Slowest weight loss EVER

Options
samanthasimps0n
samanthasimps0n Posts: 88 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi Guys!! I have been tracking my food intake and fitness since November 2012 and have lost a total of 5 pounds. At one point I had lost 7 pounds but gained 2lbs due to some setbacks. Therefore, it has been a total of almost 4 months, and my average weight loss is 1 pound per month. I am eating 1450 calories a day and working out 5 days a week. I typically burn between 250-400 each workout except for my long runs on Sunday where I burn around 800 calories. I want to lose about 13-15 more but feel as if it’s going to take the rest of the year!! I’ve already increased my calories from 1200/day to 1450/day after receiving some advice but can anyone give me some more advice on how to speed up the weight loss? Thank you! :)
«1

Replies

  • amdarosa619
    amdarosa619 Posts: 98 Member
    Options
    I feel the same way!! It's exhausting to keep on top of exercise, staying within your calorie limits, and not seeing results!! It makes it really hard to stay motivated.

    I'm not sure what the content of your calories are, but maybe look at that. 100 calories from a breakfast bar are a lot different than 100 calories from almonds or greek yogurt.

    As for myself, Im currently trying to avoid white starches and whole milk dairy, and excess alcohol to see if that will make a difference. I also increased my protein intake by introducing a whey protein isolate powder that I drink either after my workouts, or in the morning if I dont have time to make breakfast.

    Looks like you and I are in the same boat. I've been logging off and on for almost a year and seem to flucuate within the same 5 pounds. Add me, and we can help each other!
  • moosegt35
    moosegt35 Posts: 1,296 Member
    Options
    1 pound per month lost is better than 1 pound per month gained. Weight comes off at different speeds for different people and slower when you have less to lose. You didn't gain your excess weight in 4 months so it will be hard to lose it in that time. Also, pounds don't always tell the story. I was stuck at 280 for over a month but dropped 2 belt loops in that time. Check your body fat % and if you don't already try adding in some days of heavy weight lifting. You won't get bulky like a lot of females think they will if they lift and what muscle you do gain will make you look better as well as burn more calories and fat to maintian. So far I have lost 47 pounds and it's taken a year and 2 months. Last time I lost weight I lost 50 in 3 months and ended up gaining it all back plus 30 more. This time I am doing it right and it is going to stay off.
  • ChangingAmanda
    ChangingAmanda Posts: 486 Member
    Options
    Don't go by the scale alone, Take measurements and notice how your clothes are feeling. The closer you are to a normal weight, the slower your loss will be. Also, even tho you've already increased your calories once, you still may not be eating enough especially given your activity level. Check out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 to calculate BMR and TDEE. Also, if not already doing it, add weight training.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Options
    Set MFP to maintenance for two weeks. After that, set it to lose 1 lb. per week and eat back your exercise calories.

    Make sure you are logging both your food and drinks and you workouts properly.
  • marjoleina
    marjoleina Posts: 189 Member
    Options
    We must be related! 4 pounds since July of 2012. I added weight training, dropped cardio to 2x a week and set my goal to lose 1/2 a pounda week, am eating at my TDEE -20%, (IPOARM).
    I agree with a poster here though who wrote, better to lose a pound a month than gain one a month. I think it is super frustrating, but yesterday I zipped a jacket I could not wear 6 months ago....
    Onward!
  • nrf111
    nrf111 Posts: 23 Member
    Options
    I was having the same problem. I recently kept the same calorie level but changed the foods I was eating. I cut out as many processed foods as I could, including white flour, rice and cereal, as much sugar and artificial sugar as I could, and switched my fruit to more veggies in order to cut out some of the natural sugar intake as well. It kick started something and I started dropping weight like crazy.

    Maybe you can try switching some of the foods in your diet for a while and see it is a particular type of food slowing your metabolism. It worked for me.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    Options
    You've lost 5lbs out of a total 19lb weight loss goal in three months? That's not slow... at all.

    Trying to lose less than 20 lbs would be an ideal of losing .5 pounds a week. You've been doing that. Plus, weight loss is not linear, so many people can do everything "correctly," and go weeks without losing weight.

    I think the first step would be to not reaffirm the mindset that your weight loss is slow. You're doing fine, and a loss is a loss.

    Second, give your body time to readjust to upped calories. It's good you did that, but 1450 sounds like a BMR--make sure you're at least NETTING that.

    Third: measure, measure, measure. The number of the scale is not nearly as helpful as taking a soft tape measure and checking body measurements (everywhere, too: people sometimes only check hips, waist, bust... but there's your wrist, calves, thighs, forearms, upper arms, NECK, underbust, overbust... so many places you could be losing inches but not seeing that progress on the scale).
  • skhorakiwala
    skhorakiwala Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    You might not be losing body weight, but your fat percentage would definitely have come down. Do a proper BMI test, as long as your losing your inches, its actually a good thing that your lean body weight remains at a higher level.. The ratio of fat:lean mass should be as low as possible..
    Also like some one mentioned before, check what you're eating, you might be consuming only 1450 but what you consume is also important, reduce the fat% and carb% to the bare minimum and increase proteins.
    A good way to reduce is also increasing metabolism, so trying have non-calorie food items that boost your body metabolism like green tea, tulsi, ginger etc.
    Hope that helps. :) TC
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
    Options
    Took me two years to lose 15 lbs.


    Could be worse.
  • nattreid
    nattreid Posts: 1
    Options
    Have you paid attention to your carb amounts? I'm trying to drop 15 pounds in a three month period. A health fitness trainer advised that I don't eat more than 30 carbs in a meal. She advised me to avoid pasta, potatoes, bananas and orange juice. I'm shocked at how much carbs are in the foods that I thought were healthy . Once I started doing thisI've had better results. Good luck to you!
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
    Options
    It's taken me over two years to lose 24 pounds, and I still have like 60 or more to go... so I'd say 1] you are not experiencing the slowest weight loss, and 2] your progress actually seems reasonable.
  • arnfolly
    arnfolly Posts: 79 Member
    Options
    it is the healthiest kind of weight loss even though emotionally it is difficult. I have been losing weight now for 2 1/2 years. I have lost a total of 105. My original goal was 125# to lose, so I am still trying. That being said, I look good now, i have muscle tone, my hair is healthy, I am not grumpy or stressed or losing sleep and my skin has good tone (which when you lose a lot matters). So, when I get on teh scale and see it hasn't moved? I remember my goal was to be healthy and if that happens WHILE I SLOWLY lose weight, thenI will get there and tell myself to be patient. :)
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
    Options
    Have you paid attention to your carb amounts? I'm trying to drop 15 pounds in a three month period. A health fitness trainer advised that I don't eat more than 30 carbs in a meal. She advised me to avoid pasta, potatoes, bananas and orange juice. I'm shocked at how much carbs are in the foods that I thought were healthy . Once I started doing thisI've had better results. Good luck to you!

    You know those foods are still healthy right?... or at least, not inherently unhealthy... A lot of the reason 'carb restriction' works is because foods with more carbs also tend to have more calories. You could probably achieve similar results just by counting calories within your macronutrient needs.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    Options
    Have you paid attention to your carb amounts? I'm trying to drop 15 pounds in a three month period. A health fitness trainer advised that I don't eat more than 30 carbs in a meal. She advised me to avoid pasta, potatoes, bananas and orange juice. I'm shocked at how much carbs are in the foods that I thought were healthy . Once I started doing thisI've had better results. Good luck to you!

    You know those foods are still healthy right?... or at least, not inherently unhealthy... A lot of the reason 'carb restriction' works is because foods with more carbs also tend to have more calories. You could probably achieve similar results just by counting calories within your macronutrient needs.

    This. Sounds like "tracking carbs" came with "tracking calories" here if there was a "though of things being healthy" but an unawareness of calories or macros in said food.
  • baudergirl81
    baudergirl81 Posts: 3
    Options
    Hello Samantha,
    Do you chart your body measurements? It sounds like you're working out quit a bit. Though the scale may not show a difference, the tape measure just might. It sounds like you're building muscle mass. Muscle weighs more than fat and you're probably losing inches.
    Think more for health and not looks!
  • krickeyuu
    krickeyuu Posts: 344 Member
    Options
    It took me about 10 months to lose 21 lbs eating about 1500 calories a day but I was sane and happy with that many calories. I am now maintaining at 132 lbs--my goal was 130 but I am not dropping my calories any lower than 1500 so 132 it will be. I have noticed that since October I have not lost any weight but I have lost 1/2 inch in my bust and waist and I can see that my belly fat has diminshed a bit more. This is the healthy and lasting way to lose weight.
  • lesmurph817
    lesmurph817 Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    I just saw this post and am glad I am not alone. I am so frustrated. I lost 90 lbs 4 yrs ago with WW and have kept off all but 30. I lost 12 pounds last year but have put them back on and now they will not come off. I track every bite that goes in my mouth and work out 4-5 days a week burning a minimum of 400-500 calories per work out. According to MFP even on the rare day that I do go over my calories for the day I should still be losing. It's not happening. I have been back to tracking and exercise for 2 months now. I lost 5lbs and then one bad weekend of eating it was back (that's not normal...didn't eat that horribly!!) and now I am only down 2 of those 5 after 4 wks!

    Tried cutting back on carbs, you name it, I've tried it. Mix up the work out etc!

    So depressed. I have been to the doctor and had everything checked. Everything is normal. Incredibly discouraged!
    I am starting to think that this is it and this is where I am meant to be weight wise which is not at all where I want to be!
  • sa11yjane
    sa11yjane Posts: 491 Member
    Options
    bump
  • DaniH826
    DaniH826 Posts: 1,335 Member
    Options
    sane and happy

    ^^ !!!!!!!!!!

    I'll choose slow, sane and happy over fast, crazy and cranky any time.

    Cause sane and happy I can actually sustain for the next 40 years. Crazy and cranky, not so much. :smile:
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Options
    I just saw this post and am glad I am not alone. I am so frustrated. I lost 90 lbs 4 yrs ago with WW and have kept off all but 30. I lost 12 pounds last year but have put them back on and now they will not come off. I track every bite that goes in my mouth and work out 4-5 days a week burning a minimum of 400-500 calories per work out. According to MFP even on the rare day that I do go over my calories for the day I should still be losing. It's not happening. I have been back to tracking and exercise for 2 months now. I lost 5lbs and then one bad weekend of eating it was back (that's not normal...didn't eat that horribly!!) and now I am only down 2 of those 5 after 4 wks!

    Tried cutting back on carbs, you name it, I've tried it. Mix up the work out etc!

    So depressed. I have been to the doctor and had everything checked. Everything is normal. Incredibly discouraged!
    I am starting to think that this is it and this is where I am meant to be weight wise which is not at all where I want to be!

    In two months, you should not have mixed things up that much. Choose something to try, and stick with that for 4-6 weeks before you judge the results. Maybe don't even step on the scale during that time.

    Do your workouts include strength training? Even if you don't have access to a weight room, you can get some high quality resistance bands, preferably a system that will let you have some flexibility, rather than the ones with built in handles.

Categories