The Scale Isn't Moving

kimk71

I have been going a little over on my calories consumed however, my workouts negate this and I'm ending on 1200 (my goal) or under. If I'm over, it's by 12-15 calories maybe. My weight hasn't changed at all for about 3 weeks now. Any tips on maybe making sure I'm getting the correct calculations on calories consumed and burned?

PinkCoconut

Why not try bumping up your calories a bit? I know my body absolutely will NOT lose weight if I'm lower than 1300 calories. The moment I bumped it up to 1400 and more the pounds started to come off!

Tedebearduff

I have been going a little over on my calories consumed however, my workouts negate this and I'm ending on 1200 (my goal) or under. If I'm over, it's by 12-15 calories maybe. My weight hasn't changed at all for about 3 weeks now. Any tips on maybe making sure I'm getting the correct calculations on calories consumed and burned?

Well you started off at the magic number of 1200 which is the worst idea ever... unless this is somehow the number the site has given you. Good luck beating a plateau with such low numbers to begin with, soon you will be eating 800 calories a day then 600 ... sigh.

Anyways ... regardless of how little your eating and how unhealthy it is.... the trick is to just stick to it, I don't see the scale drop for about 4 weeks once I begin a cutting phase in my training... everyone is different though just be consistent if nothing changes in 5 weeks I'd say drop your calories a bit but that isn't really a ideal option so increase your cardio by 100 more calorie burn I guess.

AmyRhubarb

Are you netting 1200 or actual cals are 1200?

Hard to offer advice without knowing more about you and without seeing your diary, but 1200 is the absolute lowest recommended intake for women, and honestly, it's too low for most of us.

Eating too little can cause a stall in weight loss, and eventual burn out due to lack of energy and nutrition.

Going over by 12-15 calories won't make a difference one way or the other. You might consider either eating your exercise cals back if you're not already, bringing your NET cals to goal each day, or even better, you could probably up your daily goal. By your ticker to doesn't look like you have a lot to lose, so if you set your loss goal to 2lbs a week when you entered your info at MFP, change it to a half lb a week - this will give your more calories, give you a much more realistic and healthier goal, and probably get your scale moving again in a few weeks.

Good luck!

007Aggie

If the scale isn't moving, you probably don't have a deficit.

Are you weighing all your food with a scale? If there are gram measurements on the label, always use those.

How are you calculating your exercise calories burned? If you are just logging them here, you are likely over estimating.

mrslcoop

Are you weighing and measuring everything you eat? EVERYTHING? I bet you're eating more than you think.

knra_grl

Not an expert here but it also helps to change up your workouts to something different. Sometimes the body quits responding to the same exercise regime. The body needs fuel and if you don't have enough it will store it.

MoreBean13

1200 isn't the right # for you. You're ~15lbs away from goal, you should be eating at a deficit of TDEE-250 cals and shooting for 1/2 lb/wk. You're stalled because 1200 is too low, but be aware that the scale shouldn't be moving fast anyway- if you plan to keep the weight off when you're done, anyway.

QuietBloom

Please open your diary.

Despite posts to the contrary, if you are eating a deficit you will lose weight. If the scale is not budging, it is most likely because you are eating more than you think you are. I learned this the hard way.

WalkingAlong

Any tips on maybe making sure I'm getting the correct calculations on calories consumed and burned?

I would forget trying to estimate calories burned, #1. Pick a reasonable deficit calorie goal and eat that much on average, period.

Then get mean on your food measuring. Try to eat at home, where you control the inputs and know the exact amounts. Count EVERYthing for one day, and see how much has been slipping through the cracks. Coffee cream, bites off your kid's plate, tastes of the dinner while cooking, licking the knife out of the peanut butter jar, estimating an ounce of nuts-- count everything the most precise way for a day and see how off your prior estimates were.

If you overestimate your exercise burn by 50% (easy to do) and underestimate your intake by 25% (trained trackers' typical error when doing it in a lab), you may have no deficit at all.

If it's not that, they maybe it's just a natural plateau and you just need to wait it out. It's never linear for me.

Vicxie86

MFP suggested eating 1830 to lose 1lb a week and after awhile, i reduced it to 1640 for 1.5lbs per week but i was consuming less than 1400kcal. In 2days, i dropped 4lbs :O, i was happy the strategy seemed to be working, another 2lbs after a week and then nothing for 3weeks while my weight fluctuated and i thought it was due to my time of the month. Clearly something wasn't right because it seemed like i had hit plateau at 15lbs loss and 44lbs to go. So, i re-evaluated myself, upped my calories back up to 1700 after Christmas and now trying to eat no less than 1600. My scale is moving again

I don't know if it is because i upped my calorie or not but if i ever hit plateau, i'll drop back down again and go back up when need be.

My advice, try eating more.