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