healthy I am such at a loss here.

I red your diary for the last week almost and I saw several instances of deep fried or breaded meat. eliminating breaded and deep fried foods would be a start to leveling out your fat and carb vs protein intake. replace those calories with more protein.

rml_16

Because the program OP has been on for a month isn't really a program. I read that part and my first inclination was to review the diary to see that yes, they have been logging for a month, however, it has been inconsistent, and that is part of the problem.

Whatever she's doing is working, though.

And that still doesn't make sense because you quoted me responding to someone saying no one caught that she started a month ago when, actually, several people did. That isn't about her diary or her program or anything else.

rjmudlax13

My advise is the same as many others on here, muscle weighs heavier than fat.

Protein from foods are termed “complete proteins because they contain a balance of all the amino acids for the growth and maintanence of muscle. The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn. Also drinking water helps with weight loss. Don’t give up & just take it one day at a time you will get there.

One pound of muslce is the same as one pound of fat! It is more dense at room temperature and 1 atm

There...fixed! :yawn: :smokin:

Godprovidestome

Don't get up and get rid of the scale. I know exactly how you feel. I have 70 lbs to lose and I am 54 and it is coming off slow. I am in severe back pain and I have to do it. I have tried to set my mind set to healthy not skinny. unless your in your 20's or 30's good luck on losing it fast. Your not alone. Just stay on here and write to us everyday. I just joined. I am Christine and I will stay in touch. Let's do it together.

jayjay12345654321

Okay maybe you can shed some light on something that I have been asking around for 2 weeks now, but no one seems to know the answer. I knew I was eating too few calories, but I can't seem to get more calories in without going over on my carbs, and fats, do I ignore that and just go for the calories, I have been eating so many veggies and only carbs with 1 meal a day, no processed foods and everything is fat free or low fat I cook very healthy I am such at a loss here.

You need to take a close look at your Food Diary. You're eating carbs all day long, so maybe you are defining carbs differently. For instance, a flour tortilla for breakfast, potatoes for dinner and pita chips for a snack, those are all carbs. The 1 cup of onion has 16 grams of sugar and 32 carbs. The Breyer's sugar free ice cream has 8 grams of sugar in it with more total carbs. Your ratio of fruits and veggies to refined foods is still small. You're just not eating. Your diet isn't unhealthy at all. Just be better aware of what you're really eating (pay attention to the nutritional breakdown of each item) and that can help avoid frustration when you see the result.

Your abdomen probably increased an inch because of the 5000 miligrams of sodium you had 36 hours ago. That should subside.

Look at some of your friends' diaries and see how they are meeting their calories and what their menus consist of.

NovemberJune

5 lbs in a month is pathetic

er, what?

Yea, you got me there. I lost my weight 5 lbs/month and I thought it was pretty awesome. :happy:

This is a free website, anyone can post on the forums. When you ask for advice, you're going to get a lot of conflicting info. That's just the way it is. You have to do a lot of your own research and use critical thinking to work out the truth from the crap.

Good luck to you.

str8bowbabe

You did not gain the weight overnight and you will not lose it that way either. I would switch something up. If what you are doing is not working, try changing something. My suggestion from what you have told us, eat a few more calories. Sounds like your body could you it if you are eating less than 1200 calories and going to the gym 5x's a week. Also, what exercise regiment are you using at the gym? Switch it up a couple of times a week. Just some suggestions but my biggest suggestion is to keep at it and be patient.

tj1376

I only eat carbs 1 meal a day, I eat fish, chicken and venison lots of veggies and no processed foods I should have lost more.

I checked out your diary - you eat carbs at EVERY meal. Just because it is a fruit or a vegetable doesn't mean its not loaded with carbs. Cut out the fruit and the veggies that are high in carbs and increase your portions for lowfat dairy, nonstarchy veggies and lean proteins and you should see results. Also, try not to eat to many processed foods. Yes they are quick and easy but they have hidden calories and preservatives that your body may not agree with.

And stop worry about the scale as your only source of progress. Do you feel better eating what you are eating? Do your clothes feel looser? Is it easier to walk on the treadmill now than it was a month ago. These are all things that will show you are making progress even if you can see a number on an evil scale change.

I have met people that for the first few weeks to months they showed no change in their scale (or very little) and then practically overnight, their body dropped pounds like crazy. Some people just take more time to respond to change, dont get discouraged, that is the worst thing you can do.

vlwpotter

Don't worry about the fat/carb goals set by MFP. Eat healthy calories. You may be someone who needs more carbs; I am. I don't lose if I cut carbs down to once a day, it slows down my weight loss actually. Sounds like you need to eat more, especially if you are working out 5x a week. Do you know how many calories you are burning in a workout? Sounds odd, but you need to eat to lose! Your body needs healthy fat and carbs. Drink water, lots and lots of water - I try to drink 1 - 1.5 gal per day. On your workout days, eat more than the 1200 calories, vary your caloric intake daily, it helps with metabolism. 5 lbs a month is great! Good luck and don't give up!!

Timbotec

I think losing 5 pounds in a month is great. Just think, in 3 more months you will probably have lost 20 or more pounds total.
Hang in there.

xoeva

5 lbs a month is pretty normal... also if you don't eat enough calories your body might go into 'starving mode' and 'hang on' to your body fat/weight. Make sure you meet the daily calories recommended for your body.

Samstan101

The issue seems to be that you want to be losing a lot quicker than 5lbs a month. You need to be realistisc especially if this is a lifestyle change and not just a diet. Have you thought about what you're going to do when you get to your target to maintain? Are you establishing eating habits that you can live with? These are things that you need to consider if you want to keep the weight off. Yes you cold crash diet and lose weight quicker but it would be bad for your body and a ssoon as you started eating the way you did before you'd pile the weight back on plus some most likely.

There's some great advice in this thread about what to eat which will help but you are going to need to be patient and in this for the long haul if you're serious about losing and keeping off the weight. My weight has come off quickly to start with but as I get lighter I fully expect my losses to slow but I'm establishing eating habits that I hope will last me the rest of what I hope will be a longer life than it was likely to be if I stayed at 300+lbs! I know its going to take me probably 18-24months minimum to get to my goal. Not bad seen as it took me 12 years to put the weight on!

musicgal86

What is your fat ratio like? I noticed for me that for a while I was eating a lot more fat than I actually needed. Also how are you preparing your veggies?

Lupercalia

5 lbs in a month is great. I think rather than throwing up your hands in disgust, you should manage your expectations a bit better. How fast are you thinking you're going to lose those 80 lbs? Since July 2012 (one year), I've lost 70 lbs, and that is just down to my diet and a lot of exercise. I feel like I've done great!

Losing fat takes time, and if you want to lose in a healthy, sustainable manner, you're going to have to adjust your timescale and your expectations quite a bit. I can tell you that I certainly didn't lose 2lbs/week, every week. Some weeks I lost 2lbs, more weeks I lost 1 lb, and other weeks less. Sometimes the scale stayed the same for what seemed like AGES. I kept doing what I was doing and figured at some point the scale would catch up. It did, just not when I expected or wanted it to.

Eating 800-1000 calories/day is not sustainable or healthy. I've never had less than 1600/day, which is TWICE your lowest amount, and I have the added complications of being an insulin resistant woman with PCOS.

In short--expand your timescale for this 80lbs you want to lose, be patient and diligent, and revisit your calorie goal with a view to increasing it a bit.

honkytonks85

I think the most obvious answer here is that you are just being impatient. 5lb is fine in 1 month. There is nothing wrong here.

unFATuated

Everyone else has pretty much said it, but even if you up your calorie goal to reflect MFP's idea of what will get you a 1lb per week loss, it doesn't mean you will only lose 1lb per week. Mine is set to about 1lb per week (because if I set it to 2lbs it tells me 1200 calories and I'm just not prepared to go that low!) but I have lost on average 1.8lbs per week so far eating 1500calories plus my exercise calories back (or most of them!). There are no guarantees.