Not losing weight

YankeesGirl1225

Hi everyone! I've never posted before, but I'm hoping maybe someone can give me some helpful information. I started about 2 months ago and within the first 6 weeks, I had lost about 20 pounds (without exercise, healthy eating only). For the past two weeks, I have been exercising 3-5 times a week (including a 5k) and been diligent with my calories. However, I have been stuck for the past two weeks. Any thoughts. Here's some additional information to help:

I have always been overweight and before I started two months ago my activity level was low.
I ate a lof of calories (probably about 2000) a day and MFP has given me a goal of 1310 (which most days I meet or I am 100 or less over or under).
I entered my daily acitivty level on MFP as low and stated I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week.
I am extremely diligent about entering all my calories everyday and I rarely (even if it's within my calories) eat foods that aren't good for me (fast foods, overprocessed, etc).
I tried eating back all of my exercise calories, some of my exercise calories, and none of my exercise calories.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Sweets1954

It's quite common to hit a plateau where you don't lose anything for a little while. You can try increasing your activity or adjusting your calories per day and see if that gives you a "jolt". It could be because you have lost some weight and increased your activity that your needs have changed.

JessHealthKick

you say you have tried to eat back exercise calories/not eat back. But in 2 weeks time it's hard to see what would make a difference right?

I have found that exercising a lot more this past week and eating a lot more has made me drop a bit of weight (I can see it, don't have scales so haven't weighed). You can check my diary if you like to get an idea Before this my scales weren't really moving at all and my bodyshape had only changed a little

YankeesGirl1225

Thanks! I am using a Couch to 5k type app so my activity has been increasing each week. But maybe I'll start adding some weights too and hope that does something. Either way, I'm going to keep working at it, but it'd be nice if my hard work was reflected on the scale.

kmcosgrove115

I just asked a similar question yesterday and had a LONG and very eye opening reply reg TDEE - I was way undereating and took the time to properly calculate out my TDEE - I now am at a readjusted 1600 a day as my loss stalled and I was way under eating - I suspect you might be the same - go here:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/917111-seeking-help-to-adjust-calorie-intake

and read all that I learned - seriously I think your total per day has absolutely stalled your metabolism - you need to eat more to get the fat loss to happen...........

YankeesGirl1225

Jessica, I've definitely thought that I haven't given it enough time. I'm just impatient sometimes, but you're right. I will try for the next 2 weeks to eat back about half of my exercise calories and see if that works. I just hate to eat them all because then I feel like I'm exercising just to eat more.

YankeesGirl1225

Thanks km! I'm headed there now and hopefully that will give me the information I need. What does TDEE stand for?

TeaBea

Thanks km! I'm headed there now and hopefully that will give me the information I need. What does TDEE stand for?

TDEE - total daily energy expenditure ..... this is all your daily activity including exercise

Another one - BMR - basal metabolic rate ... this would be like you didn't get out of bed all day

marias2gaa

This post has been helpful because i am stuck at the same weight now for two weeks ahh. I have to see what I need to do to make the scale move down

josuemom

I'm stuck too. I have always walked and done Zumba and 3 months ago I added Strenght Training and have not lost a lb not 1 lb I can tell my clothes fit better but it's very discouraging not losing weight and counting calories sometimes I think yes maybe i'm not eating enough but I'm not sure. I did have to go on Blood Pressure medicine after losing 25 lbs and walking 20 miles a week my BP went up. So, How crazy is that I'm in the best shape physically I think I've been in a while. I'm 52 and need to lose that last 15 lbs. HELP!

Amberonamission

I have lost my weight in waves. I lose a bunch. It slows. I eat like a pig for 3 days. Then get back to it. Then I start losing again. It's a gain a pound lose 6 thing for me. Good luck.

seif0068

You are very likely retaining water. This happens to me every time I start working out after not. It can be discouraging - it is like clockwork with me that when I am JUST focusing on my diet, the pounds come right off and when I start working out, I "plateau" - the thing is, I am losing inches and I have to tell myself the pounds don't matter, it is water weight.

I would recommend eating back 2/3 of your exercise calories. This a) give you some wiggle room for some inaccuracy in the number of calories burned and b) accounts for your NET calorie burn. Your body burns some calories even if you are sitting on the couch; for me, it works out to about 75 calories burned an hour just doing nothing. So if I work out for an hour and burn 500 calories, I only burned 425 calories more than I would have if I just sat on the couch. That's why eating back EVERY calorie can sometimes slow down your weight loss, especially if you are working out a lot and eating back all those calories.

Rob777com

When you first start working out again you will gain muscle but it will start to burn more once it grows.

About 7 years ago I got back into weight training and was cut down calories and ate right, I still gained 15 pounds in the first two months but then the fat started coming off quick. If you are just doing cardio you probably won't gain, but won't lose much either for the first month or so. But you will see a difference and feel it. Keep it up!

kmcosgrove115

That link I attached is the post I put up yesterday and got so much info from it - hardest thing to wrap your head around is allowing yourself to eat and not feel guilty - there is a true science and logic when you undereat how your body stops the metabolism entirely to keep your body alive and working - it knows when it is not getting enough nutrition and is smart enough to essentially say ok, you gave me 1300 calories, I need AT LEAST that to keep your heart pumping and your brain working so I will stop other systems to do that - i.e. metabolism - I really encourage you all to read that post, print it like I did, go and calculate your military BF and then the TDEE - then less out anywhere from 10-30% off that # and THAT is calorie per day - you have to eat to make that metabolism move and burn and psychologically we all fear the higher calorie - don't - a friend on that post said to me seriously, eat and the weight loss will come.................

I switched to all plant based so no meat, no dairy and no oil as there is no nutritional value in any of that and it is loaded with fat and impacts health in so many ways - so I KNOW logically I am eating so amazing - and I need to say to myself it's ok, you are hungry for a snack, have the Wasa crispbread and organic peanut butter on it or have the fruit - it's that pychological bump in my mind that says too many calories but reality is, it is not too many, much of my stall for 2 weeks when you see my diary I was always UNDER 1200 - NOT GOOD!

Another friend of mine decided BRAVELY to do her actual TDEE at 2250 a day - WOW! - for 6-8 weeks to jump start the body and then she will less out a % ...................she noted it is a little scary but the logic behind it holds - and hey, if you go over a 100 no sweat - just eat well, small portions but at a higher calorie - hope this helps some of you as it really helped me yesterday and the amount of detail in the replies was exactly what I needed to read!

YankeesGirl1225

Thanks everyone! I calculated all my numbers based on the post and eating that many calories seems VERY scary! But at this point, I'll give it a try. And like almost everyone said, I have noticed my clothes fit better and I feel better. So I will keep working and see how it goes. I appreciate all the support and hopefully in the next couple weeks I'll have a better update!

JessHealthKick

Jessica, I've definitely thought that I haven't given it enough time. I'm just impatient sometimes, but you're right. I will try for the next 2 weeks to eat back about half of my exercise calories and see if that works. I just hate to eat them all because then I feel like I'm exercising just to eat more.

Good luck! I think the 1200 that MFP tells you is ridiculous - I used to eat almost twice that each day, cut down to just 1200 and didn't see much change. Now I am eating 1800 and exercising a fair bit and I can really tell the weight is dropping *yay for me* so I would really suggest to try eat more. I'm 5"7 and about 145lb

dixiewhiskey

I think you are not eating enough. I have been at this for almost three months and have not had a stall to date because I consistently eat atleast 1670 a day. I train almost everyday so I usually eat more than that. Don't follow MFP recommendations

ninerbuff

New to exercise will usually result in water retention for a couple or so weeks. Normal.

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