4th week of my new healthy lifestyle but NO results.

ingridisazombie
ingridisazombie Posts: 16 Member
in Motivation and Support
I'm actually very disappointed today, I usually just shake it off and move on to the next thing but today I'm just feeling very discouraged. 4 weeks ago I started a new diet, completely healthy eating, no white flours, no sugar, not a lot of salt, I eat breakfast every day, I walk 40 minutes everyday, do some strength work almost every day and I still haven't seen any results. My measurements are the same as 10 days ago, I went down to 217 and now I'm back at 219. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. I don't drink soda, I snack on healthy stuff, I don't drink dairy... I could go on and on about all the changes I've made and it's just BARELY noticeable. This is all so disheartening, I'm starting to think this is all just pointless.
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Replies

  • Ashleyxjamie
    Ashleyxjamie Posts: 223 Member
    Don't give up!!! What is your calorie intake? and your height? how much water do you drink a day?
  • hungryhobbit1
    hungryhobbit1 Posts: 259 Member
    Are you tracking your calories?
  • Kenzieb07
    Kenzieb07 Posts: 207 Member
    Don't give up! It didn't take 4 weeks or 10 days to gain weight, so you won't see results that quickly either.
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    I'm with them. You left out any mention of calories. :smile:
  • jagh09
    jagh09 Posts: 555 Member
    While I commend you on the lifestyle change, I would assume that perhaps you are still taking in too many calories if you've seen no significant changes in a month. Are you being careful and weighing/measuring and tracking everything you eat and drink?

    If not, try doing that for 2 weeks. Be painfully careful and measure everything, even your salad dressings. Don't eat back all of your exercise calories and be sure you're drinking plenty of water (64 oz is a minimum!)

    If things really don't move, you might want to call your doctor to discuss it. Perhaps there is something underlying that needs to be addressed.
  • vdobbs28
    vdobbs28 Posts: 72 Member
    I'm kind of in the same boat as far as weight goes...I started at 212.6...I have lost 7 lbs so far, in 3 weeks. My ticker says 4 because apparently all the ticker's are broke. :P I drink at least 10 servings of water a day...water is VERY important!! I also found that for faster weight loss, I exercise hard...You can look at my diary if you would like, to get an idea. I also do not eat all of my exercise calories back...I'm usually always under on my calories. If you would like a new friend and some support, feel free to add me!! :) Also, don't forget that weight fluctuates from day to day.
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    If it's not working, what you are doing now, then it might be time to try something else and see if it works. Weight loss has a specific formula but how you work that formula is different from person to person. What methods for loss are you using now, how much do you exercise, how much do you eat and are you adhering to certain macros?
  • swimcoach07
    swimcoach07 Posts: 31 Member
    It usually takes me 6 weeks before I see any results. I think each person's body shows changes at different times. Don't give up. That said, I do agree with others who mentioned calories. It's still possible to overeat, even when those foods are healthy.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    What is your height, weight, goal weight, and how much are you currently eating?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It is good that you are getting more nutrition from you food and eating "healthier." But simply eating "healthier" doesn't necessarily mean you are at a deficit of calories from maintenance. I eat very healthy, but I eat to maintenance right now to maintain weight. The fact that you are maintaining suggests that you are in fact eating a maintenance level of calories.

    Are you counting calories? What is your net calorie goal? How many calories are you grossing? If you're counting calories and using MFP, MFP has a deficit in your goal for weight loss. If you are hitting that goal and not seeing anything, I'd suggest that you are not properly estimating your intake. To be accurate, you really need to weigh and measure and count everything. Don't simply look at a chicken breast and note that 4 oz is a serving and assume that's what you're eating..just as an example, that is a serving of chicken breast and is around 120 calories...but an actual chicken breast is closer to 8 ounces on average and 240 calories.

    I'd suggest that you just need to be more accurate in your logging. This is very basic math and science and works when done properly. If you really are doing everything right and nothing is happening, I'd visit a doctor because that would suggest that you have an underlying medical condition that is severely interfering with your metabolism.
  • babyrover
    babyrover Posts: 51 Member
    Dont give up....I had the same issue! I was eating healthy, carbs at 50g or less daily; riding my bike 15 -18 miles 4 days a week, and gained almost 4 lbs. Stuck with it (although I threatened to blow if I didn't start seeing a loss)
    Week 5 lost 1.7; week 6 lost 2.4; week 7 lost 1.1.....so it seems I was just a slow starter. I think after all these years of dieting my body has discovered if it is stubborn...after a few weeks I will give up! This time I committed to sticking to the plan for 90 days without making alterations. I guess my body figured I wasn't gonna give up so has started allowing me to see results. Hang in there!
  • careydesignstudio
    careydesignstudio Posts: 16 Member
    Hire a trainer. Seriously.
  • stardancer7
    stardancer7 Posts: 276 Member
    Way to make great changes for yourself! Now that you are accustomed to healthier eating, it's probably time to make sure you are actually operating at a deficit. Be honest and accurate (the best thing I did was buy a food scale and USE it) and trust the math. It will happen...I had a five or six week plateau, then last week lost 4.9 and then again today lost .6. Looking back, it has averaged out at about .8 pounds down per week since I began.
  • ingridisazombie
    ingridisazombie Posts: 16 Member
    I'm 5'7, I am very active throughout the day and I have a routine of work out. On MFP I have an intake of 1500 calories, and I usually fluctuate from 1300-1400 on an average day. My initial weight was 220 and right now I'm 219. I drink green tea every day, I drink more than 8 cups of water a day. I AM counting my calories every day. My weekends are very hectic and I don't eat at the normal hours that I do during the week but I still do breakfast, lunch and dinner, I have cut off beer and I rarely get any fast food. I measure absolutely EVERYTHING, I'm definitely not doing this half assedly and expecting results. I do cardio every day (40 minutes to 1 hr walking at a fast pace), I'm a child care provider so I'm on my feet moving around most of the day. I am doing all my math and I'm sticking to portions. I'm quite positive I don't over eat .
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    You need to eat your 1500 plus exercise calories for your cardio workout so that you NET 1500 calories.
  • ingridisazombie
    ingridisazombie Posts: 16 Member
    This is all very frustrating to me because I have been on diets in the past, I've seen countless nutritionists throughout my life and I've learned a few things throughout the years, I'm not new at dieting and counting calories, but back then (from when I was 14 to 20) I didn't do nearly half the exercise I do today.
  • perrinjoshua
    perrinjoshua Posts: 286 Member
    Well it certainly seems to me like you are doing everything right. What I have noticed when it comes to a weight gain when I haven't done anything to earn it, is my body is about to drop that extra gain and a little bit extra. Don't give up!! It sounds like things are about to shift.
  • Hi_Im_Jess
    Hi_Im_Jess Posts: 347 Member
    I didn't see any results at all the first month, It took me about 6-8 weeks to see any change.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    This is all very frustrating to me because I have been on diets in the past, I've seen countless nutritionists throughout my life and I've learned a few things throughout the years, I'm not new at dieting and counting calories, but back then (from when I was 14 to 20) I didn't do nearly half the exercise I do today.

    Take a look at the math.

    I think you set your goal to lose 1 pound a week you said? So, MFP estimates the amount of calories you need for basic bodily functions and your everyday normal activities and comes up with 2,000 calories a day. Then it subtracts 500 because you said you want to lose a pound a week, and your goal is now 1500.

    BUT, MFP does not include your exercise calories in this goal. When you exercise, you need more fuel for that.

    So, you eat 1,500 cals + you burned 300 calories, you are now supposed to eat 1,800 that day.

    But you said you are really averaging about 1300-1400 a day. 1300 - the 300 calories you burned = a NET of 1,000. That is not enough.

    What you are doing is suppressing your metabolism by eating too few calories. You create too much stress on your body, and your body responds by releasing cortisol. This is a hormone that will actually prevent you from losing weight.
  • elleryjones
    elleryjones Posts: 88 Member
    have you seen this? http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    (There is a revised version, but I was too busy to search through a million threads to find it - this one is basically the same)
  • OgahpahBear
    OgahpahBear Posts: 13
    It looks to me that you need to eat more calories. I know it sounds crazy, but your body may be switching into starvation mode. With your activity level I would suggest netting between 1500 and 1700 calories everyday. Even though you aren't losing much weight, it sounds like you are feeding your body better and getting plenty of cardiovascular benefit. You can manually adjust your MFP to change the number of calories you want to eat per day. Additionally, you may have not reached the point where your body is not building muscle anymore. It is important to take pictures of yourself before starting a wellness program. In many cases I have noticed a change in the mirror and how my clothes feel before the scale will show any progression. Stick to your program and eat a little bit more healthy food and you will see results before you know it.
  • charnelle7
    charnelle7 Posts: 3
    I think you should do more cardio besides walking. Even though this form of exercise is effective, it's always fun to add more varieties of workouts. You'll also see more results! And remember, you have to burn more calories than you eat. If able, try working out twice a day.
  • ingridisazombie
    ingridisazombie Posts: 16 Member
    This is all very frustrating to me because I have been on diets in the past, I've seen countless nutritionists throughout my life and I've learned a few things throughout the years, I'm not new at dieting and counting calories, but back then (from when I was 14 to 20) I didn't do nearly half the exercise I do today.

    Take a look at the math.

    I think you set your goal to lose 1 pound a week you said? So, MFP estimates the amount of calories you need for basic bodily functions and your everyday normal activities and comes up with 2,000 calories a day. Then it subtracts 500 because you said you want to lose a pound a week, and your goal is now 1500.

    BUT, MFP does not include your exercise calories in this goal. When you exercise, you need more fuel for that.

    So, you eat 1,500 cals + you burned 300 calories, you are now supposed to eat 1,800 that day.

    But you said you are really averaging about 1300-1400 a day. 1300 - the 300 calories you burned = a NET of 1,000. That is not enough.

    What you are doing is suppressing your metabolism by eating too few calories. You create too much stress on your body, and your body responds by releasing cortisol. This is a hormone that will actually prevent you from losing weight.

    I am aware of this, after I work out, I eat all the calories I have left, therefore I do eat over almost the 1800 calories because of my work out.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    have you seen this? http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    (There is a revised version, but I was too busy to search through a million threads to find it - this one is basically the same)

    Here is the short version:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet?hl=short+n'+sweet&page=1#posts-14887744
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    This is all very frustrating to me because I have been on diets in the past, I've seen countless nutritionists throughout my life and I've learned a few things throughout the years, I'm not new at dieting and counting calories, but back then (from when I was 14 to 20) I didn't do nearly half the exercise I do today.

    Take a look at the math.

    I think you set your goal to lose 1 pound a week you said? So, MFP estimates the amount of calories you need for basic bodily functions and your everyday normal activities and comes up with 2,000 calories a day. Then it subtracts 500 because you said you want to lose a pound a week, and your goal is now 1500.

    BUT, MFP does not include your exercise calories in this goal. When you exercise, you need more fuel for that.

    So, you eat 1,500 cals + you burned 300 calories, you are now supposed to eat 1,800 that day.

    But you said you are really averaging about 1300-1400 a day. 1300 - the 300 calories you burned = a NET of 1,000. That is not enough.

    What you are doing is suppressing your metabolism by eating too few calories. You create too much stress on your body, and your body responds by releasing cortisol. This is a hormone that will actually prevent you from losing weight.

    I am aware of this, after I work out, I eat all the calories I have left, therefore I do eat over almost the 1800 calories because of my work out.

    Okay, then if you are measuring food accurately as you say your are, there could be other hormonal issues going on, or, your goals are not set realistically.
  • Ashshell
    Ashshell Posts: 185
    Your body is not going into starvation mode. Please do not listen to that nonsense. People throw that around WAY too much.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    .
  • chellec23
    chellec23 Posts: 147 Member
    I'm 5'7, I am very active throughout the day and I have a routine of work out. On MFP I have an intake of 1500 calories, and I usually fluctuate from 1300-1400 on an average day. My initial weight was 220 and right now I'm 219. I drink green tea every day, I drink more than 8 cups of water a day. I AM counting my calories every day. My weekends are very hectic and I don't eat at the normal hours that I do during the week but I still do breakfast, lunch and dinner, I have cut off beer and I rarely get any fast food. I measure absolutely EVERYTHING, I'm definitely not doing this half assedly and expecting results. I do cardio every day (40 minutes to 1 hr walking at a fast pace), I'm a child care provider so I'm on my feet moving around most of the day. I am doing all my math and I'm sticking to portions. I'm quite positive I don't over eat .

    Maybe it's just too few calories for you. When I started out I was eating under 1500 calories every day and NOTHING was changing. Didn't lose an ounce. Raised my calories to eat the 1700 in my goal, and started seeing results.
  • GnomeLove
    GnomeLove Posts: 379
    If you would open your diary we could look through it and get a better idea of why this is occurring.
  • kendallsauntie
    kendallsauntie Posts: 101 Member
    Hire a trainer. Seriously.

    I did this and started seeing and feeling the results real soon. Try taking your measurements once a month. It's like Christmas morning when you see the number on the tape getting smaller.

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