What am I doing wrong
Tami1900
Posts: 10 Member
I've been at this 5 weeks. Tracking food, and working out, and I've only have seen a small amount of weight loss starting 143 down to 140. According to the "if you eat like this every day you should weigh" at the end of every completed diary, I should be down to 135. I drink at least 10 glasses of water a day and I'm always under on my calories and fit into my allotted group for fat/protein/carbs. For reference, I'm 5'3 and 56 yrs old
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Replies
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Hi, Tami, I'm Tami! LOL
In tracking your food, how do you determine portion sizes? Eyeballing? Measuring cups? Food scale?
My first guess is you are eating more calories than you think you are, due to inaccurate logging. A food scale has been my very best friend in weight loss.5 -
TAMI!!!!!! Now that's a thought!! I THINK I'm pretty good at eyeballing and I do count things I can, but other things I'm eyeballing, and maybe I am not doing a good job at that! THANK YOU!3
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3lbs down in one month is great. let's start there. Measure food using a scale, and have patience with yourself. remember everything is an estimate from the fitness calories tools we use i.e. fit bit /apple watch it provides an estimate on how many calories you are burning. Your body will always reveal the truth.
I am learning this the hard way. Slow and steady will keep weight off . Have patience with yourself.3 -
TAMI!!!!!! Now that's a thought!! I THINK I'm pretty good at eyeballing and I do count things I can, but other things I'm eyeballing, and maybe I am not doing a good job at that! THANK YOU!
Excellent! Give a food scale a try. You may find it extremely eye opening. Check what a real serving of peanut butter is, 32 grams. (Or some other high calorie food.) Pro tip - put the peanut butter jar on the scale, press the TARE button to zero out the weight, scoop out peanut butter. The negative number is your serving amount.5 -
Food Scale purchased!! I'm thankful for the 3 lbs, but honestly, I feel like it was zero because that was a high point I can typically get rid of quickly. I have been purposing doing extra exercising at 5:00AM since Feb (6 months), so I thought the purposeful dieting should kick in quicker--but ahhhhh age, I think my body likes the extra cushion these days and isn't easily giving it up
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Not sure how many carbs you're eating but you might try lowering that number a little. Good luck to you.0
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rphillips867 wrote: »Not sure how many carbs you're eating but you might try lowering that number a little. Good luck to you.
Sure, if you want to lose water weight. Not relevant for fat loss though.8 -
Just have to pipe in here that it is unusual to see 2 Tami's spelling their name that way. I am a Tami also!1
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That things that says in 5 weeks ... Is way overly optimistic. I have never lost that fast no matter what I do.0
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Food Scale purchased!! I'm thankful for the 3 lbs, but honestly, I feel like it was zero because that was a high point I can typically get rid of quickly. I have been purposing doing extra exercising at 5:00AM since Feb (6 months), so I thought the purposeful dieting should kick in quicker--but ahhhhh age, I think my body likes the extra cushion these days and isn't easily giving it up
Once you get your food scale and start checking your portion sizes, give us an update!0 -
Maybe you lost 4lb of fat and gained 1lb of muscle? That would be a good thing!0
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I am getting back into MFP after some time away and already I have come across the issue with picking the wrong entry for the food I'm eating. A slice of cake bought from a national grocery store chain is listed multiple places in as 320 calories. I double checked it from the label--it should be 560 calories. So double check those kinds of things.
Glad you got a scale. I find that invaluable.1 -
Hey, I am 5'3" and currently 142. 35yo. I have been hovering up and down around the same place (about 143) for several weeks now. I have seen "In 5 weeks you will weigh 130-something" more times than I can count for much longer than that. It can be discouraging, but I know you can do it! We can do it! Friend me, and let's get to 139 together before the end of August.
Make that food scale your best friend!1 -
not_my_first_rodeo wrote: »I am getting back into MFP after some time away and already I have come across the issue with picking the wrong entry for the food I'm eating. A slice of cake bought from a national grocery store chain is listed multiple places in as 320 calories. I double checked it from the label--it should be 560 calories. So double check those kinds of things.
Glad you got a scale. I find that invaluable.
There have been a few things that aren't in database and of course, size matters! I always have at least 200-500 calories at the end of the day, hoping to cover the "mistakes", but obviously, that ain't working!0 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »Food Scale purchased!! I'm thankful for the 3 lbs, but honestly, I feel like it was zero because that was a high point I can typically get rid of quickly. I have been purposing doing extra exercising at 5:00AM since Feb (6 months), so I thought the purposeful dieting should kick in quicker--but ahhhhh age, I think my body likes the extra cushion these days and isn't easily giving it up
Once you get your food scale and start checking your portion sizes, give us an update!
Will do---you had me craving PB--I had ONE TABLESPOON on a rice cake for lunch---I love peanut butter but have been trying to steer clear of it until I get the weight off. Paired it with a fennel/apple salad and YUM!0 -
musicfan68 wrote: »Just have to pipe in here that it is unusual to see 2 Tami's spelling their name that way. I am a Tami also!
We should start a club!! I'm the only one in my area, that I know of, that spells it this way!1 -
happysquidmuffin wrote: »Hey, I am 5'3" and currently 142. 35yo. I have been hovering up and down around the same place (about 143) for several weeks now. I have seen "In 5 weeks you will weigh 130-something" more times than I can count for much longer than that. It can be discouraging, but I know you can do it! We can do it! Friend me, and let's get to 139 together before the end of August.
Make that food scale your best friend!
Oh man, you're not helping! LOL -- I haven't friended anyone, but I'll give it a whirl---maybe we can cheer each other on! I'm still shooting for 135 by end of August #hardheaded0 -
Food Scale purchased!! I'm thankful for the 3 lbs, but honestly, I feel like it was zero because that was a high point I can typically get rid of quickly. I have been purposing doing extra exercising at 5:00AM since Feb (6 months), so I thought the purposeful dieting should kick in quicker--but ahhhhh age, I think my body likes the extra cushion these days and isn't easily giving it up
Even so, if you're continuing to increase the challenge of your exercise regimen - duration, frequency, intensity or type of exercise - you could still be seeing some water retention from that.
Your food scale should be a useful tool, going forward. It was eye-opening, for me! It's fine to estimate when it's required (like dinner at a friend's house), but the more precision we can get with reasonable effort (no obsession!), the more we can see what is/isn't working for us as individuals.
Some of the good news is that metabolism tends to be pretty stable from age 20 to 60 (according to recent research). That makes it likely that reduced calorie expenditure with aging is some combination of gradually, subtly less movement in our daily lives (vs. lifestyle when we were 20!) and reduced muscle mass (if we haven't steadily been challenging our bodies to stay strong along the way). Both of those are things we can control and improve, with consistent and persistent effort, plus patience. (I'm 66, BTW, so not some 20-something blowing smoke here. 😆)
At your current weight, 3 pounds in 5 weeks is good: Many people here thing something in the range of 0.5%-1% of current body weight per week is a sensible loss rate target, with a bias toward the lower end of that. (In your case, that would be 0.7-1.4 pounds per week, preferably more like 0.7. You're pretty much in the sweet spot.) That helps us keep existing muscle, maintain the energy we need for daily life, and avoid fatigue reducing our daily life calorie expenditure . . . not to mention allowing for more comprehensive nutrition to fuel your exercise. Shooting for fast loss rates can be counterproductive.
There's a lot of nonsense on reality TV and in tabloid headlines that makes people thing losing many pounds a week is reasonable ("lose 20 pounds in a month on Dr. XYZ's diet!!!!"). Since maintaining a healthy weight is most of our real goal, taking the time to find and groove in some sustainable new habits is a better idea. Even that folklore-target 2 pounds a week can be too aggressive. IMO: Don't worry about making it fast, worry about making the process relatively easy.Maybe you lost 4lb of fat and gained 1lb of muscle? That would be a good thing!
Sadly, I'm afraid that's unlikely. Muscle mass gain is very gradual, and especially so if we're in a calorie deficit. A pound of muscle mass gain per month would be a really good result for a woman under ideal conditions, and that would typically require a calorie surplus, a good progressive strength training program, relative youth . . . .
BoyOhBoy, do I wish it were faster/easier!
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I sent you a friend request. MFP doesn't make it easy to figure out, in my opinion. If it makes you feel better, I HAVE lost a significant amount of weight in the past 3 years... it just comes off me very slowly because I go over my calorie goal a lotOh man, you're not helping! LOL -- I haven't friended anyone, but I'll give it a whirl---maybe we can cheer each other on! I'm still shooting for 135 by end of August #hardheaded My progress chart is so spiky with ups and downs... but the important thing is that it continues to go down! Especially when I have a good weekly average for a few weeks in a row. Then all of a sudden I hit a new low weight again.
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Maybe you lost 4lb of fat and gained 1lb of muscle? That would be a good thing!
Sadly, I'm afraid that's unlikely. Muscle mass gain is very gradual, and especially so if we're in a calorie deficit. A pound of muscle mass gain per month would be a really good result for a woman under ideal conditions, and that would typically require a calorie surplus, a good progressive strength training program, relative youth . . . .
True, mate. Sadly the only math examples I can think up before breakfast need to involve whole numbers less than 5. And it's currently 4am in Australia :-)
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Food Scale purchased!! I'm thankful for the 3 lbs, but honestly, I feel like it was zero because that was a high point I can typically get rid of quickly. I have been purposing doing extra exercising at 5:00AM since Feb (6 months), so I thought the purposeful dieting should kick in quicker--but ahhhhh age, I think my body likes the extra cushion these days and isn't easily giving it up
Even so, if you're continuing to increase the challenge of your exercise regimen - duration, frequency, intensity or type of exercise - you could still be seeing some water retention from that.
Your food scale should be a useful tool, going forward. It was eye-opening, for me! It's fine to estimate when it's required (like dinner at a friend's house), but the more precision we can get with reasonable effort (no obsession!), the more we can see what is/isn't working for us as individuals.
Some of the good news is that metabolism tends to be pretty stable from age 20 to 60 (according to recent research). That makes it likely that reduced calorie expenditure with aging is some combination of gradually, subtly less movement in our daily lives (vs. lifestyle when we were 20!) and reduced muscle mass (if we haven't steadily been challenging our bodies to stay strong along the way). Both of those are things we can control and improve, with consistent and persistent effort, plus patience. (I'm 66, BTW, so not some 20-something blowing smoke here. 😆)
At your current weight, 3 pounds in 5 weeks is good: Many people here thing something in the range of 0.5%-1% of current body weight per week is a sensible loss rate target, with a bias toward the lower end of that. (In your case, that would be 0.7-1.4 pounds per week, preferably more like 0.7. You're pretty much in the sweet spot.) That helps us keep existing muscle, maintain the energy we need for daily life, and avoid fatigue reducing our daily life calorie expenditure . . . not to mention allowing for more comprehensive nutrition to fuel your exercise. Shooting for fast loss rates can be counterproductive.
There's a lot of nonsense on reality TV and in tabloid headlines that makes people thing losing many pounds a week is reasonable ("lose 20 pounds in a month on Dr. XYZ's diet!!!!"). Since maintaining a healthy weight is most of our real goal, taking the time to find and groove in some sustainable new habits is a better idea. Even that folklore-target 2 pounds a week can be too aggressive. IMO: Don't worry about making it fast, worry about making the process relatively easy.Maybe you lost 4lb of fat and gained 1lb of muscle? That would be a good thing!
Sadly, I'm afraid that's unlikely. Muscle mass gain is very gradual, and especially so if we're in a calorie deficit. A pound of muscle mass gain per month would be a really good result for a woman under ideal conditions, and that would typically require a calorie surplus, a good progressive strength training program, relative youth . . . .
BoyOhBoy, do I wish it were faster/easier!
LOTS of good information here!! I agree I am expecting a quick loss, and a slower loss, as we all know, is really the way to go....a mindset change, which I'm doing. I found some really good 50+ workout videos on youtube that I started in February and began logging food on MFPhas proven to be very insightful to eating habits over the last 5 weeks. Love the support here!
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