HELP!!! Why am I not losing weight???

FitBlackChick

No, I don't weigh my food. My typical day goes like this... Unsweetened tea for breakfast ( I know, but eating in the morning upsets my stomach so bad...always has), lunch at 11 is either a small salad from Wal Mart - 190 calories, or a turkey sandwich, or a cup of soup with a few crackers. I sometimes have 9 low fat wheat honey pretzels with lunch at 120 calories. Then, I usually do not snack until I get home around 4:30 and I then have some pickles or a small beef jerkey or grapes. For dinner we have boneless skinless chicken breast, a green veggie and then a starch for kids and hubby. If I eat the startch I limit it to 2 Tbsp. We do have other things too, but that's a pretty normal regimen around here. Tonight I am making fresh spinnach enchiladas on low carb flour tortillas. How do you open up your food diary?

Go to Settings> Diary Settings

fromnebraska

No, I don't weigh my food. My typical day goes like this... Unsweetened tea for breakfast ( I know, but eating in the morning upsets my stomach so bad...always has), lunch at 11 is either a small salad from Wal Mart - 190 calories, or a turkey sandwich, or a cup of soup with a few crackers. I sometimes have 9 low fat wheat honey pretzels with lunch at 120 calories. Then, I usually do not snack until I get home around 4:30 and I then have some pickles or a small beef jerkey or grapes. For dinner we have boneless skinless chicken breast, a green veggie and then a starch for kids and hubby. If I eat the startch I limit it to 2 Tbsp. We do have other things too, but that's a pretty normal regimen around here. Tonight I am making fresh spinnach enchiladas on low carb flour tortillas. How do you open up your food diary?

You are eating hardly anything! I can't imagine not eating breakfast, then eating 120-190 calories for lunch, and then not eating until 4:30! You really need to eat more food. I did a quick BMR calculation on MFP's BMR calculator and you should be at least eating 1322 calories per day, plus any exercise calories. Don't worry about eating more calories, it is what your body needs.

Mummyadams

No, I don't weigh my food. My typical day goes like this... Unsweetened tea for breakfast ( I know, but eating in the morning upsets my stomach so bad...always has), lunch at 11 is either a small salad from Wal Mart - 190 calories, or a turkey sandwich, or a cup of soup with a few crackers. I sometimes have 9 low fat wheat honey pretzels with lunch at 120 calories. Then, I usually do not snack until I get home around 4:30 and I then have some pickles or a small beef jerkey or grapes. For dinner we have boneless skinless chicken breast, a green veggie and then a starch for kids and hubby. If I eat the startch I limit it to 2 Tbsp. We do have other things too, but that's a pretty normal regimen around here. Tonight I am making fresh spinnach enchiladas on low carb flour tortillas. How do you open up your food diary?

You are eating too little.

3dogsrunning

Chances are she is eating too little, however, without seeing her diary and knowing if she measures and logs everything you can't be sure which is why I asked about opening the diary. Many people underestimate how much they eat.

fromnebraska

Chances are she is eating too little, however, without seeing her diary and knowing if she measures and logs everything you can't be sure which is why I asked about opening the diary. Many people underestimate how much they eat.

This is true. Good point.

kingkoopaluv

stop getting on the scale and fixating on a number.

AmyLeever

What is eaten is just as important as how much and how many calories. Also adding weight training 3x a week on top of cardio is crucial. Muscle burns fat! Women are always so afraid to lift heavy weights because they think they'll bulk up and look like a dude, but that is so not the case. The more muscle gained, the more fat burned, the leaner the body gets. Changing up workouts every 4-6 weeks is another tip that not too many people understand. Doing the same thing every day, over and over won't get the body to burn fat and calories. Keep the body guessing, so it'll keep burning. HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts are the best, along with doing other fun things, like Zumba, hiking, biking, playing sports. The trick is to keep moving and keep the body guessing. But proper fuel for the body is key. No processed, out of a box, 'diet' foods are going to help. Clean, fresh, natural, whole vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds & lean meat is key, and limit dairy and grains. There are so many misconceptions about food, but coming from experience, the cleaner the diet, the more efficiently the body will burn fat and the better the body will feel. Lastly, quite obsessing with the scale! In fact, throw it away! Take your measurements, go by the way your clothes fit, how much energy you have, how clear your skin is, how clear your thinking is. Those are more important guides to how healthy one is, over what number the scale says.

Lori0534

My food diary is open now!!! Thanks for all of the help!!!

jgcurry3

Hey, Lori
It's not just weight on the scale. Muscle weighs more. It might take a while for the metabolism to "kick in" also. I highly recommend adding some weights. 3- to 5-lb weights and some basic upper and lower body workouts you can do at home might help jump-start. Your weight is probably shifted around; that makes a difference, especially after kids.
And it might just take TIME. It takes me a long time to lose weight...over 3 months for just 8-9 lbs, so don't despair. Beer does have lots of calories; be sure to count in everything that goes into your mouth when keeping track of food. And that includes the beer.
And most important of all, it is all about how you look and feel; not just what number shows up on the scale.
Enjoy those babies; will be grown before you know it.

Muscle does not weigh more than fat. It is more dense, 5 lbs is 5lbs.

Lori0534

So, the theory here is that 1lb of muscle weighs the same as 1 lb of fat, but does not take up as much room?

3dogsrunning

So, the theory here is that 1lb of muscle weighs the same as 1 lb of fat, but does not take up as much room?

Yes, but if you are eating as little as that, you are not putting on muscle.

I may have missed it, I know you are not weighing your food but do you measure it at all?

Lori0534

Yes, I measure it. I use measuring cups and when I make something I add all ingredients up.

DiamondRubyMom

I just glanced at your food diary. Most days you aren't even eating 1000 calories. Your body is in starvation mode and desperately holding on to any calories you put it. I know it sounds crazy but eat more. The scale may go up for a week or two but it will then drop. When you don't get enough calories the brain stops working correctly and the body breaks down muscle not fat. Eat all your calories in a day plus your exercise calories. MFP already calculates a deficit to create weight loss.

RobynMWilson

You're only eating 1200 cals and are wasting some of them on beer? Up your calories. You're trying to build muscle and not fueling that muscle properly. So instead of the muscle burning the fat, the muscle isn't able to fully develop for the workouts you're doing.

Lori0534

My legs are rock hard and my stinking biceps are too! Especially my right one... The only area of my
Body that is not pretty solid is my stomach. It's not round or sticking out but flabby. Well, and then my huge boobs.

3dogsrunning

Just had a look at your diary -

So my questions are -
how do you measure the food?
you eat a lot of salad, are you using dressing?
I don't see any drinks logged, do you only drink water? (I do but I know a lot of people don't).
There are several days where you only log one meal, is that all you ate, or did you not have a chance to log that day?
There are at least 4 other days that you didn't log at all.

My number one suggestion before making any changes to calorie intake is to make sure you are logging consistently and accurately. Everything.

Yes, I measure it. I use measuring cups and when I make something I add all ingredients up.

Ok, I was curious because you don't weight but some of your entries are by weight, like 3 oz of chicken.

Lori0534

You're only eating 1200 cals and are wasting some of them on beer? Up your calories. You're trying to build muscle and not fueling that muscle properly. So instead of the muscle burning the fat, the muscle isn't able to fully develop for the workouts you're doing.

Ha I don't go drink a few beers everyday. I drink a few one night on the weekends and that is all.

Lori0534

Just had a look at your diary -

So my questions are -
how do you measure the food?
you eat a lot of salad, are you using dressing?
I don't see any drinks logged, do you only drink water? (I do but I know a lot of people don't).
There are several days where you only log one meal, is that all you ate, or did you not have a chance to log that day?
There are at least 4 other days that you didn't log at all.

My number one suggestion before making any changes to calorie intake is to make sure you are logging consistently and accurately. Everything.

Yes, I measure it. I use measuring cups and when I make something I add all ingredients up.

Ok, I was curious because you don't weight but some of your entries are by weight, like 3 oz of chicken.

The salads are prepackaged that you but at Wal Mart and have dressing included in the calories. The 3 oz of chicken is when I get grilled chicken at the BBQ place. Or if I am cooking a 6 oz chicken breast and cut it in half I put it as 3 oz. I I ly drink water, unsweetened tea, and diet coke once a day. The days I only have one meal logged that is all I ate. And yes, there have definitely been times I have not taken the time to log. However, when I do I put everything in. I am going to be more consistent with it! It's just frustrating because I never had to work( as in keep up with every single note I put in my mouth) to maintain or lose weight!

babyblooz

Just checked out your diary to confirm what I suspected... you definitely need to eat more.

3dogsrunning

Just had a look at your diary -

So my questions are -
how do you measure the food?
you eat a lot of salad, are you using dressing?
I don't see any drinks logged, do you only drink water? (I do but I know a lot of people don't).
There are several days where you only log one meal, is that all you ate, or did you not have a chance to log that day?
There are at least 4 other days that you didn't log at all.

My number one suggestion before making any changes to calorie intake is to make sure you are logging consistently and accurately. Everything.

Yes, I measure it. I use measuring cups and when I make something I add all ingredients up.

Ok, I was curious because you don't weight but some of your entries are by weight, like 3 oz of chicken.

The salads are prepackaged that you but at Wal Mart and have dressing included in the calories. The 3 oz of chicken is when I get grilled chicken at the BBQ place. Or if I am cooking a 6 oz chicken breast and cut it in half I put it as 3 oz. I I ly drink water, unsweetened tea, and diet coke once a day. The days I only have one meal logged that is all I ate. And yes, there have definitely been times I have not taken the time to log. However, when I do I put everything in. I am going to be more consistent with it! It's just frustrating because I never had to work( as in keep up with every single note I put in my mouth) to maintain or lose weight!

In that case, I suggest logging consistently and eating more. You need to eat. Consistently under eating will affect your metabolism.