What am I doing wrong?

Rmfowler1990

I've been on my weight loss journey for nearly a month now. I started by wanting to lose a pound a week and MFP put my calories around 1340 or so. At first I wasn't working out because I'd never really worked out regularly. About a week or so into it I started working out, walking, riding my bike, and doing Julian Michaels 6 pack in 6 weeks (I'd rotate, not all of them in one day!). Well I started being EXTREMELY hungry. So bad that my stomach would growl at work and the girl that works in my office with me would ask me about it. So I upped my calories to support 1/2 lb lose per week (1490 calories).
I drink between 50-70 oz of water a day.
I eat lots of fruit, and work in as many veggies as I can.
I've limited pasta to 1-2 a week.
I try to eat high protein foods.
I take Equate 1 a day for Women to get my vitamins and minerals in.

My problem? I haven't lost a single pound. Not one. My SO says he thinks I've lost weight but I can't tell if he's just being a great SO or being honest. I know I should've taken measurements before starting, and I plan on taking them and keep track. BUT honestly, in nearly a MONTH shouldn't I have lost SOMETHING?

I'm afraid something may be wrong with me.
I've made a huge lifestyle change, and I'd so love to see even a tiny glimpse of that on the scale.
Is this normal to not see a single pound change in nearly a month? Is there something I'm doing wrong to cause this? Could this be a medical issue?

The Stats:
I'm 5'4
21 years old
160lb (wanting to lose 30)
BMR 1553
TDEE 2127

Any advice is more than appreciated!
-Bec

Rmfowler1990

Anyone?

Rmfowler1990

No one has any ideas?

redheadsrbetr

The same thing happened to me. When you start working out at first it will make you hungry, because your body isn't used to it and it starts to think If she is gonna use up more energy we better get more food to store. Also when you start working out you to build muscle you have to basically shred your muscle and when you start doing that your body needs to retain more water to help protect your muscle. I don't doubt your losing inches though because muscle is smaller than fat but tends to weigh the same. Keep up what your doing. I would eat a little bit more until your body realizes it doesn't need to store food and eventually working out will make you less hungry not more. Also your body will start giving you the weight loss you want you just have to be patient with it. I know thats the hardest thing to hear believe me but it will happen! I wish you luck!! Remeber its not just about the scale when losing weight but its how you look and feel

iisajosefin

For me what has helped is eating all my calories. Even the ones you burn while exercising. The calorie deficit is already there, you don't need to go lower. Also check your nutrients. I took a look at your diary and you seem to go a bit over on your sugar frequently and sometimes on your fat and protein too. Hope that helps

iisajosefin

double post

PaigeJMP

I also took a quick peek at your food diary....
Where are the vegetables? Start adding some (but not starchy ones like potatoes), and limit fruit to 2 servings a day. Fruit is good for you, but can have a lot of sugar. Also cut down on the bread/pitas/taco bell.

wftiger

More protein. MFP, IMHO sets the protein way too low for anyone. Try for a min of 80 grams. More veggies would also help out a bunch. For exercise you want resistance. Building muscle burns more calories.

Edit: And yes, it could be a medical issue. If you have not went in for a checkup lately do so. Get blood work. If you have metabolic syndrome it is harder to lose weight. Not impossible, just harder and you have to go low carb if you have that.

FlaxMilk

Do you eat your exercise calories back? If you do, try eating only 1/2 of them back. Sometimes people/machines overestimate burn.

honu18

Cut out the processed--fast/fried foods. Those crunchy fish fillets? Fried. You're also eating a lot of carbs. Your calorie level intake is fine, but it's not in good foods! You're macronutrient levels are probably not good and you're starving your body of some things that it needs. Healthier fats, less saturated fat, more lean protein, and whole grains.

zyxst

Just some ideas that may help:
- bump your calories up to 1700, which should be your TDEE - 20% if I did my math correctly :P
- drink more water, or keep yourself hydrated if you hate water
- from just glancing at your diary for a couple days, you're probably taking in a lot of sodium which helps with that evil water weight. drinking more water will help

Keep on going because it will get better.

richwiand

Fast food is bad, mkay.

DanaDark

Working out requires more energy.

Sounds to me you did not add you work outs to MFP in the EXERCISE tab. From there, adding in exercise ups the amount of calories you can eat that day.

Eat back your exercise calories. I know it seems counter intuitive, but it works. The goalie deficit you need for your goal weight loss is already built in. Exercise allows you to eat more. Exercise will also make the weight loss steady and healthy. You will look better getting thinner with exercise than you would simply by diet.

With exercise, you'll need plenty of protein. Set you protein intake manually to 20 to 30%.

jenmarqueiro

I would eat more protein if I were you. I used to eat TONS of pasta, four meals of it a week or so. Since starting to loose weight I havn't had any. A month and a half ago I started a new diet, and in the first month I lost 12 pounds. I did this by eating berries and having a protein shake for breakfast, lunch I'd have fish and salad (and if fancying something slightly carb filled, I'd add a wholemeal pitta bread) and then for dinner Quorn with vegis - quorn is amazing. The mince is excellent! I was a vegi for four years, now I eat fish but not meat. The high protein and very low carb intake is what is needed. No potatoes, pasta, bread, or anything like that, and limit cereal as well to a couple of bowls a week. This is what helped me, plus I go boxing twice a week, water aerobics once a week, and gym twice a week. Hope this has helped in some way!

P.S big help - I use Frys 1kcal spray cooking oil. I use it for stir frys (without the noodles, but still with a little sauce, and Quorn chicken pieces) and this has helped tons! The difference between it and any other virgin/sunflower oil e.t.c. is insane!

Rmfowler1990

Thanks for the responses, I know not all my food is the healthiest choice but I don't have the budget to completely redo my pantry so I try to eat what I have (in moderation) and replace it with healthier options as I go.
This is a lifestyle change and not a crash diet so I feel that I'm taking this as a slowly evolving process.
I did get some veggies today at the store so that will start being incorporated.


I do have another question though, I really thought, if you boiled the idea of weight loss down, isn't really calories in vs. calories out? So i don't really understand why I'm not losing the weight, even given the fact that not all my calories are "ideal", I'm still (for the most part) eating less than I use on a day to day basis. Is this not right?

Jenajones

Hope this helps: When you start working out and have not done so ever or in a very long time your body builds muscle which weighs more than fat but is smaller, so that is why you lose inches and not weight. I would think you probably lost inches in this past month, so I would take your measurements now and see how much they change over the next month. Two, make sure you are eating all your calories, I have not looked at your diary, but my biggest problem was I was working out and burning tons of calories but not eating enough and my body thought I was starving it! Three, I try not to eat carbs late in the day like past 3 or 4. I don't know if it helps every one or if it is just me, but it does make a difference for me. I do eat veggies at dinner but I don't eat pasta or breads. I also try to give myself at night 12hours of not eating so I try to stop at 7 if I am going to be getting up and eating breakfast at 7 in the morning. Once again not sure if that helps but I have seen the difference for me. Last but not least, go by how you feel about your body and don't worry about the scale. Not worrying about what the scales says is the hardest thing because I do the same thing! So keep up the good work, it is a journey and enjoy the ride, the results will come!!! Good Luck!

FlaxMilk

I took a look at your diary--are you filling it out accurately? I noticed a few days that were extremely low. I wasn't sure if you really ate that low or didn't finish logging.

If you aren't logging accurately, start there. If you are, I would put your goal back to 1 lb a week and then eat back your exercise calories. You'll get enough to eat and get the motivation of seeing the scale drop. If you want to leave it at .5 lbs, that's ok too, but you have to then remember that you'll see a slower loss. Either way, try following the MFP program exactly as it is set up (eating back exercise calories with the caveat that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is in terms of how much you burned) and see what happens.

Apresner

I mean this is the nicest possible way.....your diary sucks. There isn't much on there period. Where are the veggies and protein? No wonder you are hungry. I suggest you check out the diaries of people who have lost a lot of weight. Fast food is high in sodium which won't help weight loss.

FlaxMilk

If you are logging and measuring accurately, it couldn't help to call your doctor or nurse to see what they think. I agree, if you are logging accurately you should have lost a little something even if people think you weren't eating enough. Have you tried using a different scale? My scale is a lazy *kitten* that gets stuck. I have to step on it with something heavier (like one of my cats or the filled laundry basket) and then step back on by myself to get the new reading. I don't know why. I bought a different scale because of that and the new one did the same thing, so I just keep doing that. Have your boyfriend step on and then try again.

vtjlc

Watch for hidden sugars, limit the amount of fruit to 2 per day (early in the day) and the type of fruit you eat. Watch the starchy veggies too. Keep working out. Good luck.

deineira

Greetings,
I am sorry you are not getting the results you are looking for after making a concerted effort to lose some weight. It sounds like your exercise regimen is pretty good, although I don't have a sense of how long you are doing those activities, if you went from no exercise to some, then you're undoubtedly reaping some benefits.

I took a look at your food diary, and in my opinion, you are eating a lot of processed foods. Processed foods are very high in sodium, can be high in fat, and in sugar. I think a diet that is more focused on whole foods might help you see the changes you want on the scale. That is certainly the case for me, personally. If you are able to do so, try cutting out all processed and fast foods for two weeks and see if that has any effect. If you find that you are losing a pound or so a week, eating whole foods and while you continue to exercise, you may find your culprit is the fast foods and the prepared/frozen foods you are eating. I know it's hard to find time to cook, but you may want to try making a big batch of stew or some sort, or a whole roasted chicken, or a big stir fry, and using that for lunches and leftovers would make it easier to cut out the processed and prepared foods.

Good luck.

UWZander

Increase your water intake to about a gallon or slightly less since you are a female. This will boost your metabolism, help digest vitamins and necessary nutrients, and you would be surprised how little food you actually need while drinking enough water (don't starve yourself, just helps keep you in the right range). I would also recommend patience. Nothing happens overnight and many people suggest trying a diet out for a minimum of three weeks to see if a diet is working. Take before and after pictures and measure body parts. I also recommend making all of your food at the beginning of the week and measuring it out then into tuperware. When you know you can only eat the meals you already prepared makes it so much easier since you aren't trying to figure out what you have to eat to stay in your caloric range whilst you are hungry. Hope that helps, and like all advice take it with a grain of salt. Just add that grain to your log! Lol.

jimmeezwyf

Too many bad carbs/sugar hinder a lot of people's weight loss. Also, after a month it may be too soon to tell, but you are more than likely gaining muscle. Measure yourself, don't only go by what the scale says. You need both to keep track.

For almost four months, exercising 2-3 hours a day, I only lost 10 lbs. (water weight) and no inches lost. I ate clean, stuck to my calories and would not lose more than that 10 lbs. Since I eliminated the sugars/carbs, it will be two weeks Monday, I've lost an additional 11 lbs.!!!

lisanorman6

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12?hl=ipoarm&page=17#posts-9822849

The above link absolutely revolutionized how I am approaching weight loss and fitness. I'd highly suggest looking at it.

I peeked at your diary. If possible, cut down on your carbs. I know eating out is sometimes unavoidable, but some of the choices you've made could be impacting your weight loss especially since they are high in sodium. Your carb intake should be about 40% of your daily intake, protein and fat at 30% each. Increasing your workouts and their intensity will also help. Weight training is imperative in creating more lean muscle. Cardio helps burn your fat stores.

There is a common mistake in understanding that you have to eat fewer calories to lose weight. So wrong. While it appears that more often than not, you're close to your calorie goal, it would behoove you to net much closert. The link I provided will help you understand the relationship between your resting metabolic rate and the amount of fuel your body needs to actually lose weight. It doesn't take additional energy to store fat, it does however require more energy to store lean muscle.

This is a journey and it takes time to learn and practice the tidbits you get along the way. I've been doing this hardcore for 2 months now and it's only been in the past few weeks that I feel like I'm making major headway in understanding what is truly involved in making a lasting lifestyle change.

You're not alone and this community is here to help and encourage you!

PaigeJMP

you're right, weightloss is less calories in, and more calories out (burn). However I believe quality of calories counts for a lot. Processed foods, fried foods, unnatural foods, these could offer you the 'correct' number of calories, but your body knows it's junk, and if you are eating some 'junky' calories, your body is not functioning as it is suppose to, and maybe isn't primed to shed the fat. I'm no expert, not at all, but I read a lot of healthy eating books. The last book I read was Master your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels. It is not a diet book. its about clean eating. Get it from your local library, I did. It completely changed my life. I haven't had any artificial sweetners in 2 months, and I was one who used to regularly drink atleast 2 diet cokes a day. I watch out for GMO foods, try to buy organic when I can, avoid refined sugar, and make sure I get 8 glasses of water a day.
I hope that helps, or gives you some ideas.