anyone else been here months and not lost a thing?

heybales

I have been using mfp for 5 mths now and weight loss is slow!! I've lost about 9 lbs and I'm only eating 1200 cals and working out like crazy. Just wondering should I b eating the cals I burn? Should my net calories b 1200? Just wanted to see what everyone else is doing! People I have been talking to say I am not eating enough cals? Any advice would b appreciated

Most diet methods work like this.

Calculate BMR.
Estimate level of activity including exercise avg daily.
Deficit 250-1000 or some % from that value.
You eat that daily.

MFP works like this.
Calculate BMR.
Estimate level of activity with NO exercise included.
Deficit 250-1000 from that value.
You eat that daily.
If you exercise you add those calories in to eat - the deficit is still there.

The end result is the same - if you do the exercise. So My Fitness Pal, I suppose, is a pal because you get to eat more when you exercise.
Instead of being inspired to exercise because you included it in your goal as other methods would do it.

So yes, feed your workouts. Otherwise just a waste of time, body can't improve much if it doesn't get the energy to do so.

r1ghtpath

No problem Edge.

I assume your response would go something like this...."Don't worry about it, it's probably just water weight. You know, muscle weighs more than fat, so you are probably building muscle and losing fat."

Sometimes to help people, you need to tell them the truth. Do yourself a favor and look over her diary before opening your mouth.

well, i was going to respond to you. but, i guess you have me all figured out :-) thank you, again, for your thoughts!!!

if my inability to lose weight is because of inconsistent logging ( starting jan 25, 2012) can you help me understand why from march 28, 2005 until jan 25, 2012, i have weighed the EXACT same? why i have been the EXACT same size in clothes for those 7 years?

thanks!!

heybales

That's close enough.

In which case, your TDEE at your activity level must be up there for whatever reason.

So if you can see your true avg eating level for level of activity you plan on keeping, then trim 500 off, and eat there without eating back exercise calories, that should amount to 1lb weekly.

Good test. If you lose more, than your TDEE was higher. If you lose less, than TDEE was lower.

If it starts at 1 lb, and becomes less and less of a loss (and you are lowering goal less and less for weighing less and less), then it would sound like metabolism is slowing down again. In which case, whole other approach might be taken if body is that willing to change that fast.

right! but, i'm not losing. not even ONE pound. :-)

so, either the calculators are wrong of these pieces of technology are wrong. i did the eating for the future you, for a good long while on here. at least 4-6 weeks out of the 3.5 months. that's when i started going up higher than the 1500s.... figured maybe i was wrong or off.

Well, I meant that tracking starts with saying this period of no weight loss has defined your TDEE, by definition if you eat that much you neither gain nor lose over time.
(burn off a couple lbs in sweat of glucose stores, and drink and feed them back don't count of course).

So if indeed 1900 was eating level during months of routine you plan on continuing to do, then that must be TDEE.
So eat at 1400.
That should be a lb a week steady.

Then what I said above applies.

DB_1106

Age / Height / Weight / Activity Level

or just fill this out yourself and go with it.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

I'm really not here to be an *kitten*. I was just asking why no logging for pretty much the month of June.

heybales

Keep track of your numbers with a spreadsheet too, so you can revisit them after 5 lbs.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/620206-spreadsheet-for-bmr-tdee-deficit-calcs-mfp-tweaks-hrm

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amt7QBR9-c6MdGVTbGswLUUzUHNVVUlNSW9wZWloeUE

DB_1106

Nice spreadsheet! Thanks.

r1ghtpath

Age / Height / Weight / Activity Level

or just fill this out yourself and go with it.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

I'm really not here to be an *kitten*. I was just asking why no logging for pretty much the month of June.

i'll take a look. thank you.

well, honestly because in june i said to H#LL with forcing myself to eat. i was sick of it, literally. so bloated and uncomfortable, lethargic and gross feeling that i couldn't even do the work outs i loved doing. it was awful. beginning of june went camping, followed by last week of school for the kids, then a trip to FL, then home for 3 days, and then drove to and from chicago. also, 100% honesty, people say " good job" when you're under your cals. I HATE THAT!!!!!! i don't want to be told i'm doing a good job for only eating 1000 cals!!!!!!! it's not a good job! so, some days i wouldn't log, or i wouldn't click SUBMIT. or whatever that button is.

you can call me a liar all you want. you can be as big of an A@@ as you want. i guarantee i have heard worse from my ex!!! since i know my truth, and i know that i don't lie, it doesn't really matter what you call me or what you think of me, mr ocean :-)

txblush

Absolutely! She could maintain her weight but she would start seeing her clothes fitting looser...possibly going down a size.

r1ghtpath

Keep track of your numbers with a spreadsheet too, so you can revisit them after 5 lbs.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/620206-spreadsheet-for-bmr-tdee-deficit-calcs-mfp-tweaks-hrm

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amt7QBR9-c6MdGVTbGswLUUzUHNVVUlNSW9wZWloeUE

thank you. i have this from when i joined your group. i never did put it to use though!!!!

DB_1106

Age / Height / Weight / Activity Level

or just fill this out yourself and go with it.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

I'm really not here to be an *kitten*. I was just asking why no logging for pretty much the month of June.

i'll take a look. thank you.

well, honestly because in june i said to H#LL with forcing myself to eat. i was sick of it, literally. so bloated and uncomfortable, lethargic and gross feeling that i couldn't even do the work outs i loved doing. it was awful. beginning of june went camping, followed by last week of school for the kids, then a trip to FL, then home for 3 days, and then drove to and from chicago. also, 100% honesty, people say " good job" when you're under your cals. I HATE THAT!!!!!! i don't want to be told i'm doing a good job for only eating 1000 cals!!!!!!! it's not a good job! so, some days i wouldn't log, or i wouldn't click SUBMIT. or whatever that button is.

you can call me a liar all you want. you can be as big of an A@@ as you want. i guarantee i have heard worse from my ex!!! since i know my truth, and i know that i don't lie, it doesn't really matter what you call me or what you think of me, mr ocean :-)

Granted, but you have to see where the people reading this are coming from as well. We see a post from you about not losing any weight and the first thing I do is look at your diary and see days missing, meals missing, not meeting macro goals, etc. etc. What am I to think?

I am not calling you a liar. I am not here to judge you. I am not here to compete with your ex for name calling. I was just trying to help.

I wish you the best in your journey.

:drinker:

Ronnvee

I just had a quick look at your diary and what jumps out is lack of fruit and vegetables and the amount of processed foods and food substitutes - protein shakes and the like. .

ALso, re your exercise, 'Some' is not a unit of measure - its usually what people say when they're not totally committed. Anyone in this thread who has got with the program will be able to tell you exactly how much exercise they have done/will do this week

The tools alone dont make you lose weight. I know this as I have been reading Shape and the like for years....and I'm still fat!

You dont get to be 50lbs overweight by 'not eating enough'

My advice to you - Apply yourself, woman!

r1ghtpath

You're absolutely right. You don't gain weight by not eating enough. You do however gain weight by have three kids in three years. :-). I weighed 197 on the day I delivered my third baby, in 2005. I lost 6 lbs after she was born.....

I have hovered right at 190/ 191 ever since. I did go on to have two more babies after that. Gained and lost their 10 lbs with their deliveries...... So, I gained the weight while being pg. I even went to Jenny Craig in 2007 after number 4 was born. They wanted me eating 2200 cals per day. That was their food PLUS two ham sandwiches every single day. I couldn't do it. Went to weight in and my weight was always the same, I think I might have lost 1 lb.

The awesome thing is that I haven't gained any weight. Some people gain every year. I don't. So, that's good!

As for exercise. From college on, I have had a gym membership. I was never a 6-7 day a week gym rat. But, I went often enough. I have always lifted weights more than I've done cardio. But, I can bust out an hour of cardio no problem!!! Stating last fall I brought my work outs home, and did p90x. Got really sick about half way through and took 6 weeks off. Started again after Christmas. Every single day. The last couple weeks of that, I was doing doubles by adding turbo fire work outs three days a week.

In three months I changed the shape of my body, but did not lose even one single pound. Exact same size clothing too. I wanted to keep lifting, but not for an hour every single night. So, I started body for life and then learned of strong lifts and how heavy lifting made a great workout for decreasing body fat. I have given up on seeing the number on the scale go down. All I care about now is body fat and the size of my clothes. So, I started a dumbbell version of strong lifts in late may early June. And just this week switched over to using a barbell. The people on the eat more to lose more, and metabolism repair boards caution against too much cardio when you're already not eating enough. I was attempting to follow their advice, by decreasing to 2 days a week max of 20-30 min.

I will change my profile pic to my before and after p90x/ TF. You can see I look different even though I weigh the exact same and wear the exact same size!! :-)

I did this on my phone and didn't proof read. I apologize!!

golferd

Here is a different method, and you might consider it as "losing weeks of time and progress". But your stalled anyway so what will it hurt. Change your minds way of thinking, what is the max amount of food I can take in and still lose weight.


You need to log all activity and all food. This includes all of the work around your house. Increase your calories by 500 and eat your exercise calories for several weeks. How does your body respond? (Do not try to increase with super healthy foods, that would require over 1 lb of chicken for example). If your body still stays the same, increase again. Yes, you are trying to gain weight. We are trying to find the max amount of food your allowed. This will take several weeks to make sure it is a true increase. After, you have gained for a couple of weeks subtract 250 and see if you go to maintenance again. If your still gaining subtract 250 again. After, you find your maintenance calorie level subtract 500 and you will be on your way to about 1lb a week.

I understand your frustration, Working out is not my problem. It is finding the correct amount of calories to consume and lose weight. I have always been told to lose weight, eat less. Don't consume junk, eat more veggies, more protein, more water, losing is easy, exercise more. I have tried it all, except for consume MUCH higher.

So I have increased my calories by over 1000 per day, and no longer subtract my bmr from my HRM calories burned. This adds 80 calories per hour/workout. So, I have increased 8000 calories a week, and what has happened a slight decrease on the scale. Too early to say yes this is working, but i am not pounding my head on the wall and asking why is this not working. I am trying something new. Am I consuming tons of food. Yes, I am. Intimidating at times, but if it works, I don't give a ****.

Or, do as I did for months. Keep reading forums, and ignoring the suggestion of eat more. This line is what helped: Change your minds way of thinking, what is the max amount of food I can take in and still lose weight. My problem in a nut shell: I want to lose so bad, I was afraid of food.

Smuterella

Me too. 6 full months of wavering between the same 4 lbs.

Julienetan

I lost almost 10 kgs in a month and got stucked at a particular weight unable to go down farther. However, after I started on this, I manage to lose 1-2 kgs after a week. this website is good.

Healthymom207

Were you intaking more calories than you thought? Not excersing at all? Those are the only reasons I can see you not being able to lose any weight. I have only been on here two days but even with bad excersise programs I always lost weight, JUST NOT THE RIGHT WAY! And maybe you are losing fat and gaining muscle, muscle weighs more than fat.

I'm going to jump in before someone else does but muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, it just takes up less room. There is a great pic somewhere which shows 5lbs of fat vs 5lb of muscle, it's amazing!

Lol....muscle actually doesn't weigh more than fat.....you even proved that with your example of 5lbs. of fat vs. 5lbs. of muscle. But you are correct in saying that fat takes up more space, that's why people have to measure......the scale may say absolutely nothing for a long time, but the measuring tape may tell a different story.

r1ghtpath

Here is a different method, and you might consider it as "losing weeks of time and progress". But your stalled anyway so what will it hurt. Change your minds way of thinking, what is the max amount of food I can take in and still lose weight.


You need to log all activity and all food. This includes all of the work around your house. Increase your calories by 500 and eat your exercise calories for several weeks. How does your body respond? (Do not try to increase with super healthy foods, that would require over 1 lb of chicken for example). If your body still stays the same, increase again. Yes, you are trying to gain weight. We are trying to find the max amount of food your allowed. This will take several weeks to make sure it is a true increase. After, you have gained for a couple of weeks subtract 250 and see if you go to maintenance again. If your still gaining subtract 250 again. After, you find your maintenance calorie level subtract 500 and you will be on your way to about 1lb a week.

I understand your frustration, Working out is not my problem. It is finding the correct amount of calories to consume and lose weight. I have always been told to lose weight, eat less. Don't consume junk, eat more veggies, more protein, more water, losing is easy, exercise more. I have tried it all, except for consume MUCH higher.

So I have increased my calories by over 1000 per day, and no longer subtract my bmr from my HRM calories burned. This adds 80 calories per hour/workout. So, I have increased 8000 calories a week, and what has happened a slight decrease on the scale. Too early to say yes this is working, but i am not pounding my head on the wall and asking why is this not working. I am trying something new. Am I consuming tons of food. Yes, I am. Intimidating at times, but if it works, I don't give a ****.

Or, do as I did for months. Keep reading forums, and ignoring the suggestion of eat more. This line is what helped: Change your minds way of thinking, what is the max amount of food I can take in and still lose weight. My problem in a nut shell: I want to lose so bad, I was afraid of food.

THANK YOU!!!!! i appreciate hearing your story!
i'm not afraid of food, i just hate it. i don't like food. i don't like eating. this is a mental thing that started in my youth via my mom..... and it's taken all these months to convince myself to eat the amount i was eating. baby steps, right? if i could do all day without eating, i would :-(

i had my gall bladder out in dec. 2009, and since then food often runs right through me, which is another reason i don't like to eat.

i know i can't add 500 cals to my current intake. i tried that a couple weeks ago and i had a couple days were i actually did throw up or spent the whole day thinking i was going to. that when i said " i give up trying to eat more." it was the beginning of june maybe?? i'm going to start with 1500 and work my way back up again. i had gotten up to 1800 on a semi consistent basis. i am pretty sure that i can do again.

and you touched on something that i'm not 100% sure what to do about. several people have mentioned fruits and veggies, and that i need to eat more of them. in order for me to get up that high in calories i need to eat less foods that are more calorie dense. i fill up too fast on things like veggies and salad, and fruits have too many sugars in them to eat a bunch every day. so, do i eat more veggies and less calories ( cuz i love salad, it's my all time favorite food). or, do i eat less veggies and consume more calories??? you said don't necessarily increase the healthy foods ( like the chicken). and when i look back at the days i was able to hit 1900 cals i found that i was only able to do that because i was eating out at restaurants those days............. at home, with me cooking, i don't know that i could hit 1900 cals......... what do you think???

JinksE21

I totally understand what you are going through but I was going through it on Weight Watcher's. I lost and gained the same 5 pounds for months watching my points. I finally decided to take a look at the caloires I was taking in as well as the macronutrients so I knew where my calories were coming from. I joined MFP after trying a few other calorie-tracking sites and found this one to be the easiest to use and least annoying (i.e. SparkPeople). Once I started tracking my calories, I found that eating around 1500-1900 calories a day results in losing .5-2 pounds a week depending on the exercise I do (which I should be doing more of!). When I look back at my food diary, I have seen that when I eat more fruits and veggies and less carbs, I tend to lose but I also make sure I eat pleanty of protein and enough fat. I really try to watch how much processed food I eat because of the sodium but also because I tend to eat more of it (Cheetos are like a drug to me!!). I don't deny myself of anything...I just track it all and enjoy every bite. When I take the time to enjoy what I am eating, I tend not to eat so much of it.

I did take a peek at your food diary and saw that you had a few days of eating a couple ounces of cheese with crackers for lunch or just cheese and a lot of processed foods which result in high carb intake which can be based mainly on sugars. Have you thought about adding a fruit to breakfast? I did this a long time ago and found that it did make a difference for me because of the fiber (Blackerries have 7 grams of fiber in one cup!) and they are just plain good for you! Fruits and veggies are filling but it's a good filling but when I eat them, I find that I can enjoy full-fat, slightly higher calorie foods like steak, butter/olive oil, mexican, pasta, etc. without feeling guilty and I have still been losing...slowly but surely.

I know they say a calorie is a calorie but I am a firm believer in what is in those calories and since monitoring what I am really eating, I have started losing more consistently and I feel better.

Good luck on finding what will work best for you! Unfortunately, not one way works for everyone! =P

vtpixie

I have been here 151 days and have lost and gained the same 4 pounds every week, so basically no change. No change in inches either. I did gain 10 lbs by "eating more to lose more" so I had to ratchet it back to eating less to lose lol. But so far I am still stuck in the same 4 lb range. I have about 10lbs left to lose so I carry on determined to do it. Hang in there! We can do this!

THANK YOU!!!

i want to lose about 50lbs. or at least 3-4 clothing sizes! so, i'm at the beginning of losing weight. though i think if i were gaining and losing the same 4 lbs i might scream a lot!

i tried the "eat more to lose more" too. ugh. it got to the point where i actually threw up. i just could not eat MORE. a friend that is a personal trainer wrote out a diet plan for me ( basically to eat more) and within a week i was so bloated and uncomfortable and sick to my stomach and sluggish i just had to stop. that was about 2-3 weeks ago. she had 6 meals and i could only get in 4.5 of them. so, i'm just back to the way i have been for now. eating when hungry, til i'm full, doing my lifting and jogging........

Have you tried to eat your fruits and veggies first followed by proteins? Supposed to help stop bloating cased by fruits/veggies breaking down faster than protein, but being hindered by the protein eaten first and being broken down...creating bloat.

r1ghtpath

Have you tried to eat your fruits and veggies first followed by proteins? Supposed to help stop bloating cased by fruits/veggies breaking down faster than protein, but being hindered by the protein eaten first and being broken down...creating bloat.

i have not! i never heard that before. it's most definitely worth a shot!! thank you!!!!

Hendrix7

If anyone here is struggling I would strongly suggest that

A) you re-*kitten* your macros using the following calculator, which is far superior to the macros this site gives you IMO

http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

start a proper weightlifting program.

If you have been doing something for 2-3 months and seen no results, whatever you are doing isn't working, change it now before you are still here in a years time.

jchrisman717

Me - I actually started watching my calories and starting a personal training class in mid-December. Starting hitting it harder in January. Tried the Eat More to Lose Weight method. Lost a few pounds that first week, but I was hitting the gym hard and running and couldn't keep up that schedule. Chalked it up to the pill - went off the pill. Chalked it up to my age. Blamed it on my husband. I've never had this much trouble before. I know it must be something I am doing wrong, I can't figure out exactly what. I know my eating isn't strict and I still go out and have party weekends but still felt I was doing pretty good. I am now starting Insanity next week along with watching my calorie intake. I keep changing it up. I'm sure I'll find something that works somewhere. I am getting my bloodwork done next week just to make sure its nothing there. I've never had any issues so I doubt that it - but better to know for sue. We are all different, we all have different lifestyles. You just gotta keep trying until you find what works for you. What used to work for me - isn't working now. So I'm still trying!

jchrisman717

Have you tried the zig zag method? For me its easier to stay on track with my calories - I'm doing that method but breaking it down into weekly calories along with doing the Insanity starting on Monday. I figure anything to help me stay on track with my calories is worth trying.

Smuterella

If anyone here is struggling I would strongly suggest that

A) you re-*kitten* your macros using the following calculator, which is far superior to the macros this site gives you IMO

http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

start a proper weightlifting program.

If you have been doing something for 2-3 months and seen no results, whatever you are doing isn't working, change it now before you are still here in a years time.

If my current plan doesn't work i might try the calories/macros from here.

thanks

r1ghtpath

If anyone here is struggling I would strongly suggest that

A) you re-*kitten* your macros using the following calculator, which is far superior to the macros this site gives you IMO

http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

start a proper weightlifting program.

If you have been doing something for 2-3 months and seen no results, whatever you are doing isn't working, change it now before you are still here in a years time.

oh i really like the calculator!!!! thank you for sharing that :-)

i am lifting. i just like it too much to not do it, and i see more changes when i use weights than i do with cardio alone ( or even lighter weights, etc.).

thank you for your post!!

Oranda

I think you may want to see a doctor about why eating makes you feel bloated and lethargic. Perhaps you have an allergy to certain food that you are unaware of. Some people have allergies to grains and that can make them feel that way. I don't suggest googling and diagnosing yourself. Seeing a doctor may uncover something you did not know and help you find foods that work better for your body. Just a suggestion, good luck

jchrisman717

I think you may want to see a doctor about why eating makes you feel bloated and lethargic. Perhaps you have an allergy to certain food that you are unaware of. Some people have allergies to grains and that can make them feel that way. I don't suggest googling and diagnosing yourself. Seeing a doctor may uncover something you did not know and help you find foods that work better for your body. Just a suggestion, good luck

Hmm that is an idea - I have a friend who found out she was highly allergic to Gluten and when she took it out of her diet she felt so much better and dropped pounds. That's why I'm going to get blood work done and see my dr. next week - just to check all this out too.

r1ghtpath

I think you may want to see a doctor about why eating makes you feel bloated and lethargic. Perhaps you have an allergy to certain food that you are unaware of. Some people have allergies to grains and that can make them feel that way. I don't suggest googling and diagnosing yourself. Seeing a doctor may uncover something you did not know and help you find foods that work better for your body. Just a suggestion, good luck

thank you! this was suggested to me last night too. i feel ok as long as i don't eat a lot. if this keeps happening as i increase my calories again ( over the next 3 weeks) i will go see a doc again. the last time i was there i was told i was healthy, no issues, other than not eating enough, which led to my developing gall stones and needing my gall bladder out. and i've contributed some of this to having that removed. it's possible that the two have nothing to do with each other though.

suzanne_oh

4 weeks today being on this site, lost 3 lbs after 2 weeks, 3rd week gained 1 lb back, weighed in today, back at the weight I started at 4 weeks ago!

I've lost 25 lbs. since August without really trying and doing no exercise (back/neck problems). My health is better, a friend tells me about this site, I start walking at least 5 days a week and tracking my food every day and after a month don't lose anything! Um....

KristinaMarieOH

I had an initial weight loss of 15 pounds but now I've been stuck for a few weeks. Getting very frustrating but I'm going to try and keep going as I'm trying to look at this as a lifestyle change rather than a temporary weight loss program. I just wish my hard work would produce better results. :grumble: