Why am I not losing weight?

eksims1

I've been doing this for 6 weeks now, and lost weight for the first 3. Now I haven't been losing, and the scale says I've gained back five pounds. I drink LOTS of water. I work out but I do mostly cardio with a little bit of light (5 lb) weight training, so I don't think it could be lots of muscle mass. I am on 1200 calories a day. Last week I tried to make my calories a little bit higher to "surprise" my body, but I'm back on 1200 for this week. I did not eat more than 2000 in any given day. Any ideas? My diary is open. How can I jump start again?

bmmarti3

You're either underestimating your food, over estimating your cardio, or are too impatient.

Probably a combination of all three, but the majority likely rests in impatience. You should be changing your life, not a number on the scale.

MsKekeSoFocused

6 weeks??? and you're already asking why aren't you losing..Please give it time..THIS isn't a race!!! The weight didn't come on over night and it sure wont come off over night..SO, eat right, log right, workout and then BAM you will see the scale drop..Make sure you are doing pics and measurements as well, as the scale will show one number but the inches and be showing that you are losing..

sjcply

Maybe try to replace alot of your processed packaged foods with lean protein, veggies and fruit. Maybe some brown rice, potatoes for healthier carbs.

what worked for me was to increase my protein and lower my carbs...but make sure my carbs come from the above foods and not crap carbs

janeite1990

Add some strength training in there, too. More muscle will burn more fat. And look for ways to focus on fresher, less processed, foods. I don't know if it is the sodium, msg, or something else, but fresh foods treat my body better.

havok46

I have been there and struggling after losing 30 lbs. The best thing the trainer gave me was; how is your workouts? What pushed me through and got me over the small wall I hit was doing my cardio with high intensity intervals. I do cardio twice and day and my body has gotten used to it. Now every 3 minutes, I do one minute of super intense speed...then back to 3 minutes of normal speed. I mix it up at times so I do more intense..and slowly build it up. My goal is in a 30 minute workout, to have more intense minutes than normal. This will help you see a change in your body and weight.

Not to quote P90X, but it is all about muscle confusion....the more you do of one exercise, the more your body will adapt and get used to it....mix it up and you will see huge changes...even if it is just in the intensity levels....

Gook Luck!! Let us know how it goes for you!

aochoa123

I would suggest changing your settings to track your sodium too. Your sodium level with all the prepackaged foods may be too high and this will cause water retention.

minadeathclutch

no offense... but why do i keep seeing the SAME EXACT TOPIC OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

please people.. do a search on the forums first to see if your questions already been answered.

everyone will tell you.
1.
eat more.
or
2. workout.

the end. goodnight

Natihilator

I'm in the same boat, and at a stall. I would suggest to you to watch your sodium levels, and try to eat less refined carbs and processed foods.

You should be changing your life, not a number on the scale.

So she shouldn't pay attention and monitor her weight at all just because she's changing her lifestyle? I hate this idea, seeing the number go down can really rev up your motivation on bad days, and while it's not the best measure for short-term progress, it counts for something.

vabrewer33

Flip your day--I took a quick look at your diary and it seems like lunch and dinner are your biggest meals and that is a common problem. Breakfast should be your biggest meal to kick start your metabolism and dinner should be your smallest because your body starts shutting down for bed. Also, strength training helps to raise your metabolism as well. Try cardio one day and strength the next, off and on for about a week and you should start seeing results, maybe not on the scale but with inches and how your clothes fit. And give it time! I know its frustrating (I want overnight results!!!) but this takes time. You are doing GREAT so far and I know you can do this!

vabrewer33

no offense... but why do i keep seeing the SAME EXACT TOPIC OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

please people.. do a search on the forums first to see if your questions already been answered.

everyone will tell you.
1.
eat more.
or
2. workout.

the end. goodnight

If you have to say "no offense" than you are probably going to say something offensive...in my experience at least....just chill and don't read the posts if you don't want to, nobody is forcing you

bmmarti3

I'm in the same boat, and at a stall. I would suggest to you to watch your sodium levels, and try to eat less refined carbs and processed foods.

You should be changing your life, not a number on the scale.

So she shouldn't pay attention and monitor her weight at all just because she's changing her lifestyle? I hate this idea, seeing the number go down can really rev up your motivation on bad days, and while it's not the best measure for short-term progress, it counts for something.

If you change your life style, the number will take care of itself. Don't get too focused on the number.

Matt_Wild

Flip your day--I took a quick look at your diary and it seems like lunch and dinner are your biggest meals and that is a common problem. Breakfast should be your biggest meal to kick start your metabolism and dinner should be your smallest because your body starts shutting down for bed. Also, strength training helps to raise your metabolism as well. Try cardio one day and strength the next, off and on for about a week and you should start seeing results, maybe not on the scale but with inches and how your clothes fit. And give it time! I know its frustrating (I want overnight results!!!) but this takes time. You are doing GREAT so far and I know you can do this!

Not to offend her, but, it doesn't, sorry this is bad science. I've coached of a lot of people and there biggest meal is there 8-9pm meal, post workout.

You don't instantly digest food, it takes 2-3 hours in the stomach, 2-3 hours in the illium and upto 72 in the duodenum. It doesn't make sense with what you are saying.

Overall calories matter (without dropping too low forcing the leptin levels and thus triiodothyronine levels to drop and slow the metabolism) and energy expended from exercise.

skinnylove00

this is your bodys way of telling you that you need to ramp things up. cut the cardio, (CARDIO IS FOR SISSIES hahah jk..) and really focus on strength training and HIIT (high intensity interval training). do circuits, lift weights, focus on getting totally out of breath with your workouts.

it might be hard to push yourself to the next level if you are doing this alone, so maybe you need to sign up for exercise classes or get a personal trainer. or get insanity dvds and PUSH YOURSELF THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. having someone else yell in your face to KEEP GOING really amps you up. its exciting, too!!

as for your diet, cut back on your sugars (i need to do this too haha) and white carbs. eat as clean as possible...maybe see how long you can go without eating something that comes from a can or cellophane package. focus on foods only placed in the perimeters of a grocery store...that helps. lots of fiber and protein..KEEP UP WITH THE WATER THOUGH YOURE DOING GREAT. try not to underestimate your calories too though, they can really sneak up on you.

when it comes down to it, you gotta really want it and you gotta prove it to yourself. dont leave the gym without breaking a sweat, dont eat when youre not hungry, dont give up just because youre at a plateau. youre in this to WIN this and to be the healthiest and fittest thing you can be!

kirstinlee

From the few pages of your journal that I was able to see (waaaay slow computer ): ) it seems like you're eating a LOT of processed foods. I can almost guarantee that you'll lose more eating 1200 calories of whole foods than eating 1200 calories of processed foods (NOT implying that you should be eating only 1200, I just don't remember what your target is.) While others recommend that you track our sodium, I also recommend that you track your sugar -- it adds up quickly in those processed foods, especially the breads and spreads, like your peanut butter and jelly. Sugar will pretty much cause you to gain weight and hinder your from losing it faster than anything else ( not always, but in most cases).
And independently from the weight loss, you should work to cut out the sugar anyway. Nasty, nasty stuff that will wreck your body and make you sick-- and that's not coming from some high and mighty health nut, but from someone who's currently a sugar addict.

Captain_Tightpants

To gain back 5 lbs in fat would require an extra 17,500 calories above your maintenance level since your last weigh in. That's a LOT.

I suspect sodium and water retention is the culprit.

That, or a faulty scale.

Sublog

I've been doing this for 6 weeks now, and lost weight for the first 3. Now I haven't been losing, and the scale says I've gained back five pounds. I drink LOTS of water. I work out but I do mostly cardio with a little bit of light (5 lb) weight training, so I don't think it could be lots of muscle mass. I am on 1200 calories a day. Last week I tried to make my calories a little bit higher to "surprise" my body, but I'm back on 1200 for this week. I did not eat more than 2000 in any given day. Any ideas? My diary is open. How can I jump start again?

You're likely underestimating your intake and overestimating your expenditure. Lifting weights with 5 lbs weights is an almost complete waste of your time. Lift heavier or stick to cardio.

eksims1

Thank you everyone for your replies. I know I do eat a lot of processed foods, but I really don't have a choice when I am gone from 9-9 every day with no way to refrigerate or keep things cool. I will try tracking the sodium for the water retention, and some higher intensity and heavier weights too.

psuLemon

You should also be looking at eating back 50-75% of your exercise calories. Also, how much weight do you have to lose? From your picture it doesnt look like much, so you might need to change your goal. The closer to your goal, the more you need to eat.


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.

ahinski

Go to the top of this forum and read the links provided in the thread labeled "Newbies Please Read Me (2nd Edition). You will find a lot of helpful information there.

gp79

I would recommend you check your intake as many others have said. Stalling out on a diet this early is unlikely your cause.

I'm going to say you are not in calorie restriction and you are overestimating your exercise. You may even have your MFP set up incorrectly.

sdrawkcabynot

no offense... but why do i keep seeing the SAME EXACT TOPIC OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

please people.. do a search on the forums first to see if your questions already been answered.

everyone will tell you.
1.
eat more.
or
2. workout.

the end. goodnight

If you have to say "no offense" than you are probably going to say something offensive...in my experience at least....just chill and don't read the posts if you don't want to, nobody is forcing you

^^^^^Bump^^^^^ and that's putting a troller in their place ... no offense!

Matt_Wild

Thank you everyone for your replies. I know I do eat a lot of processed foods, but I really don't have a choice when I am gone from 9-9 every day with no way to refrigerate or keep things cool. I will try tracking the sodium for the water retention, and some higher intensity and heavier weights too.

Get a six pack fitness back. Built in ice packs on the sides that stay frozen for 8-10 hours. I use one, they are ace. Fresh, unprocessed food is king.

Quasita

Something I noticed that I didn't see anyone comment on is that you are very frequently eating over your exercise calories. For example, if MFP sets you at 1400 and you exercise 500, you can eat 1900 and still be in weightloss range. However, pretty often it seems, you could be eating like 2300 in this scenario, which almost completely negates the calorie deficit. Salt and water retention are rather possible, but even reducing salt won't help much if you keep overeating your calorie allowance. I know you ate extra last week on purpose, but this week you are doing it too and maybe you aren't realizing it?

You also have no breakfast listed on several days, or just tea with honey. Though I know calories don't metabolize immediately, from a digetion perspective, you're going to get more out of your food if you spread it out and provide nutrients at intervals. That way you don't overload your system and you can finish processing.

Good luck

_Kitten_Kate

I'm in the same boat, and at a stall. I would suggest to you to watch your sodium levels, and try to eat less refined carbs and processed foods.

You should be changing your life, not a number on the scale.

So she shouldn't pay attention and monitor her weight at all just because she's changing her lifestyle? I hate this idea, seeing the number go down can really rev up your motivation on bad days, and while it's not the best measure for short-term progress, it counts for something.

If you change your life style, the number will take care of itself. Don't get too focused on the number.

I get that you shouldn't be focused on the "number" BUT... I am in the same boat. Been at it for six weeks and keep going up and down the same 3-5lbs. I do strength and cardio 4-5 days of the week. I have a HRM and Body Media Fit questimating what I am burning. But I am not loosing. And the scale is my meter as it is for most.
So, even though I am eating very well...little to no processed food... all fresh meats, veggies and fruits and drink a ton of water... and only drink water. I have not lost.
That makes me think that well... my metabolism isn't what every equation assumes it to be. Or maybe I have a hormone imbalance..or maybe a thyroid or insulin issue.
Don't bag on someone because they get on the scale...
Encourage them... tell them to measure instead of weight..
If that hasn't changed, then go to the doctor.
Weight loss for some people unfortunately isn't about just eating right and moving your butt. Lots of other things can play into shedding the lbs.

Matt_Wild

What is it with MFP user and eating back calories burnt thro exercise calories? Whats the point of doing that?

Honestly. Its quite quite simply, use the expended to burn calories stored as fat to burned off. I honestly coach people and NEVER get them to eat back calories they burn, this is a messed up idea. Do you honestly think being 300 calories or so after exercise will do much?

Mis-calculate or under weigh the food you are eating and you WON'T have a deficit, beyond a 100 or so calories. That'll do sod all. Heck even 300 calories a day will only be half a pound of fat burned, and that can be hidden under water retained from eating salt or carbs. Pointless.

Sorry to rant but I keep hearing this idea over and over!