Over 40, been at it for 3 weeks hard and no results. HELP

If you open your diary we may be able to give better feedback

Is the exercise new? 3 weeks is still within the range of water weight retention from a new exercise routine. Especially if you keep increasing your intensity. Our bodies flood sore muscles with water to help cushion and repair them after a workout. This can cause small stalls or even a gain on the scale until our body gets used to the activity.

It's really going to help us if we have more information. Right now any advice we give you could either be something you're already doing or completely contrary to what your actual problem is.

Would you be comfortable opening your diary for us to take a look?

You're logging everything you eat? Including condiments, cooking oils, veggies, cheat days, etc? Are you using a food scale, measuring cups, or eyeballing your portion sizes? Most people can be off in their estimates by a whole lot when they eyeball portions. Measuring cups are better, but a food scale is always going to be the most accurate.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1290491-how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale

And make sure that you've calculated your calorie goals appropriately. Remember that these are just estimates. You may need to play around a little to find what works best for you.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

If you're exercising and eating back your earned exercise calories, be sure that you're using accurate estimates of your burn. MFP and gym machines have a tendency to overestimate certain activities, which can cause you to eat back more calories than you need to. Even a heart rate monitor isn't 100% accurate. If you're eating those extra earned calories it might be a good idea to eat only 50-75% of those.

I'm 49 and I found that once I started being completely disciplined the weight did come off. I have found that there are good calories and bad calories. Even if I'm under my calorie goal, too much bread or other starchy food means I tend to lose less, and some days I struggle to eat enough protein. Also, don't over-do it. If I don't eat enough I don't lose as much as I expect to.

Keep at it - if you're genuinely burning more than you're eating you will inevitably lose weight.

Change up your routine! Isn't it amazing how we work so hard to lose weight, yet we easily gain weight- ughhhhh.

as a fellow 40 something , it is important to remember it took a long time to put the weight on and it will take a long time to take it off. Dont be too hard on yourself and dont go like a bull at a gate in the gm,slow and steady is what's best for us,If you go too hard too soon , you are more likely to injure yourself, which will put your weight loss plans firmly on the back burner. Rome wasn't built in a week and neither will great life long dietary and exercise habits.

Are you staying within your calories? I know I could eat well over 1200 in "healthy" food without blinking if I wasn't counting everything.

I am 44 and restarting efforts to lose big. I didn't lose a whole lot at the beginning this time around, which is unusual for me. And I was eating right, and getting more exercise than I have in a long time, with a trainer, too! Finally after just over a month the pounds are moving. I aim to do this for my whole life, so I figure even if the scale's not showing anything great, at the very least I am doing good things for my body.

Just hang in there!!!

Cut ALL bread and dairy. Sub carbonated beverages for green tea. If you hate green tea..buy Dr. Brandt water boosters and put 2 droppers full into a beverage of your choice. Make sure you are drinking 8 glasses of water a day with lemon. That should do it. Even with minimal working out...diet is everything.

You didn't mention your caloric intake. That's pretty critical. Did you not mention it because you're not monitoring it? Eating fruits and vegetables for snacks is great and healthy and all, and so is exercising, but if you're eating as many or more calories than you burn overall it doesn't matter WHAT you're eating, you won't lose weight.

Set an appropriate caloric deficit. Track the calories in your food to make sure you're hitting the target. Measure your food carefully and with a scale. Get back to us after 4 weeks of that if you still aren't losing.

Cut ALL bread and dairy. Sub carbonated beverages for green tea. If you hate green tea..buy Dr. Brandt water boosters and put 2 droppers full into a beverage of your choice. Make sure you are drinking 8 glasses of water a day with lemon. That should do it. Even with minimal working out...diet is everything.

Ignore this advice. Unless you have a condition like celiac, diabetes, lactose intolerance, etc. bread and dairy and carbonated drinks do not affect weight loss as long as you are eating at a calorie deficit.

How many calories are you eating? What is your deficit from your energy expenditure? A little more information will help us offer suggestions. I am 57 and my age is not affecting my weight loss. I am aiming for 1 pound a week but am averaging a little closer to 1.3 pounds so far.

I am 47. I started using MFP almost one year ago. It took me three weeks to lose one pound. I too was discouraged! The advice given to me at the time was, "keep on going". I did and that was 30 pounds ago! I met my goal weight in about 6 months. It is so worth it. Be very diligent about logging everything that you eat and you'll get there!

42 here. Started February 2 this year at 265lbs, currently 195ish. For me its all about calories in vs. calories out. I religiously weigh my foods and keep a deficeit for 1.5-2.0 lbs loss a week. I run 5k a day...use to have to walk the 5k every odd day in the beginning. some strength training but not to much.

OP, I hope you found whatever advice you needed/were looking for. It really would be useful to have more information. It's impossible to narrow down what may or may not be happening when posters refuse to return and engage people on their threads.

I guess this is another mystery we'll never know the answer.

Hi, same thing happened to me at the initial stage. In fact, l even put on 2kg during the first month, but now my weight is coming down and l have now lost 4kg within the last three weeks. It's amazing and unbelievable. So hang in there and continue to do what you are doing. I know that it can be frustrating, but the truth is we just have to keep at it.

Read up on the woosh effect. Itll make you feel better.

Yep!
Those fat loss bursts are known as the WHOOSH effect. “Even the toughest fat loss plateaus eventually experience a ‘WHOOSH’ effect where your body weight rapidly drops. This happens because of a strange biological twist of fate in your fat cells. “During a regular fat loss program, your fat cells, which normally do not store water, may take in water as the stored triglycerides are burned through diet and exercise.

“This gives the appearance of a fat loss plateau…which then can be broken, rapidly, through a couple of diet tricks. You then experience extreme rapid fat loss at once – thus known as the WHOOSH effect.”

So if you’re struggling, do NOT give up. You could be one WHOOSH away from rapid results.