3 weeks, and not a single pound lost :(

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Replies

  • NatalieLJ
    NatalieLJ Posts: 158 Member
    Thanks all. So less salt, more protein and more water will be my focus this week. And sticking at it.
    I think I have been weighing myself too often, more out of sheer frustration than anything else. I'll try fight the urge for a bit!
    Breakfast is definitely something I need to work on, I've never been a breakfast person but I'm learning it's so important, so I'll try better.
  • kie_kie
    kie_kie Posts: 106 Member
    Chances are you are eating empty calories and not drinking enough water. Although you are eating below you're calorie count and exercising there might be a lot of sodium and salt in the food you're eating and the loads of preservatives makes these foods hard to digest.

    Try eating more naturally, drinking lots of water, and also try eating back you're exercise calories.
    You could also try to have small meals everything 3-4 hours so you don't feel hungry.

    I hope this helps.
  • NatalieLJ
    NatalieLJ Posts: 158 Member
    I'm in the eat more to lose camp. I know its scary, I was petrified when I first started bumping up my calories (first from 1200-1450, then 1600, now I eat 1700-2200 cals a day!)
    What made me switch was I had no idea how to maintain my weight, I could lose and then i'd go back to "normal" and gain it all back. I got sick of yo-yoing and sick of being miserably hungry and decided losing slow is better than the yoyo cycle.
    go to this site and fill in your info, play around a little to see what will be manageable: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Also I work in an office and unless I want to eat out daily (which my budget and butt can't sustain) I'm stuck with microwave & snack foods too. I pre-make lots of meals, typically family size meals and then split them into individual servings and freeze them like my own homemade lean cuisines. I have total control of the ingredients and know what I'm getting, and because at any given time I have 3-4 types of things in my freezer I get variety :)

    The other thing that has made a difference (especially if you're working out) is getting a lot of protein. Like the above poster said upping it will make a difference in how you feel and how your body looks. I try for 120-150 on non workout days and up to 200 when I have heavy workouts.

    Thank you, that's really helpful. According to that site, I might be eating too few calories, so I'll try increasing it too.
  • NatalieLJ
    NatalieLJ Posts: 158 Member
    Thanks all, that's all really useful. Also it's nice to hear from others who have had a similar problem and gone on to lose weight.
  • GoreWhore72
    GoreWhore72 Posts: 190 Member
    This is me without any weight loss for the month of January.

    Added a little more cardio (walking), and just toning (strength training) with crunches, a few squats, floor exercise (core), and dancing.

    a89669a1-b8f6-4fa9-83a3-1e250ffef163.jpg
  • Kimlloyd1980
    Kimlloyd1980 Posts: 1
    It takes at least 5 weeks sticking to the plan to see results, trust me I lost 20 lbs last year on MFP. After the first 10 I started exercising like biking and walking. Stick to it it really works....

    Suggestion- eat things high in protein if possible that is GOOD calories.
  • brinatsie
    brinatsie Posts: 2
    I agree with others, not enough water and pre packaged meals have too much salt. Also shift work, are you getting enough sleep? Sleep is very important when getting healthy. Also, I try to buy my groceries one day and then the next day prepare and package for eating and snacking all week. I boil eggs for a quick snack before or after a workout. I cut up all veggies and put in containers for quick salads. I used to never drink water and only drink soda, now I have worked myself up to 8 glasses of water a day and no soda in weeks. Also cut down my coffee intake to one cup per day. Hope it all helps and good luck.
  • Regan45
    Regan45 Posts: 191 Member
    Like you, I started with about 20 pounds to lose. I did everything right and the first time I saw a loss was week three. It was only one pound! I was very discouraged but I kept going. It worked! I have been in maintenance for over 3 months now.
    I do have to say water is crucial! Don't give up and drink your water! You'll get there and it will feel great!
  • NatalieLJ
    NatalieLJ Posts: 158 Member
    This is me without any weight loss for the month of January.

    Added a little more cardio (walking), and just toning (strength training) with crunches, a few squats, floor exercise (core), and dancing.

    a89669a1-b8f6-4fa9-83a3-1e250ffef163.jpg

    Wow, you can see a huge difference! That's really encouraging, thank you for sharing.
    To the others, sleep is fine as I don't work too late and then I make sure I get 8 or near enough hours before I'm up again.
    Salt has got to be the issue, I just didn't realise how bad! And I will be more mindful of eating protein too.
    Preparation is something I'm going to try get sorted for the week ahead, as I'll no doubt completely fail otherwise.
  • Siege_Tank
    Siege_Tank Posts: 781 Member
    If you aren't losing weight, then you need to eat a little less. Not less volume, but less calories, swap out some of your higher calorie meals for lower calorie alternatives, and add in weight training.

    This article explains the last ten pounds pretty well:

    http://jasonferruggia.com/how-to-get-a-body-like-jessica-biel/
  • GoreWhore72
    GoreWhore72 Posts: 190 Member
    This is me without any weight loss for the month of January.

    Added a little more cardio (walking), and just toning (strength training) with crunches, a few squats, floor exercise (core), and dancing.

    a89669a1-b8f6-4fa9-83a3-1e250ffef163.jpg

    Wow, you can see a huge difference! That's really encouraging, thank you for sharing.
    To the others, sleep is fine as I don't work too late and then I make sure I get 8 or near enough hours before I'm up again.
    Salt has got to be the issue, I just didn't realise how bad! And I will be more mindful of eating protein too.
    Preparation is something I'm going to try get sorted for the week ahead, as I'll no doubt completely fail otherwise.

    Thank you. Don't try to rely heavily on the scale reading. Any work you do is paying off. I lost 38 pounds right away and not just because of MFP, but because I had gotten sick and couldn't eat properly for almost a month. At 28 down I started to log again with MFP so I could eat again but not gain weight. I lost 10 more pounds, so as of January 2 to 12th I didn't lose anymore, but I decided to start doing more lifting at home because I had lost three inches off my chest, and I wasn't feeling as strong as I wanted. Mainly core work, and some skipping as well as started walking a little more during the week. So, from January 2 to 24 I haven't lost a pound, but maintained it by eating responsibly and not going over calories, and etc. I have lost killa inches, so don't always focus on the scale because if you keep working it will drop. The more muscle you make the scale has to drop. Your body will also look better with added muscle then with just 'fat' loss.
  • sunryzer
    sunryzer Posts: 31 Member
    The big thing that always frustrates me with MFP is that you can't view enough of your macros on the web version of your diary!

    I would say that water, protein, sodium and fibre are the things you need to track carefully right now.

    You need to drink 8-10 "cups" (roughly 4-5 pints) of water a day - this does not include water you drink during exercise (that is simply replacing what you sweat out).

    Your water intake must be high if you increase your protein and fibre intake otherwise you'll suffer headaches and constipation.

    For protein, aim for 0.5g per pound of body weight (I'm assuming you're not trying to bulk up muscle - anyone trying to do that should push on towards the 0.75 to 1g per pound of body weight range).

    For fibre, 25g to 30g per day. A cheat there is to pick up some Fibrogel from the pharmacy - that's 4g per pouch and you can get your water intake up with it too! The packets recommend half a cup of water but I take them with a full cup (half pint) and it's still fine (actually, I prefer it because it's more mellow a flavour). If you find your fibre levels are very low, increase them slowly over a couple of weeks otherwise you'll have tummy pains and flatulence. This should help "clear out" anything that shouldn't be there any more and I've known a few dieticians who say it's essential for getting fat out of your system (not sure if that's true or not but it's working for me).

    Finally, reduce sodium levels and you will reduce water retention. Be careful with this one because you do need some salt in your system otherwise you'll spend all day peeing and you'll become dehydrated no matter how much water you drink (if water doesn't bind to salt or sugar, it tends to just flush through your system without being absorbed).

    I hope that helps :)
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    My impression is that you are eating more than you think and are vague in accounting for calories. You use words like "mostly" and refer to "festive" periods.

    As far a microwavable processed foods, if your workplace has a microwave, you can cook food at home and heat it up. That's what I do. I bring food to work in Ziplock containers with screw on lids. I have a stack of paper plates in my desk. My lunches look like Thanksgiving dinner to most of my colleagues, who look on with great interest at my meat, rice or potato, steamed veggies, and fruit, which often overflows the plate for around 300 calories.

    Regardless of what others say, water does not affect weight loss. You do not need to force yourself to drink vast amounts of water. Just eat real food, a variety of it, and stay at your calorie goal.
  • TheSageMage
    TheSageMage Posts: 18
    I can only speak from personal experience, but I was looking at your diary and I noticed you had a lot of carbs in there. It's not over the limit they set for you, and I don't want to push the low-carb diet as the end-all-be-all diet, but have you tried it?

    I believe in the calorie-in/calorie-out notion of weight loss, but I've noticed that I tend to lose more consistently when I do low carb. Most days I try to do under 50g of carbs or lower.

    Are you measuring yourself? You said you work out and looking at your diary, I see you do exercise fairly regularly. You *could* be building up muscle which *could* account account for a net-zero weight loss result. Take measurements weekly and track that to see if you are toning in places.
  • mrwseattle
    mrwseattle Posts: 7
    Frustrating, but there may be a few things happening. The scale may not be showing a shuffle between fat lost (good!) to muscle gained (even better!), hence the number is not budging. As for food…my advise is to avoid processed foods as much as possible. They are just loaded with too much sodium and chemicals that the body can not process as well as whole foods. Yes, they are a little more money and care, but food is a huge part of the success to any weight loss program. They say abs are born in the kitchen. I've found that each meal I prep is more of zen time for me reaffirming my commitment to the health goal.If you want a great book: Clean Eating by Tosca Reno. So easy to follow and a lifestyle food change that is exciting. Good luck, and I hope this helps!
  • taylormoooon
    taylormoooon Posts: 130 Member
    I would definitely try to add some more lean protein to your meals and less grains (but don't lower your carbs). In terms of carbs, it is a matter of keeping them not too high but also getting them from the right places. Veggies and fruits have carbs but are also nutrient dense unlike grains that are just going to turn into sugar. This doesn't mean eliminate them though, just keep the grains down.

    A few years ago I lost 20 pounds and this month I just started trying to lose the last 15. I've lost 3 pounds so far trying to stick to foods that are as close to their natural state as possible and I find I'm never starving and I have lots of energy. If you're having trouble finding time to prepare, sometimes I either do some crock-pot meals which can be prepared the night before or early in the morning. Or, last night I had chicken breasts already defrosted and cooked just enough for dinner and it took less than 10 minutes to make. Feel free to message or friend me if you need some more ideas or advice ^^

    I've also heard it can just take time for your body to adjust. I would NOT lower your calories though. Know your BMR and your TDEE. Going under your BMR is dumb in my opinion. Your body needs those calories to do all of it's functions.

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