Been counting calories for over 50 days and nothing.

l3ugjuice

It's really only possible to be one or two things.

1) Thyroid. See your doctor. If it's not that...

2) You are eating more calories than you think you are eating and/or burning less calories than you think you are burning for maintenance and exercise.

For me, it was number 2. I started out the diet in November, and didnt lose squat for 2 months. This was largely due to me being so haphazard about my calorie counting, and using too much guesswork and not enough real COUNTING. By January, I was actually weighing all my portions and being pretty nazi about making sure I counted literally EVERYTHING I put in my mouth (down to the 1 calorie tic-tac)....and I bout a 23/7 monitor so I know exactly how many calories I burn every day. Weight has been flying off like clockwork since, was 305 in December, I'm 238 today. Heck, at this point I dont even think about logging my calories, it's just something I do on auto-pilot. The hardest part for me was a couple months ago when I made the transition from myfitnesspal's food database to bodymedia's database & software, because MFP's database is clearly superior but I need to use BM's for their tracking/reporting with my monitor. I weigh once a week, and before I do I always sit down and count out how many calories I've eaten vs. how many I've burned in the days since my last weigh in, and with just a few exceptions I've been able to guess accurately what I was going to weigh. It's pretty cool.

Keep working at it, and try not to be too impatient. I know it's hard, I felt the same way you did two months in. Go see your doctor and make sure it's not a medical issue, and if it is talk to your doc about what kind of options you have. Otherwise, sometimes you just sort of have to 'keep at it' until you get the hang of it. I know it feels like you are the only person on the planet that has this much difficulty with it, but you arent. We've all been there, keep going and it will get better.

travelinghobbit

Do no harm to check out things with doctor, but everyone has pretty much said what I was thinking when I looked at your diary cut out the junk and add more water be vert strict on yourself as I test for maybe 2 weeks stay under you calories excerise and you don't have to eat back all excerise calories and I bet you would see a change. Once you get weight loss moving then you can have your "treat days" but that is just what they should be "treats" good luck

I think this is my major problem. I treat treats as a reward for everything, not just doing well on my eating. The last few weeks have been bad because I've been traveling (and not portion controlling myself. grrrrr), having my time of the month with all that's glories, and just in generally feeling depressed and low. When I get that way I eat to make me feel better, which means I gain weight and then get upset and depressed at that.

I've hoped that going from the 2,000+ calories I was eating before I started counting to the 1,480 now would show something. I do feel a lot better, especially when I make sure I go for my walks, but I realize I have to stop making excuses for when I fail and just suck up and do it better the next day.

Thanks everyone for the extra sets of eyes on my food diary. I will do better. I will. (The Little Engine that Could shall be my motto.)

dls06

Thanks everyone for the replies!

I do not drink a lot of water, it's true. I will work on getting that up.

Regarding the alcohol consumption and take aways, the past two weeks have been really bad. We've been traveling and food generally results to the easiest thing.

Most of my cooking is in fact homemade. I live in NZ so some of the things I can find the closest approximations to are package things. I do do a bit of guessing as brand matching. I should try to find closer ones or actually put the info in myself for packaged food that not in.

How do you count the homemade soups/casseroles/pizzas/breads/etc other than finding each ingredient and putting it in by itself?

I think I will be scheduling an appointment next week to see about my thyroid.

Thanks again for the replies!

You can create a recipe in your foods and add a serving to you meal.

travelinghobbit

Thanks everyone for pointing out the recipes tab! I never thought that was what that might be.

I've just gone for bloodwork to check if it's my thyroid or diebetes (both are in the family). I'll know by tomorrow. :}