VERY frustrated

eringle

Hi.. I started using Fitness Pal and was (and am) very excited. Its a great app and very convenient. Well.. I have been tracking EVERY bite and I think properly. I have been slightly over my weekly goal, but that should still result in weight loss. After 3 weeks, I really havent lost anything. I dont understand.. I am active.. the bicycling season is starting and I have been out a few times.. I have taken advantage of the earned calories.. but use the LEAST amount I can find.. so if I have been riding at 14 mph, I use the less than 10 mph exercise selection, which gives me less calories. I just wonder why NOTHING IS HAPPENING!!! I feel like I could eat like I WAS eating and stay at the same weight too...so this isnt really very motivating. I would appreciate any tips, suggestions or encouragement that anyone would like to share.

I am 51 years old, female, 5' 11" and weigh 220. THANKS so much

callipygianchronicle

I have been slightly over my weekly goal, but that should still result in weight loss.

Are you saying you have exceeded your calorie goals each of the three weeks?

sheri4l

Also I think it depends on what you are eating..protein? Or mostly carbs? You burn protein and you store carbs

Atlantique

Couple of things that might be going astray:

-How much are you over the calorie goals?

-Are you actually measuring (or even better, weighing) your portions? Eyeballing them usually leads to inaccurate logging.

-Do you make sure that you are entering the correct entry from the database? There are a LOT of incorrect entries in the database--either because they were never set up properly in the first place or because over time, manufacturers and brands have changed recipes and portion sizes. Pays to double-check before logging something. I find I frequently have to edit items that are already in teh database.

HannahPastoor

Are you getting the right type of food? Filling up your calories with junk is not gonna help you. Also try drinking alot of water. That helps : ) Good luck! Feel free to add me.

meggonkgonk

For us to give proper advice, you really need to open your food diary. I know having your food open and judged feels like being on display, but you can always close it up later- but we really need to see the cals, the sodium, the fats and the carbs to get an accurate picture of what could be going on.

RajwaJ

You say you are active? Is that what you have set yourself up as? This is for your normal everyday lifestyle not including extra exercise. Maybe in your normal day you are actually lightly active? This would mean less calories then what you are consuming. Just a thought. I'm still new and trying to learn it all myself.

crysmiss86

I am having this same problem. I lost 5 lbs the first week, but since then it has been nothing.

beth40n2

Everyone's body is different. If I eat all the exercise calories, I will not loose, in fact sometimes I gain. If I stick between 1200 and 1300 calories of food no matter how much exercise I do, then I loose. I am 52 years old. I do try to exercise about 400-500 calories off per day.

Also I find that if I stick to 100 carbs or less per day I loose. I also find for me that carbs from fruit don't really bother, but if most of my carbs come from bread, rice or potatos, then I can even gain on 100 carbs per day.

Try some different things and you will find what is right for your body. I think as we age and especially after menopause, the body handles food differently then when we are younger.

Good Luck!

kao708

Couple of things that might be going astray:

-How much are you over the calorie goals?

-Are you actually measuring (or even better, weighing) your portions? Eyeballing them usually leads to inaccurate logging.

-Do you make sure that you are entering the correct entry from the database? There are a LOT of incorrect entries in the database--either because they were never set up properly in the first place or because over time, manufacturers and brands have changed recipes and portion sizes. Pays to double-check before logging something. I find I frequently have to edit items that are already in teh database.

Also, are you eating your exercise calories? Honestly, I would make sure that you are logging everything accurately...even the exercise. Don't try to under log the burn or you may end up stuck like you have been. Work the program as it was created and see what happens.

For us to give proper advice, you really need to open your food diary. I know having your food open and judged feels like being on display, but you can always close it up later- but we really need to see the cals, the sodium, the fats and the carbs to get an accurate picture of what could be going on.

I agree with this as well.

kao708

You say you are active? Is that what you have set yourself up as? This is for your normal everyday lifestyle not including extra exercise. Maybe in your normal day you are actually lightly active? This would mean less calories then what you are consuming. Just a thought. I'm still new and trying to learn it all myself.

Good point, an accurate activity level setting is very important to make sure you aren't allowing yourself too many daily calories!

skeds

I am in a similar situation. 5 weeks of 3 days cardio, 3 days weights, 1700 calories and I've gained 4 pounds. I happened to have a doctor's appointment last week and she felt this was not normal. She's letting me go another month at this and if it doesnt reverse, will try to figure it out more. I'm not giving up though because I am starting to see stomach muscles, arm muscles, etc. And I feel better.

48 y/o female 5'9"
SW 205
CW 209
GW 160

gentlebreeze2

Have you checked your sodium intake? Currently RDA for sodium is 2,500, but the government is going to change that to 1,500. Too much can make you retain fluids. I am most comfortable between 1,500 and 1,800. You might say, I don't add salt to my foods. But guess what... food manufacturers do that for you. It's a cheap way for them to add flavor to foods. Watch out for anything canned, including soups, and veggies. Cheeses are usually loaded with sodium as well. Breads need sodium to bake properly. Good luck on your journey!

MzBug

What your eatting habits were like BEFORE MFP can play a roll too. If you were a feast/famine eater or meal skipper before MFP you may have a slower metabolism to start with. Until your body gets used to a steady food supply (something every few hours) you might gain a few pounds. Once you have reset the metabolism you will lose weight. It took me about a month (and 4 pounds gained) to get mine going again.

eringle

I have been slightly over my weekly goal, but that should still result in weight loss.

Are you saying you have exceeded your calorie goals each of the three weeks?

I have exceeded each week, but by an average of a few hundred calories. Since I set my profile to be losing 2 lbs a week, and lightly active, I would think that I would still lose SOMETHING even if I went a few hundred over. Supposedly, at my goal weight of 175 pounds, I would need 2000 calories a day. This program is telling me that I can have 1310 at my current weight of 220, to lose 2 pounds a week. So if I ate 1500 a day, I should still lose weight, right?

eringle

What your eatting habits were like BEFORE MFP can play a roll too. If you were a feast/famine eater or meal skipper before MFP you may have a slower metabolism to start with. Until your body gets used to a steady food supply (something every few hours) you might gain a few pounds. Once you have reset the metabolism you will lose weight. It took me about a month (and 4 pounds gained) to get mine going again.

My eating habits were basically eating everything I wanted, seconds at dinner, snacks at night. OR, I would have a couple of really good healthy days and then eat like a pig for a couple of days. Not really feast or famine, but more like normal and binging. So, I FEEL like this is a MAJOR change in my eating habits and I there are no results and its FRUSTRATING>

eringle

Sodium intake is probably high.. I dont really track it, except what the app says.

eringle

For us to give proper advice, you really need to open your food diary. I know having your food open and judged feels like being on display, but you can always close it up later- but we really need to see the cals, the sodium, the fats and the carbs to get an accurate picture of what could be going on.

How do I open my food diary? I would be happy to do that.

seadog1

I set my goal as 2 lbs week, dont count exercise and have lost 68 lbs since oct 10, also dialed down the carbs to 35 percent of normal. You almost have to be eathing or calories then you think;.

Atlantique

For us to give proper advice, you really need to open your food diary. I know having your food open and judged feels like being on display, but you can always close it up later- but we really need to see the cals, the sodium, the fats and the carbs to get an accurate picture of what could be going on.

How do I open my food diary? I would be happy to do that.

Go to Settings (top right of the page).

Click on Diary Settings.

Then scroll down until you see Change Diary Sharing. Click Public.

eringle

I set my goal as 2 lbs week, dont count exercise and have lost 68 lbs since oct 10, also dialed down the carbs to 35 percent of normal. You almost have to be eathing or calories then you think;.

Wow.. that is GREAT! Of course you are a MAN, which makes SUCH a gigantic difference. My husband lost 20 pounds in like a month by cutting back on his m+m consumption. Really....NOT...fair!

But to get back to your comment...I really dont think Im eating more than I think..I have been looking at calorie counts for a long time, have attended weight watchers, cook and bake. I know how to measure and how to estimate. I look for what I think is the highest calorie count in the data base for most items, and use that in my calculations.