Dont know what Im doing wrong

aduncan140
aduncan140 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello my name is Angela, and I have been using myfitnesspal for a about 2 months. I set the app up to lose 2 pounds per week. At first It was working well...I was losing 1-2 pounds a week. I started being more active nothing major but I started with a mile or so fast pace walk then after a few weeks I started going longer about 2-3 miles a day with little sprints of jogging. I have only gone over my calories a couple times and I have changed my diet as well....Im eating more "light" items, eat way more veggies an fruit then I ever have. I only eat portion sizes. Yet for the last 3 weeks I havent lost anything. my weight will go up and down through out the week a pound or two. I was weighing myself every day but that seemed to get a little discouraging when i fluctuated so often, so I started only weighing myself once a week....every monday. The past three mondays I have stayed the same. Just yesterday I was 4 pounds lighter than I am today. My boyfriend suggested maybe it was muscle gain from all the walking I was doing that I didnt do before. So i tried taking a week off from the walking and just stay under my calories but again no change in weight.

Any pointers or any advise as to whats going on or what Im doing wrong Id greatly appreciate it Im getting very discouraged as my boyfriend who has been doing this just as long as I have has lost almost 30 pounds and continues to lose.

Thanks,
Angela

oh and Ive also been taking Plexus Slim a natural no caffeine or stimulants dietary supplement.

Replies

  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    open your diary
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,302 Member
    Weight loss isn't linear - some weeks you will lose according to plan, others you will stay the same or even gain a little bit.

    What you are doing sounds good - and you have successfully lost for 2 months with it.

    Sometimes we get mini plateaus like this - I would just keep doing what you are doing. If there is still no change after 2 or 3 more weeks, have a re evaluation then.

    But sounds ok to me, just one of those little hiccups.
  • shortstuff31117
    shortstuff31117 Posts: 81 Member
    Yep you'll need to open your diary for us to really help you out. 2lbs a week is an aggressive goal and you might consider dropping it down to 1lb a week.

    Read this link (and then read it again!) http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    :-)
  • aduncan140
    aduncan140 Posts: 4
    How do you open your diary?
  • tabicatinthehat
    tabicatinthehat Posts: 329 Member
    Have you tried keeping measurements other than weight? Like inches?
  • aduncan140
    aduncan140 Posts: 4
    No but I have thought about that.....I thought I would notice in the way clothes fit though if I was losing inchces
  • mildammm
    mildammm Posts: 67 Member
    Do you have a food scale? Do you measure things by weight? Most people eyeball their portions (1 cup, 1 tablespoon... we start cheating ourselves when we're hungry) and things just add up. Get a digital food scale (it's less than $20 and it's a great investment) and weigh things out for a week, it will make a difference, I promise you.
  • Booda101
    Booda101 Posts: 161 Member
    How do you open your diary?

    Go to Settings: Diary Settings: Scroll down and you'll see the tab to change who can see it.
  • smokeyser
    smokeyser Posts: 9
    Just yesterday I was 4 pounds lighter than I am today.

    This is a little odd. Are you sure the scale is still accurate? The digital ones get a little funny when the batteries get low. Weigh yourself a few times in a row and see if you get the same result every time. If it's changing a lot, you can't really rely on that scale to tell you if you've lost a pound or two. If the scale is accurate, are you weighing yourself under the same conditions every day? First thing in the morning works best for me, right after using the bathroom. Whatever caused it, a 4lb change overnight is suspicious.

    As for muscle gains, you have to eat to build muscle. If you're cutting calories, you really don't need to worry about it as any gains will be TINY compared to losses from burning fat (If you're able to gain any lean mass at all while dieting that heavily. Some folks can't).
  • aduncan140
    aduncan140 Posts: 4
    Yes we weigh everything! and if we eat out we only go to resturants with the nutrition information on their websites.
  • Booda101
    Booda101 Posts: 161 Member
    Keep in mind that the information on the websites may not always be accurate especially if a chef gets a little heavy handed with oils, butter, sauces, etc.
  • puremuscle56
    puremuscle56 Posts: 4 Member
    Well, may be too simple but often simple is the right answer. If you have lost an average of 1.5 pounds per week for 8 weeks that is 12 pounds. Have you readjusted your calories for your new weight?
  • deansdad101
    deansdad101 Posts: 644 Member
    Yes we weigh everything! and if we eat out we only go to resturants with the nutrition information on their websites.
    Adu;

    Do open your diary (not getting personal, it's just much easier (and more accurate) if others can take a look and maybe see something you are missing.

    On the weighing (body weight) once I week, many do get frustrated with the "ups and downs" but I would argue that you just need to ignore them and focus on the weekly changes (at a minimum, the longer the interval the better) - it's all about "averages", never day to day.

    If you can do that, the "averages" will be MUCH more accurate if you DO weigh (and log the weight) every day - simply because the more data points the better (and more accurate).

    You've already seen how fluctuations day to day occur (and it's perfectly normal) - suppose the 1 day a week that you decide to log the weight is an "up" day (or down) and that's the one you log (and gets used for the average).

    It's going to be higher than it should. OTOH, if you've logged it each day it will average out.

    The weighing is the easy part - getting past the day to day "frustrations" a little harder, but worth it.

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