Nothing is working!!

I am just starting out too. It can be frustrating. Looking at your logs I would definitely stay away from fast food. It's all high in sodium. I know it's difficult to eat healthy when you're on the go. I find it easy to prepare food the night before. Especially toppings for salads. I've been incorporating more fish and veggie burgers in my diary too. Also, eat fresh fruit and veggies. The most important thing to do is drink water and lots of it. Don't get discouraged....You can do it!

I would recheck the way you have MFP set up. What are you height, weight, age? What do you do for work or in general on a daily basis, aside from your workouts at the Gym? If you send them to me I'll run some numbers for you.

Looking at your food diary, I would suggest cutting out the fast foods (McDonalds definitely isn't going to help you lose) and high fat junk (Hagen Das won't help either), and staying closer to your allotted calories each day (you were over several days unless the diary just isn't showing the exercise adjustment you did each day). Also, you have to give it time - weight fluctuates daily normally - plus starting an exercise routine can slow down weight loss at first until your body adjusts, repairs/builds muscle, etc... and then all of a sudden the scale will drop a 2-3 weeks later (assuming you have been eating correctly all along - like I said McDs and stuff like that will negate your hard work - even if you are within your calories each day - the body is a finely-tuned machine and it knows when it is getting junk).

Well, I get the impression you're easily frustrated (trying things 2 weeks at a time kind of implies that), but try to be patient. I do know the feeling of wanting to reach your goals yesterday, not three months down the road or even further. I have had excellent results using this site and respecting the recommendations as much as I can. I don't sweat it if I go over in protein or fat one day because on other days I go under, and with carbs, I nearly always go over. But I try to eat healthy foods as much as I can (although not as often as I should, as my food diary will attest), and when I drink my full 8 (or more) glasses of water and get in at least one walk every day, I get results. If I skimp on the water, I plateau.

The exercisee sounds fantastic, but also remember that you're building muscle, not just losing fat, and muscle weighs more than fat does. You will gain muscle weight at the same time you lose weight from fat at some points during your journey. That is to be expected. Just keep on keeping on, drink the water, and participate in the site (it's been quite motivating for me, at least!). You WILL see results.

It seems to me that people who work out faithfully must be losing inches and not so much in pounds because so many people post that.

I think eventually any program works if you stick with it. ...but I certainly can appreciate your frustration.

I remember in one of my many WW adventures over the years they really stressed make sure you count the hidden calories...the extra tastes of this or bites of that that really add up.
They were also (back in the day) big on measuring portions.
I know they have changed but I also know with me ...portion size is the biggest slip I start to have when I go off measuring my food.

I don't know if that is an issue in your case. I do wish you great success though. Just keep sticking with what you are trying to achieve and you will get there. :flowerforyou:

A couple of things that might help you or anyone that reads this:

1. IT IS OK TO BE HUNGRY... The sooner you accept this fact the sooner you will shed the lbs. You are changing your metabolism and habits, and you body is going to fight you... you have to control this and tell yourself every second of every day that it is ok to be hungry.... Make sure you are sticking to your caloric intake to stay healthy, but accept hunger... HUNGER PANGS ARE FAT LEAVING THE BODY!

2. EAT LIKE A CAVEMAN.... what I mean by this is if caveman had access to it or could make it you CAN eat it... if cave man could not access or make it, you CAN NOT eat it.... Very simply, our bodies are designed through evolution to be hunter/gatherers... we hike 20 miles, kill an animal, eat it and repeat... So stay away from the processed foods.... ALL processed foods... If you look at the ingredients and can not understand, read or comprehend at one glance what is in it... DO NOT EAT IT..

3. When you feel hungry, start chugging water... if it is not "time" to eat and you feel hungry your body might actually be slightly dehydrated. The water will satisfly the hunger pang temporarily and along with an apple or a a small veggi snack you will make it to your next meal...

4. EAT BEFORE YOU EAT.... If you are going to be in a place that is tempting, ie: out with friends, at a party, holidays, etc. Eat cave man food before you put yourself in that situation.. Example: You are going to meet friends for a night out.. you know you will be around good food and drinks... before you leave the house chow down on a pouch of tuna, smoked salmon, bowl of soup, instant rice, etc.. something, anything, so when you sit down to dinner or are at the party you are not "Starving" and you order food that is appropriate for YOU!

5. ALWAYS HAVE FOOD WITH YOU... this might mean you have to carry a fanny pack or purse/satchel, but it works.. keep it loaded with good stuff.... dried fruit, nuts, grapes, pouch of tuna, can of chicken, etc... if you feel temped to go in the convience store while pumping gas or cruzing the airport, grab your gut to remind yourself why your are doing this and then eat the good stuff you have with you, not the crap you could buy at the kiosk.... Check out my signature picture... I am an airline pilot and I carry that bag full of good stuff that last me 4-5 days on the road!

Get mean, suck it up and get it done!

I definetely agree with Bombilina. You need to cut out fast food completely. This can be hard with a busy schedule. Trust me, I know. I got to school full time, work full time and has 2 very active kids. I have managed to stay away from ALL fast food by preparing a head of time. I find that pre-cutting veggies and washing fruits and veggies the moment I get home from the grocery store works the best. That way when you plan your meals the night before you can quickly bag up the veggies and fruits for the next day. Have healthy snacks always available so that you are less likely to run through the drive thru. Even though the calories seem low on the foods, the sodium is NOT your friend. You will get it figured out and be successful! Good luck!

I am stuck at a plateau too. Maybe we can help each other. First of all, I would recommend only eating fruit at breakfast. It is very good for you, has fiber, but it is filled with natural sugar. Eat a small salad or vegetable with your lunch and dinner. I have been on WW most of my adult life, lifetime member - I hated the new program. I needed stricter guidelines. I am sorry vegetables and fruit can not be "free"...Bananas are 100 cals a piece but they are counting them as "free". I switched to MFP in March and I am now down 11. It has been slow, but slow and steady wins the race. My downfall is my wine which I know is pure sugar and my body metabolizes it differently than food. However, I am not willing to give it up...Do you exercise - if so what are you doing?? I think I need to eat a little more I was sticking to 1200 calories, but metabolic rate was 1440 - so I just changed my setting - I am hoping this will get me off this plateau...

MFP will work assuming you have it set up correctly, to a 1lb weight loss for starters so your potential for success remains high, and log everything. Don't cheat yourself. Be honest and log everything, no matter how small or how embarrassing it is. Keep your food diary open for others to see (accountability). Output is a good reflection of input.

After reading your diary, it seems like you've been over a lot of your days. I use both WW and here to make sure my calories stay in check so I understand the half filled out food tracker on here lol.

Have patience....stick to it. Impatience is only going to make you give up & continue with the yo-yo's.

Ok so other than patience I also recommend looking into eating mainly from the power foods list with WW to help you get away from so much processed stuff. Drink more water to flush out the sodium (rule of thumb is half of your body weight in ounces of water a day).....fast food has way more sodium that what's on some of the nutritional info here.

There is more stuff you can tweak but a little bit at a time ok?

Thanks for all the quick replies. I have been eating fast food a lot more than normal partly because I've been so busy the past week and just broke up with my bf:(.

Yes my calories may go over my MP allotment, but I am following WW and have hit right about my 36 points daily (not going over or using my extra points either). The ice cream was actually because I was way under that day for points and I knew ice cream would fill them up

And this is why I love this site so much better than things like WW. Losing weight is really all about the numbers. More calories out than in. And I personally think it's kind of bull for WW to say you don't have to count fruits and veggies, because those things DO Have calories in them too. Which is another reason why ppl have success while ON the WW program (usually), but gain all the weight back when they go off the program.

Honestly, if I were you, I'd quit WW and just start focusing on the calorie counts and getting your sodium levels down. (You've heard enough about Fast Food, so I won't go there). Sodium will make you retain water which will slow or stall out your weight loss. I track mine, and I TRY not to go over, but I do on occasion. It sucks.... but the more aware you are of what goes into your body, the easier it gets to balance those things. Good luck!

BUMP...I feel like I am having the same issues. I'm not losing weight nearly as fast as my settings suggest. I need advice to. What am I doing wrong. It seems like I'm dancing around the same numbers ever week. Its always 2lbs up than 2 lbs down. My weight changes everyday by a couple of pounds. What gives???

I'm going to open up my diary. Please send me a message if you have any insight. Thanks!

There are many ways to attempt to lose weight. One of them is eating food that supports weight loss process.

If you give this approach your complete commitment, there is no question in my mind that it will work for you, too. But you've got to stop eating food that does not support weight loss.

You will be amazed how easily and effortlessly you will lose weight when you adopt a diet that consists only of fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, lean meat and whole grains. Also add Omega-3, tea and lots of water.

You are going to be pleasantly surprised how many of these foods you like.

The key to success is to eat foods that will fill you up without eating a large amount of calories.

It worked for me. I lost and kept off 46 pounds.