What am I doing wrong!?!?!?!?

MKEgal

Since I last lost weight was senior year of high school. And I'm nineteen now.

So a year ago. But have you gained weight since then, or have you maintained at your current healthy weight?
If you want to maintain 140 lb, 2100 cal. (15 x weight)
To lose to get there, 1400 cal. (10 x weight)
Don't eat back your exercise calories (which it doesn't look like you're doing anyway).

Calorie intake is usually around 1300 to 1400 and with my workouts I typically burn around 1200 or 1400.

Here's your recorded intake for the last week:
09AUG Sat. 1703 - 1333 exercise
08AUG Fri. 1289 - 1860 exercise
07AUG Thurs. 529 !! - 2135 exercise
06AUG Wed. 1209 - 1589 exercise
05AUG Tues. 374 !! - 1310 exercise
04AUG Mon. 991 - 1437 exercise
03AUG Sun. 369 !! - no exercise

You have your goal calorie goal set at 1790.
All 7 days you were below your goal, 4 of those severely. Don't go below 1200 unless you're monitored by a doctor. You're starting to look like you have an eating disorder - under-eat, over-exercise.
And I'm seeing lots of "fiber bars", processed chicken foods.
(To be fair, you're also eating lots of fruit, nuts, oatmeal, fat-free yogurt.)

So if you're not losing weight when you're practically starving yourself, and on some days exercising away 4x the calories you ate, there's something seriously wrong somewhere.
You're not recording accurately, you're not measuring your food, you're not exercising that much, something.
If calories in are less than calories out, you will lose weight. You have to.


Also, you're usually eating very little for breakfast. Have about half your calories for breakfast.

This study compared eating a small breakfast, medium lunch, and large dinner, [200, 500, 700 cal]
with eating a large breakfast, medium lunch, and small dinner [700, 500, 200 cal].
"The [large breakfast] group showed greater weight loss and waist circumference reduction ... fasting glucose, insulin [&] triglycerides ... decreased significantly to a greater extent in the [large breakfast] group."
In addition, hunger was less and satiety was greater.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23512957
Full text:
http://genetics.doctorsonly.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Jakubowicz-at-al-Obesity-2013-oby20460.pdf

"subjects assigned to high caloric intake during breakfast lost significantly more weight than those assigned to high caloric intake during the dinner"
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24467926
Full text: http://www.tradewindsports.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Nutrient-Timing-and-Obesity-2014.pdf

"data suggest that a low-calorie Mediterranean diet with a higher amount of calories in the first part of the day could establish a greater reduction in fat mass and improved insulin sensitivity than a typical daily diet."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24809437


Using myself as an example (5'9", aiming for 165 lb) my calorie goal is set at 1650.
For breakfast, I had 650 cal:
banana
1.5 c skim milk + carnation instant breakfast + malted milk powder
1 piece whole wheat bread + 1.5 T peanut butter

Lunch will also be pretty big, also about 650 cal:
1c brown rice
10 oz tofu
about 4c vegetables + stir fry sauce

Usually lunch is a bit smaller, maybe 500.
Then dinner is about 300. So I'm under by a couple hundred that day, or I can have some chocolate.

I've been pretty consistently losing, averaging 1.5 lb per week.
I do weightlifting at least 3x per week, and cardio (elliptical) 5-6x for at least 30 min, sometimes up to 60. Recently started doing HIIT, and it's really upped the calorie burn.

GiveMeCoffee

Looked at your diary:

Your logging could use some work, here's a couple questionable entries:

Cake - White, prepared from recipe with coconut frosting, 0.5 oz 50 calories
(Did you create this entry, or pick one that was already there? If it's not yours how do you know what was used? And 50 calories for cake with frosting??

Jif Extra Crunchy - Peanut Butter, 1 Tbsp (32g) 95 calories
(Not weighed so probably more than 1/2 serving)

Banana - (Small), 6 - 6.9 inches 90 calories
(What's a small banana... the 6 inch banana isn't the same calories as the 6.9)

What are you adding to your 1/2 cup of oatmeal?

Those are just a few

logg1e

Secondly, there's your calorie burn. What kind of exercise are you doing to burn that amount of calories? It's extremely high. My guess is that you are using MFP's approximate figures which are generally considered too high.

gabrielleelliott90

Are you eating back the calories burnt? Are you sure you aren't undereating? If you are eating less than 1200, you will go into starvation mode. Maybe up your calories to enough to lose 0.5lb and see how you go. It will take longer, but it is an easier goal to reach each week and is easier on your body. Try it.

logg1e

Are you eating back the calories burnt? Are you sure you aren't undereating? If you are eating less than 1200, you will go into starvation mode. Maybe up your calories to enough to lose 0.5lb and see how you go. It will take longer, but it is an easier goal to reach each week and is easier on your body. Try it.

With respect, I disagree. The OP just needs to work on her accuracy of logging. If she ups her calories she's going to put on weight, isn't she?

GiveMeCoffee

I would stop logging vigorous cleaning, and take a look at the other exercise entries you have as well.

Mr_Knight

Since I last lost weight was senior year of high school. And I'm nineteen how. Calorie intake is usually around 1300 to 1400 and with my workouts I typically burn around 1200 or 1400.

Your workout estimates are vastly over-estimated.

Vastly.

Mr_Knight

If you are eating less than 1200, you will go into starvation mode.

No, she won't.

GiveMeCoffee

Are you eating back the calories burnt? Are you sure you aren't undereating? If you are eating less than 1200, you will go into starvation mode. Maybe up your calories to enough to lose 0.5lb and see how you go. It will take longer, but it is an easier goal to reach each week and is easier on your body. Try it.

No, she's not in starvation mode. Increasing her calories will cause her to gain not lose.

kmbrooks15

Too low a calorie intake (below 1200) can actually slow your metabolism down and make it harder to lose weight. Try increasing your calories and easing off on the exercise a bit. You might see an initial weight gain, but it should help kickstart things.

GiveMeCoffee

Too low a calorie intake (below 1200) can actually slow your metabolism down and make it harder to lose weight. Try increasing your calories and easing off on the exercise a bit. You might see an initial weight gain, but it should help kickstart things.

No you aren't kickstarting anything. Logging is off, exercise is over estimated.

olganade

If you weight 150 pounds and are wearing size 5 & 6 pants and when your size small and extra small tops are sometimes large for you, might this not suggest that possibly your 150 pounds might be muscle? (I weigh 150 pounds but my clothes size are 10 and 12 ) You might not have any more fat to lose. Your picture looks great.

_Zardoz_

Too low a calorie intake (below 1200) can actually slow your metabolism down and make it harder to lose weight. Try increasing your calories and easing off on the exercise a bit. You might see an initial weight gain, but it should help kickstart things.

If she doesn't know what she's eating now, which she doesn't looking at her diary increasing her calories to another fictitious number will do what? OP as Sonic said are you actually weighing your food? eg do you put the food on a food scale and read that number and put that number into mfp?

She's also not a car and doesn't need kickstarting

Have a look at this OP

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

inneedofanap

My clothes size is 5-6 in jeans, sometimes a size 4. Tops I wear a small or extra small. Or sometimes for most brands even an extra small is too big for me.

This is a recent profile picture by the way.

Like I said, I think you look great. Don't focus on the number on the scale.

Francl27

I don't really see where you want to lose weight either, but my guess is that 1) you're eating more than you think... buy a food scale and weigh your food, 2) you're way overestimating your calorie burns. Unless you run 12 miles a day or something.

Serah87

OP read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

and this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

__freckles__

Just took a quick glance at your diary. Correct me if I'm wrong but it appears you don't weigh your food. Everything is too perfect in there. I don't see any odd numbers that would result from you weighing things in grams or ounces.

Also, I'm not sure what you're doing for exercise but those are huge calorie burns.

You're probably eating more than your think and overestimating calorie burns.

OP, I'm not sure if you're reading every single post cuz you skipped over my questions a few times and glossed over the above too. It appears you don't weigh your portions and are probably using MFP's calorie burn estimates, which are grossly overestimated.

If you want to be accurate with your food intake, you should get a food scale and weigh everything.

As far as calorie burned, I use the TDEE method so I don't worry about it. But I've read many members that use the MFP calorie burns only eat half their exercise calories back. Or you can use a fitbit or HRM chest strap, etc.

TL;DR - see above in bold.

SLLRunner

So I am trying to lose the last fifteen pounds. I workout and stay active everyday, eat healthy, stay within my calorie deficit. So what am I doing wrong here? The number won't go down no matter how hard I try!

What you're doing wrong is not having patience.

I notice by your ticker that you have lost 3 pounds, and you say you are trying to lost the last 15 pounds. How long have you been on your diet (how long did it take you to lose that 3 pounds)?

At first glance, I think you need patience. Weight loss is not linear and it does not all come off at once.

Also, since you have so little to lose, your goals should be set for .5 pounds per week. You should weigh your food and ensure that you are using correct entires. If you are using MFP to estimate your calorie burns, don't eat all those exercise calories back because they are greatly overestimated.

Other than that, patience is a virtue.

ETA: Yep, those calorie burns are very overestimated, which tells me you are using MFP, gym machine, or other internet/phone app sources. Also, don't count housecleaning duties or walks to and from the store (or just those short walks where you don't really get up a sweat). Put weight lifting down as 1 calorie only, and count cardio calorie burns only.

bonbons324

You're probably not doing anything wrong. You've hit a plateau and it's normal. Decrease your carbs and kick up your cardio for a few days to a week. Hang in there and try not to be discouraged.