I'm Maintaining :(

you're probably eating more than you think you are. calorie counting requires precision...there is a very small margin of error so you need to be weighing and measuring pretty much everything. obviously there will be times when this is impossible but for the most part you should be weighing what can be weighed and using measuring spoons/cups for everything else. numerous studies have been done in this RE and indicate that people vastly underestimate their consumption when they just eyeball.

if you eat a lot of pre-packaged food, be careful...calorie counts are usually per serving and there's usually more than one serving in the package. also, pre-packaged, institutionalized foods as well as restaurants are given quite a bit of leeway in RE to the accuracy of their stated calorie contents. if you're eating out a lot, you might want to curb that a bit. Also, just be careful in general...people often log, chicken as an example...4 oz chicken breast (because 4 oz is a standard serving size)...but the average chicken breast is about double that and usually clocks in around 8 oz. this is a game of precision.

if you're doing all of those things and being consistent and meticulous with your logging and are as precise as humanly possible then you might want to go see your doc and get some blood work done. it could be something serious or it could be something as benign as a vitamin deficiency.

I find that if I combine running with lifting then I see results. I do not lose weight when I am only focused on cardio. There is also the quality of your food that I think matters. I try to eat "clean". Good luck!

Hi everyone!! I have been counting calories and running for one month and have not lost a pound! Can you tell me what the secret is? I joined MFP for help. I don't want to maintain. I want to lose 30 pounds. I'm 160 pounds and want to be 130. Some days I exercise and some days I don't. Some days I am sedentary at work (at my desk) and some days I'll spend all day at work on my feet. I'm 29 and 5 foot 5. How do I lose 30 pounds in 5 or 6 months? I appreciate your guidance! It's my first post!

It's hard to say without seeing your diary. How did you set up your goals? What is your Activity level?

My job varies too. I went with the lowest level I could have (sedentary) and add calories burned if I do more. That way I'm not eating too much if I have a desk job or don't exercise that day.

MFP can tell you your calorie goals--aim for .5-1 pound lost per week.

Then fill up your diary, so people who know can see it.

If still maintaining after 3-4 weeks, come on back.

"I am a seafood eating vegetarian"

A pescetarian, then?

"I am older now and also quit smoking 2 months ago."

^^Quitting smoking may be your issue for your "stall"/maintenance. Smoking stimulates your metabolism. I smoked for 10 years, and two things happened when I quit:

1. I became acutely aware of my need to pacify my oral fixation. For this, I would "pretend" to smoke a cigarette or do breathing exercises. That helped with the anxiety, too.

2. I became ravenous. Smoking suppresses appetite.

So, I'd say you're doing a glorious job, because you quit smoking and you're maintaining your weight! Good for you!

http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/weightgain/a/metabolism.htm

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/09/137085989/the-skinny-on-smoking-why-nicotine-curbs-appetite

It think, as your body adjusts, you'll have more control over your ability to lose weight, but don't be hard on yourself for not being able to lose weight this early after quitting smoking. I gained weight, as most people do. The fact that you are maintaining is awesome!

I like what others said about building muscle with strength training. That may be your next step towards weight loss. Good luck to you!

If you're not losing weight, you aren't in a calorie deficit. How many calories are you eating and how did you arrive at this number? Are you weighing and measuring your portion sizes to ensure accuracy? Are you logging absolutely everything you eat? Are you logging exercise? And if you are, where do you get your calorie burn estimates, and do you eat all of your exercise calories back?

Well if your BMR is 1500, that's how much your body would burn if you stayed in bed all day. So even on a desk day you should be eating more than that.

If you want to use MFP correctly, make sure all your info and set up is entered correctly. Your weekly loss goal should be no more than a half to a pound a week. If you're sure your BMR is 1500, tweak your MFP settings until you get at least that number for your daily goal, or set them manually.

Eat to goal, or close to it on non-exercise days, and make sure you eat your exercise cals back on the days you do workout.

As for workouts, there's a lot of free stuff on YouTube and lots of good apps out there if you have a smart phone. I don't go to a gym, but have had good success losing fat & keeping my lean muscle with dumbbells & body weight exercises at home. If you have access to heavy weights, check out the book New Rules Of Lifting for Women, or google Stronglifts 5x5. A good app for workouts with dumbbells - Nike Training Club, totally free, and loaded with over 100 different workouts from 15-45 minutes long. I've been using it for nearly two years and I'm still not bored with it.

If you just started the running, your muscles could be storing water for repair. It's not unusual at all to have new exercise mask loss in the 1st month. You'll need to keep great track of everything, no doubt, but you really might not be at maintenance calories right now. A tape measure can help sort out which it is, too.