What am I doing wrong?

Espressocycle

A week without weight loss is normal. Your weight can fluctuate by a few pounds from day to day due to water retention, minor constipation, or your personal gravitational field. (okay, I made the last one up)

pftjill

Don't stress about one week!! You will be okay. We all have those. If you stress about it too much then you will start telling yourself-it is not worth it. So just keep on track. Start taking measurements. I haven't lost weight since Feb, However, my clothing size has gone down and my arms are pretty amazing-haha. I have gained so much muscle I haven't taken off any weight at all. So I have let loose of the strength training and am focusing on cardio the next few weeks. Unfortunately it isn't by choice, I am just doing something that doesn't allow me to do any strength training for a little while. So I am focusing on cardio to hopefully start seeing some results on the scale. Though I know some of my muscle will be lost in the process I will get it back as soon as I am better!!!!

vanessamaesRN

When this happened to me (most of last year), the reasons were a combination of the following:

* I wasn't being 100% accurate in my food log. Until I started weighing, measuring, and recording every bite, I was wayyyy off.
* I wasn't burning nearly what MFP and the machines said I did during exercise. I just don't burn that much, so eating all of my exercise calories was eating too much.
* My activity level was not lightly active after all, even though I work two jobs and have three children. I'm mostly sedentary according to my Fitbit tracker (which I got for Christmas last year).
* My cheat meals/days were too much. I was wiping out all the hard work I'd done. Now, I take a week and eat at maintenance every 3 months, which helps me stick to the lower calories the rest of the time.

Also, my weight loss/gain takes 2-3 weeks to occur. Patience is KEY. Until you've gone 4-6 weeks without a loss, you're not plateauing.

Something else that helped me (might not apply to everyone) was to increase my protein and drop my carbs. I am using a 40c/30f/30p plan and it works much better than higher carbs/lower protein. Try it!

Hang in there and don't give up!

I was thinking of not eating back all my exercise calories, but eating at only 1250 I feel so hungry. I use the calories burned that my treadmill and stationary bike tell me, MFP gives me a higher number, but I'm sure it's still probably not very accurate.

H_Factor

I looked at the last week of your diary and a few ideas (esp in light of your comment that you feel so hungry)...

1. try to get your carbs under 150 a day. replace them with more lean protein and healthy fats. both help fill you up. and, as for carbs, try to get your carbs from more natural sources than from processed foods. this will help you with sodium (which doesn't help weight loss), among other things. additionally, carbs with a lower glycemic index value help you feel fuller longer because they don't cause an insulin spike (which is what creates feelings of hunger and cravings).

2. try to cut out the soda. you are wasting a ton of calories on soda a lot of days. no sense doing that. if possible, I'd avoid soda completely (inasmuch as research shows that diet sodas create cravings for sugars)...but if you can avoid the cravings, at least diet soda comes without calories. I gave up soda in April and haven't missed it one bit (after the first few days).

3. I am a 40 year guy with a larger frame. On most days, I don't have a problem with eating fewer than 1300 net calories because I focus on eating lean proteins, healthy fats, and carbs with a lower glycemic index value. pick the right foods and you will also be fine.

4. as far as eating back your exercise calories....part of that depends on how you are figuring out your exercise calories. if you are using MFP estimates, then understand that those are largely overstated by as much as double what you actually burn so if you're using MFP estimates, then eat back at most 50% of that estimate.

jdhosier

I was thinking of not eating back all my exercise calories, but eating at only 1250 I feel so hungry. I use the calories burned that my treadmill and stationary bike tell me, MFP gives me a higher number, but I'm sure it's still probably not very accurate.

If you really want to get frustrated, don't eat back your exercise calories. Your body will go into starvation mode (thinking it is starving) and struggle to hold on to every ounce. If you eat all the calories you are supposed to (including those exercise calories) your body will relax its hold on your fat reserves. If you are hungry, you are more likely to fall off the wagon. That is how I am. Also, use the numbers you get from the HRM on the exercise equipment. I have noticed that the MFP numbers are a lot higher than what the machines say for me too. If you are putting your weight and age into the machines, and hanging on to the HRM sensors, you will have a much better accuracy that what you get from the database here.

Also, try to fill out your calories with nutrient dense foods as much as possible (with your doctor's blessing, of course). There are good carbs and bad carbs.

Processed Sugar in any form = BAD
Complex Carbs = GOOD.

You probably have the information on the carbs when dealing with your diabetes.

vanessamaesRN

I'm working on the soda. When I started MFP I was trying to fit in a 12oz soda a day. Since then I've started buying the smaller 7.5 oz to kill the craving and trying not to drink it everyday. But you're right, I'm wasting calories I could be eating instead.

katcod1522

I try to only eat back half of my exercise calories..and I am noticing that it seems to give me more exercise calories than I probably deserve.

H_Factor

I'm working on the soda. When I started MFP I was trying to fit in a 12oz soda a day. Since then I've started buying the smaller 7.5 oz to kill the craving and trying not to drink it everyday. But you're right, I'm wasting calories I could be eating instead.

I think you're going about this in the right way. Just as I mentioned earlier about not adding too much exercise too quickly...I think its helpful to wean yourself off of something like soda. Continue doing so, but here are some things that will hopefully provide motivation to cut out calories from your drinks. just imagine what you could do with those calories you're currently consuming from soda:

1. eat a bowl of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries or blackberries. berries have a low glycemic index value so they won't cause an insulin spike. raspberries come packed with 8 grams of fiber per cup...which will help you stay satiated until your next meal. good luck keeping up with that, mr. soda can.

2. get a tasty protein powder and mix it with water. there are some good protein mixes that come with 20 or more grams of protein and few carbs/fat. if you're going to drink your calories, may as well drink something with a lot of protein to help you stay full longer.

3. hello apple or pear. both great options.

4. just think about how many nutrient rich, filling veggies you could eat. LOTS.

5. a can of coke or a can of tuna? one provides nothing useful, the other provides a lot of goodness.

I could go on...

vanessamaesRN

Thank you, that puts it into perspective.