I need help...I'm not losing anything :(

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jag325
jag325 Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
I am going to open up my diary for people to review and hopefully will have some feedback. I'm sure the first criticism will be that I don't eat enough calories a day. I try to not hit 1200 because some of my serving portions are estimated and I could possibly a little over or a little under so I want to give myself extra room for error.

I just changed my sodium intake to 2000 from 2500 so if you look in past days, my sodium intake will probably be quite high but I literally just edited it like a day or two ago.

I am just getting frustrated and am starting to become obsessed with my scale. I feel like I am putting in the hard work and trying to eat the right things but I just can't get the weight to go away.

Any thought or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! I figure I am my worst critic so go ahead and be harsh on me, I can take it!
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Replies

  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    I think a lot of people underestimate their serving portions or are just not honest. You can purchase a really inexpensive food scale at Walmart for aroudn 5 bucks.
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    I looked at your diary---to me, and only me, probably not others, it looks like you consume lots of carbs and not enough lean protein.
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
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    Practically no protein and a lot of processed/fast foods. Plus not enough food (as you mentioned in your post).
  • Nicolekp
    Nicolekp Posts: 11 Member
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    First of all PUT AWAY the scale. Weighing everyday makes you feel worse and it is proven that weight fluctuates day to day. Try to weigh once a week or even every other week. Make sure it is the same time of day and that you are wearing the same thing you were when you weighed last. When you deprive your body of calories it starts to hoard the calories you do give it because your body thinks that it may not get enough later either so it wants to keep the calories it has. That could be part of the problem. Try not to look at any specific thing like sodium. You have the knowledge to know what has or doesn't have too much sodium. A way to counter balance the sodium is to make sure you drink enough water and that also helps to flush fat. With exercise you do start to lose fat and gain muscle so you may be losing but it can take a while to see it because you are replacing the fat with muscle. Eventually, which really suck, your muscle will be the effective tool you need to lose weight faster. But without the muscle your metabolism will stay sluggish and not lose weight. I hope some of this helps.
  • pftjill
    pftjill Posts: 488
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    Holy crap-you are not eating enough. You should never ever eat below 1200. You are doing that way too often. Then you are getting a lot of sugar on some days. Your body will go into starvation mode and not want to release that fat. It will start taking from other sources. Please start getting more calories.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,130 Member
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    If you have only 7 lbs to lose, your body is perfectly happy right where it is. PLUS you are trying to live on 1200 calories a day!!

    Unless you are 4'11" and sit all day, you are already in starvation mode if you've been doing this for weeks.

    How much exercise are you getting? Eat ALL your exercise cals.

    Start eating for your maintenance, which is probably 1500-1800 calories based on your weight and age!!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/30898-bmr-vs-tdee-what-mfp-is-telling-you

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6159-this-1200-calorie-thing-is-driving-me-up-a-wall

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/20035-just-because-you-can-have-a-2-pound-per-week-goal
  • twooliver
    twooliver Posts: 450 Member
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    I agree with what's been said...you're heavy on the carbs and low on the proteins. I'd try to reverse that. I try to start my day with 30g of protein and at least 20g at each meal with low carb. Check out my diary and see if that will help. And definitely eat more calories in the day!
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
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    I was going to say up the protein lower the carbs. Also get some scales...I've only just bought mine and while i was pretty damn good at estimating most things a few (cereals, pulses, rice) were way off. I can understand you leaving extra calories as a buffer but i would leave no more than 200-300, there are days when you've got way more than that left, not good when you have exercised


    EDIT: just noticed how much you have left to lose, eating your calories is all the more important when youre within a few pounds. How tall are you, what is your current BMI
  • crystal_sapphire
    crystal_sapphire Posts: 1,205 Member
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    more water and protein and veggies

    what are you doing for exercise?
  • Aimee_PD
    Aimee_PD Posts: 177 Member
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    my opinion...if you exercise as much as it seems (burning more than 600 cals a day) you should be eating majority of those calories back. eating only 1200 a day with that kind of put out wont give you the results you need....
  • Nicolekp
    Nicolekp Posts: 11 Member
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    Add more fruits and vegetables. They provide fullness and little calories. You should also eat something every 2-3 hours. not full meals. Snacks like fruit, veggies, whole grain foods. My health coach turned me on to Triscuit Thin Crips. They only have 3 ingredients and they don't taste too bad. Add a little non fat cheese or a homade veggie dip and it is a great snack and filling. I am all about feeling full. Good luck
  • doloresjenkins
    doloresjenkins Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi; I am in the same boat; I average ll50 to 1300 a day as I can't hit the mark EXACTLY
    I have been doing WWatchers sinc e Jan 3rd and gained 9 lbs.
    I could have eaten my regular food and stayed the same, but NOOOOOOOOOOO...I had to
    eat my 21 points worth and still gained 9 lbs.
    So I am trying this log to see if I can spot just what the heck it is that I am
    doing wrong and I am UNDER in calories. Go figure.

    So if a person is in the desert and not able to eat well, he gains? Thats ridiculous....
    I am getting a bit tired of slicing; dicing; measuring and not getting any reaction on the scale.
    I walked for 9 days on the beach for an hour each day and just got back and the scale
    stays the same.

    So buddy; I'll be glad to share your ideas too
    Anyone out there?
    Dolores
  • lovetowrite73
    lovetowrite73 Posts: 1,244 Member
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    Where are the fruit and veggies? Also, you should be drinking more water, especially with your sodium intake being as high as it is on some days.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    Nothing but processed foods. No vegetables or fruits (I saw 2 servings going back more than a week). And most days not enough calories. Being under 1200 is one thing but I saw a day where you ate a little over 1200 and burned 1000. That's a net of 200 calories.

    You are hurting yourself.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    You're not eating nearly enough. You need to meet your calorie goal every day, you shouldn't be under it. and you need to eat your exercise calories as well. Your body isn't getting enough nutrition to function properly so it isn't letting go of any fat. You are starving yourself. Work on meeting your calorie goal first, then work on adjusting your diet to get more protein.
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
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    It looks you're not eating enough.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    It's most likely your body is in starvation mode right now because you're not eating your exercise calories. There is a divide in the community over this however I have to say this, those links I posted tell you why you NEED to do it.

    Basically if you want permanent sustainable weight loss you should eat as many of your exercise calories as you want. I don't advocate eating when you're full but I do if you're still hungry. Don't always hover your calories around the 1200 mark. It doesn't work in the long term. The human body was designed on famine and feast, so it expects more calories on one day and less the next.
  • jenbusick
    jenbusick Posts: 528 Member
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    I was doing pretty much what you're doing - eating 1200 calories per day, plus exercise -- and not losing anything, either. I learned two things from this site: one is that I needed to eat more (about 1400 calories a day), and that I needed to eat 1400 NET calories a day, not absolute calories -- in other words, if I did 300 calories worth of exercise, I needed to eat an extra 300 calories, too. When I started doing that, I started losing weight again and got past the plateau I'd been stuck at for two years.

    Until I tried it, I never would have believed that I could be 30 pounds overweight and my body would be in starvation mode (slowing down my metabolism so that I would not lose any weight). But it's working, so I'm converted.

    The food is important: it tells your body that you're not starving.

    The exercise is also important: it tells your body to burn its fuel, not store it as fat.

    Use the program's calculators to find out what your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is; eat at least that many net calories per day (mine is about 1400, which is how many net calories I try for). You're actually burning more than your BMR (your BMR is how many calories you would burn lying in bed all day doing nothing), so eating your BMR puts you in a calorie deficit (more calories being burned than being eaten) but not one that your body equates to "starving." Then maybe you'll start losing weight again.

    In other words, stupid as it sounds, you might try eating more, and see if your body starts burning more as a result.

    One other note: I don't try to be too exact about calories in/calories out. I figure if I'm within 50 either way, I'm good, and it seems to be working.
  • MissMessVaness
    MissMessVaness Posts: 24 Member
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    try to eat more calories but in healthy foods like lean proteins and fruit, veggies. Also pay attention to your processed/ packaged foods. One rule I TRY to remember is anytime you see high fructose corn syrup, or sugar in the list of ingredients... don't eat it. Yoplait was one of my fave snacks but I had to delete it from my snacks because of it having sugars. The "eat this not that" book has good pointers to follow when it comes to packaged foods. You can also look some of it online under "eat this not that" or mens health. Good luck!
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    Options
    Hi; I am in the same boat; I average ll50 to 1300 a day as I can't hit the mark EXACTLY
    I have been doing WWatchers sinc e Jan 3rd and gained 9 lbs.
    I could have eaten my regular food and stayed the same, but NOOOOOOOOOOO...I had to
    eat my 21 points worth and still gained 9 lbs.
    So I am trying this log to see if I can spot just what the heck it is that I am
    doing wrong and I am UNDER in calories. Go figure.

    So if a person is in the desert and not able to eat well, he gains? Thats ridiculous....
    I am getting a bit tired of slicing; dicing; measuring and not getting any reaction on the scale.
    I walked for 9 days on the beach for an hour each day and just got back and the scale
    stays the same.

    So buddy; I'll be glad to share your ideas too
    Anyone out there?
    Dolores

    no but eventually his body will stop burning fat and carbs and start eating the protein out of his muscles. So he will continue to lose weight but will be losing muscle and nothing else. And if your are burning through exercise but not eating those calories back you will end up with a deficit going under 1200 for too long. (1300 day in food but burned 400 walking for an hour will put you at 900 net calories - not enough)
  • klaudiak
    klaudiak Posts: 7
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    you may not be recording it, but I don't see much water, also, many of the foods you are choosing are rather processed and lacking in real nutritional value and fiber. I don't see many "real meals" more snacking and "empty" calories. I also think you could benefit by eating more food, but it needs to be real food, Fruits, grains, Vegetables, instead of snacks.

    I have had remarkable success in the past month, and it really hasn't been that hard, but i measure EVERYTHING, I either weigh it or measure it, if it's a recipe, I calculate the calorie amount before I even make it and figure out what a reasonable portion size will be, a portion that will be satisfying. If it's too "expensive" meaning more calories than I want for the amount I get, I try and find something else. I have really worked to get all my water in plus... and even though it's not emphasized on the daily tracker, I shoot for 40 grams of fiber everyday. I don't always make it, but that's my goal.

    feel free to look at my log if you wish. I tend to do a lot of cooking, and plan what I'm going to eat the day before.

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