Frustrated doesn't even begin to cover it

luvmypuggle

I have been dieting for about 2 months and working out for almost a month. The first month of dieting I was eating 1500 calories a day which was about a deficit of 1,000 calories. I lost 8 pounds. This last month I have added working out. I was eating 1500 cals and working out 5 days a week. Treadmill and some strength training. A week goes by no weightloss. I up my calories in fear I am not eating enough. I kick the workouts up a notch. I start to fluctuate. Up a pound then back down then up again. I weigh daily to see if I am on the right track. I am staying in my calorie range except on my one cheat day. I work out 5 days a week at least. I don't get how I can cut calories that much and workout creating a bigger deficit and not lose. It has never been this hard. I am sure I have built some muscle, but still I should have lost more. 8 pounds it not enough weightloss to create a plateau. It is way too early. Suggestions? My diary isn't open. I need to open it up, but I am bad about doing the quick cals, so it wouldn't help anyone to see it really.

mulecanter

The first month is a gimme--it's mostly water weight loss. It feels great to lose at that rate but it raises expectations--sorry about that. You will certainly see fluctuations in your weight--just like the Dow Jones Average--your graph will look like a saw tooth. If you are exercising more that in the past, your fluid levels will be all over the place.

Without access to your data I'm guessing but I'd be willing to bet that your estimates on intake and exercise are not accurate. You give yourself a cheat day (I am against cheat days), I'm wondering if there is other "cheating" going on. You have to be really anal about this measuring and logging stuff. Condiments and underestimation of portion size will kill your results. I eat yogurt from a measuring cup! You also upped your calories because you thought you weren't eating enough. Mistake! There is a MFP myth out there that you will go into starvation mode if your don't eat enough. Bull! Unless you are in a concentration camp it is highly unlikely you are going into starvation mode. You are eating too much. When you are eating at a level in which you lose 1-2 pounds a week you will feel it. You will feel hungry from time to time, you may even experience a bit of light-headedness once in a while. This means your blood sugar is low and you are operating in deficit--the trick is keeping this to a minimum. Follow what MFP is telling you and be accurate--think in terms of net calories--not total calories and you will lose weight.

Nerdycurls

Your post is why I have chosen not to count calories as religiously as I did in the past. I am not trying to offend, but the tone of your post almost seems to be borderline obsession with a number-- whether it's your calories or your weight. I also don't check my weight each day because it gets frustrating, like you said.

I would re-examine the kinds of food you are eating because exercising that much should produce more weight loss. Chances are, you might be gaining muscle weight which is why you aren't seeing the scale budge. Have you measured your body at all to track changes?

lilbearzmom

The "quick add cals" is a dead giveaway that you aren't logging accurately, hence your problem.

LRoslin

It sounds like when you started tweaking your routine (upping calories, changing exercise) you didn't wait long enough to see if the changes would help or not. Upping your exercise can create water weight from glycogen storage, and that water weight can mask true fat loss.

I agree with the poster who suggested you may not be measuring your portions correctly. And you said you did quick add calories, I avoid doing those because it's not helpful or accurate for my logging. You also should doublecheck any entries from the food database---I've found several entries were way off in fat and calorie counts, and i had to adjust for that. Not everybody enters accurate info into the database.

TL; DR; measure your portions (food scale is best), and if you change your routine give it time to have an effect on your progress.

SezxyStef

The "quick add cals" is a dead giveaway that you aren't logging accurately, hence your problem.

This along with you aren't giving the exercise water retention time to go away and you keep changing things up.

Pick your calories and measure your food and eat your calories, exercise and log it.

If you are truly eating 1500 and logging it accruately even without exercise you will lose weight.

goku89

The first month is a gimme--it's mostly water weight loss. It feels great to lose at that rate but it raises expectations--sorry about that. You will certainly see fluctuations in your weight--just like the Dow Jones Average--your graph will look like a saw tooth. If you are exercising more that in the past, your fluid levels will be all over the place.

Without access to your data I'm guessing but I'd be willing to bet that your estimates on intake and exercise are not accurate. You give yourself a cheat day (I am against cheat days), I'm wondering if there is other "cheating" going on. You have to be really anal about this measuring and logging stuff. Condiments and underestimation of portion size will kill your results. I eat yogurt from a measuring cup! You also upped your calories because you thought you weren't eating enough. Mistake! There is a MFP myth out there that you will go into starvation mode if your don't eat enough. Bull! Unless you are in a concentration camp it is highly unlikely you are going into starvation mode. You are eating too much. When you are eating at a level in which you lose 1-2 pounds a week you will feel it. You will feel hungry from time to time, you may even experience a bit of light-headedness once in a while. This means your blood sugar is low and you are operating in deficit--the trick is keeping this to a minimum. Follow what MFP is telling you and be accurate--think in terms of net calories--not total calories and you will lose weight.

I posted a while back that I couldn't believe how much I lost the first month it WAS water weight. its annoying but true, plus realistically losing that much AFTER water weight would probably be dangerous, like the movie "Thinner".

and about condiments, unless your just slapping on mayo all the time stuff like ketchup is so small in calories its almost not a big deal not to add them. and yeah, some people will say to eat ALL your calories it makes sense, and you should, but not if you eat the right food that fills you, also don't force yourself to eat all your calories back.

diannethegeek

It sounds like when you started tweaking your routine (upping calories, changing exercise) you didn't wait long enough to see if the changes would help or not. Upping your exercise can create water weight from glycogen storage, and that water weight can mask true fat loss.

I agree with the poster who suggested you may not be measuring your portions correctly. And you said you did quick add calories, I avoid doing those because it's not helpful or accurate for my logging. You also should doublecheck any entries from the food database---I've found several entries were way off in fat and calorie counts, and i had to adjust for that. Not everybody enters accurate info into the database.

TL; DR; measure your portions (food scale is best), and if you change your routine give it time to have an effect on your progress.

^All of this.

goku89

I feel weighing yourself should be done the same rate as to when you get paid for your job, i.e. every week, every other week you need a life outside.

Deadlay

And stop jiggling things every week...why do so many people here do that? Find a program and stick with for 3 months or more than reassess and change as needed.

shirerose

I feel weighing yourself should be done the same rate as to when you get paid for your job, i.e. every week, every other week you need a life outside.

i get paid once a month!!! THE HORROR!

PlayBall5

I know the cardinal sin is to weigh yourself everyday but that is what I have done for the last couple of months. Since January 1st, I have weighed and tracked myself everyday when I first get out of bed. There are some days when I gain 2 lbs which is very frustrating but when I look back 1 week I am always less then the week before. This also motivates me on the days I gain, to work extra harder in the gym and watch more closely what I eat for the day. I have lost an average of 2 lbs a week and today I am only 2 lbs from my goal weight. I know tomorrow morning I will have gained a little but I know by Saturday I will have reached my goal weight. I have even convinced myself that the days I gain weight, it is a good thing because I know for the next couple days after that I am going to lose big. I have also found that high intensity interval training is the way to go. The lbs have come off fast after I received this advice from someone on MFP. Good luck to you and dont get frustrated. Keep working hard

goku89

I feel weighing yourself should be done the same rate as to when you get paid for your job, i.e. every week, every other week you need a life outside.

i get paid once a month!!! THE HORROR!

lol then divide that by two
I was weighing myself monthly last year...I just do my thing and work and have a life if I constantly worry about this stuff i'll lose my mind

Mr_Knight

I up my calories in fear I am not eating enough. I kick the workouts up a notch. I start to fluctuate. Up a pound then back down then up again.

It seems you've answered your own question - you've most likely upped your calories too much for your activity level.

Over-eating calorie burns is a very common event in the MFP universe...

Francl27

You can't know how much you're actually eating until you start weighing everything, so I'd start with that.

And no you're no building muscle unless you're eating at maintenance.

luvmypuggle

I do not cheat outside of my cheat day. It is really just a cheat meal. Usually it is a weekend night and I eat well all day up until the cheat meal. I know a lot are against cheat days, but it is a good way for me not to feel deprived. I am pretty anal on my calorie tracking. I am dedicated to making this life change. I read you shouldn't eat below your BMR. Mine is in the 1800 range. I was eating 1500 when I bumped up. What are your thoughts on BMR and TDEE? I know this first month is the fastest as far as dropping pounds, but stalling out this early seems crazy.

luvmypuggle

No, I am going to start measuring soon since the scale isn't budging. I want to see if inches are coming off.

Mr_Knight

I read you shouldn't eat below your BMR. Mine is in the 1800 range.

That is very unlikely. I'm a 6'1" male and mine is only 1900ish.

It all comes back to the same thing - if you're not losing weight, you're not eating at a deficit.

luvmypuggle

You are incorrect. I log my calories very precisely. It is just much easier to add it all together and put in one number instead of everything individual. I can gather the nutritional info from the label or a website if it is a restaurant. The numbers are so varied on here for a lot of foods that I go by labels anyway.

WBB55

I do not cheat outside of my cheat day. It is really just a cheat meal.

There is nothing wrong with a meal to treat yourself. But if you aren't tracking that meal, then you don't know if it's throwing off your calories for the week. You simply don't know. I can eat 2000 calories in one meal. Easy. Without blinking an eye. Especially if I've been starving myself for every meal before it. If you aren't tracking carefully, then there's no way to know if your results are what you should expect.

Eating below your BMR is rarely advisable. And only a reasonable option for obese people with more than 100# of fat to lose.

luvmypuggle

Yes, that is why I use labels and do the quick add. The calories are so varied on here for lots of stuff. I mean how do you really know. That is why I use the label or break it down from websites and then quick add, so I am not adding 50 ingredients a day.

trogalicious

I read you shouldn't eat below your BMR. Mine is in the 1800 range.

That is very unlikely. I'm a 6'1" male and mine is only 1900ish.

It all comes back to the same thing - if you're not losing weight, you're not eating at a deficit.

just quoting this for good measure, since that what it boils down to.

luvmypuggle

The only way I knew to figure is through the many calculators online. They all put me in that range. I am 5'10, so I am tall for a girl. I also weigh 229, so I am a bit ahead of you on the scale.

luvmypuggle

There is no way I am not creating a deficit between cutting calories and exercising. There is just no way. I am too careful with calories and workout 5-6 days a week.

luvmypuggle

I am starting to add in interval training to see if that helps. I do a solid 15 minute run because I am training for races. Then I rest for a couple minutes and start adding in faster runs for shorter durations.

trogalicious

There is no way I am not creating a deficit between cutting calories and exercising. There is just no way. I am too careful with calories and workout 5-6 days a week.

okay, so.. you're just gonna disagree all day about not having a calorie deficit. That's cool.

So here's my suggestion.

Since weight loss is effectively an equation, and you aren't getting the result you want. Change the variables. At this point, EVERYTHING is an estimate, right? You say you've checked all of these online calculators, which we all recommend. That's cool. But if you aren't losing, then you're not at a deficit. Somehow. Someway.

So try this.

4 weeks. Stop working out. Count your calories as religiously as you say you are now. At the end of 4 weeks. Measure your loss. If you've lost, take that number and use your intake for the 4 weeks. Get an average of how much you lost per week and go from there.

Right now, your equation is something like this (ridiculously accurate food measurement) + (estimation of calories burned) = no loss.

So simplify.

(ridiculously accurate food measurements) + (patience and time) = expected loss.

If you don't lose at the end of that timeframe, guess what... you now know your maintenance calories. Subtract appropriately from there to get a deficit for loss. Start working out, add an estimate back in to accommodate.

madhatter2013

The only way I knew to figure is through the many calculators online. They all put me in that range. I am 5'10, so I am tall for a girl. I also weigh 229, so I am a bit ahead of you on the scale.

I got this one. I am 5'9" and started my weight loss at 231 lbs back in Sept of 2013. Now, 5 months later, I am down to 200 lbs and half way to my goal. I lost 10 lbs my first month, then nothing for 2 weeks after that. Ever since then (with the exception of a couple weeks off and on) I've lost a steady pound or so a week. Here's how: I have my daily calorie intake goal set at 1610, I work out 6 days a week buring between 240-320 calories a day and I make sure that if I burn it, I eat half of it back so I never eat more than 1720 calories a day. My work out consists of a little strength every other day and cardio every day for a half hour. THis has been working for me. I know I've posted some topics about my scale not budging, but as soon as I get down on myself for it, I weigh myself the next day and I'm down 2 lbs so it all evens out. Everyone else is right, somehow you are not counting your calories right. I use the mobile app and I barcode everything, then verify it with the label. If I'm eating at a resturant, I use their website to determine what I have left for calories and what I can order before I go. I find that the pressure looking at a menu and ordering while the wait staff is standing there tends to annoy me and I make poor decisions. You sound like me a few months ago so here's my 2 cents worth. Hope it helps. Dont give up.

1princesswarrior

It may be a pain to enter all of your food into the database but you need to do if you are going to track accurately. And you need to use a food scale to weigh all of your solids, measuring cups and spoons are off, sometimes by a lot. I even weight liquids that have grams in the serving size. And if I can't find any entry in the database that goes by weight I add one. I may be anal about it but I am also finding a lot of success, more than the 1000000 times I tried to lose weight before.

And do take measurements, start now. I weigh daily but I now have 8 months of data so I know when to change the batteries in my scale or when I need to adjust my calories or macros. My chart looks like a saw blade that goes downhill. I measure weekly. You are not gaining muscle if you are eating at a deficit, you will be lucky to maintain the muscle you have. Your water weight will fluctuate depending on countless factors.

Also, to accurately track your calorie burns, especially for cardio you need a heart rate monitor with a chest strap. MFP will overestimate your burn as will gym machines. That's why a lot of people only eat 50-75% of their exercise calories back.

Remember this is a marathon, not a sprint. Slow and steady weight loss increases the odds of keeping it off. Good luck.

parkscs

I wouldn't stop working out just because you're plateauing. It sounds to me like you're changing too much and expecting instant results. Introducing an exercise regimen almost always results in your muscles retaining some additional water and you've given it so little time to work that it's very possible that water retention is offsetting any fat losses you've seen over the past few weeks. Give it more time to work before you start making a bunch of additional changes.

I would also stop using quick add calories if you're going off the label, find the food that matches that label and enter it that way. It's literally no more work than punching in quick add calories, so there's no excuse not to add the item itself. I would also skip cheat meals for now - I personally see no reason you need to break your diet to "cheat", especially if you're not seeing the results you want. Finally, buy a food scale. Every item you eat will not be individually wrapped with a label (or at least I hope not) and at some point you'll need to know how much something weighs. Forget measuring unless it's a necessity (which it almost never is) - buy a food scale and use it.

luvmypuggle

I started at 238 and we are about the same height so our stats are very similar. Great job on the weightloss. I also strength train every other workout. I work out usually 5 days a week. Sometimes 6. I hit the weights pretty hard on Saturday because I am not rushed to get to work. I do the treadmill about 40-45 mins on strength training day and 60 on just cardio. According to the treadmill I burn about 400 on training days and 500-560 on just cardio days. I rarely eat back exercise cals except on cheat day. I know you guys all think I am not tracking carefully enough, but I assure you I am. I am doing everything I need to. The scale just isn't budging.

wilsoje74

The "quick add cals" is a dead giveaway that you aren't logging accurately, hence your problem.

This, how do you know you are eating 1500?