I’m obese but I’m not losing weight

ChiharuCaprice

A little back story. When I was 12, I lost about 60 pounds and kept it off until college. In college I gained 75 pounds. Between 2017 and now, I’ve yo yo dieted and got down to 187 in October ‘19. I gained back up to 210 by January 2020.

I started working out in February and started at 208 pounds (I’m 5’4). Between February and March I lost 10 pounds which I believe at least 5 pounds, if not more, was water weight. Now it’s May and I haven’t lost a pound since.

Ironically, I’ve actually started to eat better, change many unhealthy habits, increased my calorie goal from 1400 to 1600, and exercise at least 4x a week (30 min of bodyweight exercises and 30-60 min of HIIT cardio) during the month of April. On April 21st I took measurements and did the same again today. I lost 2 inches off my waist and hips. I’ve never had a plateau last longer than 2 weeks and it’s typically easy for me to lose weight. I’ve already tried increasing my calories and intermittent fasting. Any other tips to get the scale moving?

KrissFlavored

If you're sure your logging accurately and using a food scale, you have no medical conditions and that your calorie burns are also accurate then all you can do is wait it out

bmeadows380

the scale itself is also a very bad tool to use as a sole indicator of success. The fact that you've lost 2 inches off your waist and hips is proof that what you are doing is working, no matter what the scale says. Many things can affect the scale reading.

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

quiksylver296

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

MostlyWater

You need a tape measure and a caliper to measure your body fat percentage. The scale is just one indicator and it's not the best one either. Good luck!

lisa2113940

If you're trying to lose weight, why are you increasing your intake of calories? You should be increasing your calorie deficit.

Go_Deskercise

lisa2113940 wrote: »

If you're trying to lose weight, why are you increasing your intake of calories? You should be increasing your calorie deficit.

People want so badly to believe in 'starvation mode' that when they aren't losing weight, they convince themselves that they aren't eating enough and their body can't lose weight therefore sabotaging themselves more bc it's way easier to eat more then tell yourself you are still eating too much and need to decrease your calories.

NovusDies

lisa2113940 wrote: »

If you're trying to lose weight, why are you increasing your intake of calories? You should be increasing your calorie deficit.

The OP began exercising so increasing the calories was likely appropriate. Decreasing them (increasing the deficit) is definitely not something to do when adding exercise.

Avidkeo

NovusDies wrote: »

lisa2113940 wrote: »

If you're trying to lose weight, why are you increasing your intake of calories? You should be increasing your calorie deficit.

The OP began exercising so increasing the calories was likely appropriate. Decreasing them (increasing the deficit) is definitely not something to do when adding exercise.

Also I'm the same height as her and at 1lb loss a week which is about what she should be aiming for, she's eating the appropriate amount of calories.

OP are you weighing all your food? That's usually the biggest reason weight loss stalls

ChiharuCaprice

Avidkeo wrote: »

NovusDies wrote: »

lisa2113940 wrote: »

If you're trying to lose weight, why are you increasing your intake of calories? You should be increasing your calorie deficit.

The OP began exercising so increasing the calories was likely appropriate. Decreasing them (increasing the deficit) is definitely not something to do when adding exercise.

Also I'm the same height as her and at 1lb loss a week which is about what she should be aiming for, she's eating the appropriate amount of calories.

OP are you weighing all your food? That's usually the biggest reason weight loss stalls

I started my calorie limit at 1200 when I dropped the initial 10 pounds. After the first week of not losing weight I upped it to 1400 calories. About two weeks ago, I upped it again to 1600 calories. I rarely hit 1600 so its more of a range between 1400 and 1600 calories a day.

I weigh and measure all my food to track my calories as accurately as possible. I only drink filtered and electrolyte water since I sweat a lot when I work out.

I actually had a cheat meal yesterday (first intentional cheat meal since February) and had a total of 2509 calories. This morning I dropped .2 pounds. The first drop I've seen on the scale since March. Does this mean I need to increase my calories even more?

I also want to note that I've been exercising since February. When the gym was open I was lifting for about 30 minutes 4 days a week and doing cardio 30-90 minutes 5 days a week. Currently, I am doing 30 minutes of body weight exercises 4 days a week and 30 to 60 minutes of cardio 4 days a week. So the days I work out I am burning between 250 and 500 calories. I have at least 1 dance class a week where I burn 800 to 1000 calories per class (the classes were at least 3 days a week before social distancing).

diliveslife

I would definitely not increase calories. .2 pounds is really nothing considering water and food waste. You might have had a 1.2 drop without the cheat. Don't overthink your way out of weight loss.

You seem to have a good handle on it. Trust the process and keep your deficit. If you increase calories again and have even a little bit of a struggle with accuracy you are going to run into the same problem as above. We never burn as many calories as we think with exercise. If anything I would add another walk in the day- just an easy steady state slow burn maybe 20-30 minutes walk around the neighborhood or on the treadmill to a few fave songs in addition to your current workout regimen to guarantee a deficit. This way if you are off by 100 calories say in condiments which can easly occur, you still have wiggle room.

ChiharuCaprice

I dropped two pounds this morning. The things I changed was the cheat day and more cardio. I’m not sure if that made a difference because it hasn’t been a full week but the scale is finally moving again.

cmriverside

Just be patient.

If you start off this intensely worried about things that are really not what is going on, then it's going to be a very long and miserable ride.

Just stick with your 1500-1600 for 4-6 weeks. I didn't stick to my 1500 perfectly when I was in weight loss, I had lots of days where I over-ate. Lots. So I don't particularly have a problem with the concept of a cheat day - though I would not call it that. But having one meal that is 200-600 calories over my daily goal once a week is a good mental health tool. I would say make sure you log that and I learned to not let it be the whole day, just one meal or one special treat food. It gave me something to look forward to in a measured way.

The body will let go of weight in a non-linear way. Some weeks I lost three pounds, some I lost a half pound. I tracked it all. That's the only way to spot a trend. It's not possible to micro-manage weight loss, the body doesn't turn on a dime. Any small weight fluctuations could be a lot of things. When you have a lot to lose, the fluctuations can be big, like five pounds.

Stay the course. Log everything and you'll be okay.

Anabirgite

I am very sensitive to water retention. I eat a restaurant meal and 2 days later I gain 2-5 pounds which then takes several days to normalize. Push myself in Body Pump, by lifting heavier weights, plus 2 pounds. Noticing my body trends with bloat helped me deal with the scale fluctuations.

TeaBea

ChiharuCaprice wrote: »

Avidkeo wrote: »

NovusDies wrote: »

lisa2113940 wrote: »

If you're trying to lose weight, why are you increasing your intake of calories? You should be increasing your calorie deficit.

The OP began exercising so increasing the calories was likely appropriate. Decreasing them (increasing the deficit) is definitely not something to do when adding exercise.

Also I'm the same height as her and at 1lb loss a week which is about what she should be aiming for, she's eating the appropriate amount of calories.

OP are you weighing all your food? That's usually the biggest reason weight loss stalls

I started my calorie limit at 1200 when I dropped the initial 10 pounds. After the first week of not losing weight I upped it to 1400 calories. About two weeks ago, I upped it again to 1600 calories. I rarely hit 1600 so its more of a range between 1400 and 1600 calories a day.

I weigh and measure all my food to track my calories as accurately as possible. I only drink filtered and electrolyte water since I sweat a lot when I work out.

I actually had a cheat meal yesterday (first intentional cheat meal since February) and had a total of 2509 calories. This morning I dropped .2 pounds. The first drop I've seen on the scale since March. Does this mean I need to increase my calories even more?

I also want to note that I've been exercising since February. When the gym was open I was lifting for about 30 minutes 4 days a week and doing cardio 30-90 minutes 5 days a week. Currently, I am doing 30 minutes of body weight exercises 4 days a week and 30 to 60 minutes of cardio 4 days a week. So the days I work out I am burning between 250 and 500 calories. I have at least 1 dance class a week where I burn 800 to 1000 calories per class (the classes were at least 3 days a week before social distancing).

No, increasing your calories is NEVER the solution for weight loss. I once sat at a "plateau" for 6 weeks. My problem was my logging. Double check your entries.

Calorie burns are tough to estimate. Even with the best tools it's still an estimate. A heart rate monitor is designed for steady state cardio, it's not designed for not hiit, strength training, etc.

.2 pounds? Water weight fluctuates wildly. Higher sodium day, time of the month, sore muscles, bathroom habits....all of this messes with the scale. The scale LIES.

https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

xmissxamyx

bmeadows380 wrote: »

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

That is such a good article! It's bang on about the fluctuations and such! Just going by the scales I've gained and then lost like almost 3kg just this past week.

bmeadows380

xmissxamyx wrote: »

bmeadows380 wrote: »

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

That is such a good article! It's bang on about the fluctuations and such! Just going by the scales I've gained and then lost like almost 3kg just this past week.

yup; whenever I find my frustration with the scale values starting to push me toward doing something stupid, I go back and read that article again as a sanity check

VeryKatie

ChiharuCaprice wrote: »

Avidkeo wrote: »

NovusDies wrote: »

lisa2113940 wrote: »

If you're trying to lose weight, why are you increasing your intake of calories? You should be increasing your calorie deficit.

The OP began exercising so increasing the calories was likely appropriate. Decreasing them (increasing the deficit) is definitely not something to do when adding exercise.

Also I'm the same height as her and at 1lb loss a week which is about what she should be aiming for, she's eating the appropriate amount of calories.

OP are you weighing all your food? That's usually the biggest reason weight loss stalls

I started my calorie limit at 1200 when I dropped the initial 10 pounds. After the first week of not losing weight I upped it to 1400 calories. About two weeks ago, I upped it again to 1600 calories. I rarely hit 1600 so its more of a range between 1400 and 1600 calories a day.

I weigh and measure all my food to track my calories as accurately as possible. I only drink filtered and electrolyte water since I sweat a lot when I work out.

I actually had a cheat meal yesterday (first intentional cheat meal since February) and had a total of 2509 calories. This morning I dropped .2 pounds. The first drop I've seen on the scale since March. Does this mean I need to increase my calories even more?

I also want to note that I've been exercising since February. When the gym was open I was lifting for about 30 minutes 4 days a week and doing cardio 30-90 minutes 5 days a week. Currently, I am doing 30 minutes of body weight exercises 4 days a week and 30 to 60 minutes of cardio 4 days a week. So the days I work out I am burning between 250 and 500 calories. I have at least 1 dance class a week where I burn 800 to 1000 calories per class (the classes were at least 3 days a week before social distancing).

Possibly over estimating calories burned. Weightlifting doesn't burn much and those are pretty high for cardio. Mfp gives a number that also includes whatever you would burn without exercise during those 30 to 60 mins. Thats why usually people say to only eat back/log 50 to 75% of what mfp says. It's also hard to know if you're putting in the same amount of effort that mfp is using in its estimates.

The more often you have cheat days and eat 2500, the more often you are wiping out your hard work. You might end up wasting weeks on cheating. Try to stay at or below maintenance calories on days you "cheat". That way at least you wont gain it back, you're just taking a day off. Remember you're not cheating your diet, you're cheating yourself out of your hard work.