What am I doing wrong?

CherryOnionKiss

Since I joined I didn't lose a single pound from my initial weight. I do aerobics 3 times a week for 30 minutes and I usually am able to stay under my calorie goals. Yet I'm not losing weight! I gain 1 or 2 pounds and then lose them ang gain it back again. What am I doing wrong? :frown:

MinnieInMaine

Could be lots of different reasons - it would help if you made your diary public so we could give specific advice.

cwglosin4vaca

me to.Ionly have been using this site for a week now and am able to stay under my cal goals but I gained .2 pounds and I am exercising!

malabaugh

Eat all of your calories AND your exercise calories.

Angela4Health

Could be lots of different reasons - it would help if you made your diary public so we could give specific advice.

This.

CherryOnionKiss

I don't get it. I thought if I was under my calories goal I would lose weight and not the other way around

rainbowbuggy

Are you "netting" your MFP allotted amount of calories? If your exercising are you eating your exercise calories? I asked because I never lose unless I eat all the calories back (minus 50-100 for any mistakes I might have made in logging). If you don't feed your body enough, your body will not allow you to lose. And if you do, its not a healthy loss. Just make SURE you net the minimum MFP says you should have.

cwglosin4vaca

So u eat all the exercise cals too? hmmmm i didnt know that!

rileysowner

Unless you open your food diary there is nothing we can really do to help. It would just be guessing. What did you set your activity level at, what is you goal loss per week, and a whole bunch of other questions about what exactly you eat and how you exercise need to be answered before we can give any sort of useful answer.

kaf330

I have had the same problem. I am committed to sticking with it though and after about a month i finally saw the scale start to drop. I also notice that the calories burned on MFP may be different than say the calories my treadmill says i have burned. So if i use the higher calories burned and "eat" those it may be too many, so i use the lesser.

CherryOnionKiss

I set my privacy settings to Everyone. Thing is, I'm a mom at home and I'm bored out of my mind. Boredom makes it difficult to stay away from the fridge. 2 weeks ago I lost 3 pounds and this week I gained 1. I can't wait for that dommed ticker to show that I lost at least 1 pound.

elsham

That happened to me when I first started too. I don't know why, maybe you're body is just getting used to the new thing. If it doesn't work for another week, try eating only half of your ex. calories back. It took me months to figure out something that worked for my body, but once you do it's sooo worth it. Don't give up!!!!! Keep going!!

bethdris

I don't get it. I thought if I was under my calories goal I would lose weight and not the other way around

Maybe...if your calorie goal is 1300 and your eating 1200 calories of candy then no, you wouldn't lose, but will still be under your goal. Your body needs a balanced diet. Opeining your diary would help.

Also, are you drinking your clalories as in soda, juices, etc?

I usually drink 1-2 cups of coffee a day, and the rest of my day is only water.ONCE in great while I will have that stray diet soda.

Chenoachem

Check out this forum post. It might help answer your questions.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition

dfborders

It could be anything. How far under your calorie goal are you? Is it possible that with the exercise you aren't eating enough and your body is hoarding? Just a thought. As for me, it takes my body a good month before it starts losing on a regular weekly basis and I stop fluctuating by losing and gaining and basically get nowhere. I also do much better when I take a multi-vitamin. Whatever happens, please don't get too discouraged or frustrated - usually it is only little tweaks here and there that you need to do.

sararb319

This sounds just like an email I sent to my sis after I had been trying for 3 weeks and didn't lose a pound! I later remembered I had more splurges than I logged. I cut back on my carb intake a little. Everybody is different, but carbs are my enemy!! My Dr has told me I shouldn't eat them, but I know if I don't allow myself some, I will eventually binge. I also increased my exercise, one hour 4 times a week. I don't eat all my calories back, though. I usually eat about half, but I have a lot to lose. So far, all this is working. You just have to find what works for you. Good luck to you!

bethdris

I set my privacy settings to Everyone. Thing is, I'm a mom at home and I'm bored out of my mind. Boredom makes it difficult to stay away from the fridge. 2 weeks ago I lost 3 pounds and this week I gained 1. I can't wait for that dommed ticker to show that I lost at least 1 pound.

Im a SAHM too, but I have 3 little boys. To help curb being bored why not take the baby for a long walk in the stroller? You can exercise with him as your "weight" of course being careful. Do you have any other friends that stay home with their children? If so have a playdate and go to the park.

Good luck to you, the hardest part is starting, you can do it!! You got to MFP

bizco

It could be a number of things:

1. You're underestimating your calorie intake. Do you use a digital food scale to measure everything you eat? Are you logging everything you drink and things you use to cook with (oils, butter, etc)? Are you reviewing the nutritional information in MFP's database to make sure it's accurate? Are you making wise food choices? Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, good fat.

2. You're overestimating the number of calories burned from exercise. Do you wear a quality heart rate monitor to accurately measure and log exercise?

3. Double check your settings. Do not include dedicated exercise in your activity/lifestyle setting. Log that using the Exercise tab and eat back at least a portion (50%) of your earned calories.

4. You haven't given it enough time. Be patient, consistent and honest. MFP will work if you use it properly.