WTF? Barely losing weight

businessmama

My weight started at just under 200 and I would *estimate* that I was eating around 2000-3000 calories - lots of carbs, white bread, pasta, etc. Basically I would eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.

A few weeks ago I had the flu and lost about 8 pounds. I used that as a new jumping point for reducing my calories. In the last week of November and first few days of December I was eating about 1400-1500 calories - with one or two days being under 1200 calories. The first week of December we got sick and my appetite was gone for about 5 days so I ended up losing those 8 pounds.

For the past 2 weeks I've been eating - on average - 1200 calories. I've had a 2 or so days that I've been over by 50-100 calories, and a handful of days where I've been under. The problem is ... in those 2 weeks, I've BARELY lost 1.5 pounds. I'm not eating high fat foods (breakfast usually consists of yogurt and granola, lunch is a salad with chicken breast, and dinner is usually meat and veggies. Snack might be organic salted popcorn or a half cup of frozen yogurt.

MFP set the 1200 calorie goal based on the fact that I'd like to lose 2 pounds a week, have a desk job and generally don't exercise but I do try to get in 20-30 minutes of something a few times a week.

What is going on? How can I fix this. Motivation is a HUGE problem for me ... if I'm hungry and not losing any weight I won't stick with it. I SHOULD be losing quite a bit of weight since I went from eating anything and everything to eating very little. My calorie deficit is anywhere from 500 calories to 1000 calories a day!

ubermensch13

Patience.......weight loss is not linear, it happens in spurts for some people. Try to incorporate exercise, keep at around 1500 cals(if that is what the number for you is) and just be patience. You are going to have to get over your expectations of 2lbs a week, every week.....doesn't work that way.

businessmama

Thank you for replying!

I guess I've had this idea that in the beginning it's easier to lose weight (especially if you have a lot to lose). I do tend to look at it rather black and white ... less calories equals weight loss and since I'm eating an incredible amount less than what I did before I'm just stumped (and disappointed!)

cmriverside

I see a lot of "around 1200, about 1400" etc. You need to know exactly how much you are eating. Not "about". Buy a digital food scale for $20, some measuring cups and spoons, and start logging everything you eat and drink. You have to know in order to make this work. It's so easy to under or over-estimate food intake.

The other thing is you may want to start eating more than 1200. Try 1400-1700 - anywhere in there will be fine. 1200 is too low if you have children or any kind of job or are going to school. 1200 is for people who lay in bed all day.

Read these for a in-depth understanding:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/804485-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

(a Group with good info)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

mattbell007

I have been losing weight for a long time now, and I just went through a stretch where I went three weeks where I was under my calorie goal every single day. A couple of times, I ate more than my basic goal, but I hit the exercise bike to make up for it so my net available calories was always positive. Three weeks with no apparent progress. Then, over the course of two days... with no change in behavior... lost about 4 pounds. I've lost more than 60 pounds so far, but my weight loss has been exactly like you describe is happening to you the whole way. Periods where I was doing the right thing but not seeing any results. This was eventually followed by progress that was more than expected.

Like ubermensch13 said... Patience is absolutely necessary. If you are doing the right things, you will get the results. You just have to keep going even when your body doesn't seem to be responding, because it will eventually respond. When I've looked over the whole time period (months and months) I'm losing the weight right on schedule. If I look at short time periods of a few weeks, there seems to be little relationship to my eating and what my scale says.

There are a couple of things I've found helpful. One is to keep firmly in mind that my body records everything I eat, so I make sure to put everything into myfitnesspal. If I don't, I'm just cheating myself. Now, especially around the holidays, I eat things I don't know exactly what is in it or how many calories it has. I try to overestimate the food slightly, so that if I'm off, I'm off in the right direction.

The other thing is that exercise, although not necessary absolutely necessary, helps me have the calories available to be able to eat to the point I'm not hungry.

stormystrickland

I know that it's hard to hit your target calories sometimes. It is hard for me too, but don't ever TRY to eat less than 1200 calories. Trust me, it doesn't seem like it, but it will take you longer to lose weight in the long run.

businessmama

Sorry - I should have been more clear. I have been tracking my food religiously and I have the exact numbers in the food diary. For brevity in the post I used "around 1200", etc.

I don't have a food scale but I do measure out my food so I'm confident that my food numbers are pretty close if not exact for what I'm eating.

I do have a child but for the most part my day is pretty sedentary as I work at my desk all day.

I'm definitely going to read all the links you've provided (thank you!) and I can't wait to dig into the one about eating more to lose weight but I'm wondering if that's really my problem - a few months ago, I tried dieting again - I was working out for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week and reduced my net calories to 1500 per day and I lost nothing in 2 weeks (so I promptly gave that up).

This is all what led me to venting here because I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I'm drinking quite a bit of water - anywhere from 4-7 cups a day (a huge increase from drinking 1-2 before). Because I don't have a scale, some of my measurements on meat may be slightly off, but certainly not enough to cause massive errors. I track seasonings I use, sauces, and everything that goes into my mouth - even the teaspoon of ice cream that's on the scoop when I give my kid his dessert.

Thank you both for responding and for your help. I feel great after having lost nearly 10 pounds (even if it was mostly the flu's doing) and I don't want to give up!

cherbapp

Ok let me get this straight...

I understand that you were sick the first week of December, lost 8 pounds and then another 1.5 pounds over the next two weeks?

9.5 pounds is amazing for three weeks!!

My guess is that you lost 5-6 pounds of water while you were sick, gained it back and the lost the 4 pounds of real weight after that by sticking to your diet. You are still ahead of the game.

And in all honesty, don't be discouraged over not enough of a loss...ANY loss is better than nothing! You will feel better in general just sticking to a healthy eating plan even if you dont lose an ounce.

Stick with it! You are off to a great start!

Retiredmom72

Your diary is closed so can't be sure. Make sure you are watching the sodium in foods and that you are drinking water. You lost 8 pounds by hardly eating anything. Your body is trying to retain your weight continue to eat your calories and try to eat healthy. Good luck.

jenilla1

When I was losing, I remember going for weeks with no change, and then suddenly, I'd drop 3 or 4 overnight. So it can go in spurts. Be patient. Maybe 2 pounds per week is too extreme for you. Try bringing your cals up to 1 pound per week and see what happens. Also, I agree with the others who say you need to weigh and measure things so you know how much you REALLY are consuming. :flowerforyou:

businessmama

@Cherbapp - that's right ... but for the 5 days I was sick, I was lucky to have 300-500 calories during the day. But your thoughts and @retiredmom72 's thoughts does make me feel better about the results over the past 2 weeks! I truly never thought of it like that ... I was beginning to think my body was a dud!

@retiredmom72 - how do I make the diary public? (NEVERMIND - I FOUND THE SETTINGS) I never gave too much thought on the sodium (see comment below). I don't always track my water content but I know I can up the intake there too.

Another question: do you trust the details of what's in the database for foods? EG ... there was one food earlier this week that the calories seemed to be OK but the protein seemed to be out of this world.

cherbapp

@Cherbapp - that's right ... but for the 5 days I was sick, I was lucky to have 300-500 calories during the day.

Ok this makes perfect sense then....take the total three weeks...

Say you need 2100 calories a day to maintain....thats 44,100 calories for three weeks.

Now 5 of those days you had 400 calories average...sick days...(5 days x 400 calories= 2000 calories) and the other 16 days you averaged 1300 calories (16 days x 1300 calories = 12,800 calories) for a total intake of 14,800 calories.

So over three weeks, 44,100 calories were burned, and 14,800 calories went into your body. So you had a deficit of 29,300 calories.

A pound is roughly 3500 calories, so in those three weeks, you should have lost about 8 and a half pounds. You are still missing an extra pound in there! So really if you only lose one pound this week, you are right on track!

leilaphoenix

This is not a race. 1.5lbs is a lot. Make judgements when you haven't made progress for over a month.

Also 1.5lbs IS PROGRESS.

Chill. Its all good.

leilaphoenix

Also just looked at your diary.

McDonalds...?

Pizza Hut....??

leilaphoenix

Also, a beef stew at 193 cals must have been very very healthy and a tiny portion...

businessmama

I know it's all progress ... believe me! Being able to put on two pairs of my jeans without a struggle is a definite win in my books. I just want to thank EVERYONE who took a moment to read and respond ... thank you thank you!

I want to find out my TDEE ... silly question - should I just wear my heart rate monitor all day long and see what it says at the end of the day? Or is there some other way?

I followed one of the links provided (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12) and I did get my BMR number too. It was:

sedentary - 1859
light activity - 2130
moderate activity - 2401

Under the Harris Benedict Formula it said 1549 calories and the Katch McArdle formula said 1293 calories.

>> should I set my caloric intake based on this number or based on the TDEE?

businessmama

Also just looked at your diary.

McDonalds...?

Pizza Hut....??

Yep, we were out and my son wanted to eat, so I grabbed a grilled chicken wrap as well.

They don't have anything listed for our pizza place, so I figured PIzza Hut would be a good comparison.

businessmama

Also, a beef stew at 193 cals must have been very very healthy and a tiny portion...

Not really tiny - it's a bowl full but it's filled with more carrots and celery than potatoes and the like. I guess that's why I asking too about the database of food. I built the recipe based on what I came across in the database.

twinketta

Oh my gosh you are going to have people looking at your diary, even if you were at the correct weight (my advice is only open it to your friends)

Will post again soon ok??? but go with my advice cos you will get slated (sadly)

leilaphoenix

Oh my gosh you are going to have people looking at your diary, even if you were at the correct weight (my advice is only open it to your friends)

Will post again soon ok??? but go with my advice cos you will get slated (sadly)

If someone is asking for advice then "slating" their food diary can be helpful. I certainly opened mine up when I first started on MFP for criticisms.

TrailRunner61

When you get the flu and lose 8lbs, it's mostly due to umm bulk and water weight due to not being able to eat. You'd be surprised how much that 'stuff' weighs. If you have lost weight since then, you have probably put back on weight to make up for the empty stomach, colon, etc. and lost fat after having the flu. Don't worry about it. You're doing fine. Just make sure you eat enough calories, especially if you're exercising.

songbirdtree

I'm not an expert by any means so I'm just going to say what works for me.

First off, MFP says I should eat 1200 calories a day, but I personally lose faster if I have a few 1400 calorie days. I keep 1200 as my goal because I tend to underestimate my portions, but I think that 1400 keeps my body out of "starvation mode."

Secondly, whenever I'm not losing weight, it's because I'm eating 1200-1400 calories a day, but those calories are high sodium frozen foods, carbs, fast foods, alcohol etc. If you're sticking to 1200 and not getting anywhere, it might help to re-focus on the content of what you're putting in your mouth. Track how many vegetables, fruits, water, lean protein, etc. and try not to eat any processed foods for a week as a way of prioritizing nutritional value over calorie counting.

DawnieB1977

Also just looked at your diary.

McDonalds...?

Pizza Hut....??

Yep, we were out and my son wanted to eat, so I grabbed a grilled chicken wrap as well.

They don't have anything listed for our pizza place, so I figured PIzza Hut would be a good comparison.

How old is your son? I never take my kids to Mcdonalds, they've never been. I usually get them a jacket potato with tuna to share when we're out.

I'd take measurements if I were you so you can see the loss clearly. I've found that inch loss has been more regular for me than weight loss.

When I first started losing weight, after my 2nd baby was 7 weeks old, I started gymming 5 times a week and eating probably 1200 calories a day, plus looking after a newborn and a just turned 2 year old. After the first month my personal trainer took my measurements and weight. I'd only lost 2lbs, but i'd lost significant inches.

That was 17 months ago and I am 55lbs down now, and lots and lots of inches down!

Please don't stress too much about what you weigh and don't let it derail your efforts!

cmriverside

I know it's all progress ... believe me! Being able to put on two pairs of my jeans without a struggle is a definite win in my books. I just want to thank EVERYONE who took a moment to read and respond ... thank you thank you!

I want to find out my TDEE ... silly question - should I just wear my heart rate monitor all day long and see what it says at the end of the day? Or is there some other way?

I followed one of the links provided (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12) and I did get my BMR number too. It was:

sedentary - 1859
light activity - 2130
moderate activity - 2401

Under the Harris Benedict Formula it said 1549 calories and the Katch McArdle formula said 1293 calories.

>> should I set my caloric intake based on this number or based on the TDEE?

1. Do not wear your HR monitor to determine TDEE. It is meant for AEROBIC or raised-heart-rate activity only.

2. Your TDEE ....if you do ANY planned exercise in your week, use Moderate Activity. If you just take care of kids or go to work, and do NO other exercise in the week, use Light Activity. Then subtract 15-20% from that for weight loss. Then eat that every day, do not add any exercise calories. That is the TDEE minus 15-20% method.

3. If you would prefer to use Myfitnesspal's method, choose Moderate Activity. Choose whichever of these applies to you:

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.


THEN add in the Exercise you do, and eat those calories.

Two different methods. Neither of whch has you at anywhere near 1200 calories, weigh and measure your food for one month. Adjust if necessary at the end of that month.

DawnieB1977

Oh my gosh you are going to have people looking at your diary, even if you were at the correct weight (my advice is only open it to your friends)

Will post again soon ok??? but go with my advice cos you will get slated (sadly)

If someone is asking for advice then "slating" their food diary can be helpful. I certainly opened mine up when I first started on MFP for criticisms.

Yes, mine is open. I'd rather someone were honest and told me if i were regularly eating something that could hinder my weight loss.

cmriverside

Yeah, and people, don't pick apart her Food. She can eat what she wants within her calorie goals. As long as there is sufficient protein, fat, and carbs.

twinketta

Oh my gosh you are going to have people looking at your diary, even if you were at the correct weight (my advice is only open it to your friends)

Will post again soon ok??? but go with my advice cos you will get slated (sadly)

If someone is asking for advice then "slating" their food diary can be helpful. I certainly opened mine up when I first started on MFP for criticisms.

Then maybe you can be a little more `tactful`


This is a new person asking for help and advice....sometimes it can be helpful to be kind with `words of wisdom and advice1 just saying.


I dont want to get into a war of words, I am only suggesting that support is sometimes needed for people that are just starting out. We were all new here once!

OspreyVista

Sorry - I should have been more clear. I have been tracking my food religiously and I have the exact numbers in the food diary. For brevity in the post I used "around 1200", etc.

I don't have a food scale but I do measure out my food so I'm confident that my food numbers are pretty close if not exact for what I'm eating.

I do have a child but for the most part my day is pretty sedentary as I work at my desk all day.

I'm definitely going to read all the links you've provided (thank you!) and I can't wait to dig into the one about eating more to lose weight but I'm wondering if that's really my problem - a few months ago, I tried dieting again - I was working out for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week and reduced my net calories to 1500 per day and I lost nothing in 2 weeks (so I promptly gave that up).

This is all what led me to venting here because I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I'm drinking quite a bit of water - anywhere from 4-7 cups a day (a huge increase from drinking 1-2 before). Because I don't have a scale, some of my measurements on meat may be slightly off, but certainly not enough to cause massive errors. I track seasonings I use, sauces, and everything that goes into my mouth - even the teaspoon of ice cream that's on the scoop when I give my kid his dessert.

Thank you both for responding and for your help. I feel great after having lost nearly 10 pounds (even if it was mostly the flu's doing) and I don't want to give up!

Eating more to lose lbs helps me out. I can't do less than 1300 net calories at all or I won't lose weight. I've tried doing 1200, I just tried doing 1270. I was stuck at a certain weight for 15 days. I just upped my calories up to 1500 and within 2 days I lost 1 lb. So for me, eating more to lose helped me. Also~ I eat most of my exercise calories back most days as well so that at the end of the day my Net is at or close to 1500.

businessmama

Also just looked at your diary.

McDonalds...?

Pizza Hut....??

Yep, we were out and my son wanted to eat, so I grabbed a grilled chicken wrap as well.

They don't have anything listed for our pizza place, so I figured PIzza Hut would be a good comparison.

How old is your son? I never take my kids to Mcdonalds, they've never been. I usually get them a jacket potato with tuna to share when we're out.

I'd take measurements if I were you so you can see the loss clearly. I've found that inch loss has been more regular for me than weight loss.

When I first started losing weight, after my 2nd baby was 7 weeks old, I started gymming 5 times a week and eating probably 1200 calories a day, plus looking after a newborn and a just turned 2 year old. After the first month my personal trainer took my measurements and weight. I'd only lost 2lbs, but i'd lost significant inches.

That was 17 months ago and I am 55lbs down now, and lots and lots of inches down!

Please don't stress too much about what you weigh and don't let it derail your efforts!

He's almost six. I appreciate everyone's concern, but I'm not here for judgements on what my kid eats. For the record, YES my son occasionally eats at McDonald's where he has a glass of white milk, a yogurt, grilled chicken wrap, and apple slices. For the rest of the time, he eats healthier than 90% of the people I've ever run into. His diet is plum full of raw veggies and fruit, lean organic meats, and whole foods. So please, let's get off that topic immediately.

I am going to take your advice on the measurements though - obviously, my clothes are fitting less snug so there's definitely been a weight loss ... maybe it's just not registering on the scale as much as it will on those inches. Congratulations on all your weight loss - that's absolutely terrific!!

businessmama

I know it's all progress ... believe me! Being able to put on two pairs of my jeans without a struggle is a definite win in my books. I just want to thank EVERYONE who took a moment to read and respond ... thank you thank you!

I want to find out my TDEE ... silly question - should I just wear my heart rate monitor all day long and see what it says at the end of the day? Or is there some other way?

I followed one of the links provided (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12) and I did get my BMR number too. It was:

sedentary - 1859
light activity - 2130
moderate activity - 2401

Under the Harris Benedict Formula it said 1549 calories and the Katch McArdle formula said 1293 calories.

>> should I set my caloric intake based on this number or based on the TDEE?

1. Do not wear your HR monitor to determine TDEE. It is meant for AEROBIC or raised-heart-rate activity only.

2. Your TDEE ....if you do ANY planned exercise in your week, use Moderate Activity. If you just take care of kids or go to work, and do NO other exercise in the week, use Light Activity. Then subtract 15-20% from that for weight loss. Then eat that every day, do not add any exercise calories. That is the TDEE minus 15-20% method.

3. If you would prefer to use Myfitnesspal's method, choose Moderate Activity. Choose whichever of these applies to you:

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.


THEN add in the Exercise you do, and eat those calories.

Two different methods. Neither of whch has you at anywhere near 1200 calories, weigh and measure your food for one month. Adjust if necessary at the end of that month.

Oohh .. super helpful! Thank you!

Firefox7275

My weight started at just under 200 and I would *estimate* that I was eating around 2000-3000 calories - lots of carbs, white bread, pasta, etc. Basically I would eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.

A few weeks ago I had the flu and lost about 8 pounds. I used that as a new jumping point for reducing my calories. In the last week of November and first few days of December I was eating about 1400-1500 calories - with one or two days being under 1200 calories. The first week of December we got sick and my appetite was gone for about 5 days so I ended up losing those 8 pounds.

For the past 2 weeks I've been eating - on average - 1200 calories. I've had a 2 or so days that I've been over by 50-100 calories, and a handful of days where I've been under. The problem is ... in those 2 weeks, I've BARELY lost 1.5 pounds. I'm not eating high fat foods (breakfast usually consists of yogurt and granola, lunch is a salad with chicken breast, and dinner is usually meat and veggies. Snack might be organic salted popcorn or a half cup of frozen yogurt.

MFP set the 1200 calorie goal based on the fact that I'd like to lose 2 pounds a week, have a desk job and generally don't exercise but I do try to get in 20-30 minutes of something a few times a week.

What is going on? How can I fix this. Motivation is a HUGE problem for me ... if I'm hungry and not losing any weight I won't stick with it. I SHOULD be losing quite a bit of weight since I went from eating anything and everything to eating very little. My calorie deficit is anywhere from 500 calories to 1000 calories a day!

A few things strike me
1. You may be underestimating how much you were eating before, you are unlikely to get to 200 pounds eating 2000 calories a day, nor does eating anything and everything usually equate to that little. If you were previousl gaining some of the food you have cut out takes you from overeating to maintainin, the remainder takes you from maintaining to losing
2. You didn't drink much before so may have been dehydrated. The 8 pounds you lost was partly more water weight and possibly muscle, you can't shed that much fat that fast unless you are exercising like a Biggest Loser
3. You should not be hungry nor eating "very little" on 1200 to 1500 calories, if you are you are eating the wrong foods. Fill yourself up on modest portions of protein, fibrous and watery foods with a little healthy fats (avocado, olives, block creamed or dessicated coconut, nuts, seeds, cocoa)
4. Nine servings of low sugar fruits and non starchy vegetables is a HUGE amount of food yet few calories. Moderate your portion sizes of meat and fish to something supplying 25 to 30g protein if you are not already, weigh or measure your salads because just one serving of raw leaves is a MASSIVE plateful, so you may well only be eating two of your nine servings
5. Granola is not a low fat or low calorie food by the UK definition, it's actually calorie dense and many brands contain loads of added sugar and fat - more calories from them than from the oats! - are you measuring your bowl or guessing? Try reducing the portion and/ or filling up on berries and other low sugar fruits and/ or switching to a sugar free wholegrain cereal
6. Maximum of 10% of daily calories should come from fatty/ sugary/ processed foods: probably granola or frozen yoghurt not both. Consider snacking on fruit, veg, nuts and seeds
7. Don't forget oily fish and make sure you get your three servings of reduced fat dairy each day - both of these are critical for health and supply nutrients which help with weight management
8. Don't see enough mineral rich foods (beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, cocoa powder, dark green veggies)
9. Consistently losing two pounds of fat a week may be a little ambitious if you are sedentary, unfortunately you don't generally burn many calories in 20 to 30 minutes, and you likely are not even hitting the minimum 10,000 steps each day with that.