Not losing....

scrappy11
scrappy11 Posts: 163
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, my name is Nikki. I have been on here about a month and haven't really lost anything. I am on the 1/2 pound a week plan and eat about 1630 calories a day, unless I exercise than I eat my exercise calories as well. I drink a lot of water, eat plenty of fiber and watch my sodium level pretty closely. I don't know what I am doing wrong...or does it take your body time to get used to this type of thing. I have been doing really well for the last two weeks and have been on here for 16 days straight. Any suggestions??
Thanks,
Nikki

Replies

  • Megume
    Megume Posts: 74
    It does take a while to jump start things, trust me. But, maybe you're consuming a few too many calories?? Or maybe you're not eating the right, nutrient rich foods. It could be a lot of small things that just add up. Either way, keep going, you're doing great. I know it's hard but you can push through it.
  • MsElphaba
    MsElphaba Posts: 432 Member
    1630 plus exercise calories is probably more than most people here are consuming. How about getting more aggressive and go for 1 lb a week goal?

    L
  • FunkBunny
    FunkBunny Posts: 417 Member
    They say it takes 3 weeks for true fat loss to show up...so stick with your plan for another week, then if you're not seeing a little bit faster loss, try changing things up a little. Up your cardio, or adjust your calories. Could just be a small plateau. Just don't give up! this is a learning experience and it's not always going to go as planned, but these are the times you learn the most!
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
    most people underestimate their food and overestimate their exercise. how accurate are you? do you weight/measure your food? do you have an hmr for calories? if not, i suggest only eating 1/2 your calories back.

    hang in there, it took my body over a year to finally drop any weight at all and now it is consistantly slimming down.
    dawn
  • treasurep
    treasurep Posts: 88 Member
    Open up your food diary to people..when i have questions about food and not loosing that's the first thing my "friends" on here look at. It has helped me drop 1.5 lbs a week by tweeking what I've eaten.
  • sleitner
    sleitner Posts: 33 Member
    They say the last 10 pounds are the hardest to lose and you only have 7 to go. I too would suggest cutting your calories back (say by 2oo) or try a different / more aggresive exercise routine. Don't give up, you are sooooo close!!!
  • sleitner
    sleitner Posts: 33 Member
    They say the last 10 pounds are the hardest to lose and you only have 7 to go. I too would suggest cutting your calories back (say by 2oo) or try a different / more aggresive exercise routine. Don't give up, you are sooooo close!!!
  • FoxMulder
    FoxMulder Posts: 1
    I am a man ( 185 pounds ), an i diet at 1720 calories / day... it'a a way too high for a woman ( 1630 )... you should be around 1200-1400 calories a day and it takes at least 2-3 weeks to see real results..

    You have to loose 3500-8000 calories to loose 2 pounds !!! ( depending on activity type and intensity )

    Don't forget that if you exercice, it's only 14% of fat that you loose if you do less than 40 minutes... and around 25% loss of fat for an hour and 30 ( running, cycling and intense activity... ) You have nothing for nothing...
    `
    If you do a 30 min workout/day, you'll stay fit but no change in your weight really unless you have a strict nutrition plan.

    Be patient... i lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks !!! Discovered this site only a week ago...

    good luck !
  • BOGmama2010
    BOGmama2010 Posts: 599 Member
    I agree that 1630 without exercise is high. I workout hard 6 days a week for at least an hour doing P90X and eat 1800 - 1900; I try not to eat my exercise calories. Make sure that you are measuring things out so that you don't overestimate your calories. That being said, your ticker doesn't show that you have too much to lose so maybe it will take a little longer. I'm just curious though as to why you chose only half a lb a week.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    With only 7 pounds to go weight loss will be slow. You may want to change up your workout routine or increase your % protein to shock your system. What is your activity level set at? and should it be lower as you should not take into account exercise when figuring out your activity level.

    I also agree that eating all exercise calories is not the best idea unless you have a HRM and are backing out the calories you would have burned at rest anyway. Say in a 60 minute workout you burned 480 calories, you would have burned anywhere from 45-90 if you didn't exercise so you should be eating back 390 (480-90) not the full 480.

    The 1/2 pound per week is where you should be with the amount you have left to lose.

    Hope this helps, good luck.
  • most people underestimate their food and overestimate their exercise. how accurate are you? do you weight/measure your food? do you have an hmr for calories? if not, i suggest only eating 1/2 your calories back.

    hang in there, it took my body over a year to finally drop any weight at all and now it is consistently slimming down.
    dawn

    I absolutely agree with this statement.
  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
    I am a man ( 185 pounds ), an i diet at 1720 calories / day... it'a a way too high for a woman ( 1630 )... you should be around 1200-1400 calories a day and it takes at least 2-3 weeks to see real results..

    You have to loose 3500-8000 calories to loose 2 pounds !!! ( depending on activity type and intensity )

    Don't forget that if you exercice, it's only 14% of fat that you loose if you do less than 40 minutes... and around 25% loss of fat for an hour and 30 ( running, cycling and intense activity... ) You have nothing for nothing...
    `
    If you do a 30 min workout/day, you'll stay fit but no change in your weight really unless you have a strict nutrition plan.

    Be patient... i lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks !!! Discovered this site only a week ago...

    good luck !
    I disagree. 1630 might not be too many calories for her. 1200-1400 can be too low for an active woman. Also 30 minutes of workout can be plenty in a day, it depends on intensity.

    It is harder to lose when you are close to your goal and/or at a healthy weight. I say stick it out another week because it could take your body longer to change. If still no loss maybe stop eating back your exercise calories or change things up. Every body is different so you just have to figure our what works for you.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    I dont' know what the OP weighs or what her height or build are, so can't possibly give advice on whether her 1630 is too high or not.

    That said...1600 is not extremely high. If she's eating healthy foods, weighing and measuring everything, and not cheating/lying to herself, then it's reasonable. I know female bodybuilders (weighing 120 lbs) who are trying to lose 5 pounds who eat 1800+ calories a day. Dang, my RMR is 1800 and maintenance is 2300.

    The last few pounds are the hardest to lose and undereating will not cut it. Read #5 on the linked post - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

    Also, I've heard that it takes a week to 10 days before any losses as a result of diet/exercise change. Give it more a couple more weeks, maybe.
  • I also think is a pretty high daily calorie goal, and if you are not careful in estimating the calories, it will be very easy to gain weight instead of losing. I am a 5'9" male and my daily calorie goal is 1460.

    Anyway, keep trying. I am not losing weight very fast but I look better and feel better already. Just learning what to avoid is worth the effort.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
    Are you just going by weight on the scale? I would suggest taking measurements. Some weeks I have lost no weight, but I still lost inches. If you at the last 7 pounds, it will be slow from what I understand. Or, maybe your body is fine where it is and the measurements are where you need to focus now. Sometimes the number we choose is not the number nature wnats to cooperate with. In that case, focus on your workouts and target the areas you want to change. Sometimes a mental shift is all it takes.

    I say that because there was a time in high school where I really wanted to lose 10 pounds. I joined the Susan Powder Center. They took measurments and told us not to weight ourselves. I still weighed myself anyway. After 8 weeks on the program, I gained 8 pounds! BUT- I went from a size 8 to a 6 and lost 14 inches overall. I came to understand why they said forget the weight.

    Just a thought.
  • jrobertson37
    jrobertson37 Posts: 90 Member
    Thanks so much. I only have five cals to go and was starving on 1290 a day so i just set it to 1/2 lb per week. Now im not so hungry!!!
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
    Hi, my name is Nikki. I have been on here about a month and haven't really lost anything. I am on the 1/2 pound a week plan and eat about 1630 calories a day, unless I exercise than I eat my exercise calories as well. I drink a lot of water, eat plenty of fiber and watch my sodium level pretty closely. I don't know what I am doing wrong...or does it take your body time to get used to this type of thing. I have been doing really well for the last two weeks and have been on here for 16 days straight. Any suggestions??
    Thanks,
    Nikki

    Go to Tools tab, then go to BMR - not BMI, but BMR. Type in the relevant info and see what it comes up with. If it says your BMR is 1600 calories, that's why you aren't losing the weight, you are not in enough of a deficit.

    My BMR is just under 1400 calories per day. If I were on 1600+ calories per day I would put on weight.

    There is no hard and fast number of calories that everybody can go by, it depends on your own basal metabolic rate, once you have found that out, you can then work out how many calories you need to consume in order to make yourself a deficit of 3500 calories per week, that will then equate to a 1lb weight loss for the week.
  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member


    My BMR is just under 1400 calories per day. If I were on 1600+ calories per day I would put on weight.

    BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to function, if you were just lying in bed all day. So, you need more calories to walk, move around, exercise, etc.
  • asposner
    asposner Posts: 3
    I was just about to post pretty much the same thing... I've been on here almost 2 months, and have been in the same 2-3 lb loop the entire time. I'm already a healthy weight and want to lose a small amount too, so I'm sure that's not helping things.

    I don't have a calorie monitor, but I weigh and measure EVERYTHING and pretty much stick to within 100 calories of my goal each day (including exercise calories). When i wasn't losing on 1360 calories, I lowered my goal to 1210, but I still didn't see any results after a couple of weeks. Plus, I am often hungry and listless on that few calories... thinking maybe I should boost it back up. I work out 5 times a week doing cardio, pilates and weights. The exercise has definitely helped me build muscle, and I know muscle weighs more than fat and I shouldn't obsess over the number on the scale. But I've only lost maybe an inch from my waist, and I'm really knocking myself out!
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    BMR is NOT Maintenance. It's what your body needs if you sleep the whole 24 hours. Everything else you do, from watch Tv to drive a car burns more calories.
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member


    My BMR is just under 1400 calories per day. If I were on 1600+ calories per day I would put on weight.

    BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to function, if you were just lying in bed all day. So, you need more calories to walk, move around, exercise, etc.

    How much more is the question, as I said earlier 1600 calories per day for me would mean I gained weight. That is not a guess either it has happened in the not-too-distant past.
  • scrappy11
    scrappy11 Posts: 163
    You have to remember that we all have our activity level set at different things. I am set at slightly active because I work in health care and I am on my feet all the time. I think that is maybe something that some of you are forgetting. I eat 1630 cals a day, am a runner and burn about 300 a day or more running and I am on my feet most of the day at work. So, I need to eat 1630 cals per day plus my calories burned in order to keep my metabolism going at a steady rate. Hope this helps a little.
  • Skinnytime
    Skinnytime Posts: 279
    It's not the quantity of calories that is important, but the quality of them. If every bite of food is highly nutritious and as close to natural as possible, then it does not really matter if you are getting 1,200 or 1,600. In fact. If they are all "great" calories, you could easily be overfeeding yourself.

    It takes time for weight loss to happen (just as it takes us time to gain weight). Give yourself another week or two of your current calories, but focus on where they are coming from, not so much on how many there are.

    Good luck figuring it out.
  • Rynatat
    Rynatat Posts: 807 Member
    It does take a while for your body to adjust, and the last 10 lbs are the hardest (subconciously you know you're not too far from your goal so you figure it's OK to have a little of this or that, add some of this, slack or skip workouts, etc. You really don't realize you're doing that, but it's human nature and we are, after all, human!).
    The first 3 months I didn't loose anything but I kept my food diary up, logged EVERYTHING!! and kept working out 5-6 days a week for at least 45-50 mins p/day every AM. Although the scale wasn't changing, I was looking better in my clothes, and suddenly I was wearing some tops that I hadn't in over 1 year! I decided that something is working, even if the scale doesn't show it and decided not to go by the scale, but how I felt and looked and the fact that I could wear things I hadn't in a long time.
    I am now about 10lbs away from my goal, but I fit into clothes I was wearing when I was 10-15lbs thinner, and they look better on me now than they did before! I have shape to my butt now, and am proud of it :tongue:
    I found when I stopped obsessing over the numbers, I noticed my body responded in kind: I also added ankle weights to my routine and in the last 2 months have seen the biggest difference. Sometimes you just need to change up some stuff, you don't want your body used to a routine since it has a tendency to go slack. Mix up a couple little things, add something new in or take something out and your body will realize it's not allowed to slack and it needs to keep on its toes to keep up with you.
    Good luck on the last few lbs, you CAN do this! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    OP never mentioned what kind of exercise she's doing. I suggest anytime someone is "doing everything" right that they intensify their work out because that's part of what really helped me!! Try intervals if you're running, doing elliptical, walking, whatever. Alternate one minute of high intensity with lower intensity and go back and forth. Intervals are said to be great for burning fat and I can attest to that! :happy:

    Also, opening your diary for us to view would be really helpful. Even if you're watching your calories and sodium, you could be doing something wrong. Not enough fiber or protein, not enough water, do you drink alcohol? That can ALSO slow things down. The body burns alcohol first before fat so any alcohol in your body is going to slow your weight loss down.

    Someone else mentioned this already and I'll echo it. With such little weight to lose, it could take you months because you're already at a healthy weight. If you're at 1/2 lb a week... be patient.

    Oh: strength training. If you're not lifting weights, START. 3 days a week... pump that iron. Building muscle burns fat and you won't bulk up as long as you're on a calorie deficit diet, which you are by being here.
  • dwarfer22
    dwarfer22 Posts: 358 Member
    My BMR is just under 1400 calories per day. If I were on 1600+ calories per day I would put on weight.

    So not true! BMR is for coma patients lying in bed. Walking, cooking, sitting, even talking on the phone will burn more cals than that. I would maybe suggest shooting the difference between the 1200 and the 1630. Maybe cut back a smidge to 1500 cals per day. Nice, safe number to start with and see how you feel with that.
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
    My BMR is just under 1400 calories per day. If I were on 1600+ calories per day I would put on weight.

    So not true! BMR is for coma patients lying in bed. Walking, cooking, sitting, even talking on the phone will burn more cals than that. I would maybe suggest shooting the difference between the 1200 and the 1630. Maybe cut back a smidge to 1500 cals per day. Nice, safe number to start with and see how you feel with that.

    It is true because it has happened and I do NOT in anyway use up over 1600 calories per day sitting on my butt doing sod all. I don't give a rat's *kitten* what people say, some people consume far too many calories and to tell them "oh eat more" beggers belief. If they cannot lose on 1600 per day, how the hell will UPPING it work???

    To the OP, down your calories, do your exercise and see what happens. You can't lose anything except the lbs :flowerforyou:
  • WISHFULTHINKING
    WISHFULTHINKING Posts: 167 Member
    when i first started MFP it took me a month or so before i actually started losing the weight
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