beating a dead horse but what am I doing wrong?

RachelGrace1

I am 23, a female, 5'4 and 150 lbs with a goal weight of 125. My activity level is active, as I am a student who also works at a restaurant serving about 32 hrs per week. I was eating about 1200 cals per day and it was not manageable. I was losing, but I'd be super hungry on the weekends after working a double or whatever that I would binge. I have been eating about 1500 cals and lost 2 lbs right away, then gained it back, and now nothing for almost a month. I work out, running or elliptical or stair stepper or something, about 4xs a week and always eat my cals back. Sometimes I go over, but sometimes I'm over. I'm just not sure what to do now. I feel good, not hungry, not deprived. I am active and rarely get to be lazy. The only thing I can think of is coffee or soda, I do drink coffee with cream and splenda daily, and my work has cone cups, which I drink soda more often than water. But could that stop weight loss for a month?

Mokey41

Coffee with cream or soda isn't stopping your weight loss if you're staying in budget.

Hornsby

I am 23, a female, 5'4 and 150 lbs with a goal weight of 125. My activity level is active, as I am a student who also works at a restaurant serving about 32 hrs per week. I was eating about 1200 cals per day and it was not manageable. I was losing, but I'd be super hungry on the weekends after working a double or whatever that I would binge. I have been eating about 1500 cals and lost 2 lbs right away, then gained it back, and now nothing for almost a month. I work out, running or elliptical or stair stepper or something, about 4xs a week and always eat my cals back. Sometimes I go over, but sometimes I'm over. I'm just not sure what to do now. I feel good, not hungry, not deprived. I am active and rarely get to be lazy. The only thing I can think of is coffee or soda, I do drink coffee with cream and splenda daily, and my work has cone cups, which I drink soda more often than water. But could that stop weight loss for a month?

Are you logging the coffee/cream and soda when you log? Still staying below your calories?

RachelGrace1

Yes but if I'm not tracking it, I could be unintentionally going over, but I don't see how that would be enough to stall weight loss or cause weight gain

RachelGrace1

I am 23, a female, 5'4 and 150 lbs with a goal weight of 125. My activity level is active, as I am a student who also works at a restaurant serving about 32 hrs per week. I was eating about 1200 cals per day and it was not manageable. I was losing, but I'd be super hungry on the weekends after working a double or whatever that I would binge. I have been eating about 1500 cals and lost 2 lbs right away, then gained it back, and now nothing for almost a month. I work out, running or elliptical or stair stepper or something, about 4xs a week and always eat my cals back. Sometimes I go over, but sometimes I'm over. I'm just not sure what to do now. I feel good, not hungry, not deprived. I am active and rarely get to be lazy. The only thing I can think of is coffee or soda, I do drink coffee with cream and splenda daily, and my work has cone cups, which I drink soda more often than water. But could that stop weight loss for a month?

Are you logging the coffee/cream and soda when you log? Still staying below your calories?

no but this next week I will switch to black coffee and no soda and see if there's a difference

PikaKnight

Log everything and everyday. Invest in a food scale if you don't have one and use for everything (or as much as possible). Do for 4-6 weeks and see how that goes.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

alanlmarshall

Soda is sugar water, it can add up fast.
Do you log everything? Do you use a food scale?

Julzanne72

I might suggest making your diary public so people can see what you are eating. If you are working out and have an active lifestyle, you may not be eating enough?? Do you eat back your exercise calories?

Serah87

Are you weighing (food scale) everything you put in your mouth?

Myhaloslipped

Well I personally think beating up a dead horse is a pretty messed up thing to do. No, lol, just kidding. But like others said, you should open up your diary.

Ang108

Yes but if I'm not tracking it, I could be unintentionally going over, but I don't see how that would be enough to stall weight loss or cause weight gain

If you are not tracking anything, I would bet that you eat and drink a lot more calories than you imagine. it is necessary to weigh and measure everything and log it to stay within a calorie deficit. If you start doing that and stay within your calorie deficit, I am sure you will lose.

Rilke

So you are logging neither the cream in your coffee nor the soda you drink daily?

Most likely you are underestimating your intake -- food as well as the unlogged drink calories.

Mr_Knight

I work out, running or elliptical or stair stepper or something, about 4xs a week and always eat my cals back.

How much are you eating back? From what I can tell, you are running a fairly small deficit to begin with, between the soda, the creamer and (potentially) over-eating exercise cals, it really wouldn't take much to knock that deficit to zero.

RachelGrace1

The soda I would drink on a shift would probably equal out to one can, or like 150 cals. And creamer, maybe 100, which is why I like staying under my goal so that I have some cushion. I do have a food scale which I use. I'll try cutting all extra out this week, but I just don't understand how everyone tells everyone to eat more to lose weight, and I do and it works the first week and stops. I've done online calculators, and my BMR amounts to between 1300 and 1500 cals about, so theoretically I should be fine. I wish weight loss was cut and dry

j6o4

Once you get more fit, you will burn less calories doing the same exercise. So maybe you have to up the intensity of you workout to recompensate the lack of calories you are burning for being more fit.

RachelGrace1

Yes but if I'm not tracking it, I could be unintentionally going over, but I don't see how that would be enough to stall weight loss or cause weight gain

If you are not tracking anything, I would bet that you eat and drink a lot more calories than you imagine. it is necessary to weigh and measure everything and log it to stay within a calorie deficit. If you start doing that and stay within your calorie deficit, I am sure you will lose.

Not the soda, but that can't amount to more than one can per day

Brianf2fusa

There could be a number of issues

1. Since you eat back your workout cals, are your workouts EFFECTIVE?

A lot of people will answer yes but usually is not the case.
Get OFF the elliptical - Study up on HIIT Cardio - Use treadmill
Are you lifting weights? Lifting weights is almost as important as Cardio in the beginning stages as your fat cells will release all the water and toxic crap its been holding onto.

2. How often are you eating?
You might have read here that how often you eat doesn't matter as long as you hit your goal. That might be true for most, however for people like myself, My body responds to eating 5 meals a day.

3. Clean Eating
Eating clean is the best way to lose weight without even stepping foot in a gym. But combining the two will equal amazing results. Suger = Fat / Some Carbs = Fat. Read the labels for everything.

Calories isn't the only number you should watch on MFP - Fats / Carbs / Protein

RachelGrace1

Once you get more fit, you will burn less calories doing the same exercise. So maybe you have to up the intensity of you workout to recompensate the lack of calories you are burning for being more fit.

I use a heart rate monitor, and subtract 10 cals per 10 mins to compensate for cals I would burn laying in bed doing nothing

kgreenRDLDN

Soda is just sugar water and empty calories. When I was waitressing I drank soda (diet because I'm diabetic) during my entire shift. You are probably drinking more soda than you realize. Log everything that enters your mouth so that you are accurate in caloric intake.

RachelGrace1

I work out, running or elliptical or stair stepper or something, about 4xs a week and always eat my cals back.

How much are you eating back?

Depends how hungry I am, but I never net below 1200. Because I drink coffee and some soda, I like to leave some cals as a cushion. But maybe this is bad, idk

imogen__may

Well to the same question we give the same response! Measure and log everything, every. Single. Thing. that passes your lips. Measure your foods, always. Without exception! That should get things moving

BITEME_GRRR

I had the same problem. You are eating too little. Eat like 1800 cals and let your body get back to normal just excersice more.

Squamation

What other measurements are you using to track progress?

Weight means NOTHING.

Are you tape measurements down? Up?

How about progress photos- see any difference?

Mr_Knight

Depends how hungry I am, but I never net below 1200. Because I drink coffee and some soda, I like to leave some cals as a cushion. But maybe this is bad, idk

The "net" is what I'm asking about - how are you figuring out your exercise burn? You're probably not working with a big deficit to begin with, so if you're eating back exercise, the burn estimate needs to be spot on to avoid eating into it.

Plus if you are already using "active" in your settings, you may well be eating the exercise calories twice.

RachelGrace1

What other measurements are you using to track progress?

Weight means NOTHING.

Are you tape measurements down? Up?

How about progress photos- see any difference?

I quickly measure my waist and hips after I weigh myself to see if there's any change, but nothing substantial

Francl27

1500 seems too little for your activity. I'm 149 lbs and I've been losing great at 1600, I'm nowhere as active as you are and 11 years older (and just 1 inch taller). But you should still be losing, I'd think.

Do you weigh and log all your food?

BarbellApprentice

I am 23, a female, 5'4 and 150 lbs with a goal weight of 125. My activity level is active, as I am a student who also works at a restaurant serving about 32 hrs per week. I was eating about 1200 cals per day and it was not manageable. I was losing, but I'd be super hungry on the weekends after working a double or whatever that I would binge. I have been eating about 1500 cals and lost 2 lbs right away, then gained it back, and now nothing for almost a month. I work out, running or elliptical or stair stepper or something, about 4xs a week and always eat my cals back. Sometimes I go over, but sometimes I'm over. I'm just not sure what to do now. I feel good, not hungry, not deprived. I am active and rarely get to be lazy. The only thing I can think of is coffee or soda, I do drink coffee with cream and splenda daily, and my work has cone cups, which I drink soda more often than water. But could that stop weight loss for a month?

You are simply not creating a calorie deficit. Log everything. Weigh and measure your food.

RachelGrace1

So I should be eating at 1200 cals? I was absolutely exhausted doing this, and it was horrible. If my BMR is 1400 then how can I eat lower than that? I had the understanding that this was a big no no

kgreenRDLDN

So I should be eating at 1200 cals? I was absolutely exhausted doing this, and it was horrible. If my BMR is 1400 then how can I eat lower than that? I had the understanding that this was a big no no

If you are too tired and feel horrible at 1200 calories then do not eat 1200 calories. the starting point is to log everything including coffee whether its black or not, and all soda in your food log. This will give a better idea of what you are taking in and where you need to change.

RachelGrace1

Black coffee won't be anything but I'll cut out soda completely and start again I suppose. Should my activity be active and eat back exercise cals? I've posted about this before and everyone said I should be active because I am a student and server but idk

princesshoagie

Taking a look at your diary, I think you might be underestimating your calories. Yesterday you logged a chicken fajita egg white omelet but you said it had completely 0 calories, and 0 nutrition. How is that possible? Even egg whites have calories. The same with the sweet potato fries, you put down you ate them but they have 0 calories attributed. Again, sweet potatoes have calories. Some days it looks like you either aren't eating enough or you aren't logging everything you eat. Not eating enough will slow your metabolism waaaaaaaaaaaay down and you won't lose weight because your body will hold onto everything you eat. Not logging everything means you are probably underestimating how much you are actually eating. You need to be realistic and make sure you are tracking every single thing that passes your lips. Are you drinking enough water too? You don't show it in the log, but I never log my water either. I'm all for everything in moderation and sometimes that means junk food and ice cream, but maybe you could try cooking more food at home and eating real, unprocessed food. If you like bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches at McDonald's, you can make the same thing at home with low sodium bacon, fry your own eggs, throw a slice of cheese on there and put it on an english muffin for a fraction of the calories. You can do that with lots of restaurant foods, take what you like and find a recipe to cook it for yourself at home with healthier cooking methods. You'll save calories and still get to eat yummy things without it feeling like a "diet."