Can't figure what I'm doing wrong...

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camilleme73
camilleme73 Posts: 22 Member
in Introduce Yourself
So I have been on mfp for almost a month and I'm feeling good, exercising and eating well (I think) but my scale stopped moving at the beginning of last week and it actually move up 2 lbs today. I don't weigh everyday and I realize weight fluctuates a bit for various reasons but it's really discouraging when it moves up despite all my hard work!! I'm sure I'm doing something wrong but I can't figure out what it is...
I try to stay under 2000 cals because I want to and it's not hard when you're eating healthier things. I watch my fat, salt and sugar... I follow the mfp suggestions for the most part but I'm not having the success I expected. At first I cut carbs to 100 net or less but it was very difficult so I decided to try to stay around 150 which is much more realistic. Anyway, if anyone could give some advice about what I should do differently or another strategy to try I'd appreciate it!! My diary is open and anyone who wants to friend me feel free :smile:

BTW... I do not hate carbs or think they're "bad" it just happens that many of the foods I can't control my portions with are full of carbs so I am trying to cut WAY down on things like pasta, white breads, tortillas, chips, white rice, potatoes (fail) and sugars
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Replies

  • mebepiglet123
    mebepiglet123 Posts: 327 Member
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    You have affair bit to lose, maybe you are it eating enough.... Will be interesting to see what others think.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
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    Could it be close to your time of the month? I always go up a few pounds.
  • brraanndi
    brraanndi Posts: 325 Member
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    Honestly if you're following everything from MFP then it means you are eating over your calories or overestimating your workout burn ( which would be overeating your calories ).

    If you start weighing your food and really watching your calories burned via exercising and the weight isn't dropping off, you need to see a doctor to make sure you don't have thyroid problems or anything.

    Also everyone else could just be a bad time of the month to weigh in.
  • MermaidTX
    MermaidTX Posts: 352 Member
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    So I have been on mfp for almost a month and I'm feeling good, exercising and eating well (I think) but my scale stopped moving at the beginning of last week and it actually move up 2 lbs today. I don't weigh everyday and I realize weight fluctuates a bit for various reasons but it's really discouraging when it moves up despite all my hard work!! I'm sure I'm doing something wrong but I can't figure out what it is...
    I try to stay under 2000 cals because I want to and it's not hard when you're eating healthier things. I watch my fat, salt and sugar... I follow the mfp suggestions for the most part but I'm not having the success I expected. At first I cut carbs to 100 net or less but it was very difficult so I decided to try to stay around 150 which is much more realistic. Anyway, if anyone could give some advice about what I should do differently or another strategy to try I'd appreciate it!! My diary is open and anyone who wants to friend me feel free :smile:

    BTW... I do not hate carbs or think they're "bad" it just happens that many of the foods I can't control my portions with are full of carbs so I am trying to cut WAY down on things like pasta, white breads, tortillas, chips, white rice, potatoes (fail) and sugars

    My scale has *no* concept of my week. :)

    It likes to torture me & not show a loss for a week & a half. But I know I'm good on my daily calories so I just hang in there. Then I get a good "whoosh". My last whoosh was little losses over the course of several days, but it added up to 2+ lbs.

    I just had to hang in there & wait for it!
  • barbaradetz
    barbaradetz Posts: 23 Member
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    You have the right idea about carbs. Try to stick to whole grains and eat more vegetables and fruit. Watch the fat intake. You may have just hit a plateau, which means you have to change things up a little. Eat different foods and vary your exercise routine. Plateaus don't last forever. Be persistent and you will win. I use this formula: two and a half proteins a day, 3 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables, only one dairy and one fat. Simply put, you can have a starch, a fruit and a vegetable at each meal. Stay away from white, sweets and cheese. If you do this, you will definitely win. Measuring your food helps. Stick to serving sizes; a half cup is a serving of vegetables, etc. Keep moving! You will win.
  • MuseofSong
    MuseofSong Posts: 322 Member
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    I say don't worry! I weigh every day. I stay within my weekly range of calorie deficit (meaning if I'm a little over one day, I make it up on other days so it balances out for the week). Some days are ups and some are downs. Sometimes the up trend will carry on for a week or more. Sometimes it's salt, sometimes it's hormones, sometimes it's digestive issues, or whatever. Don't worry about it. It'll go back down as long as you stick with your plan.
  • camilleme73
    camilleme73 Posts: 22 Member
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    Thanx for the feedback so quick. I can't wrap my head around the idea of eating more when I'm satisfied with the amount I've had. I don't want to eat when I'm not hungry, that's how I got fat! Time of the month just said goodbye. Mfp calculates my calories burned so I'm not overestimating my workouts and I only count my hiking, walking, biking, ect. I never count housework or playing with my kids as workouts. I measure/weigh everything even though it's REALLY annoying. So maybe I will see a doctor when my insurance comes through but I've never had a health problem.... UGGGGGGGG super lame. Oh well, I'll just keep on keepin' on. :huh:
  • camilleme73
    camilleme73 Posts: 22 Member
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    Did I mention you all ROCK!!! Thanx again for the helpful words
  • pbrahan
    pbrahan Posts: 107 Member
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    I'd be curious to know how you settled on your daily calorie limit. Can you elaborate?

    I'd suggest doing a quick calculation of your BMR for your current weight and setting your daily limit about 300 calories below that (at least). Then manually enter your calories burned for days you exercise. Eat whatever you want, but log it all. You'll lose if you're doing that.

    Best of luck to you!

    Paula
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    MFP's burns can actually be quite high for some things and may be inaccurate. Keep doing what you are doing!!
  • lifu1
    lifu1 Posts: 10
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    you could be gaining muscle, it weighs more than fat. having more muscles means your body naturally burns more calories so that's a good thing!
  • PhoenixStrikes
    PhoenixStrikes Posts: 587 Member
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    I'd be curious to know how you settled on your daily calorie limit. Can you elaborate?

    I'd suggest doing a quick calculation of your BMR for your current weight and setting your daily limit about 300 calories below that (at least). Then manually enter your calories burned for days you exercise. Eat whatever you want, but log it all. You'll lose if you're doing that.

    Best of luck to you!

    Paula

    300 below BMR? Mine is 1400 something and clearly 1100 calories would be to low. Are you confusing TDEE with BMR?
  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
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    I don't understand why you've been given so many cals to eat a day, tbh.

    You've got on your ticker you want to lose 95lb or so... that's what, 45kg, which is only 10 more than me. My maintenance calorie requirement is something like 2020 cals a day and I'm not that much lighter than you.

    go have a look at the goals page again. Go fill it in again. Make sure you've got all the information correct. Make sure you've told the machine you want to lose weight!

    :) good luck.
  • mrsjustinsummers
    mrsjustinsummers Posts: 1
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    What kinds of exercise are you doing? Cardio is key to fat loss. Walking a on treadmill at a decent incline will work wonders! You don't have to run, just walk. I'd try and start at about 60 minutes a day, you don't even have to add other exercises at this point if you're watching your calories. It's too soon to have hit a plateau. But I do agree with a few of the other ladies....try lowering your calorie intake a bit :) Hope this helps!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    you could be gaining muscle, it weighs more than fat. having more muscles means your body naturally burns more calories so that's a good thing!
    Do you know how hard it is to gain muscle? A body builder (who will not be earing at a deficit and training for hours a day) on a good week would be pushing it to gain a pound a week of muscle. Also muscle does not weigh more than fat it's more dense so takes up less space for the same volume
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    I don't understand why you've been given so many cals to eat a day, tbh.

    You've got on your ticker you want to lose 95lb or so... that's what, 45kg, which is only 10 more than me. My maintenance calorie requirement is something like 2020 cals a day and I'm not that much lighter than you.

    go have a look at the goals page again. Go fill it in again. Make sure you've got all the information correct. Make sure you've told the machine you want to lose weight!

    :) good luck.
    I agree when I started i was a 333 pound 5' 11 man my calorie goal before exercise calories was 1800.. Also mfp calorie burn estimates are normally pretty high I would suggest only eating half those calories back.
  • Bigmitch41
    Bigmitch41 Posts: 73 Member
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    Try an Increase in your cardio excercise
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I'd be curious to know how you settled on your daily calorie limit. Can you elaborate?

    I'd suggest doing a quick calculation of your BMR for your current weight and setting your daily limit about 300 calories below that (at least). Then manually enter your calories burned for days you exercise. Eat whatever you want, but log it all. You'll lose if you're doing that.

    Best of luck to you!

    Paula

    this is a very BAD idea, dont eat below BMR
  • thatbelinda
    thatbelinda Posts: 94 Member
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    I say don't worry! I weigh every day. I stay within my weekly range of calorie deficit (meaning if I'm a little over one day, I make it up on other days so it balances out for the week). Some days are ups and some are downs. Sometimes the up trend will carry on for a week or more. Sometimes it's salt, sometimes it's hormones, sometimes it's digestive issues, or whatever. Don't worry about it. It'll go back down as long as you stick with your plan.

    This is pretty much what I was going to say too. I weigh every day because I like to keep track of how my weight fluctuates. I was 62.3kgs yesterday morning and 64.6kgs this morning. I know I didn't eat 5000 calories yesterday, so it's water/salt/hormones/undisgested food.... something. Tomorrow it'll probably be somewhere between 62 and 63. As long as there's a generally downward slope on a monthly basis, I'm happy :)
  • maryann9wood
    maryann9wood Posts: 75 Member
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    Reset your goals on MFP. I currently weigh 209, 5'5", wanting to lose 1 1/2 pounds per week, and I am set at 1400 calories. I eat most of my exercise calories back, and have lost an average 1 1/4 pounds per week since Jan. I usually am pretty happy with what I can eat (especially if I have those extras to use!). I noticed your creamer in your diary - my husband switched to a low-calorie brand and it really helped. Also, grapes are really high calorie for how much you get to eat, try some other fruits!

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