anyone else been here months and not lost a thing?

Seattlema

I joined nearly a year ago and lost a pathetic 2lbs that went on and off for months. Finally I got serious, bought a set of weighing scales and started the C25K running programme. I also bought an HRM.

Now I know exactly what my calories in and out are - and I'm eating to my BMR (for me this is 1500 calories which is a really achievable daily goal). I even measure out the amount of milk I use - it's amazing where those hidden calories are. If I know I'm going to go over at the weekend due to food and alcohol I simply get in more exercise and eat slightly less the day before and after so my calorie intake evens out over the week.

In the last five weeks I've lost 5lbs. It's not a massive amount but I've lost inches too. I really would suggest calculating your BMR and eating to it for a couple of weeks.

I totaly agree with this. Once you know your numbers you can figure out how much your actually burning and intaking. My freedays are on Saturday's and do exercise a bit more during the week or that morning of my bad day. It's seems to work for me at the moment. I also have been here for about a month and I've lost 9 pounds, so sometimes I don't understand the people that say they are not losing anything. If your doing everything correctly like eating the right amount of calories, drinking water, and exercising, you really should be able to lose a 1-2 pounds a week. I would suggest talking to your DR. from your profile picture you don't look like you need to lose 50 pounds.

But don't give up! :-)

mcarter99

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.

The Fitbits and HRMs and all are just using the same estimated formulas, based on the average person of your size, age and gender. You could be way outside average, but everyone with 50 lbs. to lose should lose on 1200 calories/day, I think. Barring thyroid issues, maybe? That's all I can think of. That or extreme measurement error on the food part.

noburton

Thanks I will try this for a while !! I have not been eating my cals back at all , maybe this is my trouble!

weeblex

I had a month of nothing happening and decided to change the type of food to get my calories. I wouldn't give up my soda, after all its only 140 calories, but since I stopped weight is starting to move.

I tried giving up the wine, but that made no difference, so I had that back.:happy:

I wouldn't give up cheese, now I have the weight is heading off.

I'm not suggesting these things are good or bad, but it might be worth trying different types of food rather than just altering the overall caloric intake?

ClareWantsProgress

I've been stuck for over a year between 153 and 156. I'm trying the suggestions and, while I haven't put a lot of weight ON, I still can't get the rest to budge.

Female, 5'6", 44 years old and on pills for perimenopause issues that seem to be the root of many of my woes, since I was 15 pounds lighter before starting "the change" as they used to call it.

My doctor told me to see a personal trainer. The personal trainer reviewed my food and exercise logs and told me to see my doctor. LOL

So I'm just plugging along trying to keep motivated when I still can't fit into any of my old clothes, which has been my goal for years now.

meshashesha2012

when you all say you're working out what type of exercise are you doing? quite honestly i find that cardio doesnt do anything for me in term of weight loss of changing my body. weight lifting on the other hand does so at least when i have weeks where the scale doesn't change, i always see changes in my measurements and how my clothes fit (30 pounds has meant a loss of 2 clothing sizes and half a shoe size for me).

i think lots of times people assume they are burning way more calories than they actually are and figure they can go ahead and have an extra pat of batter or scoop of ice cream.

as far as diet, maybe you are trying to do too much? cutting down to 1200 seems a bit ridiculous to me because that's even far below what your maintenance calorie goal will be and in the meantime you've spent months eating way below your BMR which means your body is getting used to doing less with less. my suggestion would be to eat somewhere above your BMR but below your TDEE. that's been working for me.

the exact range i chose was the maintenance calorie goal for my goal weight. i figure if i'm going to spend a year getting used to eating a smaller number of calories, it might as well be what i'm meant to be eating once i reach my goal.

i'm losing a bit over a 1 pound a week. i could make that 2 pounds a week, but in my experience that cuts my down calories too much and there's no way i'd be able to get through my workouts consistently eating 1000 calories below my TDEE.

r1ghtpath

I've been stuck for over a year between 153 and 156. I'm trying the suggestions and, while I haven't put a lot of weight ON, I still can't get the rest to budge.

Female, 5'6", 44 years old and on pills for perimenopause issues that seem to be the root of many of my woes, since I was 15 pounds lighter before starting "the change" as they used to call it.

My doctor told me to see a personal trainer. The personal trainer reviewed my food and exercise logs and told me to see my doctor. LOL

So I'm just plugging along trying to keep motivated when I still can't fit into any of my old clothes, which has been my goal for years now.

i worked with one personal trainer, who pretty much chastised me for under eating. i was around 900 cals back then ( a year ago). worked with her and lost 1 lb. thought she was full of it on the not eating enough front :-/

i met with another a couple months ago, had planned on working with her, but money is just too tight. she said the damage i've done to my body would take a very long time to correct. we did work out together once and she totally and completely kicked my butt!!!! it was a great work out. i hurt for 5 days after, LOL. but, regarding the food, she said it would be a process and to give myself 6 mo to a year........ she did not suggest seeing a doc though.......


i don't drink any of my calories i don't drink alcohol, or coffee, or sugar soda or juices. i suppose the ONLY drink i have that has calories is almond milk in my shakes ( 35 cals). the only cheese i eat is the polly o string cheese. i do like that as a quick protein snack ( from time to time). i try to keep carbs on the lower side if not 1:1 with protein. and i try to keep my sugars low too........ i've been afraid to eat more veggies because they fill me up and are low in cals, which is an issue already for me. salad is my all time favorite food. i would live on salad if i could, but alas it fills me up and is low in cals, unless you dump a ton of stuff on it, LOL!

wish21

Me!! Ive been here since Oct-Sept. I satarted at 168 and now I am like 165. The most ive gotten down to is 161. I've seen people get on here still eat crappy food and exercise regularly and lose weight. Me, not so much. Even though I have tried my best still nothing. Right now I am just taking a break, chillin, and enjoying myself. No more caring about calorie or exercising! Am i giving up/ going back? Definately NO! I am about to go on a week vacation in July and after I'll start Insanity. It didnt pay for me to get maybe 2 weeks done then have to skip a week, etc. So im starting to realize my problem is that I am not like others and I have to eat healthy, pretty much organic/non prosessed as much as possible because I its the only way. And I need to eat more. So for Insanityy I'll learn how to eat healthy and get fit. Decide.Commit.Succeed. Then after I'll continue my fitness and my eating habits.

DianeG213

First, I admire to sticktoitness!! I'm sure I would have quit in the first month had I not seen results. I was looking at your diary, mostly your exercise journal and I know that EVERYONE is different, and you said you use an HRM, but I'm wondering if you are calculating your calorie burns too high. Are you using your HRM every time?

ClareWantsProgress

when you all say you're working out what type of exercise are you doing?

Well, I'll answer for myself. As a general rule, I alternate days of weightlifting with days of cardio (specifically, I get in 5+ miles on an elliptical-ish bike (bike with arms) 3-4 days a week.) I do free weights on the other days - one day back and shoulders, one day chest and triceps, one day legs and biceps plus ab work each session. Every work day before lunch I walk 20 minutes at a 4mph pace, so I get in a little over a mile and a quarter each work day. Weather permitting, I also walk 2 miles outside in the evening. Weather NOT permitting, I have a rock-stepper that I do for anywhere from 15 - 30 minutes total in front of the TV. I do not have an HRM or anything else fancy, just a $6 pedometer as money is tight. I don't log my weight lifting on MFP as it would take more time than I have, plus it doesn't even show up as anything, so I log it under cardio and figure it's a very rough estimate. I try to stay under my calories 100 or so, knowing that I probably don't burn as much as it says I do.

Like I said, I haven't gained a lot of weight, but haven't been able to get back to where I used to be prior to this perimenopause state I'm in now.

brooke800

Me! No loss at all. My dietitian is confused as well.
I saw someone say to eat to your rmr. Does that mean net your bmr or just eat to that. Mine is 1100 so should I eat that?

r1ghtpath

First, I admire to sticktoitness!! I'm sure I would have quit in the first month had I not seen results. I was looking at your diary, mostly your exercise journal and I know that EVERYONE is different, and you said you use an HRM, but I'm wondering if you are calculating your calorie burns too high. Are you using your HRM every time?

not every time. i guess i was figuring that since i'm eating under what all of the formulas and gadgets tell me i should be eating, it doesn't matter 100% of the time, right? some times, i just log 1 cal. sometimes i don't log my work outs at all. i never eat back those cals so, at the end of the day does the accuracy matter?

as for exercise, i do weights 3 days a week and some cardio 2 days a week, sometimes 3. but sometimes it's just mowing the yard.....

momjmd

I lost 20 lb pretty easily during the first 2 months on here... but over the past month, I have lost 2 lb, gained 2 lb, lost, gained the same dang 2 lb and it is driving me crazy. I try to eat btw 1200-1300 cal a day and have over 100 lb to lose so I don't know what I am doing wrong either... I am just going to give myself more time. I really want to lose at least another 10 lb by the end of July and I question whether it will happen.

DianeG213

First, I admire to sticktoitness!! I'm sure I would have quit in the first month had I not seen results. I was looking at your diary, mostly your exercise journal and I know that EVERYONE is different, and you said you use an HRM, but I'm wondering if you are calculating your calorie burns too high. Are you using your HRM every time?

not every time. i guess i was figuring that since i'm eating under what all of the formulas and gadgets tell me i should be eating, it doesn't matter 100% of the time, right? some times, i just log 1 cal. sometimes i don't log my work outs at all. i never eat back those cals so, at the end of the day does the accuracy matter?

as for exercise, i do weights 3 days a week and some cardio 2 days a week, sometimes 3. but sometimes it's just mowing the yard.....

You're right - if you are not eating them back - It shouldn't really matter. I hope you find your answers. :ohwell:

DB_1106

Not trying to be rude, but from looking at your diary, you are barely even filling out your diary. How can you blame the system when you are not even using the system correctly?

r1ghtpath

Not trying to be rude, but from looking at your diary, you are barely even filling out your diary. How can you blame the system when you are not even using the system correctly?

i was on vacation from june 9- this past sunday. so, i didn't log many days. i started logging jan 24 or 25,2012 i think..........

when you preface with " not trying to be rude" you know you are trying to be rude. :-) and i have not, even one time, in the past several months blamed any of this on the MFP system. :-)

thanks for weighing in though, i appreciate it!

DB_1106

Not trying to be rude, but from looking at your diary, you are barely even filling out your diary. How can you blame the system when you are not even using the system correctly?

i was on vacation from june 9- this past sunday. so, i didn't log many days. i started logging jan 24 or 25,2012 i think..........

when you preface with " not trying to be rude" you know you are trying to be rude. :-) and i have not, even one time, in the past several months blamed any of this on the MFP system. :-)

thanks for weighing in though, i appreciate it!

Well, not logging since June 9 and wondering why you are not losing any weight......I'm not really sure what to say. You have nothing to go off of. Did you eat 5,000 calories a day on vacation or 1,000 calories a day. Without tracking, there is no telling.

Usually the first thing to do when someone comes on these forums and talks about not losing any weight is to look at their diary and see what they have been eating to get somewhat an idea of where they stand. With you we cannot do that. You only track about 2 days out of each week for the month of June??? And when you do track, you are eating about 1,000 calories a day. Are you really only eating 1,000 calories or are you skipping from entering meals in your diary?

itsafrappe

Not trying to be rude, but from looking at your diary, you are barely even filling out your diary. How can you blame the system when you are not even using the system correctly?

thank you mr ocean for your positive feedback. your attempt at encouraging the young lady is greatly appreciated. please do help me to also discover the keys of weightloss and how to be more proficient on mfp

ellenxmariex3

My father had a similar problem. He finally went to his doctor and was diagnosed with a thyroid issue. Once he was put on medication, everything became easier for him and he was able to stay fit. Have you discussed this with your doctor?

DB_1106

Not trying to be rude, but from looking at your diary, you are barely even filling out your diary. How can you blame the system when you are not even using the system correctly?

thank you mr ocean for your positive feedback. your attempt at encouraging the young lady is greatly appreciated. please do help me to also discover the keys of weightloss and how to be more proficient on mfp

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.