question

stpalst

I have been using fitness pal for going on 4 weeks, Im usually on target with calories, etc... but the scale has not moved. Any suggestions or any testimonies to help me become motivated more

siobhano_

You need to open up your diary, the foods you're eating might not be assisting you on your mission if they're not very healthy.

Also, you might not be eating enough to sustain your body properly. What's your height and weight?

pamfm

Your ticker says you've lost 4 lbs. That's pretty good for 4 weeks. Or had you already lost those 4 before starting to use MFP? Also, yeah, either open your diary, or give more info on what your daily calorie goal, typical meals, and exercise habits are like.

Honestly, it's been slow going for me too, and I didn't see any weight or measurement changes until I increased my calories by 500 from what MFP recommended for me.

stpalst

I do atkins shake for breakfst, drink 8-10 cups water daily, workout, eat salds for lunch, and dinner I eat meat, vegatable and very rarely starches. I eat special k chips for snacks and sometimes a weight watchers bar. I m only like at a 1000 calories a day and then with exercise that goes down. Im usually sruggling to keep protein at a minimum though (usually go over by a few with protein)

Jezbell05

Are you sure you're getting enough healthy calories? I'm notorious for under eating, but when I stick to MFP food diary and regularly review the nutrient details, I'll lose at minimum two pounds a week.

ArtsieSarah

Instead of those shakes for breakfast try to keep some hard boiled eggs in the fridge and have those, I have 2 every morning without the yolks. it's much healthier than those shakes. For snacks try carrot sticks or other veggies or maybe some sliced fruit. Don't just think about the calories, think about really really healthy and nutritious foods. I've lost 3 pounds in just a week eating fruits, veggies, and egg whites (I'm not only eating those foods, just some examples of what I snack on)! Sometimes I even put deli turkey on rice cakes for lunch, something different from a salad oh and yogurt!!! I get 80 calorie fit and light dannon yogurt mmm :happy:

ArtsieSarah

Another thing, have you thought about starvation mode? When you don't eat enough calories you put your body into starvation mode and its very hard to lose weight like that. Your body will hold onto whatever you put into it. That may also be why your not seeing progress. You should really have at least 1200 calories a day even with exercise.

Wolferocks2

:happy: I'm not certain what weight you are at currently nor do I know how long you were stagnant prior to starting exercise. What I know for myself may not be true for everyone however, here are my thoughts: I weighed 354 for three years. When I started exercising and eating healthy again, it took two months before two things happened: ONE-The first two months were getting accustomed to working out again and eventually increasing workout intensity and druation. TWO-After the first two months of detoxing my body, increasing workout intensity and duration and eating healthy, I finally began to drop pounds at a rate of 10 to 17 pounds per month. Now that I have reached a plateau at 278, guess what. It is not time to change the normal workouts or increase intensity again to continue weight loss. All I know is this. It took at least two months to finally start seeing a reduction on the scale. It was this two month period that caused me the same concern you are faced with now. Simply stated: The 4lbs lost does show a reduction and the longer you keep at it, the more the weight will drop. The plateau point is a definite entity in this battle. You will know when you hit this point. Hope all this jibberish is helpful.

hunybeez

Would recommend to measure as well as weighing. You may be putting on muscle but losing fat and if you measure as well then you can still see the difference. If your doing exercise your body will be changing shape.

Givemewings

Strangely, it sounds as though you are not eating enough. MFP and lots of others say that if you are exercising you should eat at least half of those calories back. Also it is counter productive to go below 1200 calories. Hope that helps. And also it will take time. It has taken me almost a year to lose around 50lbs. Good luck!

pamfm

I do atkins shake for breakfst, drink 8-10 cups water daily, workout, eat salds for lunch, and dinner I eat meat, vegatable and very rarely starches. I eat special k chips for snacks and sometimes a weight watchers bar. I m only like at a 1000 calories a day and then with exercise that goes down. Im usually sruggling to keep protein at a minimum though (usually go over by a few with protein)

1000 calories is not enough food. :frown: Eat more! If you are not eating enough you will do damage to your health and metabolism, and your weight loss will slow down.

If you exercise 3 or more times per week, put your activity level in MFP on slightly active, or whatever the middle one is called (definitely not sedentary though), and NEVER eat fewer calories than your recommended daily goal. (Well, it's hard to be exact, and like 20 cals under/over is no big deal.) If you work out more than usual on a particular day, log the extra time in the exercise diary and eat the extra calories that day.

siobhano_

I do atkins shake for breakfst, drink 8-10 cups water daily, workout, eat salds for lunch, and dinner I eat meat, vegatable and very rarely starches. I eat special k chips for snacks and sometimes a weight watchers bar. I m only like at a 1000 calories a day and then with exercise that goes down. Im usually sruggling to keep protein at a minimum though (usually go over by a few with protein)

Dude, no wonder you're not losing much, you're starving yourself. 1200 NET minimum. Exercise earns you more calories. And a shake isn't enough for breakfast, try some eggs or oatmeal or something