Two weeks and no loss

Hi all-


Is it normal to be working out and logging food for 20 days without seeing a loss? I am so frustrated. My jeans seem loose but I am dying to see numbers drop on the scale.
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Replies

  • Sweetredpoison
    Sweetredpoison Posts: 66 Member
    Hi fellow long islander! I'm going to predict what most people are going to say.. that is your diary is closed so we can't help you examine your food choices. =)
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    Are you seeing any fluctuation at all? If not, step on the scale holding something heavy. Re-weigh and see what you get.

    (This is the unlikely answer, but since your jeans feel loose, worth a shot. Some scales have a "reliability measure" that will make them display the same weight if it's close together.)
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    nm
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    It is normal if you're not eating at a deficit.
    Make sure you are weighing, measuring and logging everything!
    Make sure you are not underestimating your caloric intake and overestimating your caloric burn from exercise!
    The weightloss will happen.
  • nikkih1288
    nikkih1288 Posts: 26 Member
    Hi fellow long islander! I'm going to predict what most people are going to say.. that is your diary is closed so we can't help you examine your food choices. =)

    How do I open my diary?
  • kimberlycarlile
    kimberlycarlile Posts: 7 Member
    If your body is like mine, it takes about 3 weeks for it to realize you're up to something new. I don't lose weight in the first three weeks of a new regime, but then it starts to drop steadily and satisfyingly. I would bet you're a day or two away from seeing the numbers move. Just keep at it.
  • jennegan1
    jennegan1 Posts: 677 Member
    Go into "My Home" then click on "Settings" then Diary Settings and make it public....Good morning all and another fellow Long Islander here also
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Are you eating enough? Have you calculated your TDEE? I had the same problem when I was only eating 1200 cal, but when I ate 20% less my TDEE I have lost (its slow, but I didn't gain overnight either).
    Are you drinking at least 64oz water? You will retain water if you don't drink enough.
    Are you consuming too much sodium?
    Just some things I've learned along the way :) Hope this helps!
  • nikkih1288
    nikkih1288 Posts: 26 Member
    Ahh I figured it out now my food diary is public :::cringe::::
  • 1113cw
    1113cw Posts: 830 Member
    I would add not to focus solely on the number on the scale. If your clothes are getting loose, it would seem that you are going in the right direction. I've been at it for 15 days now and just in the last day or two the scale is starting to move. I've read other posts that it takes a little bit for your body to adapt once you start eating differently and working out, that your muscles retain a bit of water until they get used to the changes so that may be part of it too.
  • jennegan1
    jennegan1 Posts: 677 Member
    Hi all-


    Is it normal to be working out and logging food for 20 days without seeing a loss? I am so frustrated. My jeans seem loose but I am dying to see numbers drop on the scale.

    To answer this A your a females. We lose more slowly then men. B if you body is new to exercise then its repairing it self by holding onto water aka water weight so once it does youll lose. C ovulating/ that time of the month? D make sure you measure and log everything. E its possible to over do the calorie burn on here so invest in a fitbit or a HRM so you can make sure that you are getting the correcut burn. F if you are eating back your exercise calories make sure to only eat back a little of them right now so you know that you arent over eating those calories
  • Sweetredpoison
    Sweetredpoison Posts: 66 Member
    Go into "My Home" then click on "Settings" then Diary Settings and make it public....Good morning all and another fellow Long Islander here also

    ^^ This and hello!!! =) New MFP group in the works?
  • Pippuccia
    Pippuccia Posts: 8 Member
    I agree..it takes a while of eating within your calorie limit, drinking 8 glasses of water and excersice before the scale budges favorably. Two weeks for me and I just saw the scale drop today. Also, for me as a woman, I tend to gain weight during that time of the month. Don't give up..let's keep at it together.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    I looked back through several days in your diary - either you skip meals frequently or you're not logging accurately. Either way most days you're significantly under your net calorie goal, one day even with under 1000 calories net! You need to eat the fuel your body needs. Skipping meals itself is not necessarily the evil we've been brought up to believe - meal timing actually has no impact on weight loss - but amount of intake definitely does, and accuracy of logging makes a big difference there. Especially if you're eating meals that you're not recording, how do you have any idea how much you're REALLY eating; how are you sure you're REALLY in a calorie deficit?

    You can think of it kind of as a travel analogy:

    You need to drive to a city 500 miles away (your weight loss goal)
    You need 15 gallons of gasoline to get there (your calorie intake target)
    You only put in 10 gallons (how much you actually eat)
    OR, you put in all 15 gallons, but then you siphon off 5 gallons (exercise calories burned) and and don't replace them
    are you going to make it partway to your destination? Sure, absolutely, and your "car" will run fine and seem like it's in great shape. But at some point your "car" will run out of fuel and stall out, just as your body eventually will.
  • AmykinsCatfood
    AmykinsCatfood Posts: 599 Member
    I've been logging steady for a couple of months with no loss. It just happens sometimes.
  • nikkih1288
    nikkih1288 Posts: 26 Member
    Phrick-

    I'll add more food. I am logging everything that goes in my mouth. I even have the app on my phone.;
  • Barbonica
    Barbonica Posts: 337 Member
    I looked at your diary for the last week or so, and based on what is in there, you should see a change on the scale after 2 weeks. Are you sure you are logging everything? Are you weighing everything? You have a lot of skipped meals - we all miss a meal sometimes, but you don't seem to have lunch very often. If you are not losing, you are eating at maintenance. I would guess that you are underestimating your caloric intake.
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
    I looked over the last handful of days of your diary and I'm a bit stumped. First off, I agree...YES, you should be eating more...getting closer to your calorie target. however, in the early part of your weight loss journey, that shouldn't be an issue. So, here are some ideas...

    1.... I'm not a woman, don't know much about TOM, but I know it causes water retention and scale does funny things around TOM

    2.... For reasons other than TOM, your body could be retaining water. Primarily to repair muscles. So, if you weighed in the day after working out, part of your scale weight is retained water.

    3. ... Some folks go overboard on exercise, particularly early. Yes, you should push yourself....but you should push yourself for YOUR CURRENT fitness level. 1st graders aren't expected to do algebra (or calculus). There's no reason you need more than 3 good, 30 minute workouts a week right now. none. And those workouts shouldn't be anything crazy when you're starting. No reason for it. It only increases the risk of injury and burnout....and also doesn't give your body enough time for repair and recovery.

    4. Aim for 12-16 cups of water a day. The more water you drink, the more water you flush from your system. Plus, drinking more water helps your body metabolize food more efficiently.

    5. A comment about your food diary....you aren't getting a ton of nutrients every day. Your body will function better when you're eating more nutrient rich foods (as opposed to wine and potato chips). Granted, you should still lose weight (at least early) when you're eating at a deficit, but if you're looking to turn your body into a fat burning machine....you'll want to start transitioning to more nutrient dense foods (meaning switching from processed foods to real foods).
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    I've been logging steady for a couple of months with no loss. It just happens sometimes.
    You may be eating at maintenance. I would drop 100 cals a day and reevaluate.

    ETA: or make sure you're logging, weighing and measuring accurately.
  • randrews0407
    randrews0407 Posts: 216 Member
    Take measurements to monitor progress

    I'm one of those people where the scale is always slow to budge ... I'll lose inches, my body fat percentage will get lower, my clothes will get loose but the scale will remain the same :grumble:
  • nikkih1288
    nikkih1288 Posts: 26 Member
    H-Factor :


    Some interesting points you made. Especially about the wine and chips. I need to change that. I am going through a divorce and some days the wine just helps.
  • nikkih1288
    nikkih1288 Posts: 26 Member
    Barb- Yes I rarely eat lunch. I have to start. I just have so much going on I forget. I am crazy about logging stuff. Maybe more water.
  • bumblebreezy91
    bumblebreezy91 Posts: 520 Member
    You need to be eating more. MFP put you at 1610 calories per day for a reason if you filled out your activity level correctly, so on the surface of things, it looks like you're under-eating by ~500 calories per day.

    As for the scale weight not going down, it could be that your body loses inches first. If you're logging every bite and you're at a deficit, your weight will eventually go down on the scale. You might have a big drop headed your way. Also, if you just started a fitness program after a long period of inactivity, you're gaining muscle and you could be retaining water. The scale doesn't differentiate between fat, muscle, and water weight. You could have lost fat and replaced it with muscle. Stay hydrated and be patient.
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
    SCALES LIE. Go by how your clothes fit. You can reduce body fat and gain lean muscle, leading to "not losing weight". Don't worry about weight, focus on getting fit.
  • nancybuss
    nancybuss Posts: 1,461 Member
    Have you measured??? if your jeans are getting lose something is changing. There is more to all of this than just the scale. Take pics of yourself AND Measure. you will want more area's to check for change than just the scale.
  • bobbienelson
    bobbienelson Posts: 3 Member
    Please don't get frustrated. If you are working out continue to do so. You are building muscle which weighs more than fat. This is why you are feeling your pants get looser but not seeing a change on the scale. I went through something very similar but kept at it. I belong to a gym that does monthly measuring/weighing. I was pleasantly surprised when I started seeing inches drop but the pounds were still there and then eventually the weight started coming off too. Keep up the good work and don't forget to eat healthy.
  • Sarahndipity30
    Sarahndipity30 Posts: 312 Member
    Don't get frustrated!!

    Some early on things I learned very quickly when i wasnt losing for weeks..

    1- I was logging, but i was NOT weighing EVERYTHING or measuring EVERYTHING. What you think a serving is, may (and usually isnt) an accurate serving. You will be amazed~!
    2- Drink MORE water. Period. you will be amazed.
    3- If you are doing any kind of serious workout for many days during the week, you could be retaining water due to your muscles repairing themselves. If your jeans are feeling looser, but the scale isnt moving, you could be building some muscle/muscle water retention and losing inches, muscle weighs more than fat. ;) MEASURE YO SELF! :P I dropped 9 inches without losing more than 3 lbs! Strength Training is where its at!
    4- some people agree others do not, but FOR ME eating every 3-4 hours with my meals consitsting of 2-400 cals each helps keep me going. my food is spread out, my calories are spread out and I do NOT feel hungry at any point during the day.
    5- Without a doubt, NEVER give up or Lose hope. It took me 3 1/2 months of doing it WRONG to figure out what I needed to do RIGHT. I dropped my calories 100 cals every few weeks until i got to where I started seeing a loss and wasnt feeling hungry. Give you rbody time to adjust to new macros/settings too. Do not let defeat take over. Sometimes we have to fail a dozen times in order to succeed. progress is progress and loose jeans is progress! :) you are beautiful and I am sure you will figure it all out. find what works best for you!

    :flowerforyou:
  • SamanthaD1218
    SamanthaD1218 Posts: 303 Member
    Take measurements to monitor progress

    I'm one of those people where the scale is always slow to budge ... I'll lose inches, my body fat percentage will get lower, my clothes will get loose but the scale will remain the same :grumble:

    I agree! Usually after I've lost weight for a while, I enter into a weight loss plateau and feel like I'm making no progress. Being able to measure myself every week or so helps encourage me that I actually am making progress! Whether you're losing fat or gaining muscle (likely both), you may not see a big change in weight. But your body IS changing and becoming healthier.
  • janeite1990
    janeite1990 Posts: 671 Member
    This won't be a happy post, but I'll tell you what worked for me after age 35. If I ate junky food, I got nowhere. You are eating way under your calories, but you are eating some sorry food. (There are some high points in there, but not consistently.) Here's what works for me:

    Cut as much processed junk out as you can.
    Don't drink calories.
    Drink tons of water.
    Eat protein first thing in the morning.
    Eat more fruit and veggies.

    When I was younger, a calorie deficit would work for me. As I've gotten older, I've found I have to keep up with all the nutrition and eat like they taught us in health class. Not very fun, but if you want results, it's worth it.

    Good luck!
  • I am not enough of an expert in these things to explain 'why' but I can speak from experience and say 'yes', this does happen. there are various reasons why and you might recognise one.

    You might have very little weight to lose and if so, it is harder to lose that amount as the body tries to hold on to weight the closer you are to the weight you should be. You just need to be VERY patient.

    You may be exercising and gaining muscle. Muscle is less bulky than fat so it may make you look slimmer without showing on the scales (confusingly referred to as 'muscle weighing more than fat') but the reality is that you may be toning up and eventually, because muscle increases metabolism it will show on the scales.

    Are you being honest with what you 'declare' on your log? Do you add the ketchup and the extra mouthful, the thick layer of butter or the second helping ... maybe you leave out the oil you cooked that lean bacon in or forgot to add in the drinks you had? Are you confusing the weight of the food you eat and thinking you are eating less? All in all the more honest you are about every bite you eat or drink the better the result will be.

    And finally - not so nice here, but how is your digestion? Poor digestion can make a difference of a kilo or so. I found when I had a slow weight loss week followed by another one ... I usually had a big loss the following week. Sometimes it is just like that. Don't give up because if you are eating less and exercising more you can't FAIL to lose weight.

    It's flippin' hard when its slow though ...