Why am i not losing?

So here. I put this together a while back. It seems to have helped some folks. It worked for me and tons of others.

1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Take the tips, links, and info above and make the cart more manageable to stay on.

Well I have pushed up my calorie allowance to 1500 and am trying to fit in more exercise. I have a new exercise dvd which has got High Intensity Interval Training in it. Which looks like it's short bursts of real hard work, with not so hard exercises in between. Is that right?
Also I am making an effort to eat more fruits and veggies and less crisps and cake :laugh:

Thank you for the advice

keep the exercise the same. you don't want to wind up working out more and still having too large of a calorie deficit. Eat 1500 calories a day. weigh and log your food accurately. Get enough rest. The point is to find a balance. I wouldn't keep changing my routine until I found that I was regularly losing. Like, don't just jump to 1500 calories then add HIIT and other random workouts. Just eat 1500 a day for 4 weeks. Exactly that amount. Weigh at the beginning, weigh at the end. Take how much you've lost and break it down mathematically. If you're losing a steady and good amount, just keep doing what you're doing.

First things first. Eat!! But eat the right food. NO Fast food what so ever! No Suger unless its from fruit. (Not in a can)!! It's all or nothing. How bad do you want to lose weight? Bump up your food intake to 2000 and double up on your cardio! You'll have people tell you different. Here is my opinion. Sweat loss is weight loss. If your not sweating your not consuming enough water and or working out hard enough! Try this. Try to cut out all soda. Eat your calories, Don't drink them. Last but not least. Set a reason to lose weight. Stick with that reason and work your butt off!

When I see advice this good I go and look at the ticker.
Signed up in 2011 and lost 1 lb.

Makes sense.

water, water, and more water! Try to get in the 8 glasses. I sometimes use the Kroger fitness flavors in mine especially in the morning when I would like to have juice, but don't want the calories that come with it! It wasn't easy to take in so much in the beginning, but you get used to it and it actually makes you feel full faster.

First things first. Eat!! But eat the right food. NO Fast food what so ever! No Suger unless its from fruit. (Not in a can)!! It's all or nothing. How bad do you want to lose weight? Bump up your food intake to 2000 and double up on your cardio! You'll have people tell you different. Here is my opinion. Sweat loss is weight loss. If your not sweating your not consuming enough water and or working out hard enough! Try this. Try to cut out all soda. Eat your calories, Don't drink them. Last but not least. Set a reason to lose weight. Stick with that reason and work your butt off!

It is NOT all or nothing. All or nothing makes people burn out and ultimately give up.

Also OP you can lose weight eating whatever type of food you like. Now, you're a lot more likely to stay full if you spend your calories on mostly whole foods, getting enough protein and fat. But weight loss is just about calorie deficit.

Like the other posters have said, have patience. A week feels like a long time when you're first starting out, I know. Stick with it, eat reasonably, get some exercise, and be patient.

So here. I put this together a while back. It seems to have helped some folks. It worked for me and tons of others.

1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Take the tips, links, and info above and make the cart more manageable to stay on.

Can tell I'm new to this... I posted a reply which was meant for this lol...

Great advice though! I've been advised 1200 by MFP - will see how that works out and won't worry myself too much if I go over. I'm 5'4" CW 156lbs, GW 154lbs and exercise 3 times per week (1 strength 1 cardio 1 mixture)

i had to start exercise slowly too and it took a few weeks before i started to see results ;0) also i have weeks that weight is falling off and others where i feel like nothings happening it just takes time

I will not lose if I eat a lot of sodium. For example, if I have any canned soups, I will not lose weight. If I exercise, and eat back too many exercise calories I will not lose weight, either.

water weight...

After my Starvation Mode rant I feel I ought to respond to the original post

To the OP: Be patient, consider upping your calories a bit to make things easier on yourself - see what MFP says for a 1 lb per week loss. If you go gradually, you will still lose weight in the end and you will find it easier to build a healthier lifestyle.

Edit:
I found these links helpful:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/Loseweight/Pages/Loseweighthome.aspx

I have not read all of the posts but hopefully this advice will help you. First off I think you need to eat more About 10% less than your TDEEs , don't starve yourself or you will lose too much muscle. Lifting weights helps keeps you from losing too much muscle. Good luck

Not losing weight means you're eating too much. Either you're not counting correctly or overestimating exercise burns.

I think maybe you aren't loosing because you actually are eating too few calories. I know it's weird right?! But even though you can eat 1300 calories and feel fine and not hungry, you body can think you are in starvation mode which means it will hang on to everything so you don't starve, which means you won't lose anything, believe it or not.

Try eating 1400-1500 calories and do light exersise 3 times a week, like walking for 45 mins. Give it 2-3 weeks and I bet you lose 4-5 lbs!

If you are not losing it does not mean you are eating too few calories, it means you are eating too much. The problem is generally in underestimating calories in by not measuring and weighing food, miscalculating portions, and relying on MFP's calorie estimations rather than reading the label or looking up nutrition information elsewhere, as well as possibly overestimating calories.

Eating more would be to fuel your body more if you really are eating low and not eating your exercise calories back (in other words your logging is accurate enough). In order to lose weight, you must still not eat over your total calorie goals for the week (some people stagger calories, eat a few hundred one day, but eat under a few other days to make up the difference).

Starvation mode does not apply to this situation. You don't go into starvation mode just from eating too few calories. You lose a certain percentage of body fat and muscle and become emaciated. Please read this link to fine out what starvation mode really is about: http://www.madsciencemuseum.com/msm/pl/great_starvation_experiment