Help where am I going wrong

I've been back on my weight loss journey since the beginning on jan. Since starting back I've really struggled to drop any weight. Started recording religiously for past 18 days to check what I was eating wasn't me going over ect. I weigh (using scales) and record everything. Use a HRM for calories burned. I exercise late evening once kids are in bed using a mixture of hiit/cardio workouts and TRX. For weeks I stayed at 11st 8lbs then dropped 3lbs and have gained 1.8lbs. I've got to be doing something wrong. This morning I've recorded my water/body fat/muscle and bone % to see if they change next week have taken measurements too which I measure every two weeks currently no change on my legs waist and hips have dropped a few Cm's. Any advise greatly appreciated. Diary is open for all to see

Replies

  • florentinovillaro
    florentinovillaro Posts: 342 Member
    I would drop carb limit to 100 or 50 grams if you can handle it. Maybe drop calorie goal to 1200 max. Lower the amount of exercise calories you eat back, increase cardio by 100 calories burned per day, stop cheat meals/days. Think about using a laxative, clean out your system before weigh in day. Water should be 1/2 your weight in ounces. Retention could be contributing. Inflammation could be adding to your weight. Taking anti-inflammatories? Sorry I can go on and on with your question...
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    So prior to Jan, no diet and what about exercise?

    So was Jan a big change to diet and exercise combined?

    Are you using MFP correctly?
    You mentioned using HRM for calories burned, I can only assume that is so you can correctly eat them back then.

    Going in to a deficit is the worst time to increase your workload, because recovery is going to be impaired.

    Your body just may be too stressed out, which is what exercise turns in to if decently intense and no rest or recovery is allowed, or not enough rather for fact of being in a diet, possibly a drastic deficit diet.

    For instance, if you were truly eating at potential maintenance, as evidenced by no weight loss, then your body would be willing to make all kinds of improvement from strong exercise, and you'd see inches dropping of fat still.
    But if body is really stressed, it's not going to make more energy sapping changes when it doesn't think you aren't eating enough right now.

    Since you see some cm's dropping though, sounds like eating at maintenance.

    If you trust the food logging side of calories in - then the calories out is wrong.

    What HRM are you using to determine calories burned?
    And what is your average eat back of calories, how long is your workout for that burn?

    And if that 1.8 lbs was fast, it was obviously water weight, you probably got some invalid weigh-in days going on too, and water fluctuations messing with your mind.
  • holib22
    holib22 Posts: 13 Member
    Wouldn't say it was a drastic change come jan. Id given birth in nov 12 so had spent 2013 getting back down to pregnancy weight which I hit 10st 13 in oct time then I sort of slacked off and over nov dec had gone back upto 11st 12 mainly from eating take aways 3 kids 4 and under so was grabbing food on the go plus Christmas new year ect. So come jan stopped to take aways still have the odd treat but nothing like I was and started up the exercise again. I'm using the Polar T4 don't always eat my calories back. Well very rarely I do as I find I gain.

    I trust the logging of cals side I scan bar codes weigh items on scale or measuring jug for liquids and double check with packaging.
  • holib22
    holib22 Posts: 13 Member
    Bump
  • holib22
    holib22 Posts: 13 Member
    Anyone else with some helpful advice. Not sure where to go from here. I've taken a day off from tracking today have eaten what ever I've fancied and have prob hit around 2000 Cals. Chose healthier options though like lean mince and wholewheat spaghetti
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    First thing I noticed is that the food listings you're using don't look accurate (was specifically looking for sodium and seeing bread and cereal with 0 raises a big red flag - there's no way that's right). You can't necessarily trust the bar code scanner. I'm new to it and noticed the 2nd thing I tried scanning came up completely wrong. There's still plenty of wrong info based on how the data was entered. Check your labels against the food listings in MFP to see if they're accurate. And make sure you're weighing and measuring (you may have said you are - can't recall)

    Second, don't put too much faith in the bodyfat % measurements...most of them are off by 3-5%
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Wouldn't say it was a drastic change come jan. Id given birth in nov 12 so had spent 2013 getting back down to pregnancy weight which I hit 10st 13 in oct time then I sort of slacked off and over nov dec had gone back upto 11st 12 mainly from eating take aways 3 kids 4 and under so was grabbing food on the go plus Christmas new year ect. So come jan stopped to take aways still have the odd treat but nothing like I was and started up the exercise again. I'm using the Polar T4 don't always eat my calories back. Well very rarely I do as I find I gain.

    I trust the logging of cals side I scan bar codes weigh items on scale or measuring jug for liquids and double check with packaging.

    Ditto to not trusting scanning anymore.

    Vendors keep the SKU and change the size all the time, which changes the calories and macros. Usually down per serving.
    So could easily be eating less than you think depending if items have gone down.

    But servings per package is almost never right, when you actually go by weight.
    So confirm you divide the package weight by the weight per serving - if you eat the whole package or part of it. Or weighing out your portion of course takes care of that.

    So with kids running around during the day, I hope you honestly selected Lightly Active as your MFP activity level, you can't be sedentary.

    So why use the HRM if not eating back exercise calories?

    You've likely given yourself such a big deficit, your body has adapted and lowered your daily burn.
    You no longer have a deficit in place - if you trust your logging.

    So - you have 2 options, guess which way will get ugly.

    Cut 250 calories out of current eating level, and see if you indeed lose 1 lb in 2 weeks, and keep losing at that rate. Hope it doesn't slow down even more and stop again. Direction then will really suck.

    or

    Assume you've likely been eating too little for level of activity and body has adjusted, and give it a break for a few weeks, be eating closer to estimated maintenance. That means exercise calories too.

    Oh, always keep the math in mind.
    How long after eating back exercise calories did you gain weight? Like, how much in what time period.
    Realizing that if it was fat you really gain to even be concerned about, you'd have to eat OVER your true maintenance by 500 calories daily to gain 1 lb in 1 week.

    So if you ate back your exercise calories of 300 for 2 days out of a week and gained 1 lb in those 2 days - you realize that is water weight, right?

    Don't be too beholden by the scale. Get out your calculator and assure yourself.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    I would drop carb limit to 100 or 50 grams if you can handle it. Maybe drop calorie goal to 1200 max. Lower the amount of exercise calories you eat back, increase cardio by 100 calories burned per day, stop cheat meals/days. Think about using a laxative, clean out your system before weigh in day. Water should be 1/2 your weight in ounces. Retention could be contributing. Inflammation could be adding to your weight. Taking anti-inflammatories? Sorry I can go on and on with your question...

    :noway:

    Are you serious?
  • holib22
    holib22 Posts: 13 Member
    Yeah I've got lightly active selected I believe. Use HRM so as I know how many calories I can go up to so if I fancy a bar of chocolate I can have it without subbing any of my meals ect. Had a look at my tdee today and based on my lifestyle and workouts to loose I should be eating around 1600 a day. I've recorded all my measurements today going to step away from scale for as long as possible give my body a couple of days rest from workouts try get more sleep and work on upping my Cals without increasing portion sizes as portion control is my biggest problem and see where I go from there. Hopefully by the end of March I'll see some different whether it be on the scales or tape measure. Wish loosing weight was as easy as gaining lol
  • holib22
    holib22 Posts: 13 Member
    Oh will also double check my measurement weights to package ect to make sure it is 100% correct and I've not just read it wrong