why am I not losing weight? ?

I have been consistent with my diet and exercise for two weeks now. I'm walking about 20-25 miles a week and not going over my calorie budget and my weight don't seem to be going anywhere. I also started new birth control two weeks ago and I'm wondering if that had anything to do with it. When I started my diet I was 240, a week into it (and after starting the bc) I was 245, now back down to 240. Am I doing something wrong or being to impatient?
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Replies

  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I think you are being a bit impatient and that your BC is messing with your water retention.
  • panda_butt
    panda_butt Posts: 43 Member
    Are you weighing all of your food?
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    What's your calorie budget? How tall are you? How do you calculate exercise calories? Do you eat them all back? Do you weigh your food with a digital scale? Difficult to answer without knowing these questions.
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 874 Member
    Daily variations can be 2 lbs or more, depending what you ate, used, and eliminated between the weigh-ins. Calories deficits work . Try to have patience and stay on track.
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  • ahoier
    ahoier Posts: 312 Member
    To me it sounds like you may be over-calculating your calories burned (if you are eating back your calories burned...which I do not.....).....or you are under-estimating the servings of food you are eating.....

    I learned early on, a good quality, digital scale is your best friend on this journey......and don't think of it as a diet, but a Lifestyle change ;) If you have an ALDI Foods in your neighborhood, check them out they may still have their special buy that was running this week for a digital scale for 9$ and some change......otherwise, I got a "Taylor" brand scale from walmart for like 12 dollars I think it was.......wow was it eye opening how "off" my "dry measurements" were for celery, protein powders, etc.....
  • Mandi98U
    Mandi98U Posts: 115 Member
    It is possible that since u r working out a lot ur body may be turning ur fat into muscle which does weigh more. This process is nothing to be worried about just be patient. Like I said it is possible I'm no doctor
  • rh091
    rh091 Posts: 100 Member
    You have to be patient. I have about 100 lbs to lose and it comes off slowly. I took a look at your diary and it looks like you eat a lot of fast food for meals which generally has fairly high sodium and can cause further water retention. Try to drink lots of water to flush that and I would personally start focusing more on the quality of food you're eating. And think about doing different types of exercising than just walking. Strength training, even just with some dumb bells at home can make a difference.
  • kaseysospacey
    kaseysospacey Posts: 499 Member
    Id give it more tike esp since you said you were 245 and a week later 240

    Ive been having a similar issue,I work out a lot and never overeat. My weight stayed up and down between 314-317 for a month. So frustrating. Two days ago it read 315. Today,finally,my wiifit board read 310 abd I broke through being "stuck".

    Sometimes when you start working out,you retain water in the muscles youre suddenly using all the time. I think thats what it mostly was for me and it might be that for you too.
  • Stella_Mayfair
    Stella_Mayfair Posts: 226 Member
    Yea 2 weeks too soon. Plus the body adjusting to the new idea of healthy food/workout and pills, may cause a "halt." Aka water retention and other things I know nothing of.. It happens to me every month. And I hate it. Try to see if in a month you notice pants are looser, or waist is etc. That is how my body is responding. Slow but steady.
  • sueb711
    sueb711 Posts: 11 Member
    I was only seeing 0.2 lbs lost and then nothing for the first few weeks (approx 20 days)...I was not impressed. But I kept with it and now I am starting to lose the weight 1-2 lbs a week (day 41 for me). Not sure what it was or why it finally started to come off - maybe my body was trying to reset itself from all the junk I was putting into it.
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  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Are you weighing and measuring everything you consume and logging it accurately???
    If so, then just be patient. I've been on birth control the whole time and had no problems losing weight.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    I think you are being a bit impatient and that your BC is messing with your water retention.

    ^^this

    Plus starting/changing exercising can also lead to additional water retention (which will stabilize after a while).
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Yes you are being impatient! 2 weeks is not a good indicator, sometimes it takes a little time for the results of your hard work today to show up on the scale.

    Is the walking new for you? When you start a new workout program your body can hold onto water for a little while.

    I took a peek at the last several days in your diary and saw a lot of fast food. Now no judgement, I eat it too! But you need to keep in mind that the posted calories are how the food is expected to be prepared, not necessarily how it was made for your meal. If you eat out 2 or 3 times a day, you are at the whim of whoever put together your meal for a large portion of your calorie counting. All calorie records have a margin for error, but it is more dramatic when you eat out as opposed to making your own meals. Weighing and measuring your food is the best way to determine how much you are eating. Just something to keep in mind!

    And yeah, you DON'T need a detox, and no, your fat is not turning into muscle :happy:

    So basically... be patient and do your best to track your calories and don't panic! Good luck...
  • healthysmart
    healthysmart Posts: 15 Member
    The reality of weight loss is that it's calories in vs. calories out. If you're not losing weight, then you're not burning more than you're eating. Maybe that means you're not meticulously tracking your food (that means weighing everything, no guesstimates) or you're overestimating the calories that you're burning.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    You mention that you have been meticulous in your tracking for 2 weeks, but on looking at your diary, you have only been tracking for 7 days, and assuming that you are logging everything and being accurate as possible, your average intake is nearly 2,000. While that may be fine for losing weight (depending on your activity), you need to be more consistent with your tracking for a longer period and assess the longer term trend so you can determine whether that level is a good one for weight loss.
  • I have always been active. I've always walked. I've just upped it to 15-46 miles a day. I eat 1590 calories a day. That's my budget. Sometimes I go over and end up eating 1700. But I use run keePer to track my cardio. I'm 5'10, 240 # , 35 bmi, 42% body fat. I log everything I eat in mfp. I don't weigh it. Maybe I should. I know I'm a very impatient person, hence why diets have never worked for me before. I'm also diabetic. So I count carbs. But I figured in the first two weeks I would lose more weight. Of course, that could just be wishful thinking.
  • Your correct. I'm very honest when I log. ;)
    I also work at steak n shake. So that is pretty challenging.
  • 55044TeamJoy
    55044TeamJoy Posts: 134 Member
    Rather than looking purely at the scale. Start taking body measurements as well. That will explain quite a bit. You could be seeing inches fall off but weight staying the same since muscle is more dense than fat.
  • 55044TeamJoy
    55044TeamJoy Posts: 134 Member
    Also, increase the amount of water you drink each day.
  • I appreciate all feed back. I'm going grocery shopping this morning.
  • Rather than looking purely at the scale. Start taking body measurements as well. That will explain quite a bit. You could be seeing inches fall off but weight staying the same since muscle is more dense than fat.


    I did notice when I put on a certain outfit this morning it fit way better than last time.
  • This is definitely challenge. It's a lifestyle change so from experience. Work on one thing at a time. More water, Healthier choices, portion control, then add in some exercise. You just don't cut everything all at once. In the long run it helps the change forever not just a quick fix. I can also say. Whatever you do DON'T EAT YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES BACK....... My motto is "One good habit leads to another good habit. It starts with you. I as soon as you lay off of the fast food you will feel so much better. We all know that it's really easy to go to a drive thru and it's quick but it has it's downfalls. Cooking at home is better and you have control over the carbs, proteins, fats, etc. And your children would pick up the healthy eating along the way. Everybody benefits from this. I didn't cook because i thought it was better budget wise because it's only me. But i rather pay more and feel better than pay less and feel horrible(sluggish) and take some time and make my meals. Even though you get grilled chicken from McDonalds it still has ALOT of sodium in it. I hope this helps. You can do it and i wish you luck. And oh yea patience is a virtue. lol
  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
    It is possible that since u r working out a lot ur body may be turning ur fat into muscle which does weigh more. This process is nothing to be worried about just be patient. Like I said it is possible I'm no doctor

    No

    Not from walking. Not this fast. Just...no
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  • Same here I have been trying to lose wieght for a long time now. My weight goes up and down and I'm a diabetic so it's so hard to lose the weight.... You can do it keep up the good work and never give up... :)
  • RMZ2014
    RMZ2014 Posts: 31 Member
    Keep at it. I swear I have the metabolism of a snail. It has ALWAYS (since my twenties) taken me 4-6 weeks on a diet and exercise program to start seeing any change on the scale. Once I hit that mark it usually starts to come off. It is frustrating as all get out, but it will happen, just keep at it. I swear I would survive a famine, I would be cranky but I think I would survive, LOL:)
  • :smile:
    Same here I have been trying to lose wieght for a long time now. My weight goes up and down and I'm a diabetic so it's so hard to lose the weight.... You can do it keep up the good work and never give up... :)
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