Not even 1 pound in 4 months!

mzhokie

Just from my own personal experience............. you need to eat a little bit more.

When I started here I wasn't reading any of the message boards etc. I mainly was logging food. MFP set me up around 1300 a day with 3 30 min workouts. Well I ate about 1200-1250 a day and worked out almost every day for 40-45 mins. My net was around 800-1000 a day. I thought this would be great. I lost about 1 lb in 4-5 weeks.

Then I started reading out of frustration. I was cooking healthy food. I was making smart choices. I was drinking water. I was exercising..................... but I wasn't eating enough to fuel my body.

I changed my profile to lightly active and 5 30 min workouts. I get 1430 calories a day according to MFP and I eat back enough of my exercise calories to NET 1200 a day. I also make sure at least one day is 1400... usually eat out that day so I can have more options on the menu. According to my fitbit, I tend to burn 2100-2200 calories a day.

My diet isn't perfect. I try to eat lean proteins, lots of veggies, good carbs and fats. I still eat some junk or processed foods. When my husband is out of town I tend to do more frozen dinners than home made. Luckily that isn't as often. So no one is saying you have to be perfect. Just give your body the fuel it needs to burn off the calories.

I know there is a huge debate here about eating your exercise calories vs not eating them.................. I'm just telling you what worked for me and got my weight loss started again. Do your own research, figure out what works for you, and make some changes. It's obvious you need a change of some sort or you wouldn't be posting here. Just don't give up... it's a day by day process.

em9371

Too much fat, calories, and carbs..try cutting back your calories and see what happens :-)

OP please do not listen to this poster. This person has chosen a calorie level that is against all medical advice and is eating half of that. Think about your child and how you need to be healthy to be with them.

^^^^
This.
Lozze has good advice.
Working from your bmr / tdee is the most accurate way to calculate a deficit to lose.
Eating fat does not make you gain fat, each nutrient is essential for good health in the correct proportions.
Try to add more fruit, veg, fresh food etc.
Switch up your exercise routine, if you usually run for example, try cycling or a class. If you do aerobics, try running or swimming. Change your weight routine. Your body adapts and burns less calories if you always do the same workout, so regularly changing means your body is less efficient at the new exercise so you burn more calories.

imthelobster

Also it's better for the metabolism to each smaller meals more frequently. It's pretty average for your meals to go to 600-800 and the body has a hard time processing so much at once. If you spread it out, it will make a world of difference. Feel free to peep my diary to see what I mean.

Smaller more frequent meals don't do anything. You can eat your entire day's worth of calories within a two hour span of the day if you want, and be perfectly fine, ie. intermittent fasting.

ChasingSweatandTears

I don't see you eating enough protein or fruits and veggies. You eat a lot of processed foods and carbs. I'm sure if you had your sodium and sugars showing on your food diary that both would be very high-- you should put those on so you can track them.

Take a look at my diary for cleaner eating. I'm 5'6" or so, and I'm 128 right now. My happy weight is 125, and I never thought I could be smaller than 135 or so!

I try to drink a gallon of water a day, and I don't drink anything else. I keep my sodium and sugar down. I've actually been having protein bars lately because of different things happening, but I prefer not to have those if possible either.

You aren't eating like you're trying to lose weight, honestly. But you need to make changes and stick to them as a lifestyle if you want to lose the weight and keep it off for good.

Yep. She gives good advice! You will find that not only will you lose wight with whole, fresh foods, but you will feel so much better as well

lilojoke

Too much fat, calories, and carbs..try cutting back your calories and see what happens :-)

Since when does eating too much of a macronutrient cause fat gain? Excess calories cause weight gain not fats or carbs or proteins. Eat too many of them combined in that your body can burn then you will get fat.

em9371

CARDIO! I was told not to worry about strength training. It's harder to lose fat when your gaining muscle.. much easier to drop the fat first by walking/running/elipticle. When the fat is gone, then focus on strength.

^^ wrong!!!
the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, therefore the more fat you lose. You will also lose inches as muscle is more dense than fat.
Doing cardio only will cause you to also lose muscle so you burn LESS fat, and you will end up thin but flabby, which is not the result you want!

biddy249

Don't give up yet, you can do this and if you follow a few simple rules. I looked at your food for 1 week and did not see any chicken, which is the best source for lean protien. I would also recommend cutting out the processed foods and eat more fresh veggies and salads. Cut out the butter and cut back on the cheese. You cannot lose weight at Chucky Cheese or Five Guys! Stay away from those places. If you make better food choices you will see the results. Good luck to you.:happy:

aprilgicker

After a quick look you My thoughts are:

You have underestimated your food in take. You will need to measure things to get a real idea of what you are eating.

You have too much dense sugar in your diet. If you crave sweat things you will have get away from the sugar.
Start with faux sugar products. then you will need to reduce that as well but, one thing at a time.

The last thing I saw was too much processed carbs. It is easy to say I had oatmeal for breakfast, but you had the kind with products added for flavor, then added some of your own.
Bread and added sugars mess with your glucose. up-down, up-down and in a few months your body starts to rebel and just stores everything.

Try fresh fruits and veggies. don't worry about the sugars in these they are natural and will help the cravings.
This is the best if you don't like to measure.
It will take a while to get used to eating the way you should.
Proteins will help as well, but you will need to start building muscle. I gain 60 lbs on my second pregnancy and I now know it was because my body was "soft." Try 30 day shred this my help.

I think that is all. it'll happen.

wftiger

One thing that was a red flag to me, is even though you've stayed at calories goal most days, you are over on fat A LOT. and going over on fat, is getting too much fat is getting too much fat. Get where I'm going?

Even if you're within your calorie goal, it doesn't mean too much if your eating fatty foods. Excess fat (and carbs) are stored as such. Fat. If you try to do a little less restaurant/processed food and replace it with some fresh home made things, You'll see a big difference.

Also it's better for the metabolism to each smaller meals more frequently. It's pretty average for your meals to go to 600-800 and the body has a hard time processing so much at once. If you spread it out, it will make a world of difference. Feel free to peep my diary to see what I mean.

Good luck!

Ugh, NO. This is not true. None of it. Just search the internet and you find reputable sources that will give you correct information. This is not reputable and far from correct.

Plateaus happen. If you are eating under your daily expenditure you will lose again. Give your body time to adjust to the weight you have lost. When it finds that balance again that it had before you lost the 50lbs you will lose again. I just got off a 7 week plateau. Sucked do bad but I did not change one thing and now I have lost 3 lbs in a week. Guess it was saving it up.

** And yes you can lose at 5 Guys and Chucky Cheese. Does not matter what you eat as long as it is less than what your body burns. These are not the best choices for your health but weight does not care. It is mathematics. What goes in (calories) must be less than what come out (energy expended). It is seriously that simple.

ChasingSweatandTears

I looked back at my diary for the last few days. You guys are right, bad stuff the last three days. I have been a bit discouraged since I got those thyroid test result back. Also, the weekends are tough bc my husband, who is scrawny no matter what he eats, is home. Excuses, excuses, I know. But, overall, if you check out the full two weeks of logging, I think I do okay with keeping it in check.

No, I am not currently taking any medications that would impact my weight.

The doctor did mention a depleted Vitimin D level.

Did your doctor tell you how to fix your vitamin d level? Mine was low too and I had to take 6,000 i us a day for three months then back it down to 2,000 ius a day for maintenance. Any brand will do, as long as its d3. Correcting that imbalance has really helped my moods and energy levels, helping me stay active and deal with stress and stick to my diet, etc...Along with vitamin b12 which I was also very low in.

KathyChampi

Hi it must be real aggravating to work so hard and not see any results on the scale. But if your clothes are fitting looser and your seeing more muscle tone, then something is working. I looked at your food diary from just this morning and that is quite a bit of calories for breakfast. If your on a 1200 calorie a day intake you ate most of it on breakfast. Also are you drinking a lot of water. The other day the scale went up 2 lbs on me and didn't understand why someone told me you need to drink more water your probably retaining fluids. I drank so much water the next day the two lbs was off. Don't give up you will see results on the scale.

Coco_Puff

How about lowering your carbs and increasing you protein?

lluulluu

hi.. i tried to eating lots veggies/fruit and not processed food as much as possible. I also do not eat the calories it get from working out.. My scales move slowly too but it just make me want to work out more to more to get them to move... I try to workout everyday. Good Luck !

kar0lka

I do my pizza and cheese, cookies etc. But, I try to eat those in extreme moderation and balance them with health fats, fruits, vegetables etc. I know myself and if I say "no" to my favorites I will give up entirely. I think I have been able to make this huge change (for me anyway) bc I have been realistic, or at least tried to be...

it took me 2 long sad years to presuade myself that my favourite wheat, salt and sugar food is LESS important than my shape and health. I was 190lbs after my 1st pregnancy and now i'm 140 (see my picture:). But first I gave up eating wheat flour food, candys, potatoes and fast food. I mean, it can happen once or twice a week but not everyday! and thats my tip for you. another one is that you have less apetite when you limit salt in food to minimum.

Also, I start losing weight when I eat max.1200kcal/day so there's simply no place for pizza or frites.

AFIMM

I can totally see what you all are saying about the processed foods. I have been lazy about cooking. I figured it was just math, you know? Eat less calories than you burned. Guess not. Ugh, more changes! But, if it works I will try it. I have come this far...

I don't think I CAN eat more! I feel like I am eating enough and most days I am eating more just bc I "have" the calories to do it. But, maybe once I add the cleaner foods I will want to.

Finding protein sources is difficult for me bc I am not a big meat fan. Not vegetarian, just don't love it. Eggs, dairy and beans for me most days. A protein shake may be the way to go in the morning before my workout rather than the oatmeal. I will try that.

Yes, the doctor put me on a 12 week, once a week dose of prescription Vitimin D and calcium. She did mention that there is emerging data that shows this can have an effect on weight loss in woman.

I LOVE lifting weights. It is my favorite part of the workout. It makes me feel strong and powerful which gives me the energy to come back the next day and do it again. I wasn't logging that I lift weights everyday bc I figured it wasn't burning calories (according to the MFP app). Again, I thought it was all about the math. But, I do lift everyday. I swim at least once a week and do a water aerobics class once a week too.

I just wanted to also thank you all for the great heartfelt advice. I kinda felt like I was on my own here, since everyone in my family is thin, they don't seem to be able to do much more than give me empty platitudes...

I would love to check out others' diaries, but noticed some have keys required to access.

ChasingSweatandTears

Don't listen to anyone who says you need to fear fat. I have my goals set at 40c/30p/30f however I usually always go over on my fat, and sometimes on my protein and sometimes on my carbs. It depends on the day. But those ratios are important in my body. No matter what anyone says. And healthy fat, especially omega 3 is crucial because the more of it you have in your diet, the more protected your nerves and organs are, the better your skin is, the more it will help your bodies hormones.

Omega 3 is also very vital to have in your diet if you are breast feeding!!! It will help your baby's development of brain and nervous system. Do NOT take a low fat approach, especially if you are breast feeding. Buy a high quality cold pressed virgin olive oil, and drizzle it 1 tbsp at a time over your food at dinner, after your food has been cooked. It only adds about 120 cals to your meal, but you will find if you are eating whole fresh foods, you can afford those calories! And you will be much more satisfied and have fewer cravings

ChasingSweatandTears

Don't listen to anyone who says you need to fear fat. I have my goals set at 40c/30p/30f however I usually always go over on my fat, and sometimes on my protein and sometimes on my carbs. It depends on the day. But those ratios are important in my body. No matter what anyone says. And healthy fat, especially omega 3 is crucial because the more of it you have in your diet, the more protected your nerves and organs are, the better your skin is, the more it will help your bodies hormones.

Omega 3 is also very vital to have in your diet if you are breast feeding!!! It will help your baby's development of brain and nervous system. Do NOT take a low fat approach, especially if you are breast feeding. Buy a high quality cold pressed virgin olive oil, and drizzle it 1 tbsp at a time over your food at dinner, after your food has been cooked. It only adds about 120 cals to your meal, but you will find if you are eating whole fresh foods, you can afford those calories! And you will be much more satisfied and have fewer cravings

Sorry... I just saw you had your baby awhile ago, so you're probably not breast feeding, but you might be, some women are doing that for longer periods of time now....

aprilgicker

I looked back at my diary for the last few days. You guys are right, bad stuff the last three days. I have been a bit discouraged since I got those thyroid test result back. Also, the weekends are tough bc my husband, who is scrawny no matter what he eats, is home. Excuses, excuses, I know. But, overall, if you check out the full two weeks of logging, I think I do okay with keeping it in check.

No, I am not currently taking any medications that would impact my weight.

The doctor did mention a depleted Vitimin D level.

I am right there with you. but if you keep making these excuses there will only be excuses and no loss. My husband laughs at my 30DS, my cal counting, ect. But he likes the results. I think he is just trying to be comfortable with the fact that I am overweight and to make me feel better.

kalynn06

I can definitely understand why you would be frustrated. Even more so, because of all the conflicting advice. The problem is that, even with the information presented, there is going to be some trial and error. Although, I think you calorie goal is low, and I absolutely think you'd benefit from considerably more lean protein and some strength training, my suspicion based on your food diary is that you are underestimating your calories. The reason I suspect this is that you often eat small amounts of processed, calorically dense food that is very easy to underestimate when logging. I am not a perfectly clean eater, myself. I eat this stuff too, but I try to limit it to around 10-15% of my daily calories. Some days I get 0% and other days I go over, but I shoot for averages.

The danger is not that the calories from this food have some magic power to make you gain more weight than other things, but, in addition to often being nutritionally unsound, these foods are easy to underestimate by a lot. A tablespoon can sometimes have 100 calories, so even tiny errors in measurement mean lots of extra uncounted calories. In addition, calorie counts on labels can be 10% or more off. By contrast, something like a cup of blueberries is much less calorically dense, so small measurement mistakes don't add up nearly as quickly.

My first step would be to get a food scale, if you don't have one, and measure everything you eat. Make sure that you really are eating the calories you think you are. You can even eat more than you have been to get yourself over your BMR (I would). Log perfectly for 3-4 weeks and reassess. If there is still no weight loss, you have more info to tell your endocrinologist and, probably the most common cause of lack of loss ruled out.

em9371

I LOVE lifting weights. It is my favorite part of the workout. It makes me feel strong and powerful which gives me the energy to come back the next day and do it again. I wasn't logging that I lift weights everyday bc I figured it wasn't burning calories (according to the MFP app). Again, I thought it was all about the math. But, I do lift everyday. I swim at least once a week and do a water aerobics class once a week too.

^^
This could be part of your problem. Once you add the bike and running, you are not giving your body chance to recover, rest days are just as important as working out.
Don't weight train the body part 2 days in a row, and try to take 1 or 2 full rest days per week.

Combined with you not taking in enough calories, this could be the reason you are not losing as the body is not getting enough fuel for what you are asking it to do so it will hold onto fat!