Not seeing much progress - need guidance!!

hdME
hdME Posts: 19
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been consistently working on clean eating for about 7 weeks now, and on MFP with exercise, etc... for about 2 1/2 weeks. I had not made much progress on the scale and I am just feeling a little frustrated and unmotivated.

How much of the number on the scale is determined by "muscle weighs more than fat"? Because the first weigh in I lost 2 lbs. and now I'm back to my start weight. :(

If I was under eating before I started MFP, is there a time that the body has to recover from not receiving enough calories before it begins to drop?

HOW DO YOU ALL STAY MOTIVATED EVEN WHEN YOU DON'T SEE PROGRESS?

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    you will need to open ur diary if you want any useful guidance.
  • vtmoon
    vtmoon Posts: 3,436 Member
    Stay motivated because maintaining my current weight is still better than the alternative of gaining.
  • slimfitnessmoms
    slimfitnessmoms Posts: 206 Member
    Hi there HDme! Send me a friend request. You can check out my diary to see what I eat! Ive been tracking since Feb or 2012.
    I agree that you need to open your diary for others to see too. It will help :)
  • Sojaided34
    Sojaided34 Posts: 113
    I haven't made any progress either. I lost about 5 lbs but that's it and then gained it all back. Right now doing P90X as I was told it's a great way to jump start weight loss. I gained another 2.5 lbs doing it. As for motivaton: I just stop thinking about it and just do it. Except today when the choices at 5am were to go to the gym or back to sleep and I chose sleep. :( Huge mistake on my part but hey every day is a new day to start over. Godd luck.
  • hdME
    hdME Posts: 19
    Sorry! I didn't know it was closed... it is now open!! Thanks for letting me know!
  • kimmiedunne
    kimmiedunne Posts: 82 Member
    It is very difficult to stay motivated when you don't see any results on the scale - but you have to remember that you are making yourself healthier! Every week (or day) you're not going to see results...some weeks you will stay the same (very frustrating if you've worked hard that week!), some weeks you will gain a bit (even more frustrating!) and some weeks you will lose only a little bit and other weeks you may lose 2-5 pounds depending. You're body has to readjust, especially if you've started a new routine (fitness and eating). It may take a little bit of time. Don't get frustrated or down on yourself and quit! It's well worth it. I've been doing this for 4 years and when I get really frustrated or have a bad day or week I pick up the phone and call either a close friend or family member who know's what I'm going through and can help me put it in perspective. Keep plugging. Hope this helps!
  • hdME
    hdME Posts: 19
    Sorry! I didn't know it was closed... it is now open!! Thanks for letting me know!
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    Maybe you need to increase your calories? It looks like you've set it at 1200 right? Have you figured out your BMR and TDEE are? If not, I suggest you check out helloitsdan and his Road Map 2.0-you can search it through the boards and find it that way
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    have you taken measurements? if not you should, as you can lose inches without losing pounds, especially if you have recently started exercising.
  • juhinr5690
    juhinr5690 Posts: 4
    hey I just took a quick look at your diary and I can offer a little advice :) this is how I do it personally and I've managed to lose about 1-2 pounds a week: I avoid carbs and sugars after 4. I also recommend eating more protein (fish, chicken) unless you are a vegeterian... I also recommend eat snacks in between your meals and cutting down your calories on lunch and dinner. I eat every 3 hours or so to keep my metabolism going/speed it up. But one thing is to realy cut down on the sugar and try to get your carbs and protein to equal out by the end of the day! I hope that helps :)
  • hdME
    hdME Posts: 19
    Hi there HDme! Send me a friend request. You can check out my diary to see what I eat! Ive been tracking since Feb or 2012.
    I agree that you need to open your diary for others to see too. It will help :)

    Thank You! I will take a look!
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
    If I was under eating before I started MFP, is there a time that the body has to recover from not receiving enough calories before it begins to drop?

    No, but I've looked at your diary and you could be over-eating now. Are you measuring your food with a food scale? Are you typing in your own recipes instead of using pre-existing ones? Are you verifying the food database reflects the product you're eating? And lastly, did you check your TDEE to make sure you're eating at a loss?

    Go to this website to find out what you should be eating based on your goal and activity level:
    http://www.calorieline.com/tools/tdee/
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    The scale is not just a measure of fat, but of the overall body. A big part of that weight is water, which is constantly fluctuating. Try not to worry about what the scale says over a week or two, but pay attention to the overall trend over a longer period of time. Weight loss is not linear, and you have probably just been unlucky and seen an upwards fluctuation in your second week. Fluctuations happen for lots of reasons, including eating more sodium than usual, eating more carbs than usual, increasing the intensity of exercise (especially when your muscles feel sore) and hormonal changes.

    It takes roughly 3,500 calories over your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure/"maintenance") to gain 1 lb, so I really doubt that you've gained 2 lbs of fat in a week.

    Just keep at it, eat at roughly your calorie goal and be patient. If you are relying on the MFP database to estimate calorie burn during exercise - just be aware that it can be quite inaccurate, so some people prefer to only eat a portion of those calories back in case they have been overestimated. Looking at your diary though, such an overestimation wouldn't account for a 2 lb gain.

    Stay motivated over the longer term by taking measurements of your body, and taking lots of photos. Although the changes may be slower than on the scale, they are more consistent and a more accurate reflection of fat loss. They definitely help when the scale isn't saying what you want it to.
  • hdME
    hdME Posts: 19
    hey I just took a quick look at your diary and I can offer a little advice :) this is how I do it personally and I've managed to lose about 1-2 pounds a week: I avoid carbs and sugars after 4. I also recommend eating more protein (fish, chicken) unless you are a vegeterian... I also recommend eat snacks in between your meals and cutting down your calories on lunch and dinner. I eat every 3 hours or so to keep my metabolism going/speed it up. But one thing is to realy cut down on the sugar and try to get your carbs and protein to equal out by the end of the day! I hope that helps :)

    Thank you for your help! It is hard with sugar because fruit has so much sugar. It seems like ANYTHING that I eat puts the sugar levels in the red...
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    hey I just took a quick look at your diary and I can offer a little advice :) this is how I do it personally and I've managed to lose about 1-2 pounds a week: I avoid carbs and sugars after 4. I also recommend eating more protein (fish, chicken) unless you are a vegeterian... I also recommend eat snacks in between your meals and cutting down your calories on lunch and dinner. I eat every 3 hours or so to keep my metabolism going/speed it up. But one thing is to realy cut down on the sugar and try to get your carbs and protein to equal out by the end of the day! I hope that helps :)
    Honestly, meal timing doesn't matter for weight loss. You don't have to eat carbs at a certain time, and eating small regular meals won't "speed up" your metabolism. I know this is well-intentioned advice, but it doesn't reflect current research.
  • hdME
    hdME Posts: 19
    This is very helpful! Thank You!
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    Ummm... I don't get it. That's you in the pic, right? What exactly are you trying to do? Not trying to be rude, here, but you don't look like you actually need to lose any weight. Hell, I'd kill to have your *kitten*. Just sayin'...
  • hdME
    hdME Posts: 19
    If I was under eating before I started MFP, is there a time that the body has to recover from not receiving enough calories before it begins to drop?

    No, but I've looked at your diary and you could be over-eating now.

    Is it better to be a little under and within "starvation mode" or a little over?
  • ewestsca
    ewestsca Posts: 63 Member
    I haven't seen a change on the scale in over two weeks. However when I took my mesurements I was down 2 inches in my waist. Just keep working towards your goal and don't give up.
  • mary659497
    mary659497 Posts: 484 Member
    I struggle with this each and every day. I just take it one day at a time. I have lost 9 lbs in 35 days which too me seems like forever. You can do this. Just think how you are going to feel when you reach your goal weight. Have a great day.
  • hdME
    hdME Posts: 19
    Ummm... I don't get it. That's you in the pic, right? What exactly are you trying to do? Not trying to be rude, here, but you don't look like you actually need to lose any weight. Hell, I'd kill to have your *kitten*. Just sayin'...

    LOL. Thank you - that is great encouragement! Yes, that is me, but I am trying to tone everything up. I was about 126 lbs. until I moved to a third world country and my diet change drastically, and now none of my clothes fit! It all looks fine under a baggy top, but definitely needs some help.
  • gdrmuzak
    gdrmuzak Posts: 103 Member
    It is my understanding that natural sugars (honey, fruit, etc.) can be converted easily to energy BUT refined sugar bypasses one of our organs, skips the energy conversion and gets stored as fat.

    I don't worry much about going over sugars IF it's coming from natural (vs. processed) foods. Also, I usually try to mix a protein snack with a carb/fruit snack (ie - almonds/peanuts/yogurt and a apple or banana).

    Lastly, I plateaued for three weeks and then things kicked off again BUT I did notice my clothes were fitting different. I expect those times and just keep going until another break through happens. Six years ago I worked out almost daily for 6-7 weeks and only lost 2-3 lbs in that time, then everything finally kicked in and I quickly dropped 1-2 lbs/week and lost more than 20 lbs. (Unfortunately, I found out where I'd lost those 20 pounds and discovered I'd hidden 35 more with them!) :noway:
  • opus649
    opus649 Posts: 633 Member
    How much of the number on the scale is determined by "muscle weighs more than fat"?

    Zero.
  • hdME
    hdME Posts: 19
    While we're at it... another question... I should probably make it another post, but...

    I live in a third-world country where it is very hot and I am sweating like all the time (attractive, I know) all day.

    If you are sweating a lot, but not necessarily raising your heart rate - does that effect the amount of nutrition that needs to be replaced into your body? Or just water?
  • BlackKat75
    BlackKat75 Posts: 210 Member
    When you measure your food, make sure you do it by weight and not volume. Nutrition labels often set out values assuming a certain volume equals a certain weight. I have found that routinely the volume amount understates the actual weight of the food eaten. For example, 1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats according to the label is 40g for 150 calories. However, when I measured out a 1/2 cup and weighed it, I had 51g for 191 calories. I have found a similar 20-30% discrepancy with nearly every food that gives measurements by both volume and weight.
  • Unknown
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  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
    hey I just took a quick look at your diary and I can offer a little advice :) this is how I do it personally and I've managed to lose about 1-2 pounds a week: I avoid carbs and sugars after 4. I also recommend eating more protein (fish, chicken) unless you are a vegeterian... I also recommend eat snacks in between your meals and cutting down your calories on lunch and dinner. I eat every 3 hours or so to keep my metabolism going/speed it up. But one thing is to realy cut down on the sugar and try to get your carbs and protein to equal out by the end of the day! I hope that helps :)

    Thank you for your help! It is hard with sugar because fruit has so much sugar. It seems like ANYTHING that I eat puts the sugar levels in the red...

    Sugar is the least of your concerns if you are controlling your overall carb intake. But as far as weight loss is concerned, unless your body doesn't handle glucose properly (you are insulin resistant or you have an intolerance to the foods containing carbs), then carbs shouldn't be a concern as long as you are burning them off by eating less than your TDEE.

    Weight loss is equal to eating less calories than you are burning. WHAT you are losing is the next concern. Are you losing fat? Or are you losing muscle? That depends on your protein intake.....
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    While we're at it... another question... I should probably make it another post, but...

    I live in a third-world country where it is very hot and I am sweating like all the time (attractive, I know) all day.

    If you are sweating a lot, but not necessarily raising your heart rate - does that effect the amount of nutrition that needs to be replaced into your body? Or just water?
    You also lose sodium and potassium in sweat.
  • mfp_1
    mfp_1 Posts: 516 Member
    Do you have a digital food scale?
  • hdME
    hdME Posts: 19
    Do you have a digital food scale?

    No. I've looked everywhere, but I will have to wait until I visit the US again to buy one. It looks like it it definitely needed, however.

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