Why am I not losing?

sunnyshine1313
sunnyshine1313 Posts: 112 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just curious as to how many others have experienced this. My first 20lbs came off rather easily, and I wasn't even working out as much as I am now. My calories I eat are usually within limits, but I have gone over with the sugars a couple of times. What are some things you have done to kick start losing weight again. I have about 84 pounds to lose, and so it's not a little amount.

Here are some of my downfalls:

• Enjoy carbs and sugars, have decreased them
• Late night cravings (though I stay within calories if I do cave)

What I have been doing:

• Working out 30-70 minutes a day on elliptical and/or treadmill
• Tracking everything that I eat
• Weighing myself each day

Any suggestions as to help make losing weight happen again like it was? I am pretty new to tracking everything I eat and working out, and am determined to be successful this time, but want to be sure I'm doing it right. Thanks for any suggestions or thoughts you may have.

Replies

  • shocatnida
    shocatnida Posts: 4
    try eating more in the morning and less in the evening :)
  • wintersbeauty25
    wintersbeauty25 Posts: 21
    I weigh myself once a week. Usually on Wednesdays.
  • wintersbeauty25
    wintersbeauty25 Posts: 21
    Another thing I do is eat my big (dinner) meal at lunch and light for dinner.
  • KrystieNye
    KrystieNye Posts: 123 Member
    Try changing up your excercise routine...I've heard that can really help a lot! Also, you'll drive yourself crazy looking at the scale every day...try weighing in once a week, and see if that works for you. :) Good luck on your weight loss journey!
  • raylenebrooks
    raylenebrooks Posts: 137 Member
    Try something new . I started losing 2 lbs per month for 2 months straight one day I calculated that if I kept that up I would lose 24 lbs in a year since I still needed to lose 70 ish lbs I decided that was not good enough. I do not know your body and I do not think the rules are all the same for those of us with alot to lose. I figured out what is working now and when I stop losing I will change up again.
  • bhelmreich
    bhelmreich Posts: 254 Member
    How many calories do you eat? If you're working out more but not eating more, it may stall your weightloss.
  • lindsayjdodd
    lindsayjdodd Posts: 39 Member
    How many calories are you eating per day? I would say to use the calculator on the Scooby website to figure out your tdee, and eat at a 15% cut for sustainable weight loss. Check out the group "eat more to weigh less" on here for tips, advice, answers to lots of questions, and over 5,000 people who believe in it and are living it out!
  • tlrindy
    tlrindy Posts: 4 Member
    You need to change up your workouts. Your body gets used to the workout. You need to burn 3500 calories to lose one pound and THAT is a lot. But you can do it. I started using a heart monitor that tracked my calories burned more efficiently and this really helped to motivate me MORE!
    Are you creating a calorie deficit?
    Make sure you are drinking your 100 oz of water a day. This will help with cravings. Decaf herbal teas at night will also help curb cravings. Try a decaf green tea.
    Don't get discouraged. Losing weight it a battle. NO JOKE. And 20 lbs is no joke.
    Just keep being consistent.
  • spammyanna
    spammyanna Posts: 871 Member
    Do you eat your exercise calories?

    Also, make sure you are drinking enough water. Don't worry about going over on sugar, watching sodium is much more important. Also, make sure you are getting enough protein and fiber.

    Good luck!
  • mlfowler
    mlfowler Posts: 15
    Stop weighing yourself daily! So many things can make your weight move up and down and it can really be a disappointment when you know you are following plan to see the scale go up a pound. Pick a weigh in day and stick to it! Once a week!!

    Try swapping out some of the sweet carbs for protein. This will help with weight loss and help with the cravings. Good luck and keep up the journey. Remember that you didn't gain the weight over night and you won't lose it over night. Just keep following the calorie counting and exercise routine and you will start to see results again!
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    Try incorporating strength/weight training and switching up your cardio. Your body will get used to the same exercise and you'll end up not losing as much or anything at all. Invest in some weights and workout DVDs if you can't afford or have time for a gym.

    Keep yourself hydrated with water, and I mean pure water. Also try to go to bed at a decent hour and stay asleep. Proper sleep will help with the weight loss and an earlier bedtime will curb the late night munching. Otherwise just try to eat more filling meals and have snacks that are healthy on hand. A day full of salads, water-filled fruits, and maybe a granola bar aren't going to keep you satisfied nor will it be enough fuel for your body.

    Chances are your first 20 was water weight, the first 10 or so pounds usually are, so you can't expect that same pace every week. Also take your measurements every 2 weeks or once a month, sometimes the measuring tape will show more loss than the scale will. And make sure your scale is calibrated correctly, always key.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    Sadly a lot of the first 20 pounds can be mostly water weight and give you a false impression of how fast and easy you will lose. I know this from experience.

    If you can manage to lose just one pound a week, you are living with a 3500 calorie deficit every week That's a lot of calories. Way more than a day's worth of food for someone at maintenance. If you look at it that way, a slower loss is still pretty impressive.

    You have to accept that it's going to take time, and that's not fun, especially if you're like me and gained it much faster than you can possibly lose it, because even when someone says 'hey, you didn't gain it all in a week, don't expect to lose it all in a week,' you grumble to yourself, 'I gained it in a year, and it will take longer than a year to lose it'. Yeah, that sucks. But your body is designed to hold onto food. It's survival, it doesn't want to be hungry. We live in a totally unnatural state today where we get far less exercise than we used to and have access to as many calories as we want. This is a recipe for weight gain, not weight loss. It's amazing we can lose at all. Everything in our evolutionary history is designed to make us hold on to those precious calories. Don't beat yourself up when it slows down, you are going against everything nature intended by putting yourself in a calorie deficit and staying that way.

    Okay, that's what I keep telling myself, anyway.
  • fletchbaby
    fletchbaby Posts: 62 Member
    I have had the EXACT same issue as you First 27 came off, then nothing still have 40-50 to lose. I gave up for a while gained back 10lbs:(. Been at it again for the last few weeks only lost 2lbs. I'm so frustrated!!!!!! So no advice only compassion from me. friend me if you would like maybe it might help to have someone going through the same thing and we can brain storm :)
  • toxicat
    toxicat Posts: 79
    Don't weigh yourself. Instead, measure your waist line, just above your belly button.
  • lindsayjdodd
    lindsayjdodd Posts: 39 Member
    Also, since you are a daily weigher (I am too!), use the hacker's diet online to track daily. It will show you if you are trending downward, and then you don't have to be bummed by the daily fluctuations. You can make notes on there about your food intake, TOM, water retention from lifting weights, etc.

    http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/online/hdo.html

    Also, as far as food goes, make sure to keep sodium under 2500. And set your macros to 40 carbs, 30 protein, 30 fat. Eating enough protein is essential in feeling satisfied and retaining/gaining lean muscle mass.
  • clover5
    clover5 Posts: 1,640 Member
    Have you revised your MFP set-up since your weight loss?

    Also, I don't know what type of exercise you do, but I find that a variety of exercises are more effective than the same one all the time. And a cure for boredom too.
  • Christine1110
    Christine1110 Posts: 1,786 Member
    Can we see your diary? with out seeing it...we can't really help you!
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,033 Member
    I would suggest only weighing in once a week, the same day and time and without clothing
    also drink plenty of water
    change up your exercise routine from time to time
    I would also try calorie zig zagging...where you eat maybe 1100 cals one day and 1400 the next
    also I think it is helpful when you have alot to lose to only concentrate on 10 lbs at a time so you dont become overwhelmed
    I hope this helps good luck the most important thing is to not give up, just stick with it, it takes time. I have lost 102 lbs but it took me 21 mths, it didnt come off very quickly but it did come off, just hang in there and CONGRATS on the 20 lbs
  • Justacoffeenut
    Justacoffeenut Posts: 3,749 Member
    try different workouts. you can google exercises if you need ideas. There is www.exercise.com or http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/6280-exercise-party-live on here. Main thing I is just not to give up. We are all different and what works for one doesn't mean it will work for another. Just keep working at it until you find what works for you.
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
    You're really not going to get anything but guesses here if no one can see your diary, we have no idea how many calories you're eating, if you're eating your excercise cals back etc...
  • fonitoni
    fonitoni Posts: 98 Member
    You've lost 20 pounds!!!! Woohoo!!

    I suggest that the 20 lbs lost you saw at the beginning was just some squishy weight and that your body is now catching up with REAL fat loss and muscle gain. Add some strength training to add even more muscle and keep plugging away. Soon that muscle will begin burning fat and you'll see the scales move again!
  • boisenana
    boisenana Posts: 1 Member
    Recently I added some things that helped --drink more water-a glass before every meal; smaller portions; and go by the 80/20 rule of giving yourself one "splurge" meal a week of something you really like. (These came from Bob Harper of Biggest Loser.)
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
    From the exercise side of things -- do you ever give your body breaks from exercise or do you go at it strong every day? Maybe you need to give your body a break, ease up on it for a couple of days, and then go ahead and exercise harder. Switching things up helps.

    From the food side of things -- I can't see your diary to see what you're eating, but have you replaced white carbs with whole grains? That can help.
  • shane9894
    shane9894 Posts: 23
    Sometimes when you feel like your stuck you can try to switch something up because your body can get used to a routine and often the diet is the easiest thing to change. I would try a new eating pattern for a few weeks just to mix it up. I was stuck at about 20-25 lbs and then switched from simply a low calorie diet to a high protein diet and eliminated wheat and starches from my diet totally, getting the same amount of calories though and have lost an additional 10 lbs over a month or so. I liked what someone said about eating a big meal early. Breakfast should be your largest meal because that sets your metabolism for the day. Then you can really start watching and cutting portion sizes the rest of the day. Just a few thoughts!
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    If you've lost 20 lbs since May that's amazing! You probably won't go back to losing like that unfortunately. You'll probably settle into a pattern of losing about 5 lbs per month now. Good luck!
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
    ugh../still learning how this forum works...
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
    How many calories are you eating per day? I would say to use the calculator on the Scooby website to figure out your tdee, and eat at a 15% cut for sustainable weight loss. Check out the group "eat more to weigh less" on here for tips, advice, answers to lots of questions, and over 5,000 people who believe in it and are living it out!

    What a great website, thanks for mentioning it! The calorie calculator doesn't give you an option for maintaining weight (though I'm a long way from that), and the calories seem really high to me, but I have a lot to learn....
  • lindsayjdodd
    lindsayjdodd Posts: 39 Member
    How many calories are you eating per day? I would say to use the calculator on the Scooby website to figure out your tdee, and eat at a 15% cut for sustainable weight loss. Check out the group "eat more to weigh less" on here for tips, advice, answers to lots of questions, and over 5,000 people who believe in it and are living it out!

    What a great website, thanks for mentioning it! The calorie calculator doesn't give you an option for maintaining weight (though I'm a long way from that), and the calories seem really high to me, but I have a lot to learn....

    You're welcome! I love that website! I think the gain muscle, lose fat option would be for maintaining weight, and then gain muscle option would be eating at a surplus.

    The calories can seem like a lot at first, but eating more will really help boost your metabolism. You can try adding in full-fat options (yogurt, cheese, milk, etc), avocados, nuts, nut butters, protein shakes.. easy ways to up the cals in a healthy way. Feel free to message me with any questions you have, and you can always send me a friend request if you need support from someone who eats more :)
  • tomhancock
    tomhancock Posts: 100 Member
    Might be too much cardio. I know that sounds crazy, but when you do long periods of cardio (over an hour a day) your body can start to destroy muscle to fuel the long workouts, espeically if you are eating low calorie to begin with. This muscle destruction can lower your metabolism.

    Try switching to high intensity interval training, weights / strength training, or mixing these things with the cardio.

    I do a lot better on weight training than heavy cardio - but I'm a guy. I'm sure there are some women out there whose bodies react similarly.
  • lindsayjdodd
    lindsayjdodd Posts: 39 Member
    Might be too much cardio. I know that sounds crazy, but when you do long periods of cardio (over an hour a day) your body can start to destroy muscle to fuel the long workouts, espeically if you are eating low calorie to begin with. This muscle destruction can lower your metabolism.

    Try switching to high intensity interval training, weights / strength training, or mixing these things with the cardio.

    I do a lot better on weight training than heavy cardio - but I'm a guy. I'm sure there are some women out there whose bodies react similarly.

    This too!! Reduce cardio and do some strength training! It will do wonders for a woman's body!

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