NOT LOSING!!!

jcompton3821
jcompton3821 Posts: 109
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been on MFP this time for 20 days (well today makes 21) - and have lost NOTHING!!!! I used MFP at the first of the year for about 3-4 months and lost almost 20 lbs...not this time!!! What am I doing wrong!!! I'll admit I haven't worked out as much this time...but last Wednesday, Sept 1st I started 30DS and I've done it everday except Sunday..still no results!!! I'm so frustrated!!! I don't think I'm eating as well as I should be....perhaps that's the problem??? Even though I'm staying at my calorie goal?? and eating my exercise cals???

Replies

  • kendra1976
    kendra1976 Posts: 90 Member
    have you gone back into double check that your "settings" are right? I would do that first.
    Secondly, are you drinking enough water? Even if I work out and eat right, I won't lose without enough water.
  • amcmillan730
    amcmillan730 Posts: 591 Member
    Maybe try not eating all of your exercise calories? That can vary by person...
  • flattsfan22
    flattsfan22 Posts: 86 Member
    Make sure you are geting your water in. Make sure you are eating ENOUGH calories but good calories. I'm having the same problems myself, its just a trial and error process until you find what works. What I'm finding, too, is that what worked for me in the past isn't working for me now so even though you have been successful with one strategy then does not mean it will work for you now. Don't give up, you are doing great!!! Add me as a friend if you'd like some support. I know it gets discouraging to not see that scale moving. Have you measured yourself? I know a good way to track change is to also measure yourself weekly, I've begun to do this and can't wait till next week so I can hopefully see changes that way.
  • melbhall
    melbhall Posts: 519
    Don't be so hard on yourself, it does take time. Perhaps it is your eating. I know that when I was eating junk but still within my calorie range my weight loss was extremely slow. I'm still a work in progress and it's hard for me to change the things I need to eat because I don't want to just eat healthy to drop 40lbs, I want to eat healthy for life. I didn't look at your diary, but maybe you aren't eating enough??? Also, water is so important. Make sure you drink a lot of it, and you should see the scale budge a bit. Hope the scale moves soon, because I know how frusterating it can be :)
  • FemininGuns
    FemininGuns Posts: 605 Member
    I would say that one week of hard work may not show on the scale. So I would advise to keep working hard and give your body the time to build the muscles you need to burn that fat effeciently. I have been at it since June and can tell you that only in the last month have I seen that my hard work is paying off big time!! Stick with it and tell yourself that you will see results. Patience is a virtue!

    Took a peek at your diary... Frosted flakes in the AM?! sorry, but you may want to throw that out... Take a look at my diary for ideas. Just as an FYI - sugar in the morning is stored as fat... Gotta get lean proteins like egg whites and good carbs. I eat Kashi Go Lean cereal (1.5 cups) with 1 cup of almond milk with 2 boiled eggs. Other mornings I will eat 3 egg whites with one whole egg, 1/3 cup of oatmeal and 1 slice of ezeikle bread.

    Tips: replace ALL sugars with honey or stevia, cut out white flour (even whole wheat if you're able to) and milk (replace with almond milk unsweetened). I occasionally eat Baby Bell Lite & yogurt... I take Calcium supplements to replace what I need as well as other supplements (D, C, multi etc...). If you like pasta, try brown rice pasta and if you eat rice, stick with brown rice. If you make those changes - I PROMISE you will see results (give it at least 3 weeks with exercise and no cheats).
  • sngnyrslp
    sngnyrslp Posts: 315 Member
    I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I took a look at your food diary over the past couple of weeks and, unless you're exercising and not logging it into MFP, you seem to go over your calories pretty often. I would consider reevaluating your eating habits. A great way I keep myself on track is to log my food before I eat it whenever I can. That way I know how it effects my calorie goal for the day before it's too late to change my mind.
    Good Luck!
  • awood75
    awood75 Posts: 5
    I am having the same problem. Have only lost 2 pounds but I am losing inches and have seen an increase in muscle tone. So don't give up and remember it's not only about what the scale says! Keep track of your measurements too. Add me as a friend if you'd like some extra support!
    Angie
  • atombud
    atombud Posts: 38 Member
    I agree with sngnyrslp you eating habits are not looking very good according to your diary, fat content is high, calorie intake is higher on most days and your water consumption is not adequate. Need to work on those items for a start from what I can tell.
  • maynard46
    maynard46 Posts: 134
    I would definately go in and check your settings first. Then just for awhile, stop eating your exercise calories or maybe not all of them. Also I weigh and measure everything. I know its a pain but when I just eyeball my serving sizes they seem to slowly get bigger. And of course water.

    Hope this helps!
  • cischo104
    cischo104 Posts: 28 Member
    Don't let that discourage you! continue the 30DS and continue your calorie goal daily drink plenty of water!1 Remember muscle weighs more than fat so sometimes when you think nothing is happening you might just be building a little more muscle! :) It takes time to lose weight just like it took time for you to gain it. Keep it up! You can do this!
  • Navie42
    Navie42 Posts: 152
    Hello. I'm not by any means an expert in this field, but I had a look at your diary and you have a LOT of fast food logged over the last couple weeks. One some of these days this is causing you to go as much as 1,000 calories over your limit. I would echo others that you should work on changing some of your eating habits. What I found worked for me was learning to cook. Before I decided to change my ways I couldn't cook anything, now I prepare healthy meals for my husband and I. You can find a myriad of healthy recipes on this board and online.

    I would also work towards eating better in general. Get rid of the "processed cheese food" and work towards getting your 5 a day of fruit and veg.
  • CombatVet_Armywife
    CombatVet_Armywife Posts: 300 Member
    WOW! First, let me pick my jaw up off the floor!!
    I am speechless.....had I looked at your diary not knowing what kind of site this was, I would never have guessed this was a diary of a person who was trying to lose weight. I do not know the full story, or if there is exercise you haven't logged into your diary, but wow. That is your problem right there! I was dumbfounded as to why you were confused/surprised/frustrated that you haven't been losing weight. I don't know how anyone would expect to lose weight while eating what you are.

    I don't mean to sound harsh or as though I know it all (because I don't)...I sympathize, I really do! It can be hard to make that lifestyle change that's necessary to be healthy and reach a healthy weight. But to reach your goal, eating so much fast food and candy/junk will not get you there. Bottom line. Even IF you're able to eat like that and keep under your calorie goals, you won't see the results you're looking for. You want to be under your calorie goal, but by eating the right foods. The best advice I can offer is to look more carefully at what your putting into your diary. There's the change you need to make!

    What I did when I was running out of ideas for healthier meals or getting bored with the ones I usually eat is I looked around at other people's diaries. I love the fact that others will keep theirs public for people to view. It is a great way to help other MFP users focus on what they're eating and provide ideas for healthy meals. I would suggest taking a look at a few other diaries to get some ideas. As others have said, water is also extremely important! Water, water, water!! I keep a 32oz. water bottle with me at all times and constantly re-fill it. Good luck from here...I know changing your eating habits is one of the hardest steps! But from the sound of your post, you're strong enough to do it!! :smile:
  • barbwirelaceandroses
    barbwirelaceandroses Posts: 17 Member
    If I remember correctly we are here to build up one another an offer encouragement. Perhaps an email could be a nicer way of getting some of the more direct opinions across. IMHO. Hang in there friend I'm sure you will figure it out and start losing weight soon. Keep your chin up and never give up! :flowerforyou:
  • CombatVet_Armywife
    CombatVet_Armywife Posts: 300 Member
    Perhaps my words came across differently to others. I read it before posting it, I would never want to discourage anyone, especially on here!! I thought I tried to encourage and offer advice and tips that have helped me along in this struggle. Normally I do message over posting, however today I was on a slow computer that would have taken me a week to get the message sent. Great tip though....thanks SO much, I appreciate the feedback!
    My apologies if I offended anyone, certainly not intentional!
  • junebug523
    junebug523 Posts: 196
    Just keep giving it time. If it's too overwhelming to try to make tons of changes all at once (which it can be), start with just one or two, and build yourself up from there. If you try to change too much too fast, you'll likely get discouraged and give up. Don't let that happen! So, maybe right now really focus on exercising regularly (and with intensity) and increasing your fruit and veg intake. Or something else. Giving myself monthly nutritional and fitness goals really helps me to stay on track...and come to think of it, I haven't set any for myself yet this month. Gotta get on that!

    It'll work. Keep at it. Take it one choice at a time. Be honest with yourself, make changes that you can sustain for the long-term, and forgive yourself when you slip up. We all do! It's not a fast journey, and it doesn't always happen on the time lines we set for ourselves--but it's worth it to become healthier and happier.
  • Becca10380
    Becca10380 Posts: 1
    My advice would be to make small goals. I didn't look at your food diary, but reading other posts, I'd start by making some adjustments there. Start with breakfast and swap out some high sugars for lean protein...my favorite is 3 egg whites on a bagel thin with some spinach and a piece of fruit. Keep it simple and once you feel like you've made a positive change in one area, choose another. Took you a while to gain the weight, it's going to take you a while to get it off too! Good luck!
  • bsexton3
    bsexton3 Posts: 472 Member
    I tend to disagree with a number of posters.

    First, sugar in the morning is the same as sugar in the evening. It is a calorie of unit that needs to be burned, whenever you eat it.

    Looking over your diary for the past two weeks I see a couple of ideas.

    Cut out the salt. I don't lose if I am eating a lot of salt, especially if I am not drinking water.

    Second, are you being completely honest in calorie count? I know when I add a quick 600 calories, I have to take a moment to be truly honest. At a back to school potluck, I put 300. Then, when I thought about it, I put 800. Quick calories are a good place to be dishonest. I am not saying you are, I know I do.

    One another day, you were over by 1,100. That that is four days of being right on to simply stay even.

    I do agree that choice of food is important. I don't see much fruits and vegetables. If I was eating what you were eating as my calories, I would be hungry all the time. 3/8 a cup of cereal and milk does not equal dinner. Maybe once, but not on a regular basis for your meals.

    My biggest issue is liking sugar--especially sweet candy. How I deal with this is by riding my bike many miles. If I ride 2 hours or longer, I can have a candy bar worth of sugar. Now, I know some will say it is wrong, but after burning 2,400 calories, I still am losing 2 pounds a week having a candy bar on my long cycle days. I treat the sweet tooth as my reward for exercise. It motivates me to get on the bike. Just an idea.

    good luck. Keep at it.
  • jcompton3821
    jcompton3821 Posts: 109
    I tend to disagree with a number of posters.

    First, sugar in the morning is the same as sugar in the evening. It is a calorie of unit that needs to be burned, whenever you eat it.

    Looking over your diary for the past two weeks I see a couple of ideas.

    Cut out the salt. I don't lose if I am eating a lot of salt, especially if I am not drinking water.

    Second, are you being completely honest in calorie count? I know when I add a quick 600 calories, I have to take a moment to be truly honest. At a back to school potluck, I put 300. Then, when I thought about it, I put 800. Quick calories are a good place to be dishonest. I am not saying you are, I know I do.

    One another day, you were over by 1,100. That that is four days of being right on to simply stay even.

    I do agree that choice of food is important. I don't see much fruits and vegetables. If I was eating what you were eating as my calories, I would be hungry all the time. 3/8 a cup of cereal and milk does not equal dinner. Maybe once, but not on a regular basis for your meals.

    My biggest issue is liking sugar--especially sweet candy. How I deal with this is by riding my bike many miles. If I ride 2 hours or longer, I can have a candy bar worth of sugar. Now, I know some will say it is wrong, but after burning 2,400 calories, I still am losing 2 pounds a week having a candy bar on my long cycle days. I treat the sweet tooth as my reward for exercise. It motivates me to get on the bike. Just an idea.

    good luck. Keep at it.


    Thanks so much for all of the help and information - I KNOW I'm not eating at my best...and I do have good excuses for a couple of those days ( IN CAR ALL DAY WITH KIDS!!! LOL) but those really don't matter at this point - some of it was harsh but it also made me want to change and not have people say those things... so good always comes from bad.. :)
    To the point you made about the quick calories - I REALLY try hard to EXAGGERATE those calories...because I don't want to list it as too little - so I purposely try and list it as more.
    Thanks again to EVERYONE...lessons heard...hopefully learned...and I WILL TRY to do much better...not promising I won't slip occasionally but......I am trying!!
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