That's discouraging.

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24

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  • chocolatexxmintt
    chocolatexxmintt Posts: 85 Member
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    For the first three weeks I saw no change I maintained to exact same weight, then all of a sudden I started dropping 0.2 ..0.8 even upto 1.8 lbs /.. now 61 days in I have lost 14.5 lbs overall. :) stick with it!


    also.. water adds weight, my cycle adds upto six lbs for me :(
  • JGonzo82
    JGonzo82 Posts: 167 Member
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    I'll echo what some others have said:
    -10 days really isn't that long
    -you were probably drinking water at the gym so even though you say "empty stomach," you probably had been drinking water
    -try weighing yourself more frequently, preferably at the same time of day (but just for illustrative purposes, weigh yourself in the morning (after peeing!) & then weigh yourself later in the day, just to see how easy it is for weigh to fluctuate even within a few hours, especially depending on sodium intake, food/water going in, pee/poop coming out, yadda yadda yadda).
    -depending on where you are in your cycle you also may be retaining more water than you normally would
  • NerdyAdventurer
    NerdyAdventurer Posts: 166 Member
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    It's already been said but I'll say it again because it's really important:

    Eat more plants.
  • BecomingShane
    BecomingShane Posts: 29 Member
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    a 12 incline? i call shenanigans. also those machines notoriously way high. if you eat back alot of your exercise cals that tm calculation could be killing progresr

    1. I go to Red Fitness in Westlake, OH and their treadmills reach 15 incline. On a good day when I have a lot of energy I'll boost it up to 13. So you can shove your "shenanigans" where the sun doesn't shine.
    2. Like I said, though. I am usually hundreds of calories under. Even if the treadmill measurement was 50 calories off or more there's no way I'd be going over.
    3. It's clear to me now that I just haven't been working out/dieting long enough to see any results. So thank you for your difficult to read, unhelpful, and judgmental reply.
  • BecomingShane
    BecomingShane Posts: 29 Member
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    Are you close to being on your cycle? That always makes me a few pounds heavier the week to few days before. I agree with taking measurements. You could be replacing fat with muscle which won't move the scale much, but you will notice that you are more toned and your waist smaller.

    Good luck and stay the course. It will happen.

    If by cycle you mean period... I'm on it right now xD. If not, then I'm not sure what you mean.
  • NerdyAdventurer
    NerdyAdventurer Posts: 166 Member
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    Are you close to being on your cycle? That always makes me a few pounds heavier the week to few days before. I agree with taking measurements. You could be replacing fat with muscle which won't move the scale much, but you will notice that you are more toned and your waist smaller.

    Good luck and stay the course. It will happen.

    If by cycle you mean period... I'm on it right now xD. If not, then I'm not sure what you mean.

    Ding Ding Ding

    theres your answer.

    but also eat more plants :)
  • BecomingShane
    BecomingShane Posts: 29 Member
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    Lastly, holy exercise lady. Unless you have a HRM that connects with the treadmill, there is no way those numbers are accurate. Also as a general rule, MFP agrees you should eat back half your exercise calories anyway because MPF's calculations are a bit generous.

    The treadmill at Red Fitness has a heart rate monitor, but I'm not always holding the censors to see it. I grab them every once in a while and it's usually a range from 50-70 depending on whether or not I just came down from an increased speed or not.

    So how accurate are the calories counted on treadmills? I don't step off, ever, unless I have to pee, and of course, I pause it. I figured because of that the number that the treadmill told me I was burning would be accurate. This whole thing just got so much harder due to this problem. I really need to know/would like to know how to get an accurate idea of how many calories I'm actually burning everyday.
  • BecomingShane
    BecomingShane Posts: 29 Member
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    Are you close to being on your cycle? That always makes me a few pounds heavier the week to few days before. I agree with taking measurements. You could be replacing fat with muscle which won't move the scale much, but you will notice that you are more toned and your waist smaller.

    Good luck and stay the course. It will happen.

    If by cycle you mean period... I'm on it right now xD. If not, then I'm not sure what you mean.

    Ding Ding Ding

    theres your answer.

    but also eat more plants :)

    Aside from now being discouraged by what people have told me about inaccurate calorie burning sessions on the treadmill, that makes me feel a bit better. And ahaha... I have this problem where I really don't like plant-y foods. But I'll do it! I know veggies are the best. If only they didn't taste like poo.
  • angiez93
    angiez93 Posts: 63
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    Looking at the past week in your diary, I see a few things.

    You eat a LOT of empty carbs - tortillas, white bread, crackers, etc. That kind of food is worthless for your body - those calories don't go to helping you build muscle or help your body function better in any way shape or form.

    The next thing I see is your high sodium intake. Sodium and water are best buds. The more salt you have, the more water you hang on to, causing you to weigh more. If you replace your Coke with water, not only are you able to decrease empty calories in your diet, but you are better able to flush out excess salt, causing you to lose water weight.

    Lastly, holy exercise lady. Unless you have a HRM that connects with the treadmill, there is no way those numbers are accurate. Also as a general rule, MFP agrees you should eat back half your exercise calories anyway because MPF's calculations are a bit generous.

    A final note - the scale isn't everything. Take your measurements. Take pictures. Record your run/walk times. Write down how heavy of weights you use. As time progresses and so do you, these things will show how awesome you are better than numbers on a scale.

    Exactly what I would have suggested!
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
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    If you are new to exercise it is not unusual to retain some more water than before, because your muscle tissue needs it to repair itself after an exercise session.
    Many people confuse this mistakenly with " building muscle ". You will be fine....just give it a week or two more.
    No matter what anyone says; if you are reasonably healthy and have no medical issues that prevent weight loss ( and they are less than 3% of the population , but seem to all be MFP members...lol ) you WILL LOSE weight, if you eat at a deficit. Just give it a bit of time.
    Good Luck !
  • madbrainDotCom
    madbrainDotCom Posts: 193 Member
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    An HRM is worthless for calorie monitoring.

    I once wore one for a 24 hour period during which I did no exercise, and was either asleep or at my desk, and it said I burned 4000 calories. I most certainly did not, I just have a high resting pulse.

    I trust the calories shown on my treadmill far more. The treadmill has an HRM as well, with a chest strap. I find it useful only for staying in the right "zone", not for counting calories.
  • allisonjforsyth
    allisonjforsyth Posts: 105 Member
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    That is discouraging. I feel for you! I was blown away when I realized the treadmill numbers I'd been using for so long were so far off. Does the treadmill have you enter your weight? There are apps for cell phones that are treadmill calorie calculators. You can put in weight, incline of treadmill, speed and minutes walked.

    Also way to go on the 12 or 13 incline! That's amazing! The most I ever got up to was 9.

    Also, wow you live in Westlake? I live in Bay. :)

    Best of luck!
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
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    Looking at the past week in your diary, I see a few things.

    You eat a LOT of empty carbs - tortillas, white bread, crackers, etc. That kind of food is worthless for your body - those calories don't go to helping you build muscle or help your body function better in any way shape or form.

    The next thing I see is your high sodium intake. Sodium and water are best buds. The more salt you have, the more water you hang on to, causing you to weigh more. If you replace your Coke with water, not only are you able to decrease empty calories in your diet, but you are better able to flush out excess salt, causing you to lose water weight.

    Lastly, holy exercise lady. Unless you have a HRM that connects with the treadmill, there is no way those numbers are accurate. Also as a general rule, MFP agrees you should eat back half your exercise calories anyway because MPF's calculations are a bit generous.

    A final note - the scale isn't everything. Take your measurements. Take pictures. Record your run/walk times. Write down how heavy of weights you use. As time progresses and so do you, these things will show how awesome you are better than numbers on a scale.

    I agree with the white bread and crackers, but would like to point out that especially corn tortillas are very healthy, full of vitamins and minerals and at a standard size ( here in Mexico about the size of a saucer ) are a good deal with 50-55 calories a tortilla.
    I would like to recommend for all who are not aware how healthy corn tortillas are to google the word " nixtamalisation " and then read up on it in Wikipedia ( I know not always the most reliable, but this time what they say is right ).
    Apart from the tortillas not being empty calories ( of course flour tortillas are ) I agree with what you say....:o).
  • BecomingShane
    BecomingShane Posts: 29 Member
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    That is discouraging. I feel for you! I was blown away when I realized the treadmill numbers I'd been using for so long were so far off. Does the treadmill have you enter your weight? There are apps for cell phones that are treadmill calorie calculators. You can put in weight, incline of treadmill, speed and minutes walked.

    Also way to go on the 12 or 13 incline! That's amazing! The most I ever got up to was 9.

    Also, wow you live in Westlake? I live in Bay. :)

    Best of luck!

    Haha! Yeah, the treadmill has me enter my weight--- but not my height, which I found to be kind of poopy, because isn't that slightly important in deciding how much work is going to burn me how many calories?

    And yeah, I get totally nerdy with my treadmill walking. Sometimes I'm just listening to a podcast so I mostly walk but I want to burn so I choose a high incline. Most of the time, though, I'm listening to music, and I play it 3.5 at 12.0 (pretty much always 12, I only went 13 like twice for maybe 10 minutes near the end of sessions because I was feeling good) but when the chorus comes and I'm jammin' I get all my emotional excitement and I shove it up to 6-7 depending on the speed of the song and just run up that damn hill... usually for about 30 seconds or so. Which isn't much, but because I've been trusting the damn numbers on the damn thing, I thought it was enough.
  • BecomingShane
    BecomingShane Posts: 29 Member
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    Looking at the past week in your diary, I see a few things.

    You eat a LOT of empty carbs - tortillas, white bread, crackers, etc. That kind of food is worthless for your body - those calories don't go to helping you build muscle or help your body function better in any way shape or form.

    The next thing I see is your high sodium intake. Sodium and water are best buds. The more salt you have, the more water you hang on to, causing you to weigh more. If you replace your Coke with water, not only are you able to decrease empty calories in your diet, but you are better able to flush out excess salt, causing you to lose water weight.

    Lastly, holy exercise lady. Unless you have a HRM that connects with the treadmill, there is no way those numbers are accurate. Also as a general rule, MFP agrees you should eat back half your exercise calories anyway because MPF's calculations are a bit generous.

    A final note - the scale isn't everything. Take your measurements. Take pictures. Record your run/walk times. Write down how heavy of weights you use. As time progresses and so do you, these things will show how awesome you are better than numbers on a scale.

    I agree with the white bread and crackers, but would like to point out that especially corn tortillas are very healthy, full of vitamins and minerals and at a standard size ( here in Mexico about the size of a saucer ) are a good deal with 50-55 calories a tortilla.
    I would like to recommend for all who are not aware how healthy corn tortillas are to google the word " nixtamalisation " and then read up on it in Wikipedia ( I know not always the most reliable, but this time what they say is right ).
    Apart from the tortillas not being empty calories ( of course flour tortillas are ) I agree with what you say....:o).

    I'm such a friggin' picky eater... I've had corn tortillas before, I bought them accidentally and I hated them and I ended up throwing them all away :C... I plan to get some carrots... and, well... carrots. Carrots and apples and strawberries are the only effing plants I like.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    After taking a look at your diary I just wanted to add that it would be a really good idea for you to get a food scale and use it to weigh all of your solids. By using measuring cups/spoons, counting out pieces, and guessing the size of items you are probably eating more than you think.

    You also need to give your body some time to get used to the exercise if it's new. You will retain water to help repair sore muscles.

    Make any adjustments you need to, give it some time and don't let the little things get you discouraged. Take the information you are getting from the boards and use it to your benefit. It might not be what you want to hear but it will help you be successful in the long run.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    An HRM is worthless for calorie monitoring.

    I once wore one for a 24 hour period during which I did no exercise, and was either asleep or at my desk, and it said I burned 4000 calories. I most certainly did not, I just have a high resting pulse.

    I trust the calories shown on my treadmill far more. The treadmill has an HRM as well, with a chest strap. I find it useful only for staying in the right "zone", not for counting calories.

    HRM's are not meant to be worn all day. They are only meant to be worn during steady cardio exercise.

    Activity trackers like the FitBit, Jawbone, and Nike fuel band are meant to be worn all day.
  • madbrainDotCom
    madbrainDotCom Posts: 193 Member
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    Start weighing yourself daily when you wake up. That's when the weight is lowest.
    Look for a trend.

    Also, is it possible you are trading fat weight for muscle ? If you are significantly exercising, that would explain the lack of weight loss.

    Looking at your food diary, you only hit your protein target once in the last ten days. You are always significantly short !
    You should make it a point to always hit it, even on days that you aren't fully hitting your calorie target.

    Foods high in protein I suggest :
    - Greek yogurt . Preferably 2% or 0% fat. The fat content per se isn't bad, except that it means higher calories.
    Sweeten it with some 0 calorie sweetener. I like erythritol, but it's not cheap. You may use splenda or anything else you have avaialble..
    Do not eat other yogurts as the carb & sugar content is too high.

    - fatty fish. I like canned sardines and it's very easy to eat, just buy a bunch of cans, no preparation. Don't worry about the fat.
    One can of wild sardines in olive oil from costco has only 135 calories and they are almost all from protein

    - meat, a couple times a week.

    - if all else fails, drink some protein shake. I like the taste of Designer whey chocolate. I can't tolerate the taste of most protein powders. It's especially good to drink it after your workout.

    Hitting protein target wiill mean reducing carbs a bit, and especially sugars.

    Speaking of which, you are not tracking sugars in your diary. You really need to !
    You should aim to reduce the simple sugars. For example, cut the sugary soda.

    If you must drink soda, at least drink the diet one. And have it with other food, as in my experience the alternate sweetener messes with your brain and makes you hungrier. Don't have the diet soda by itself.

    I'm with you on veggies, really hate the taste of them. And I hardly eat any. You can see my food diary !
    And I like sweet things.

    I lost almost 12 lbs in 5 weeks, as well as 2 inches on my waist. In the last week, my weight flat lined, though, but I was above my calorie target several days.
  • BusyB223
    BusyB223 Posts: 248 Member
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    I weigh everyday also. I only do it first thing in the morning with very little on if anything. I just started weighing myself everyday or every other a few months ago because for that same reason. At least now I know where the extra pound or two may have come from by what I did or didn't do the day or two before.

    With a 12.0 incline are you holding on to the treadmill as you walk or run? It might be time to change up what you are doing so you trick the body. Try something else for a while then go back to that.

    Don't give up and don't be discourage. You are worth the effort!
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    An HRM is worthless for calorie monitoring.

    I once wore one for a 24 hour period during which I did no exercise, and was either asleep or at my desk, and it said I burned 4000 calories. I most certainly did not, I just have a high resting pulse.

    I trust the calories shown on my treadmill far more. The treadmill has an HRM as well, with a chest strap. I find it useful only for staying in the right "zone", not for counting calories.

    Wow.. what a laugh. If you did your research, you'd realize HRMs are built for steady state cardio and not for people to wear all day to estimate their TDEE. It's like a caveman banging on a car door, not understanding how the car works and concluding the car is worthless for transportation.

    HRMs are tools and they are very useful if used correctly. Used incorrectly, they're probably not very useful, but then again a hammer is pretty worthless if you hold it upside down. :wink: