Doing everything right, but cannot seem to lose weight!
rjoynes
Posts: 1 Member
I have been using MFP off and on for awhile, but have only recently (the last 3 weeks) become more vigilant about my entries and my diet. Unfortunately, even though I have been sticking to my diet, I have not been able to generate any significant weight loss. I decided that joining this group might help keep me motivated, despite my lack of progress. I am 5' 2" and have been keeping to a 1200 calorie a day diet for about 3 weeks now. I have been exercising 4-5 days/week and have lost a total of 1.6 pounds (which just showed up today). I realize that the pounds don't come off as easily as they would if I was younger, but it is very discouraging to see the same numbers on the scale every week. Any words of wisdom, advice, or support would be appreciated.
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Do you have digital scales? They show 0.1 of a pound which gives you more idea how your doing. Also if you measure yourself then you may see progress that may not show up on the scales. Hope this helps.
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Make sure you are eating enough. Are you eating back your exercise calories?0
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I've had the same issue early on, remember if you are just starting to exercise again you are probably adding back muscle which is good and will help boost your metabolism, but weighs more than fat. It can be frustrating, but hang in there!0
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Are you drinking plenty of water too? I have been drinking a lot more water, added to my running and cutting down on portions, and have lost a few more pounds recently.0
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I'm a weight loss surgery participant now, but i've done much dieting before that and can definately tell the slowdown as i have gotten older (I'm 45) primarily over the last 3 or so years.
What i find helps a lot, even now, is to keep my hydration up, protien up and really pay attention to the little additions that bring our cal levels up...i see a lot of people (myself included) that are frustrated and thinking they are doing all they can, but somehow their diary's still show low nutrition/high caloric density....they are eating, say a ding dong a day, or some type of convenience food loaded with salt and fat and cals. Or drinking a jamba or mocha every day. I'd suggest taking a peek at your own diary just to make sure you don't fall into that trap (or of not logging little bites of taste testing while cooking, or the 2 licorice whips at work (err ya, that would be me) sometimes that really are prohibitive of our success.
I play back and forth with the eating exercise cals. I don't exercise enough to worry about it, but i think if you body is not reacting to your current method, it would make sense to change it up.I usually think i'm strict and working hard, but once i really reign it on, i start losing again.
Also agree with those that say the scale may not move, but your body may be changing, take measurements!0 -
Yes, measurements! Focusing on the scale solely can demotivate me sometimes so the measurements can give you a better picture sometimes! Hoping this board will help in keeping me motivated too!!0
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Hi, stay with it, I am in the same boat except you are more active. I need the push to your level. I have only been with MFP for only 4 days, and only had 1 workout. Keep your inspiration coming.0
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If you open your food diary up you can get better feedback.0
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I am also 43, 5.2" and am having the exact same problem!! The last 2 years I ran 3 - 4 miles 4 - 5 days a week, this year I run only 2 days and do a cardio kick class 2 days plus walk on other days and am up like 8 pounds from last summer! I've been watching what I eat the last few weeks and am stuck at a certain weight. I will lose 1 - 2 pounds during the week but gain it back on the weekend so I need to eat/excercise better on the weekends which I am going to try to do but of course Memorial Day weekend is here and so are the cookouts!!! I have 2 boys, 12 and 13 who are very active in sports so we are running them around every night to games/practices so we are eating on the fly, usually pizza or other junk but if we go out I try to get salad with chicken.
I do feel like my clothes are not soooo tight like they were a month ago so that is motivating me to keep going. I felt great last summer and want to feel that way again this summer so I am working on it day by day! That's all you can do and eventually it will work!! Keep it up and you should start noticing clothes fitting better even though the scale is stuck at the same number!! Friend me if you would like!!0 -
I've gotten some negative feedback on this one, but I am 43 and workout A LOT (3 hard core bootcamps a week and 3-5 miles runs on off days+ extra strenght training,etc. ). I also stick to approx. 1200 calories. For me, it's 2 things. 1. I MUST maintain consistency. Periods where I am consistent about both exercising and journaling (4-6 weeks), I get results/weight loss. Then, I slack off on weekend and plateau. My weight loss has been very gradual and I know it is my fault. Some people can have cheat days and such, and that's fine, but I know I HAVE to maintain consistency to see more rapid results. 2. I must eat the right nutritional mix for weight loss. My trainer prescribed the following and it works (1200-1300 calories, 50-100 grams of carbs, 70+ grams of protein, 35-40 grams of fat, less than 30 grams of sugar). I have gotten negative feedback with folks saying calories are calories, but that's not true for me. I really, really notice for instance less weight loss if I go over carbs and sugars (including fruits) then when I maintain the the numbers. I also in a firm believer in breaking up the meals equally into about 4-5 per day. I also drink at least 100oz of water. I do stay satisfied and have less cravings. In fact, I feel full. My biggest problems are weekends, so I strategize in advance if I am being serious. Be proud of any weight reduction and keep going! I agree with the other posters to definitely take measurements, and journal how you feel. Don't base everything on the scale..it will catch up. 0
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Take measurements.
I went 3 weeks once without the scale budging yet lost an inch off my waist.
Then one day I woke up 4lbs lighter & the scale started dropping.
One theory is your fat cells, when they empty fill with water instead of shrinking & hold that water before finally giving it up.
Hence the scale barely changes for a while.
Since you are just starting out with both a deficit & exercising you could be holding water in your muscles.
I doubt you are building muscle.
Not enough to compensate for the projected 2lb loss I guess you should have at 1200 cals daily.
You could be carb sensitive or sodium sensitive & holding water also.
But the simplest explanation could be that you are eating more than you think.
You need a scale.
Even a cheap mechanical walmart scale will work.
Its what I use.
Get rid of the measuring cups & weigh everything.
Opening your food log would help also.
By the way, 1200 calories is actually fine depending on your weight as long as you don't feel lethargic.
It really depends on what kind of exercise you are doing & how much daily and what type of activity you do during the day.0 -
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in the late 90's; one of the symproms being stubborn weight gain - stubborn meaning not going away regardless of how much I ate or moved about. Doctor told me 60% of American women end up with it and 40% go undiagnosed until their mid-life. It's a simple TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) level blood test. A GP can do it as part of a physical and it's not a standard test; you generally have to request it. If results are positive I'd switch to an Internist until it's stable.0
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Same boat. I've only been faithfully logging everything for about a week now but the scale has not moved. It's hard to stay motivated when I see no results.0
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I am 5 foot 2 and when I dropped my calories down to 1200 I stopped losing - I upped them back to 1350 and voila - weigh slowly but surely coming off again...............very slowly............0
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No advice you don't already know.
Stay away from white carbohydrates (zero bread, potatos, rice, sugars). Tons of water. Teeny tiny portions. Avoid easy stuff that you can "pop" in your mouth.
But here's my best motivation: YOU ARE AWESOME and I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!0 -
I have been doing the 5:2 diet for the past three weeks and have lost a steady 2 lbs per week. Five days you eat as you normally would (sensible) and two days I only eat 500 cals between my breakfast and lunch. No more food till the next morning when I wake up. It's a fast. You should not do this if you are diabetic though.0
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Stay away from carbs. I went back to low carb for a week and lost 7 pounds (205->198 at 6ft - 43 yr old man)
Yesterday's diet was:
Bacon and 3 fried eggs
A few slices of deli ham and swiss cheese
A small handful of Peanuts
2 hot dogs (no buns)
2 cheeseburgers (no buns)
Grilled asparagus with olive oil (probably 15 spears)
Grilled bell pepper with olive oil (probably one whole pepper)
Grilled onions (not too much)
A small handful of macadamia nuts
A cup of full-fat plain Greek yogurt with 2 small squares of Godiva super-dark (85% cacao) chocolate
Lots and lots of water and seltzer
As long as I don't eat too many carbs (and moderate protein), I'm good without counting calories0 -
Over the last few years I struggled with the scale never going down and I stuck with a strict diet with exercises. In fact I gained some weight so then I would give up completely due to being so frustrated. I had my daughter hide the scale as I would literally cry when I would step on it. Recently I read an article about weighing every day is not a bad thing, so now I do not mind the scale as it the numbers are decreasing.
The biggest lesson I had to learn was to figure out the amount of calories I needed to eat/drink vs the amount I burned each day. A friend told me that my NET calorie needed to be a minimum of 1200 calories per day. On some days I burn only a few hundred calories and other days I burn way over 1000 calories. So each day my calorie intake varies, which I find nice as there are days I can eat (I LOVE FOOD) and other days where I am not hungry.
I think some people are way to strict with their diets and when they have any of their comfort foods they find they cannot stop with just a little. I do not deny myself any food that I want and I have found many of my comfort foods I only need a few bites and my body is happy with that.
Keep up the great work...you will see results!
YOU GOT THIS!!!
Feel free to add me as a friend! 0 -
I know how you feel. It is different at this age. In the past, I wanted to lose 10#, all I had to do was skip cake at the office and eat chicken for 2 weeks, weight gone. It is not like that any more.
It is hard. That is the reality. But, you have to keep on pushing yourself.
For 6 years I have done nothing, my excuse being that I was finishing my education. Now that I am finished, I have to confront the 60# that I must lose before I hit the big 5-0.
This feels like the decade that I have to get it right, once and for all. It has to be a lifestyle choice and not about my appearance. In the past, it was always about my appearance because I did not worry about health issues.
I read an article once about a study, saying that women in their 40's are the hardest group to motivate for weight loss. It is because we fail to get the results we expect in the time we expect, because it was easier to lose at a younger age. I believe there is some truth to that. It makes me determined to keep pushing.
Push Push Push. That is all I know at this point. It WILL come off, it has to if I am eating less and moving more. I have to be more stubborn that my metabolism. 0 -
Also, my first 3 weeks on MFP, I lost .5 pounds and was devastated, wanted to just throw in the towel. I thought I would have at least lost 2-3 pounds. Then, I went public with my food diary and got overwhelmed with negative people who were giving all kinds of aggressive info that was not necessary and blasting me about the days I went off my calorie goal. Be careful what you choose to follow because you have to find what is right for you. It is your lifestyle choices and the combination that works is as unique are you are.
Don't get discouraged. In our 40's, we get a slow start, but that does not mean we don't finish the course.0 -
I am 5 foot 2 and when I dropped my calories down to 1200 I stopped losing - I upped them back to 1350 and voila - weigh slowly but surely coming off again...............very slowly............
^^^^^
This for me too...if I don't eat enough I stall bad...I suspect mine will be going up even higher then my current 1370.0
