MFP lied ...help!

KDWS

So five weeks ago MFP said maintain this calorie count and you will weigh 205 in five weeks..well guess what I still weigh 220...the first two weeks I lost ten pounds and there I have stayed..the last two weeks based on advice from others I have increased my calorie count and yet here I am still at 220....I cut out bread cut out my protein bars...what else do I need to do....

raisingbabyk

Just looking back over the week.. I would say you are eating wayyyy too little. Eat more (healthy foods still) and fuel your body, it will realize your not trying to starve it and start to let go of the weight again. I've lost 51 lbs and I always eat almost all of my calories.

Symphony6

Just looking at your diary over the last week or so, you aren't getting enough calories. Most days, you don't even get in 1000. Have you used a calculator to figure out your BMR? I'm sure you are well below it which will cause a stall. Personally, my weight loss slowed at 1200 cals a day and I had to up them to almost 1600.

Additionally, your diet is no where near balanced. A lot of what you're eating looks like bread products. Where's the veg?

Foodie711711

you need to EAT!

taso42

undereating.

treetop57

It sounds like you were expecting to lose five pounds a week. That's not reasonable or healthy. What do you need to do? In my opinion, reevaluate and set reasonable expectations.

Alarista

To be real with you, I agree with everyone else on the way too little.

What else I have to say is you're often in the area of "don't eat these few of calories unless under the supervision of a medical professional". What I would recommend, is see a nutritionist, and work out a plan. You may have to hunt around for one you like, meet with them and work out a healthy plan.

I did a liquid diet, like a medifast, under the supervision of a health professional with little calories like that, and was hospitalized and spent four days there, it was not cool (it was painful, expensive, and embarrassing). I know you want to see fast results, but you want to be healthy.

You have to remember, the tool here that calculates your calories is just a calculator, it says how much weight do you want to lose and how long and calculates, it doesn't think about what's healthy really, so you need to evaluate what's healthy for you.

The other thing is, how much have you worked out? Has some of your fat loss been hidden by muscle gain?

adellinger01

Do not be afraid to eat!

Try something like this - Eat a healthy bowl of cereal in the morning, then maybe a banana mid morning, a sensible lunch (chicken, sushi, whatever - healthy), an orange mid-day, steak or chicken dinner and then maybe a little fruit early evening.
make sure to drink lots of water (no soda).
That will probably balance to 1600-2000 calories and I am sure you will see weight come off.
Your metabolism will stay active and your body will continually be working.

If time allows kick in some cardio (at least 20 minutes a day also)
Good luck!!

ShrinkinMel

YES eat more! Aim for what the program gives you if anything go over 10-50 calories. Try that for a couple weeks and see if it works.

christibam

Eat more and, I don't know if you just don't log it or what but you should really be working out too.

Jorra

That estimate is based solely on the calorie deficit for the day and a bit of math to extrapolate that number. The body isn't quite that formulaic. A number of factors contribute to the number on the scale.

For example, if you eat too little, you body will instead try to conserve the fat it has because it is worried that it won't be fed enough. It will hold on to its energy stores instead of feeling comfortable to let it go. FEED YOURSELF!

cjm109

I agree...eat more and you need veggies....lots of them.

ninerbuff

This is a perfect example of how reducing calories to extreme will only be temporary weight loss then hitting a major stall. Stick to the basics. Eat a negative 500 calories from your TDEE and you'll lose a pound a week.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

treetop57

I just said "Complete this Entry," after nothing but my 400 calorie breakfast. MFP didn't lie to me when it said I'd be down to 204 from 230 in five weeks. It used a mathematical formula to extrapolate from unreasonable input to an unreasonable output.

Di3012

So five weeks ago MFP said maintain this calorie count and you will weigh 205 in five weeks..well guess what I still weigh 220...the first two weeks I lost ten pounds and there I have stayed..the last two weeks based on advice from others I have increased my calorie count and yet here I am still at 220....I cut out bread cut out my protein bars...what else do I need to do....

That is a little quirky thing that states if "everyday were like today....", it is not a cut and dried "this is what you WILL weigh" lol.

Look at what you eat rather than the calories, cut out all the crap. Did four pancakes really come to just 289 calories?

minkakross

I think I may have said this before in a thread similar to this one but take some measurements. I found that I can go 2-3 weeks without losing a single pound or even with a small gain but it's in those weeks that I lose an inch or two and then I see the scale move for a bit and stall again. I've really had to learn not to get discouraged during the stalls because in the end I'm still exercising and eating better than I was before logging my food on MFP and I feel stronger.

spectralmoon

I think I may have said this before in a thread similar to this one but take some measurements. I found that I can go 2-3 weeks without losing a single pound or even with a small gain but it's in those weeks that I lose an inch or two and then I see the scale move for a bit and stall again. I've really had to learn not to get discouraged during the stalls because in the end I'm still exercising and eating better than I was before logging my food on MFP and I feel stronger.

This for me as well. I tend to hang onto a lb or bounce between two for a week, but in that week I drop a half or whole inch somewhere, and then the scale twitches lower.

Everything you do is gradual. And it does pay to eat.

rdsxgrl28

I would try to cut the carbs and maybe up the protein.

wftiger

I'm not a dietician but i agree with rdsxgrl28. Your protein is way too low and your carbs are really high. From what I have been told women should try for 20 grams at least 4 times a day. Most days you are no where near 80 grams. And your carbs are really high. I would cut down on the bread products, up veggies and meat and then give it a go again.

biancardi

Just from viewing your diary - you do need to add more fresh fruits and veggies to your diet and cut out fast food/cookie/chocolate snacks.

I have a HUGE sweet tooth myself, and I understand the need for it, but MFP didn't lie - you aren't eating enough of good calories and eating too many empty calories.

I have found this great water drink for my chocolate sweet tooth - and it has NO calories and NO sugar: MetroMint chocolatemint water = made with real mint & cocoa essence - give it a try. I found it in the natural/organic section of my grocery store - they have a store locator at their site http://metromint.com/products/

you also need to journal better with your food diary. You skip meals and I am not sure if that is because you skipped that meal or you forgot to add it in.

anyway, if you are skipping one of the 3 major meals, you shouldn't. Even just have a nice salad with cucs, tomatoes, chickpeas, shredded carrots with low fat dressing is getting your veggies in.

instead of those bars you are having for breakfast, why not get unsweetened shredded wheat & bran cereal, with 1% milk and some fresh berries? You will feel more satisfied than a bar. I eat fiber bars myself, but I save those for a snack and I Fiber One - Fiber One, Oats & Chocolate - 140 cals per bar. Much less Abbott - Classic Zone Perfect® - Fudge Graham Nutrition Bar.

sazzet

I checked your food diary , not enough calories and not enough fresh and mean fresh from the market vegetables. Broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asparagus, carrots. Don't be afraid of green, I eat more green than meat and when i want protein i go for fish and chicken breasts. Use olive oil and lemon on asparagus and salads. Get your fats from nuts, like peanuts and almonds. They're great on salads. Just a handful a day. Take a few days off what you are doing and make a diet change, add more calories and see what happens. Don't forget the 8 cups of water.

Also forgot to mention fresh fruits, always have them around. Bananas, strawberries, oranges, pears.

russellma

Did it also say that based on your daily calorie intake, you may be eating too few calories?

As you know, it's important to eat fewer calories than you burn in a day in order to lose weight. 3500 calories is supposed to equal 1 lb., so that's where MFP gets that magic "in 5 weeks" number.

But... your body uses a different formula. Think of it as saying, "At this rate, in 5 weeks this gal is going to completely deplete my energy stores and I'd better hang on to this hunk of fat here to snack on later!" So while it's important that you don't eat enough calories to make your body store the extra as fat, it's also VERY important that you eat ENOUGH calories to convince it that it doesn't need to hang on to the fat it's already stored.

If I were you, I would try to make sure that the calories you eat minus the exercise calories you burn equal at least 1200 calories. Give your body a few weeks to notice the difference, because you've been telling it that it needs to hang on to every calorie for dear life.

Once you raise it up that far, you might find that need to raise it even further, based on your current weight and daily metabolic rate.

Good luck!

IvoryParchment

I'm not a believer in eat more to lose more, but your diary appears nutritionally deficient. As people have said, the protein is low and the starches are high. Pancakes are not dinner. Where is the iron? The vitamin K? The calcium?

Your body needs the calories in your basal metabolic rate calculation to carry on essential processes. But it needs more than just calories. It needs protein, vitamins, and minerals. Without sufficient amounts of ALL of the raw materials for a given chemical reaction, it can't use ANY of them. But it can always make fat with the leftover calories.

You know those disposable plates that have one section that is half the plate and two sections that are 1/4 the plate? Think of that for EACH meal. Protein in 1/4, starch in 1/4, veggies in 1/2. That's the proportions your meals should look like.

Poultry is healthy as far as fat, but the birds are bled upside down after the heads are removed or the arteries severed. (Apologies to the vegetarians, but that's just how it's done.) The iron level is much lower than "red" meats. It's not just the difference in the iron in the meat itself. You'll need another source.

Go to http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ and do the full nutrition analysis for the daily food you've been consuming, so you can see where the gaps are.

MizCJ84

I agree with most everyone else. You are not eating nearly enough. Your body doesn't want you to starve yourself to death so it is hanging onto the fat. Also, you may want to watch your sodium intake, and get most of your calories from clean foods. For example, instead of eating candy, eat fruit when you crave something sweet. You won't even miss the junk food after a few weeks of eating clean. I was afraid to increase my calories when I first started, but I listened to the advice of very fit people on MFP and my body is so happy for it. I eat close to 1700 calories a day now because I eat most of my exercise calories back. I'm losing weight at a slow and steady rate now, and the inches are melting off. You have to be patient, but if you don't start eating more calories you will continue to be stuck where you're at and may get frustrated and quit. Good luck to you!

kerrymh

You aren't eating enough. And are you drinking any of your calories. As another poster said try to find more nutrient dense foods, I see alot of chocolate and chips and processed foods, start trying to eat alittle cleaner, less processed. More protein when you have snacks ad a protein and a carb together. But most people should not need to eat below 1200 to lose wt.

bevskiwolf

I log those numbers on my calendar every so often and with all due respect I have *never* hit it. I have been an angel sometimes, a devil others and mostly in between. I have been here since August.

Don't take it as gospel. So many things like TOM, water retention, etc affect us every day.

Look at the big picture. Never give up.

And also, eat more.

♥

sundropc14

as everyone else said. you are not eating enough food, and you aren't eating enough right foods.

Coco_Puff

You need to eat more, and make better choices. Cut out the snack foods, cookies, etc. The quality of food is as important as the amount. Drink your water and once your on track take you measurements and get a tight pair of jeans. Take your measurements once a month and try on those jeans. You'll see some really great changes in you body that don't always show up on the scale. Also try to do some type of exercise 30 min. 5 days out of your week. Good Luck!!!!

leanmachinedream

How are you not starving? I would be famished with what you're eating! It looks like you're just trying to hit a specific calorie count and not really looking at the nutritional value of the food you're eating. If you focus on nutritional value, you won't have to worry so much about calories.

cathylord

You are starving yourself and your body will hold onto every ounce until you start eating more. You need more veggies in your diet as well as those lean proteins. I have been on MFP for 50 days and have lost 8 pounds so far. It's slow, but it is coming off, It is tempting to eat less, but I have starved myself in the past and that doesn't work. So try to get at least 1200 calories a day. You are really risking your health eating the way you are.

Caged_Heat

I have nothing to add to the nutrition comments. But I will suggest that you complete your profile page. I think it will help you to spend some time filling out the About Me, Why I Want to Get in Shape and My Inspiration sections to help you determine why you are here doing what you are doing. IMO, we all need to set goals to stay motivated and achieve them - other than just a number of pounds we want to lose.