Why aren't I losing weight?

louise2817

Hi...I'm 5"7 and weigh 140lbs 31 years old. I've been counting calories for months now and still have lost no weight in fact iv put on a couple of pounds. I eat on average 1500 calories a day,occasional a bit more but not usually. I don't eat junk food at all and I would say my diet is very healthy.i do have the odd bottle of wine and am quite sedentary.but this never made any difference before.can you think why I wouldn't be losing weight at all?think my food diary is open for you to look at.please help!

SuperC_85

Hi Louise, your diary isnt open yet

Are you using a scale to weigh out your food?
Usually we end up underestimating our calories eaten, heres a great link to logging your food accurately

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

Hope you find your answers, good luck!

katieswan26

are you exercising? if so try measuring yourself as it may be that your not loosing weight but loosing fat and gaining muscle, muscle weighs more than fat so try measuring yourself rather than relying on the scales, hope this helps x

martinel2099

Hello Katie,

There's several factors to consider, but largely if you have been at it for months and have lost zero weight (in fact gained) then you are doing something wrong.

Consider the following,

1. Are you measuring your meal portions effectively? If you aren't weighing your food, you need to start. Measuring cup for liquids and a kitchen scale for everything else. There's a difference between 2 cups of strawberries and what it will read on the scale. Re-evaluate your sources for calories, test them by checking the restaurants website. Are you properly recording the uses of butter or cooking oils in your cooking? Are the salad dressings you use as healthy as you thought? When you go to a resturant, are you recording appetizers or freebies like bread and butter?

2. Exercise. Are you in fact exercising, and when you do are you measuring your calories burnt properly? So far I've learned that entering the time you spent working out using Fitness Pal's database is not the best indicator of calories burnt. The best way to determine how many calories is by wearing a heart rate monitor, or at the very least using an elliptical or treadmill that has the heart rate sensors attached. Just an example, 60 minutes on the elliptical reads out to over 1,000 calories according to the database, but my heart rate monitor clearly shows I only burnt 800, I'll go with the 800.

Sum it up, weight loss is achieved by burning more calories than you consume. If you aren't losing weight and are in fact gaining, that means you are achieving a calorie surplus. I recommend opening your food diary and letting us take a look. I can tell you right now, if you are missing days that's already a bad sign. You're probably over heading and don't even realize it.

cebreisch

Haven't reviewed your diary, but can suggest a few things:

Like someone else said, are you measuring things effectively? You could be underestimating your portion sizes, and that affects nutrition input.

That goes hand-in-hand with counting everything down to the condiments. Yes, that 2 tablespoons of mayo that went on your sandwich needs to be logged. Just like the ketchup you put on your fries, or the bbq sauce on your sandwich. That all needs to be logged.

Those two things right there will considerably effect your efforts in a positive way.

Water: drink it. Lots of it. and drink less wine while you're at it.

You might want to ramp up the exercise a bit to see if that has an impact.

You never know what will kick-start your body up again. Good to see you checking things out!!

Good luck!!

louise2817

Hey thanks for all your advice.i will try all those things!