Why am I not losing weight?

silviadarling
silviadarling Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I feel like I'm doing everything right however, I haven't lost weight in over 2 weeks...
I eat 1500 calories and eat back most or all. Should I not eat them back?
Am I eating too many carbs,sugars,or sodium?
What things should I change?
I've always lost weight and then I get stuck at 155... I want to push beyond that any help you can give is awesome!
I don't want to lower my calories because I find I'm very tired if I go down to 1200..
If there's anything I should do please let me know.

Thanks again for yalls help! xx
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Replies

  • KayBallin
    KayBallin Posts: 111 Member
    Your diary is closed. Are you weighing your food and logging accurately?
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I saw this the other day........(warning, the author doesn't mince words)

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • BeTheChange352
    BeTheChange352 Posts: 253 Member
    I feel like I'm doing everything right however, I haven't lost weight in over 2 weeks...
    I eat 1500 calories and eat back most or all. Should I not eat them back?

    are you EATING 1500 a day or NETTING 1500 a day?
  • CW101
    CW101 Posts: 85 Member
    I saw this the other day........(warning, the author doesn't mince words)

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

    Great article - sums it all up very well!
  • JennEason1
    JennEason1 Posts: 32 Member
    1500 calories seems low to me! You might not be eating enough and your body is hanging on to everything that it can for energy. How did you come up with 1500 calories a day?
  • OldChief10
    OldChief10 Posts: 17 Member
    1500 calories seems low to me! You might not be eating enough and your body is hanging on to everything that it can for energy. How did you come up with 1500 calories a day?
    speechless
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I saw this the other day........(warning, the author doesn't mince words)

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

    Fantastic!
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    1500 calories seems low to me! You might not be eating enough and your body is hanging on to everything that it can for energy. How did you come up with 1500 calories a day?
    no
  • CitizenXVIII
    CitizenXVIII Posts: 117 Member
    I saw this the other day........(warning, the author doesn't mince words)

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

    This is quite possibly... the greatest thing I have read in a while. Bravo.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I saw this the other day........(warning, the author doesn't mince words)

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

    Ehhh I'd add one caveat to that which is that a two week period is not really enough time to gauge if you are losing weight or not. OP may have lost 2 pounds of fat and just retained 2 pounds of water in a two week stretch.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Ehhh I'd add one caveat to that which is that a two week period is not really enough time to gauge if you are losing weight or not. OP may have lost 2 pounds of fat and just retained 2 pounds of water in a two week stretch.

    This ^^

    OP, how long have you been losing weight and on average, how many lbs per week? How tall are you?

    Honestly, your diet looked low on protein and fat the few days I looked, but the calories looked fine. I would suggest balancing your diet and perhaps upping the intesity of your workouts to see if that will get the scale moving again.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    2 weeks stalls happen all the time. It's normal. It doesn't mean you're not doing everything right. Just give it some time.
  • JennEason1
    JennEason1 Posts: 32 Member
    1500 calories seems low to me! You might not be eating enough and your body is hanging on to everything that it can for energy. How did you come up with 1500 calories a day?
    speechless

    Do you disagree? Care to elaborate?
  • natstar26
    natstar26 Posts: 130 Member
    Hey :) I just took a look at your diary, I see you keep most of the time within your calorie, sugar ect goals but one thing I notice is the lack of vegetables. It is important to watch salt, sugar ect but even though you eat within your calories and you are eating carbs and sugar you will be stuck. I say this because I have done this lol. You can check out my diary is you wish, I try to keep sugar treats or "bad" carbs to snack time and only a small amount :) Yes you should eat back the calories you burned in exercise. If you don't when you do eat your body will store the carbs you ate into fat and the next day when you workout you will burn off what you stored yesterday, thus leaving you in a cycle. It took me a long time to learn through personal experience. Hang in there!!!
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    1500 calories seems low to me! You might not be eating enough and your body is hanging on to everything that it can for energy. How did you come up with 1500 calories a day?
    speechless

    Do you disagree? Care to elaborate?

    What you said makes no sense. Period. You will lose weight if you're in a deficit, even if it's an aggressive one. What you're playing at is the idea of "starvation mode", which doesn't exist. There is adaptive thermogenesis that happens after sustained VLCD (1500 is not this) but that's different.

    If you aren't losing over a sustained period of time, which two weeks isn't really a long enough stretch to tell anyway, it's two things. Inaccurate logging or overestimating calorie burns from exercise (If one is using MFP method)
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    Hey :) I just took a look at your diary, I see you keep most of the time within your calorie, sugar ect goals but one thing I notice is the lack of vegetables. It is important to watch salt, sugar ect but even though you eat within your calories and you are eating carbs and sugar you will be stuck. I say this because I have done this lol. You can check out my diary is you wish, I try to keep sugar treats or "bad" carbs to snack time and only a small amount :) Yes you should eat back the calories you burned in exercise. If you don't when you do eat your body will store the carbs you ate into fat and the next day when you workout you will burn off what you stored yesterday, thus leaving you in a cycle.

    Absolutely not.

    Nothing is stored as fat unless eaten at a surplus. I'm consistently over 100g of sugar and eat 300g of carbs and can lose weight if I'm in a deficit. I also eat a majority of these right before I go to bed. Calorie deficit is king of weight loss.

    I will say, for health, balancing your macros and micros is an important factor but even if these are off you will lose weight in a calorie deficit
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    OP, I took a look in your diary. 4 oz of chicken is super tiny. Do you weigh your food on a food scale? If not, I highly recommend it. At least until you get comfortable with portion size. It looks like you use a lot of measuring cups for solid food, which can be super inaccurate. Here's a good read to help and good luck! :flowerforyou:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • JennEason1
    JennEason1 Posts: 32 Member
    Try eating more "real" foods and less processed foods. More lean meats and veggies and less stuff made on a conveyor belt.
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    Try eating more "real" foods and less processed foods. More lean meats and veggies and less stuff made on a conveyor belt.

    She could but that wouldn't solve the calorie deficit issue. Which weight loss is reliant on. I think logging as accurately as possible is more important than demonizing foods.
  • vaponte12
    vaponte12 Posts: 7
    Hello,

    Yes, the comment that was made about if you are checking everything accurately and don't despair you will lose weight. It just takes time, and that determination to never ever quit.
  • alexagia
    alexagia Posts: 37 Member
    Never eat back your calories. For example, if you eat 1500 calories then burn 500 you will be fine. There is no need to eat them back. Also, I would recommend that you stay away from sugar, especially when it come to liquids. A lot of people don't log their drinks in and those can contain a lot of calories. This includes "healthy" drinks such as milk and juice.
  • Gratefulfreebird
    Gratefulfreebird Posts: 23
    I saw this the other day........(warning, the author doesn't mince words)

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

    I needed this article. I have now officially passed the denial stage. Time to lower my calorie consumption once again! ;-)
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Eat back only half your work out calories, if and only if you burn more than 100 calories in a work out. So, you burn 90? Don't do anything. You burn 500? Eat 250 back.

    You should be weighing your food with a food scale to ensure you are getting the proper numbers in your diary.

    You should also be checking to see if you are getting proper nutrition (vitamins and minerals). As this can slow down weight loss if you are not supplying your body with what it needs to perform normal tasks.

    Overall, it is Calories In vs Calories Out. Malnutrition (i.e. too few vitamins, minerals, and proteins) can cause us to burn fewer calories throughout the day (not by a huge amount, but enough to slow us down). And underestimating our calories in is usually the main culprit.

    BUT... BUUUTTTT.... its only been 2 weeks. So, chill for now. >.>
  • JennEason1
    JennEason1 Posts: 32 Member
    1500 calories seems low to me! You might not be eating enough and your body is hanging on to everything that it can for energy. How did you come up with 1500 calories a day?
    speechless

    Do you disagree? Care to elaborate?


    What you said makes no sense. Period. You will lose weight if you're in a deficit, even if it's an aggressive one. What you're playing at is the idea of "starvation mode", which doesn't exist. There is adaptive thermogenesis that happens after sustained VLCD (1500 is not this) but that's different.

    If you aren't losing over a sustained period of time, which two weeks isn't really a long enough stretch to tell anyway, it's two things. Inaccurate logging or overestimating calorie burns from exercise (If one is using MFP method)

    Accurate measuring is key! You can share links but for every opinion you find there are 1000 blogs/articles stating just the opposite. I'm not quoting something I read on the internet. I only speak from my experiences. I am living proof. Armed with the knowledge that I wasn't eating enough (wearing a bodymedia to find an accurate daily calorie burn) I upped my calorie intake and eliminated processed foods. In only 5 months I went from 20% body fat to 11%. I'm no expert so the only advice I can give is my own experience. I just commented on another post regarding the same issue and I will say the same to you as I did to the other. There is this phenomenon I like to call "Skinny Fat". The number on the scale is low but you're squishy all over and couldn't bench press a can of soup. You want to be skinny then eat 1200 calorie. If you want to be fit then eat to perform, lift weights and watch the fat melt away!
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    I saw this the other day........(warning, the author doesn't mince words)

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

    Great read!!!
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    I saw this the other day........(warning, the author doesn't mince words)

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/



    I needed this article. I have now officially passed the denial stage. Time to lower my calorie consumption once again! ;-)

    Me, too! Holy smokes, felt like a kick to the stomach (caused me lots of anger and guilt and self-hatred toward my past deceit). But...it's EXACTLY what I needed to hear. Of course, I'm still committing myself to eating the best sources of nutrition I can afford on a shoestring, so that means lean meat (and a lot of it), sparse and thoughtful fat consumption, and next to zero bread (huge, huge trigger for me to binge eat) but still maintaining a healthy dose of carbs daily.

    If this is not applicable to you, OP, please disregard. But, yeah, so many influences around us (intentional or not) to help us "deceive" ourselves about our health goals, especially with portions, caloric content, etc. of what we put in our mouths. Yes, there is much (and very good) advice to weigh vs. volume measure our food. It does seem like you might unintentionally be underlogging your calories. It happens, it sucks, but it can be fixed.

    I use measuring cups and spoons myself, and so far have had the scale tell me each week almost exactly what I expect (based on calories in/out). Very, very careful volume measurement can work (I err slightly smaller to be sure--don't PACK that cup, loose fill is fine), but really, I can see how a food scale takes every bit of unknown out of the calorie equation, and is probably much easier in the long run.
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    1500 calories seems low, you might not be eating enough and your body is hanging on to everything that it can for energy. How did you come up with 1500 calories a day?
    speechless

    Do you disagree? Care to elaborate?


    What you said makes no sense. Period. You will lose weight if you're in a deficit, even if it's an aggressive one. What you're playing at is the idea of "starvation mode", which doesn't exist. There is adaptive thermogenesis that happens after sustained VLCD (1500 is not this) but that's different.

    If you aren't losing over a sustained period of time, which two weeks isn't really a long enough stretch to tell anyway, it's two things. Inaccurate logging or overestimating calorie burns from exercise (If one is using MFP method)

    Accurate measuring is key! You can share links but for every opinion you find there are 1000 blogs/articles stating just the opposite. I'm not quoting something I read on the internet. I only speak from my experiences. I am living proof. Armed with the knowledge that I wasn't eating enough (wearing a bodymedia to find an accurate daily calorie burn) I upped my calorie intake and eliminated processed foods. In only 5 months I went from 20% body fat to 11%. I'm no expert so the only advice I can give is my own experience. I just commented on another post regarding the same issue and I will say the same to you as I did to the other. There is this phenomenon I like to call "Skinny Fat". The number on the scale is low but you're squishy all over and couldn't bench press a can of soup. You want to be skinny then eat 1200 calorie. If you want to be fit then eat to perform, lift weights and watch the fat melt away!

    I'm not advocating not eating whole foods, let me preface it. Whole foods are easier to create a deficit with because they're typically less calorie dense and you can feel more satiated with them. They're great to incorporate. However, cutting foods out is completely unnecessary. Since we're basing this on personal experience, I went from over 31% BF to 17% in 8 months without cutting foods out of my diet and focusing on macro/micros rather than trivial labels like good or bad. I still eat pizza, fast food, ice cream, etc.

    I am not promoting eating very low calorie. I'm simply stating if they aren't losing, there's potential margin for error in logging accuracy. I ate 1650 net for the majority of my weight loss, so by no means do I think that she should lower her calorie goal, just be more diligent of possible errors. I promise you I can bench much, much more than a can of soup.
  • h9dlb
    h9dlb Posts: 243 Member
    OP you are eating an awful lot of sugar
  • natstar26
    natstar26 Posts: 130 Member
    Just personal experience that I went through, I ate within my calories but ate wrong food and scales didn't budge but when I ate right foods I lost. Would be interesting to see if anyone only ate bad foods within calorie goal and lost weight and remained healthy.... I don't think so.... Most people on here aren't pt's or medical students but we just say what worked for us hoping it will help others ;)

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