18 days...no change.

juliaky84

Hi everyone,

I've been logging for 18 days straight, when should I expect to see a change in weight?

girlviernes

If your weight isn't changing, great! you are getting a good idea of what your TDEE is (although, your records need to be very accurate which means measuring). From there you can cut down a little until you are losing at least half a pound per week.

malibu927

When you start to log your food accurately. Almost every day for the past week is over your calories, and one by over 1500. It doesn't look like you weigh/measure your food either, which means you're most likely eating more than you think.

Read these links to help you out:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

newdaydawning79

I'm with the above. You need to measure/weigh everything you're eating. A food scale is one of the best investments you can make on your journey.

Your sodium also may be high, and there's no way to tell how much water you're getting in. Drink at least 64oz of water (I am for a minimum of 96oz) every day. More if you're working out or if you know you're eating a lot of pre-packaged or otherwise processed foods.

Good luck!

juliaky84

I measure and weigh my food already. I am over a bit sometimes but still in a deficit. I set it at 500 calorie deficit and I don't care if I only make it by 250 calories any given day, it's still a deficit for me. I don't care if it's slow progress so maybe I'm being inpatient.

My high calorie day is my free meal day, which a lot of people do. I have 1-2 free meals on the weekends. I'm not willing to get rid of that, it keeps me sane the rest of week. I don't think future free meal days will be 1500 cal. I know I binged that day and it felt disgusting, I just ate to eat.

There's no way I can eat less than this. Soooo do I just need to give it more time? Or am I destined to fail with this as usual.

cleback

If you're not willing to change your diet, perhaps you could try to add some exercise to give you a bigger deficit?

juliaky84

Hm, well I do 3 workouts a week currently.

Thing is, I'm okay with slow changes...someone told me to give it 6 weeks...so maybe I need to just stick it out longer?

AliceDark

The daily totals don't matter as much as the weekly averages. In the last week for which you have complete logs (8/29 to 9/4), you logged 12,441 calories, or a daily average of 1777. (If you're not weighing your food, this is probably not accurate).

So, the question becomes...how much weight would you expect to lose if you ate 1777 calories every day? What kind of deficit is that?

StaciMarie1974

I totaled/averaged your #s for the past 18 days. Assuming you were aiming for a 500 deficit per day, your average with the highs & lows is 217 deficit a day. Or for 18 days, enough deficit to lose just over 1 pound assuming all your loggings are 100% accurate and that your daily activity level was also 100% accurate. <--you may have lost some weight but have a hard time seeing it on the scale due to water weight fluctuations.

Its hard to be 100% accurate. You indicate you use a food scale, but do you use it for everything solid? For example I even weigh bread. Some may not think to do that - the serving size is a slice right? But they often weigh 10-20% more than a slice is supposed to weigh. Same with wraps and other packaged items that give nutrition info, they're not all going to weigh the same as '1 serving'. Packaging can be off according to the FDA by 10-20%. So errors like that happen if you put too much confidence into the package label.

And when you set up your profile on MFP, the recommendation is based on the activity level you designate. Sedentary, lightly active, etc. If you pick one too high and then have some fairly lazy days, that could also hurt your #s.

I'd suggest keep doing as you're doing - but work in an additional 20-30 minute walk or some other activity a few times a week. Burning more helps the deficit. Be a stickler on your food log, don't trust packaging, and also be careful of the entries in the database. Sometimes they're wrong because users can edit them.

ana3067

I 2nd everyone who said to weigh/log accurately. I mean, what is 0.6TBSP? How is 0.5 small apple an actual measurement/weight?

Calculate your TDEE from a few websites to get an idea of what your average energy expenditure is estimated to be (includes your exercise). Subtract 20% from that and it's enough for a ~1lb/week loss. Either set that as your goal and eat to that (which I'd recommend since you mention exercising 3x a week but I do not see this being logged, so chances are you are not accounting for that energy expenditure in your total calories) or set MFP goals for 1lb/week and log your exercise on top of your non-exercise activity expenditure. Monitor for a month, if no real changes are made, you're either not in enough of a deficit or you are grossly mislogging, or you way over-estimated your activity.

Liftng4Lis

Calorie deficit = weight loss. If you're in a deficit you are going to lose. With only 250-500 of a deficit, you don't have a lot of room for error. It's very important to be meticulous with the tracking. Good luck!

IsaackGMOON

So you've been logging... that's a bit vague.

First off, find our your TDEE by using one of the many calculators online; this is pretty important. Subtract 20% from this, you'll eat at this amount of calories to lose 1lb a week.

You haven't told us how many calories you're eating a day. You need to be eating 20% under your TDEE to lose 1lb a week... what have you been eating at?

If you have been eating in a deficit, try not to go off of weighing yourself but instead measuring yourself. Sometimes, your body can hold onto water... making it seem like you've lose no weight at all.

pleasepleaseno

yeah, unfortunately you have to be super precise.
a scale, not measuring cups & most of all be honest with yourself. you wont do yourself any favors by being lenient with logging.

kimny72

It's fine to have a "cheat meal" if you want, but you still have to keep an eye on the math.

To lose 1/2 a lb a week, your goal is a 250 cal deficit per day. That is a 1,750 cal deficit per week. If you eat a 1,500 calories meal, you have just negated most of your deficit for the week, which means no weight loss.

That's why I don't do cheat meals, it is too easy for me to lose control and waste all the good work I did the rest of the week. Instead a set my calorie goal a touch higher so I can treat myself a little every day. And if I know I am going out or will be eating high cal, then I adjust my eating for the whole week to absorb as many of those extra calories as I can. Just what works for me.

Either way, you have so little to lose, it will be s-l-o-w, and you have to be patient! Good luck-

StaciMarie1974

These can be based on weights. I have some odd ones in my log - because I scan labels. Often they'll have the label as cups and grams, and I adjust my portion by grams. Such as if 1 serving is 28g and I have 14g, I scan the label, adjust portion to .5 serving and the entry shows the cups or spoons part rather than grams. But I do enter it based on how much I weigh out.

An entry may say 'small apple 100g' and then if I use that entry, and have 75g of apple, I'd enter .75 servings. It might show .75 small apple on the log - but still be based on an accurate weight.

I 2nd everyone who said to weigh/log accurately. I mean, what is 0.6TBSP? How is 0.5 small apple an actual measurement/weight?

TurboLindsay

DIdn't have time to read through all of the comments, but in case no one as mentioned it...you did say you're working out. Is it possible that you are gaining muscle, and therefore not seeing any change in weight? Muscle is heaver than fat and it usually takes over two weeks for me to see any changes when I start (after falling off the wagon).

I have recently finished one month of working out and eating better (running and doing PiYo). I workout 6 days a week and have been eating very well but only lost 1.8 lbs! That does not at all reflect the amount of work I've put in.

That said, I can feel how much stronger my body is and I can see muscle definition. So while the scale doesn't reflect progress, there has definitely been progress.

Give it some more time and ask yourself...do I feel stronger? Am I gaining muscle? If you can answer yes to any of those, forget the scale and keep doing what you're doing. Muscle burns fat and eventually you'll start to see your progress. The scale is a only a gauge, don't give it too much credit!

Also make sure you're eating enough to balance your workouts. If you don't consume enough calories, your body will start to store fat so in starving yourself, you'll also be working against yourself.

Good luck and keep at! 18 days is a great start, but it's just the beginning!

CrunchyDad

There's no way I can eat less than this. Soooo do I just need to give it more time? Or am I destined to fail with this as usual.

No one is destined to fail, this is something you have to really want to do and be willing to work at it.

Unfortunately, if you are not losing weight, you are not at enough of a deficit currently. You say you cannot eat less, which would leave you with exercising more to meet your goals. But I think there is another option, perhaps looking at the foods you are eating, and substituting them with less calorie dense foods where you can.

And as everyone else has said, accuracy of logging is crucial, especially if you are only eating a 250 cal/day deficit. Food labels can easily have enough error to put you over that amount.

In all honesty, I am not the most accurate logger myself. I don't have time to weigh all my food, I simply measure what I can and sometimes even estimate my portions, which isn't hard because I eat the same thing every day. But still, I account for this by allowing myself extra room, I always aim to be under my 500 calorie deficit goal. If I regularly go over a few days by even a little, or have some blowout days, I don't expect to lose any weight that week.

So far I am averaging 1.4lbs per week loss, so it must be working. I think if I was only eating a 250 cal deficit I would definitely not be losing.

AskTracyAnnK28

My high calorie day is my free meal day, which a lot of people do. I have 1-2 free meals on the weekends. I'm not willing to get rid of that, it keeps me sane the rest of week.

Those 'free meal days' might be your downfall and can sabatoge all the work you've done all week.

Saying you're "not willing" to put an end to your cheat meals makes me think that maybe you're just not ready to change yet. Try and be more flexible or come up with healthier versions of those cheat meals.

kaspatore

My best advice... Just keep going! Make a small change/ goal every week. As you go on fueling your body with more healthy foods and reducing the unhealthy ones (even very gradually) those will become the foods you crave. Then the naughty foods will make you feel yuck. Similarly, the more you are active, the more your body will crave activity! Make it fun- get outside, listen to your favorite music or book on tape, ect. I highly suggest a heart rate monitor that will tell you how many calories you've burned and make it a goal to either burn a certain amount every day or keep burning more by challenging yourself more everyday. JUST STICK TO IT! DON'T GIVE UP!

miss_rye_

Check out if it fits your macros. This type of eating allows for more "cheats" than the normal eating plan. I personally try to keep around 80% clean and 20% not clean. My body is changing, and I really am enjoying the changes.

IF I want icecream, I can have it. Does this mean I eat broccoli and chicken rest of day, sometimes, BUT I am not binge eating and it is all done in moderation.

Since you don't want to "give up" things, I really think this might be a good approach of weight loss for you. What kind of work out s are you doing for your 3 work outs? Most people following the flexdieting/macro/iifym ways are into lifting.

jeffpettis

Not sure why you would expect a different result if you keep doing what you are doing now and are not seeing any changes?

If you were eating at a deficit 18 days is more than enough time to start losing, it does not take six weeks to start to lose weight.