Why am I not losing any weight?

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Replies

  • SeeStephRunBlog
    SeeStephRunBlog Posts: 38
    Given the amount of calories you are burning, plus your weight and height- you are not eating enough. You've actually lost a decent amount of weight but you won't be able to keep this off long term because you are not taking in enough fuel.

    There are a lot of competing views on this site- personally, I find a lot of them extremely unhealthy.

    You need to do some research and figure out a goal weight and figure out your calorie based on your activity level. I am 5' and weighed around 120 when I started my "new" calorie number in december. MFP had told me I needed to eat 1200 calories. That was too low. This article has some good ideas- http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/how-many-calories-should-i-eat-lose-weight-0. I didn't do the gradual drop down- I just went right to my goal weight calorie level at this formula. My goal weight was 110 so it set my calories at 1460.

    That is 260 more than I was eating. I work out about 5 times a week. Guess what? From December to now, I got down to 110. I truly believe that a lot of us fail at diets because we eat too little.

    I would bump up your calorie count for a week or two and maintain your exercise level. See what happens. If in 2 weeks, you are not happy, try something else.
  • _chiaroscuro
    _chiaroscuro Posts: 1,340 Member
    More food = healthy weight loss

    Which is the goal, so there you have it.

    Not for everyone, not all the time.

    Additionally, you can certainly "crash diet" for shorter periods of time with no ill effects.

    Yeah okay well water is wet, and healthy weight loss should be the goal. I don't know what you're trying to stealth advocate otherwise, but instinctively I feel really done with this conversation.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    More food = healthy weight loss

    Which is the goal, so there you have it.

    Not for everyone, not all the time.

    Additionally, you can certainly "crash diet" for shorter periods of time with no ill effects.

    Yeah okay well water is wet, and healthy weight loss should be the goal. I don't know what you're trying to stealth advocate otherwise, but instinctively I feel really done with this conversation.

    I'm not trying to "advocate" anything. I'm simply saying that when someone questions why they aren't losing weight, telling them to eat more is rarely the correct answer to their problem. More cals does not equal more weight loss.
  • bmorningstar58
    bmorningstar58 Posts: 3
    drink more water. If you are already drinking 8 a day, Try not drinking when you eat. If you are eating a good meal don't chase it down with water your body won't have the time to take in the vitamins and nutrition of the meal when you wash it down or dilute it with your drink you will get less benefit from the food. drink something 15 minutes to half hour before a meal and wait 15 to half hour after a meal. Taking a little sip once in a while during the meal should be alright. Also Soda think about it the carbonation in soda blots your stomach. Stop drinking soda and there goes at least 10 lbs in 5 weeks.
  • ladyace2078
    ladyace2078 Posts: 460 Member
    drink more water. If you are already drinking 8 a day, Try not drinking when you eat. If you are eating a good meal don't chase it down with water your body won't have the time to take in the vitamins and nutrition of the meal when you wash it down or dilute it with your drink you will get less benefit from the food. drink something 15 minutes to half hour before a meal and wait 15 to half hour after a meal. Taking a little sip once in a while during the meal should be alright. Also Soda think about it the carbonation in soda blots your stomach. Stop drinking soda and there goes at least 10 lbs in 5 weeks.

    ^^Also not great advice. Soda doesn't automatically = 10 lbs in 5 weeks. And your body knows how to digest food and water at the same time.
  • alteske
    alteske Posts: 1
    If you are working out you might be gaining weight because you are gaining muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. Try measuring your self instead of weighing. Measure once a week or every other week.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    If you are working out you might be gaining weight because you are gaining muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. Try measuring your self instead of weighing. Measure once a week or every other week.

    No. Muscle doesn't. 1lb of muscle is the same as 1lb of fat. It is just that muscle is more dense than fat - takes up less room.

    fat-v-muscle.jpg
  • krhn
    krhn Posts: 781 Member
    I would honestly die eating 800 calories :frown:

    1600 kcal for me seems to be the cut off point for me, any lower and i will get headaches and feel very sleepy very fast!:yawn:
  • BodyFreak
    BodyFreak Posts: 68
    Lifting weights, you may be gaining some muscle...muscle weighs more than fat. Check the content of your yogurt - you don't want added sugars, try Greek, as they have more protein. Eat protein after you lift weights. You are a small person, so it will be more difficult for the scale to show your progress...also, what it your age...that can play a big factor. Make sure you're not getting "hungry" as your metabolism drops when you feel hungry...if so, add a protein snack. I agree with the above post...make sure you're drinking plenty of liquids...tea/lemon water, etc...

    ^^That has a bunch of bad information. 1 lb = 1 lb, muscle or fat. Sugar alone won't make you gain weight. Studies are inconclusive about timing of protein vs timing of workout. Being small doesn't impact accuracy of the scale. Your age can be a factor due to muscle loss as you age, but it isn't necessarily a bigger factor than your calorie intake vs calorie burn. Your metabolism doesn't drop when you are hungry.

    My advice: Calculate your TDEE and BMR. Take a modest cut from TDEE and eat that every day. Eat 1 g protein per 1 lb LBM and 0.35 g fat per 1 lb of body weight. Measure BF%, inches, take pictures to help measure progress because the scale won't tell you everything. 2 lb in 3 week IS losing weight.

    ^^ Thank you, someone who knows what there talking about. I'm shaking my head to half of the responses i'm seeing on this thread.
  • BodyFreak
    BodyFreak Posts: 68
    If you need help figuring out your calorie intake and breaking it down to macros, just PM me and ill help you out like I've done with other people on MFP.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    I need some help and some tips as to why I am not losing any weight!

    I started my diet Monday, February 11. So I am starting my third week. My starting weight was 157 pounds and I am 5'3. After two weeks I had lost 3 pounds and I was very happy but after weighing myself I gained a pound back. So after 3 weeks I weigh 155. Here is my daily intake/outtake:

    My total calories is supposed to be 1,322. I exercise daily. 30-45 minutes of cardio, 10 minutes of weight lifting and 10 minutes of ab work outs. According to my treadmill/bike/pedometer app I burn around 400-500 calories daily (I know those aren't that accurate but I can't afford a heart rate monitor yet but I'm looking into it) so my calorie outtake is anywhere between that give or take.
    I eat healthy three meals a day and after food is all entered plus my workout I usually am at 800-900 calories. I know that's not enough but that's subtracting my calories burned. And I know I'm eating enough. Here's the general gist of my meals:
    Breakfast: egg or biscuit or bagel thin
    Lunch: turkey and cheese sandwich, yogurt, fruit, and a few pretzels
    Dinner: type of chicken/veggie meal usually.

    I really feel like I'm doing everything right so why am I not losing weight?

    You probably aren't netting enough.
    My consistent weight loss came from eating back a good chunk of my calories. Last summer I would net a minimum of 1,350 per day. I always made sure that was around the number I netted, and ate back as many exercise calories that would bring me to that number.

    So say I burned 300 calories in a day. I would net 1,050. I would eat 200-300 back. So I ate 1650 total that day, but netted 1,350. I lost weight consistently, and inches as well.
  • 135nicole
    135nicole Posts: 7 Member
    I had the same problem. I found out that if you eat less than 1200 cal. Your body saves them. You have to eat the required calories,try to use protein, fiber or even fat foods. Avoid the carbs. They are in most fruits and veggies natural, so no bread, etc. You don't have to eat your calories you earned with the exercise. For weight loss do one hour cardio in the morning and one in the night like jogging- elliptical . I don't think it's muscle weight, you actually starve off muscle. My guess is its water stored in the fat cells. This could happen on a diet and it could take awhile to overcome the plateaus 30-90days depends on the person. For me it was six weeks and very frustrating. For me I burn 1600 without exercise, then burn extra 900 with exercise. That makes 2500. My required calories to eat are 1450. That makes 1050 calories towards my weight loss. 2 pounds a week. If I eat low sodium and not more than 400mg caffein and hold my carbs equal to the fat and protein. I found out that carbs are in fruit and veggies which are good for you, carbs also are in beans which are good for you because of the fiber and protein but limited! I make my own almond meal bread now because its low on carbs( almost not carbs) and I slice it very thin because its high on fat and protein. But it handle my bread craving. I also do body revolution for the muscle training 30 minutes a day. Now my weight didn't jump up and down anymore. It goes down.
  • ctheluck
    ctheluck Posts: 14 Member
    There are easy ways to add more calories to your day without upping the volume of food...

    I am going through this right now, trying to up my calories to eat my exercise calories...

    fry my morning egg in a tsp of oil, and use the whole egg, not just the egg white.
    buy 9% Greek yogurt instead of 0%
    use full fat salad dressings
    add mayo to your sandwich, or avocado
    user higher calorie meats, chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts
    eat nuts once a day

    It's a hard thing to wrap your head around, that you aren't eating enough to lose weight. It seems counter-intuitive. I am putting faith in MFP and my heart rate monitor to give me a number that works. Last week I lost 1 lb eating all my exercise calories. Excited to see if that continues.
  • SeeStephRunBlog
    SeeStephRunBlog Posts: 38
    There are easy ways to add more calories to your day without upping the volume of food...

    I am going through this right now, trying to up my calories to eat my exercise calories...

    fry my morning egg in a tsp of oil, and use the whole egg, not just the egg white.
    buy 9% Greek yogurt instead of 0%
    use full fat salad dressings
    add mayo to your sandwich, or avocado
    user higher calorie meats, chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts
    eat nuts once a day

    It's a hard thing to wrap your head around, that you aren't eating enough to lose weight. It seems counter-intuitive. I am putting faith in MFP and my heart rate monitor to give me a number that works. Last week I lost 1 lb eating all my exercise calories. Excited to see if that continues.

    You need to be careful about this- make sure you are eating healthy fats and not just eating fats to gain calories. For example- what kind of oil and how much? And chicken thighs are higher in fat that breasts. Mayo- also not the best option. More dressing- more oil and fat.

    You are MUCH better served by gaining calories with healthier foods- take an extra portion or two of vegetables. Top with some chopped nuts. Have an extra snack- fruit with some cheese. When you have a yogurt, add in some granola and chia seeds, etc.

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