please do not tell me to be patient!!
Replies
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1. sorry but, be patient. lets say you are trying to lose weight at a healthy calories defecit and average loss of .5-2 pounds a week. you have been doing this three weeks. ok so... a scale fluctuates about 3.5 pounds in either direction all throughout the day. you do not have a single weight but a weight range of about 7 pounds. you will find your weight within that range at any randome time throughout any day to varying degrees. therefore you cannot truly say whether you have lost any weight until your weight range changes... which is harder to guage. furthermore, if you are getting exactly the same reading every time you step on the scale, your scale is broken.
2. weight comes off slowly. if you are not patient you will probably either not succeed, or end up losing weight in an unhealthy way.
3. you will not have the perfect diet set up the second you start. you have to adjust it sometimes, because MFP is often wrong in their suggestions. i didnt lose anything when i used their suggestions, i had to adjust my calorie goal every few weeks until i found my magic number.
4. i had to be consistent every single day, even track everything when i soooo didnt feel like it. i dont weigh my food all the time, but i take that into account when i track and estimate on the high side if i dont.
theres not really much to say except be patient, sorry, and adjust as needed, and remember that healthy weight loss is slow.
(also, the last time i beat a plateau it was because i got a fitbit and realized i was overestimating my walking burns, and then started weighing my cheese and sandwich meat, both my biggest culprits for bad estimates. for a week i weighed everything and found that some calorie dense foods were always wrong so i got a better idea of what i needed to do... so that if i dont weigh at least i know how much an average three slices of turkey is, instead of just being all "that looks like 3 oz to me" )0 -
you need to be patient.
why do you tell us to not give you the answer that is most likely correct?0 -
I get my calories I have lost from my Polar P7 watch. Which I realize could be off a little bit, but I would not imagine off a lot.
Cut that number in half, at least.i dont weigh my food all the time,
What does estimating on the "high side" mean? Unless you're weighing, even you don't know.0 -
For this, are you constantly moving or is your session a series of start, stop activities? If not steady state cardio, a heart rate monitor is not going to be accurate.
I get my calories I have lost from my Polar P7 watch. Which I realize could be off a little bit, but I would not imagine off a lot.
Yes! Food packaging can be off 10-20% and still meet FDA requirements. Maybe 1 in 10 times do I weigh bread and have it weigh right. Its usually 10-15% higher than what a slice is supposed to weigh. Just an example. And sometimes packaging will say something like '1 serving = 50 grams, package = approx 2 servings' and then be 2.2 servings as its actually 110g total.
And for meat, just be careful that the entry matches your method. Such as if you weigh the chicken raw you would not want to select a cooked entry. (And vice versa.)Dinner is a piece of meat usually only with seasoning and side items. nothing is really mixed together in a recipe form so there is again little error. I also scan all the lables on my foods with the bar code reader. I do not check for accuracy on that. shouldI start?0 -
I'm 5'10 as well. When I first started out I didn't lose a thing when eating 1200 cal/day. Not sure why considering I was walking/jogging 30 min a day and lifting. Anyway, I upped myself to about 1500 cal/day, and I left it up to my stomach to tell me whether I should eat back my workout calories or not. If I'm hungry, I do, and if I'm not hungry, I don't eat them back.
I lost 1-2 lb/week doing this (and then life happened and I fell off the wagon, gained most of it back, and that is why it says I only lost 3 lb in my ticker).
Anyway, a slightly higher cal intake may help you. It helped me out.0 -
Roan - I am always thirsty, have been since I was a teenager. They tested for MS, thyroid, several items/ Over the years docotors chaulked it up to habit. This is the only liquid I drink (besised coffee). That amount of water is actually down from where I used to be back in my 20s! I used to drink a good gallon!0
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I get my calories I have lost from my Polar P7 watch. Which I realize could be off a little bit, but I would not imagine off a lot.
Cut that number in half, at least.
Yep, this. I've noticed that Polar's come in pretty high.0 -
Ahh hah. this might be it. I weight everything cooked. I need to look at this going forward. I honestly dont know what option I am selecting when doing calories. Thank you for this. This could be a game changer :-)0
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I get my calories I have lost from my Polar P7 watch. Which I realize could be off a little bit, but I would not imagine off a lot.
Cut that number in half, at least.i dont weigh my food all the time,
What does estimating on the "high side" mean? Unless you're weighing, even you don't know.
key word, ALL i dont weigh ALL the time. so... maybe... just maybe.,.. i have weighed some things enough to know what 4oz looks like.... maybe.0 -
It took me 18 months to lose 29 pounds.
You need to be patient.
One does not need to be a math genius to lose fat (hint: the human body is FAR more complex than JUST calories in and out) but one does need to be committed AND patient (and the food DOES matter for many of us). I've been here over two years and the last 20 pounds is stubborn but the important part is my HEALTH is amazing. Screw the scale. I have a food plan that I love and will continue for the rest of my life. So I have nothing but time to let my body figure out it's healthy weight.
Of course you can starve yourself and lose lean body mass. You'll like the results of that on the scale but I'm not sure you'll like what you see in the mirror or how you feel. But if only the number on the scale matters than that's likely what you'll get.
So, if you must lose weight as fast as possible and there it is a time limit what happens when you reach your goal? Gain the weight back?
If you aren't willing to be patient what are the other options? Quit?0 -
I get my calories I have lost from my Polar P7 watch. Which I realize could be off a little bit, but I would not imagine off a lot.
Cut that number in half, at least.i dont weigh my food all the time,
What does estimating on the "high side" mean? Unless you're weighing, even you don't know.
key word, ALL i dont weigh ALL the time. so... maybe... just maybe.,.. i have weighed some things enough to know what 4oz looks like.... maybe.
Then again, maybe not.0 -
Ahh hah. this might be it. I weight everything cooked. I need to look at this going forward. I honestly dont know what option I am selecting when doing calories. Thank you for this. This could be a game changer :-)
you could try the TDEE method- which takes into account your weekly activity and instead of eating back workout calories- you eat the same amount daily and it's already calculated in that you do some sort of exercise- this might eliminate the guess work from your workouts.
Give it a shot.
Also- hate to say it- but be patient. I weigh daily- and I KNOW it gets frustrating not seeing things move- but you have to consider EVERY time you change something- you have to wait 2-3 weeks to see a result- or none results. Then change again- which means the process can be TORTUOUSLY slow- but it's reality. You have to be patient.0 -
Is PT personal training or physical therapy? If you want to see scale movement for the sake of motivation, I would skip the gym for a week, just walk more, forget 'eating back' anything, and eat around 1400 calories a day, period.
If you really want to make sure you counting isn't a factor, make it 1400 of pre-packaged, pre-portioned foods and no beverages with calories. It's a week. Or at least don't use MFP entries for anything, go to a nutrition database with no user-made entries, and weigh everything that is questionable.
Good luck!0 -
Tomorrow marks my 3 week mark of eating better, and exercising. Everyone is telling me to be patient. I have lost NO weight! ( please ignore the "lost one pound" on my ticker. )
I log and weigh ALL my food. Over the weekend I did not use MFP as my app was messing up so I logged in fitbit. Calories were in line and consistant.
I do drink 3 - 4 liters of water a day.
I recently upped my calories from 1200 to see if that does something. I think I did that on Friday.
I just need somethign to happen I am getting discouraged, and I know its easy to say to be patient, I just need something to kick start even a pound to make me feel like my hard work is paying off.
I do PT 2 days a week, my rest day is Wednesday and I do cardio the other 4 days.
I am 204 (highest ever even when pregnant), 5'10, 36 years old. I would be happy to be at 170, this was my weight after baby #1 and I was happy with that.
I've been at it for 2 years and you're getting worried after 3 weeks...? Relax and follow a sustainable plan and you'll be fine.0 -
I get my calories I have lost from my Polar P7 watch. Which I realize could be off a little bit, but I would not imagine off a lot.
Cut that number in half, at least.i dont weigh my food all the time,
What does estimating on the "high side" mean? Unless you're weighing, even you don't know.
key word, ALL i dont weigh ALL the time. so... maybe... just maybe.,.. i have weighed some things enough to know what 4oz looks like.... maybe.
Then again, maybe not.
then again, maybe you are a micromanaging cat, and i am a stray cat who isnt home next to a scale all the time so SOME of the time i dont weight my food, and since my way is working, and i assume yours is too, how about we agree that there may be more than one way to know something. meow.
or maybe i just need my coffee.0 -
I saw where you said you haven't been paying attention to whether the entries are cooked or raw, but another thing that stood out to me in your posts was that you said you are thirsty all the time.
I think it may be time for a full physical. Get checked for diabetes and thyroid issues, and maybe even peri-menopause if you have any of those symptoms related to it.
Also, check your prescription medications for the likely culprits that can cause it to be more difficult to lose weight (due to various factors of the meds):
beta blockers
anti-depressants
anti-seizure meds
etc, etc.0 -
Sorry if this has been said before, I just skimmed, but if you just started exercising it's not unlikely that you're retaining some fluids.0
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then again, maybe you are a micromanaging cat, and i am a stray cat who isnt home next to a scale all the time so SOME of the time i dont weight my food, and since my way is working, and i assume yours is too, how about we agree that there may be more than one way to know something. meow.
None of this has anything to do with you. Why are you hijacking the OP's thread?or maybe i just need my coffee.
Ya think?0 -
+1 on weighing ALL the food ALL of the time. This definitely matters. I even have a scale at work. I use the scale at work. I prepare my meals at home and bring them to work after I have weighed at home. Where there is a will, there is a way.
There are numerous discussions here about how heart rate monitors overestimate calories for exercise. Most exercise machines do, as well. I don't log all of the calories that machines report. I usually take 2/3 right off the top.
I came here in June at 170 lbs and I am now 147. I ate a Chinese buffet yesterday (cheat day) so I KNOW I am retaining water. My true weight is probably closer to 145. Trust me, weighing everything and accurately logging exercise, and keeping a healthy deficit WORKS. I have thyroid issues and hypoparathyroidism, and it still works.
Weigh everything.
Weigh everything.
Weigh everything.
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I get my calories I have lost from my Polar P7 watch. Which I realize could be off a little bit, but I would not imagine off a lot.
Cut that number in half, at least.i dont weigh my food all the time,
What does estimating on the "high side" mean? Unless you're weighing, even you don't know.
key word, ALL i dont weigh ALL the time. so... maybe... just maybe.,.. i have weighed some things enough to know what 4oz looks like.... maybe.
Then again, maybe not.
then again, maybe you are a micromanaging cat, and i am a stray cat who isnt home next to a scale all the time so SOME of the time i dont weight my food, and since my way is working, and i assume yours is too, how about we agree that there may be more than one way to know something. meow.
or maybe i just need my coffee.
too much acid last night???0 -
I'm really sorry to say this, but be patient. How long did it take you to gain weight? I'm betting it wasn't exactly overnight. It's only been 3 weeks.
Go see a doctor if measuring and weighing your food to the tee is not working for you.0 -
I am 204 (highest ever even when pregnant), 5'10, 36 years old. I would be happy to be at 170, this was my weight after baby #1 and I was happy with that
1200 calories is way too low for your height. My height is 5'7.5 and I eat around 1400 to 1600 a day. In order to lose weight you have to eat so the body doesn't accidentally slip into starvation mode.
Just give yourself a couple of more weeks with the amount you upped your calories too and make sure you weigh the food and adjust your calorie intake accordingly.
It's hard to be patient but 1200 is way too low. Even for me it was too low.0 -
There, there. Just be patient.0
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Be patient. The other work on your logging I know you said this weekend you didn't log on here, but I looked back and you have entries like this:
Homemade - Baked Breaded or Floured Pork Chop, 1 small or thin cut Broiled or Baked Breaded or Floured Pork Chop.
(I'm assuming this wasn't your recipe, so how do you know what was used to get that number, how big was the pork chop, how much breading? Yours was logged at 139 calories)
Ceasars salas, 1/2 serving (same questions as above, how much dressing was on the salad you have it logged at 109 calories)
1/2 cup of oatmeal (use the scale)
Stay away from the quick add calories, homemade entries, generic entries. Those were just a few questionable entries, here's a thread that will help with better logging
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=logging+step+guide0 -
Well, it took me 3 years to lose 40 lbs. So, does it take patience. Heck yeah. That and consistency. You have to pick a plan and stick with it for awhile. Like someone said earlier, give an approach about 3 weeks to work.0
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First .. calorie burns numbers from those devices are not accurate, and could be a very big reason why you are not losing.
I would suggest using about 50% of that number .. and go from there.
My Polar FT4 said I burned once 1998 calories from about 3 hours of walking. Well sorry .. not going to happen. I was 169 lbs at the time. So depending on what you do with those numbers, it could be a big reason for your lack of any difference.0 -
Be patient. The other work on your logging I know you said this weekend you didn't log on here, but I looked back and you have entries like this:
Homemade - Baked Breaded or Floured Pork Chop, 1 small or thin cut Broiled or Baked Breaded or Floured Pork Chop.
(I'm assuming this wasn't your recipe, so how do you know what was used to get that number, how big was the pork chop, how much breading? Yours was logged at 139 calories)
Ceasars salas, 1/2 serving (same questions as above, how much dressing was on the salad you have it logged at 109 calories)
1/2 cup of oatmeal (use the scale)
Stay away from the quick add calories, homemade entries, generic entries. Those were just a few questionable entries, here's a thread that will help with better logging
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=logging+step+guide
That would have to be a TINY porkchop.
And yes, this.0 -
I am in the same boat as you. I've been going at it for 4 weeks now (on week 5). It is frustrating because I did lose 3-4 pounds, but gained it all back. I decided to change up my workout- I was doing wii fit step aerobics & now i am doing biggest loser on the wii. the workout is so much more intense, but i'm sweating a lot more so should be seeing results. I wanted to give up when I gained back the weight, but I told myself from the beginning to wait it out 12 weeks. I say 12 weeks because "they" say it takes 4 weeks to see a change yourself, 8 for your friends/family, & 12 for the rest of the world so the way i see it, why not wait 12 weeks & keep going because you are going to start this weight loss journey all over again in another week. Look for small changes in your body. I noticed that my legs are becoming much more firmer & toned. Don't be discouraged, just KEEP going-when you hit that 12 week mark, i'm sure you will see big changes:)0
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OP, I hate to echo what you don't want to hear, but this journey will take time and patience; hang in there! The time it takes to sculpt and practice a healthy lifestyle will pass by regardless of what you're doing in your life, so why not use that time to make a positive difference? Keep up the effort, and in time, you will begin to see the changes you want. You can do this!0
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