why am I not losing weight??
Replies
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Your not eating enough0
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A woman should eat the "minimal" of 1200. And that's if your short and weight low.
So if you eat 1229 and burned 1000. Well you've only eaten 229 calories for the day.
1229-1000=229
That is starving yourself. Eat the calories back if not all at least some. But try to at least hit that 1200 mark. You aren't losing, because your body is trying to hold on to any fat it can for energy/basic bodily needs. Eat more!!!0 -
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I noticed that your sodium is really high. I learned that myself through my trainer. A person only uses 1500mg of sodium a day...so try to stay within that. By the way, it's really hard. I try to stay within that, but if I go to 2000mg....it's ok, at least it's not 4-5000mg like I was. I was shocked at how much better I felt, with out all that salt. Also, weird as it sounds..and hard as it may be, up your caloric intake. Good luck!0
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Step away from the computer for a few minutes and think about what you learned. Despite the way you perceived that advice, are you now more knowledgeable due to it? If the answer is yes, realize that those people you perceive as being 'pissy' actually helped you out today.
How do we treat people that helped us out? Do we treat them the way you have or maybe a different approach is in order.
I'm trying to help you out too now, OP. Please don't think I'm pissy, just trying to be a voice of reason that you're lacking at the moment.0 -
A woman should eat the "minimal" of 1200. And that's if your short and weight low.
So if you eat 1229 and burned 1000. Well you've only eaten 229 calories for the day.
1229-1000=229
That is starving yourself. Eat the calories back if not all at least some. But try to at least hit that 1200 mark. You aren't losing, because your body is trying to hold on to any fat it can for energy/basic bodily needs. Eat more!!!
Thank you. I genuinely didn't realize this.0 -
How does this starvation / "holding on to fat" thing work? I read so often on here that weight loss is as simple as CICO.0
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A woman should eat the "minimal" of 1200. And that's if your short and weight low.
So if you eat 1229 and burned 1000. Well you've only eaten 229 calories for the day.
1229-1000=229
That is starving yourself. Eat the calories back if not all at least some. But try to at least hit that 1200 mark. You aren't losing, because your body is trying to hold on to any fat it can for energy/basic bodily needs. Eat more!!!
Thank you. I genuinely didn't realize this.
You're welcome!! If you don't mind me asking how tall are you and what is your current weight? And how often do you workout a week?0 -
Because you are not eating enough so your body is holding on to what little you are giving it. Try upping your calories to bout 1500 and eat back at least 1/3 of your burned calories.0
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First: The button at the bottom that says 'quote', use it so we know who you are replying to.
Second: You need to NET at least 1200 calories.
Third: You need to stop acting like you are towards people giving you advice.
How many times do I have to repeat myself. I did not know that I needed to eat back my burned calories! I'm mad because everyone is a ting like they are just pissed because I have been "starving" myself but why is it anything to get pissy about?? I did not know. Now I know. Problem ****ing solved.
Step away from the computer for a few minutes and think about what you learned. Despite the way you perceived that advice, are you now more knowledgeable due to it? If the answer is yes, realize that those people you perceive as being 'pissy' actually helped you out today.
How do we treat people that helped us out? Do we treat them the way you have or maybe a different approach is in order.
I'm trying to help you out too now, OP. Please don't think I'm pissy, just trying to be a voice of reason that you're lacking at the moment.
I have genuinely learned something from every person that took the time to considerately give me advice. However I also learned that people can be very hateful when hiding behind the keys of a computer. Because let's say I did have an eating disorder. Let's say I was really dealing with some rough **** in my life and so I decided to starve myself. Hateful comments MAY be the thing to break me during a time that COULD HAVE BEEN a weak time for me. However the people who toon the time to tell me "You're not doing it right this is how you need to do it", Opposed to the people who said "OMFG STOP STARVING YOURSELF OMG" are gonna teach me a lot more than any *kitten*. Because this is a forum to help each other out, not put each other down. And for the record, ONCE MORE, I DO NOY HAVE AN EATING DISORDER. I genuinely did not know that I should be eating back my burned calories0 -
How about if you spread your treats from your 'cheat' day across the week a bit. That way you will be getting extra calories on a daily basis and your body will be able to settle into a rhythm, and its much more healthy and sustainable. A 'cheat' day can easily turn into 2 then 3, especially if you are miffed because you are not losing weight.
Be kind to yourself, listen to the advice, give your body what it needs and it will look after you for many years to come
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A woman should eat the "minimal" of 1200. And that's if your short and weight low.
So if you eat 1229 and burned 1000. Well you've only eaten 229 calories for the day.
1229-1000=229
That is starving yourself. Eat the calories back if not all at least some. But try to at least hit that 1200 mark. You aren't losing, because your body is trying to hold on to any fat it can for energy/basic bodily needs. Eat more!!!
Thank you. I genuinely didn't realize this.
You're welcome!! If you don't mind me asking how tall are you and what is your current weight? And how often do you workout a week?
I am 5'2". I weigh 190 lbs. And I have been trying to walk 6 miles 5 days a week.0 -
Thank you for taking solid advice. Many women on here insist on starving themselves! You'll feel and look better! Also working out will have a point (can't keep muscle while on too little calories!).0
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A woman should eat the "minimal" of 1200. And that's if your short and weight low.
So if you eat 1229 and burned 1000. Well you've only eaten 229 calories for the day.
1229-1000=229
That is starving yourself. Eat the calories back if not all at least some. But try to at least hit that 1200 mark. You aren't losing, because your body is trying to hold on to any fat it can for energy/basic bodily needs. Eat more!!!
Thank you. I genuinely didn't realize this.
You're welcome!! If you don't mind me asking how tall are you and what is your current weight? And how often do you workout a week?
I am 5'2". I weigh 190 lbs. And I have been trying to walk 6 miles 5 days a week.
According to the stats you gave. Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is 2321 via IIFYM.com. Take that number and minus 20%. Eat that amount! And don't eat the calories back. That is one method. Or use MFP's method, but eat those calories back. The TDEE method has already included your exercise in it's number. If that makes sense.0 -
A woman should eat the "minimal" of 1200. And that's if your short and weight low.
So if you eat 1229 and burned 1000. Well you've only eaten 229 calories for the day.
1229-1000=229
That is starving yourself. Eat the calories back if not all at least some. But try to at least hit that 1200 mark. You aren't losing, because your body is trying to hold on to any fat it can for energy/basic bodily needs. Eat more!!!
Thank you. I genuinely didn't realize this.
You're welcome!! If you don't mind me asking how tall are you and what is your current weight? And how often do you workout a week?
I am 5'2". I weigh 190 lbs. And I have been trying to walk 6 miles 5 days a week.
Do you weigh your food?0 -
Obviously since it was my cheat day I wasn't going to log all that. That is exactly why I made a food note to say it was my cheat day. If I was going to lie about what I post, why would I make a note that on my cheat day I ate much more than what I posted......
This doesn't work.
If your "net" days account for a deficit of 800 calories/day, and your cheat day (once/week) is a heavy superavit (say, 5,000 cal) you're not losing. You're gaining.
So you have your answer there: your cheating is wrecking your accounting. Most MFP complaints or "failures" are simply a result of faulty math. Either they don't log everything significant they eat, they don't measure it accurately, or they don't log their exercise and basic metabolic rate within reason. Most frustrated guys at MFP eventually resort to more accurate logging - or quit altogether.
This is like a budget: if you are under budget 28 days per month but you splurge 3, and don't know how big the splurge is, you don't know if you're in the black or in the red. If you have lots of money, well - no problem. If your finances are tight, you need better tracking.
I'll give you an example: my body is lazy. Really lazy. I am a reasonable cyclist and can go hard, but if I am just lying down or in a desk (like 8 hours a day for my job) my BMR is lower than an average person of my size. My resting heart rate is less than 40. It took me a while to figure out that I wasn't losing weight at the rate I wanted because my BMR and TDEE were overestimated. This was, after many iterations, actually weighing my food on a scale, avoiding cheating meals/days, and avoiding eating foods with dubious calorie content. That was two weeks of no fun, but at least I got an explanation (from a physiologist). Now I understand better.
Just one note on starvation mode: the main study is one from a college in the USA (michigan?). That study stated that, upon heavy calorie deficits, the weight loss would slow down - but not stop. So, if you're actually in a massive deficit you would not stop losing weight, you would just slow down a bit (it wasn't even that much). Starvation mode is not a myth, but it also doesn't completely shut you down. Unless you die famished. Then yeah, you don't lose weight metabolically anymore.0 -
A woman should eat the "minimal" of 1200. And that's if your short and weight low.
So if you eat 1229 and burned 1000. Well you've only eaten 229 calories for the day.
1229-1000=229
That is starving yourself. Eat the calories back if not all at least some. But try to at least hit that 1200 mark. You aren't losing, because your body is trying to hold on to any fat it can for energy/basic bodily needs. Eat more!!!
Thank you. I genuinely didn't realize this.
You're welcome!! If you don't mind me asking how tall are you and what is your current weight? And how often do you workout a week?
I am 5'2". I weigh 190 lbs. And I have been trying to walk 6 miles 5 days a week.
According to the stats you gave. Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is 2321 via IIFYM.com. Take that number and minus 20%. Eat that amount! And don't eat the calories back. That is one method. Or use MFP's method, but eat those calories back. The TDEE method has already included your exercise in it's number. If that makes sense.
Thank you! This is really helpful!0 -
Or take that 2321-500=1821
That minus 500x7=3500 which would be 1lb a week loss.0 -
Obviously since it was my cheat day I wasn't going to log all that. That is exactly why I made a food note to say it was my cheat day. If I was going to lie about what I post, why would I make a note that on my cheat day I ate much more than what I posted......
This doesn't work.
If your "net" days account for a deficit of 800 calories/day, and your cheat day (once/week) is a heavy superavit (say, 5,000 cal) you're not losing. You're gaining.
So you have your answer there: your cheating is wrecking your accounting. Most MFP complaints or "failures" are simply a result of faulty math. Either they don't log everything significant they eat, they don't measure it accurately, or they don't log their exercise and basic metabolic rate within reason. Most frustrated guys at MFP eventually resort to more accurate logging - or quit altogether.
This is like a budget: if you are under budget 28 days per month but you splurge 3, and don't know how big the splurge is, you don't know if you're in the black or in the red. If you have lots of money, well - no problem. If your finances are tight, you need better tracking.
I'll give you an example: my body is lazy. Really lazy. I am a reasonable cyclist and can go hard, but if I am just lying down or in a desk (like 8 hours a day for my job) my BMR is lower than an average person of my size. My resting heart rate is less than 40. It took me a while to figure out that I wasn't losing weight at the rate I wanted because my BMR and TDEE were overestimated. This was, after many iterations, actually weighing my food on a scale, avoiding cheating meals/days, and avoiding eating foods with dubious calorie content. That was two weeks of no fun, but at least I got an explanation (from a physiologist). Now I understand better.
Just one note on starvation mode: the main study is one from a college in the USA (michigan?). That study stated that, upon heavy calorie deficits, the weight loss would slow down - but not stop. So, if you're actually in a massive deficit you would not stop losing weight, you would just slow down a bit (it wasn't even that much). Starvation mode is not a myth, but it also doesn't completely shut you down. Unless you die famished. Then yeah, you don't lose weight metabolically anymore.
Thank you! This is both helpful and confusing. Lol. I have never heard of any of the things you're talking about so its kind of hard for me to wrap my mind around it. Lol Do you happen to have any links?0 -
Or take that 2321-500=1821
That minus 500x7=3500 which would be 1lb a week loss.
Okay, bare with me, but how did you come up with those numbers again?0 -
Obviously since it was my cheat day I wasn't going to log all that. That is exactly why I made a food note to say it was my cheat day. If I was going to lie about what I post, why would I make a note that on my cheat day I ate much more than what I posted......
This doesn't work.
If your "net" days account for a deficit of 800 calories/day, and your cheat day (once/week) is a heavy superavit (say, 5,000 cal) you're not losing. You're gaining.
So you have your answer there: your cheating is wrecking your accounting. Most MFP complaints or "failures" are simply a result of faulty math. Either they don't log everything significant they eat, they don't measure it accurately, or they don't log their exercise and basic metabolic rate within reason. Most frustrated guys at MFP eventually resort to more accurate logging - or quit altogether.
This is like a budget: if you are under budget 28 days per month but you splurge 3, and don't know how big the splurge is, you don't know if you're in the black or in the red. If you have lots of money, well - no problem. If your finances are tight, you need better tracking.
I'll give you an example: my body is lazy. Really lazy. I am a reasonable cyclist and can go hard, but if I am just lying down or in a desk (like 8 hours a day for my job) my BMR is lower than an average person of my size. My resting heart rate is less than 40. It took me a while to figure out that I wasn't losing weight at the rate I wanted because my BMR and TDEE were overestimated. This was, after many iterations, actually weighing my food on a scale, avoiding cheating meals/days, and avoiding eating foods with dubious calorie content. That was two weeks of no fun, but at least I got an explanation (from a physiologist). Now I understand better.
Just one note on starvation mode: the main study is one from a college in the USA (michigan?). That study stated that, upon heavy calorie deficits, the weight loss would slow down - but not stop. So, if you're actually in a massive deficit you would not stop losing weight, you would just slow down a bit (it wasn't even that much). Starvation mode is not a myth, but it also doesn't completely shut you down. Unless you die famished. Then yeah, you don't lose weight metabolically anymore.
I missed the part about cheat days not being tracked.
This is most likely your problem.
What you need to do: Track everything. Maintain a modest deficit over the course of a week and you will lose weight. You are not in starvation mode. I'm glad you're going to net more calories. If you do, you might not have those binge days that destroy all your work.0 -
Obviously since it was my cheat day I wasn't going to log all that. That is exactly why I made a food note to say it was my cheat day. If I was going to lie about what I post, why would I make a note that on my cheat day I ate much more than what I posted......
This doesn't work.
If your "net" days account for a deficit of 800 calories/day, and your cheat day (once/week) is a heavy superavit (say, 5,000 cal) you're not losing. You're gaining.
So you have your answer there: your cheating is wrecking your accounting. Most MFP complaints or "failures" are simply a result of faulty math. Either they don't log everything significant they eat, they don't measure it accurately, or they don't log their exercise and basic metabolic rate within reason. Most frustrated guys at MFP eventually resort to more accurate logging - or quit altogether.
This is like a budget: if you are under budget 28 days per month but you splurge 3, and don't know how big the splurge is, you don't know if you're in the black or in the red. If you have lots of money, well - no problem. If your finances are tight, you need better tracking.
I'll give you an example: my body is lazy. Really lazy. I am a reasonable cyclist and can go hard, but if I am just lying down or in a desk (like 8 hours a day for my job) my BMR is lower than an average person of my size. My resting heart rate is less than 40. It took me a while to figure out that I wasn't losing weight at the rate I wanted because my BMR and TDEE were overestimated. This was, after many iterations, actually weighing my food on a scale, avoiding cheating meals/days, and avoiding eating foods with dubious calorie content. That was two weeks of no fun, but at least I got an explanation (from a physiologist). Now I understand better.
Just one note on starvation mode: the main study is one from a college in the USA (michigan?). That study stated that, upon heavy calorie deficits, the weight loss would slow down - but not stop. So, if you're actually in a massive deficit you would not stop losing weight, you would just slow down a bit (it wasn't even that much). Starvation mode is not a myth, but it also doesn't completely shut you down. Unless you die famished. Then yeah, you don't lose weight metabolically anymore.
I missed the part about cheat days not being tracked.
This is most likely your problem.
What you need to do: Track everything. Maintain a modest deficit over the course of a week and you will lose weight. You are not in starvation mode. I'm glad you're going to net more calories. If you do, you might not have those binge days that destroy all your work.
Well I have only had one cheat day over the course of my dieting. Would one day of bad eating really throw off the 14 days that I have been dieting and exercising?0 -
I have been eating less than 1200 calories per day, my carbs have been less than 30 grams daily, and I have been walking 6 miles on hilly trails daily burning 1000 calories and not eating those calories back. So why am I not losing any weight at all???
Reasons why you're probably not losing weight:
-If you're not logging accurately and precisely, you're probably eating more than you think. Measure and weigh EVERYTHING. Get measuring cups and a food scale. Use them! And LOG EVERY. SINGLE. THING. you put into your mouth. Even water or diet soda. Even a stick of gum. Even one little gummy bear. Everything.
-You may be overestimating your exercise burns. If you want your burn to be the closest to accurate, invest in a heart rate monitor. Fitness gadgets like the Fitbit and others similar as well as certain apps will give you the next best accuracy for your workout burns. The burns you get by simply plugging your workout into MFP are often far from accurate. But if you're going to just use MFP to determine how many calories you burned in your workout, be BRUTALLY HONEST with yourself about your effort level. Did you really use "vigorous effort" or was it actually more of a "moderate effort"?
-DON'T HAVE REGULAR CHEAT DAYS!!!! There's nothing wrong with the rare cheat day. Rare meaning on your birthday and major holidays, and maybe while you're on vacation too. But if you're having weekly cheat days, that's probably a major reason why you're not losing weight. Weekly cheat days have the potential to basically cancel out all of the work you did that week, especially if you're eating wayyy over on your cheat days and (because of inaccurate calorie and burn counts) you have a very small calorie deficit every week. So, instead of having cheat days, try to eat a healthy amount of calories with a moderate deficit daily and incorporate some of your favorite sweet snacks into your daily calorie allotment in small quantities. That way you won't feel deprived and you won't feel like you even need a cheat day!
-Finally, how long have you been doing this new routine? If it's been less than 2 weeks, give it some more time. You're not going to drop much weight in the first 5 or so days. Give your routine at least 3-4 weeks before evaluating it to see if it's actually working.0 -
I ate 1229 calories yesterday but burned 1045 by working out. I'm not starving myself?
This is totally unsustainable.
Eat more and work out moderately, be kind to your body, don't try for too much too quickly.0 -
Or take that 2321-500=1821
That minus 500x7=3500 which would be 1lb a week loss.
Okay, bare with me, but how did you come up with those numbers again?
Okay go here http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
Enter in your information. They will give your BMR and your TDEE. Your BMR is your "basal metabolic rate:. That number is the amount of energy expended while at rest in a neutrally temperate environment. Then there's your TDEE which is the number of calories you use from your daily activities....ie exercise level.
Take that number and minus 500 that is your deficit to lose fat. Eat that amount. 2321(TDEE)-500(deficit)=1821 that is what you can eat daily to lose 1 lb a week.0 -
Would you expect your car to run on no gas? Would you expect your laptop battery to work if you never plug it in? If you have a smartphone you know you have to feed it daily if you want to call people.
SAME WITH YOUR BODY! You do not eat enough.
It's scary because we spent years thinking that weight means almost no eating at all. It doesn't work that way. You have to feed the weight loss0 -
Obviously since it was my cheat day I wasn't going to log all that. That is exactly why I made a food note to say it was my cheat day. If I was going to lie about what I post, why would I make a note that on my cheat day I ate much more than what I posted......
The point was is there are frequent missed meals and days where you barely log anything at all...so are you eating or not eating? Be honest in your food diary and if those low days with missed meals are accurate then obviously you are not eating enough. If you are exercising to the extreme that you say you need to eat more food to fuel those workouts. If you want to be able to figure out what the issue is, then you have to be accurate if you don't think it's important then good luck to you.
You have received lots of good advice and have chosen to take some of it as a personal attack. If you don't want the feed back then why post the question?0 -
Obviously since it was my cheat day I wasn't going to log all that. That is exactly why I made a food note to say it was my cheat day. If I was going to lie about what I post, why would I make a note that on my cheat day I ate much more than what I posted......
This doesn't work.
If your "net" days account for a deficit of 800 calories/day, and your cheat day (once/week) is a heavy superavit (say, 5,000 cal) you're not losing. You're gaining.
So you have your answer there: your cheating is wrecking your accounting. Most MFP complaints or "failures" are simply a result of faulty math. Either they don't log everything significant they eat, they don't measure it accurately, or they don't log their exercise and basic metabolic rate within reason. Most frustrated guys at MFP eventually resort to more accurate logging - or quit altogether.
This is like a budget: if you are under budget 28 days per month but you splurge 3, and don't know how big the splurge is, you don't know if you're in the black or in the red. If you have lots of money, well - no problem. If your finances are tight, you need better tracking.
I'll give you an example: my body is lazy. Really lazy. I am a reasonable cyclist and can go hard, but if I am just lying down or in a desk (like 8 hours a day for my job) my BMR is lower than an average person of my size. My resting heart rate is less than 40. It took me a while to figure out that I wasn't losing weight at the rate I wanted because my BMR and TDEE were overestimated. This was, after many iterations, actually weighing my food on a scale, avoiding cheating meals/days, and avoiding eating foods with dubious calorie content. That was two weeks of no fun, but at least I got an explanation (from a physiologist). Now I understand better.
Just one note on starvation mode: the main study is one from a college in the USA (michigan?). That study stated that, upon heavy calorie deficits, the weight loss would slow down - but not stop. So, if you're actually in a massive deficit you would not stop losing weight, you would just slow down a bit (it wasn't even that much). Starvation mode is not a myth, but it also doesn't completely shut you down. Unless you die famished. Then yeah, you don't lose weight metabolically anymore.
I missed the part about cheat days not being tracked.
This is most likely your problem.
What you need to do: Track everything. Maintain a modest deficit over the course of a week and you will lose weight. You are not in starvation mode. I'm glad you're going to net more calories. If you do, you might not have those binge days that destroy all your work.
Well I have only had one cheat day over the course of my dieting. Would one day of bad eating really throw off the 14 days that I have been dieting and exercising?
Depends on the accuracy of your non cheat day logging and how bad your cheat days truly are. Unless you have a legit medical reason, some sort of metabolic disorder, there is no way you are not losing weight based on the information you've provided. Weight loss will slow with massive deficits like you've been putting yourself through but not by much. Your body won't actually 'hold onto weight' until you're down to 7-8% body fat. So either you're not logging accurately (daily and your cheat days are massive) you have a metabolic issue. Since metabolic issues affect less than 1% of the population, the odds are in favor of less than accurate logging.0
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