any ideas on why it isn't working this time?

peopletalk

before the summer from about feb to may i have used myfitnesspal every day. i was using 1500 calories a day and on weekends i was eating about 2000 which is my maintenance. it worked great! i was losing about a lb a week and sometimes even 2 lbs. i would have weeks where i didn't lose but then the next week i'd lose about 2 or 3 lbs. this is how i lost the 24 lbs my ticker is showing. to be honest, i was rarely exercising. i have a pretty active job where i'm always on my feet but on my days off i'd do the occasional 30 min walk, sometimes an hour walk.

anyway, summer was a little rough. needless to say i took a break and ate at 2000 every day, maybe a little more. i gained 2 lbs over the summer which isn't awful. i'm not upset about it. i was drinking lots, tons of birthdays, my birthday, always on the patio drinking beer or wine.

before the summer i was 183 lbs, now i am 185.
anyway i've been back on track for about a month. i eat 1500 calories every day, weekends i eat my maintenance. but i haven't lost a single lb. sometimes through the week i see maybe a .5 decrease or a .5 increase. it's odd. i'm about the same kinda active i was before. i work 35-45 hours a week, and i have classes on top of that at night.

why isn't it working the way it was before summer time?


edit: i would also like to add that before summer i would binge drink once a weekend with friends. now that i'm working and have classes all the time, i only have drinks once every 2-3 weeks.

Ninkyou

Are you weighing/measuring all of your food portions? Logging everything everyday consistently?

peopletalk

Are you weighing/measuring all of your food portions? Logging everything everyday consistently?

since i work so much i usually eat extreme pita or tim hortons sandwiches. but i do have most meals at home which i measure by table spoons and tea spoons. i log all of them. some nights my diary is 100-200 cals less than what it should be but yes, i'll admit some nights is 100-200 cals over. not all the time. maybe once a weeknight.

mjharman

The smaller we get, the less food we need, and the more exercise we need to do to burn calories. If you are serious about wanting to lose weight, I would suggest adding additional activity. While you are physically active at work, your body is used to it. You need to surprise it and give it something new. Try weights - the scale may not move at first, but the additional muscle will increase your metabolism so that you burn those calories more efficiently.

This is not an easy journey and adjustments need to be made if we are going to reach our goals. When what we are doing no longer gives us the results we desire, we need to learn from that and kick it up a notch. Otherwise, we will just give up, and that is not an option...at least for me.

By the way - I also work full time, I'm going to school for my MBA and I have a family and a home to take care of. I may not be able to exercise as much as I would like to, but I do manage to work out several hours a week. Just make it a priority - YOU CAN DO IT!

FerretBuellerr

You may need to re-adjust the number of cals per day you have, since your maintenance number will be different now that you've lost 25 pounds (2000 maintenance when you were 25 pounds heavier is more than likely less than 2000 now that you're lighter).

I hope that makes sense.

I find it easiest to calculate my TDEE - 15% and those are the number of cals I eat each day, and re-adjust every 10 pounds lost.

slim4health56

How's your activity level? I gained weight when I was working on my graduate degree due to inactivity. If you're taking "classes all the time" you might not be burning the calories as you were earlier in the year.

JTick

Are you weighing/measuring all of your food portions? Logging everything everyday consistently?

since i work so much i usually eat extreme pita or tim hortons sandwiches. but i do have most meals at home which i measure by table spoons and tea spoons. i log all of them. some nights my diary is 100-200 cals less than what it should be but yes, i'll admit some nights is 100-200 cals over. not all the time. maybe once a weeknight.

Measuring isn't particularly accurate...for anything "dry" (meat, veggies, fruit, etc) you need to weigh in grams or ounces. If I am eating out, I obviously don't carry my scale and will log my Subway sandwich or whatever according to that restaurant's website...but anything at home gets weighed.

Try weighing everything for a few weeks, and I would imagine you'll see some results.

JenSD6

Are you weighing/measuring all of your food portions? Logging everything everyday consistently?

since i work so much i usually eat extreme pita or tim hortons sandwiches. but i do have most meals at home which i measure by table spoons and tea spoons. i log all of them. some nights my diary is 100-200 cals less than what it should be but yes, i'll admit some nights is 100-200 cals over. not all the time. maybe once a weeknight.

What are you eating at Extreme Pita? I've heard that some of their items, such as the pizzas, are listed per serving on the nutrition charts, but they don't tell you that each pizza is more than one serving.

cwolfman13

You lost almost 30 Lbs and never adjusted your calorie goal down. The smaller you are, the less calories required...it's a ***** but it's the truth. Your maintenance is no longer what it was and your cut is apparently no longer a cut.

There is also a fairly good chance you are underestimating your intake.

peopletalk

Alright next week I'll put it at 1400 and start exercising!

Francl27

You can eat more than 1400 calories I'm sure.

The problem is you're eating too much by 1) not weighing your food, 2) eating at a restaurant that is probably not giving you accurate portion sizes and calories, so you're eating more than you think.

Instead of decreasing your goal, start weighing everything and make your own lunches.