Scale not moving

sap30
sap30 Posts: 10 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello.
I've been tracking my food as closely as possible since November. Since the beginning of January I've been working out 5 days a week with one of the Daily Burn programs. My weight the past month has barely moved. I keep hovering around the same number. I try not to weigh myself every week and at first I thought maybe I was losing inches (which I haven't been tracking) instead of weight so I didn't get too worried. But now that's it been a more than month I'm getting frustrated. I'm trying to keep a 1260 calorie diet. Typically I'm able to keep my breakfast and lunch to under 500 calories. Like I said I work out 5days a week, and for dinner I keep my portions small. I drink 66oz of water a day. I'm good at tracking the first two meals... Dinner is usually homemade and I'm not sure how to figure out those calories. I can guess but I figure I have to be within the calories I have left. The past few days I've been thinking about adding some kind of shake program but I keep reading mixed reviews and I'm sure if I want to spend that much money.

To sum it all up, I'm just not sure what to do and I'm starting to get discouraged.
Any help or ideas are appreciated.

Replies

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    edited February 2015
    Are you weighing your food with a food scale?
    Can you open your diary?
  • sap30
    sap30 Posts: 10 Member
    No, I do not have a food scale.
    The food diary should be open now.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    sap30 wrote: »
    No, I do not have a food scale.
    The food diary should be open now.

    There's your problem right there. You can't know exactly how much you're eating without weighing it first. Yes, it can be a pain. But eventually it becomes second nature :smile:
    I used to refuse to use a food scale, obsessive I thought. But once I started weighing I was shocked at how much more I was eating than I thought :disappointed:

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Your problem is your diary. You're not consistently logging, you're not using a food scale to get accurate entries, and you're not reaching your calorie goal most days (could be from not logging). Are you using the recipe builder to get those homemade entries or using a generic from the database? If you're not making your own entries then that would be a major issue also. Get your diary in order and you'll start seeing a loss again.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    As for your home made dinner. You can add your recipe into mfp and it will work out the calories for you. Don't go by other people's recipes as we all make things differently.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    Ok, I see a few things...

    Your logging doesn't appear complete, are you not logging everything?
    How do you know that the honeycrisp apple was 242 grams if you don't own a scale?
    Are the pot roast and chicken alfredo recipes that you entered into the mfp recipe builder?
    Steer clear of database entries that say homemade, you don't know what's in that recipe.
    Get a food scale, they're cheap, and well worth it.
    Weigh solids on the food scale, in grams and pick accurate database entries.

    Don't get discouraged, tighten up your logging, you will get where you want to be!
  • ar9179
    ar9179 Posts: 374 Member
    For homemade meals, that use a combination of foods like a casserole, I'll use a recipe calculator. There are a few out there, but here is one.
    http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp

    I weigh and log very accurately and the scale has gone back and forth between the same two pounds since Jan 15, so nearly a month. HOWEVER, I've lost inches. Last week a pair of pants were uncomfortable to button and today they are a little loose around the waist.
    I've been exercising regularly for about a month, just started lifting too, and my muscles are retaining fluid. Yes, it's annoying that I don't see my weight going down on the stupid scale! We can't have everything :wink:

    Before giving in to frustration, try on some things that were tight when you started. I bet you'll see the difference. You might start recording your measurements so that you have a positive waiting for you when the scale disappoints.
  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
    I noticed that quite a few days you skipped logging meals. You really need to log everything.
    You should also increase your vegetables. Other than salad I saw few.

    So log everything.
  • sap30
    sap30 Posts: 10 Member
    edited February 2015
    Thanks everyone! Yes I've been using the homemade recipes that are already there. I tried creating my own several weeks ago but got confused. Gave up, and used one that was already listed.
    Just ordered a food scale, hopefully this will all help.
    :)
  • deaniac83
    deaniac83 Posts: 166 Member
    How are you figuring your exercise calories, by the way? Is it what it shows on the cardio machine, are you using a HR monitor, or are you just using the estimates MFP gives you?
  • sap30
    sap30 Posts: 10 Member
    edited February 2015
    deaniac83 wrote: »
    How are you figuring your exercise calories, by the way? Is it what it shows on the cardio machine, are you using a HR monitor, or are you just using the estimates MFP gives you?

    I go by the calorie estimate daily burn gives for each workout
  • sap30
    sap30 Posts: 10 Member
    edited February 2015
    I think part of the reason I'm so frustrated is because I was able to lose weight about 2 years ago doing less exercise.
  • determined24girl
    determined24girl Posts: 382 Member
    Daily Burn over estimates calories burned. When it says I burned 246cals my HRM says around 100. So you have to be careful with that.
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