This is hopeless..... :(

Your deficit is already built into your MFP calorie goal.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Muscle weighs more than fat.....as long as the inches are going down, you are doing great!

Keep up the good work!

Disagree. You are NOT gaining that more muscle. Are you adding your ecercise on. That doesn't seem a lot of calories for that much exercise.

Muscle weighs more than fat.....as long as the inches are going down, you are doing great!

Keep up the good work!

Disagree. You are NOT gaining that more muscle. Are you adding your ecercise on. That doesn't seem a lot of calories for that much exercise.

Yeah, I agree with your disagreement. It takes a lot to build a pound of muscle, and it's not going to happen if you're eating at a deficit like that. OP does not appear to be eating back exercise calories, so she has anywhere from 1,000 to 2,500 calories remaining at the end of the day, depending on her activity.

The sexypants link should help put her on the right path to, well, sexypants

So you feel great and have lost inches and you think things will never happen? Well, it seems to be working, maybe not on the scale, but in general health and how you look. Break the idea that the scale is the only measure of success when you are introducing healthy lifestyle changes. For one, you are the only one who will know that number unless you tell someone or someone is standing behind you when you are on a scale. What you weigh doesn't necessarily translate into how you look.

As for the no movement on the scale, you are doing a lot of activity that I'm guessing is relatively new. While getting used to new exercises, the body can retain water like a BEAST.....often masking weight loss until the water weight is reduced or the amount of weight loss begins to exceed the water gain. Chances are that you are getting close to the point where one or both of the above conditions are met and you may experience a big woosh of loss here in a week or two.

I know that the scale weight is the primary goal around here, but think of your progress in other terms and build goals that don't involve that lying SOB. For instance, add x number of reps or weight to a particular lift you find difficult. Increase the intensity on the elliptical each week. Go down a size in jeans. You don't have to be stuck on what the scale says. It isn't easy moving away from that mindset, but it can help you appreciate the other things you are accomplishing while sticking with your program and plan. You are winning in this and the only way to lose at this point is to throw in the towel because something you step on isn't saying what you want it to.

Be patient and stay the course. Read, read, read anything and everything you can to start to learn about all the factors that can go into this. Look for information backed by scientific studies and seek out people on MFP that appreciate a balanced approach who don't buy into the pseudo-science bs of crazy diets and magic pills.

Your ticker says you've lost 8 pounds. That's a good amount for just a month and a half...

I have been linked this post before and I did not understand it either, I am having the same issue of not losing hardly any weight and I am working hard and I cant seem to figure out what I am doing wrong either. I wish I had an answer but at least you are not the only one : /

This is confusing to me. Should I be eating back the calories that lose during the exercise? TBH 1700 is a lot. I feel like I am just eating throughout the day, which of course is good, but sometimes I fee like I am eating too much. I also think that MFP over exaggerates how much you lose when exercising. I mean I go hard during my weight training and Zumba, but it must be closer to 600 calories vs. the 900 it says. I am reading the post that you linked, but I am not understanding it.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html#more-9313

It's water retention, read this to understand.

If it has only been a few weeks since your weight plateaued, it could well be water retention, as tigersword just said.

If it keeps on for more than another week, it's possibly logging errors:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

You need to be eating your exercises calories back.

Yes, eat back your exercise calories. MFP does overestimate a bit IMO, so eat back 2/3 or whatever you feel comfortable with eating back. I never eat back less than half, though I use a HRM, which isn't 100% accurate! either! but it's more conservative than MFP estimates.

This link, instead, may help you to set your calories right and help you understand why eating back exercise calories is important. It helped it click for me (well, an earlier version of it did).

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

Edited because my ticker makes it look like I haven't lost that much. I lost over 100 lbs after my first baby in 2011 and was super fit. I had medical issues during my second pregnancy that caused me not to be able to exercise, and my eating went to *kitten*, so I have a lot to lose all over again. My baby is almost 11 months old, but I'm breastfeeding this time, which, contrary to popular belief, can cause your body to not let go of weight, even if you're doing everything "right" (and eating too little --> body stops producing milk). Just a clarification that my ticker belies my knowledge of successful, healthy weight loss

Okay, so I see the post and I am in the process of calculating. I work in Finance and I love math, so I will definitely do this. But can you please explain why I should eat my calories back? Just the logic behind it, and not the math? I usually catch onto things pretty quickly, but this weight-loss stuff is hard.

Slow weight loss is better. You have already set a deficit so you do t want exercise to produce an even better deficit. Don't think of exercise for weight loss but for health and a better body composition.

Yes, eat back your exercise calories. MFP does overestimate a bit IMO, so eat back 2/3 or whatever you feel comfortable with eating back. I never eat back less than half, though I use a HRM, which isn't 100% accurate! either! but it's more conservative than MFP estimates.

This link, instead, may help you to set your calories right and help you understand why eating back exercise calories is important. It helped it click for me (well, an earlier version of it did).

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

Edited because my ticker makes it look like I haven't lost that much. I lost over 100 lbs after my first baby in 2011 and was super fit. I had medical issues during my second pregnancy that caused me not to be able to exercise, and my eating went to *kitten*, so I have a lot to lose all over again. My baby is almost 11 months old, but I'm breastfeeding this time, which, contrary to popular belief, can cause your body to not let go of weight, even if you're doing everything "right" (and eating too little --> body stops producing milk). Just a clarification that my ticker belies my knowledge of successful, healthy weight loss

Okay, so I see the post and I am in the process of calculating. I work in Finance and I love math, so I will definitely do this. But can you please explain why I should eat my calories back? Just the logic behind it, and not the math? I usually catch onto things pretty quickly, but this weight-loss stuff is hard.

I'm sorry; I spoke too soon. Whether or not you eat them back actually depends on how you calculate your calorie goal. (Confused yet?)

For the examples below, let's assume you want to do TDEE -20% (as explained in the link) for maximum suggested speed of weight loss. (Scooby' site is a great place to calculate your TDEE, and I think that link I gave you has a link to it. If not, Google "Scooby TDEE calculator.")

Assume you calculate your TDEE at a sedentary or lightly active setting as 2500 calories, then your TDEE -20% is 2000 calories. So you should eat 2000 plus any exercise calories because 2000 already accounts for a pretty significant deficit per day (500 calories). Not eating them back may put your net below your BMR, which you shouldn't do. (Your BMR is what your body would use to maintain bodily functions if you were literally comatose. You need to eat over your BMR for your body to function properly - and we want you to lose weight healthily.)

As a second example, let's say you continue working out pretty regularly like you say you do, you might want to calculate your TDEE using a different setting, like "very active." In that case you would set your TDEE -20% and don't eat back exercise calories because your TDEE has already compensated for your regular workouts. Let's say your TDEE set at very active is 3000 calories, so less 20% is 2400. You'd eat 2400 calories regardless of your workout that day, unless you wanted to eat a little less on rest days (that's up to you, frankly).

Exercise allows you to eat more, it helps strengthen your body and retain muscle as you lose weight (or gain muscle, if you're eating enough for that), plus it's good for you, both physically and mentally.

Both methods of TDEE -20% are valid. You just need to recalculate regularly (every 5-10 lbs) because both your BMR and your TDEE will adjust downwards as you lose weight.

I hope that makes sense and helps!

PS - Former math teacher here, so this method makes me feel all good and number-y

There are some good reads here.
However, in the meantime I say keep doing what you are doing for a few more months!! Track everything you eat and your exercise. I have a feeling you will lose weight but if you stay the same weight, then you have collected some excellent data that will accurately tell you what YOU need to eat to maintain your weight! This is valuable information that will put you in control of your weight goal.

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