11 Reasons You’re Failing To Lose Fat

likeaslidingrock

I've been eating around 900 calories (sometimes less) for almost a month,

Oh yeah?

Open your diary.

We have a mr skeptic. It's open now, but I didn't record the whole month and I use another website to count calories (mostly because english is not my native language and I'm not going to pick up the dictionary everytime I log in food here). So, you won't find the specific food I ate.

It is not open.

Perhaps you can link us to the diary on the other site?

Frankly, it's virtually impossible to believe you have averaged 900 calories for a month with no weight loss, unless you are 4' tall, 50 lbs, and in a coma.

I suspect you are doing something very wrong in terms of logging food, and I would like to - for your benefit as well as ours - peruse your diary in an attempt to identify where you're messing up.

I don't know how this work. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/likeaslidingrock
Maybe I'm doing wrong the food logging, but months ago I was logging the same way, with different results. Even without logging at all, I know I'm eating much less. That's my point and my frustration

edit: the other site I use is only to count calories (www.calorie.it) , not to track them. this is the only diary I have

minizebu

Bumping to read later.

4daluvof_candice

I've been eating around 900 calories (sometimes less) for almost a month,

Oh yeah?

Open your diary.

We have a mr skeptic. It's open now, but I didn't record the whole month and I use another website to count calories (mostly because english is not my native language and I'm not going to pick up the dictionary everytime I log in food here). So, you won't find the specific food I ate.

It is not open.

Perhaps you can link us to the diary on the other site?

Frankly, it's virtually impossible to believe you have averaged 900 calories for a month with no weight loss, unless you are 4' tall, 50 lbs, and in a coma.

I suspect you are doing something very wrong in terms of logging food, and I would like to - for your benefit as well as ours - peruse your diary in an attempt to identify where you're messing up.

900 calories??????????????????? GTFOH!!!

jonnythan

I've been eating around 900 calories (sometimes less) for almost a month,

Oh yeah?

Open your diary.

We have a mr skeptic. It's open now, but I didn't record the whole month and I use another website to count calories (mostly because english is not my native language and I'm not going to pick up the dictionary everytime I log in food here). So, you won't find the specific food I ate.

It is not open.

Perhaps you can link us to the diary on the other site?

Frankly, it's virtually impossible to believe you have averaged 900 calories for a month with no weight loss, unless you are 4' tall, 50 lbs, and in a coma.

I suspect you are doing something very wrong in terms of logging food, and I would like to - for your benefit as well as ours - peruse your diary in an attempt to identify where you're messing up.

I don't know how this work. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/likeaslidingrock
Maybe I'm doing wrong the food logging, but months ago I was logging the same way, with different results. Even without logging at all, I know I'm eating much less. That's my point and my frustration

You're hardly logging anything. Quick Add Calories all over the place and they're all nice round whole numbers like 50 and 300, so you're obviously not weighing food and portions and being strict with logging. Some days are obviously missing entire meals, or several meals. Most days that have what appear to be a full day's worth of food logged are well over 900.

Long story short: your diary makes it obvious you are not eating 900 calories a day.

erickirb

I've been eating around 900 calories (sometimes less) for almost a month, I've done 40 minutes (sometimes up to an hour) of stationary bike every morning before breakfast and in the last week I've done 4 days of the 30 day shred.
I'm also 40 kg overweight.
Haven't lost a pound. So, I guess I'm still eating too much. Will 800 calories do it?

Re-read the article.
Either you are under estimating how much you are actually eating (use a kitchen scale for solid foods (pre-cooked), and measuring cups for liquids), over estimating your caloric burn, or have a medical issue.

pavrg

How does one know with any accuracy how many calories their body uses a day? There is only one way to know what your metabolic rate is, and even the RMR test isn't very accurate.

At first, it's a guesstimate. But after a month or so you have some good data to go by -- average calories/week and average weight loss/week. That's really all you need. Most websites claim the difference is going to be minimal though -- on the order of 10-20% -- assuming you account for everything you eat and do correctly.

If someone is unable to shed pounds, yet is accurately tracking calories and is eating at a deficit every day, I recommend that person get a RMR test done. They may just have a very efficient metabolism and need to eat a lot less than would be considered the norm for their age and gender.

I think that more often than not, people think they're tracking things accurately but aren't.

rml_16

If you are accurately logging your calories (measuring your portions, etc) and accurately logging your exercise (from a HRM), and still not losing, I would consult with a physician.

I've done all those things. Four years without a real loss. I finally stopped gaining when I got rid of my IUD. But still can't lose. Never had a problem before that.

I always knew I was special, though.

SezxyStef

Okay, but I actually do have thyroid problems that hinder my weight loss from time to time. I'm down 129lbs, but it's taking a longer time for me to get to where I want to be then it would for someone without thyroid or metabolic issues.

and

I have to second (third?) this statement. As a woman with PCOS I can tell you that it's very frustrating to be told - "Just eat less" all the time. I am eating less and I am losing weight - just much more slowly than I would like.

<snipped>

The with these two statements is...Longer time/just more slowly but you still lose weight at a reasonable deficet....

erickirb

What a silly thing to write. Surely if your using My Fitness it tells you when you complete your diary that your consuming to few calories. By eating such a minimal amount your actually putting your body into starvation mode which is why your probably putting on weight. Before you start dieting maybe you should do research rather than asking silly questions. Faddy diets don't help all you need to acheive the best results is a well balanced nutrional and exercise plan.

"starvation mode" does not make you gain. You will just lower your BMR/RMR/maintenance, meaning your deficit is smaller than you think it is, meaning slower weight loss, not weight gain, can't gain in a deficit, unless its water weight or build up of poop in your digestive tract.

likeaslidingrock

I've been eating around 900 calories (sometimes less) for almost a month,

Oh yeah?

Open your diary.

We have a mr skeptic. It's open now, but I didn't record the whole month and I use another website to count calories (mostly because english is not my native language and I'm not going to pick up the dictionary everytime I log in food here). So, you won't find the specific food I ate.

It is not open.

Perhaps you can link us to the diary on the other site?

Frankly, it's virtually impossible to believe you have averaged 900 calories for a month with no weight loss, unless you are 4' tall, 50 lbs, and in a coma.

I suspect you are doing something very wrong in terms of logging food, and I would like to - for your benefit as well as ours - peruse your diary in an attempt to identify where you're messing up.

I don't know how this work. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/likeaslidingrock
Maybe I'm doing wrong the food logging, but months ago I was logging the same way, with different results. Even without logging at all, I know I'm eating much less. That's my point and my frustration

You're hardly logging anything. Quick Add Calories all over the place and they're all nice round whole numbers like 50 and 300, so you're obviously not weighing food and portions and being strict with logging. Some days are obviously missing entire meals, or several meals. Most days that have what appear to be a full day's worth of food logged are well over 900.

Long story short: your diary makes it obvious you are not eating 900 calories a day.

As I said, I use another website to count the calories, then I log an approximation. If it says 43 calories, I log in 50. . Because I'm always afraid of underestimating the calories I'm eating. I DO WEIGHT THE FOOD. EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF FOOD. I eat with a piece of paper next to me, I write the food and the exact amount, I look at the calories on calorie.it then I quickly log them here.
And as I said, I do often skip breakfast (I sometimes also mistakenly log the lunch as " breakfast"). I did fail to log a couple a meals, but I didn't overeat (one time I remember I ate a sandwich a beer).
As I said, I restarted logging here only a couple of weeks ago, where, yes, I ate over 1200 calories per day twice. But I also ate less than 900 more than once, especially in the first weeks, where I was even more strict with myself.

jonnythan

As I said, I use another website to count the calories, then I log an approximation. If it says 43 calories, I log in 50. . Because I'm always afraid of underestimating the calories I'm eating. I DO WEIGHT THE FOOD. EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF FOOD. I eat with a piece of paper next to me, I write the food and the exact amount, I look at the calories on calorie.it then I quickly log them here.
And as I said, I do often skip breakfast (I sometimes also mistakenly log the lunch as " breakfast"). I did fail to log a couple a meals, but I didn't overeat (one time I remember I ate a sandwich a beer).
As I said, I restarted logging here only a couple of weeks ago, where, yes, I ate over 1200 calories per day twice. But I also ate less than 900 more than once, especially in the first weeks, where I was even more strict with myself.

If you actually start logging your food accurately and consistently, you'll be able to more easily see why you're not making progress. Quick Add Calories of round numbers, unlogged meals, and long periods of time without logging are not going to cut it.

You're not losing weight because you're not accurately monitoring what you're consuming. Which is kind of the point of the OP.

1princesswarrior

I've been eating around 900 calories (sometimes less) for almost a month, I've done 40 minutes (sometimes up to an hour) of stationary bike every morning before breakfast and in the last week I've done 4 days of the 30 day shred.
I'm also 40 kg overweight.
Haven't lost a pound. So, I guess I'm still eating too much. Will 800 calories do it?

a lot of your calories are quick add calories and most weekend days you don't completely log at all. That makes it extremely difficult to try and help.

sizeblisswechanged

I've been eating around 900 calories (sometimes less) for almost a month, I've done 40 minutes (sometimes up to an hour) of stationary bike every morning before breakfast and in the last week I've done 4 days of the 30 day shred.
I'm also 40 kg overweight.
Haven't lost a pound. So, I guess I'm still eating too much. Will 800 calories do it?

The article actually addresses you specifically:

"So then what about that girl who claims to be “eating 800 calories per day and still isn’t losing weight?” Simple… she’s wrong. In reality, she’s miscalculating, underestimating and/or under-reporting her calorie intake and is consuming more than the 800 or whatever calories she claims to be. (Or, eating 800 calories most days is causing her to binge like crazy on other days, thus creating a wonderful scenario where she’s starving herself with very low calories some days, and then binge eating very high calories on others. In the end, the ‘binge calories’ beat the ‘starvation calories’ and no deficit exists.)"

I noticed you have a significant amount of Quick Added Calories in your food diary. Underestimating is definitely your problem.

likeaslidingrock

I believe I do count calories with a good approximation, and I know I'm eating much less than moths ago, when I was actually losing weight and having the same life, same workout. But I guess these are useless information, if I can't prove it with an accurate daily log on My Fitness Pal.

silken555

Now THIS should be stickied. We'd have something to refer to.

VorJoshigan

I've gained, lost, and maintained, and I've never once wondered why, so maybe I'm not the target market for this.

That said, this is an insulting smug self-satisfied article that irritates more than educates.

The solid and true points like people underestimating consumption and overestimating exertion are lost in the attitude.

jonnythan

I believe I do count calories with a good approximation

No, you don't. If you did, you wouldn't be complaining of zero progress.

and I know I'm eating much less than moths ago, when I was actually losing weight and having the same life, same workout. But I guess these are useless information, if I can't prove it with an accurate daily log on My Fitness Pal.

By all means, continue with the "I'm doing everything right and still not losing" attitude that's been so successful for you. Admitting you messed up would be tough on the ego, so don't bother. Just tell yourself we're all wrong and stupid and Just Don't Understand and continue to fail.

Holly_Roman_Empire

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

Found this interesting article. Gotta say, I agree.

Summary: 99% of the time, when people say they can't lose weight it's simply because they are eating too much and no longer in a calorie deficit. Nothing else. No starvation mode, no thyroid problems,no hormonal imbalances. Just too many calories.

A lot of the time I see people around here making things way too complicated. Quit giving yourselves ulcers from stress, people! :laugh:

Some people just have to have an excuse as to why it's not their fault. Losing weight is simple. It's not easy, but it's simple.

Not easy but simple??? That makes a lot of sense!
And please do not judge unless you have been there with thyroid issues or homornal imbalances - once you've gone through anything health related repost your thread with FACTS!

Simple because weight loss is calories in < calories out. Not a hard concept to compute.
My husband has a thyroid imbalance and he's never been overweight in his life. It should not be used as a crutch.

Deipneus

"6. “But I’m NOT Eating Too Many Calories, I Swear!” Yes, You Are.

I know, I know. You’re counting calories and eating healthy and you know for sure that you’re eating the right amount that you need to eat in order to lose weight. Yet, you’re somehow still not losing weight.

Well, guess what? You’re wrong."

When I see people post this, I'm eating 500 calories, running a mile every day and not losing weight, I want to answer it this way but I don't. I just keep on moving and don't answer them.

LiminalAscendance

Logic dictates that if a person is accurately tracking/logging and at a "deficit" but not losing then they aren't at a deficit. No calculator online is going to give the exact right number and most people will need to tweak up or down to make it fit, but that doesn't change that the answer is "reduce intake."

I did my TDEE and the number to lose a pound a week had be losing more, so I adjusted up. That part was even simpler than the "eat less." Part.

So by your logic you would tell people to eat less than 800 calories because they aren't losing weight and yet they are at a deficit.

I would tell someone to strap weights onto their ankles if they started floating when they left their house.

Doubt it will happen though.