Why is the weight not coming off?

paigecrowe

My 1st two weeks I lost 11 lbs, but I haven't been able to lose anymore. I'm still eating healthy and exercising. Any suggestions?

resa328

you might need to increase how long you exercise or how much you do

paigecrowe

I do 30-45 minutes of cardio and then different machines for different areas of my body. In all, I probably workout an hour a day 4-5 days a week. I have a personal trainer on Wednesdays. This is an increase in exercise since I lost the first 11 lbs.

bizco

The weight comes off fast in the beginning due to water retention. If you made your diary public we could provide more help.

cast59

Are you weight training because you could be replacing fat with muscle?
Other then that i would either increase your workouts or cut back a little more on your caloric intake.
Keep going and good luck.

jamie78

My 1st two weeks I lost 11 lbs, but I haven't been able to lose anymore. I'm still eating healthy and exercising. Any suggestions?

without seeing your diary it will be hard for anyone to help you.. You might want to open it up, and see what kind of suggestions you get.

Trevorman302

How much water are you drinking? Water plays a HUGE role in weight loss, so when you have a week or 2 of great results, followed by a stall, generally a lack of water intake is the culprit. My general rule of thumb as a Nutrition & Weight Loss Coach is to drink HALF your body weight in ounces of water, MINIMUM! Sounds like a lot, I know, but if you drink 10 ounces on the hour every hour as soon as you wake up, you won't overload your bladder, AND you'll have your minimum DONE way before bedtime!

chuisle

How long have you not been losing? It its two weeks or more maybe you need to switch something up. What I've found (NOT an expert!) is that sometimes while it seems to me I'm not losing weight when I look at the overall pattern and step back I am going down on average.

AdamATGATT

Are you weight training because you could be replacing fat with muscle?
Other then that i would either increase your workouts or cut back a little more on your caloric intake.
Keep going and good luck.

Or it could be that she's not eating enough, to keep up with her increased workout schedule. Without knowing her food intake for the day, we don't know.

If you're working out more, you should increase your food intake to coincide with it. That doesn't mean just eating more calories, but healthier foods to give your body the fuel it needs.

abyssfully

How long have you not been losing? It its two weeks or more maybe you need to switch something up. What I've found (NOT an expert!) is that sometimes while it seems to me I'm not losing weight when I look at the overall pattern and step back I am going down on average.

All the above is pretty good advice. This, however, was what I was going to suggest. You may want to change things up - do different kinds of cardio/cross train a little more. Also make sure you're getting enough sleep and not stressing!

TripleJ3

Its hard not to give any advice w/o knowing what/how you are eating and how long its been that you haven't seen a loss. It could just be since you lost so much in the 1st two weeks your body is resting and then you will see another loss after 2 weeks. Some people just lose weight that way.

Or sodium, poor choices, not being honest with yourself on the amount you are eating or the amount of calories your burning during a work out.

army_cobra

Do more cardio if all possible twice a day and a hr a day. You will see something then. Also it was said you might be getting muscle in that case you wont see any weight loss do to it weighing more then fat.

paigecrowe

How do I make my diary public?

paigecrowe

Never mind. I figured it out.

HiJam

Just a quick glance through your diary and there seem to be a number of days with 900+ calories remaining! Eat your calories young lady! One MFP user makes herself eat at least half of her exercise cals, but healthy choices.

lovetowrite73

Wow. You are spending a TON of money on prepared/prepackaged foods. The prepackaged foods are loaded with tons of sodium too, and that can equate to water retention. Try to start preparing your own meals. There are lots of simple recipes out there that will help you get more nutrients from fresh foods.

caz51

Im right there with you! Over a month of diet and excersise and no changes... ughhh!

outersoul

Are you weight training because you could be replacing fat with muscle?
Other then that i would either increase your workouts or cut back a little more on your caloric intake.
Keep going and good luck.

That's not happening if she's eating at a deficit.

StarletteS

Bump

fteale

11 lbs is a huge amount to lose in 2 weeks. It was probably mostly water, not fat, which is why the fast weight loss has stopped.

pkpzp228

11 lbs is a huge amount to lose in 2 weeks. It was probably mostly water, not fat, which is why the fast weight loss has stopped.

+1, don't be discouraged by day to variation in weight gain or loss and certainly don't put too much stock into weight change over two weeks, especially if you haven't been on regular exercise plan prior to that. Keep at it, exercise and eat right and you'll see results.

army_cobra

Not trying to be a **** but your diet sucks. I looked at what you had WED. and that is just bad. Nothing from a fast food place is good for you. Knock that out of your diet and make your own meals. If you have to do it the night before so be it, that is what i do. Google healthy carbs, fat, and protien foods, right them down or save them on your computer. Then figure out how many cals you should be intaking a day and go from there.

bizco

You need to change your diary settings to track your sodium. I would also recommend tracking your fiber.

Just a quick glance at your food diary and a couple of things jump out. You're eating way too much processed food. That oatmeal from McDonald's contains as much sugar as a full-size Snickers candy bar. It's not a healthy choice for breakfast. The sodium in processed foods is stumping your weight-loss. You're not drinking enough water. The bare minimum you need every day is 8 cups, but if you exercise you need even more.

Are you weighing and measuring all of your food and drinks? Buy a food scale, they're inexpensive and worth every penny. Most people fail to accurately judge weights and measures.

Are you logging your exercises correctly? MFP's exercise database is based on averages and it's not very accurate. If you're using an exercise machine that requires you to enter your age and weight, then log the lower number between the machine and MFP.

Hang in there honey. Don't get discouraged. It takes a long time for your body to adjust to healthy changes but you will see results if you stick with it. Good luck!

acmcoc

If your going to eat oatmeal every morning you should make it at home. I eat apple and cinnamon almost daily and its only 130 calories instead of the 290 you get from mc'ds. It only takes like a minute for you to make. Put it in the microwave when you go to take a shower and it's there for you to eat when your ready. I also agree with the pre-packed food. I know I am not the best eater either but cut those down and bring your lunch with you! You will see results. Eat lots of veggies!!

caz51

any suggestions for mine guys? Ive hit a wall also!!! been the same for a month!!

bjshields

For some people, eating out is a way of life. Telling her to "make your own meals" might sound like a good suggestion, but for some people it's just not going to happen. If you can make better choices eating out, like grilled chicken, steamed veggies, etc, that would be an improvement. Also, if I know I'm having a really busy week, I'll buy a veggie tray from Costco and bag all of those already cut up veggies; you can buy a big bowl of fruit that's either fresh or frozen; that will give you more "real" food.

Good luck to you and don't let one week discourage you!

jojoworks

Hi Paige,

Just a couple comments for you, I know its overwhelming especially at the beginning.

First of all, don't be impatient, settle in for the long haul, you didn't gain 150 lbs in 3 months, you won't lose it that quickly either. You may want to focus on how to eat healthier while you're counting calories. Sometimes this happens automatically, just the mere act of recording what you eat causes you to make better choices.

Secondly, you really should start tracking your sodium. The MFP site usually sets that as 2,500 mg but you shouldn't go that high, 2,500 really is the out limit, you should try to keep it around 1,500 mg. Processed and pre-packaged foods are usually VERY high in sodium. Sodium really can effect your success at the scale, so learning to avoid high sodium foods can really help your weight loss efforts.

Thirdly, what is your activity level for a normal day? I see that MFP set your daily calorie goal at 1800. That seems a tad high. If you're a low activity to sedentary person the goal would be 1200 to 1400 calories per day which is what you seem to be eating. But, if you burn lots of calories from your job or vigorous exercise maybe the 1800 is correct, if so, you're not eating enough. If your goal is correct as it it, it has a deficit for loss built-in. If you eat fewer calories than that and have lots of calories burned in a day your deficit is too steep and your body's metabolism may fight harder to hold on to its fat reserve because it thinks you're not getting enough food.

Good luck and be patient!!!!

paigecrowe

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm going to change my diet to more home cooked foods. The prepackaged foods are so much easier for me because I work full-time and have 4 kids. But I do see where each of you are coming from and I think I know what I need to do to make this weight start falling off again.

AJBond

I am experiencing the same thing...In the first two weeks, I lost 12 lbs...then its been Week 3: -0 Week 4- -2 and this Week -1. My food and exercise diarys are public, so PLEASE feel free to check it out and let me know if you think I should be doing something different!!?!?!

lovetowrite73

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm going to change my diet to more home cooked foods. The prepackaged foods are so much easier for me because I work full-time and have 4 kids. But I do see where each of you are coming from and I think I know what I need to do to make this weight start falling off again.

So do I, but you have to plan it out. I do most of my cooking on Sunday and then freeze meals for the rest of the week so that it's easily reheated. Where there's a will there's a way! :happy: