Not losing and even gaining!

bac219

I am sticking to my calorie intake...MFP says to eat 1330 cals to lose 2lbs a week (goal is 70lbs this year) or 1570 cals to lose 1.5lbs/. I have been going no lower and no higher than those two numbers. Lost 3lbs first 10 days. Weighed myself today and I am up 4lbs?????? I know water weight, sodium, time of day, etc...can all factor in but with the decrease in calories I thought the scale would at least maintain NOT go up.

Very discouraged. Other than eating like a rabit or eating nothing but protein all day...I simply can't seem to lose any significant weight.

I_Will_End_You

If you aren't losing, you're eating too much. Watch your portions. You may need to invest in a food scale if you aren't losing. "1 sandwich" is not going to give you an accurate calorie count. Maybe add some workouts to increase (or create) your deficit.

970Mikaela1

Yep. What she said^.

bac219

I have been using a scale and scanning bar codes. I thought I was being very thorough. I don't eat anything past 7pm and I walk about 45 minutes 3 days a week.

dangerousdumpling

I know water weight, sodium, time of day, etc...can all factor in but with the decrease in calories I thought the scale would at least maintain NOT go up.

All of those factors CAN cause the scale to go up. We all wish the scale would steadily go down. Weight loss would be so much less frustrating.

I_Will_End_You

I have been using a scale and scanning bar codes. I thought I was being very thorough. I don't eat anything past 7pm and I walk about 45 minutes 3 days a week.

Well if you truly feel that your logging is accurate, then give it a little more time. It looks like you've only been logging since the 7th.

R3dVamp

I have been using a scale and scanning bar codes. I thought I was being very thorough. I don't eat anything past 7pm and I walk about 45 minutes 3 days a week.

It sounds like your diet is under control. Perhaps changing one of you walks for some weights one day a week. You don't even need to be a gym member, there are plenty of ideas and suggestions on the internet, some as simple as carrying two full water bottels with walking and swinging your arms with them, or shortening you walk with adding some ankle weights.
Some sound silly, but I have found including weights one day a week to be more beneficial than endless cardio, which can get pretty boring.

betreich

Had a bit of a look at your food diary, and note you go over your target Kjs more often than not, way over your fat macro (although that seems to be set quite low?) and over on sodium - lots of processed food. A combination of all of this is probably having a negative effect on your efforts, sadly.

Zoejohnse91

Time of the month?

A whole stone goes on when its my time terrifying and it will only last a few days then slowly back to where I was.

I only officially weigh every other week to accommodate my T.O.M and my Ovulation.

4lbs will come back off if your as vigilante as you say you are

SkaterGirl704

Drop cardio and do strength training. That is what worked for me. If youu have to do cardio do only 15-20 minutes each.
Trust me lifting weight really helps, it did for me. Plus side makes you look toned and you burn calories while sitting around. It ups your metabolism. Try cooking more. I found out that when I cooked more at home and not eat boxed, cans, or restaurant foods I saw a difference. I try not to cook with any butter or oils, I also avoid frying of foods.

Debbie_Ferr

Be sure to log everything: all drinks, snacks, desserts, nibbling while cooking dinner for others, etc.
Even butter/oil when cooking.
they do add up !
btw ~ I noticed Sunday you skipped lunch.

Weigh / measure accurately. Monday's cereal was 1/2 cup. If you're eye-balling/guestimating, you might be off. A 1/2 of a measuring cup of cereal is a pretty small amount.

Also, fiber is absolutely wonderful ~ it moves things along, and absorbs cholestrol in your food. It helps you feel full/satisfied.

My suggesion is if not diabetic/pre-diabetic ~ stop tracking sugar.
And track fiber instead.

Looks like you've got some good habits. Keep it up & you'll see progress soon enough.

btw~ One's weight can fluctuate 2-3 pounds during any given day, so don't freak out with the scale.
Heck, if you just drank a pint of water, it's a pound. And if you haven't peed or pooped much, that could easily be another pound. Add onto that sodium/water retention... well, you get the picture.

My suggestion is weigh yourself at the same time of day (no clothes).

And be sure to do measurements, too.

gigglesinthesun

2 things:

firstly weight does fluctuates during your monthly cycle. I started weighing myself daily and logging it in an app and it has done wonders for my self-esteem, because I realised that my weight goes up 1-2 lbs during ovulation and 3-4lbs during TOM, but overall I am losing.

secondly it might be good if you actually start weighing everything, measuring only the liquids to get a better ideas of your calorie intake, double check the entries, itemised logging etc etc

bac219

Everyone's suggestions have been wonderful. I truly appreciate it. Sadly, I always thought I knew a lot about healthy eating and exercise. I was a healthy weight, even underweight according to some people, most of my adult life. 7 yrs ago I went off birth control and even though my doctors say its not to blame, that's when everything changed for me. I gained 30lbs in 2yrs. 5 more years later and another 45lbs were added. I am now 244lbs when I was 167 before I stopped the pill. My eating habits didn't change much. I don't eat a lot of bad foods (although I could less processed foods). I always exercised (sometimes more, sometimes less but I always get in at least 3 days). But for whatever reason, no matter what, I just have gained and gained these past few years. I tried Medifast in desperation, will NEVER do that again as it is VERY LOW on the calories. Yes, I lost 32lbs but gained it ALL BACK and then some when I stopped.

I had all the blood work done...I am not pre-diabetic, not PCOS, etc...I set my goals to watch carbs but find it hard to get a lot more protein in. I think carbs may what I need to watch...I set it for 100grams. Maybe I need to do less? but then that kicks up the fat and protein percentages. I get confused as to if I should watch sugars more or fat more. Seems to be varying 'studies' out there.

I know I am older. I know metabolism changes. I know I was bound to put on a few as time crept along. BUT...to gain as much as I did, WHEN EXERCISING AND WATCHING WHAT I EAT, I couldn't even MAINTAIN my weight. It was and is very confusing to me. After punching in the numbers and seeing I need to do 1320 to lose 2lbs, 1570 to lose 1lb and 1850 to lose 1lb per week...I have set myself to do no less than 1320 and no more than 1570. Do I need to stick to ONE number and stick with it? Meaning always do 1320 OR always do 1570 or can I fluctuate between the two?

eldamiano

I have been using a scale and scanning bar codes. I thought I was being very thorough. I don't eat anything past 7pm and I walk about 45 minutes 3 days a week.

Underneath your calorie goal AND doing exercise? You would be losing weight then. Time to get tough I think.

dangerousdumpling

Do I need to stick to ONE number and stick with it? Meaning always do 1320 OR always do 1570 or can I fluctuate between the two?

Sticking to one specific number everyday can be pretty tough and not necessary anyway. A range is fine. You could even go up to 1800 once a week for a mental break from dieting and to eat something you might feel is off limits if you're eating 1300-1500 calories.

cwolfman13

I am sticking to my calorie intake...MFP says to eat 1330 cals to lose 2lbs a week (goal is 70lbs this year) or 1570 cals to lose 1.5lbs/. I have been going no lower and no higher than those two numbers. Lost 3lbs first 10 days. Weighed myself today and I am up 4lbs?????? I know water weight, sodium, time of day, etc...can all factor in but with the decrease in calories I thought the scale would at least maintain NOT go up.

Very discouraged. Other than eating like a rabit or eating nothing but protein all day...I simply can't seem to lose any significant weight.

- You need to make sure you're weighing in on the same day, same time, and roughly the same conditions. It makes a huge difference if you're comparing a weigh in that occurred first thing in the morning to an afternoon weigh in. When you take in food and beverage, those things have weight...if you eat a pound of food, you're going to weigh roughly a pound more on the scale.

- Water retention can absolutely mask losses. You also have to consider other waste in your system...you may have more or less waste in your system than your last weigh in, etc. Both of these things are huge factors in normal weight fluctuations and can mask any scale loss. When you think about safe weight loss being anywhere from 0.5 to 2 Lbs per week...and daily, natural fluctuations on average being 3-5 Lbs per week...well, you do the math. It's pretty easy to see how those fluctuations can mask fat loss.

- Remember, this isn't linear...you don't lose exactly X Lbs per week. Your weight loss is a general trend over a much longer period of time. You will have weeks with larger losses, smaller losses, no losses, and even small gains like this due to natural body weight fluctuations. You really have to get your head into the long view...big picture....get out of the minutia of day to day and week to week. This is about months and months and ultimately years, not a handful of days or weeks.

- make sure you're being as precise as possible with your intake. I highly recommend a foods scale. You don't have to carry it around every where you go, but I would recommend weighing out most things and using measuring cups/spoons for anything else. I would also suggest limiting your dining out while you're trying to lose. In my experience, it is much harder to be accurate when you're dining out a lot.

lavaughan69

I would be careful with the items you are selecting from the database. There are a ton of inaccurate numbers in there. I've even found that when I've done a bar scan it might show up differently than what's printed on the packaging. As tempting as it might be to pick the one that gives us the least amount of calories the inaccuracies can really add up. For this reason I generally eat under my calories for the day to allow some wiggle room. Beware of just selecting generic this or generic that. If you are having a salad that you made then take the time to really measure and log all the ingredients in the salad. Are you using measuring spoons for your butter and salad dressing? I weigh and measure absolutely everything. My family laughs at me because I've started eating things from my measuring cups instead of bowls.

We're practically the same age and I'm not on birth control, and haven't been in a very very long time. My weight gain was from over eating/drinking. I'm not a very energetic person so I'm only walking for a 1/2 hour three times a week. I do find that my weight fluctuates through out the month and I really only have one good weigh in a month which ultimately results on average to about 4 lbs. I'm okay with a slow steady loss.

Good luck and don't give up!

theavey421

Can anyone recommend a reliable food scale? i think that will help my weight loss.

bac219

Thank you again everyone. It is a little frustrating because I feel (other than some processed items) that I am eating within my limit and that my measuring has been pretty accurate. I sometimes even log a higher serving amount if I am not 100% sure. Maybe I need to really focus on carbs and protein. Not sure what to set my fats and sugars at. I know I shouldn't obsess over daily or weekly weigh ins but rather the overall result after consistent weeks and even months but if the scale would budge just a little more it might be more encouraging. Right now, I feel unless I do something like NS or JG (which I don't want to do) I might not have any success.

laney4818

Thank you again everyone. It is a little frustrating because I feel (other than some processed items) that I am eating within my limit and that my measuring has been pretty accurate. I sometimes even log a higher serving amount if I am not 100% sure. Maybe I need to really focus on carbs and protein. Not sure what to set my fats and sugars at. I know I shouldn't obsess over daily or weekly weigh ins but rather the overall result after consistent weeks and even months but if the scale would budge just a little more it might be more encouraging. Right now, I feel unless I do something like NS or JG (which I don't want to do) I might not have any success.

I know exactly how you feel. I get to where I think I can only lose if I do NS or something like that. Deep inside, I know It's really not true!

I've come to the realization that it's 1) going to come off very slowly, 2) going to show a gain from time to time even when I'm trying to lose, 3) going to take effort to truely count every single little calorie I put in my mouth; and 4) going to take effort to move more!

Just keep at it. Try not to be so impatient and don't let one or two weigh ins ruin your day or your resolve to keep at it! East healthy foods most of the time.

KetosisTina

Looking at your food diary my biggest suggestion would be to cut the carbs. My husband was 305 and is now 220. He removed sugar and grains from his diet. It was hard at first but now we are very use to eating this way. We do not have to count calories. We eat as much eggs meat and cheese as we like. We eat healthy fats (avocados, coconut oil etc) We do not eat bread, pasta, or sugar. We will have occasional fruit but only berries or citrus. Low carb works. Hubby lost 85 lbs and has kept it off for years.

04ward

The scales is not an accurate measure of weight loss in the beginning. Did you measure? Measure under your breasts, at the smallest part of your waist, just below your belly button and your hips and thighs. I think you'll be pleased in a week if you keep it up and remeasure. I have a "Note Keeping" app on my phone and I put the date and the measurements and it is encouraging to see those numbers going down even if the scales doesn't move like I think it should. Yesterday, I got on the scales and it showed I gained .4 so I got off and then got back on and it was at .2 (and I have a quality scales!) Don't get discouraged. I did that last year when I started this and then I ended up gaining back all I had lost plus another 10#. I'm determined to keep at it this time. When I'm hungry, I though some frozen broccoli in the microwave with just a little water and you can eat 2 whole cups for just 50 calories! Add just a little bit of low sodium soy sauce and it's delicious. I also throw in a few baby carrots to cook because they are also pretty low in calories and filling. Also, give this a read. It's long but print it out and study it. Good luck! Stay Positive! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1017045-a-very-interesting-and-informational-read-on-deficits

bac219

CARBS! That's my biggest dilemma. I know cutting them will probably work (anyone I know who did that lost weight, quick). I just didn't want to have to cut out things I really like. I thought I was being good. I don't go overboard when I eat them and I ALWAYS have wheat or multigrain.

ken2100289

You say you are walking 45 minutes 3X per week. Is this new? If you were sedentary and just recently started walking, you are increasing muscle mass. This is good weight to gain, since the more muscle mass you have the more calories you burn at a resting rate.

AmykinsCatfood

Had you eaten/been moving at all before you weighed today? Even just getting up and moving changes how much we weigh from day to day. Weigh yourself first thing in the morning, after you've gone to the bathroom and are not wearing anything. This will give you the most accurate weight.

AliceDark

I just looked at a few days of your diary, but on those days you were eating very little during the day and taking in about 50% of your calories for dinner. That kind of pattern can mess up your body chemistry and it can make it very difficult to stick with an eating plan over the long term. It also can cause blood sugar spikes and then crashes, and can make you crave carbs or sugar. (If I tried to go all day on 500 - 600 calories, I'd be ready to kill someone and eat them by dinnertime). Could you try spacing your calories out evenly throughout the day? You might have more energy (and be able to work out longer/harder).

moliva4

Try doing measurements. My weight hasn't really changed in the last 2 weeks; however, I've lost 2" around my belly-button - had I just been going by the scale, I'd probably be a bit discouraged by now.

bac219

Interesting. I was wondering if I needed to try to focus on not only how much and what I was eating but also WHEN I was eating them.

1princesswarrior

You are probably eating more than you think. A lot of your diary entries are in fractions, cups and tablespoons, etc. Weigh all of your solids and measure all of your liquids, it makes a huge difference. There are numerous videos on YouTube and a lot of forums about this already if you search the topic.

You can try cutting carbs if you want but that has more to do with body composition than weight loss. Weight loss is a matter of calories in vs. calories out. Most of the time I eat the majority of my calories right before bed and you can look at my ticker, and that's since May of 2013 when I actually got serious. There are many people on here who lost weight without any exercise, that's for physical fitness so don't think you need to be at the gym for 3 hours a day either.

I'm not saying take a food scale to a restaurant (although I'd like to sometime just to see people react) but that is the one thing you should always have out on your kitchen counter. Look at the labels on the foods you eat, they will usually have a weight under the serving size and with some searching you can almost always find an entry in the database that goes by weight, if not, create a new one. It only take a few minutes.

Remember you are doing this for you, be completely selfish about it, you're worth it.

JenMaselli

As long as you are eating withing your calorie range and especially if you are helping yourself along with exercise, it will start to come off. Keep doing what you're doing. Also, I wouldn't stress about what time to cut off your food, it really doesn't make a difference. If you save 100-200 calories a day so you can have a snack in bed it won't make a difference, as long as you are watching the cals over the course of your day and really across the week (a bit over one day, a bit under another) you can eat after 7:00. Don't restrict yourself like that. Something that really helped move my weight loss along was yoga. Hot challenging yoga burns a ton of calories and it really helped push things along, plus it relieves stress and builds strength. I would definitely suggest trying a class or two. Good luck!

ETA: Someone in the comments suggested spreading your calories out more. Yes, this! Spread your eating out evenly like 200-300 breakfast, 300-400 lunch, 400 dinner and 2-3 80-100 snacks. Then you never bottom out completely. It can be tough to plan it out but it works!

PikaKnight

I have been using a scale and scanning bar codes. I thought I was being very thorough. I don't eat anything past 7pm and I walk about 45 minutes 3 days a week.

You say you've been using a scale, but how often are you using it?

Looking at your diary, you aren't weighing a lot.

Examples:

Banana is being entered based on size.
Milk is being entered based on measuring cup.
Cereal being measured with measuring cup.
Your beef slider entered as a patty.
A roll of bread as a roll
Your cherry tomato per cherry tomato.
Bacon as slices.
Crackers per cracker.


Even if a serving says 12 chips...it will also say something like (27g) with it. Go by the weight because many times, I've measured out those "12 chips" (for example) and it turns out to be more than just 1 serving per the 27g.

Use your food scale for everything that you can. Weigh out the banana, the salad, crackers, etc. Because right now, there really is a good chance you are eating more than you think.