ogod help me find what i'm doing wrong please LOL

amenok
amenok Posts: 116 Member
in Motivation and Support
Sup MFP members. I regret to give you all another one of these ‘Wry am I not losing any weight’ posts but I’m so confused!! D:

I’m 5’2’’ about 235lbs. I had started program at about 238lb back in mid August(started logging in Sept).

I have been almost a month into Power 90. I have been eating clean organic foods and working out at the gym for a month before power 90. As much as I enjoy weight lifting, I wanted to do more then just run on a treadmill/elliptical for cardio. So I decided to go into Power 90. It seemed like this program would be the perfect fit, and I am enjoying pushing myself to the limit. However, the only result I am getting is feeling ‘firm’, not losing weight and maybe 1 maybe 2 inches total.

Now before I posted this, I have trying everything I’ve been reading on these posts from people who are trying to figure out why they aren’t losing weight:

- I originally had the default 1200 from mfp, noticed I didn’t lose weight for about 2 weeks. So I followed the roads post, and upped my calorie range to 1500-1800.
- I track everything almost to an OCD level with measurements,BMI, and I plan the foods I eat 1-4 days in advance.
- Drink more water(6 is a attainable goal for me for now when 3 used to be a normal)
- Eat Clean/Take amazing grass supergreen drink to help get nutrition deficit.
- Break foods throughout day, and do not eat AT LEAST 3 hours before sleep
- Took a thyroid test, since my mom and sis have low thyroid and I do not have hypothyroid.
- Since I wasn’t getting any real results maybe I thought it was because I wasn’t active enough? I have been trying to do some dance aerobics(on cardio day of power 90) for 30+ minutes and trying to incorporate beginner’s pilates(str days of power 90) for 30+ minutes.


What do you think I should do to help lose the weight, that I am possibly missing?

Am I eating too many/little calories? I’m boggled, since I know I should be ‘happy’ that I’m doing so well, but disappointed that I’m missing something that could help me lose weight. If I only refer to my BMI and inches are dropping at about 1 inch a month pace. I must be doing something wrong?

I feel I’m putting a lot of effort (which I don’t mind!) especially in comparison to others I know, and somehow they have been losing weight lightyears faster than I have. tableflip.jpg

Thank you all for reading this though even if you have no idea like me too LOL
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Replies

  • soulfulsally
    soulfulsally Posts: 326
    I feel you on this! It's so frustrating to put in effort and not see results. I'm confused by what to do if this stall continues. The only thing I can suggest is maybe your body is one of those that loses fat in spurts? Like, for weeks you won't see a budge on the scale and then - whoosh! - several pounds come off at once.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Well, if you're feeling firm and you're losing inches, you're definitely doing something right. Keep at it a little longer and see what happens.

    What are you netting at the end of the day?
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
    The only thing about your diet that I can see is a lot of avocados. I know people will say that they are a healthy fat but they are still a lot of fat. Try just eating half and break up your huge lunch. Add flavor to your water. Increasing my water really really helped. For me and I started as your twin 5'2" 239# Water=Weight Loss and I do eat and drink in the evening.
    Good luck.:wink:
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    It's possible since you've started pretty intense exercise (compared to what your body was used to), it's still retaining water from the constant work on it. You haven't GAINED weight, which is key--if your measurements are getting smaller, you may have to be more patient for the number on the scale to change (don't worry, it'll go down). Your diary seems pretty good--you could try carb cycling, calorie cycling, etc... but overall, it may just be the sudden "going hard and fast." You're losing weight slower than others might because you didn't go down to 1200 and get the typical losing muscle first. You'll look better as you go, though.

    EDIT: By the way, your fats aren't bad. Don't listen to the "omg don't eat avocados!" Calories in vs. calories out.
  • vfnmoody
    vfnmoody Posts: 271 Member
    :bigsmile:
  • JohnMessmer
    JohnMessmer Posts: 536
    That 1200 figure makes me shake my head every time I see it. With your BMR at over 1800 why would you think you need to be on a 1200 calorie plan? Anyway, you can do two things that I see: 1) Continue to consume fewer calories and exercise more and more until you give up completely because you are not getting positive results, which then you will gain weight and be even more upset or 2) Increase your daily goal to an adequate setting and ensure that you are netting those calories after exercise (or slightly under them) and in two weeks when those three little numbers on your scale drop think "Son of a ..... it works". Your Choice.




    Do Something and Enjoy it Tomorrow, Do Nothing and Regret it Tomorrow. Your Future is up to You!
  • amenok
    amenok Posts: 116 Member
    I feel you on this! It's so frustrating to put in effort and not see results. I'm confused by what to do if this stall continues. The only thing I can suggest is maybe your body is one of those that loses fat in spurts? Like, for weeks you won't see a budge on the scale and then - whoosh! - several pounds come off at once.

    @Soulfulsally: Hmm I think maybe perhaps I lose my weight in spurts like you said. It’s good to see I’m not alone in this predicament
    It's possible since you've started pretty intense exercise (compared to what your body was used to), it's still retaining water from the constant work on it. You haven't GAINED weight, which is key--if your measurements are getting smaller, you may have to be more patient for the number on the scale to change (don't worry, it'll go down). Your diary seems pretty good--you could try carb cycling, calorie cycling, etc... but overall, it may just be the sudden "going hard and fast." You're losing weight slower than others might because you didn't go down to 1200 and get the typical losing muscle first. You'll look better as you go, though.

    @firstsip: I guess I’m being led to believe it can be under stress mode adjusting, and the whole not going 1200 calorie routine making slower results. I guess I should just have some more faith that the weight goes down soon. =) Thanks


    I am currently netting about 1500-1800 a day. Sometimes a littleee more or less. I can't fathom eating less since I already feel i'm eating low enough as it is for my weight (235lb, 5'2'', 27 years old)

    As for the whole avocado thing..-I love them!! They seem to have so much good for you too, and I feel it’s a waste of food to only eat ½ and inevitably I have to eat it by the end of the day. =p My sibling just suggested I can try to look for guacamole w/o crazy sodium so I wouldn’t need AS much so I’ll try to look into that

    Thank you all for your support and advice, I appreciate it. I am thinking of perhaps looking into lowering my carbs a bit to around 140, and trying to include meat(protein) into my diet as per suggestion. This and patience is all I gotta rely on I guess haha

    .
  • Julicat6
    Julicat6 Posts: 231 Member
    Your food diary looks good to me. My best guess is your body is in shock and the pounds will start to drop very soon. I have trouble finding my body's "sweet spot" with the right caloric intake to burn for the lbs to drop. I started at 250+ with WW Feb 2011 and switched to MFP this September. It's slow and I get frustrated. Have you done measurements? It helps when I look at that changing because then I know its happening, even if the scale is being difficult. I love my supergreen smoothies with almond milk too.
    Friend me if you want.
  • kit_katty
    kit_katty Posts: 992 Member
    Just having a quick look at your diary, I'd say you're not eating enough. Your calories over the last few days have been at about 1600 but you've exercised say 600, which means NET 1000! Waaay too low. You should definitely eat your exercise calories back! And try and get 1800 before that! That's what I would suggest.

    Oh and on a side note, dont' wrory about WHEN you stop eating in the evenings, it doesn't actually matter.

    Good luck!
  • Krizzle4Rizzle
    Krizzle4Rizzle Posts: 2,704 Member
    Save
  • KeepGoingRhonda
    KeepGoingRhonda Posts: 527 Member
    Bump..wanna come back to this. I have been stuck for 10 months!
  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
    Ditch the SCALE!!!
    Take progress photos. Take measurements.

    I've been 150 pounds a size zero, double biceps, 6 pack and could do 20 pullups.

    I'm still 150 pounds, and none of the above, and barely fitting into a size 8.

    I'd much rather be the 6 pack double bicep 150 pounds!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    How long have you been at a calorie deficit and not lost weight?
  • TaraMiley
    TaraMiley Posts: 11 Member
    Have you ever been checked for Insulin Resistance? I recently found out I am insulin resistant, it makes it extremely difficult to lose weight (I am an avid runner and was a vegetarian), once I got on a regimen to deal with this situation the weight has started coming off again. Just a thought.
  • chayleah
    chayleah Posts: 51 Member
    I lose weight in chunks. It will be nothing for 2-4 weeks and then 2-3 lbs in a few days. I have done a few 5k obstacle races recently and when I take a few days off from exercise to rest up for the race I drop lbs. I think the excess water from exercise can mask the fat loss taking place.
  • angelalf1979
    angelalf1979 Posts: 244 Member
    Pictures, pictures, pictures!

    EDIT: And by that I mean that is usually better proof than a scale. If you are building muscle you would gain weight. If you're losing fat at the same time, your weight wont budge very much. Remember muscle takes up less room on your body than the same weight in fat.

    *Sidenote... the lady that thinks you are eating too much in avocados is the same lady that believes nuts are bad for you bc of the fat content. She doesn't understand that fat doesn't make you fat. Don't listen to her.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    The only thing about your diet that I can see is a lot of avocados. I know people will say that they are a healthy fat but they are still a lot of fat. Try just eating half and break up your huge lunch. Add flavor to your water. Increasing my water really really helped. For me and I started as your twin 5'2" 239# Water=Weight Loss and I do eat and drink in the evening.
    Good luck.:wink:

    The notion of only fat creating fat has been disproven. As long as one stays within their calories and is honest about portions, avocadoes will absolutely NOT hinder weight loss. I eat them all the time, I'm losing weight, and I'm healthier than ever.
  • VanessaGS
    VanessaGS Posts: 514 Member
    I heard a lot of Soy keeps you from losing weight so watch out for that. Try drinking green tea and adding Cayenne pepper to your meals when possible. Those are good fat burners.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    I feel you on this! It's so frustrating to put in effort and not see results. I'm confused by what to do if this stall continues. The only thing I can suggest is maybe your body is one of those that loses fat in spurts? Like, for weeks you won't see a budge on the scale and then - whoosh! - several pounds come off at once.

    @Soulfulsally: Hmm I think maybe perhaps I lose my weight in spurts like you said. It’s good to see I’m not alone in this predicament
    It's possible since you've started pretty intense exercise (compared to what your body was used to), it's still retaining water from the constant work on it. You haven't GAINED weight, which is key--if your measurements are getting smaller, you may have to be more patient for the number on the scale to change (don't worry, it'll go down). Your diary seems pretty good--you could try carb cycling, calorie cycling, etc... but overall, it may just be the sudden "going hard and fast." You're losing weight slower than others might because you didn't go down to 1200 and get the typical losing muscle first. You'll look better as you go, though.

    @firstsip: I guess I’m being led to believe it can be under stress mode adjusting, and the whole not going 1200 calorie routine making slower results. I guess I should just have some more faith that the weight goes down soon. =) Thanks


    I am currently netting about 1500-1800 a day. Sometimes a littleee more or less. I can't fathom eating less since I already feel i'm eating low enough as it is for my weight (235lb, 5'2'', 27 years old)

    As for the whole avocado thing..-I love them!! They seem to have so much good for you too, and I feel it’s a waste of food to only eat ½ and inevitably I have to eat it by the end of the day. =p My sibling just suggested I can try to look for guacamole w/o crazy sodium so I wouldn’t need AS much so I’ll try to look into that

    Thank you all for your support and advice, I appreciate it. I am thinking of perhaps looking into lowering my carbs a bit to around 140, and trying to include meat(protein) into my diet as per suggestion. This and patience is all I gotta rely on I guess haha

    .

    No, please don't give up avocados for store-bought processed guacamole... but you could make your own guacamole. The advice to limit avocadoes because of their fat is incorrect. As long as you are honest about portions and are careful with the database then it's not the avocados! (The database has some VERY wrong calorie counts for some foods, look at a number of entries and look online, then try to pick the most accurate one to add to your diary.)

    Edit: just checked your food diary. PLEASE keep eating the avocados because your fat goal is already too low imo. Feel free to have a look at my food diary if you would like; you might find it surprising when you look at the macros. I am losing at least one pound or more every single week, with or without exercise. If I eat grains (aka cereals etc) and reduce fat, I can't lose weight either. In fact, I would just keep fighting cravings, binge, and keep right on getting fatter.
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
    You're seeing changes that you can measure which is fabulous! You're doing many things right! In my experience I do best with slightly more protein at my meals than carbs in general. Also, you don't want to hear this but... More water! Then give yourself time. Eat foods you like, track everything here and continue to increase your activity. Good luck!
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    Is that 1500-1800 net? Or total? That makes a big difference.

    You are working out hard and it's probably very hard to estimate a calorie burn. Take your workouts down a notch. Get used to eating on a calorie deficit without intense workouts, then build your workouts in and experiment with how many calories to eat back. That's my $0.02
  • CLShrader2
    CLShrader2 Posts: 46 Member
    I was almost identical to you in Jan. I was 5'2" 237.5 lbs. I've lost 46 lbs, but am on hold with my 2nd pregnancy. Try changing your Macros to 40% Carbs, 30% Fat, 30% Protein. Also try to lean towards lean protein, but try to keep from having so much soy in your diet. I see a lot of soy protein and pb, but what about some chicken or salmon? I would also suggest increasing your water to 8 glasses a day minimum! It helped me so much! I noticed that you eat a lot of the same things everyday with just a few changes. Your body needs some diversity. Try mixing up meals, especially your breakfast. Try having an egg, fruit salad, pb toast, egg white omelet,etc.


    Don't forget that muscle weighs more than fat!! You're doing great with your exercise, but you're building a lot of muscle and that is replacing the fat you've lost. Keep up with your measurements and you'll see a big drop on the scale soon enough.
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    If you are doing a lot of strength training, it's possible to gain up to 10 pounds. The nutritionist told me that the muscles will require a fair amount of fluids to repair them selves. So, it's possible that you lost fat, and put it in the muscle tissue.

    I would also take measurement, these will help you see if anything is actually happening.

    Then make sure you get a food scale, you'll be amazed at how small the portions get when you only have 4 oz.

    If you are not doing cardio, I would make sure that you get some heart pumping exercise in addition to strength training. It's good to use a heart rate monitor for that to get a more constant reading (though it's and estimate too).

    In the end, you need a deficit to lose weight. You are probably burning a few hundred calories per half hour of cardio. That's like one cookie - it's really about the food.
  • liftingheavy
    liftingheavy Posts: 551 Member
    Ditch the SCALE!!!
    Take progress photos. Take measurements.

    I've been 150 pounds a size zero, double biceps, 6 pack and could do 20 pullups.

    I'm still 150 pounds, and none of the above, and barely fitting into a size 8.

    I'd much rather be the 6 pack double bicep 150 pounds!

    Right On!!!
  • Katbody10
    Katbody10 Posts: 369 Member
    I suggest cutting out half your avocado a day .. drinking a little more water .. and reduce or skip your post workout meals/drinks. I agree you shouldn't starve yourself on 1200 calories a day .. however, I think you should shoot for 1500 calories a day .. and don't eat back the calories you burned .. or at least .. don't eat back more than half of those.

    Also .. you should try to reduce your sodium a little more.. for instance .. buy dried black beans and cook them yourself rather than buying the Goya brand 15.5 oz can. You can cook them up yourself with less salt than anything that is canned or processed or prepackaged. We all need sodium .. however a lot of sodium retains a lot of water.

    Your muscles require water to repair themselves and flush out the toxins from working out. More water will flush your muscles, wash out the sodium and actually cause you to NOT retain water

    Good Luck! :flowerforyou:
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    Bump..wanna come back to this. I have been stuck for 10 months!

    A quick look at your food diary (by no means comprehensive advice here) shows a lot of quick added calories, which may be a problem for you - it's often a place where people misestimate, or unhealthy levels of sodium sneak in. If you eat a food not in the food diary, try googling it for an approximation if you can.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    takes six to eight weeks into a weights regimen before your body is adjusted enough to be able to shrink from it and not just be constantly healing and repairing. Those things cause little bits of swelling and bloating and stuff.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
    To the OP, well done you for wanting to get yourself to a healthy weight! xx

    But if you have only lost 3 lbs since August to October then you are not being true to yourself in your diary, I say(type) this to you in a really nice frirendly way, so please do not think I am being nasty to you OK?

    If you were keeping to your diary that you have on here then you would have lost more weight :-)

    Please, please, please don`t take my comments in the wrong way, but you have to look at your diary again and not `guess` at stuff you are eating.

    I promise you will lose weight if you are totally honest xx
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    I suggest cutting out half your avocado a day .. drinking a little more water .. and reduce or skip your post workout meals/drinks. I agree you shouldn't starve yourself on 1200 calories a day .. however, I think you should shoot for 1500 calories a day .. and don't eat back the calories you burned .. or at least .. don't eat back more than half of those.

    I also suggest skipping this part- you need that avocado (the whole thing) to fix your muscles. YOU NEED THAT FOOD. NEED. And if youre burning more than 500 cals a day - try 16-1800 calories.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    Sounds like you're doing great, just need to add a little patience. :heart:

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