Not Losing Weight !?!?

lovinglane
lovinglane Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been faithfully trying since the beginning of January. I have been logging my calories, measuring all my food so my portion sizes are right, and exercising 4-5 times a week and I have not lost one single pound. I am exploring all options of what could be the problem. I have my diary set to public so if anyone wants to take a look and give me an opinion it would be greatly appreciated. In saying that, I realize that some may be a little more harshly critical than others so please remember that I am feeling extremely low almost to the point of giving up so please go easy on me. I have even considred visiting a weight loss clinic or my family physician to entertain the idea of something being wrong. However, I have mixed feelings about a weight loss clinic, I mean, in my mind I am doing everything I should to be losing weight so that would almost mean admitting that I failed.......Hoping someone can give me some positive feedback......

Replies

  • loubidy
    loubidy Posts: 440 Member
    What are your stats?
  • monietrojan
    monietrojan Posts: 45 Member
    It doesn't look like you drink a lot of water. I'm not expert by any means, but, for me and my weight lost; I try to drink a least 7 glasses of water daily and eat or drink something green (cabbage, spinach, greens, kale, homemade green juice, salad etc.). You would be surprised at how much waste the body holds. Also, don't focus so much on pounds, look at inches. Are your clothes still fitting the same? I started loosing inches before I started losing weight. Good luck and continue to eat right and exercise.
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    I have you logging starting on the 13th of January, so you're starting your 4th week.

    It also appears that this is your very first week where you are eating your exercise calories back. Which you should be doing. However, MFP does overestimate certain activities such as elliptical and Zumba. I would invest in a chest strap HRM for the most accurate calorie burn estimation.

    Just wanted to add that your bananas and potatoes all seem to weigh the same amount on every entrie, so... are you really weighing them? Also generic user entries for full meals are very unreliable. Try out the recipe feature in your food diary to figure out the real calories in your meals.

    So a couple things are probably happening right now.
    You just started exercising, this causes your muscle to retain water as they rebuild, this can really mask fat loss. I would start taking measurements immediately so you have a way to determine weight loss that doesn't involve a scale.

    You just started eating your exercise calories back. While this is what you're suppose to do while using MFP, keep in mind that all the water weight stores your body had before you started calorie restriction is coming back, you are also going to be storing a little more waste weight in your bowels.

    I noticed you don't track sodium, and... a lot of the foods you are choosing to eat can be very high in sodium, this too can mask weight loss by causing water retention.

    Near your time of the month? That alone can add 3-5lbs of water weight.

    Try not to get discouraged, you need more patience. Keep on going.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    It can be really frustrating when you don't see the results you expect, but your health is worth taking some time to figure out what is going on.

    When was the last time you had a physical? That is never remiss and you can ask for the whole battery of blood tests.

    Are your goals realistic? Are you aiming for the middle of the suggested weight for your height? If you are already in a healthy weight range, you should only expect to lose .5 to 1 lb. per week. At .5 lbs per week, that would be 2 lbs. over the course of a month, which could easily disappear because you had too much sodium the day before you weighed in.

    Are you weighing your food? It really takes out the user error in measurements to keep calories from sneaking in.

    Work on getting more vegetables into your diet. They will actually help with any bloating your might be experiencing, which affects what you see on the scale.

    How are you calculating your calories burned? It is very easy to over guestimate. If you have are doing steady cardio, a heart rate monitor will give you the most accurate answer, but otherwise, look at a variety of databases and take an average. If you always do the same activity, consider trying something new to challenge your muscles.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Do you measure your food in measuring cups? Or do you weigh it in grams?
  • Panthers89
    Panthers89 Posts: 153 Member
    I looked at your diary and you seem to be eating the right way. I am always bombarded with "portion size". I am usually pretty accurate but I got a digital food scale from my wife for Christmas to help me when there is uncertainty. You may want to try to get one if you don't have a scale yet - they are around $20-25 at Bed Bath & Beyond and I'm sure the scales are also sold at WalMart and / or target.

    I see that you are not recording this in your diary (most of my MFP friends don't either). I drink a lot of water, and it does make you feel full and not hungry.

    Finally, I would also say that you don't have much to lose (only 20 pounds), so it might take you another few weeks to begin to see a weight loss. Start looking at other indicators - how your clothing fits, muscle tone, etc. - your efforts will be rewarded if you are consistent. Don't give up!!!
  • o3devildog
    o3devildog Posts: 7 Member
    There are many things that go into losing weight. One that's affecting me at the moment is stress/ lack of sleep....
    Sometimes it just takes time for your body to adjust. Like monietrojan mentioned don't stress over the weight, keep up the lifestyle change and the weight will come off eventually.
    Always, go to your physician first, clinics can be trendy and expensive.

    Being consistent and persistent is the key what ever program your on... :smile:
  • Will210
    Will210 Posts: 201 Member
    Just a quick look at your diet. Looks like you are taking in too much processed sugar. The special k food sounds like great food but has quite a bit of sugar. I think even their protien cereal has like 8 grams of sugar. I would first start there. Try to get sugar from fruits if possible. I also recommend trying to get more sugar in the Am and limiting it in the later afternoon/night. Chris Powel wrote an excellent book on carb cycling. It's not a bad benchmark for a diet.

    http://www.amazon.com/Choose-Lose-7-Day-Cycle-Solution/dp/1401312608/ref=la_B005AS46UM_1_1/178-7287442-1927300?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391548883&sr=1-1
  • karmasays
    karmasays Posts: 82 Member
    You may not have lost a single pound...but you also haven't gained either :-)

    Weightloss doesn't happen the same for everyone; measure yourself as well, just because the scale isn't moving, doesn't mean you're not losing inches. Sometimes it can take up to 6-8 weeks for it to register on the scale. Shows like The Biggest Loser have given us an unreal expectation of how quickly weightloss can happen in an unrealistic environment...

    Do you feel better? Do your clothes fit differently? Try and find other ways to measure your success besides the scale.

    Keep up with your lifestyle change, because if you give up now...a year from now you will wish you hadn't.

    Don't give up!
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
    I would move away from any measuring if I were you and use a digital scale only. This helps a lot with accuracy. The more inaccuracy there is on both sides (intake and burn) the more likely it is that you won't be moving in the right direction.

    For the exercise calories, I recimmend just entering them info MFP and eating back 50-75% of them, to make up for MFP overestimating.

    Like others said, even bananas need weighing, over time these inaccuracies add up and considering your probably aiming for a weekly loss of 0.5-1lb, there is not much wiggle room. That being said, I would def not recommend trying to lose more rapidly.

    hang in there, weight loss is not linear. Last week I was frustrated as for 2 weeks already my weigh stalled. And suddenly this weekend it dropped almost 2 pounds. You eat well and you will reach your goal!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Where are you getting your exercise calorie estimates from? MFP overestimated by as much as 100 calories, and the gym machines by almost as much.

    Are you weighing solid food and measuring liquids, in other words everything you put in your mouth? This is most important because weight loss is calories in/calories out.
  • mrsfyredude
    mrsfyredude Posts: 177 Member
    I have been faithfully trying since the beginning of January. I have been logging my calories, measuring all my food so my portion sizes are right, and exercising 4-5 times a week and I have not lost one single pound. I am exploring all options of what could be the problem. I have my diary set to public so if anyone wants to take a look and give me an opinion it would be greatly appreciated. In saying that, I realize that some may be a little more harshly critical than others so please remember that I am feeling extremely low almost to the point of giving up so please go easy on me. I have even considred visiting a weight loss clinic or my family physician to entertain the idea of something being wrong. However, I have mixed feelings about a weight loss clinic, I mean, in my mind I am doing everything I should to be losing weight so that would almost mean admitting that I failed.......Hoping someone can give me some positive feedback......

    I'm in almost the exact same boat! I actually did see a brief downward trend on the scale then received a visit from "Aunt Flo"....hate her. I am trying not to let it derail me, it would be pointless 'cause you and I both know if we quit, we'll just have to start all over again next time we admit to ourselves we're too heavy. Just keep swimming! :smile:
  • delanvic
    delanvic Posts: 1 Member
    I'm pretty similar to you in age and weight. I found that eating whole/real foods have helped a TON this month in getting the weight off. I eat processed food very minimally. I have found some great, new, healthy recipes and my whole family is loving them! A couple websites I like are skinnytaste.com and 100 days of real food. Good luck!
  • allana1111
    allana1111 Posts: 390 Member
    I know the first month was really slow for me but I kept at it knowing it would come off.. and at some points it seems to fall off, and other times are slower
  • lovinglane
    lovinglane Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks so much for the encouraging words! First let me say, I do not log my water, but I do drink it, at least 80 oz. per day. And I use the recipe builder for everythink I cook. But I do not weigh bananas or potatoes, I just assume they are all around the same size, so that was very helpful! I have been exercising and struggling for probably 5 years. I have gained back 20 pounds. My form of exercise consists of doing spin class and another high intensity aerobic type class at my gym and running, either outside or on the treadmill. I try to cut down the actual time by 15 minutes so that MFP won't overestimate too much, but I do normally trust my treadmill. I do love Special K products but maybe I need to consider cutting some out along with my higher sodium foods, because I mainly look at calories and not sugar or sodium. I will keep all this in mind and keep on, thanks all for the advice!
  • lovinglane
    lovinglane Posts: 3 Member
    I'm pretty similar to you in age and weight. I found that eating whole/real foods have helped a TON this month in getting the weight off. I eat processed food very minimally. I have found some great, new, healthy recipes and my whole family is loving them! A couple websites I like are skinnytaste.com and 100 days of real food. Good luck!

    Thank you for the website recommendations!

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