3 weeks at the same weight

kateowp

I have been logging everything I eat & drink (except water), doing pretty well on my calories, exercising moderately, sometimes eating back all my calories/sometimes not, and I have stayed the same weight for 3 weeks. I was hoping it was just muscle gain since I have been exercising more than before, but my measurements have also stayed the same. Needless to say, this is really frustrating. As I understand it, if I eat less than my TDEE I will lose weight. Is my TDEE 1220? Is there something else going on?

StephJB1221

Are you clean eating? A lot of ppl here focus solely on calories... If your under / meeting calorie goals but ate a big Mac... Your not going to see the results! Are you doing intense workouts? Maybe your not eating enough. how often do you eat? Don't go longer than 2-3 hrs without eating, eat smaller meals more frequently.

jinjin8

If your weight loss efforts are plateauing, I'd suggest trying to change things up and shock your body - I find trying different types of workouts and varying my diet approach (e.g. with calorie cycling and mixing up the foods I am eating) helps.

kateowp

Are you clean eating? A lot of ppl here focus solely on calories... If your under / meeting calorie goals but ate a big Mac... Your not going to see the results! Are you doing intense workouts? Maybe your not eating enough. how often do you eat? Don't go longer than 2-3 hrs without eating, eat smaller meals more frequently.

Hmmm. I thought that meeting calorie goals would cause weight loss- eating a big Mac (and missing out on nutritious foods I could have been eating instead) might make me feel bad, but if it was under my caloric limit I would still loose. I dont eat fast food, but I could certainly clean up my eating.

rachelilb

An open diary would help but I would also suggest changing up your routine a bit. Any time I hit a plateau I just change up what I was doing (ex:my workout. add different foods to my diet) and it works every time.

JesterMFP

Is 1220 the calorie goal that MFP has given you? If so, that is not your TDEE. MFP works out your TDEE (not including your additional, logged exercise) and works out a calorie deficit for you, which gives you your calorie goal. The way MFP is designed, you then log additional exercise and add those calories to your goal. So you don't need to eat under that goal to lose, as there is a calorie deficit built into that.

If you go to the "Home" tab, and click on "Goals", at the top right, under "Your Diet Profile" it should say "Calories burned from normal activity ..." and give you a number. That number is what MFP estimates to be your TDEE, minus the additional exercise you do. You can go to other sites to find out what they say, as there are different calculations. Bear in mind that most other sites will ask you to include your additional planned exercise in your "activity level" when they calculate the TDEE. That means that if you use that number to create your own calorie deficit, you should not log additional exercise or eat back "exercise calories". It can be very confusing, but to keep it simple, you can just stick to what MFP has given you, but eat up to the calorie goal, don't try to stay under it.

If you have just started a new exercise regime, it's very likely that your muscles are retaining water as they repair themselves. That water will mask any fat loss on the scales. I'd give your body a little more time to settle into your new lifestyle before worrying too much. It's not necessary to eat "clean" 100% of the time (a Big Mac for example does have nutrients the body can use). However, if you have consumed a lot of sodium or carbohydrates, they might also make you retain water, so you might want to watch that. It's unlikely that you're gaining muscle while eating at a calorie deficit. Not impossible, but it's far more likely that you're retaining water.

Meal timing also doesn't matter as far as weight loss goes. Eating every couple of hours suits some people, but not everyone, so don't worry if that's not your preference.

As frustrating as it is, I'd just keep at it and give it a little more time. Eat all your calories (although be careful if you're using MFP's estimations for calorie burns as they can be inaccurate), drink, try to get plenty of protein, consider tracking sodium if you're not already, and go from there. If you are consistently eating at a calorie deficit, and you have no contributing medical issues, you should see movement. If you're still struggling in a few more weeks, it might be worth getting medical advice.

kateowp

Oops- just opened diary. I have been back to MFP for only about 6 weeks so I can only guess this isnt a plateau...

Faye_Anderson

3 weeks is not a plateau, up your calories a bit. I know it's scary but I was on 1200 and lost nothing for 6 weeks, I upped my calories to 1700 and I'm losing upwards of 2lb per week now, and I don't exercise
P.S you can't build muscle on such a high deficit :flowerforyou:

kateowp

Thanks Jester! I am new to the exercise and my sodium is through the roof!

KAR1959

I just wnt through something similar...3 weeks without a loss with my weigh-in Tuesday. The one thing I did differently was to add 15 minutes additional exercise. I'm on JMBR so I added more cardio...15 minutes on the treadmill at a brisk pace 3-4 days per week. I also adjusted my carbs a little but did not eat less.. I had a 1.4lb weight loss this week and was very happy. I really think the 15 minutes of cardio made the difference. I will definitely know this coming Tuesday with my weekly weigh-in. This will be my first time losing 2 weeks in a row since the end of June.

Small changes work...you can do it.

2hobbit1

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Hi, Read through this thread to get a good explanation of BMR TDEE etc,. It shows how to calculate them and how to use them to set your calorie goals. You may not be eating enough to fuel weight loss. Get out the tape measure and record your measurements so you can calculate your BF%. Make sure you record and track that as well as you weight.
Once you figure your TDEE set MFP manually to a 20% deficit and then give it some time. If you set it up proper;y both your deficit and your exercise burn are factored in and you will know your daily target.

jleadie

Don't get discouraged! I had the same problem. Three weeks and nothing changing on the scale and I was working out like crazy, staying close to 1200 -some days a little less some days a little more- drinking 8-10 bottles of water and the scale would not budge. So, I do have a cheat item on my one day off. Not a cheat day, that can add up to a lot of calories. I do HIIT workouts on the treadmill, on the elliptical or the stairclimber. I recently changed to doing cardio videos for a couple of days a week. I lift weights at least once a week. I also started working out at least 50 minutes each day. I think the biggest thing was eating clean. I eat lots of fruit and veggies and minimum meat. Almost no red meat actually. And I eat beans, eggs and turkey for protein. When I got on the scale the other day I was amazed that I had dropped four lbs! So, there is hope, but you have to be dedicated. I work 12+ hours 6 days a week and I have to drag myself to workout 6 days a week, but I want this BADLY so, I suck it up and do it. If I can do it you can!

5Btieden

Make sure you are measuring as well!! I sat for a month at the same weight but was losing inches like crazy!!

afiggy

I am at the same point and getting really frustrated and losing my motivation. Is this hard work really paying off after 5 weeks? I lost 9 total but gained 2 back and I have been within or under my 1220 daily. It is disappointing

JesterMFP

I am at the same point and getting really frustrated and losing my motivation. Is this hard work really paying off after 5 weeks? I lost 9 total but gained 2 back and I have been within or under my 1220 daily. It is disappointing

So, you've lost 7 lbs in 5 weeks? Starting with 30 lbs to lose, that is an ideal rate of weight loss, you should be proud. :flowerforyou:

mirasmom02

It happens sometimes....been through this, myself, quite a few times. It could just be a slight plateau and it will surprise you in the next week or so and drop down. But, if not...you could be taking in a little too much sodium & that will make you retain alot of water. So, the 1st thing I would suggest is to add "sodium" to your food diary - go to the "food diary" tab, then the "settings" tab and change 1 of those drop-down chioces to "sodium" so you can keep an eye on that. The second thing I would suggest is to only weigh-in ONCE a week (its okay to check every once in a while, but make sure you understand in your head that it only "counts" on that specific day), mine is Sunday mornings. And lastly, don't give up! It happens to EVERYONE!

mirasmom02

ALso, remember that MFP has ALREADY reduced your TDEE...so don't reduce it any more than what it says on here. They've done the work for you, as far as the math goes, you just have to follow it.I realized this a few days after siging up. My BMR is like 2300, but they tell me to eat 1600 to lose. And don't forget what I suggested earlier: keep an eye on that sodium intake!!!

shyrina25

same here. wanna lose last 5 pounds but been at this weight for a month ugh. Although I do not always eat "clean" lol.

jodiebarrette

Your diary looks good - exercising good as well. You could add some weight training to the mix. When I did that the weight started falling off as did the inches. Don't get discouraged - your doing great!

afiggy

Thank you...I will try and stay positive. xo