I cannot seem to loose weight. Can anybody help ?

PhillyCh

" Is 1500 really too much ? "

It doesn't sound like it. If you take your BMR + daily activity just from what you normally do + exercise, you will get a number for your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). If you want to shoot for a slow but steady pound a week, eating 500 calories a day UNDER your TDEE should give you approximately a pound of loss per week because a pound of body fat is about 3500 calories.

ETA: I plugged your numbers in to this BMR calculator (http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/bmr/), and it says your BMR is just under 1500. That's just what it takes to keep your body alive if you laid in bed doing nothing but breathing all day long. If you are doing exercise and other moving around on top of that, you might be generating a bigger deficit than you intend.

Seconding making sure you are accurately measuring and logging EVERYTHING... every ingredient of every dish.

And if you are lifting, it's possible that you are gaining muscle, which might explain the weight gain. Have you checked things like your body measurements to see if you are losing inches rather than weight? Just a thought.

I just checked progress pictures and ... my body actually changed in a good way, I think I lost some inches ( even though I did not think about taking measurements before, I can see it on the pictures )
I should have thought about that this morning !
Thank you for you answer by the way, everybody is so helpful, it's really encouraging !

NuggetLovesEdie

*high fives you and looks at your elbow so I don't miss*

Awesome!

How cool that you can already see changes in your photos.

PhillyCh

*high fives you and looks at your elbow so I don't miss*

Awesome!

How cool that you can already see changes in your photos.

Hahaha, thank you !
I think maybe I should post them on MFP, just to see a daily reminder of the importance of checking pictures !
PS : congrats on your 11 Lb. loss ! that's awesome !
* high five you back *

Ang108

While as long as you eat within deficit ( which means you really have to weigh and measure all your food ) you should lose weight, even without exercise, I still worry about the very poor quality of your diet in general.
You get most of your calories fro bread, cookies, biscuits, crepes and other sweet stuff. Since Feb. 1st you ate as the only vegetable one tomato ( 25 calories ) and twice 83 grs of green beans also 25 calories each....and btw: who eats 83 grams and twice to boot....lol ? This means you had 1000s of calories from processed flour, but in two weeks only 75 calories from vegetables.
You are also consistently under when it comes to protein , except for one day.
I think you should maybe revise your diet plan and eat more varied and nutritious foods.

Faye_Anderson

Faye_Anderson : I meant BMR multiplied by activity level, I should have mentioned it. BMR multiplied by my activity level - 500 is around 1650. What do you think about it ?
I calculated my TDEE as well, and my TDEE minus 10 or - 15% is around 1800 ... which seems a little too much, isn't it ?

I don't think 1800 is too much, I have friends on here with similar stats to you who lose on 2000 or more calories. People see 1800 calories and think it's a huge amount but the daily recommended calorie intake for a "normal weight" woman who's not losing weight is 2000 calories so it's still a deficit

ETA: Make sure you weigh and log absolutely everything so you're sure of what you are eating, I see "quick adds" on your diary, you may be eating more than you think if you are not losing weight

PhillyCh

While as long as you eat within deficit ( which means you really have to weigh and measure all your food ) you should lose weight, even without exercise, I still worry about the very poor quality of your diet in general.
You get most of your calories fro bread, cookies, biscuits, crepes and other sweet stuff. Since Feb. 1st you ate as the only vegetable one tomato ( 25 calories ) and twice 83 grs of green beans also 25 calories each....and btw: who eats 83 grams and twice to boot....lol ? This means you had 1000s of calories from processed flour, but in two weeks only 75 calories from vegetables.
You are also consistently under when it comes to protein , except for one day.
I think you should maybe revise your diet plan and eat more varied and nutritious foods.

Ok, I'll eat more vegetables ... But since Feb 1st, I did eat more than a tomato and green beans, I can assure you ( ie : 11 days out of 15 . ( And I did not count the countless fruits I did have, because OK, I know it's not vegetables )

As for flour, all my pasta, bread and crepe are whole wheat, which I think is a little healthier ?
And are crepe really unhealthy ? It's basically just whole wheat flour mixed with milk, eggs and a spoon of sugar.

And yes, I must admit, I did ate cookies last week. If you take a closer look at my diary, out of 15 days, I've eaten cookies 5 times ( organic, no preservative or anything, had I not been lazy I could have made them myself ).
But I like to think that eating cookies for a few days sometimes is food for the soul. But well, maybe that's the reason why I'm not a skinny french person ...

PhillyCh

Faye_Anderson : I meant BMR multiplied by activity level, I should have mentioned it. BMR multiplied by my activity level - 500 is around 1650. What do you think about it ?
I calculated my TDEE as well, and my TDEE minus 10 or - 15% is around 1800 ... which seems a little too much, isn't it ?

I don't think 1800 is too much, I have friends on here with similar stats to you who lose on 2000 or more calories. People see 1800 calories and think it's a huge amount but the daily recommended calorie intake for a "normal weight" woman who's not losing weight is 2000 calories so it's still a deficit

ETA: Make sure you weigh and log absolutely everything so you're sure of what you are eating, I see "quick adds" on your diary, you may be eating more than you think if you are not losing weight

I'll eat around that then. I did calculate my TDEE - 10 / 15 %, and always got results between 1700 and 1900, so I guess 1800 is just fine !
And thank you for taking time to help me ! Let's eat that food !

JECole2013

You are welcome Philly ... keep working at it and don't be hard on yourself. You're doing great!

littleburgy

1500 cals is probably too much! When i was on a cut last year i was on 1800 cals but i am 200lbs

Also keep any carbs until late in the day. Your body is in fat burning mode when you wake up in the morning, as soon as you eat carbs like oats or cereal etc your body starts using carbs.

Also fruit is a no no if you are trying to burn fat, fructose is not your friend. Still to complex carbs like oats, wholemeal etc keep the sugars out the diet.

I take it this is what they call "broscience."

OP, you can get more calorie mileage out of lean proteins and veggies. Watching sugar intake will help as well. Especially make sure you are accurate about your intake (especially weighing food), that will help tremendously.

PikaKnight

Hi there,

I normally don't post because I'm not a doctor, just a well-versed dieter!:)

But, I just want to tell you to hang in there. It isn't easy to loose weight.

A couple of suggestions:
Try to stay in a daily calorie deficit (500 calories less than your BMR http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ )
It is easier to stay in deficit if you stay away from processed foods because so many of the ingredient can cause cravings and don't add nutrients that your body needs, especially if its burning fat.

Wait what? No. Not 500 less than your BMR. That should be 500 less than your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). And usually, people do TDEE -20% rather than a specific calorie amount. And that's if OP is following TDEE method which includes exercise calories.

MFP is based off the NEAT method. So there system is different. OP needs to figure out which she wants to do and stick with for awhile.

Use MFP to make sure you are getting all your macronutrients (fat, protein, carb) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).
Most bodies revolt if you don't add daily nutrients from food. And if you can't eat them then add in through supplements. And I mean, that you will be hungry and may struggle with the feeling to binge.
Pay very close attention to the amount of food you are eating. Weigh everything and calculate calories.
Try to eat real food as much as you can.

What's fake food? OP, don't demonize foods. It's a very unhealthy mindset to get into and getting healthy and fit isn't just a physical thing. Just realize that all food, in moderation, has it's place. There are no "bad" foods, "empty calorie" foods, or fake food.

Lastly, get as much sleep and water as you can (8 hours, 8 glasses).

Hydration is dependent on the person. OP, if your pee is a light/pale yellow, than you are hydrated. If dark, you need more water. Some people are fine with 7-8 glasses, some people need more...especially if they work out.

Try to work up to daily exercise of at least 30 minutes a day, but if you push that effort too quickly, you might create hunger cravings as your body will need more food. You can also hurt yourself if you start out of shape.
I have taken the approach of 3 times a day of 30 minutes of moderate cardio with the ultimate goal of 7 days a week.

Exercise is for fitness. Weight loss is dependent on a calorie deficit. Exercising creates hunger (for some, not so for others or it depends on the activity) because you are burning calories. Just make sure to net your calorie goal if following MFP's numbers (netting means eating the baseline cal goal MFP gives you + exercise calories).

My typical day is:
Breakfast smoothie, homemade, with protein enriched powder, kale, strawberries, greek plain yogurt, water, blueberries
Lunch is chicken and quinoa soup
Dinner is something protein (chicken, fish, ground beef) and veggie OR a salad loaded with raw veggies, avocado, etc.
Two snacks in the day of nuts or cheese.
As much coffee as I want.
I struggle with the water, but I keep at it.
I have a rowing machine at home that I use 3 times a week.

Finally, its a great thing to ask for help, as you have. You might also seek help from a doctor who understands weight management. Good luck.

Overall, OP, make sure to log everything you eat and do it everyday.

PikaKnight

Links with some great info for you, OP

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://body-improvements.com/2013/05/24/undiet-your-diet/

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1122891-9-reasons-fat-loss-is-always-slower-than-you-d-like

littleburgy

Wait what? No. Not 500 less than your BMR. That should be 500 less than your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)

If I ate 500 less than my BMR I'd be on 900 calories a day. :laugh:

bwogilvie

I'll try to find that, but finding a hiking trail in Paris would be a real miracle haha
But I can always run on the streets and climb up stairs, that seem like an alternative !

You could take the Métro to Abbesses, then walk the stairs up from the station to ground level, and then up the stairs to Sacré-Cœur. That would be a good workout. Or go to Buttes-Chaumont and walk around the park. For that matter, if you enter Père-Lachaise on the Boulevard de Ménilmontant and then walk westward, you'll get a good workout.

(I'm not sure whether you're French or an expat. If you're French, a tip: "to lose" = perdre, or in this context, "to lose weight" = maigrir ; "to loose" = relâcher or lâcher.)

silken555

Hello hello !
I turn to you all to maybe get some advice, or just some motivation.

I'm an 18 years old girl, 5'3, 140 lb. and wish to loose 20 lb.
I do HIIT and weight lifting 3 times a week, as for the other days, I walk around campus, and do not have time and energy to workout. I eat around 1500 cals a day, you can normally see my diary.
I think I eat fairly clean, except maybe on thursday, where I have to eat on campus, and I have usually fries for lunch, but consider it my cheat meal of the week. I eat mainly veggies, fruits, fish, occasional red meat ( I do not really love it, but I am not a fan of cutting any food group ) and lean meats.

Yet, I CANNOT seem to loose weight. I've even put on 3 pounds lately, and I wish I knew why ...

So I thought maybe one of you would have an idea, or had an advice.
Maybe I can put a "progress" picture, because weight lifting starts working if you want to see what my body looks like !

1500 cals is probably too much! When i was on a cut last year i was on 1800 cals but i am 200lbs

Also keep any carbs until late in the day. Your body is in fat burning mode when you wake up in the morning, as soon as you eat carbs like oats or cereal etc your body starts using carbs.

Also fruit is a no no if you are trying to burn fat, fructose is not your friend. Still to complex carbs like oats, wholemeal etc keep the sugars out the diet.

Pleaae ignore this. None of it is correct. Your body doesn't care when you feed it or how many times a day you feed it as long as you actually DO feed it.

Here's another great post for you:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

It'll show you how to properly calculate your TDEE-10-15%