Wtf!

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aliagraves
aliagraves Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I don't understand. I'm running 5 days a week, doing yoga 3 stays a week. I've been staying within my calorie range. I've been doing this for over a month now and I'm not losing weight. In fact, somedays I'm gaining. I'm 257 lbs. shouldn't it be coming off. I am so frustrated. I'm busting my butt to pretty much stay exactly where I started. Why is this happening??

Replies

  • soupandcookies
    soupandcookies Posts: 212 Member
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    Do you want to make your diary public so people can take a look? Maybe we could give some suggestions...
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    Well.....how much are you eating?

    This.
    Are you eating back your exercise calories? If not, you may want to consider doing so. Creating too large of a deficit can be counterproductive.

    If you're eating 1200 calories, for example, with not eating back your exercise calories, you're eating way too little. Not saying you're on 1200, but that's what happens in probably about 90% of cases like this. 1200 is the bare minimum, but the user will be undercutting it to 1000 calories, plus exercising, and netting very little for the body to function on.

    On the reverse side, are you measuring your food, or are you guessing your portions? You could be underestimating how much you're eating, and actually eating more than you think.

    There's all sort of factors involved, but opening your diary would be a good step to get some constructive feedback.
  • fairygramjan
    fairygramjan Posts: 7
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    Have you tried counting your carbs as well as your calories? Sometimes you can stay within your calories, but it's WHAT you eat. If it's all pasta, bread, and other high carb foods that might be a problem. You need protein and those low-carb veggies (celery, green beans, broccoli, etc). Don't know if this will help...just throwing it out there. Good luck. I know how frustrated you must be.
  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
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    Get your scales checked. they could be innacurate. If you don't have tiny scales that weigh even in single grams, get some. :)

    Editing: I mean kitchen scales. :D But hey, bathroom scales might be skewiff too. :p
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    What's your height, weight, and age?

    Are you logging everything (even condiments, coffee creamer, etc.) every day? Do you use a food scale?

    What's your calorie goal?

    Do you mind opening your diary?
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
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    Hey,

    Don't worry it's probably something simple you've overlooked. Can I ask how many calories you are averaging a day?
  • KateK8LoseW8
    KateK8LoseW8 Posts: 824 Member
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    1. How many calories are you eating?

    2. Do you use MFP to log your exercise, then eat everything back? The estimates this website gives are very generous. I recommend cutting back to 75% of those earned calories.

    3. Do you stay at or under your calorie goal every day or most days? If you go over sometimes, how often and by how much?

    4. Do you use a kitchen scale? Eyeballing or measuring non-liquids by volume is inaccurate, and you could be consuming a lot more calories than you think.

    5. Have you been tested for any thyroid or other conditions that could affect your weight?

    6. Are you on any medications that make weight loss difficult?

    7. Are you drinking any calorie-filled beverages, such as soda, juice, milk, or mixed coffee drinks, without accounting for them?

    I doubt that this problem is caused by under eating. People will throw around the whole starvation mode thing, but you typically see adaptive thermogenesis (a preferable term over starvation mode) in people who have been at an extreme calorie deficit for a long time and have stopped losing weight. Those people absolutely lose weight at first, but it slows or stops further down the road.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    1. You gotta provide wayyyy more infor to get much usefull feedback, but based off what you said I will try
    2. How are you counting your yoga workouts, most people have found that the calories burned in yoga on MFP is grossly overestimated so thats my first idea
    3. How good are you really logging, most people with these complaints are not very accurate on their portions or only log a few days a week and are not being truely honest with themselves
    4. Always slightly underestimate your workouts and overestimate your consumption, research shows that most people do the opposite and it can have huge effects.

    Another thing to think about that alot of people experience is if you just started workin out alot suddenly you will retain alot of water the first few weeks, its part of your muscles trying to cope.
  • simsburyjet
    simsburyjet Posts: 999 Member
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    well if something is not working then change it up.. You should be doing weights, push ups, planks as well
    as cardio.. Eat less exercise more, pretty simple.
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    are you losing weight (inches, clothing getting baggier) just not on the scale?

    if nothing is moving then you need to provide us with more information - how are you measuring food (eyeballing or weighing)? how are you calculating exercise cals? are you eating back exercise cals? etc. because generally speaking, if you are eating the correct amount of foods and exercising, then you should be losing. if not - then something is off
  • aliagraves
    aliagraves Posts: 7 Member
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    I'm 5'4 and 30 yrs old. MFP says I need 1500 cals a day. Yes I log everything. Most days I'm at a deficit of 100 calls or so. I don't have a kitchen scale, but I'm being pretty accurate. I've lost 100 lbs before and I did it by basically starving myself and working out while my husband was in Iraq. I don't worry too much about carbs. Everything I eat is gluten free, fresh produce, and whole grain. I never eat anything processed or out of a package. Except bottled water.
  • fullofquirks
    fullofquirks Posts: 182 Member
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    Kitchen scale is invaluable. So is time.

    Your better choices will all add up. Success is not a straight line. As much as we want it to be.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Your ticker shows 5 lbs lost-- was that during this month?
  • Messier108
    Messier108 Posts: 23
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    Try measuring your body with measuring tape instead of relying on scales because they can be deceiving, but the tape never lies.
  • askeates
    askeates Posts: 1,490 Member
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    I was having this issue myself... And found that I was not accurately tracking my calories. Some days were so far under that by the time I exercised my NET calorie intake was 500-600, or I was over estimating my calories to the point where I was actually eating at maintenance instead of a deficit. You really need to track the calories closely, weight and measure everything. It takes a little extra time, but it does in fact make a difference!
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
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    Are you eating exercise calories? And are those estimated exercise calories? Maybe stop eating those as you might be overestimating your exercise.

    And get a food scale.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I'm 5'4 and 30 yrs old. MFP says I need 1500 cals a day. Yes I log everything. Most days I'm at a deficit of 100 calls or so. I don't have a kitchen scale, but I'm being pretty accurate. I've lost 100 lbs before and I did it by basically starving myself and working out while my husband was in Iraq. I don't worry too much about carbs. Everything I eat is gluten free, fresh produce, and whole grain. I never eat anything processed or out of a package. Except bottled water.

    Have you been checked by a doctor for, or do you have any medical conditions that affect weight loss (PCOS, hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, etc.)?
  • roxylola
    roxylola Posts: 540 Member
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    how do you know you are logging accurately if you don't have a scale?

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