Must be doing this wrong

fdonhauser

I've been eating better and exercising more for the last 7 weeks (about 4 weeks have been posted)...
Stopped eating fast food - used to eat it about 3-5 days a week
Started exercising 5-6 days a week for 45-60 minutes: used to exercise once a week for an hour
Started lifting weights
Went from about 5 cans of diet soda a day to about 3 per week
Started drinking more water and green tea (either unsweetened or with stevia)
Been tracking ALL my calories
Cut out candy (though still have ice cream sometimes, my birthday was last week)

When I click on "complete diary" at the end of the day, it keeps telling me I'd be somewhere between 161-164 lbs in 5 weeks; its been about that long and I'm not even close to that yet.

Anyways...I've gained 3 pounds, and when people tell me not to weigh myself and rather go by how my clothes fit or by my measurements, I find out that I gained 1 more inch around my waist. Thought "well maybe I gained weight cuz I've gained muscle, so maybe I lost some weight in inches?" WRONG! Really feel like giving up because I feel like I put in SO much effort and this isn't working. MFP says I should have 1200 net calories per day, if I exercise I eat those calories back so that I don't go into starvation mode. I don't know what to do. Two months ago I would have gone to McDonalds for a double cheeseburger and fries, but right now I feel too disappointed in myself to eat anything besides cucumbers and carrots.

Starting weight 170, current weight 173 (past 3 days). Height 5'4. Waist in inches currently 42.

Any suggestions? Advice?

janetb21

Since eating back the exercise calories isn't working, I'd try not eating them back for a week, and see what happens.

twocsmom

Are you tracking your calories? I went through the same thing...thought I was eating well, thought I was exercising enough, and soooo frustrated that I couldn't lose any weight. My dr. told me "you're eating too much". And I said "No I don't think so". His reply: "Trust me, try counting your calories..." And I did, and it worked. 26 pounds down in a little over 2 months. Wish I'd done this years ago.

Edited: just saw that you are tracking your calories...sorry I overlooked that! I second the suggestion about not eating back all exercise calories and see if that works.

kmbrooks15

First off, where are you in your monthly cycle? Hormonal changes, water retention at that TOM, etc., could be affecting not only your pounds but also your waist line. Keep in mind, too, that everybody loses differently. I lose first in my face, arms, and legs, while my midsection and bust are the last places I lose. Other people are the complete reverse. Have you taken other body measurements, like arms, thighs, legs? Maybe you are losing there first, kind of like I am.

Whatever the reason, keep plugging away. It will eventually come off. If it's still not in another month or two, consider having a physical at your doctor's office. There could be an underlying medical issue making it difficult. I have PCOS, so I have to watch the sugar and carbs. You could have an underlying medical issue that requires doing something a little different with your diet.

The most important thing, though, is DON'T GIVE UP. It's worth fighting for!

MIMITIME

Hi, Please get your thyroid checked. If you have a thyroid problem you will keep gaining weight no matter what you do - at least that's what happened to me. Now that I am on medication, MFP is working for me. Good Luck

pelleld

It may take a while to see what works for YOU! Try eating back only half the exercise calories instead of all of them. Check your goals...how much are you set to lose per week? 1/2 pound? one pound? two pounds? Maybe play around with taht a bit and see if that helps. Whatever you do, DON'T GIVE UP!

Missmaggieann

I agree with Janet, try not eating back all of your exercise calories. On the days i exercise I give my self a little leaway so i don't feel deprived but I don't eat back everything.

lodro

weigh and measure what you eat, then track your calories, also, don't eat your exercise calories back entirely, leave, say 300 calories to spare, since MFP overestimates calories burnt in exercising and most people underestimate their caloric intake if they eyeball their portions. you may well be over your calories most days.

MarandaPanda86

Start tracking your sodium and sugar intake. These are silent diet killers! Too much sodium can make you bloated and retain more water and too much sugar can slow your metabolism down. In addition, try to only eat back half of your exercise calories instead of the full amount until you start to see some weight loss, then work back up to eating most of them back. What time are you eating dinner? Eating too late can slow your metabolism too. One last suggestion is to just push through it... I've seen plenty of people on here who are at a standstill for a month or more until suddenly it just starts shedding off once your body gets the hint that this is a forever change!

Watch that sodium!

Good luck

meeperoon

1200 is not going to send you into starvation, im supposed to be eating that according to mfp, i do no exercise of notable mean, only wii fit every now and again and walking if i go shopping and that. I am losing about 1 or 2lbs a week. I wouldnt eat your exercise cals, and i would watch your sodium in case your retaining too much.

If it doesnt change in a couple of weeks definately go for a check up. It could be an underlying cause.

Best of luck xxx

MarandaPanda86

weigh and measure what you eat, then track your calories, also, don't eat your exercise calories back entirely, leave, say 300 calories to spare, since MFP overestimates calories burnt in exercising and most people underestimate their caloric intake if they eyeball their portions. you may well be over your calories most days.

Forgot to mention, ARE you going by what MFP is saying your exercises are worth? They drastically overdo it with some exercises. I would invest in a heart rate monitor or try and keep track of your average heart rate and plug it into an online calculator such as this one: http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

You think you're watching your calories and balancing exercise with it, but you could be accidentally eating too many calories back since you think you're burning so much more. It sucks to think that we are burning much less than we thought, but we gotta do it right!

TrishJimenez

First off, where are you in your monthly cycle? Hormonal changes, water retention at that TOM, etc., could be affecting not only your pounds but also your waist line. Keep in mind, too, that everybody loses differently. I lose first in my face, arms, and legs, while my midsection and bust are the last places I lose. Other people are the complete reverse. Have you taken other body measurements, like arms, thighs, legs? Maybe you are losing there first, kind of like I am.

Whatever the reason, keep plugging away. It will eventually come off. If it's still not in another month or two, consider having a physical at your doctor's office. There could be an underlying medical issue making it difficult. I have PCOS, so I have to watch the sugar and carbs. You could have an underlying medical issue that requires doing something a little different with your diet.

The most important thing, though, is DON'T GIVE UP. It's worth fighting for!

that is the first thing I was going to say, I gain between 3-5 lbs and even go up half a size or more with TOM. that is actually where I am right now. So I just try not to weigh myself during this time. and make staying on track my main focus. The way I look at it, this is a marathon, not a sprint. The people who try to sprint ahead in a marathon eventually fall behind. This is all about baby steps. Try to look at how much whole grains you are eating, and sugar and refined carbs. Not all calories are created equal

healthy_KT

I agree with Janet, try not eating back all of your exercise calories. On the days i exercise I give my self a little leaway so i don't feel deprived but I don't eat back everything.

This is what I do too. I don't plan to eat back my exercise calories but I if there's something small I want then I'll go head and eat it. The little something is never all my exercise calories though. Everyone is different. You just have to figure out what works for you.

stevemcqueengirl

I know what you are going through. Most importanly, you are not doing anything wrong.

I have been working out since June 2011 four to five days of the week. Each workout is combined with a weight training session and 45 minute cardio session. My calories have been within the 1400 or 1500 range. I am not losing any weight either. I have not gained any weight but I have not lost any weight. I re-strategizing my caloric consumption and looking at giving up on wine on the weekends.

I read about many people losing substantial weight on MFP as soon as they start making their lifestyle changes (more workouts, eating less - which is what I am doing). I am wondering why that is not happening to me. It so frustrating.

The main thing is not to give up. What other options do we have? Going back to eating fast food and making unhealthy choices? Those options will certainly pile the weight on with a vengeance.

The weight loss goal will happen. You are doing all of the right things, and it is much better than the alternative of going back to fast food, not working out, etc. That is the way I have to look at it.

The weight gain may have been water weight. Did you weigh yourself in the morning?
Maybe staying at the 1200 calorie range is an option to consider. I also think that the body needs time to get use to these adjustments and in due time will soon manifest all of our hard work with visible results.

I hope this helps.

fdonhauser

Seems like the main thing is eating those exercise calories...and I've added sodium and sugar to the list of things to watch in my diary, so hopefully that will help. And its not that time of month, I'm about mid cycle so I don't think I should be retaining fluid from that.

Thanks for the support and advice, I will try looking up exercise calories on other sites to compare, and won't eat back all those calories.

curlyclo

What do you have your activity level set at in your fitness profile? If you include your exercise as part of your activity level, then it is likely that MFP is giving you too many calories to eat. If you are doing this, either change your activity level in your fitness profile so that it doesn't include your exercise, or stop eating back your exercise calories from your diary.

mandy_godfree

You may not be doing anything wrong, rather than repeat everything that's already been said, I was wondering what sort of excercise you are doing. If you're building up muscle you may weigh heavier even though you're losing fat because muscle weighs heavier than fat. Keep plugging at it I'm sure you'll win in the end.

fdonhauser

I have my activity level set as "active" because I walk a lot at work and do about 45-60 minutes of running and walking intervals almost daily.

and muscle is just more dense than fat, it doesnt weigh any differently because an ounce is an ounce, which is why I was hoping that I might've lost [maybe] an inch from my waist.

This upcoming week I'm not gonna eat back my exercise calories and see what happens, but I will probably log my cardio under "exercise notes" so that people don't look at my page and think I don't exercise, but that way it won't change my daily calories.

ElizabethRoad

Yes muscle IS heavier than fat. You are thinking about this completely wrong. Of course an ounce is an ounce, but it takes more fat to make up that ounce! A pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of steel, but steel is obviously heavier than feathers! This seems to confuse a lot of people...

millerll

I have my activity level set as "active" because I walk a lot at work and do about 45-60 minutes of running and walking intervals almost daily.

Don't count your exercise when you set your activity level in MFP. You count those calories when you log in your exercise. By counting it in your activity level and also in your exercise log, you're counting exercise calories twice.

chevy88grl

Unfortunately, weight loss isn't a one size fits all journey. If it were, it would make losing weight a lot easier.

I am the same height as you and when I was right around where you are a year ago when I got really serious about weight loss, working out, eating better, etc.

I didn't start off tracking calories. I simply read labels, ate less, ate better and worked out. I didn't lose weight very quickly and boy was I frustrated. I started doing more and more research and realized that I may not be eating enough. So, I slowly increased my calories and started writing down what I was eating in a day. I found that I wasn't consuming more than 1700 calories or so in a day.

After extensive research, I found that I may not be eating enough. That because I work on my feet and was working out nearly everyday, 1700 calories probably wasn't enough calories for my body. I found out what my BMR was and I multipled that by my activity level and found out - I wasn't eating nearly enough calories. I kept upping my calories and when I got to 1900, I finally saw a small loss. Upped again to 2000 (these are all NET calories) and went from 167lbs to 150lbs in like 5 weeks. I ate 2000 calories from Sept 2010 to May 2011 and I maintained my 150lbs. When I upped again in May, I lost another 7lbs in one week. I now consume between 2200-2500 NET calories a day and I am maintaining at right around 145lbs (I go from 143-147 depending on water retention, time of the month, etc).

It is very possible you simply aren't eating enough. I know it goes against all we've learned about weight loss, but it is very possible (I'm proof that not everyone can lose and live on 1200 calories a day!). Your body NEEDS fuel in order to function properly.

I would check and find out what your BMR is. I would then multiply that by your daily activity level (this does not include exercise - this is simply how active you are in a day. A desk job would make sedentary - working on your feet would make you active) and see what kind of calories you should be consuming. MFP has my calories FAR too low for me. When I don't eat enough for too many days, I see a gain on the scale. I can not explain it to you - but it happens. When I don't eat enough, I gain weight. Weird, but true.

Don't be afraid to step out of the box and try something new. If what you're doing isn't working, what do you have to lose by trying something different?

Edited to add: I took a look at your diary - are you drinking water? Some days it says you had 4 glasses and some days you haven't logged any? Are you drinking enough water? Water is crucial to help flush your system out.

Good Luck!

purplebabe2025

I totally hear what you're saying. I'm really getting down cause I lost in the beginning then put on more and it's been at a stand still since then. I've just read the advice from the replies and will take that on and see how it goes for another month. Please let me know how your getting on also, any advice and encouragement appreciated. Don't give up, I'm not, but am enjoying the challenge.

kjpersich

One thing that I learned on MFP is... do you measure your food or weigh your food? There can be a discrepancy if you are using measuring cups. Using a food scale to weigh your food would give you more accurate measures.

choconuts

One thing that I learned on MFP is... do you measure your food or weigh your food? There can be a discrepancy if you are using measuring cups. Using a food scale to weigh your food would give you more accurate measures.

I was thinking the same thing. You really need to utilize a food scale and weigh anything that's not liquid. You'd be shocked.

H_Factor

first, I want to say that you have made some truly healthy decisions. Even though the scale has not YET cooperated, these healthy changes are making some positive benefits to your health. I believe that.

second, I've read several times that not all calories are created equal. while the number 1 goal should be creating a caloric deficit, there might be some foods you're eating that work against weight loss. I looked at your diary for the last week or so and I'm going to suggest something to see if it makes a difference. either cut out, or reduce to 1 or 2 days, your grains and processed food (this means those cakes, pizzas, pasta, and taco bell). replace these items with more lean protein like fish, chicken, ground turkey/chicken, low fat ground beef, bison, protein mixes that don't have much sugar, etc. I'm not suggesting a low carb diet, but I would recommend reducing your carbs to about 100 grams a day and bumping up your protein, and cutting out or significantly reducing the food I listed.

don't lose hope.