Why am I not losing weight - I've hit a wall

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bloated_fatty
bloated_fatty Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I do an hour at the gym five days a week but I am stuck at 230. I am eating no more than 1400 calories and I am sure it is not more than that. Yet nothing is coming off and it's been a week and a half. What gives? I did lose like 20 lbs. right away, within two weeks but it just flatlined recently.
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  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Are you weighing and measuring everything that is going into your mouth? If you're not, then you have no way of knowing how much you're eating.

    If you open your diary and provide your stats, you can get better advice.
  • bloated_fatty
    bloated_fatty Posts: 17 Member
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    I'm not doing that but isn't the nutritional facts on things pretty accurate?
  • saraphim41
    saraphim41 Posts: 205 Member
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    The nutritional facts are listed "per serving" which usually means a couple tablespoons to a half cup--it tells you at the top of the label. Then you have to measure how much you ate to know how many "servings" .

    I don't really know how accurate the amounts are. Unfortunately, I don't have the facilities to determine that, so I have to work with their figures.

  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    bloated_fatty wrote: »
    I'm not doing that but isn't the nutritional facts on things pretty accurate?

    They are a good estimate, but if you notice the serving size will have an amount and the weight of the serving in grams next to it (e.g., my peanut butter says a serving is 2 tablespoons (32 g)). Going by grams is the most accurate way to measure your food, because 2 tablespoons rarely comes out to 32 grams of peanut butter for me.

    Start here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

    He does a much better job at explaining it than I can. Go buy a digital kitchen scale, they're like $10-15 at Walmart or online.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    edited February 2015
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    That's a lot to lose right up front, and weight loss is not linear.
    You're not stuck, just paused.
    Keep on keeping on, believe in science... if you're really eating less than your body needs, you will lose weight. (Ignore exercise/net calories.)

    Here's a newbie help post which has links to lots of helpful info, including sexypants, setting reasonable goals (weight, calories, macros), accurate weighing & logging of food...
    Go read sexypants now, then come back here. :smiley:
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  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    And BTW, no, nutritional labels are not completely accurate. They're allowed to be slightly off, over or under.

    And if you're not measuring your cereal, for example, you might actually be having 2 servings. (They're really small!)

    Also, the things in the database vary in their accuracy & calorie count. NEVER choose something which says "homemade" unless it's a recipe you put in. Go for things which say USDA when you can, or a brand name. Go by weight as much as you can, but at least measure things for a while until you're good at eyeballing portions. It gets easier.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,515 Member
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    Patience, grasshopper. I was recently stuck for 3.5 weeks at the same weight despite sticking to my plan. Instead of freaking out, I trusted in the process and this week, showed weight loss 5 days straight. All the weight that didn't come off for 3.5 weeks is now gone, like magic... or science!
  • bloated_fatty
    bloated_fatty Posts: 17 Member
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    I'm going to have to get a scale, which is going to be a huge pain in the *kitten* but I guess it's what I have to do. It seems like I am barely eating (a sandwich, a sweet potato and a cup of yogurt) but I guess I must be under-estimating what I am eating even still. No other explanation really makes sense.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    bloated_fatty wrote: »
    I'm going to have to get a scale, which is going to be a huge pain in the *kitten* but I guess it's what I have to do. It seems like I am barely eating (a sandwich, a sweet potato and a cup of yogurt) but I guess I must be under-estimating what I am eating even still. No other explanation really makes sense.

    Haha, it's really not that bad. If you get a digital scale you can set your plate on it and zero the scale and weigh everything right on the plate you were going to eat your food on anyway. I literally just put everything on the scale, rather than the counter, which is right beside my scale. You will get used to it! Good luck! :)
  • RebelDiamond
    RebelDiamond Posts: 188 Member
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    1. Keep at it, it hasn't been that long since you've "flatlined" and that has happened to me too.
    2. Be as accurate as possible with your logging to make sure it's not that.
    3. Be proud of how far you've come already! Bravo!
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    RebelDiamond wrote: »
    1. Keep at it, it hasn't been that long since you've "flatlined" and that has happened to me too.
    2. Be as accurate as possible with your logging to make sure it's not that.
    3. Be proud of how far you've come already! Bravo!

    Be proud that a grown man has a caloric intake goal of 1400?

    Sheesh, I didn't notice this. 1400 is definitely too low for you, OP. Go here http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ to calculate your TDEE and try to eat about 20% less than that. It'll be much more sustainable in the long run.
  • bloated_fatty
    bloated_fatty Posts: 17 Member
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    My goal on here is 1600 so 200 calories off that isn't really too outrageous I didn't think. I'm not very active at all besides the exercise I have been doing.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    bloated_fatty wrote: »
    My goal on here is 1600 so 200 calories off that isn't really too outrageous I didn't think. I'm not very active at all besides the exercise I have been doing.

    Eating at such a large deficit right off the bat leaves very little wiggle room when you actually hit a real plateau. When you stop losing weight on 1600 calories are you just going to keep lowering it? I'd try a smaller deficit and eat back some of your exercise calories and see if that works. You may not lose 2 lbs/week, but you will still lose, and it will be easier, and you will be more likely to keep the weight off in the long run.
  • bloated_fatty
    bloated_fatty Posts: 17 Member
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    Alright. Thanks for the help.
  • amy8400
    amy8400 Posts: 478 Member
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    bloated_fatty wrote: »
    I'm going to have to get a scale, which is going to be a huge pain in the *kitten* but I guess it's what I have to do.

    Why would it be a pain in the rear? I bought a scale at Walmart for $20 and it's been the best weight loss tool in my arsenal. It's easy to use and I bet you'll start seeing weight come off as you start to use it religiously. The food scale will not lie to you. I like to measure in grams for the most accuracy. Once you get a handle on what you are truly taking in each day, you'll really see how your intake is balancing against your physical output.

    And yes, 1400 is extremely low for a man at 230 pounds. Your body needs more nourishment than 1400 calories, especially if you're working out 5 days a week.

  • dieter1200
    dieter1200 Posts: 56 Member
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    If your doing the right things don't worry. I remember I had 3 weeks were I lost no weight doing the right things then the next week lost 2 lbs one day, 1 lb the day after that, and 2 days later I lost 1 more lb weight loss is weird.
  • disneygirl626
    disneygirl626 Posts: 132 Member
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    I'm with those who say 1400 is low. I'm a 211 pound woman and I eat 1450 to lose 2 pounds a week. I also don't exercise much outside of regular activity. I've lost 20 pounds so far and I don't even weigh my food (yet).

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