Not losing ANY weight! Please Help!

Hi,

I've been really dedicated to my fitness regimen for the last 8wks or so (working out 5-7days/wk), but havent seen any weight loss in 3wks! I've gained FOUR POUNDS in the past 3wks, and it's really screwing with my ability to stay motivated...haven't lost inches either. I eat roughly 1500 calories per day, although I'm not always the best at tracking them in MFP. I just did a BMR calculation for the first time today, and it says it's 1781.2...if that helps.

Any advice is certainly appreciated!

Stats:
Female
28yr
220lbs
5'4"

Thanks in advance everyone :-)

Replies

  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Hi,

    I've been really dedicated to my fitness regimen for the last 8wks or so (working out 5-7days/wk), but havent seen any weight loss in 3wks! I've gained FOUR POUNDS in the past 3wks, and it's really screwing with my ability to stay motivated...haven't lost inches either. I eat roughly 1500 calories per day, although I'm not always the best at tracking them in MFP. I just did a BMR calculation for the first time today, and it says it's 1781.2...if that helps.

    Any advice is certainly appreciated!

    Stats:
    Female
    28yr
    220lbs
    5'4"

    Thanks in advance everyone :-)

    Get better at it, and make sure you are weighing/measuring foods. Weight loss is a function of diet, not exercise.
  • AniaFi
    AniaFi Posts: 18
    Hi! I agree with the person above. I think you might be underweighing/undervalueing the food you eat or forget about some little diet "sins" you have during the day. Besides, the daily total calorie intake is not everything you should track - check if your diet is well balanced, if you eat carbs, fats, protein in good proportion. You should also check if your meals are well planned during the day - if you eat 4-5 meals every three-four hours. Also check if you get yourself well hydrated (with water, not coke, etc.).
    And don't be sad. Sometimes you just have to modify your plan a little in order to make the most of your efforts.
    Good luck! I believe in you :)
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
    Well, if you are gaining weight, you are consuming more calories then you are burning. You admit to not being a good tracking your calories. That is your problem. Please take that very seriously and you will see a difference.
  • unamoss
    unamoss Posts: 28 Member
    Hi Keshana! I agree with some of the previous comments... While you THINK you are intaking 1500, little bits and pieces throughout the day can sure quickly add up! I once went through Costco and when I added up my "sampling" I had added 150 calories to my day. I was bummed, dinner was spartan that night and I wasn't happy because it wasn't worth it.

    I was in the same position as you when I first started. I lost quickly but then had to adjust my calorie intake upward because I stalled. I've been cruising at 1500 for about 5 weeks now and so far so good.

    As a relative newbie myself, here is a short list of some helpful hints that might help you acheive success.

    1. Measure every single thing you put into your mouth. Everything. If you don't own a food scale, a couple of sets of measuring cups should do. My husband thinks I'm a nut job every morning when I measure my cereal and weigh my blueberries, but it is a must.

    2. Eat a good breakfast. Try not to skimp on a meal that is designed to start your day. I was a notorious breakfast skipper pre-MFP and it was one of the first changes I made.

    3. Plan your day. If you know you are going out in the evening or there is a special event, eat accordingly so you can enjoy going out. Yes, part of the joy is the company you keep, but let's face it, parties etc., are more fun when you can be a part of a little social dining.

    4. Exercise every day, even if it's a quick walk around the block. I thought I was hot stuff walking my dogs every day for a very leisurely 1/2 mile (they stop every 5 feet for a sniff). I pushed myself and now I typically log 3.5 - 4 miles a day walking and I'm looking for ways to make my exercise time count/burn more.

    5. Drink you water. I'm bad, I could do better, but EVERYBODY on this site agrees that more water can only help you.

    6. Not all calories are created equal. MFP is excellent in giving folks flexibility to eat the foods they enjoy, but let's face it, 300 calories eating a grilled chicken breast is not the same as eating a 300 calorie piece of cake. Try to pay attention to the macros and be sure to eat a healthy, balanced diet. I quit fast food and eat a lot more fruits and veggies now. I still may be fat, but I'm a pretty "healthy" fat lady, lol. My skin and mood improved and a whole host of other lovely benefits!

    7. And my final biggie suggestion. Before you reach to eat ask yourself are you truly hungry or are you bored/tired/lonely/frustrated etc. Everytime I think I'm hungry and it's not a good time for a meal or snack or I don't have a lot of calories left in my day, I self check. I drink a big glass of water and I go DO something to take my mind off of my perceived hunger. 9 times out of 10 I'm not really that hungry or the distraction has taken me an hour closer to the time where it IS a good time to eat (like dinner).

    Best of luck to you. Stay faithful to the plan, stay mindful of what you eat. You can do this!!!

    PS Friend me if you would like some support.
  • Docpremie
    Docpremie Posts: 228 Member
    Like the posters above noted, you need to weigh, measure & log all your food, drinks & snacks. Everything should be weighed on a scale, unless it is a liquid, then measure by volume. You need to be consistent to know your true calorie intake to make adjustments.

    That said, if your BMR is really that high, then you're not eating enough (again, make sure of your actually calorie intake!) You are on the shorter side at 5-4, but with your weight, age & activity level, I suspect that BMR is fairly accurate. You should be eating between your BMR & TDEE. How did you set up your MFP account? You need to pick an accurate activity level. Too many folks pick "sedentary" when they are actually lightly active or even more. Also set your goal to lose no more than 1 pound/week to achieve a sustainable weight loss. Plateaus, inadequate intake & hunger are the biggest cause for people to quit. View this as a lifestyle change, not a diet. You need to find a happy medium between eating too much & dieting, so you can live with it for life! After finding your actually calorie goal, then eat back exercise calories. I'm not sure how you are measuring your exercise calories? If using MFP then most folks find their calories burns high & thus eat back 1/2-2/3 of the actual calorie burn. Other methods of measuring vary in accuracy depending on the device.

    If you prefer a more constant daily calorie goal, then you can switch to the TDDE-deficit method. The following I just posted in another thread:

    "If you let MFP set your calories, then yes, you eat back exercise calories. I decided to use the TDEE method mostly, because I didn't like the constantly changing calorie goal. ... If you want a more constant calorie goal, then I'd switch to the TDEE-deficit method & self-set your calorie & macro goals. For protein, ensure you are getting AT LEAST 1 gram/pound lean body mass--for most women that's 100-125 grams/day. Your fat should be set at 0.4 grams/pound of lean body mass. Carbs are whatever is left. Disconnect your FitBit from your MFP account, so it doesn't make adjustments to your calorie goal. Then meet your calorie goal most every day!!! If after 3-4 weeks, you're not losing then adjust your daily calorie goal by 100 calories & watch for another 3-4 weeks. You may need more calories or less calories, it can be a little trial & error from the TDEE-deficit calculation. If you need to lose >20 pounds, set your deficit at TDEE-20%. If your need to lose 10-20 pounds, then TDEE-10 to 15%, and once you're down to <10 pounds to lose, set your goal to TDEE-5-10%.

    Meeting your macros, especially protein, is very important! You want to lose fat not muscle (lean body mass), so protein intake is very important. The more lean body mass you lose, the lower your BMR will be. That's where folks get lost in the "starvation mode" idea. It's not so much borderline/low calories cause "starvation," as it robs you of your lean body mass, and as the lean body mass drops, so does your BMR (i.e. daily basal calorie burn). Resistance training/heavy lifting is also essential for maintaining lean body mass/muscle as well. The combination really does work. Just look at my ticker! :)"

    Hope this helps! Good luck!!!
  • crispiecat
    crispiecat Posts: 3 Member
    I'm still learning a lot about health and nutrition, and I may be in the wrong for some of this, but I just wanted to put it out for consideration:

    You may also need to re-evaluate your BMR. The tool on MFP is really helpful, but you have to be more than honest with yourself about what your BMR is. It's easy to miscalculate. Considering that you're struggling to lose weight, eating to suit your current BMR might not be working if it's calculated incorrectly. 1781 BMR definitely seems higher than the average woman, but then again I don't really know your occupation or lifestyle outside of your normal exercise routine.

    I'm a 22yo student [sedentary lifestyle] who works out at least six days a week. If you factor in my exercise routine, my BMR is close to 1700. However, my BMR is inherently about 1469 (otherwise know as my RMR or 'resting metabolic rate.')

    Along with being diligent about your what you consume, your calorie deficit might not be enough to meet your weight loss goals. I would recommend re-evaluating your BMR under the premise that you live a sedentary lifestyle, just to calculate your RMR and gauge how many calories your body burns naturally if you sit around doing nothing all day. I based my calories deficit off of my RMR, and consume about 1350 calories a day. This is an amount that usually leaves me satisfied at the end of the day and I'm currently losing about 0.75 pounds per week if I stick to it. (Everyone is different--I'm just using myself as an example.)

    Summary: I agree with all statements about being diligent in measuring your food intake, but you may also need to reassess your calorie deficit as you progress through your weight loss. The calorie deficit that you're implementing now might not be enough.
  • Make sure you weigh food and log everythin. Electric scales are well worth it. Also, are you logging pasta accurately? I learnt that I was weighing dry pasta and logging cooked pasta. Making a 200 calorie lunch into a 450 calorie lunch :sad:
    Good luck and hope you solve your problem soon
  • subsonicbassist
    subsonicbassist Posts: 117 Member
    Find out your true BMR and TDEE at IIFYM.com, and NEVER eat under your BMR... that is the amount your body needs to survive! You will get there, girl. Keep up the hard work (5-7days a week working out is not easy, I did it too!!!)
  • GrannyGwen1
    GrannyGwen1 Posts: 213 Member
    :flowerforyou:
  • Thanks so much to everyone who posted with the intention to help; I'll definitely take a lot of your advice to heart. To those who inquired about my "general lifestyle", my job requires me to be standing and/or walking 4-6hr per day, and with 30-60 minutes of exercise per day, I'm not the least bit sedentary. My BMR is high because I'm fat!...that'ss the long & short of it. At 5'4", 220lbs is obviously obese.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I'm still learning a lot about health and nutrition, and I may be in the wrong for some of this, but I just wanted to put it out for consideration:

    You may also need to re-evaluate your BMR. The tool on MFP is really helpful, but you have to be more than honest with yourself about what your BMR is. It's easy to miscalculate. Considering that you're struggling to lose weight, eating to suit your current BMR might not be working if it's calculated incorrectly. 1781 BMR definitely seems higher than the average woman, but then again I don't really know your occupation or lifestyle outside of your normal exercise routine.

    I'm a 22yo student [sedentary lifestyle] who works out at least six days a week. If you factor in my exercise routine, my BMR is close to 1700. However, my BMR is inherently about 1469 (otherwise know as my RMR or 'resting metabolic rate.')

    Along with being diligent about your what you consume, your calorie deficit might not be enough to meet your weight loss goals. I would recommend re-evaluating your BMR under the premise that you live a sedentary lifestyle, just to calculate your RMR and gauge how many calories your body burns naturally if you sit around doing nothing all day. I based my calories deficit off of my RMR, and consume about 1350 calories a day. This is an amount that usually leaves me satisfied at the end of the day and I'm currently losing about 0.75 pounds per week if I stick to it. (Everyone is different--I'm just using myself as an example.)

    Summary: I agree with all statements about being diligent in measuring your food intake, but you may also need to reassess your calorie deficit as you progress through your weight loss. The calorie deficit that you're implementing now might not be enough.

    i think you have confused BMR with TDEE
  • I find that if I hit a plateau I need to switch up my routine. I started off in the gym and hit a plateau so I started doing yoga, then Hip Hop Abs, then Leslie Sandsone's walk away the pounds, then back to moving weights... see the pattern? Switching up my routine, keeps it fun and helps me stay motivated too. You'll get back on track, don't get discourages.
  • royaldrea
    royaldrea Posts: 259 Member
    Log everything you eat, no matter how small and no matter how tedious it can be. I'm pretty bad at this but getting better...I figure that if you're logging you need to do it right or you'll end up hurting your progress in the long run.

    Also, invest in a food scale. After a good while you'll be able to measure more accurately without it (but not for a long while - you're not weight loss Jesus so just weigh whenever you can). And don't pay attention to anyone who laughs at you for doing it or thinks you're crazy.

    Exercise honestly isn't that important to weight loss, but it's good for you and usually speeds up the process. You'll (hopefully) soon begin to enjoy it and you'll be that much healthier for it.

    Lastly, don't get discouraged! Just remember, everything in moderation, setbacks are a part of life, winners never quit blah blah blah. All of these adages are true.
  • I increased my caloric intake based on my BMR this week, and did not eat back any exercise calories...lost 2lbs! I hope to keep moving in the right direction!

    Thanks for all of the help and advice!