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Why aren't I losing weight after 5 months?

Glaciesz
Glaciesz Posts: 4
edited January 25 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 17, 5"6.5 and about 170 pounds. I started calorie counting 5 months ago on 1300 calories, then 1400, then 1500, then 1600, and now 1700. Last time I weighed myself was around a month ago, when I started doing 1700 calories and I've just weighed myself today expecting some kind of loss and I've gained half a stone, ~7 pounds.

I have no idea what's going wrong with me. I was weighing myself weekly before and getting either no result or a gain, and I must have gained more than a pound a week to manage this. I've balanced carbs/protein/fat and I stopped eating junk a long time ago. I drink constantly, and I never drink anything other than water or squash. I weigh myself first thing in the morning.

I don't understand why my body is doing this. Does anybody have any idea what I might be doing wrong? I've had 5 months of calorie counting on various different calorie levels and I weigh more now than I had when I started.

Replies

  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    from what I understand, a teenager requires more calories because you are still growing and developing. Are you very active?
  • HIITMe
    HIITMe Posts: 921 Member
    Are you exercising at all?? no sense in upping calories if the activity doesnt match
  • Glaciesz
    Glaciesz Posts: 4
    I'm pretty much sedentary, the reason I've been upping the calories is because I wasn't losing weight and feared I might be going into starvation mode or something. I spent a good few weeks on each calorie amount before accepting I wasn't losing weight on it so I'm not really sure where to go from here.
  • kbrhelker23
    kbrhelker23 Posts: 62
    im kind of in the same boat.. ive only lost 5 lbs in the last almost 4 months. and i am working out hard in the gym AND doing Insanity daily plus the insanity diet. i dont really get it.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    If you're truly sedentary and eating 1,700 calories at 5'6 female, it's quite possible you're over your TDEE.
  • Glaciesz
    Glaciesz Posts: 4
    I feel like 1700 is too high myself, but the exact same thing was happening when I was all the way down at 1200.
  • HIITMe
    HIITMe Posts: 921 Member
    If you're truly sedentary and eating 1,700 calories at 5'6 female, it's quite possible you're over your TDEE.



    this....

    dont up your calories if you arent burning enough calories to justify it... in short, find out what your TDEE is... sounds like you need to stop being sedentary and/or decrease your calories....
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,123 Member
    OK... well... I'm going to tell you the same thing that I told my friends' teenagers the other day.... get active NOW. You are young with more energy and probably less health problems/knee issues/etc than older people. Even if you just go for a walk around your neighborhood... play on Wii Fit or something like that... just get moving! This will help you ALOT. I NEVER got any excercise when I was younger and I really regret it now.

    If you wait until you're well into your adult years and 50-100lbs overweight it will be a lot harder. Your body was meant for movement!!

    I'd be willing to bet if you start introducing some kind of exercise you'll start losing.
  • Glaciesz
    Glaciesz Posts: 4
    Thank you all for your help, I think I'm going to go back to 1500 and start a daily zumba class. :)
  • missybct
    missybct Posts: 321 Member
    OK, here is my two cent.

    If you do no exercise, you may eating the amount required for a deficit, therefore gaining weight. You said you tried different calorie values, but have you tried certain foods that make up that calorie intake? For instance, I did a bout of MFP two years ago and was eating a deficit and exercising, but I was eating ready meals constantly as I was working ridiculous hours and had no time - I lost barely anything because the food just wasn't agreeing with me.

    Are you measuring food by sight, or by scales? A lot of weight gains can be put down to complacency or not weighing food out. It's a pain in the *kitten*, especially someone who is very busy (I'm guessing you're still in school so don't have much free time!) but it does pay off because you'll find that the portions you thought you knew the weight of are way out.

    I'd definitely promote more exercise, even if it's just a walk around the park, or doing something fun with friends. Any exercise is good and sweetpea has it right, the older you get, the harder it is to keep those energy levels up - boy, I wish I had my 17 year old energy levels (I'm only 28!).

    Hope some of that helps x
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
    So if you input all your information into MFP, including the sedentary part, and tell it you want to lose 1 pound a week, what does it tell you for calories? You'll want to stay as close to that as possible. If 1700 is over that, that is the problem. And there are other confounding factors like water weight that fluctuate around, especially for females.

    Don't worry about "starvation mode" unless you've been eating nothing at all for more than 3 days, or if you've been in a severe deficit for some time. A reasonable deficit (20% ?) should not cause this.

    Just be consistent and stay within your calorie recommendations, and the weight has to eventually come off. Be patient.
  • goodtimezzzz
    goodtimezzzz Posts: 640 Member
    u eat too much dont lift heavy and arent moving your booty snuff
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Do you use a food scale to log?
  • michellechawner
    michellechawner Posts: 892
    I'm 5'5 lightly active and I'm only eating 1300 a day and I've lost 9.4 lbs in 2 months. I think you're over your calories. If you aren't burning them off, don't eat so many. Calculate your TDEE or BMR (don't ask me how, I don't use these methods, but see many other posts about them).

    I could see you being lightly active and doing 1700 a day as you're taller than me, but if you're sedentary I think you're just eating too much. The more you move the better you'll feel. I have Fibro and I hate getting out and exercising, but I always feel better after I do. What's helped me lose the weight is walking and yoga. And calorie deficit.
  • TimeForMe99
    TimeForMe99 Posts: 309 Member
    Don't just guess at your caloric needs. Use the calculator and aim for 1 lb per week. You are still developing and need as much nutrition as possible. 1700 could be just right for you at your age and activity level. The younger you are the more calories you need (so not fair!)

    I assume you don't cook for yourself, and eat at the caf or at home. As such, you probably don't have enough information to to guage your food intake. Talk to your parents about your goals and what is being served. Pack your lunch when you can and make dinner for the family once or twice a week. Cooking is an underrated skill, and shopping even more so.
  • spirytwynd
    spirytwynd Posts: 141 Member
    yup yup. Figure out your basic caloric need, find a small deficit to take away from it (a couple hundred calories maybe) and up your activity level. Don't be sedentary - get out and move! :-) Walk, jog, run, swim, bike, zumba, whatever. That will help you burn off the stored energy in your body (we call it fat). Also, try some lifting. It does burn some calories but its biggest advantage is that it builds muscle. The more muscle you have, the more you fat you will burn when you move. It also looks reeeaaallly good. :-))
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    Some interesting reading about kids and calories:

    http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/downloads/calreqtips.pdf

    http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/how-many-calories-do-teenagers-need.aspx?CategoryID=51&SubCategoryID=165
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    While I'm a big fan of eating as much as you can rather than trying to run an unsustainable deficit, I'm not sure "eat more" would hve been the first thing I thought if you'd posted "This isn't working" after oyur first few weeks.

    The first step when you don't see results at a certain calorie goal? Is to make sure you're actually at a deficit. Making sure you're being honest about logging, making sure you are logging *correctly*. Log everything, include all ingredients. I've seen people say they weren't including the oil they cook with or the butter on their toast. I've seen people who think that the little container of dressing that comes on the side of a salad plate is "One Tablespoon."

    At your age, I"m thinking you don't have a lot of experience with cooking? With measuring amounts and knowing how much of each ingredient is in the dish you're eating, or how big a portion is on your plate.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Definitely go calculate your TDEE. I suspect it'll be somewhere around 1900 Cals because I'm much shorter than you (5'3"), am probably closer to my ideal weight than you, exercise relatively little (30min per day walking the dog, once a wk heavy lifting), and mine is 1950. I know mine is fairly accurate because eating at ~500 Cal deficit, I lose a lb a week which is what i should expect.

    Now calculate a deficit from that, and try it for a month, minimum. Sometimes it takes a while for the weight to start moving, don't be surprised if nothing moves for a couple of weeks. It didn't for me, either. Log and weigh/measure everything you eat to make sure that is what you are eating. Drink plenty of water.
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