Lies about weight loss...

fvincentelli

What other people are/are not doing should not be what motivates you. You either get results, or you don't. If you don't then you have to review what you are doing and change something until you do get results. You can do this randomly, you can follow a fad diet, or you can spend some time researching what people who have succeeded are doing and comparing it with what you do to see what's different.

Every person is unique, but one rule holds true: you will lose weight if, and only if, you burn more calories than you eat. You will not lose calories if you write in fewer calories into MFP than the app estimates you are burning based on your body size/weight. Please understand that I am not suggesting you are not being honest with yourself, but rather that if you are not getting the results, it is not because the theory does not work, but because there is something missing from the equation in your particular case, and you have to work at it until you realize what it is so that you can change it.

Are you eating enough? Skipping meals? Getting enough nutrition? Eating the wrong kinds of foods, or even the right ones in the wrong manner (at the wrong times), can impact your metabolism and lower your actual burn - you could go on a crazy hipocaloric diet (< 1000 Cal /day) and still gain weight.

What I am about to tell you can be hard to take, so please understand that it is well meant: if you are not losing weight, it simply means you are not doing the RIGHT things. It does not mean you are not trying, and it does not mean you are not doing a lot (you may be doing too much), it means you have to accept this particular plan is not working and must be changed. Sometimes all it takes is a tweak.

I plateaued 15 pounds into my weight loss program, and could do nothing for 5 weeks to shake it. In the end what worked for me was making my breakfasts bigger. That one change (keeping all other things equal, including workouts and overall calorie intake) led to 15 pounds lost in 6 weeks, and I am still losing about 1 lb per week without doing anything different. I don't know if this one trick will work for you, but it does mean that you should not give up, not lose faith, and see a plateau as what it is: your body telling you it's gotten used to what you're doing, and it's time for a change.

Good luck.

Amy_Lee_2012

I don't concern myself with other people's food diaries and/or work out routines, as, while I do love the support and success stories on MFP, the main reason I am here is for me- to deal with my own weight loss issues and to track my own calories and daily exercise.
I think it's great that so many people on this site have lost a lot of weight and I hope to be one of them, someday!
I've lost 63 pounds since November 2011 and I've done it through eating less and working out more. For me, it's that simple (though, losing weight realy isn't 'simple'), but it's been gradual and I am sure there will be weeks when I won't lose anything. Maybe then I will push myself harder or consume fewer calories, but for now I am happy with how things are going. One thing I've learned when it comes to losing weight is- do what works best for YOU, not anyone else. We're all different and our bodies all respond to things differently

Stefanie7125

Another thought is you don't know what their eating habits were like BEFORE. Sure maybe they are indulging in a big mac and fries but before they would have two big macs and fries with a shake and cutting down to one makes significant weight loss.

^^this. I ate Burger king last week and still lost 3 lbs, but I had a JR whopper, not even half the fries and no pop. The old me would have eaten a whopper, large fry and a large coke (with a refill) and probably would have stolen some of the kids chicken nuggets. Nothing is off limits to me on this journey, I just have to eat in moderation!

Redbird99ky

I don't know about other people and what worked for them, but here's what has worked for me:

1. eat BALANCED meals. If you want to go over on anything, protein and fiber is okay. Fat is a necessary part of good nutrition.
2. eat less than you burn, but you need to make sure you get SOMETHING in you each day. DON'T skip breakfast, and eat it within 30 minutes of waking up. COFFEE, although a necessity for me, does NOT constitute a food group, and doesn't qualify as breakfast.
3. I don't "exercise" per se, but I DO have a fairly active life normally. I bowl 3 times a week, and we have 3 large dogs that we walk three or more times a day, and at least one of those walks is about 3/4 mile. Now that the weather is turning nice, we typically will get in two 3/4 mile (or more) walks and one 3/8 mile walk on the weekdays. Weekends, we TRY to get a nice two mile walk in at least once. It wears them out too!
4. Drink lots of water.
5. There is alot of controversy over a few magical terms on here, such as "starvation mode" and "1200 calories". While I am NOT a nutritionist nor am I in the field of internal medicine, that magical 1200 was true for ME. Once I bumped my calorie intake up to between 1400 and 1600, I started losing weight again.
6. Alcohol is harmful in two ways: a) it is "empty calories" just like soda and kool-aid b) it reduces inhibitions, and will tend to make you munch mindlessly. Just because it comes from fruits or grains doesn't mean it's a food group.
7. it's okay to have an indulgence day (I don't like the term "cheat day"). Just don't have one every week, and once you're done with it, let it go.
8. be completely honest in your food journal, to see what you are taking in. if you have 3 triscuits at work, log them, even if it's not a full serving.
9. don't think of this as a "diet", and don't let others who are close to you treat it as such. Although the term "lifestyle change" is probably trite and extremely overused on here, it totally fits what you are trying to accomplish.
10. If you are a person of faith, re-connect with God, and ask Him to help you. God helps me in many key areas: He keeps my log entries complete and honest; He keeps me calm, peaceful and centered, which leads to a lower stress level, He helps me to avoid giving in to temptation; He helps me to let go of things I cannot control (lower stress level again); and anger, hurts and resentments. Never go to bed with resentment on your heart towards anyone or anything. All it will do is grow and fester in the dark, you'll think you forgot all about it, then one day, there it is, manifesting itself as an all-out munchies attack, and you'll have no clue why you suddenly decided to eat that whole bag of doritos, or whatever.

As I said, these worked for me. I have lost a total of 75 lbs, and am now maintaining, and trying to get the hang of a good calorie count for that. I started at 235(+) and am at 160 now.

I hope this helps you, and if you want, feel free to add me as a friend.

Elizabeth_C34

Weight loss is not linear for anyone. I eat junk food and still lose weight some days as long as I'm under. I eat perfectly and plateau for a couple weeks.

The thing you need to learn is that you have to stop expecting to go down every week. It's the long term trend that matters, not the short term weekly fluctuations. Your weight is going to vary quite a bit throughout the month. Women typically fluctuate a good 8-10 lbs per month just from water retention from our cycles. Men can fluctuate quite a bit also. You will fluctuate throughout the day also (up to 5-8 lbs). It's all normal. If you can't hanle that, you're going to be a mess trying to get your weight off.

Oh yeah, and it IS really calories your body needs to function < calories in < calories out = weight loss.

darkmouzy

something could be causing a hormonal imbalance thyroid is responisble for almost all metabolic activity in the body so maybe rule that out?

Captain_Tightpants

Nope. It is as simple as calories in/calories out.

Problem is calories in/out isn't that simple. There are constantly issues of mis-measuring, underestimating intake, overestimating workout cals, of fluid retention masking fat loss, of constant recalculation of TDEE as your body changes. If you're not paying attention to the fine details then weight loss will stall, but it's always just cals in/cals out.

Christine1110

It was easier for me to lose weight when I was at 232 pounds and eat good & got moving...the weight just fell off...but now it's alot harder now. I'm down to trying to get the last 24 pounds off....and its way harder now.

natika33

I can understand your frustration. I'm at the stage where it takes me about 3 or 4 weeks to see the scale nudge one pound. I understand why logically, but emotionally/mentally it is hard to stay motivated.

It is hard to be motivated when there is no loss for so long, but keep at it! It will happen if you are being honest and not under-estimating your consumed calories in or over- estimating your exercise calories out. Losing slowly is better than not losing at all, right? Try to celebrate the little victories, or the non-scale victories, or just ignore the scale altogether for awhile!

Keep in mind that you can set your activity level at the beginning when you first register with MFP. There might be some people that do the same amount of exercise every day, so instead of manually logging it everyday, they set their activity level to active. That might be why some people look like they are eating a tonne, apparently not doing any exercise (although they really are) and still losing.

Hope that helps!

_Kitten_Kate

Thanks for all the responses. I am going to attempt to address them all in one swoop.

I am not judging others or what they are eating or doing. And am logical enough to realize that..well it is what it is.. and not everyone will use this the way I do.
Iam frustrated with my lack of weight loss. I am 5'10 244lbs.. and I am a large framed girl...not just fluffy.
I started out totally with MFP calculations and suggestions of 1370 cals a day.. working out 1-3 days a week.
No big results.(I would eat clean.. and carbs at about 30%)
I up'd workouts. Nothing.One month down.
I changed my calories to be at my estimated BMR...1890... ate between 1500-1900 cals. No eating back. Work outs the same... Went up and down the same 5 lbs for a month. 2months down. Down 5-7lbs from the start date.
Beginning of month 3...(Last week) I decided to try Primal eating. Lost 1lbs or so. I eat low carbs... 50-100g.
I weigh and measure my meats and nuts...eyeball lettuce and veg. I don't use butter(well, seldom) I use olive oil and coconut oil in cooking. And gear towards good fats.Yogurt, nuts, olives, etc. I have only eaten fruit 1-2x a week. And I still eat dairy. But will add more fruit in at the 25-30 day of primal.
My diary is open if anyone would like to critique. I am painfully honest in my journal. And a little OCD about making sure everyting is accurate.
I have my cals @2000. Which is just 110 cals above my BMR. and still about 100-900 below my TDEE-depending on the day.
I have a HRM and Body Media Fit.... that I use when working out.
I work out 3-5 days a week... burning 200-800 cals.

I appreciate all the input. I have been very diligent about what I eat and how I eat. My goal is to be healthy... but to lose weight.

I am not comparing myself to others... just maybe trying to understand.
But the logic isn't there for me with some folks...

I get this is a place for support. But I would prefer that the support be from a place of health and logic, and sencereity...not just plastic BS comments.

I get that something that will work for one will not work for the other.

I guess I am unsure about how to go about figuring out what works for me. Do you give it 2 weeks? a month? 3?

I had a blood test last week. And all is normal. No issue with thyroid or insulin...metabolic panel.. all normal.

I drink about 9-15 cups of water a day.
I may drink 2-3 cokes a week... but most weeks I don't at all.

I think the mass of infomation and ways and wisdoms are overwhleming me.

I think I have addressed all the responses.

Thanks!...

Anything else?

Elizabeth_C34

I get this is a place for support. But I would prefer that the support be from a place of health and logic, and sencereity...not just plastic BS comments.

Who was this directed at? It would be nice if you clarified who these responses were for. It's a little confusing otherwise.

treasureman

Well my sister says that to my wife all the time and it pisses me and my wife off , and plus my sister is almost 400 lbs and it's stupid that she says that .

_Kitten_Kate

I get this is a place for support. But I would prefer that the support be from a place of health and logic, and sencereity...not just plastic BS comments.

Who was this directed at? It would be nice if you clarified who these responses were for. It's a little confusing otherwise.

No specific direction... just general statement.

Elizabeth_C34

I get this is a place for support. But I would prefer that the support be from a place of health and logic, and sencereity...not just plastic BS comments.

Who was this directed at? It would be nice if you clarified who these responses were for. It's a little confusing otherwise.

No specific direction... just general statement.

Oh ok. I was a little confused. Thanks.

I do wish you all the best and hope my comment doesn't come off a harsh, but it's the truth, a truth that took me months to realize.

_Kitten_Kate

Haters gonna hate.....

I'm not hating...
just trying to figure this out for myself..

AntWrig

If it is simply calories in/calories out, then I need to be studied for science, because I'm defying physics or thermodynamics or something with my major plateau!

Your body wants to be fat period.

It's not natural to be in a lean state. At the end of the day it is all about calories in vs calories out. The problem is that people take it to the extreme. They do a lot of calorie out but not enough calorie in. The more you burn the more you got to eat.

IT'S THAT SIMPLE.

_Kitten_Kate

I get this is a place for support. But I would prefer that the support be from a place of health and logic, and sencereity...not just plastic BS comments.

Who was this directed at? It would be nice if you clarified who these responses were for. It's a little confusing otherwise.

No specific direction... just general statement.

Oh ok. I was a little confused. Thanks.

I do wish you all the best and hope my comment doesn't come off a harsh, but it's the truth, a truth that took me months to realize.

No you were fine. I appreciate the feedback.

I am just frustrated.

At the rate I am going...it will take me 2 years to lose what I need to lose.
That is just tooo long.!!!!!

Elizabeth_C34

I get this is a place for support. But I would prefer that the support be from a place of health and logic, and sencereity...not just plastic BS comments.

Who was this directed at? It would be nice if you clarified who these responses were for. It's a little confusing otherwise.

No specific direction... just general statement.

Oh ok. I was a little confused. Thanks.

I do wish you all the best and hope my comment doesn't come off a harsh, but it's the truth, a truth that took me months to realize.

No you were fine. I appreciate the feedback.

I am just frustrated.

At the rate I am going...it will take me 2 years to lose what I need to lose.
That is just tooo long.!!!!!

How long did it take you to gain weight?

There's no such thing as "too long" This is a lifetime-long thing to maintain. You're better off going slowly and getting some patience with the whole process. You will slip up along the way a few times also. It's perfectly normal to do so, and you've gotta remember that it's a lifetime-long change.

I think this might help you a bit: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/470367-tips-for-newbies

AntWrig

I get this is a place for support. But I would prefer that the support be from a place of health and logic, and sencereity...not just plastic BS comments.

Who was this directed at? It would be nice if you clarified who these responses were for. It's a little confusing otherwise.

No specific direction... just general statement.

Oh ok. I was a little confused. Thanks.

I do wish you all the best and hope my comment doesn't come off a harsh, but it's the truth, a truth that took me months to realize.

No you were fine. I appreciate the feedback.

I am just frustrated.

At the rate I am going...it will take me 2 years to lose what I need to lose.
That is just tooo long.!!!!!

Too long for whom? I took me two years to drop from 315 to 185. According to weight loss scams and the biggest losers that far too long. However, here is the kicker. I did it the right way. Slow and steady.

The number 1 problem is putting a timeline on weight loss. It's doesn't work like that.

People expecting to drop weight that they accumulated over a matter of years and or decades, in a matter of months. Absurd.

beckylawrence70

What works for me may not work for you and vice versa, everyone is different, I burn ALOT of calories working out and can lose weight quickly.........