WTHeck is my problem???

Brat3073

I started a Thanksgiving Challenge a while back. I didn't set a crazy goal, it was a 15 pound loss in i believe 12 weeks. Here its 3 weeks away now and ive still got 9.5 pounds to lose. Im being pretty careful on what i eat...Halloween screwed me up a little bit, but it wasn't as bad as i thought it was going to be. I know my sodium gets up there on some days, but i drink tons of water. is there such a thing as too much water> My water bottle is 33.3 oz....and i drink 3 or 4 of those a day. Not sure what else im doing wrong. I got to Curves 3 days a week and exercise here at home on the off days. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Lisa__Michelle

I am there with you. I exercise everyday and I haven't lost ANYTHING since this past Saturday! I eat under everything too! I am only in my second week so you would thing I wouldn't hit a plateau yet! I don't know what is going on!

MzBug

I just peeked at the last week of your diary. Not terrible, but you could try a few tweeks. Stay above the 1200 on the days you don't exercise, on the days you do exercise go for 1400 minimum. You were under 1200 most days (unless you went out to eat). Cut back on some of the processed carbs (flour, sugar & sugar substitute products) and eat more high protein foods. More vegies. Also as you mentioned, the sodium. Your diet isn't bad, just need more of the good stuff and a little less of the bad.

Keep it up! You are doing great!

TateFTW

Ok, we need to talk here for a minute. The reason you aren't losing weight is because you are eating WAY too little. I mean, like WAAAAAY too little. No, I'm not mis-stating. You are UNDER eating. Most days you're only eating HALF of your goal. Your metabolism has slowed to a complete stop. If course you can't lose weight, your body thinks you're starving and wants to hold on to everything it has stored.

How to start losing weight again? Start eating. I mean you need to easily eat twice as much as you're eating now for atleast a week, to jump-start your metabolism. You probably won't lose anything for a couple weeks while your body starts to work properly again.

My wife had the same problem. She was undereating and couldn't lose. Once she started eating just under her goal, she started losing her 1 lb/week like it was a law of physics.

I know, it sounds crazy, but it'll work. Not at first. But after a couple weeks you'll be back losing, and enjoying life quite a bit more because you'll be able to eat more.

You see, our bodies don't like losing fat. It goes against every survival adaptation our body has. So we have to trick it by staying just below what it uses. Our bodies love homeostasis, and will always try to reach balance over time. When you under-eat, your metabolism keeps going at the same pace for a couple weeks, then starts to slow down. Think of it as a fire. When you only give it a little wood now and then, it gets smalled and doesn't burn as hot. When you give it wood all the time it gets hotter and bigger. You need to feed your fire with food and get it going nice and hot again, then you need to stay WITHIN 300 CALORES of your goal, EVERY DAY, even when your goal goes up because you exercised.

No, you won't lose more as you eat less. I know, it goes against everything we've been told to believe, but it's true.

So consider this good news. Now go have a nice big lunch! Oh, and move your goal date back to Christmas, because thanksgiving isn't happening. Consider this lesson learned!

TateFTW

I am there with you. I exercise everyday and I haven't lost ANYTHING since this past Saturday! I eat under everything too! I am only in my second week so you would thing I wouldn't hit a plateau yet! I don't know what is going on!

Do yourself a favor and put your scale away. Don't get it out again until your weigh in day, which should be no more then once a week, at the same time of day, and under the same conditions.

You diary isn't public, so I can't see what you're eating, but the same rules apply. Staying under is good, but only under by less then 300 calories. Stick to the numbers and you WILL lose, maybe not every week, but it should average out in the end.

CrimsonScotty

Great advice from TateFTW , i agree completely!

Brat3073

Thank you so much for that. I try to eat....really i do.....i eat till im full....and some....yeah ok, all the time usually (cause i know thats what you were thinking) i am under, but im seriously not hungry and i still haven't come close to my goal. So how do i "force" myself to eat all my calories....because i know i have to, its just hard. When i first started this journey, i thought ....wow, only 1200 cals? ill starve....then to find out i have a hard time hitting the 1200! i will admit, i have been very leery about eating my exercise calories too. That paprt i never understood. So im going to redo my goals and start (force) eating more.....at least im going to try to eat more......and reasses this whole thing. I want to be able to buy my lil black dress for Christmas!

Ok, we need to talk here for a minute. The reason you aren't losing weight is because you are eating WAY too little. I mean, like WAAAAAY too little. No, I'm not mis-stating. You are UNDER eating. Most days you're only eating HALF of your goal. Your metabolism has slowed to a complete stop. If course you can't lose weight, your body thinks you're starving and wants to hold on to everything it has stored.

How to start losing weight again? Start eating. I mean you need to easily eat twice as much as you're eating now for atleast a week, to jump-start your metabolism. You probably won't lose anything for a couple weeks while your body starts to work properly again.

My wife had the same problem. She was undereating and couldn't lose. Once she started eating just under her goal, she started losing her 1 lb/week like it was a law of physics.

I know, it sounds crazy, but it'll work. Not at first. But after a couple weeks you'll be back losing, and enjoying life quite a bit more because you'll be able to eat more.

You see, our bodies don't like losing fat. It goes against every survival adaptation our body has. So we have to trick it by staying just below what it uses. Our bodies love homeostasis, and will always try to reach balance over time. When you under-eat, your metabolism keeps going at the same pace for a couple weeks, then starts to slow down. Think of it as a fire. When you only give it a little wood now and then, it gets smalled and doesn't burn as hot. When you give it wood all the time it gets hotter and bigger. You need to feed your fire with food and get it going nice and hot again, then you need to stay WITHIN 300 CALORES of your goal, EVERY DAY, even when your goal goes up because you exercised.

No, you won't lose more as you eat less. I know, it goes against everything we've been told to believe, but it's true.

So consider this good news. Now go have a nice big lunch! Oh, and move your goal date back to Christmas, because thanksgiving isn't happening. Consider this lesson learned!

sarahenagy

Agreed - definitely eat more. To loose one pound a week you should have around a 500 calorie deficit each day (not too much more or less). MFP builds your deficit into your goal; so if your base is 1200 a day, then to maintain you would need to be eating around 1700. So if you work out you need to eat most (I would say AT LEAST half) of the calories you earned.

If you are having trouble eating that much (must be nice...I am in maintainence mode and still feel like I don't get enough to eat some days) I would up the lean proteins and unprocessed carbs in your diet. Also, make sure you are measuring your food carefully. Maybe you are eating more than you realize - I was when I first started on here. 4oz of a boneless, skinless uncooked chicken breast is 120 calories - I was putting in 1 serving of chicken breast (which is 4oz) when the breasts I were using were actually 6-8oz each.