Why isn't this working???

cwood2002
cwood2002 Posts: 39 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Gosh, I've been doing this for 35 days and have only lost 5 pounds!! By now I should have lost at least 10. ........so says the calculator. I am always a bit under my daily goal of 1200 calories, and have changed my eating habits from unhealthy to
health(ier), my portions from regular (going back for seconds) to measuring EVERYthing
How disappointing.

Replies

  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    It is working. 5 lbs in 35 days is good progress. That is over 1 lbs a week. You are only looking to lose 20 lbs, expecting to lose 2 lbs a week is far too high of a goal. The less you have to lose, the harder it is. .5 lb a week is typically recommended with less than 20lbs to go.
  • JaimeMWS
    JaimeMWS Posts: 36
    Have you been exercising? What do your clothes say? Sometimes we lose fat but put on muscle, so the improvement isn't reflected in the scale.
  • mrsmarit
    mrsmarit Posts: 229 Member
    From what I can see it's a few things.

    1) You only want to lose about 20 pounds total and 5 pounds in a month is awesome. The less you have to lose the slower it usually goes. Embrace the fact that you lost the 5 not the fact that you haven't lost 10.

    2) You are probably not eating enough. Less than 1200 calories is not a good idea especially with so little to lose.


    You have to realize that you didn't put on those pounds you want to get rid of in 35 days. You need to be more patient and realistic about how quickly this will happen.
  • lina1131
    lina1131 Posts: 2,246 Member
    5 pounds in 35 days is good. How is it not working?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    I would be more concerned about what you are going to do when you reach goal. You are severely restricting your calories (the days I looked at you usually eat less than 900 calories). You can negatively affect your metabolism by consistently eating too little which can cause it to be difficult to maintain afterwards.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    5 pounds in 35 days is good. How is it not working?

    I wish it wasn't working like that for me.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    5 pounds in 35 days and you're complaining? That's right on track.
  • nunu428
    nunu428 Posts: 3
    I gained 2 lbs in one week and I eat healthy and work out...they say muscle weighs more than fat but I have no clue how I can tell if it's muscle, fat, or water weight. I truly understand. very discouraging for me too :(
  • jamimari777
    jamimari777 Posts: 101 Member
    It is working. Perhaps nothing is wrong with what you're doing.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    It is. Adjust your expectations.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    The only thing wrong with what you're doing is how worked up you are over your (really good) progress.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    5 Lbs in 35 days is excellent...despite the calculator saying X Lbs per week, this isn't linear. You have weeks when nothing happens...I have weeks when I actually gain a bit (water and glycogen)...and weeks where you shed more than you thought possible. You also have to consider natural body weight fluctuations from water retention/release, food in/out...waste in your intestines, etc. Those things show up on the scale and can mask actual fat loss. That's why the scale only tells a small part of the overall story.

    Also, it's only been 35 days...you best buck up. 35 days isn't ****. If you really want to succeed you're going to have to wrap your brain around this being a long term thing and really an overall life change.
    I would be more concerned about what you are going to do when you reach goal. You are severely restricting your calories (the days I looked at you usually eat less than 900 calories). You can negatively affect your metabolism by consistently eating too little which can cause it to be difficult to maintain afterwards.

    Also this ^^^^...you think you're unhappy now...just wait until you hit that big fat plateau from jacking up your metabolism from eating so little...then you're going to have to go to maintenance for 6-8 weeks and start all over. Have fun with that

    Slow and low that is the tempo.
  • funhouse77
    funhouse77 Posts: 179 Member
    So you're losing a pound a week, more or less, at your size, thats GOOD GOING! A lot of people 20lbs from goal would do anything to lose that much!

    Also, 1200 is the bare minimum, don't eat under it, and if you're exercising, log it and try to eat at least half your exercise calories back. You may even find you can go up a bit from 1200, try 1350 or 1400, if you can lose at that calorie goal for as long as possible, it gives you some room for when it comes to that stubborn last 5 or 6lbs.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
    Gosh, I've been doing this for 35 days and have only lost 5 pounds!! By now I should have lost at least 10. ........so says the calculator. I am always a bit under my daily goal of 1200 calories, and have changed my eating habits from unhealthy to
    health(ier), my portions from regular (going back for seconds) to measuring EVERYthing
    How disappointing.

    I took a sneaky peek at your diary and some days you are only eating between 700-900 calories?

    Maybe this is the problem?

    If you are going to do this sensibly then you have to nett at least 1200 cals other wise you are under eating and you will not `progress` in a healthy way?
  • hiyomi
    hiyomi Posts: 906 Member
    5 pounds in 35 days is completely normal ^^ and good. MFP says I was supposed to weigh 240 for like the last 6 months lol Not correct. That would mean I would have to lose 20 pounds in 5 weeks to keep up with what MFP says. and BTW, your calorie intake is VERY low. Not even 1k calories in a day, I would up it a bit, that's not healthy.
  • _Witsy_
    _Witsy_ Posts: 609 Member
    It is def working!


    Weight loss isn't linear.

    Also...eat enough food, eh.
  • onthelam67
    onthelam67 Posts: 13
    I gained 2 lbs in one week and I eat healthy and work out...they say muscle weighs more than fat but I have no clue how I can tell if it's muscle, fat, or water weight. I truly understand. very discouraging for me too :(

    A pound is a pound - fat or muscle, it is the same pound; however, a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. Inches lost and how your clothes fit (or don't fit) is a great indicator of how you're doing. If you exercise, eat your exercise calories back. Don't be afraid to eat -- make better choices about WHAT you eat. Cut out the processed, ditch the soda / diet soda. Eat lean, mean and clean.
  • marathonmom72
    marathonmom72 Posts: 191 Member
    From what I can see it's a few things.

    1) You only want to lose about 20 pounds total and 5 pounds in a month is awesome. The less you have to lose the slower it usually goes. Embrace the fact that you lost the 5 not the fact that you haven't lost 10.

    2) You are probably not eating enough. Less than 1200 calories is not a good idea especially with so little to lose.


    You have to realize that you didn't put on those pounds you want to get rid of in 35 days. You need to be more patient and realistic about how quickly this will happen.

    ^^ Agreed! Check a calorie calculator and see how many calories you should be consuming. You'll really be wondering why things aren't working when you stop losing weight altogether with so few calories.
  • spectralmoon
    spectralmoon Posts: 1,179 Member
    The less you have to lose the slower it usually goes.


    THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS.

    It isn't so much about the number of pounds; it's about the percentage that number is of your entire body weight. When you weigh more, that number moves by faster than someone at a lower weight trying to lose the same amount, because that number is a higher percentage of the lighter person's body weight than the heavier person's percentage.


    VERY simple example: 20 lbs. Person A weighs 140, so 20 lbs is just under 15% of their entire body weight. Person B weighs 220, so 20 lbs is approximately 9% of their body weight.

    It is a lot easier to lose 9% of your body weight than it is to lose 15%.

    5 lbs being lost is success. You are 25% closer to your goal than you were before. High-five to you!
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    I'm 15 pounds from goal and have plateaud. I'd KILL to drop 5 a month right now. You are banging ahead right on schedule. 10 pounds a month is not sustainable.

    And yes, eat more. When you hit goal weight and start eating normally, you're going to put on weight since you're body is going to be like OMG FOOD YES HOLD ONTO THAT ****!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I gained 2 lbs in one week and I eat healthy and work out...they say muscle weighs more than fat but I have no clue how I can tell if it's muscle, fat, or water weight. I truly understand. very discouraging for me too :(

    water and glycogen...you can't build appreciable muscle at a calorie deficit. On average, a male who is working pretty damned hard in the weight room and has a spot on diet can put about 10 Lbs of actual muscle on in a year...and that's busting hump in the weight room.

    You have natural weight fluctuations...get used to them. Failure to understand this is a recipe for failure period...if you don't understand this and wrap your head around the science of all of this, you're going to drive yourself bat **** crazy and end up quitting.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    PGh6KCU.gif
  • Alex_is_Hawks
    Alex_is_Hawks Posts: 3,499 Member
    5 pounds in 35 days is great. Weight loss is not linear......

    you're fine...but eat more mmmmkay?
  • amelia_atlantic
    amelia_atlantic Posts: 926 Member
    It IS working...5 pounds lost is great!

    Some suggestions:
    Eat more!
    Exercise DIFFERENTLY (try intervals if you run, do more reps if you lift, take an exercise class)
  • paleirishmother
    paleirishmother Posts: 242
    5lbs in 35days! You're doing great.
  • funhouse77
    funhouse77 Posts: 179 Member
    PGh6KCU.gif


    Oh, this is really helpful. If you have nothing constructive to say, why even bother posting on this thread? Move along if that's how you feel. Jeez.

    OP, you're doing great, you just need to up your calorie intake a bit so you don't stall. I know its hard because we all have this concept to begin with that the less you eat, the more you will lose, but we're now coming away from that and realizing that it's not as cut and dry as this. The advice you've got on this thread is valid. Stick with it!
  • kmcosgrove115
    kmcosgrove115 Posts: 260 Member
    Try this - eat more to lose:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/931670-bmr-and-tdee-explained-for-those-needing-a-guide
  • cwood2002
    cwood2002 Posts: 39 Member
    Thank you to all who responded. I am new to this and was not thinking about the "starvation mode" thing.:blushing:
    I have gone in and changed my goal down to 1 pound per week. And although it hasn't changed my daily calories at all...... I will investigate the TDEE / BMR etc. to see how many calories I should really be eating.
    I know my next question will be..... can I manually change my calories, and if so, how do i know what my Protien Sugar etc should be?
    I don't understand all the acronyms yet so, please forgive the questions and possible errors.

    Again, all of your feed back was greatly appreciated.

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