Why am I not losing weight?

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Dancergirl806
Dancergirl806 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay so to start off I am currently a 5'7 female and I weigh 150-155 lbs. My heaviest weight was 207 a few years ago and last year I managed to get down to 137 and stayed there for a while. I just started using myfitnesspal, but I had previously been using the app loseit on my phone to help me lose weight. I've been trying to lose weight and nothing I do seems to be working. Obviously I'm not doing something right or else I would be able to see a difference. I weighed myself earlier and was 154 lbs (give or take a few for water weight because I was a little bloated), and it seems like I've been working so hard only to see that I haven't made any improvement :( I aim to eat about 1400 calories a day and I try to exercise daily. I also don't think it seems safe to try to lower my calorie intake any further just to make sure I am losing weight healthily. I am also a dancer so some of it could be a bit of muscle, but there is still a bunch of excess fat on top. I feel like such a failure because last I was a lot lighter, but I'm not doing anything differently than before. I don't really eat fast food or junk food or soda or anything like that, I actually really enjoy healthy food. I'm so confused and upset at myself, could anyone give me some advice, or at least some encouragement? I just don't understand how I can be eating at a deficit for the week and not losing anything. I'm at a pretty healthy weight now, but I'm definitely at the higher end of the range and I'm afraid if I don't do something now, I'll end up where I was before. The thought of being that big again almost makes me sick to my stomach. Can someone please help me out if you could? Sorry if this was really long, I kind of just needed to vent a little and I'm really worried about it. Thanks!

Replies

  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
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    You say you "aim" to eat 1400 a day...but how often to you stick to that? Your diary is closed...are you weighing and logging all of your food? If not, start there. If you are, maybe open your diary, that will help people to help you.
  • Dancergirl806
    Dancergirl806 Posts: 6 Member
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    I've just started using this site so I don't have anything logged yet. How do I make it public though? Just for future reference. Sorry I'm still trying to figure out how everything works on here haha
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    Simple...you're not burning more calories than you consume every day
  • Kr1ptonite
    Kr1ptonite Posts: 789 Member
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    What type of exercise do you do? Just dancing or other stuff?
  • pixeeedusty
    pixeeedusty Posts: 4
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    wow,...
    I was coming here to post pretty much the same complaint....
    I am getting frustrated with how much work it is to actually lose a pound, and even that is taking me like a week and a half. I am following the myfitness pal suggestion of consuming 1200 calories a day (sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less....) and trying to exercise about 45 min daily.
    I really relate to what you said, " I feel like such a failure because last I was a lot lighter, but I'm not doing anything differently than before. I don't really eat fast food or junk food or soda or anything like that, I actually really enjoy healthy food. I'm so confused and upset at myself,"
    I feel the same way...
    I am the heaviest I have ever been, and prior to this, it's always been EASY for me to lose the 10-15 lbs if I gain it... now I'm looking at 25 and it's NOT coming off AT ALL.... I've been working at it since the first of Jan, and it's really frustrating.
    Sorry I couldn't be more encouraging....
    except to say, there are others out there facing the same dilemna.
  • AnexRavensong
    AnexRavensong Posts: 262 Member
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    Sometimes you won't lose weight if you're not eating enough. (Weird I know, but ever since trying to aim for 1900 cals a day, I actually lose weight again).

    Everyone is always so quick to say "are you really eating only that little?" in an accusatory factor, but sometimes you need to ask yourself if you're eating TOO little. Generally, as long as you eat under TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and OVER BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) you will lose weight. If you eat under BMR too long you will stop losing weight and your body will start storing fat.

    Check out these calculators and go from there:

    BMR- http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

    TDEE- http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Don't always assume that just because you're eating very little you will lose weight. Your body needs food to survive and starving it isn't going to help it lose weight in a healthy manner.
  • wannakimmy
    wannakimmy Posts: 488 Member
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    "Aiming for 1400 calories"... I could never guesstimate my intake, I have to log everything. Once I did that, it was a huge eye opener. Had no clue the actual amount I was consuming. As for the exercise, what kind are you doing?
  • lucylousmummy
    lucylousmummy Posts: 348 Member
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    i'm same height as you and am losing on 1750 cals, as daft as it may sound upping your calories could help
    the only other thing i can suggest is doing other exercises, if you do the same thing all the time your body gets used to it (apparently) doing different levels of intensity on different days could also work ie gentle one day then intense or moderate another
    good luck x
  • Dancergirl806
    Dancergirl806 Posts: 6 Member
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    I usually have dance practice and then do some other type of exercise for an hour (Pilates, jump rope, stationary bike, YouTube videos, etc.), and I'm not sure if I'm eating too little or not, most of the BMR calculators I look at say my BMR is somewhere around 1400 calories, but I could see if increasing my calories would help. For now I think I'm just going to try and watch my calories a bit more closely and see if that helps first, but I guess it would be worth it to test it out and see.
  • Dewymorning
    Dewymorning Posts: 762 Member
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    I've just started using this site so I don't have anything logged yet. How do I make it public though? Just for future reference. Sorry I'm still trying to figure out how everything works on here haha

    There is your problem.

    Start logging.

    Good luck. :P
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
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    I've just started using this site so I don't have anything logged yet. How do I make it public though? Just for future reference. Sorry I'm still trying to figure out how everything works on here haha
    this is so super important. once you start weighing and logging your food, then you can have a REAL idea of what you are eating. Even nutritionists and dieticians suck at estimating portions and daily totals! The weighing thing is more important than people realize. for solids you want to weigh, not measure...the amount of food you can put into a measuring cup varies due to the way things are cut and shaped; when you use a tablespoon how tightly do you level it off? those things can contribute to underestimating the calories and kill your deficit.

    Spend the next few weeks being really diligent about logging your intake. If after a few weeks of doing that you still don't see any results, then it's time to ask for more help. The majority of successful people on this site got there by tracking calories accurately to ensure a deficit (along with adding more physical activity to their lives)

    to make your diary public:
    My Home > Settings > Diary Settings > scroll to bottom to set and save.

    ETA: some people have suggested upping your intake. I would not suggest this as you are not really sure how many calories you've been eating. get a more accurate picture of that first, before you start making other changes.
  • 89nunu
    89nunu Posts: 1,082 Member
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    You haven't even started the programme and you are already asking why you are not losing?
    Try logging everything accurately and eating back your exercise calories for 2-4 weeks and if you haven't lost we can talk again...
  • Dancergirl806
    Dancergirl806 Posts: 6 Member
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    I've just started using this site so I don't have anything logged yet. How do I make it public though? Just for future reference. Sorry I'm still trying to figure out how everything works on here haha
    this is so super important. once you start weighing and logging your food, then you can have a REAL idea of what you are eating. Even nutritionists and dieticians suck at estimating portions and daily totals! The weighing thing is more important than people realize. for solids you want to weigh, not measure...the amount of food you can put into a measuring cup varies due to the way things are cut and shaped; when you use a tablespoon how tightly do you level it off? those things can contribute to underestimating the calories and kill your deficit.

    Spend the next few weeks being really diligent about logging your intake. If after a few weeks of doing that you still don't see any results, then it's time to ask for more help. The majority of successful people on this site got there by tracking calories accurately to ensure a deficit (along with adding more physical activity to their lives)

    to make your diary public:
    My Home > Settings > Diary Settings > scroll to bottom to set and save.

    ETA: some people have suggested upping your intake. I would not suggest this as you are not really sure how many calories you've been eating. get a more accurate picture of that first, before you start making other changes.
    Okay that might be part of it, I'm only able to measure things at the moment and I don't have a scale or anything right now to weigh my food with. I'll just watch my calories more accurately and see where that gets me in a couple weeks. I guess I could even try to overestimate my calories a bit in case it is more than I expected. I'll be sure to get a food scale as soon as I can now that I know that though. Thanks for everything, you were so helpful!!!
  • sonyadonnelly
    sonyadonnelly Posts: 1
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    Sorry to interrupt. I am new to this site. So my calorie intake should be 1200 for me to lose weight. I have tried many diets over the last couple of years with no luck. I only have 5 KGS I want to lose. My question ,after reading this blog, is am I right in saying that if I exercise I need to eat even more food so that my daily intake is as close to 1200 calories as possible? I sometimes have trouble consuming 1200 calories and wonder if that's why I've been having trouble losing weight - I haven't been eating enough.Any advice would be welcome.
  • Dancergirl806
    Dancergirl806 Posts: 6 Member
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    You haven't even started the programme and you are already asking why you are not losing?
    Try logging everything accurately and eating back your exercise calories for 2-4 weeks and if you haven't lost we can talk again...
    I've been tracking my calories, I just started this particular website though. I have been trying to lose weight for a while I just switched to myfitnesspal because I like it's setup better than what I used before. I'm hoping this will work better I was just wondering why what I did before wasn't working, sorry if I caused any confusion
  • frodopuppy
    frodopuppy Posts: 75
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    I'm down 4 pounds since the beginning of January trying to go from 145 to 135 eating between 1610 and 1890 depending on calories I get from exercise. Only working out 20 to 30 minutes a day 5 to 6 times a week. Maybe your not eating enough. Have to admit I'm 50 and my job keeps me moving and lifting most of the day. good luck and start logging

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