Haven't lost any weight

63Lynn

This is my first post. I wasn't actually planning to use this application but I'm really frustrated and after reading some of the posts I thought I would give it a try. I'm a 48 year old active female. My initial weight loss goal is12 lbs, however I would really like to loose 17 lbs.

I have been faithfully logging every morsel that enters my mouth for 2 weeks now. I've maintained my net calories and sometimes less. I work out at least 4 times per week and walk every day. I haven't last one single pound. I complete my log each day and according to the site I should be seeing favourable numbers in 5 weeks... but nothing is happening yet. On a positive note, I've managed to shed .5 inch off my waist and hips so I'm motivated to continue, however I can't understand why I'm not seeing anything on the scale.

????? What am I doing wrong????? Is this normal?

leslturn8

i am like you, well weightloss wise....I found maybe my calories were off, when i stick to 1200 i havnt seen results working out 4-5 times a week, i got ****ty and ate over my calories and didnt exercise to go back in the green and i actually lost, so now i zig zag my calories, i eat the amount told, and then i eat more then i eat less, but never alot over or under......? It may work for you? it may not

ncgingerich

I have been faithfully logging every morsel that enters my mouth for 2 weeks now. I've maintained my net calories and sometimes less. I work out at least 4 times per week and walk every day.

You may simply need to eat more... and that includes those exercise calories. Never eat less than net unless you question the validity of the exercise calories MFP calculated for you... for me, I make sure I eat at least half my exercise calories back and have lately been eating more than half. I am only about a week into eating those exercise cals and it seems to be working for me. When the scale was not budging despite religiously eating my 1200 allotted calories and exercising daily I realized that since I wasn't eating those exercise cals I had pushed my net cals down to around 800 or 900 which was basically starving myself. No wonder I could't lose! Feel free to take a peak at my food/exercise diary if you want as I have it open. Good luck - you can do this!

ceclarlinetlo

I have had the same problem. Could you be excecising too much? If your body thinks you are starving it will slow your metabolism. When I cut my calories burned back from 500 a day to 300 a day was when I started to lose weight again after I hit a plateau at 4 pounds lost. (I'm aiming to lose a total of 15 pounds by my birthday in November)

uh_ohes

Yes, this is pretty normal.

For me, it was something like this:
- First 2 weeks, lost 6 lbs (mostly water weight)
- Didn't see any weight loss for the next week or two but I did reduce waist size and other body features
- The next couple of weeks was followed with consistent weight loss of around 2 lbs per week
(That's when I joined this site)
- Another week or two of consistent weight loss
- Took a week break
- And now I'm back and I'm trying to see if the 5 week thing is actually true. Seems like it has worked for most people.

Hope this helps, then again, this is just my personal experience. I burn 1000 cals a day/5 days a week. But, this routine is pretty much the same for a lot of people, regardless of exercise. Just gotta give it some time.

JoAnn73

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MayaMadness

I'm having the same problem. In the past when I have hit a plateau, it's always worked to up my water intake (11+ cups a day) and lower my sodium intake. And of course, eat lots of fruits, veggies, and legumes for fiber! I feel like that kick starts things a bit.

mom031344

IM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. IM EATING ALL MY 1200 CALORIES AND ALMOST ALL MY EXERCISE CALORIES TOO. I HAVENT REALLY LOST ANY WEIGHT AND HAVE BEEN DOING MFP FOR ALMOST 45 DAYS NOW. WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP SHEAD THE POUNDS?

63Lynn

Thanks all. It's encouraging to know I'm not alone.
Sounds like I need to try to eat more. I'll give it a shot for the next week and let you know how it works.

One more question... Do you try to match your food intake to the daily food goal totals for fat, protein, carbs etc.... I know I eat more protein than my daily goal total suggests. I was eating less carbs too so I hiked that up to see if it made a difference.

leslturn8

Thanks all. It's encouraging to know I'm not alone.
Sounds like I need to try to eat more. I'll give it a shot for the next week and let you know how it works.

One more question... Do you try to match your food intake to the daily food goal totals for fat, protein, carbs etc.... I know I eat more protein than my daily goal total suggests. I was eating less carbs too so I hiked that up to see if it made a difference.

depends if you have the time to search through each food to make sure ur in the green all the way through, i look at sugar but i dont cry if i cant stick to the grams recommended

63Lynn

I understand your frustration. Do you weigh/measure your food and keep track of everything like salad dressing, mayo, etc? I found those little items really add up in the calorie totals. You may be eating more than you think.

63Lynn

IM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. IM EATING ALL MY 1200 CALORIES AND ALMOST ALL MY EXERCISE CALORIES TOO. I HAVENT REALLY LOST ANY WEIGHT AND HAVE BEEN DOING MFP FOR ALMOST 45 DAYS NOW. WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP SHEAD THE POUNDS?

Sorry messed up that last post...
I understand your frustration. Do you weigh/measure your food and keep track of everything like salad dressing, mayo, etc? I found those little items really add up in the calorie totals. You may be eating more than you think.

olso123

I need to lose 12 lbs but I put my goal at 17 lbs. I too am very active, I do ballroom dancing two to three times a week, walk everyday and do strength training at least twice a week. I tried on my own to lose the 12 lbs and could not get it off.....I used the excuse that my metabolism has slowed down due to my age and I need to cut back on calories to lose, but that did not work for me. I found out about MFP through a co-worker and once I started logging my food intake everyday, I discovered I was not eating the right foods for a well balanced diet or enough calories to fuel my body for what I was burning. Once I adjusted my food and calorie intake.....I finally started to lose......it has been 8 weeks and I have lost 8 lbs so far!

dancingj2

There are times when your body just does not want to let go of that extra weight. If she just won't let go of it after a week or two more, I would suggest trying something different - maybe try a a few 100 more calories, less exercise, or maybe switch to another diet for a few weeks such as zoneor atkins. But keep tracking here! I think tracking is important to keeping a healty lifestyle. Sometimes your body just needs another jolt to shed those pounds.

2dayirun4me

I have only been on mfp for over a week lost 2lb but that's not uncommon for me. my weight fluctuates around 5lbs loss and gain. i am starting to get a little worried that i am not gonna lose like everyone else. wondering if I'm eating the wrong foods all together. i work out almost everyday but have been for a long time though.

ClaireShepherd

Hi,

Sorry to hear you are struggling.

Can I ask that within your workouts do you also do strength training, weights etc?

Claire

stuartthezeppo

First, congratulations on sticking to it! Second, it could well be your not eating enough during the day then loading up at night (once I sorted that out my weight loss became a lot more steady) and pay attention to what you're eating to make sure you're getting enough/not too many of the nutrients required. Third, mix your cardio and resistance training up, don't repeat the same workout week in/week out as your body gets used to it very quickly. Fourth, get enough water as dehydration plays an important factor in weight loss, as does not enough sleep. Lastly, keep going! Good luck.

63Lynn

Hi,

Sorry to hear you are struggling.

Can I ask that within your workouts do you also do strength training, weights etc?

Claire

63Lynn

Hi,

Sorry to hear you are struggling.

Can I ask that within your workouts do you also do strength training, weights etc?

Claire

Hi Clair:

I try to mix it up. Zumba, core strength classes - which include weights, eliptical, treadmill, yoga. I have working out on a regular basis for most of my life but consistently for 7 years now. I eat very healthy and avoid fat. Until I started tracking my calories on MFP I was actually eating only about 1000 cals per day. So I upped it to 1200 as suggested. On the weekends I tend to eat into my workout calories, but during the week I maintain 1200.

ZenMomentum

It sounds like you have maintained a healthy lifestyle for most of your life. Are you at a healthy BMI? It could be that you've reached your ideal body weight. My understanding is that some of this is dependent on genetics. You may have to get creative to loose more. There is a good article here: http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/ss/notlosingweight.htm

XlauzisereX

Hi I Am New To This Site Too :P I Saw Your Message And thought i could offer one reason why...
If You Are Exercising as well as eating the right foods then you lose the fat but gain more muscle and muscle weighs more than fat so you could lose the inches around your waist, thighs or wherever else but still weigh the same because of your new muscle remember though its not how much you lose its how you feel when you look in the mirror
I Hope I Have Helped

Lauren x

heatherhicksfakih

You may simply need to eat more... and that includes those exercise calories. Never eat less than net unless you question the validity of the exercise calories MFP calculated for you... for me, I make sure I eat at least half my exercise calories back and have lately been eating more than half. I am only about a week into eating those exercise cals and it seems to be working for me. When the scale was not budging despite religiously eating my 1200 allotted calories and exercising daily I realized that since I wasn't eating those exercise cals I had pushed my net cals down to around 800 or 900 which was basically starving myself. No wonder I could't lose! Feel free to take a peak at my food/exercise diary if you want as I have it open. Good luck - you can do this!


***this is excellent advice "nginerick". I just learned that the 1000 I was burning in exercise I had to eat back. It sounds crazy, but it you match what they say you should with NET it will work. So for example, if you have to 1550 calories to lose weight simply by eating and you do say...500 calories of excercise, your calorie in take is 1050 calories for the day. You must eat back the 500 calories to bring your total amount back to net. Hope this helps, took me a few days of reading and posting and speaking to a trainer to finally get this figured out. Good luck.******

Maxbjd

Nope do not eat more that is not the answer but analyze what you eat.
Im finding that many people on here are not eating enough protein.
Try a vegetarian Soy blend with Almond milk and fruit....blend away.
This is a good meal replacement ... I have one every morning. Whole Foods has a good line.
I also have a whey protein shake after my workout at night but thats to add more mass.
Looks like you are doing tons of cardio but I thnk some weight training is in order here.
Get on Bodybuilding.com and find a good slimming routine.
Typically, low weight high reps and circuit training is ideal for increasing muscle tone while losing the fat.
Cut the carbs! Add the protein and good things will happen!

63Lynn

It sounds like you have maintained a healthy lifestyle for most of your life. Are you at a healthy BMI? It could be that you've reached your ideal body weight. My understanding is that some of this is dependent on genetics. You may have to get creative to loose more. There is a good article here: http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/ss/notlosingweight.htm

Thanks for the article Jack. Very interesting. I am at the top of my BMI and ideal weight range. According to the ideal weight calculation I should weigh 134 lbs. My initial goal is to loose 12 lbs which is only 1 lb short of taking me there. What I did learn through that article is I need to consistently shake up my workouts every 4 -6 weeks. I have not been doing that ... So I'm going to start!
Thanks again!!

63Lynn

You may simply need to eat more... and that includes those exercise calories. Never eat less than net unless you question the validity of the exercise calories MFP calculated for you... for me, I make sure I eat at least half my exercise calories back and have lately been eating more than half. I am only about a week into eating those exercise cals and it seems to be working for me. When the scale was not budging despite religiously eating my 1200 allotted calories and exercising daily I realized that since I wasn't eating those exercise cals I had pushed my net cals down to around 800 or 900 which was basically starving myself. No wonder I could't lose! Feel free to take a peak at my food/exercise diary if you want as I have it open. Good luck - you can do this!


***this is excellent advice "nginerick". I just learned that the 1000 I was burning in exercise I had to eat back. It sounds crazy, but it you match what they say you should with NET it will work. So for example, if you have to 1550 calories to lose weight simply by eating and you do say...500 calories of excercise, your calorie in take is 1050 calories for the day. You must eat back the 500 calories to bring your total amount back to net. Hope this helps, took me a few days of reading and posting and speaking to a trainer to finally get this figured out. Good luck.******

Thanks for the advice. I'll try to eat more and see what happens!

dls06

are you eating your exercise calories? If not you will have trouble losing. Enter your question in the search section above and get the answer.

Terasome

bump

LilacDreamer

You may simply need to eat more... and that includes those exercise calories. Never eat less than net unless you question the validity of the exercise calories MFP calculated for you... for me, I make sure I eat at least half my exercise calories back and have lately been eating more than half. I am only about a week into eating those exercise cals and it seems to be working for me. When the scale was not budging despite religiously eating my 1200 allotted calories and exercising daily I realized that since I wasn't eating those exercise cals I had pushed my net cals down to around 800 or 900 which was basically starving myself. No wonder I could't lose! Feel free to take a peak at my food/exercise diary if you want as I have it open. Good luck - you can do this!

this may be a dumb question...but what does it mean to eat exercise calories? I don't think I'm doing that...but my intention is to work off what I eat...not eat what i workoff...right?