2 months in at MFP and no weight loss

sonia2003 · February 2010

Hi everyone,

I have about 20 pounds to lose, and I have been working it at since August 09 and then really starting hard again in Jan 2010. I have been consistent with my exercise, but find that atleast once a week I have a splurge day and go over my calories so maybe I need to keep that in check. I gained about 25 pounds in the first year of marriage and am hoping to lose at least some of this before my 2nd anniversary! I am glad that others understand this and its not just me, but then again, not happy to see that others are also struggling.

Since I was new to this site, I really took faith in the 5 week number! But as you have all said, that is just a mathematical guess but it does get discouraging when you think you *can* reach a goal and then 5 weeks later you are still at the same weight. My usual meals consist of: yogurt + apple or Special K for breakfast. Turkey sandwich on whole grain or Special K for lunch (if I didnt have it for breakfast) plus a side of salad and Dinner is my not to good meal or either fish fillets or homemade burger or homemade Chilli.

I work out 30 mins at the gym on my lunch break (thats all the time I have) and go for a 45 mins walk + 15 min run in the evening after dinner about 5x a week. Plsu about 2 bottles of 1.5 litre water a day about 4 to 6 glasses.

Is there anywhere someone can see where I can make some adjustments that will help move the scale? Any suggestions or feedback are appreciated!

Thx so much!

feeny · February 2010

how many cals are you eating? I'm guessing your problem is you probably need to eat more. Including your exercise calories. Anything less than 1200 a day will make your body go into starvation mode and hold onto the fat.

epoeraven · February 2010

I agree with Feeny!!!! I am at 1390 calories per day and if I skimp on eating back my exercise calories it seems that it actually slows down my progress.

carrieberrie · February 2010

Agreed

sonia2003 · February 2010

Wow thanks for the fast responses! I eat anywhere from 1200 to 1400 hundred cals / day. So does eveyone eat back the caloies burned in exercise??? I dont usually do that. If I eat 1200 cals, and burn 400 from calories I usually dont eat up the 400 again. I have a desk/office job and sit for 8 hours a day so I try and workout at the end of the day and it is usually too late at that point to eat a snack! MFP has my estimated daily cals at 1200 so I stick to that usually.

I am kind of scared to up my calories as I dont want to gain more. I

brandyleininger · February 2010

For me, I eat a bigger breakfast and lunch and then a smaller (or more "in check") dinner. Having the bigger meals during the day when I'm always active and know it won't sit in my belly at night like a bigger/not so healthy last meal of the day. Also, I need to keep my dinners exciting so that I don't have to deal with the after dinner urge to snack and to make sure it will hold me through the night. I was having trouble until I got Better Homes & Garden Eat Well, Lose Weight cook book. These recipes are so delicious and so healthy (just watch your portion control to be honest with your calories), but I NEVER walk away from these meals unsatisfied or hungry. Plus, then I always have these healthy leftovers for lunch the next day...makes my life so much easier with a 15-month-old to care for too.

tomsamways · February 2010

That 1200 calorie staravation mode figure is not a set figure for everyone. Like most everything else, the numbers are based on your personal size. Some people who work inactive jobs and are very small may only require that many calories to live based on their BMR. The inability to lose the weight maybe related to ones metabolic level.
Advice to eat more food is never something that should be taken seriously, because it can be misinterpreted. If you feel that your effort is not reflected in your results, then maybe a trip to check out your metabolism could benefit you. It could be that the workouts that you do are not speeding up your metabolism enough to burn the calories that you are consuming. It COULD be a reason why.

feeny · February 2010

you need to also eat the exercise calories. if you're eating 1200 and burning 400 then you're only eating 800 cals/day. Trust me if you eat more you will start to lose.

skinnyshirt · February 2010

Wow, this sounds so familiar. I was at this for 5 weeks and one week I would gain and the next week lose just to even out. I thought about eating my exercise calories but just wasn't sure. This past week I just gave up. I know I need to get back into it because I was feeling alot better about myself when I worked out. I hope it all works out for you.

haileyco · February 2010

Based on your typical daily diet, I would say eat more fruits and veggies! And you definitly need to drink more water, keeps you from retaining water (makes no sense to me, ha!). I also have found that eating every 2.5-3 hours helps me. I eat a good breakfast, usually fruit and yogurt. Then I have a mid morning snack, like a bar or fruit. I will then have lunch and that is my biggest meal of the day (most cals). I will then have an afternoon snack like celery and organic peanut butter or cheese and apple. Then I eat dinner, something light usually. That will keep your metabolism going all day. I also thinks it's good to eat at least half of your exercise calories back. My weight loss has been slow, but I am down 10 pounds. Those things have worked for me. Hope this helps!! Keep working at it!

feeny · February 2010

That 1200 calorie staravation mode figure is not a set figure for everyone. Like most everything else, the numbers are based on your personal size. Some people who work inactive jobs and are very small may only require that many calories to live based on their BMR. The inability to lose the weight maybe related to ones metabolic level.
Advice to eat more food is never something that should be taken seriously, because it can be misinterpreted. If you feel that your effort is not reflected in your results, then maybe a trip to check out your metabolism could benefit you. It could be that the workouts that you do are not speeding up your metabolism enough to burn the calories that you are consuming. It COULD be a reason why.

well of course 1200 isn't 'set for everyone' but mfp bases your calories off your weight height and activity level. If you want to get a super accurate reading then you can go to the doctor but it probably isn't going to be drastically different.

this question gets asked here on a daily basis and 9 times out of 10 it is because the person isn't eating enough. Telling someone who's already only consuming 800 cals a day after exercise to exercise even more, and not eat more, is terrible advice.

marzenka012192 · February 2010

to me personally, not eating back what i lost during exercise helps. i eat about 600, 700 calories a day and burn off 800. and trust me, i am seeing amazing results! i don't gain anything back unless i pig out all day, and my average weight loss is about 5 lbs a week, if not more.
i know this may not be so healthy, but hey..im not starving, i eat until im satisfied..and sometimes i don't even eat too healthy.
i think everyone is different and you just need to try out different things until you find something that works.

nfacchini · February 2010

Totally agree with Feeny. You need to eat more. How are you fueling your muscles after all that working out? Have you read Tosca Reno's Eat Clean book? She talks a lot about eating more to lose weight. Just a thought.

sonia2003 · February 2010

I have just today posted in the forums and I am so thankful for all your responses. I will try and eat more, and like othes, I am still scared because I dont want to gain more. I have always not eaten many calories about 1200/day and I never had a weight issue until this past year. I did get my blood test and thriod checks done and it was all normal. I have usually been about 120 pounds and was healthy at that weight, I am now 145 pounds, I lost about 5 pounds using a sureslim diet plan for 1 month but that was brutal. it was 3 meals a day and i could not eat that little! I now eat about 3 meals a day + 1 healthy snack.

amberdm · February 2010

watch your carbs, they like to keep you from loosing and most convient "healthy" food is LOADED with carbs, eat more protien too

ddss37 · February 2010

MFP lets you track multiple things - please check your sodium and potassium levels. These work together to retain and release water. From my understanding - you need 1600-2500 mg of sodium and 2500-4700 mg of potassium. You can google for more information.

godblessourhome · February 2010

no advice, just wanted to say i can empathize. good luck!
dawn

carrieberrie · February 2010

I'm with you, I sit at a desk for 8 hours a day and I dont eat my exercise calories. Just do what works for you. If I go over 1300 calories I dont lose anything, in the beggining of MFP I ate my exercise calories and lost nothing, I cut them out now I am 22 lbs less

sonia2003 · February 2010

Thanks everyone and carriebean! I feel that way too. I will just maybe eat some more fruits or protein and keep at it! If I eat the exercise calories, it doesnt make sense to me because I just feel like...I worked so hard to burn 600 cals and now to eat 600 cals in food doesnt seem right. I would rather not eat the extra cals and not workout then!!

Thanks for all the advice. maybe i will try another few weeks at this, and change up my exercise. If not...I will try the eating more.....although I am sccared to .

sportsqueen32 · February 2010

Sonia try eating just 1/4 of the calories back. Even a whole grain english muffin with 2TB of reduced fat peanut butter is only around 260 calories, but you are getting the protein and whole grain. That right there is almost 1/2 of your exercise calories. You might also want to consider getting a heart rate monitor this way you can closely monitor when your in your zone to burn the calories and it will give you more accurate results. People at different heights and weights burn calories differently, so using the database or relying on what the machines tell you may not be what you actually burn. Hope this helps, if even a little.

bebhinn · February 2010

Thanks everyone and carriebean! I feel that way too. I will just maybe eat some more fruits or protein and keep at it! If I eat the exercise calories, it doesnt make sense to me because I just feel like...I worked so hard to burn 600 cals and now to eat 600 cals in food doesnt seem right. I would rather not eat the extra cals and not workout then!!

Thanks for all the advice. maybe i will try another few weeks at this, and change up my exercise. If not...I will try the eating more.....although I am sccared to .

I read that you eat HALF your exercies calories, not all.

sonia2003 · February 2010

\thanks everyone. I have never eaten more then 1000 calories in the last few years when i was at my goal weigh but I will try something differente and see if it works! thank you all for your input!

Supermel · February 2010

rollercoasting your calorie intake can help keep your metabolism rocking too. Eat all your calories one day, then not the next, 1/2 another etc.. Good luck!

dogmeat · February 2010

Despite surprising amount of answers suggesting you shouldn't eat your exercise calories, you definitely should. Not doing so is a never ending cycle to lower and lower calorie totals, which might help you in the short run but eventually leads to a situation where you cannot cut down anymore without getting the fun side effects of malnutrition. Adverse health effects and other blah blah boring stuff aside, you WILL NOT succeed in a long-term weight loss/maintenance with this method. Period.

Yes, drastic calorie cutting and not eating away your exercise calories gives you quicker weight loss (for a while). At the same time, you've entered into a battle against your body that you cannot win.

Eat enough and keep your metabolism going at the rate it's supposed to work. No need to make this any harder for you than it has to be.

teri00 · February 2010

I don't know what you are doing for exercise, but you should really incorporate strength training in your workouts, it will help you burn more calories.

BamaRose0107 · February 2010

to me personally, not eating back what i lost during exercise helps. i eat about 600, 700 calories a day and burn off 800. and trust me, i am seeing amazing results! i don't gain anything back unless i pig out all day, and my average weight loss is about 5 lbs a week, if not more.
i know this may not be so healthy, but hey..im not starving, i eat until im satisfied..and sometimes i don't even eat too healthy.
i think everyone is different and you just need to try out different things until you find something that works.

Wait if you eat 700 calories in a day then burn off 800 your net calories for the day is in the negative! You are right this is not healthy. Your body can not survive for a long period of time like this. The body and its vital organs need food (fuel) to function properly. Also this way you are burning just fat but anything else your body can feed on including muscle. you might be losing now but it is not worth it if you damage your body in long the run.

kjs1628 · February 2010

If you don't exercise you can still lose weight - but you'll be skinny and flappy!!! Who wants that?

Do your 600 cal exercise and then eat them (or most of them) back - skinny and toned! Nice!!!

2 months in at MFP and no weight loss

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