Help please! I can't figure out why I'm not losing weight

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Jcmd83
Jcmd83 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone!

This is my 1st week on myfitnesspal. My goal was to lose 1-2 lbs. According to my calculations I should have lost 1.6 lbs this week based on my calorie intake and calories burned through exercise. But I only lost around 0.5 lbs, which I found very disappointing. I want to stick with this weight loss journey, but for quite some time now (way before I joined my fitness pal), I've struggled to make a dent in my weight. According to the calculator on this site, my daily calorie goal is 1310, to lose 1 lb/week, which means I should eat 9170 lbs/week. I ate 8027 calories this week ( a little under, but never below my minimal daily allowance of 1200 calories), so I should have lost 1 lb just by meeting the weekly goal, and then another 0.6 lbs between the 1072 calories I burned w/ exercise (all cardio this week) and the 1143 calories I ate below my weekly target. I just made my diary public, so if anyone has any insight into why my numbers seem so off, and what I can do to improve, I'd really appreciate it! I'd like to have a better week this week, and not get discouraged....

Thanks so much!!
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Replies

  • bradthemedic
    bradthemedic Posts: 623 Member
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    You have to ask yourself: Are you in this for a week, or a lifetime? You won't hit your goal in a week. These things take time and the body can't just work like a computer (like MFP does). It adjusts, stores, loses water, holds water and does things we don't fully understand with science yet.

    So - are you in this for the long haul or a quick 2 week experiment?
  • bobie1978
    bobie1978 Posts: 204 Member
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    You should eat more! If you diary is correct!
  • Barbellerella
    Barbellerella Posts: 1,838 Member
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    Did you just start exercising? Your body holds on to water when you start lifting or heavy exercising for the first time.. Make sure you take measurements, the scale is just a tool, it does not tell you everything.
  • Cadori
    Cadori Posts: 4,810 Member
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    Every time I've started to try to lose weight (after years of starting and restarting...and restarting) it takes a few weeks for it to register on the scale.
  • itontae
    itontae Posts: 138 Member
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    Keep going.
    But ditch all that processed stuff.
    Eat real food ( not shakes and pizza )
    Lean meats , fish, poultry.
    Vegetables, fruit. whole grains .
    Good luck.
  • Tashia_HH
    Tashia_HH Posts: 99 Member
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    I agree with Bradthemedic, how long are you in this for? You have to be patient, because weight loss is not linear. Some weeks you will lose a pound, some weeks you won't. Also, check your sodium intake. If you're eating pre-processed food with a ton of sodium then most likely that is where your problem is. Are you drinking enough water to flush the crap out of your system? I mean, look, losing weight takes a work and you have to stick with it long enough to see what works for you. Good luck.
  • delonda1
    delonda1 Posts: 525 Member
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    Honestly the calculators on the site are just an estimate.... workout more and eat healthier. eat good lean meats, lots of veggies and a little fruit in there...LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER


    it takes time and patience...

    make sure with your workouts you are pushing yourself and not just going through the motions. your body gets used to it after awhile and you need to through something new at it

    also looking at your diary I would change up your eating habits...add more protein to breakfast maybe eggs and a meat....and take out all the carbs everyday...maybe have them 1 or 2 times a week... and the sugar... it makes a difference. and the sodium level
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    Make sure your portions are correct. Many times we think 9 oz is 6 oz... If you are not using food scales and such, those things can be difficult to assess. Best wishes on your journey.
  • ginique
    ginique Posts: 49 Member
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    Don't feel discouraged! This is a journey that will test your patience like none other. It takes the body a bit of time to adjust to a new way of eating. Sometimes you'll eat by the book and the scale will show a GAIN. It's just all part of the process. In time, you'll get to where you want to be...if you stick with it. :)
  • kittyfrost
    kittyfrost Posts: 54
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    You have to ask yourself: Are you in this for a week, or a lifetime? You won't hit your goal in a week. These things take time and the body can't just work like a computer (like MFP does). It adjusts, stores, loses water, holds water and does things we don't fully understand with science yet.

    So - are you in this for the long haul or a quick 2 week experiment?

    This is what I was thinking. You can only really estimate how much you can lose but it's never certain. 0.5lbs is good for a week! Some weeks you might lose more, some weeks less. Just keep at it. Make sure you eat a NET of 1200 on days you exercise.
  • jfwarman
    jfwarman Posts: 6
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    Yeah brad is talking the truth... You have to hit the diet hard and not worry so much about the weight for now, I've just reached the end of 2.5 months.. 2.5 stone (or 38 lb) loss and to be honest it's been HARD!!!

    I was on 2lb a week loss and allowed 1290 calories as a 6ft - 220 lb man... You can imagine it's not been the most fun but now I've reached my normal BMI I'm well pleased. Sometimes you lose little one week, weigh yourself a few days later and you've dropped 4 pounds.. Happened to me a few times during my journey.

    Just stick with it... It will happen and it will take a while.. Accept you're not allowed anything nice, drink tons of water and no alcohol at all and you will get there... The less effort you give this the longer it will take... Go hard and good luck!!

    Oh and the only exercise i did was to walk for 30 mins a day for 5 days a week... No gym and running or whatever!!
  • bradthemedic
    bradthemedic Posts: 623 Member
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    There's amazing advice in this thread. If you read it and take it to heart and put it in practice, you WILL have success.
  • tldust
    tldust Posts: 103 Member
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    You have to ask yourself: Are you in this for a week, or a lifetime? You won't hit your goal in a week. These things take time and the body can't just work like a computer (like MFP does). It adjusts, stores, loses water, holds water and does things we don't fully understand with science yet.

    So - are you in this for the long haul or a quick 2 week experiment?


    ^this

    This is a lifestyle change. There are no quick fixes.
  • shicken684
    shicken684 Posts: 36
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    What everyone else has said. I was a bit disappointed when I only last 2lb in 3 weeks when I started, regardless of hitting my calorie goals, and exercising every day. Then on weeks 4 and 5, without changing anything I dropped 10lb and it's been a pretty steady 1.5lb/week drop since then. Change of lifestyle is hell on our bodies and it takes time to adjust. Stick with it, be honest with your calories, log everything and if you are hitting your numbers, you WILL lose weight.
  • killinme
    killinme Posts: 73 Member
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    I have stopped losing because I am playing tennis, but my clothes all fit differently. I am soooo much healthier though.

    Hang in there!!
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    Unfortunately, weight loss isn't always simple math. There are SO many factors such as hormones, water weight, etc. that can contribute to weight loss week by week. The important thing is that you DID lose weight - that means you're on the right track! One week is not nearly enough time to determine success. Some weeks I don't lose as much as I should based on the math, and some weeks I lose more than I should! This is a lifestyle change. Stick with it and you will see the results. You just gotta give it time! Now if in a few weeks you are still finding that you don't lose much, it may be time to examine your eating and exercise habits, etc. For now it's really just too early to tell.
  • CristaA42962
    CristaA42962 Posts: 45 Member
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    Try taking your measurments too! A lot of factors could be playing in. It doesn't mean you aren't losing. Keep track of those too and you will notice a change. Sometimes scales aren't as accurate as we think!! Just keep trying hard and eventually you will reach your goal!!
  • TR56
    TR56 Posts: 63 Member
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    0.5 is great for a week!

    The biggest thing is to stick with whatever you try. You can't be ready to change a diet after 1 week unless you just want to Yo-Yo diet and never keep your goal. The other hard part is that our bodies don't necessarily lose weight just because of a calorie deficit. It really depends on the macros (carbs, fats, proteins). Bodies respond to different levels than others. I personally do well with low carb. I can take 100+g of fat and 200+g of protein and lose weight if my carbs are under 50-60g. Others can have carbs up in the 150-250g range, keep fat low, and lose weight.

    The best thing you can do is try something and stick with it for a few weeks to a month. If that doesn't make you lose weight, then switch to another diet style.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    Don't take the numbers so literally. They're just averages. If you average X deficit a day you'll average Y weight loss, but that's over the long term, like months, not one week.

    So keep at it and don't consider the scale your report card. Consider your inputs (your daily calorie intake/output goals) to be the score card. Did you do what you set out to all week? If yes, then YOU WIN! The scale will follow eventually. It takes time.
  • CinJay
    CinJay Posts: 157 Member
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    Hey there,

    It takes more than a week to start losing. Your body doesn't have a schedule. Also, having looked at your diary, it doesn't seem like you're eating enough, and I would definitely up the natural food content (not processed) and drink plenty of water (I drink up to 12 cups a day). It takes a lot of patience - not one of my strong suits so I'm one to talk lol! But it's true... I've been on here for 145 days, and while I've not lost a ton of weight (15.2 lbs), I've lost 15.25 inches, so I would not just rely on the scale but rely more on measurements.

    Check out some of the groups on MFP, like: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

    When you start something like this, you have to forgo the "quick fix" and do something that you'll be able to manage long-term - nothing worth having comes without hard work and dedication :)

    Good luck :flowerforyou:

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