Please help...why am I not losing any weight?

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  • idundidit
    idundidit Posts: 20
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    I don't underestimate my servings when I log in my food. I don't put the correct amount or less because then I'm thinking I'm going to gain weight if I did because I don't use a food scale. But sometimes I don't need the food scale because I scan most my food.

    So basically you're doing a WAG with the your portions, how much your consuming and the calories.

    I don't understand the scanning (I understand what it means to scan) but what I don't understand is without a food scale and without measuring your food out how do you know how much you're consuming? For example if the package says "4 servings" and a serving is 4 ounces how do you know you're consuming just 4 ounces of that serving? With meat items, like chicken, how do you know what you're putting on your plate is 4 ounces? I measure my chicken out before I cook it and trust me. 4 ounces is a lot smaller than one would think. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is 32 grams. Trust me when I say that when it's measured out it's a lot less on the spoon than one would think.

    I honestly think you're eating more calories than you think you are because you're not weighing and measuring everything. And I mean EVERYTHING.

    Get yourself a digital scale. They're not that expensive. I got this one:
    http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Digital-Kitchen-Silver/dp/B001N07KUE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1390424728&sr=8-2&keywords=digital+food+scale

    It wasn't that expensive and I use it all the time.

    The truth. Weighing your food is essential, you can't trust your eye. This is the scale I use http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Professional-Digital-Kitchen-Tempered/dp/B003MSZBSI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1390425519&sr=8-2&keywords=ozeri+food+scale
  • axoxmine
    axoxmine Posts: 9 Member
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    OK everyone I will think about getting the food scale. But as for my other question, what other ways besides changing up my exercise routine and getting a food scale, are there any other advice you can give me to help me lose this 40 pounds I'm trying to lose?

    As for my diary, it is open. But since I eat asian food a lot, it's difficult to add those food in, but i do log in as much as I can for whatever I eat. And that's why I over estimate too.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
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    OK everyone I will think about getting the food scale. But as for my other question, what other ways besides changing up my exercise routine and getting a food scale, are there any other advice you can give me to help me lose this 40 pounds I'm trying to lose? As for my diary, it is open. But since I eat Asian food a lot, it's difficult to add those food in, but i do log in as much as I can for whatever I eat. And that's why I over estimate too.

    My advice would be to limit the elliptical and add some weights (if you're not already doing so) with the circuit training.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Has anyone dropped a link to the Sexypants thread in here yet? It's a lot of reading (and all of the linked posts are worth a read too) but it's packed with good information that should help answer a lot of your questions: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • MelissaAnn1983
    MelissaAnn1983 Posts: 149 Member
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    I use to estimate a lot too. I used the deck of cards, fist, thumb rule. It didn't work for me because my calorie count was was off. I switched to actually measuring with measuring cups and spoons and also going by small fruit and so on. It helped me keep my calorie count more accurate. I just recently, in the last month, bought a digital food scale. The difference it made in my calorie count. It is now more accurate and my weight is dropping. I would recommend measuring everything and not estimating. It is annoying but eventually becomes a habit. I fear by April I will be carrying a digital scale with me everywhere I go. My calories burned is estimated by my heart rate and duration. I know this isn't correct but hopefully it is close. Soon I will be getting a HRM to be more accurate and I am sure my weight will melt away. Good luck and happy loosing.
  • axoxmine
    axoxmine Posts: 9 Member
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    Well I do the same on the elliptical, but I added more weight on the circuit training.
  • Annalisa_87
    Annalisa_87 Posts: 56 Member
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    Seems good to me. Stick with it and hopefully in a month you'll see a bigger improvement.
  • ajhugz
    ajhugz Posts: 452 Member
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    Log your water.

    Get enough sleep.

    Make sure you have more potassium than sodium.
  • axoxmine
    axoxmine Posts: 9 Member
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    Yeah, I always forget to log in my water for some reason. But I drink my gym water bottle twice a day. It's 23.7 oz. I drink once at work and then refill and drink during gym, then probably half when I get home before bed.
  • axoxmine
    axoxmine Posts: 9 Member
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    Thanks! I'm still new to this so I'm trying different things. That's why I'm trying to get other advice from people, but everyone seems to lean towards food scale. But I will definitely look into that. As for right now, I'm going to switch up my routines and what I eat.
  • MelissaAnn1983
    MelissaAnn1983 Posts: 149 Member
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    Don't workout the same group everyday. When I go I always walk/run on the treadmill, elliptical, cycle, and core. One day I work out my legs and the next arms. Check the color of your first urine. If it is apple juice yellow add more water to your day l. Straw or lemonade color keep doing what you do. Calories in vs calories out. Check in your tdee. Make a deficit off that. Do not eat below your bmr. I changed to this method and it is working.
  • Poodledoodle100
    Poodledoodle100 Posts: 11
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    We have very similar stats and goals. I'm a newbie too although this is my second attempt and I posted a very similar post last week. I took the advice given and now I think the scale is defiantly dropping ( mid week cheeky weigh in). The advice given was to use a food scale, which I already was, and because I'm so short and have plenty of excess fat the risk of starvation mode was slim therefore not to eat back my exercise calories. To stick at 1400 for a month and then review and if loosing more than 1lb a week to gradually increase to a more manageable goal, above my BMR.
    Just looking at your diary you have massive exercise calories and I presume your taking these from the machine totals when doing eliptical and treadmill. I also use both these machines and dont leave the gym till I've burnt 700 calories (according to the machines) but I only log it as 350 as the machines are off. I think this is leading you to over eating some days and undoing the good of other days. This may well be controversial advice but it's short term advice that seems to have kick started the weightloss for me. Good luck on your journey.
    Pre logging food also helps me, I plan it out for the week leaving enough room each day for a quick treat/ biscuit at work etc and then 'touch up' my calories everyday to the real amounts. It helps with planning my shopping list and also I don't end up eating all my calories before dinner :)
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,238 Member
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    o
    Thanks I like your comment. It's a lot more helpful. But I think that's one of the things I need to do too is switch up my workouts because I've been doing the same things for the past few months. And yes I do the same estimations like you.

    Weight loss is from diet, not exercise. Switching up your exercise if you are eating too many calories is not going to help.

    Also, simply scanning stuff in from the bar code does not mean the entry it correct. I have many things that scan and while they are close, the calories a quite different because it is not the exact product, or it is the same product from another country where the recipe is different.

    In short I am fairly sure your estimations are off. At least use measuring cups and spoons, and to that make sure the database entry you are logging with matches up with the nutrition information on the package for the stuff you scan.
  • LunaInverse
    LunaInverse Posts: 109 Member
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    Ok I'm gonna go out on a limb here- from what I see, I don't think you are eating enough! Have you heard of TDEE? I was eating about 1400 calories a day, and still hungry as hell, and surely not losing any weight. I calculated my TDEE here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ . When I entered my stats it told me I should be eating about 1829 calories, which is an insane jump from where I was. So I adjusted and started eating more, and I actually dropped half a pound. Not much so far, but slow weight loss is permanent weightloss so I don't wanna rush. Plus, I'm actually not starving all the time lol.

    Good luck!
  • littleburgy
    littleburgy Posts: 570 Member
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    I've noticed some gaps on the last couple of weekends where nothing is logged in. What's going on those days? It's always easy to eat more than you think when it isn't logged.

    Good luck!
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
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    I would guess there is something wrong with your calculation. At 180 your BMR is going to be about 1500 by itself unless you have an underlying medical issue. Then moving around will add another few hundred and then your exercises more on top of that. This is the one side of the calculation you can calculate and if you are not losing you are eating as much as your TDEE (there is no other way you can keep the same weight for a few weeks unless you are). That means that you are under estimating your calories somehow - you have to be unless you have a medical condition that you are unaware of - could be worth going to the docs and getting checked out for thyroid function etc as well but I would recommend you get some kitchen scales

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