Tracking for 3 weeks, haven't lost a pound. What's going on?

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xSarabean
xSarabean Posts: 16
in Health and Weight Loss
I started off at about roughly 299 pounds. I'm 21, female, and I'm 5'10". I used the MyFitnessPal recommended calorie value to lost 2 pounds a week (about 1770 calories). I've been tracking EVERYTHING, drinking only water, and I haven't been starving or uncomfortable. I still haven't incorporated exercise. I started off at 299 and I've been weighing anywhere from 297 to back up to 299 this morning. I know my weight fluctuates a lot, but I feel like I should have solidly lost at least two pounds by now. What am I doing wrong? Is calorie limit too low?
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Replies

  • ravenmiss
    ravenmiss Posts: 384 Member
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    Are you logging correctly? Open your diary and maybe we can help :)
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    If you open your diary we might be able to see. But without checking your diary

    Find a reasonable calorie deficit, get a digital food scale to help with portion control. Have lots of patience. And I'll post some links that really helped me.

    Log your food accurately and honestly. Go for 80% good choices the other 20% don't worry so much about. I eat lots of delicious food and have consistently lost. Keep it simple find a REASONABLE deficit: Most people do not need to eat 1200 calories to lose.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

    Log your food accurately and honestly this thread will help:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=logging+step+guide

    Find an activity you enjoy doing - I found I love to ride my bike and lift heavy stuff :)

    Here are 2 more threads that will help take the time to read them:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • xSarabean
    xSarabean Posts: 16
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    I have a digital scale. I weigh everything, down to the grams in salad dressing for my salads. I track every nibble and snack, regardless of how unhealthy. Food diary is opened, and here's the link:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/xSarabean
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I would like to see you eating more. You have many days (majority of days) when you are below your 1700. Some of them are way below that. Keep in mind that as you lose weight, you will, bit by bit, need to eat less and less in order to keep up the weight loss. By starting out eating so little, you are setting the bar way low. The number that MFP has you at (1700) is already sufficient for you to lose weight so do try to eat that, or at least stay fairly close to it.
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
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    Okay, you say you weigh everything, but you have entries in your diary like "1 medium apple", "2 tbsp pesto" "0.5 cup red beans and rice" "2 slices bacon" , "2 tbsp butter" etc.

    It doesn't seem to me that you are actually tracking and logging totally accurately because your diary shows a ton of entries with no weights.

    Edited to add: it is SO easy to erase a deficit simply by underestimating, and I'm pretty sure that is what's going on here.

    Edit: and while we're at it....

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Okay, you say you weigh everything, but you have entries in your diary like "1 medium apple", "2 tbsp pesto" "0.5 cup red beans and rice" "2 slices bacon" , "2 tbsp butter" etc.

    It doesn't seem to me that you are actually tracking and logging totally accurately because your diary shows a ton of entries with no weights.

    Edited to add: it is SO easy to erase a deficit simply by underestimating, and I'm pretty sure that is what's going on here.

    This, and are you really having exactly 4oz of chicken every day? And strawberries too? It's pretty hard to do. And your slice of bread could be weighing more than one serving too, so your 280 calories of bread could be closer to 320 etc.
  • DrJenO
    DrJenO Posts: 404 Member
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    Egads, woman, eat more than a single apple for breakfast!

    This has got to be logging error. I am 100 lbs lighter, 15 years older, and I lose on 1750 cal per day.
  • xSarabean
    xSarabean Posts: 16
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    Okay, you say you weigh everything, but you have entries in your diary like "1 medium apple", "2 tbsp pesto" "0.5 cup red beans and rice" "2 slices bacon" , "2 tbsp butter" etc.

    It doesn't seem to me that you are actually tracking and logging totally accurately because your diary shows a ton of entries with no weights.

    Edited to add: it is SO easy to erase a deficit simply by underestimating, and I'm pretty sure that is what's going on here.

    Edit: and while we're at it....

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

    On the package that the red beans and rice comes in, it says "1/2 cup (blah blah grams)". I put a bowl on my scale, clear it, and then measure up the red beans and rice until they come out to the gram measurement next to the 1/2 of a cup. Then I scan the package and enter the calories according to the grams that I weighed. Same with the pesto container. I winged some of the meals because my friend made the sandwich for me, and I had no idea what the actual values were. That happened today and yesterday. Even then, I try to eat under 1700 just in case there is a margin of error.
  • Lilenatalem
    Lilenatalem Posts: 46 Member
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    I know this will not be a popular opinion and people like to flame people for even mentioning cutting out X Y or Z but.

    What helped me was I stopped eating any carbs/startch at dinner, No rice, no potatoes, no pasta etc. Instead I eat 2 veggies and a protein. I lost about 8 lbs doing this before I even started working out. And I still practice it today. It's very easy and a small change that I plan on just doing forever now.
  • xSarabean
    xSarabean Posts: 16
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    Okay, you say you weigh everything, but you have entries in your diary like "1 medium apple", "2 tbsp pesto" "0.5 cup red beans and rice" "2 slices bacon" , "2 tbsp butter" etc.

    It doesn't seem to me that you are actually tracking and logging totally accurately because your diary shows a ton of entries with no weights.

    Edited to add: it is SO easy to erase a deficit simply by underestimating, and I'm pretty sure that is what's going on here.

    This, and are you really having exactly 4oz of chicken every day? And strawberries too? It's pretty hard to do. And your slice of bread could be weighing more than one serving too, so your 280 calories of bread could be closer to 320 etc.

    I buy chicken breasts, cut them up into exactly 4oz pieces, put them in sandwich bags, and store them in a freezer. The rest of the chicken scraps I cook and feed to the dogs. And I measured the strawberries by placing them on a scale.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Okay, you say you weigh everything, but you have entries in your diary like "1 medium apple", "2 tbsp pesto" "0.5 cup red beans and rice" "2 slices bacon" , "2 tbsp butter" etc.

    It doesn't seem to me that you are actually tracking and logging totally accurately because your diary shows a ton of entries with no weights.

    Edited to add: it is SO easy to erase a deficit simply by underestimating, and I'm pretty sure that is what's going on here.

    Edit: and while we're at it....

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

    On the package that the red beans and rice comes in, it says "1/2 cup (blah blah grams)". I put a bowl on my scale, clear it, and then measure up the red beans and rice until they come out to the gram measurement next to the 1/2 of a cup. Then I scan the package and enter the calories according to the grams that I weighed. Same with the pesto container. I winged some of the meals because my friend made the sandwich for me, and I had no idea what the actual values were. That happened today and yesterday. Even then, I try to eat under 1700 just in case there is a margin of error.

    Ok I get that, I do the same instead of having to make my own entries for everything.

    Have you seen a doctor? It might be a medicine or tyroid issue.
  • maz504
    maz504 Posts: 450
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    Okay, you say you weigh everything, but you have entries in your diary like "1 medium apple", "2 tbsp pesto" "0.5 cup red beans and rice" "2 slices bacon" , "2 tbsp butter" etc.

    It doesn't seem to me that you are actually tracking and logging totally accurately because your diary shows a ton of entries with no weights.

    Edited to add: it is SO easy to erase a deficit simply by underestimating, and I'm pretty sure that is what's going on here.

    This, and are you really having exactly 4oz of chicken every day? And strawberries too? It's pretty hard to do. And your slice of bread could be weighing more than one serving too, so your 280 calories of bread could be closer to 320 etc.

    Eating exactly 4 oz of anything isn't hard if you have a food scale! I measure my food out that way, I like round numbers, even if it means cutting off the edge of a chicken breast to get it down to exactly 4.0. :)
  • Lilenatalem
    Lilenatalem Posts: 46 Member
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    also, if you can eat a big breakfast. I try to get most of my calories in before lunch (now that doesn't ALWAYS happen since I tend to work out in the afternoon sometimes) but yeah eat some protein and breakfast! Apples are great, banana's too but your body wants some yummy meat!
  • xSarabean
    xSarabean Posts: 16
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    Okay, you say you weigh everything, but you have entries in your diary like "1 medium apple", "2 tbsp pesto" "0.5 cup red beans and rice" "2 slices bacon" , "2 tbsp butter" etc.

    It doesn't seem to me that you are actually tracking and logging totally accurately because your diary shows a ton of entries with no weights.

    Edited to add: it is SO easy to erase a deficit simply by underestimating, and I'm pretty sure that is what's going on here.

    Edit: and while we're at it....

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

    On the package that the red beans and rice comes in, it says "1/2 cup (blah blah grams)". I put a bowl on my scale, clear it, and then measure up the red beans and rice until they come out to the gram measurement next to the 1/2 of a cup. Then I scan the package and enter the calories according to the grams that I weighed. Same with the pesto container. I winged some of the meals because my friend made the sandwich for me, and I had no idea what the actual values were. That happened today and yesterday. Even then, I try to eat under 1700 just in case there is a margin of error.

    Ok I get that, I do the same instead of having to make my own entries for everything.

    Have you seen a doctor? It might be a medicine or tyroid issue.

    I am on birth control, but it's not an option to get off of it. I've talked to my OB/GYN about weight loss and she says the one I'm on doesn't typically cause problems. I've been tested for my thyroid within the last 3 years and it turned out normal. Could it change that quickly?
  • newyorkmo
    newyorkmo Posts: 32 Member
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    something that helped me at the beginning was to eat packaged food. i know it's not the healthiest for long-term, but it helped me get used to reduced portion sizes and "eyeballing" the right amount of various foods to eat. I'd volumize the packaged food with lots of steamed or raw greens and non-starchy veggies. over time, i replaced the packaged food with my own. but this way i had a good sense of how many calories i was actually eating. lean cuisine and smart ones meals worked well for me personally. i kept lunch and dinner entrees to 300 cals or less and then breakfast stuck to 250 cals max for the entree.

    I actually kept my total calories at 1200 cals per day for 4 months and for me the more rapid weight loss was motivating. i'm now maintaining. the 1200 also gave room for small miscalculations so that I STILL saw weight loss almost every single week.

    good luck - you can do it! i'm guessing there are some miscalculations in your diary because you should be losing weight at what you think you're eating.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    So what I saw:

    Previous to about a week and a half ago you were logging maybe every other day, and within the past week there were 2 days that made me suspicious that you did not log meals, but I will give you the benifit of the doubt that you did not eat them. You have to log every single thing you eat every single day to have accurate results.

    As mentioned above, weigh your food as apposed to using measuring cups/spoons.

    Make sure you verify the entry matches the food you are using, some of the entries I saw you used seemed generic (no brand, serving size 1 burger vs an actual size/weight)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

    that post has great tips for logging
  • xSarabean
    xSarabean Posts: 16
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    So what I saw:

    Previous to about a week and a half ago you were logging maybe every other day, and within the past week there were 2 days that made me suspicious that you did not log meals, but I will give you the benifit of the doubt that you did not eat them. You have to log every single thing you eat every single day to have accurate results.

    As mentioned above, weigh your food as apposed to using measuring cups/spoons.

    Make sure you verify the entry matches the food you are using, some of the entries I saw you used seemed generic (no brand, serving size 1 burger vs an actual size/weight)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

    that post has great tips for logging

    The weeks prior to the two weeks where I got serious I was logging on a different site, comparing and contrasting which one I liked better. That's why there's gaps. Which days made you suspicious? There were one or two days where I didn't eat dinner or lunch because I was busy/not hungry.
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    From a look in your diary, you are just really getting started so 1 have patience. Now the other I saw some suspect things:

    1.; An entry for dry cake mix and nothing that went with it
    2. Multiple entries that look like they were recipes created by other MFP members, stay away from these as you don't know what they cooked with and included in their calculations. The ribs is one of these.
    3. Some days look like you haven't fulled logged everything

    These are just a few

    Please read the accurate logging link that's already been given.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    If you can rule out any medical conditions you are simply not losing weight because you are not eating at a calorie deficit. You're still new to this process so I wouldn't let this discourage you, but I would recommend being open to what the members of the community are saying as well as the following.

    1. How are you determining portion sizes? If you're not using a kitchen scale that measures in grams and a measuring cup for the liquids then you estimating. Weigh and measure everything, it's the only way to be sure. If you cook, you can create recipes on this site.

    2. Are you eating out frequently? Nutrition information available on a restaurant's website and even the info available on MFP are estimates at best. You never know when you'll have a cook who is heavy on the oils and butters and not following the recipee the way he should be. Also estimates on this site can be wrong, I've seen it a few times. Nothing to be discouraged about, just keep this in your mind and if the calories on something seem too good to be true, they perhaps are.

    3. Are you recording everything? Use of butters, oils, dressings and etc need to be counted as they do add calories.

    4. Double check and re-check all of the entries you are currently using. Read the nutritional label on the foods you use.

    Try this again for 3 more weeks and see how it goes. With any luck you'll find that you were simply over-estimating the calories you were eating. If this fails you may need to consider lowering your calorie goal a tad.
  • mysmileighs
    mysmileighs Posts: 103 Member
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    Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast!!!! They say it's the most important meal of the day for a reason! I typically blend fruit, powdered peanut butter, and protein mix in with milk and have that for breakfast.

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