Can someone please look at my food diary?

You may want to recalculate how many calories you need based on your current weight rather than your original weight.

Also mix things up. In your workout and in your diet.

When your weight "plateaus" it could be an indication that yes, something needs to change. Or it could be an indication that you are gaining muscle and losing fat. Do you use any other metrics besides just weight, for example have you taken any measurements of your waist, thigh, upper arm, neck, wrist/ankle etc? If you can afford it, a digital scale that records your fat % and muscle weight can be very helpful. They aren't super expensive (depending on your budget that is) we were able to get ours at Costco for around $40.

As far as activity level, have you ever tried High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)? It has been shown to be very effective at raising metabolism for hours after the exercise session has ended. It's also very easy to do with no equipment.

I would like to address your comment about "don't tell me to never eat another carb" - lowering carb intake *can* be a very effective way to amp up your weight loss, as long as you are still getting enough protein and good fats. If you are willing to try limiting it, down to say 100 a day or less, you might be pleasantly surprised at the results just from that small adjustment. But I do agree that completely zero carb is not a good idea.

Are you using the recipe builder tool for your mashed cauliflower and chicken thighs? I'm a little skeptical that you're actually eating "1 serving" every time, because you're not weighing your food. Also, I don't see any cooking oils logged (for example, unless you're dry-scrambling your egg in the morning, it has more than 58 calories).

Are you using the recipe builder tool for your mashed cauliflower and chicken thighs? I'm a little skeptical that you're actually eating "1 serving" every time, because you're not weighing your food. Also, I don't see any cooking oils logged (for example, unless you're dry-scrambling your egg in the morning, it has more than 58 calories).

I would agree^ ...lot of "servings" and cups....I thought I was under my calorie goal all the time, with food added from the database and was shocked to see how different the actual cals were.....need to weigh everything and check the nutritional content on MFP for yourself!

Or it could be an indication that you are gaining muscle and losing fat.

No.

Care to elaborate on that? It is a very common occurrence.

It's very difficult to gain muscle, and it only happens under certain conditions (either eating at a surplus and lifting relatively heavy weights within a certain rep range, or someone who is brand-new to lifting and has a high percentage of body fat). The OP isn't gaining muscle by accident.

^this

If muscle building were that easy I wouldn't be going through the trouble of bulking for a half a year+. I'd just maintain my weight with that theory. Sadly, you need energy, aka excess calories, to convert to muscle. You also need a proper amount of protein and a ideally a good hypertrophy lifting routine. Again, it doesn't happen by accident.

Are you using the recipe builder tool for your mashed cauliflower and chicken thighs? I'm a little skeptical that you're actually eating "1 serving" every time, because you're not weighing your food. Also, I don't see any cooking oils logged (for example, unless you're dry-scrambling your egg in the morning, it has more than 58 calories).

I would agree^ ...lot of "servings" and cups....I thought I was under my calorie goal all the time, with food added from the database and was shocked to see how different the actual cals were.....need to weigh everything and check the nutritional content on MFP for yourself!

Agree with all of this. How many calories are in 1/6 cup of cheese? OP get a scale, start weighing solids because you are probably eating more than you think.

Or it could be an indication that you are gaining muscle and losing fat.

No.

Care to elaborate on that? It is a very common occurrence.

No it's not.

Or it could be an indication that you are gaining muscle and losing fat.

No.

Care to elaborate on that? It is a very common occurrence.

Maybe this is why I keep accidentally ripping the sleeves on all my t-shirts when I open the peanut butter

Or it could be an indication that you are gaining muscle and losing fat.

No.

Care to elaborate on that? It is a very common occurrence.

Maybe this is why I keep accidentally ripping the sleeves on all my t-shirts when I open the peanut butter

^ OK, this made me laugh out loud. :drinker:

I was under the impression that when you are doing even minimal exercise, which the OP has stated she does, you can lose fat but not show a weight loss because of muscle weight that may be added.

No, sadly, it's much more difficult than that. That's a very common misconception and you see that idea floating around the boards a lot here, but in reality most people have to fight tooth and nail, under ideal conditions, to increase their muscle mass.

What does tend to happen a lot is that people start a new exercise routine, their muscles hold onto water to repair themselves, and that short-term water retention masks the fat loss for a little while. This gets interpreted as "losing fat while gaining muscle," but they're not actually gaining muscle mass, just water. You can also increase strength while lifting and eating at a deficit, so people see that they're lifting heavier things and think they're adding new muscle mass, but that's not true (you can gain strength without gaining size). The last thing that tends to happen is that you lose the fat that was on top of the muscle, so the muscle "looks" bigger, but in reality it isn't.