I just dont understand :(

tracymayo1

I am weighing myself but not as religiously as the first time (was daily) I have to say I am getting discouraged already as the scale has NOT moved - unless it went UP a lb and back down *(fluctuations are normal - I DO understand that) but being spot on with my logging since starting over, and not seeing a single move down is soooooo upsetting... I weight everything I eat and log based on the WEIGHT not the servings on the package (except the case where we had A&W and I had to use the values logged in MFP already)

I had started up again on April 12 - right after TOM - and up to now as of this AM I am still sitting at the same 225.4lbs I started at...

It seemed so much faster and easier when I did this 6 years ago!!

I'm not stopping - because I refuse to quit - but I can honestly say if after my next TOM nothing happens... it will be a struggle...

Mari8203

Are you taping yourself?? You might be losing inches. I noticed I gained weight, but I lost inches. Remember muscle weighs more than fat. Be patient love! :-)

tracymayo1

Mari8203 wrote: »

Are you taping yourself?? You might be losing inches. I noticed I gained weight, but I lost inches. Remember muscle weighs more than fat. Be patient love! :-)

No, and I am not gaining any muscle as I am focusing on the CiCo and not doing exercise just yet... it definitely isn't that. I really am stumped...

lmf1012

One thing I have learned throughout this process (not my first rodeo unfortunately) is that not everyone loses weight the same way. For example, my older sister can "diet" very loosely and lose weight. Meaning she doesn't really track her food intake and doesn't eat anywhere near perfectly. I, on the other hand, am eating 95% whole foods, always staying under my calories, exercising regularly and losing VERY slowly the last few weeks.

Something to think about:
You may need to do some trial and error - try thinking about some changes to your diet like reducing sugar, reducing refined carbs and adding in more protein/veggies. Yes, CICO should work regardless of what you eat... in theory. I also think there is a lot of nuance to WHAT we eat and how our own individual bodies respond.

tracymayo1

lmf1012 wrote: »

One thing I have learned throughout this process (not my first rodeo unfortunately) is that not everyone loses weight the same way. For example, my older sister can "diet" very loosely and lose weight. Meaning she doesn't really track her food intake and doesn't eat anywhere near perfectly. I, on the other hand, am eating 95% whole foods, always staying under my calories, exercising regularly and losing VERY slowly the last few weeks.

Something to think about:
You may need to do some trial and error - try thinking about some changes to your diet like reducing sugar, reducing refined carbs and adding in more protein/veggies. Yes, CICO should work regardless of what you eat... in theory. I also think there is a lot of nuance to WHAT we eat and how our own individual bodies respond.

Yeah for sure... its part of the whole process. This is my second go around now - and I didn't have anywhere near this much trouble the first time.
I generally try to stay in my limits of fat / carbs etc.. but I am not religious about it - I already started buying certain foods just for me - but I honestly cannot start buying a set of foods for me and another for my family - it isn't sustainable...

I do make sure when I cook I take the meat that fits my needs, and limit the starch (rice or noodles or potatoes usually) and double or triple the vegetables - so I am still eating enough to be full - and eating the same as my family - but not overdoing it on my calories.

Other than my first day back where I ate 7 calories more than I should have (but this was also based on me guessing my weight - which ended up being higher than I thought) I have been UNDER my goals daily ever since... (not all my days are closed as recently the app won't allow me to close my diary at the end of the day for some reason)

My diary is open - I use the WEIGHT of a food to log (if 1 serving is shown it is because the weight corresponded to the serving size on the label) I measure for liquids, I feel I am doing EVERYTHING right....

But nothing is moving...

LisaGetsMoving

How tall are you? What do you have for base calories, meaning what's you target to stay under? If you're certain you're logging correctly, then the likely answer is you've set 'calories in' to something of a maintenance level. If that's the case, drop the calories a couple hundred. Make sure your scale is weighing consistently too.

Diatonic12

@Mari8203 I didn't give you that disagree. Someone gave it to you because muscle does not weigh more than fat. That's akin to saying a military soldier will sink faster because of their muscle mass. The simple answer is false. One pound is 16 ounces regardless of what the tissue type or product is.

DezYaoified

I am having the same issues with it not being as easy as a few years ago (right around 5)

I’ve had to make tweaks to my diet every week or two until o find items that fit my needs now.

I also deal with hypoglycemia so need to work around that. And as I learned this past week, small changes can negatively affect it and cause huge issues with cravings, and send my sugar levels down so far all I can eat is sweets to bring it up enough I don’t pass out.

Have you checked to see if you have any health issues that may be preventing your weight loss?

Diatonic12

Going to your doctor is always a great idea. Have them check your blood sugar or blood glucose levels/insulin resistance. There's all kinds of variables that come into play but regardless of age you can still modify your calories and exercise and reach your goals. It's going to take time, patience, focus and consistency.

AnnPT77

So, you're just about 3 weeks into it, this round.

You're getting various kinds of advice about how to change things. IMO, you shouldn't change your calorie level, food choices, or exercise, until you have a consistent full menstrual cycle of weight loss result data. Changing things fast just muddies the waters, makes it hard to figure out what's going on.

If there were any possibility of logging issues (I get that you've done this before, and are weighing food carefully), or a problem in set-up on MFP, those things would be worth changing, even if it's "too soon".

Other than that kind of thing, though, I'd suggest hanging in there for at least the full cycle, then using your averaged weight loss/gain results to adjust your calorie goal.

Losing any meaningful amount of weight is a long term proposition, weeks to months. It's worth taking the time to calibrate your compass, before a trip like that, IMO.

tracymayo1 wrote: »

Mari8203 wrote: »

Are you taping yourself?? You might be losing inches. I noticed I gained weight, but I lost inches. Remember muscle weighs more than fat. Be patient love! :-)

No, and I am not gaining any muscle as I am focusing on the CiCo and not doing exercise just yet... it definitely isn't that. I really am stumped...

You're right. Besides, muscle gain, under the best of circumstances, is slower than that, anyway. No realistic amount of muscle gain in 3 weeks (especially for a woman) will mask any reasonable rate of fat loss, in general. People are deceived by water retention (does hide fat loss), a bit of "pump" from that that creates a bit more muscle definition, and strength increase (which happens fast at first from neuromuscular adaptation, better recruiting/using existing muscle fibers, rather than adding new muscle fibers).

As a rule of thumb, overnight or few-day changes on the scale are mainly about water weight fluctuation, small numbers of weeks' to a few months' trend changes start to be more about fat loss/gain, and muscle mass changes are a thing of many months to years.

I suspect you have something causing a bit of water weight weirdness that's hiding fat loss on the scale, if your process is time-tested, and your calorie goal is correctly set.

Best wishes for a "whoosh" catch-up scale loss soon!

tracymayo1

LisaGetsMoving wrote: »

How tall are you? What do you have for base calories, meaning what's you target to stay under? If you're certain you're logging correctly, then the likely answer is you've set 'calories in' to something of a maintenance level. If that's the case, drop the calories a couple hundred. Make sure your scale is weighing consistently too.

my intake is set to 1715 calories and as a rule I am usually a couple hundred under at the end of 90% of my days.
I am 5ft 11" and I set to lose 1lb a week when I started - wanting to go somewhat slow and steady...
Scale is consistent with weight and I step on and off twice each time - its been constant. Batteries are new....
I upped my water intake today as I was told that could be the issue - I really don't drink much AT ALL as a rule - so I was advised upping my water could release water weight better...

I will see if this helps!

tracymayo1

DezYaoified wrote: »

I am having the same issues with it not being as easy as a few years ago (right around 5)

I’ve had to make tweaks to my diet every week or two until o find items that fit my needs now.

I also deal with hypoglycemia so need to work around that. And as I learned this past week, small changes can negatively affect it and cause huge issues with cravings, and send my sugar levels down so far all I can eat is sweets to bring it up enough I don’t pass out.

Have you checked to see if you have any health issues that may be preventing your weight loss?

According to my doctor my blood work, thyroid etc is all the same as before.
I am on blood pressure pills and a diuretic that I wasn't on at the first go around - and was told here that drinking more (I really don't drink enough in a day) could help. So today I started and upped my water to 2L (so far as of 4:30 PM) and plan to keep it up - I will see if that helps at all...

tracymayo1

AnnPT77 wrote: »

So, you're just about 3 weeks into it, this round.

You're getting various kinds of advice about how to change things. IMO, you shouldn't change your calorie level, food choices, or exercise, until you have a consistent full menstrual cycle of weight loss result data. Changing things fast just muddies the waters, makes it hard to figure out what's going on.

If there were any possibility of logging issues (I get that you've done this before, and are weighing food carefully), or a problem in set-up on MFP, those things would be worth changing, even if it's "too soon".

Other than that kind of thing, though, I'd suggest hanging in there for at least the full cycle, then using your averaged weight loss/gain results to adjust your calorie goal.

Losing any meaningful amount of weight is a long term proposition, weeks to months. It's worth taking the time to calibrate your compass, before a trip like that, IMO.

tracymayo1 wrote: »

Mari8203 wrote: »

Are you taping yourself?? You might be losing inches. I noticed I gained weight, but I lost inches. Remember muscle weighs more than fat. Be patient love! :-)

No, and I am not gaining any muscle as I am focusing on the CiCo and not doing exercise just yet... it definitely isn't that. I really am stumped...

You're right. Besides, muscle gain, under the best of circumstances, is slower than that, anyway. No realistic amount of muscle gain in 3 weeks (especially for a woman) will mask any reasonable rate of fat loss, in general. People are deceived by water retention (does hide fat loss), a bit of "pump" from that that creates a bit more muscle definition, and strength increase (which happens fast at first from neuromuscular adaptation, better recruiting/using existing muscle fibers, rather than adding new muscle fibers).

As a rule of thumb, overnight or few-day changes on the scale are mainly about water weight fluctuation, small numbers of weeks' to a few months' trend changes start to be more about fat loss/gain, and muscle mass changes are a thing of many months to years.

I suspect you have something causing a bit of water weight weirdness that's hiding fat loss on the scale, if your process is time-tested, and your calorie goal is correctly set.

Best wishes for a "whoosh" catch-up scale loss soon!

Thanks for this... all of this. I don't drink enough and was told that could be part of the issue. Today I started drinking more, and have drank over my "you should aim to drink 1920 ml" from the diary page. 2L so far at 4:30 - and I plan to do this daily.
I do plan to wait out a full menstrual cycle - because usually there is a difference there. I am due to start the next TOM in 5 days. I had started this journey a few days AFTER my last cycle. I told myself I would give it 2 months before changing anything (lowering calories etc...) to get a more realistic view.

I have to give myself that chance.
I am worth it I think!