now that i am doing my best, why is nothing working!!

riannenrings

for the last year i have not lost and kept off a single pound. i always blamed it on my tendency to eat way to much at night. but when i would get "a run" of good days the scale would move quickly down even with some binges thrown in the mix.

so now i finally am NOT overeating at night. but now..seriously. wtf!!!!!!!!!!!! after another good 5 days of eating perfectly under my calories and exercising i have not lost one pound. i used to lose one pound + after one afternoon of eating healthy!! l know its important to eat ENOUGH and i think i am because i am counting really closely. i have been doing the same exercise videos and counting the same calories burned as always! last night i finally ate like 10 chocolate mini's because its like why feel so optimistic when nothings helping and im hungry!! (wow i just realized how self -sabotaging my thoughts are!!)

this scale needs to move !! why is it not, i am doing so much more better than i ever have before! shouldnt the pounds want to just melt?!

Luvmysixpack

Make sure you are drinking enough water and make sure you are getting enough protein. If you are not getting enough protein then that could be one reason why things are not moving for you.

kelseyhere

I am in kind of a similar situation. I would go on these ridiculous late night binges (cookies, ice cream, etc.) but then just eat healthy for a day and I would lose the weight and it would even back out. Then, that stopped happening and the scale just started going up. I think what happened is I broke my metabolism.

After the binges I would eat maybe only 1000 calories the next day, and I think that's what slowed my metabolism down. My body thought I was starving it- so it was hanging on to all the cookie and ice cream fat from the night before. Now I'm focusing on maintaining pretty consistent calories each day instead of yo-yoing between really high and low calorie days and it's slowly starting to get back on track.

Don't give up and when you want to reach for the chocolate try and remind yourself that everything you put in has to come back off at some point. Also, I haven't looked at your diary, but try to limit your calories from carbs and instead try to get them from more veggies. Excess carbs (especially processed ones) will make you bloat and hold on to excess water weight.

bltmgray

I feel for you. I'm in the same boat. I have not lost any significant amount of weight since the summer. I keep going up and down the same 3 or 4 lbs. I do know that the closer you get to your goal weight, the harder it is to lose. I see you have only 21lbs left to lose, that could be why it's getting harder to lose. When I hit that range, I notices the weight loss started to slow down. You may need to up your work outs a little, so you burn more calories. Just keep working on it. Change things up a little and see if that helps. Drink more water, intensify your workouts, maybe change up your daily calories. You never know what will kick your body back into to gear! Good luck!!

erickirb

Is your weekly weight loss goal and caloric intake right for your goals? here is a guide for setting weekly weight loss goals:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Are you eating exercise calories back? You should be
Are you using a HRM to calculate calories burned? If not only eat back 75% of what MFP or the machine says
Are you weighing and measuring your food? If not get a kitchen scale.

It is easy to burn less than we think we are and to eat more than we think we are, using the above will help give you the best estimates of both. For other information you may want to take a look at the following link:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/457-unofficial-mfp-faq

cygnetpro

Funny you say that-- I was having the exact same experience. I was seriously about to throw my hands up and say, "Well, if I weigh the same whether I try or not, why try???" . Today I weighed in, and was down several pounds (4.8). I haven't logged it, cuz last week it was my doctor's scale, and today it was mine-- I'm guessing it's more like 3.

No freaking idea what changed, since my calorie intake is the same, and because of a broken toe I have not exercised all week. I did eat slightly more protein and fewer carbs this week, but not that big of a difference. Who knows?

I guess my point is to not give up. Hopefully it'll start shifting for you soon.

scapez

Hard to tell when your diary isn't visible.

Barring a medical condition or meds that might muck around with your weight, if you are faithfully keeping within your calorie allowance, logging everyday, getting adequate water, and exercise...there's no reason why you shouldn't be losing.

As @erickirb said, tracking your calorie burns with a reliable HRM (with a chest strap) will be the most accurate method.

The TYPE of exercise is important. If you don't have a lot to lose and have been doing primarily cardio, I would switch to strength training (heavier weights/lower reps) or HIIT (high intensity interval training).

almille

How long have you been steadily doing the right things? I wouldn't assume any changes I see are real trends caused by what I'm doing right or wrong until they've been predictable for two weeks, and weight change of at least 5 lb. I can gain or lose 3 lbs in a day EASY from water, salt, exercise, carbs, that TOM, whatever. So just because you thought you were losing a lb in a day of 'behaving' before doesn't mean that was real change- just losing some bloat.

MaryStregger

Okay - so you used to lose a pound after one day of eating healthy. That is what's not normal. Maybe what was really going then was that you were gaining and losing water weight from eating salty and processed foods? Give your body at least two to four weeks of good eating & fitness habits before you get frustrated. Meanwhile, although you may not see a change in the scale, you will notice a change in energy levels, attitude, and maybe even size. Make sure your foods are all nutrient-rich, you are taking a multi-vitamin and drinking as much water as you can handle comfortably. And exercise - cardio & strength training. For me - I go through periods where I don't lose anything for two or three weeks - I blame it on muscle gain, and it takes a while for that muscle gain to show up in terms of weight loss. The best thing I do for my weight loss regimen is weight train - it boosts my metabolism, giving me a little bit of wiggle-room in my diet and I don't find it as exhausting as cardio, so it's a nice treat when I have a day where it's mainly weight-training and not so much cardio.

Pangui

Looking at this positively, perhaps your 5 days of really good work just prevented the scale from going the opposite direction. Now a few more good days and you'll be seeing progress.