Not losing --- at all!

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YogiGirlLucy
YogiGirlLucy Posts: 290
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a little frustrated. I am under my calories every day, and every day this site tells me, if every day was like today you would weigh X (target weight or < target weight) in four weeks, however I have not lost a pound. Well, actually I lost 2 the first couple of days, then gained it back somehow, so I am at my starting weight again. Am I going to lose it all on the last day or something? Seriously though, what am I doing wrong?!
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Replies

  • MaryVoorhies
    MaryVoorhies Posts: 12
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    i have no idea. (sorry, i feel bad posting if i can't help) just wanted to say i'm having the same problem!
  • ltlemermaid
    ltlemermaid Posts: 637 Member
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    You are not eating enough....you need a minimum of 1200 calories NET (that is after workingout your daily calories should be at a minimum 1200) Your body is holding on to your fat etc/going into starvation mode.
  • superhippiechik
    superhippiechik Posts: 1,044 Member
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    I cant see your food log,but I know muscle weighs more than fat. Are you working out a lot?
  • Juno99
    Juno99 Posts: 32 Member
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    I think you are eating too little. You should eat at least 1200 calories per day and on the day you excercise, you shoud eat back some of that calories. Otherwise, your body will start storing fat.
  • beethedreamer
    beethedreamer Posts: 465 Member
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    are you exercising alot? if you are, you may need to bump up your calories, because your body may be holding on to the fat it does have for energy since you aren't eating enough to sustain daily life.
  • fletchbaby
    fletchbaby Posts: 62 Member
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    It might be because you may not need to lose it or you need to eat all your calories...and muscle does weigh more than fat..good luck :)
  • sgeorgia
    sgeorgia Posts: 66 Member
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    I just checked out the last few days of your diary and i would say you are not eating enough. Looks like you only had one day that you were slightly over 1200 calories and many that you were a few hundred below. This would probably be why. Your body will go into starvation mode when you don't get at least the amount of calories that your body needs to just survive if you were laying in bed all day. I know it's counter intuitive but i would suspect that if you did not go below 1200 calories and ate at least 1/2 or more of your exercise calories you would start losing.
    good luck.
  • RaggedyPond
    RaggedyPond Posts: 1,487 Member
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    1. eat more 2. eat more 3. eat more
  • elmct57
    elmct57 Posts: 594 Member
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    how much water do you drink and do you track your sodium in your foods? You do measure at least weekly too, right? i might not lose lbs, but inches lost is a victory as the clothes get looser and go down another size.
  • jillbedford
    jillbedford Posts: 13
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    It looks like you have been at this three weeks or so. So give it some time. It looks like you are not always eating breakfast and eating most of your calories at night. The body goes into starvation mode and hoards what calories it gets at night.
    Also, you may be pretty close to a healthy weight already and trying for vanity pounds to come off. At 44, that is harder than it should be.
    The solution is to space the meals out more evenly. Do not go under 1,200. Hit it in the gym. Kill it on the treadmill. Running is like liposuction, only cheaper and healthier.
    Don't give up. The math will catch up sooner or later.
  • missyhse
    missyhse Posts: 189
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    It looks like you are not eating enough! 1200 is the minimum amount of calories you need to eat so your body doesn't store...being a little bit under your calorie goal is ok, but having a huge deficit daily isn't healthy
  • tjradd73
    tjradd73 Posts: 3,495 Member
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    i feel your pain!!! i have been having the EXACT same issue!!! i will tell you what everyone has been telling me...put away the scale, take your measurements so you have another thing to check and see your progress, make sure you are drinking your water and that your sodium is low, alter the types of foods that you eat, and DON'T always be under your calories cuz you need to trick your body. so hopefully these things work for you and me both!!! lemme know if you hear any other helpful tips :)
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
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    I agree with mermaid, and I also want to add that you are always eating the same food and no enough fruits and vegetables. Our bodies need change and proper nutrition, just shaving calories will not do it.

    I would also suggest that you track your sodium, it seems that you are eating too much process food. Sorry, I took at your dairy because it was public and because you asked for an opinion.

    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • Healthyby30
    Healthyby30 Posts: 1,349 Member
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    I also have noticed it seems like you aren't eating enough and what about your water intake?

    As far as the whole "muscle weighs more than fat" thing, you gain muscle VERY slowly so I highly doubt it is that.

    An easy way to get more calories is to maybe have a handful of almonds or walnuts. They're high in calories and have good fats. Or maybe add a glass of milk to your meals?
  • vkpmusic
    vkpmusic Posts: 343 Member
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    First eat within 50 calories either way of all the calories MFP is giving you b/c it is already building in a deficit.
    Second: Include EVERYTHING you eat....if it's a mint, record it. Also, look for entries with multiple member confirmations. At the very least, verify it. (and don't skip meals) Personally, I find that if I can manage more calories at lunch and fewer at dinner, I drop more, but that may just be me.
    Third, I can't see your sodium, but when I made sure that was lower, I started dropping weight.
    Finally, and I can't say that I have done this personally, but I have seen people complaining that the database is showing more calories burned in exercise than their heart rate monitor shows (or the gym machine shows more than the monitor) so if you exercise a lot, you might want to invest in a monitor.


    Also, measure. I dropped like 0.2 lbs in 3 weeks, but 2 inches in my waist b/c muscle weighs more.
    Good luck! And don't give up.
  • NatalieWinning
    NatalieWinning Posts: 999 Member
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    What they all said! Plus remember if you do a real good workout you might store some water weight because your muscle worked hard and needs to recouperate. Different parts of my menses I gain or drop some, too. If you have only been logging in for less than a month, don't give up too quick. It's frustrating, for sure, but it's not permanent. Change up your diet, change up your exercise, eat enough, drink enough, get less processed and sodium rich foods. Measure yourself and add measurements to what MFP gives you, too, because later you will see that you have made progress in inches.
  • Amarillo_NDN
    Amarillo_NDN Posts: 1,018 Member
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    I looked at what you are eating and one of your biggest problems is, your starving your self. Your body will do every thing it can to keep every oz of fat it can.
  • turbojanem
    turbojanem Posts: 285
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    are you eating enough. how much below are you eating? if you don't eat 1200 calories, your body will go into starvation mode and you will not lose or possibly gain.
    if you are eating below 1200 calories and exercising, you are not getting enough food.
    you also need to eat a well balanced diet. fruits and vegetables are a must. limiting your breads and potatoes will help too. eat rice instead of pasta or bread.
    friend me and send me a direct message if you want more help.

    cheering you on!
    Jane
  • ottawagirl613
    ottawagirl613 Posts: 112 Member
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    Everything these good people have already said! You are definitely not eating enough calories. You should eat your full 1200 or more on days when you don't exercise, and as many exercise calories as you feel comfortable eating (as many as possible basically). Just make sure that any exercise calories you eat are in healthy fruits, vegetables and grains and you won't feel as bad about it.

    I am focusing more on my diet then my exercise at the moment (only making time for short walks, etc.) and I am still eating more then my recommended calorie intake EVERY DAY and losing weight! Based on my age, weight, height and activity level my body is supposed to burn roughly 1800 calories a day without exercise, so eating as much as 100 calories over is still a 500 calorie defecit. Seven days at a 500 calorie defecit will still give you roughly a pound or so of fat loss at the end of the week, and I try to mix it up anyways (1200 one day, 1300 the next, 1250 the next, 1350 with a walk, etc.) Keeping your body guessing on your calorie intake and switching up the foods you eat helps to keep you out of a rut in my experience.

    Whatever you do don't give up! These lifestyle changes take some getting used to (and some trial and error to get it right in the first place) but they are totally worth it! I am only down three pounds from where I started in my last 10 pounds (or 13 to be exact) self-challenge, but before that I lost 18 pounds keeping a food journal and watching my portions without the help of this site. It's tough to get started sometimes but very doable once you get the hang of it!

    BEST OF LUCK!
  • purpleprose
    purpleprose Posts: 650
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    People have already hit on most of the basics, but looking through your diary it appears that (1) you skip meals and (2) you eat a big meal for dinner.

    Make sure you eat 3 meals a day plus snacks (under about 250 cals) every 3 hours or so. Skipping meals slows your body down and does all sorts of wonky things to your blood sugar, metabolism, etc.

    And, like others have said, try eating more. I know it is counterintuitive, but I've already lost almost 40 pounds by following the MFP calorie guidelines, aiming to generally be within 100 cals in either direction of the recommended goal (plus exercise cals). Because you have a lot less to lose than most people on here, it will probably take longer as well. Those last pounds are the hardest to get off.

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