So frustrated! Why am I not losing weight??

looney9708

I've very frustrated that after staying to a 1300 calorie a day diet, focused on a zone ratio, exercising 4 times a week, that I haven't lost weight! What am I doing wrong??? I'm an active stay at home mom, I nanny a couple kids during the week, and am always moving and cleaning and chasing young kids! I have changed my diet and eliminated sodas and junk/processed foods! All advice is very appreciated!

Christie422

I looked at your food diary, and I didn't notice that logged your exercise. You should be keeping track of how many calories you burn and eating those back. Could be that you're not eating enough. I also noticed you're not logging your water consumption...are you drinking water? You may want to start keeping track of your sodium, some of what you're eating may contain a lot of it, like the ham. Also...alcohol, not a good choice.

ibelieveinlove7

Are you drinking enough water? I notice that when I eat less and am more active, but don't drink enough water the scale numbers don't move.

KimA1

It took me a good 3 weeks before I started seeing weight loss.

Oh and p.s. my "rejoin" date was April 9th so the 5 lbs I've lost is since then not November like my icon shows. So I'm down 5# and several inches in my waist and hips in about a month, Like I said though I didn't see much loss the first several weeks. It's starting now and it's been about 1 lb a week following the plan and doing Zumba 3x a week. Some people just lose it differently than others.

Just keep keeping on! It will come!

kathieh1

You didn't give a lot of details on how big a change this is for you.. how long you've been trying and what you mean by not losing any weight. Do you mean zero or just slow? Even a half pound is a loss. Weight loss can be slow depending on what kind of plan you're on and some people don't lose weight on 1300 calories. If you're exercising a lot you could be gaining muscle - and sometimes the results show up first as inches rather than pounds as your body adjusts. Are you drinking a lot of water? Try drinking more.. up to 100 ounces a day or more. Sleep is very important to weight loss. Make sure you are sleeping 7 hours a night. Good luck.. I'm sure if you stick with your healthy eating plan the results will start to show.

TripleJ3

I was just about to post my own topic on this!

I too have been netting 1200 to 1600 calories, am active and on my feet, excercise everyday and have been logging into MFP for about 75 days and have yet to lose a pound.

I'm interested in hearing what others have to say, except "drink water". believe me, I can't drink anymore water then I already do. I'm planning on calling my doc office tomorrow to see about talking to someone about why I'm not losing weight.

Sorry to hear that you are going through the same thing.:grumble:

babytmarie27

Dont be mad but if you want honesty your log has showed that you are eating more than that...and you have gone over calories several times. You still have a pretty good count but the weightloss is going to be slow unless you still to your counts. Also make sure you are drinking the recommended water and that you are logging everything. There are 3500 calories in 1lb of fat, it takes time to burn that. Best of luck to you.

nannyciriaco

Like someone mentioned before, if you are eating less than your alotted calories than you might not be eating enough and your body will hang on to every bit of calories you are feeding it...your body has to adjust also...if you continue with the program you will eventually lose the weight but see a doctor when you start a program is always best anyway...he/she can advise you, you may not be eating enough...

cbirdso

I looked at your food diary and these are my thoughts. Although your calorie level is low enough, too many of your calories come from carbs, sweets, french fries, alcohol, soda and pizza. Many people on MFP say they successfully lose weight eating these kinds of foods regularly, but it never worked for me and by your own admission it does not seem to work for you.

When I started MFP, I changed the KIND of calories I ate more so than the AMOUNT of calories and I started losing weight at week one and have never looked back. I am not saying that you should go on a low carb diet, but you should reduce the amount of white flour, sugar, HFCS, and empty calories for a few weeks and see if it makes a difference.

mtngoddess

You may want to see your doctor to have your thyroid checked, because that can strongly affect how your body processes calories. Also, if you're on any medications, talk to your dr. about those, and if there are any alternatives that won't impede weightloss. I was on prednisone and other steroids for a long time, and it took a few years after going off those meds before I started losing weight (and I'd been doing exactly the same thing all along, it just kicked in one day). It was extremely frustrating.

Another option is to evaluate the type of exercise you're doing. Keep track of your heartrate while working out. If you're not maintaining your heartrate at 60-70%, you're not burning many calories. Circuit training is very effective for most people. Weightlifting will give you nice tone, but is very slow to take weight off.

aimgirl

3 things that helped me...don't focus on the scale at first, especially if you went from not exercising to doing it 4 times per week...you are building muscle and losing inches. Take your measurements and let how your pants fit tell you how you're doing. Also, cut out alcohol. My huband and I were both at a weight loss stand still until the last two weeks when we haven't drank at all. We weren't lushes or anything- LOL, but we did like a drink here and there especially on the weekends. Good luck- stick with it and you will see a change.

kanga1980

HI! I have been logging for 90 days and still have yet a pound to lose. I dunno..... I log all my calories, log my exercise and eat a healthy and vegan diet to begin with. I net about 1400-1600 a day, as I also do not have a sedentary job. I am actually fine with how I look now: 5'7" at a toned and fit 137, just wanted to lose 5 pounds, my goal is 132. I have no idea!!!! Some say more strength training, which I do, but still no change. Right now I am finding MFP useful to make sure I get enough nutrients like iron and calcium. Other than that, it is not helping me with weight loss.

brooke_g0501

I have a couple suggestions. Try eating egg whites instead of the whole egg, and maybe cut back on the ham because of sodium. Also, the alcohol is alot of wasted calories. You wont get alot of what your body needs from that. Maybe cut back to having a drink 3 or 4 days a week and not daily. I also eat multi-grain cheerios instead of honey nut (lots of cals and sugar) and they have a sweet taste to them as well. I think you need to look into eating a more balanced diet, with more fruits and veggies, and eat more of that instead of filling your calories with wine, and eating out, etc. It doesnt seem like your eating too much, it may just be that you are eating the wrong things. Good luck!!

shreyaj

I was going through the same issue recently and I was able to jumpstart my weight loss by eating back some of my exercise calories everyday. For instance, I am 5'0 159 pounds, I am not working on any strength training yet but I go to the gym 5 -6 times a week each session I burn 700 calories. On fitness pal it says that to lose 2 pounds a week for my weight & height I should eat 1200 calories a day, now we through exercise into the mix, if I do no exercise I should eat 1200 calories *ONLY* however if I am burning 700 calories I should be eating 1900 calories a day to get back to the 1200, now I don't eat all of them everyday but I try to with nutrious foods of course. Before I was eating 1200 calories and burning 700 which is only 600 calories you are feeding your body this will put you into starvation mode and your body will retain fat, I discovered this through trial & error I don't know if this is what your going through or not but when I started eating more the weight was comming off, go figure! I hope this helps good luck with your journey!

brooke_g0501

I looked at your food diary and these are my thoughts. Although your calorie level is low enough, too many of your calories come from carbs, sweets, french fries, alcohol, soda and pizza. Many people on MFP say they successfully lose weight eating these kinds of foods regularly, but it never worked for me and by your own admission it does not seem to work for you.

When I started MFP, I changed the KIND of calories I ate more so than the AMOUNT of calories and I started losing weight at week one and have never looked back. I am not saying that you should go on a low carb diet, but you should reduce the amount of white flour, sugar, HFCS, and empty calories for a few weeks and see if it makes a difference.

brooke_g0501

I looked at your food diary and these are my thoughts. Although your calorie level is low enough, too many of your calories come from carbs, sweets, french fries, alcohol, soda and pizza. Many people on MFP say they successfully lose weight eating these kinds of foods regularly, but it never worked for me and by your own admission it does not seem to work for you.

When I started MFP, I changed the KIND of calories I ate more so than the AMOUNT of calories and I started losing weight at week one and have never looked back. I am not saying that you should go on a low carb diet, but you should reduce the amount of white flour, sugar, HFCS, and empty calories for a few weeks and see if it makes a difference.

Exactly!!

looney9708

That is true about my food diary for the last few days. But overall I do eat a zone ratio with 40/30/30. I also am crazy about writing down every bad thing I eat thinking it must be the small choices that add up. But even with those choices it isn't budging. I gained this morning. Is that because of the bad choices even though they didn't add up to 3500 calories??

xHelloQuincyx

the calories that u use everyday on beer etc could be going to nutritious food. sorry to say but if you give it up you will loose weight. also like other people said, u should really track water and your work outs. and SODIUM!

PirateJenny

When did you start eating differently and adding more exercise?

Your MFP history only goes back a week and most weight loss (even a pound or two) takes longer than that (barring "radical" changes such as extreme calorie restriction / expenditure or illness).

seansquared

It's not possible to maintain if you are eating less than your body's maintenance requirements. I have a strong feeling that the many of you not losing weight simply have incorrect target numbers.

You really need two things to calculate your body's caloric needs:
(1) Weight
(2) Bodyfat %

Without the first, the second is useless; without the second, the first is useless. MFP doesn't calculate your correct intake requirements, because it does not ask for your bodyfat %.

I recommend the calculator over at: http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

Use the one on the right, "Calculations based on % Body Fat". Choose "little or no exercise" regardless of your activity level (you'll record exercise on MFP, so don't try recording it there). On your BF% - don't guess, just take the ime to visit your dr or a gym and get your actual BF%.

hayley_m

hi! after having a look at your diary i think it may be the alcohol? dont get me wrong i see nothing wrong with having a glass of wine or a beer but if you look at your calories they are going over purely because of the alcohol! i would say you need to cut it right back to maybe just 2 or 3 times a week? and if you know you're going to have wine then include it in your calorie allowance, try not to go over your calories, if you filled out the questions at the begining and said you was active then your calorie intake will have a defecit already and will account for the everday activities you do, if you are doing extra exercise like running, walking or swimming and any proper cardio exercises then make sure you log that too so you can keep track! i agree with the person who said about carbs...maybe cut them bck a little, if you have a lot of of carbs and alcohol you're gonna get bloated!
maybe you could try having more for breakfast as well? add more fruit or something to your apple to make you feel fuller? or have low fat plain yogurt?
good luck to you and im sure you'll see results soon!! maybe you need to go back over your diarys and scrutinise them yourself? be honest with yourself and see the things you could cut down on or cut out altogether? xx

looney9708

My question about logging exercise/movement instead of just listing yourself as active is how exact should I be?? I literally walk for 9 hours a day, that is a ton of calories. It feels wrong to me to put cleanIng toilets and chasing kids as exercise???

jcl1981

i know it really sucks to do so much work and not lose a pound. Just today as i write i have broken an almost month long plateau where i was stuck at 207. I tried so many things and since i was only eating 1200 calories a day and exercising 5 days a week, i assumed that at least being male would help me but i wasnt losing. I also working in a nursing home where i lift people in an out of bed all day long and stay on my feet for 8 hours. Still nothing. I did some research, found out i wasnt getting enough calories, so i raised them to what MFB recommended which is 1550 and after a week, voila, dropped to 204 as of today! Its about being patient and realizing that losing pounds doesnt negate the fact that you are doing a great thing for your body. In the long run you are living a healthier life and it will eventually show, you just may have to wait for it for a while.

stormieweather

Logged exercise should be purposeful exercise. Ie: It should be done for fitness purposes. All other "exercise" should be included as part of your selected "activity level" of sedentary, lightly active, active, etc.

CraigIW

Lose the sugar and fat from your diet as much as you can and the weight will drop off. Your body doesn't need to burn any fat stores if they are being replaced by more sugar and fat.

sweet4keeps22

My question about logging exercise/movement instead of just listing yourself as active is how exact should I be?? I literally walk for 9 hours a day, that is a ton of calories. It feels wrong to me to put cleanIng toilets and chasing kids as exercise???

You've already indicated this movement when you set up your profile and marked whether your job was sedentary vs. active. So this movement is already calculated into the calorie goal calculated for you by MFP. You should, however, put in dedicated exercise time (even if you are moving all day) and log that exercise in your log.

lodro

I've very frustrated that after staying to a 1300 calorie a day diet, focused on a zone ratio, exercising 4 times a week, that I haven't lost weight! What am I doing wrong??? I'm an active stay at home mom, I nanny a couple kids during the week, and am always moving and cleaning and chasing young kids! I have changed my diet and eliminated sodas and junk/processed foods! All advice is very appreciated!

What I see from the days I look at that you're always over on calories, occasionally substantially, sometimes a little. As most people underestimate serving sizes, now is the time to start weighing and measuring everything. I started doing this and I found out that sometimes I was underestimating by 300 cals. That, with the fact that you sometimes go over by 200, may well get you close to 1800 calories a day, instead of 1300.

lharrison0151

I just got weighed this morning , after religeously following 1300 cals a day, and guess what , put on a pound. Can't understand it

JillyCornwall

HI! I have been logging for 90 days and still have yet a pound to lose. I dunno..... I log all my calories, log my exercise and eat a healthy and vegan diet to begin with. I net about 1400-1600 a day, as I also do not have a sedentary job. I am actually fine with how I look now: 5'7" at a toned and fit 137, just wanted to lose 5 pounds, my goal is 132. I have no idea!!!! Some say more strength training, which I do, but still no change. Right now I am finding MFP useful to make sure I get enough nutrients like iron and calcium. Other than that, it is not helping me with weight loss.

As you only have a few pounds to lose it will be more difficult for you to lose than someone like myself who is obese. You cannot expect to lose more than 1/2lb a week if that...and perhaps you might be better looking at your body fat ratio/inches & forget weight...as that might be misleading if you are toned & fit..because of the weight factor of muscle being more dense.

beenmb

I'm trying to maintain the mind set that losing weight in a way so that I won't gain it back takes time. After all it took time some 30 years to gain what i gained. I haven't lost a whole lot yet BUT already I'm starting to feel better.

cbirdso

My question about logging exercise/movement instead of just listing yourself as active is how exact should I be?? I literally walk for 9 hours a day, that is a ton of calories. It feels wrong to me to put cleanIng toilets and chasing kids as exercise???

Personally, I never log "activity" because it is accounted for in my base calories when I chose "lightly active". But I do try to get planned cardio and strength training in 6 days a week and I log those calories and make sure I eat them, too. I don't know how tall you are but I am 5'4" and I eat at least 1700 to 1900 calories each day (this includes what I ate back as exercise calories) and I have met my weight loss goals. Like many people have said, in order to burn fat, you need to fuel your body properly.