Advice needed no weight loss in nearly three weeks.

irisheyes321
irisheyes321 Posts: 52 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,

I have not seen the scales move in nearly three weeks.I am losing inches but not lbs and would appreciate any advice regarding my diet or exercise regime.My diary is open so feel free to have a look :) I am hoping to lose around 35 lbs before my birthday next year.I have given myself half a stone goals.

A little more about me.I am 39 and a third lol.I work five days a week.I work in retail so I am allways on my feet and moving.I work from 7.30 am to 5 pm.I normally do a bit of shopping and head home make dinner and I currently on week two of the 30 day shred.
I walk into work every morning which takes me thirty mins.I make my own lunch and bring it to work with me..Have stopped using the frying pan and the deep fat fryer which I loved.I try to exercise for at least 30 mins to an hour every night.I have one treat night a week which I log.

I have ordered a heart rate monitor which should be coming tomorrow :).I try not to eat back my exercise calories as I have read that MFP calorie burn is on the higher level so I try to ignore it until I can do it my self.

Any advice would be great,
Thanks in advance,

Liz.

Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Do you weigh all your solid food on a digital scale? Track every bite, condiment, beverage, etc.? What is your current weight/goal weight?
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    On your diary. Are homemade entries from recipes you made? If not, then that is a bit of guesswork in the calorie count. Weigh pre-packaged bread slices. They are almost always 10-20% higher in weight than the serving size suggests. Weigh everything solid - how much is in 1/2 cup of chicken? Will be different every time you pack it into the cup because you can't be consistent in how you fill the cup. (Cups are meant for liquids.) Where are the fruits, veggies?

    If your log is accurate you should be losing weight. Meaning even if you're off by 25-50% you should still be at a deficit. So you may just need to give it more time than 3 weeks, especially as your monthly cycle can impact temporary water weight as can starting a new routine. But firming up food logging/weighing will be a key to success longterm.
  • irisheyes321
    irisheyes321 Posts: 52 Member
    Do you weigh all your solid food on a digital scale? Track every bite, condiment, beverage, etc.? What is your current weight/goal weight?

    Hi StaciMarie,

    I am currently 154lbs and would love to get down to around 125lbs.I log everything good and bad.And also weigh everything :)

    Liz.
  • tslinker1
    tslinker1 Posts: 7 Member
    Questions?

    You say you exercise 30 min's to 1 hour a day. What kind of exercise, cardio or weights or both? And what level of intensity? Have you increased your endurance on both?
    How many calories do you take in each day?
    What is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)?
    What kind of foods are you eating/combining at each meal?
    How many times a day do you eat?
    Are you getting enough sleep?

    Give me the answers to all the above questions. And I believe that I may be able to help you break through your plato.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    You may need to give it more time. You might have just started at a low point in the month for you, which could make it hard to see results on the scale.

    For example: I gain 3+ pounds easily the day after my period starts. Some women report a weight gain the week before starting. Depending on your cycle timing and how it affects your water weight, your scale readings could be impacted. For me, it can take 10-14 days or more to get back to where I was the day before I started. But 4 weeks later, I'm almost always lower than I was 4 weeks before. Now I'm only aiming for .5 pounds a week, so the scale moves less overall, but I still have the same tendency to go way up and then eventually back down.

    If you started 3 weeks ago - you're moving more & weighing/logging your food - then just give it more time. Check next week and then 4 weeks out. If in 5 weeks there is still no downward momentum perhaps reassess. But you'll probably start seeing the results on the scale that you want.

    Hi StaciMarie,

    I am currently 154lbs and would love to get down to around 125lbs.I log everything good and bad.And also weigh everything :)

    Liz.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    I hope that post wasn't too confusing. What I meant about maybe starting at a low point:

    If I had weighed in for the first time on August 17, scale was 134.8.
    If I weighed again the next Sunday, I would have been in a bit of a funk as it was up to 136.3. (Actually was 138.3 on Mon/18th then started back down.)
    Sunday August 31 135

    If this were the beginning of my journey, I'd be thinking What is going on here? I'm weighing my food, eating at a deficit, hitting my workout goals. But I didn't lose any weight - I'm actually up .2 pounds. I wouldn't know that this is just how my body reacts to my period. In the last week of a cycle before my period starts the scale often 'catches up' and shows 1-2 pounds lost. Expecting to see that in the next week as I'm now hanging out around 134-134.4. But also sodium, sleep, stress can affect the water weight as well.

    You will probably see the scale catch up to your work in the coming weeks.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    If you're losing inches, who cares what the scale says? Inches lost is visible progress - a few numbers down on the scale is visible to no one but you. Some people get lower scale numbers but no change in inches or clothing sizes - which would you rather have? :tongue:

    I went six months with my scale going up and down between the same few pounds. Plateau? NOPE - I dropped inches and a full size during that time. Haha, Mr. Scale - I'm off to buy me some smaller sized jeans! :drinker:

    Don't let the scale mess with your head - fluctuations and what seems to be a stand-still are totally normal, and as long as you're still losing inches, you're making awesome progress. The silly scale will likely catch up eventually and show a loss again. But keep that tape measure handy and go by what it says - much better gauge of progress!
  • irisheyes321
    irisheyes321 Posts: 52 Member
    On your diary. Are homemade entries from recipes you made? If not, then that is a bit of guesswork in the calorie count. Weigh pre-packaged bread slices. They are almost always 10-20% higher in weight than the serving size suggests. Weigh everything solid - how much is in 1/2 cup of chicken? Will be different every time you pack it into the cup because you can't be consistent in how you fill the cup. (Cups are meant for liquids.) Where are the fruits, veggies?

    If your log is accurate you should be losing weight. Meaning even if you're off by 25-50% you should still be at a deficit. So you may just need to give it more time than 3 weeks, especially as your monthly cycle can impact temporary water weight as can starting a new routine. But firming up food logging/weighing will be a key to success longterm.

    I try to log everything but I know I get lazy sometimes :) Regarding veg thats a no no.But I do eat fruit but I know I should eat more.Well done on your own weight loss.How long did it take you.

    Thanks a million for the advice,

    Liz.
  • irisheyes321
    irisheyes321 Posts: 52 Member
    Questions?

    You say you exercise 30 min's to 1 hour a day. What kind of exercise, cardio or weights or both? And what level of intensity? Have you increased your endurance on both?
    How many calories do you take in each day?
    What is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)?
    What kind of foods are you eating/combining at each meal?
    How many times a day do you eat?
    Are you getting enough sleep?

    Give me the answers to all the above questions. And I believe that I may be able to help you break through your plato.

    Hi,

    Wow that's a lot of question lol.But I will try to answer them all.
    A 1. I started my journey early August.Started Hip hop abs and I did that over three weeks.Bought a set of dumbbells and used them with hip hop abs.Started on the light ones and currently on five pounders.Now I am on day three of level 2 of the 30DS.

    A2.I started doing 30 mins every night and worked up to an hour each evening.

    A3.I try to aim for just under 1200 cals per day and I try not to eat back my exercise cals back.

    A4.I tried to work out my TDEE and gave up I was never good at maths:(

    A5.Everything in moderation is my motto for my diet.Nothing is off limits once I can fit it in to my daily total.But I try to watch my suger intake.

    A6.I have three meals a day.And a few snacks if I am hungry.

    A7.Around 8 hours sleep.I love my sleep and cant function properly without it.
  • irisheyes321
    irisheyes321 Posts: 52 Member
    I hope that post wasn't too confusing. What I meant about maybe starting at a low point:

    If I had weighed in for the first time on August 17, scale was 134.8.
    If I weighed again the next Sunday, I would have been in a bit of a funk as it was up to 136.3. (Actually was 138.3 on Mon/18th then started back down.)
    Sunday August 31 135

    If this were the beginning of my journey, I'd be thinking What is going on here? I'm weighing my food, eating at a deficit, hitting my workout goals. But I didn't lose any weight - I'm actually up .2 pounds. I wouldn't know that this is just how my body reacts to my period. In the last week of a cycle before my period starts the scale often 'catches up' and shows 1-2 pounds lost. Expecting to see that in the next week as I'm now hanging out around 134-134.4. But also sodium, sleep, stress can affect the water weight as well.

    Hi,

    The first three weeks on MFP I lost 7lbs and then nothing.But I am not going to give up:)

    You will probably see the scale catch up to your work in the coming weeks.
  • irisheyes321
    irisheyes321 Posts: 52 Member
    If you're losing inches, who cares what the scale says? Inches lost is visible progress - a few numbers down on the scale is visible to no one but you. Some people get lower scale numbers but no change in inches or clothing sizes - which would you rather have? :tongue:

    I went six months with my scale going up and down between the same few pounds. Plateau? NOPE - I dropped inches and a full size during that time. Haha, Mr. Scale - I'm off to buy me some smaller sized jeans! :drinker:

    Don't let the scale mess with your head - fluctuations and what seems to be a stand-still are totally normal, and as long as you're still losing inches, you're making awesome progress. The silly scale will likely catch up eventually and show a loss again. But keep that tape measure handy and go by what it says - much better gauge of progress!

    HI,

    Thanks for making me laugh and your kind words.I know I am after losing the inches and its great motivation to see the tape measure getting smaller but.I think its so hard to look at your self in the mirror and actually see your self getting smaller.I think the reason I want the scales to move is because I want to be at a healthy weight not obese :(

    Liz.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    I started 'this time' Christmas 2013. So about 8.5 months now and nearly done on the weight loss part. I think what was different 'this time' is I've focused on increasing my activity level, which has always been a problem area for me. I'm lazy - and now that I've admitted it, its kind of like I refuse to let that trait control me. They always say, admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.

    And also changing my thinking about food. I've always been pressed for time, so wouldn't bother to plan. Then would grab what was fast & easy and not think anything more about it. I've learned a little planning doesn't take much time or effort, and I still need fast and easy but can think of food in terms of what I need and what it 'costs' in terms of calories. And can make it work so my body gets what it needs, and I can eat at a reduced calorie level. I have not cut out any food item, but I think about portions and how things fit into my day/needs overall. I do avoid mindless snacking though. That sort where you're eating from a bag and not even thinking about what you're eating.

    If you don't 'like' veggies then you could always try new varieties or things made in different ways. I was a picky eater growing up - still I am in some ways. Started eating some things just because I knew I should, and as an adult it seemed a little wrong to expect my kids to eat well if I refused to eat green things. Have found a lot of things I love - like many veggies baked w/ seasonings & olive oil. You can also try blending them into a sauce, if you have issues with the texture/look. Like we making sloppy joes and blend the peppers/onions/ketchup/vinegar/dry mustard/etc. into a sauce so its smooth. No chunks. Then simmer w/ ground beef/turkey/whatever. Tastes better than the canned stuff.

    Think long term. The goal should be continuous self-improvement. This is a journey, not a short trip. :)

Categories