Any advice?

asmgrant

Hi everyone,

I'd really like your help. I've been using the myfitnesspal mobile app for a little more than two weeks and I haven't been able to lose any weight even though I've been under the calorie count every day and am exercising everyday as well, each time I lose two pounds I gain it back the next day. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Can you open your diary so we can see it? Also give us your stats: height, weight, goal weight, body fat % if you know it.

Also remember that this isn't something that happens overnight. Fitness is an process, not an event.

(Also make sure you have all of your settings correct. If you put in "active" as your lifestyle when you're sedentary then MFP will give you a higher calorie allotment.)

LilMissFoodie

Firstly, you need to give it a bit more time. And don't weigh every day - you'll drive yourself nuts with water fluctuations. Good luck!

Dohrnl

It can seem really annoying but sometimes you just need to really stick to it. I know that I had a time period where that would happen to me.
This is what I did:
*really measured my food closely
*increased my water intake
*worked out a little bit longer than normal (only 5-10) minutes.

It's very normal for weight to fluctuate from day to day, so you need to make sure that you ONLY weigh yourself once a week at about the same time! Keep up the hardwork!!!

dls06

Get yourself a food scale and start measuring everything you eat. Correct Portion size can help.

TavistockToad

Fitness is a process, not an event.

i love that!! so so true!!!!

skinnydreams165

It could be many things...

the kinds of foods you are eating (high sodium)
water retention
are your calories too low?
are you eating back your exercise calories? some of them? none of them? you might have to tweek this one

skinnydreams165

Get yourself a food scale and start measuring everything you eat. Correct Portion size can help.

this is so true

asmgrant

I just made my diary public, and I'm 5'6', 179. I used to be 189 but i lost ten pounds and I'm very pound to say I've been able to keep it off, I want to lose another 15-20 pounds.

Hambone23

It is a process. And body weight varies day by day for all sorts of reasons: sodium for one. Drink lots of water. Check your settings. And open your diary to at least your friends. If there's anything you should tweak, they can be very helpful. :}

doubglass

Stop skipping meals. Eat a better breakfast. Bump up your fiber. (Stir fried veggies are great and fast.) Cut out the processed food and fast food. Both are really high in fat and sodium. Up your cardio--walking is really the best.

srp2011

I just looked back at about a week of your diary, and it looks like you're eating a lot of highly processed, sugary, starchy, and high sodium foods. Technically you are under your calories, but in general, eating that kind of diet doesn't lead to efficient weight loss. Plus, I suspect calorie counts at restaurants and fast food places may be a bit underestimated. Try cutting down on the starchy, sugary foods, and incorporate more fresh (or frozen) fruits and vegetables, lean proteins (chicken, fish, turkey, baked, steamed, broiled), and whole grains in moderation), and you will see more consistent weight loss. Also, as others have said, lots of water. Aim for small changes each day, though, so you don't get overwhelmed, and so that the changes gradually become part of a healthier lifestyle that you can stick with for life. Good luck!

joystar12

If you're exercising, you could also be building muscle, which weighs more than fat I've also found that eating a high protein diet for a few weeks helped me

meggonkgonk

It looks like you are eating a lot of junky and/or pre-packaged type foods- this is fine from time to time (and gets epecially hard to control during the holiday weeks) but I would recommend moving more towards things you can prepare at home and entering each ingredient individually. It will give you more control and better accuracy with your entries.

Also if you do like to weigh in everyday, which is largely not recommended, try comparing your weights weekly instead of daily. Instead of comparing Monday to Tuesday to Wednesday, compare Mondays to Mondays, Tuesdays to Tuesdays etc. It will give you a better feeling for your overall trends.

I agree with everyone else who encourages patience. Congrats on being down 10 lbs! But if you are looking to loose an additional 10-15 lbs, you should be prepared for it to take 10-15 weeks. So patience and consistency are going to be key.

Good luck!

kat65

This can get frustrating.

If you followed this plan exactly (calories and exercise) and still have not lost weight, call you doctor for a checkup. You could be pre-diabetic or have metabolic syndrome. Both of these things are silent – you will have no symptoms – and both will cause you to not lose any weight.

I tried to lose weight for two years and kept running into this same problem. I was angry beyond belief. I exercised. I weighed and measured my foods. I kept an accurate calorie count. Yet, I did not lose any weight. As it turned out, I was diabetic – which is the next stage after metabolic syndrome. I wish I had gone to the doctor earlier.

One way to beat this is to watch how many carbs you eat and to focus on meat and fish – like the south beach diet plan. The dietician that I met with told me to eat 45 carbs per meal and to limit or eliminate snacks. When I started this, the weight started coming off. Look for and eat foods that are low on the low glycemic list. They don't have as many carbs and they keep your blood sugar more stable (which helps to keep hunger away).

DenverKos

Stop skipping meals. Eat a better breakfast. Bump up your fiber. (Stir fried veggies are great and fast.) Cut out the processed food and fast food. Both are really high in fat and sodium. Up your cardio--walking is really the best.

I noticed the same thing. You can't skip meals to make up for calories. Make healthier choices and eat throughout the day. Ditto on the exercise - it will help rev up your metabolism and you'll burn more calories throughout the day after working out.

CarolynB38

This is what I would do, personally. Try replacing the coke with water or fruit juice and gradually add in some fresh fruit and veg. Don't think of it as cutting out junk food, think of it as adding healthy foods to your diet. As you increase your fruit and veg you will find you can cut down a little on the processed food (smaller portions) and maybe start replacing some of these options with cleaner, healthier foods that you have cooked yourself. Don't try to do it all at once (unless you are very strong willed!) or you may find it too hard and you don't want to sabotage your success. Make small, but important, changes one at a time and before you know it you will be eating healthily 80% of the time and allowing yourself occasional treats.

Well done for starting your fitness plan. I'm sure you'll do great :happy:

Please do ask again if you need more advice or ideas on healthy food options. There are loads of people on MFP with loads of great ideas. Feel free to friend me if you feel you would like some more support.

theboyers1771

Aerobic exercising first thing in the morning is best because it raises your metabolism and you continue burning calories longer during the day. But make sure you are working out at a higher intensity (you need to be sweating) otherwise it's not much good. Consistency is the key. Also eating raises your metabolism - so do not skip meals - just make sure you are eating low-fat. Don't be too frustrated if you aren't losing weight (you could be holding onto water). Just make sure your are doing your exercises consistently and eating well - and all of a sudden it will drop. Actually, if you are holding onto water weight - that is a good thing because our muscles need that water. Try to judge by the way you feel and how your clothes are fitting instead of the scale as much. Add me as a friend if you'd like and I'll try to keep you motivated.

Jyster

switch to coke zero instead of full calorie coke classic. The hardest thing for me to do up to this point was to drop from 3 liters of soda a day to 20ish ounces. Less when I drink all 8 glasses of water. I dislike water so i use Crystal light flavor packets. The five calories per serving offsets the fact that I am drinking 8-10 servings a day of something other than full calorie soda.

Mom2rh

1. Start tracking sodium
2. Ditch the coke (empty calories)
3. Try to add fresh fruits and veggies...carrot sticks and hummus, apples and peanut butter
4. Eat breakfast...I just had whole grain toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a teaspoon of jam. Easy and fast.
5. Try to get the majority of your carbs in your fruits, less in pastas and breads and stuff.
6. Baby steps...give yourself a break. Pick one or two things to work on (like giving up Coke and increasing your water), THEN add other steps like moving your body 4 days a week.

This is a process. Oh and DON'T weigh yourself every day.

asmgrant

Thank you everyone for your advice.