3 weeks and nothing

amunet07
amunet07 Posts: 1,245 Member
edited September 27 in Motivation and Support
Help...what am I doing wrong? I'm under my calaorie limit. Exercise 2-3 times a week at least. I'm really feeling discouraged. I've been eating a heck of a lot of veggies & fruit.

Replies

  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
    Nobody can really give you a hand until you make your food journal public.
    If we can't see what you've been eating we can't give you suggestions.
    Sorry.
  • LeanneBlais
    LeanneBlais Posts: 5 Member
    boost up your exercise routine...I have the same problem. I just tried to do something new the past week so I will see what happens at the end of the week...Good Luck!
  • alleyag
    alleyag Posts: 142
    Would love to help.. need to see your food log..
  • Jerzeeblondie
    Jerzeeblondie Posts: 236
    What about protein? Are you getting enough protein and drinking enough water? Are you exercising at all? Exercise can affect weight loss in different ways, if you are doing strength training it may take awhile to see a loss... I know when I first start any strength training workouts I don't lose the first 1-2 weeks
  • mrsmulhern
    mrsmulhern Posts: 15
    It takes about 4-6 weeks before you'll be able to see any changes in weight lose. Have you measured your inches? If not, I'm sure you've lost a few inches.
  • I know the feeling. I've been gaining/losing the save 5lbs for the past 6 months. Finally, the last 2 weeks I've really cracked down, monitored my food very closely, and dedicated myself to running 3x a week. Well, I'm on the low end of those 5lbs, but still nothing below that. It's discouraging when you hear about people who lose 5lbs the first week from water weight.

    But we can't give up, eventually those results will come!

    Feel free to friend me, we can do this!
  • mgriffin51
    mgriffin51 Posts: 17 Member
    You say you're under your calorie limit. This can be bad and actually slow your weight loss. The goal is to meet that net number that they calculated for you. That will optimize your weight loss. If you are not meeting that net calorie goal then you are probably putting your body into starvation mode. Your metabolism will slow dramatically and weight loss will become nearly impossible. You may even gain weight. Make sure you are eating enough. NO ONE should eat less than 1200 calories a day.
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
    Cut back on the fruits. Too many carbs can be a bad thing, even from fruit.
  • red4560
    red4560 Posts: 32
    Don't worry! Sometimes it takes longer for the body to realize a change in diet. Are you drinking more water and less of other fluids? That should definitely bring some changes. Also decreasing your carb intake (bread) and increasing your protein intaking helps as well. Umm lets see, lighter meals in the evening than in the morining helps too...Watch out for sugar intake with that fruit, don't eat too much! Try out these tips and see if they help any..

    ~ Cynthia
  • pftjill
    pftjill Posts: 488
    First off with exercise-would love to hear what you are doing in those 2-3 days. Plus you should be putting in more days on than off. So at least 4 days a week. Second-would love to see your food journal.

    With exercise-you need work outside of your comfort zone. It isn't fun, but unless you do this consistently you are not going to get results. Are you sweating?
  • yeah...very true, in regards to the food journal. The food journal is very important for anyone ready to lose pounds... I don't think I could have lost this much without it. Use it, and create a calorie deficit in your diet. This really works. You literally lose weight even on your non-workout days..
  • stenochick0417
    stenochick0417 Posts: 124 Member
    Ugh--I know the feeling! I had the same problem when I started out a few months ago. I started working out more, eating back some (not all) my exercise calories and really really watching what I ate. It took my body about a month or so to finally get the hint. I started losing inches first, and then finally the pounds have started going down! I've lost 7 pounds so far :bigsmile: which may not sound like much, but to me, it's a big victory when the stupid scale just would. not. budge. Plus, I'm losing at a rate that is healthy and that's the most important thing.

    I know that it's SOOOOO stinking frustrating when it doesn't happen as quickly as you'd like it to. But, hang in there--it'll happen! :flowerforyou:
  • JLervold86
    JLervold86 Posts: 93 Member
    Do you track your sugar and sodium intake? If these are too high they can really derail weight loss...especially sugar! I am a firm believer that the sugar in fruit counts just as much as the processed stuff as well....
  • amunet07
    amunet07 Posts: 1,245 Member
    how do I make my food journal public?
  • sunshine__angel
    sunshine__angel Posts: 366 Member
    Drink a lot of water - half of your weight in water is recommended, or at least 8 glasses a day. It is nearly impossible and this is one of the hardest things for me, but it takes the weight off faster.

    Also, you mentioned you are eating lots of fruits and veggies (which is great!) but which ones are you choosing? Potatoes and carrots are not the greatest for weightloss, on my diet they are prohibited. The best fruits for weightloss that I know of are oranges, apples, strawberries, peaches and grapefruit. Most other fruits have higher amounts of natural sugars so that might not help.

    If you are eating a lot of salt your water intake is even MORE important, so make sure you watch what you put into your meals.

    Aside from all that, don't expect to see the scale moving each day. You are likely losing inches even when you are not losing pounds, and if you have been working out lately, remember that muscle is more dense than fat, and your scale may deceive you because of that. Just because the numbers aren't always moving, doesn't mean you are not making progress!

    Try and mix up your meals and add a little more variety to get your metabolism working, and if you can drink green tea in the morning, that will help a lot too! Being under your calorie limit can hinder weight loss if your body is going into starvation mode it will store all the fat you do consume, and release very little of it, so just make sure you follow your plan!
  • Whatever you do, don't give up. You can do it! You are already doing an awesome job by using the MFP community for help :)

    You got this! :-D
  • sunshine__angel
    sunshine__angel Posts: 366 Member
    To change your food diary to make it public go to the HOME tab at the top, then Settings and then Diary Settings. You can make it public through there.
  • amunet07
    amunet07 Posts: 1,245 Member
  • brneydgrlie
    brneydgrlie Posts: 464 Member
    You are eating WAY too LITTLE protein.
  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
    You're not eating enough.
    Don't go below 1200 - period!
    Get enough water, sleep, protein.
    Stay away from bad fats, keep sugar down, stay away from as much processed food as possible.
    Your profiles says you've been a member since 2008 - I would assume you'd know this by now......? or is that wrong???
    I would suggest changeing - upping your exercise.

    That is my opinion.

    Good luck!

    Eat!!
    :flowerforyou:
  • aarynisabee
    aarynisabee Posts: 20
    Don’t be discouraged! I know how it feels. I had been stuck on a weight loss plateau for a while- until I switched up my exercise routine! If you are limiting yourself to the same old exercises your body gets bored. I was in the habit of going to the gym a lot and doing the same thing over and over again. Now I’m riding my bike, doing yoga, doing aerobics DVD’s in my living room (lookin’ really stupid!), and I make a trip to the gym only about twice a week. I am having fun while I exercise and my body isn’t bored.
    Also, I have tried really hard to make my own low calorie food, like soups, stews, and chili- so I always have something to eat and I know for sure what the ingredients are. Try not to be too much under your calorie goal because then your body goes into starvation mode and your metabolism naturally slows down, making it harder to lose weight. If you exercise regularly make sure you at least have a “net” calorie of 1200.

    Hope all this helps :happy:
    GOOD LUCK!!!
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