not losing, need some help

lindsey1979

The obvious implication is a comparison of similar volumes having different weights.

spaduke

I have been on for over 2 weeks now, i am staying within my 1200 calories, also checking the carbs, sugars, fat as to not to go over that either... i go on my treadmill 4-5 days a week, i suffer from asthma so i push it to as much as i can, i always cook at home and don't generally eat processed food... i feel lighter, my friends say i look like i lost some weight, but the scale says otherwise .. i like to eat fruit and veggies, I have a question i eat a grapefruit for breakfast, it takes up alot of sugar and carbs... are these carbs and sugars considered "not bad" ?? Im confused, are carbs, sugars what they are no mater what form you eat them in?? I am getting frustrated but i do like following this plan, any help thanks

wilsoje74

I have been on for over 2 weeks now, i am staying within my 1200 calories, also checking the carbs, sugars, fat as to not to go over that either... i go on my treadmill 4-5 days a week, i suffer from asthma so i push it to as much as i can, i always cook at home and don't generally eat processed food... i feel lighter, my friends say i look like i lost some weight, but the scale says otherwise .. i like to eat fruit and veggies, I have a question i eat a grapefruit for breakfast, it takes up alot of sugar and carbs... are these carbs and sugars considered "not bad" ?? Im confused, are carbs, sugars what they are no mater what form you eat them in?? I am getting frustrated but i do like following this plan, any help thanks

you may want to start your own post since you have a different question

dmenchac

Its the same as saying 1 lb of muscle weighs more than .5 lbs of fat. It is intrinsically incorrect. Muscle does not weigh more than fat as I just showed you in the previous example. Get a group of people and say the statement out loud. Ask what they say, or simply google and refer to the numerous articles on the subject.

1princesswarrior

Let me give you a bit of background. I am an irish dancer. I lost about 100lbs back in 2008. I got hurt back in July and had to stop all activity completely and had to have foot surgery back in December which left me totally non weight bearing for 10 weeks. people kept bringing me junk food to eat because I couldn't prepare my own food. I ate a lot of junk. It was the perfect storm. I gained 40lbs back and lost a lot of muscle mass too. I wasn't able to wear normal pants over the cast so I didn't realize how much I had gained, once I did I started tracking and dropped 10. thats where it stopped. That was 6 weeks ago Since then I have been cleared to start low impact exercise. Which I have been 6 days a week. Elliptical, water aerobics, light treadmill. I stick to around 1600-1800 calories. But I haven't lost ANY weight at all. I started at 1200 which I was told by multiple personal trainers at the gym was damaging to my metabolism, but I didn't lose anything with any of those either. Which I realize muscle weighs more than fat, I would think I would be seeing SOMETHING by now? When I lose the initial 100 it was medication assisted. So I cant really base this off that...


any advice?

Okay, I had back surgery a long time ago. I don't know type of surgery you needed and I'm glad your recovery is going well.

My surgeon told me to make sure I ate a balanced diet that included extra calcium and vitamin D for six months afterward.

As far as calories I agree that you should look up your TDEE and start there. Eat at a small deficit because your body needs extra fuel right now while it is still recovering. As long as you eat a variety of foods and include some fruits and veggies you don't need to give anything up, just eat less of it.

Also, you really need to be accurate in weighing and measuring your food because you are limited in activity. I can't see your diary, this is just across the board advice. Keep in mind that if you are maintaining at 2000 then you should be losing at 1600 so that is about a pound a week loss. If you continue to not lose maybe see if all the pain meds are temporarily messing with your thyroid, or causing your brain chemistry to be out of whack and a cortisol release. That happened to me when I had a cervical fusion in 2012 and things settled down as soon as I got off the pain pills.

dmenchac

By volume, muscle is more dense than fat.

That is the correct way to say it.


Fat and muscle cannot be compared by weight
I rest my case.

Koldnomore

I eat about 2000 or more including exercise though my net is lower so it really depends how active you are though if you aren't losing aren't in a deficit so you probably want to cut back by a little bit (assuming you are weighing everything and logging accurately)

I'd venture to say that almost everyone else in this thread understood from context what OP was saying. You're the odd one out here.

No, because then the new people get all confused because they think they "gained muscle" when they gained weight or water because people tell them that muscle 'weighs more' then fat.. which is totally WRONG. I wish people would stop saying it - it just leads to confusion. If you MEAN that muscle takes up less space than an equal volume of fat then SAY that, because as much as you may THINK that it is obvious, it isn't obvious to all those people who still think they are gaining muscle when the scale goes up by pounds.

dmenchac

I eat about 2000 or more including exercise though my net is lower so it really depends how active you are though if you aren't losing aren't in a deficit so you probably want to cut back by a little bit (assuming you are weighing everything and logging accurately)

I'd venture to say that almost everyone else in this thread understood from context what OP was saying. You're the odd one out here.

No, because then the new people get all confused because they think they "gained muscle" when they gained weight or water because people tell them that muscle 'weighs more' then fat.. which is totally WRONG. I wish people would stop saying it - it just leads to confusion. If you MEAN that muscle takes up less space than an equal volume of fat then SAY that, because as much as you may THINK that it is obvious, it isn't obvious to all those people who still think they are gaining muscle when the scale goes up by pounds.

Thank you.

lindsey1979

I eat about 2000 or more including exercise though my net is lower so it really depends how active you are though if you aren't losing aren't in a deficit so you probably want to cut back by a little bit (assuming you are weighing everything and logging accurately)

No, because then the new people get all confused because they think they "gained muscle" when they gained weight or water because people tell them that muscle 'weighs more' then fat.. which is totally WRONG. I wish people would stop saying it - it just leads to confusion. If you MEAN that muscle takes up less space than an equal volume of fat then SAY that, because as much as you may THINK that it is obvious, it isn't obvious to all those people who still think they are gaining muscle when the scale goes up by pounds.

That's a different issue. They're mistaking water retention for muscle gain. But, the idea of muscle weighing more than fat is a different concept. If they were speaking over a larger time frame, that very well could be the case as you see in anyone that does a major recomp.

The issue is that doesn't happen quickly -- it's not easy to put on muscle as a general rule. So, in the short term, any weight increase (or stall) is likely going to be due to water retention issues. They are simply applying the wrong concept to the situation, their understanding of the concept is not incorrect in and of itself.

ForLife365

I can't believe that adults are arguing in this manner about the phrasing of a sentence, it is quite clear what the poster meant, in psychological theory it is argued that where a sentence's true meaning is obvious there is no need to explain its literal meaning. Posters saying 'how can a lb of one substance weight more than an lb of another?' are being deliberately obtuse and those replies aren't helping the OP at all.


In my opinion, 2000cals probably is too much to be losing, I would use MFP's settings to determine a better deficit based on how much weight you want to lose per week and try to fit any treats (e.g. pizza) into this goal.

dmenchac

I can't believe that adults are arguing in this manner about the phrasing of a sentence, it is quite clear what the poster meant, in psychological theory it is argued that where a sentence's true meaning is obvious there is no need to explain its literal meaning. Posters saying 'how can a lb of one substance weight more than an lb of another?' are being deliberately obtuse and those replies aren't helping the OP at all.


In my opinion, 2000cals probably is too much to be losing, I would use MFP's settings to determine a better deficit based on how much weight you want to lose per week and try to fit any treats (e.g. pizza) into this goal.

Google "does muscle weigh more than fat." There are thousands of people asking this question on weight loss forums. Not everyone knows that it means volume.

spaduke

I thought that but i wasn't sure how lol

3dogsrunning

OP - forgive me if it has been said, I skimmed the thread but there is a different topic going on here that isn't addressing your OP.
Your diary is not open.

I also agree with those who said 2000 is an arbitrary number. Perhaps your friend did calcluate TDEE for you and that is what it is. If not, it is just as easy to go with MFP.

Figure out your calorie goal, with appropriate weight loss goal. Log accurately and consistently, weigh what you can, measure the rest and choose the right entries. Account for your exercise, whether you use MPF and log the exercise and eat those calories or you choose the TDEE method (all explained in link below) and choose the appropriate activity level. Evauluate after 4 weeks and adjust as needed.

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

Crazybusryde

Hang in there! When I started 13 months ago I was allowed over 2000 calories a day. Now I'm alotted 1500. I've lost 94 pounds. Are you following my fitness pal's macronutrients or someone else's? Are you drinking enough water? The thing that has made the most difference for me personally is:
1.) Drink water. Lots and lots of water. I posted the link that I used to calculate my water (below)
2.) Use the macros set up for you by my fitness pal (I pay close attention to fat/sugar/carbs/protein
3.) Patience. You didn't gain overnight. It's not coming off overnight.
4.) Exercise. Make sure that you do this with your doctor's approval. You don't want to hurt yourself.

http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

I hope I've helped.

KiraFlint

Holy moly that took a turn I didn't see coming.

Couple things. I'm 5'7. I drink water only for the most part. I have milk here and there for dinner and iced tea at breakfast. No soda, no coffee. I work 10 hr work days starting at 6am so it's hard sometimes for me to always cook every night but I try. Getting up at 4am is rough. Throw in hitting the gym after a 10 hour day, and cooking is the last thing I want to do. But i do it. So sometimes unprocessed isn't always an option. Depending on what machine I'm on that day I'm exercising close to 500+ calories a day. 6 days a week. Elliptical, treadmill at an incline, water aerobics and weights. But I'm still limited on what I'm allowed to do as it can only be low impact. I usually am slightly over in the protein macros because I am trying to get my muscle back and that was recommended. Imagine losing 2.5 inches around your calf muscle in 3 weeks alone. It wasnt pretty. Yes I weigh my food.. religiously and deligently. I weigh it and measure it .although I'm learning weight is more accurate. Once the topic went a little skewed I took my diary back to friends only. I'll put it back to public if it'll help... As long as no one mentions the pizza cheat day I don't have those very often lol

3dogsrunning

Holy moly that took a turn I didn't see coming.

Couple things. I'm 5'7. I drink water only for the most part. I have milk here and there for dinner and iced tea at breakfast. No soda, no coffee. I work 10 hr work days starting at 6am so it's hard sometimes for me to always cook every night but I try. Getting up at 4am is rough. Throw in hitting the gym after a 10 hour day, and cooking is the last thing I want to do. But i do it. So sometimes unprocessed isn't always an option. Depending on what machine I'm on that day I'm exercising close to 500+ calories a day. 6 days a week. Elliptical, treadmill at an incline, water aerobics and weights. But I'm still limited on what I'm allowed to do as it can only be low impact. I usually am slightly over in the protein macros because I am trying to get my muscle back and that was recommended. Imagine losing 2.5 inches around your calf muscle in 3 weeks alone. It wasnt pretty. Yes I weigh my food.. religiously and deligently. I weigh it and measure it .although I'm learning weight is more accurate. Once the topic went a little skewed I took my diary back to friends only. I'll put it back to public if it'll help... As long as no one mentions the pizza cheat day I don't have those very often lol

Really - weight loss, barring medical issues, comes down to eating less than your body needs, not "clean foods" or how much water you drink. Health is a different thing but eating processed foods will not stop your weight loss (and I will still argue in moderation will not hurt your health either).
As for the protein - if you are going by MFP's recommendation, consider it a minimum, not a maximum. It is very low, about 15% of your calorie intake. I personally set mine for 30% so you are ok if you are going over MFP's protein.

hill8570

Holy moly that took a turn I didn't see coming.

Couple things. I'm 5'7. I drink water only for the most part. I have milk here and there for dinner and iced tea at breakfast. No soda, no coffee. I work 10 hr work days starting at 6am so it's hard sometimes for me to always cook every night but I try. Getting up at 4am is rough. Throw in hitting the gym after a 10 hour day, and cooking is the last thing I want to do. But i do it. So sometimes unprocessed isn't always an option. Depending on what machine I'm on that day I'm exercising close to 500+ calories a day. 6 days a week. Elliptical, treadmill at an incline, water aerobics and weights. But I'm still limited on what I'm allowed to do as it can only be low impact. I usually am slightly over in the protein macros because I am trying to get my muscle back and that was recommended. Imagine losing 2.5 inches around your calf muscle in 3 weeks alone. It wasnt pretty. Yes I weigh my food.. religiously and deligently. I weigh it and measure it .although I'm learning weight is more accurate. Once the topic went a little skewed I took my diary back to friends only. I'll put it back to public if it'll help... As long as no one mentions the pizza cheat day I don't have those very often lol

Personally, given that info I'd recommend doing more of a "bulking" diet for the short-term -- the calories you're eating (or maybe more), and heavily biased towards protein (like the previous poster, maybe closer to 30%). It's very difficult to add muscle on a calorie deficit -- usually the best one can hope for is to minimized muscle wastage. Given your circumstances, I'd say adding muscle would take precedence over making the scale move...concentrate on getting your body composition back to something resembling normal before even thinking about cutting calories.