Weight won't budge. Feeling stuck and could use advice.

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amykins1984
amykins1984 Posts: 18 Member
edited March 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
in the last two months of (Pretty) diligently logging and going to the gym, I've managed to lose and regain the same 4lbs over and over again. I am incredibly frustrated at this point and would very much like some guidance as to why I can't make the scale move in the right direction despite my best efforts. Some background and stats for you...

I am 5'4 and keep swinging b/w 167-171lbs
I am breastfeeeding a 1 year old child who also eats solids.
I limit my calories to 1600 a day
I am in the gym 3-6 times a week
I am working with a personal trainer and seeing no results
I do a good deal of cardio like elliptical machine, zumba classes, spin classes and hiking/walking. I cannot run due to injuries. On days that I cannot make it to the gym I make a point of going for long walks.
I lift weights once a week
I (on the advice of my trainer) consume 120-140g of protein per day.
I do not eat back all (or sometimes any) of my burned calories.
I wear a Vivofit fitness band 24/7
I work a job that has me on me feet at all times.
I have "cheat days" but nowhere near to the point where I'm scarfing hundreds of extra calories more than usual.
I do my best to log everything I eat to stay accountable. Id say I eat mindfully a solid 80% of the time (which is pretty good considering my kid and job keep me on my toes). There are some days where I just don't get the time to sit down and log though.


Please help me! I'm trying so hard to get this baby weight off and it just wont budge. I'm commited, but feeling incredibly discouraged right now and don't know where I'm going wrong. Thank you for reading.
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Replies

  • Charliegottheruns
    Charliegottheruns Posts: 287 Member
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    Whats your TEE vs your calorie intake ?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    CharlieRuns7225 wrote: »
    Whats your TEE vs your calorie intake ?

    TDEE?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Can you open your diary?
  • Charliegottheruns
    Charliegottheruns Posts: 287 Member
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    christinev297 wrote: »
    CharlieRuns7225 wrote: »
    Whats your TEE vs your calorie intake ?

    TDEE?

    Total Energy Expenditure
  • amykins1984
    amykins1984 Posts: 18 Member
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    TDEE calculator says 2393.

    I'll open it up. Thought it was already :)
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
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    Without looking at your diary, I would say, in my opinion, the problem could be in part due to "cheat days." Do you log everything you eat, even if you know you'll go over? Also, to ensure that your intake is accurate, do you weigh/measure your food?
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Are you weighing your food? ALL of it?

    Okay I just looked at your diary. It's obvious you're not weighing your food on a scale. You've got an entry as "one medium banana." What is "medium?" You've got to weigh those things. I have a banana every day and those things are anywhere from 80 to 120 calories, depending on how large it is.

    That's why your weight is not moving. Use the food scale.
  • amykins1984
    amykins1984 Posts: 18 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Yes, I weigh/measure everything that is weighable or measurable if I have access to my food scale. It drives my husband nuts haha. And yes, I'll log anything I eat.
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
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    After seeing your diary for the last week, either you are seriously starving yourself, or you're not logging everything. There are a couple days with 400-700 calories logged when you burned 2,000+. I will assume you didn't log everything. There was also a day when nothing was logged, so I would have to assume that you must be eating more than you are burning.
  • amykins1984
    amykins1984 Posts: 18 Member
    edited March 2015
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    This week has been a bit of an anomaly. I just started a second job so I didn't get the chance to log everything as well as I usually do. I never ever eat less than 1200 a day though because my milk supply would tank, but I'm absolutely not eating 2000+.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited March 2015
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    amykins1984 wrote: »
    This week has been a bit of an anomaly. I just started a second job so I didn't get the chance to log everything as well as I usually do. I never ever eat less than 1200 a day though because my milk supply would tank, but I'm absolutely not eating 2000+.

    Okay, see, here might be the problem, and I've been there. Guesstimating results in "...but I know I'm not eating a crazy amount of calories or anything..." But when you actually add it up...it may actually be 2000+.

    Even if it isn't, without knowing your stats, say for instance you need to eat 1600 calories/day to lose weight. If you're consistently eating, say, 1850 or so without realizing it because of that fallback "...but I know I'm not eating loads of food" (paraphrasing), then no, you won't lose weight.

    My husband does this all the time (not saying this is you, just giving an example of how insidious this kind of thinking can be): "I'm trying to eat reasonably." "Reasonably" for him means a 12" sub, chips and a drink at Subway for lunch rather than McDonald's. Then, because he "didn't eat all day" until that point, he will come home, eat, say, steak and a potato for dinner (not bad), but it's the better part of a very big steak, and a very large potato loaded with butter and sour cream. Now, remember, he (in his own mind) "has eaten reasonably" all day and "couldn't have possibly put in many calories" (actually, yeah...he has!) and don't forget, "didn't even eat a bite until lunch time" so he'll have a bowl of chips after dinner. Since he "ate so well" and "really didn't eat many calories" he'll have a nice hunk of cheese midway toward bedtime. Then before bedtime he'll have a few more chips, or ice cream, or candy. Then I'll hear him getting up around midnight from bed to have a little bite of something.

    But *in his mind* he "ate so reasonably" for the first portion of his day that he mentally *doesn't even count* all those additional stuffings.

    He is 5'9" and weighs 250 pounds and is thoroughly confused how he doesn't weigh 160 when he 'couln't possibly be eating very many calories."

    *In his mind* he didn't eat for half his day. HALF his day! That's a lot of a day. Therefore, he has "a few extra calories" a day. I'm sure if anyone asked him, he'd estimate his calories at about 2000/day. He's closer to 3000, I'm sure. So my point is: don't guess. Count everything.



  • vixtris
    vixtris Posts: 688 Member
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    Amy, I'm feeling what your feeling too. I keep hanging around the same weight, going down a bit but then going back up again. I've been at this for 2 months as well, almost. I lift weights every other day for about 60 mins and I also do 30 min of cardio on the elliptical at least 2-3 times a week. I feel better though. Does your body feel more energetic? or maybe like you can move better, squat down further, lift easier, or something at least? I would consider that to be improvement if so. If you feel you are improving somewhat in that area, keep it up because you are doing a great job. I think it may take longer to get things moving on the scale or even in measurements, but give it more time. Keep at it with measuring everything because it is very important. And maybe also be a little 'generous' with your diary, meaning if you ate 3.65 oz of chicken, round it up to 4 oz. If you are logging your exercise calories, always chose the lowest estimated calorie burn or better yet if you have a HRM. Give it at least 4 months and if you are still hanging around the same weight, if you haven't seriously lost at least between 5-10 pounds then maybe consider rethinking about what you are doing or see a doctor about it. At least, thats what I would do if I haven't lost anything by that time.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Also, regarding breastfeeding: Do you count yourself as breastfeeding for your day's calories? Because if your child is 12 months old, she's eating solids and you only breastfeed once per day, you definitely don't need what an exclusively breastfeeding mother needs, and I think that's generally how most calorie counters that include breastfeeding determine things.

    I'm not suggesting you do anything to compromise your milk supply - I would never suggest such a thing - but the conventional wisdom seems to be 500 more calories/day for an exclusively nursing young infant, and once per day probably isn't 500 calories or anywhere near. I'm not a doctor, but it stands to reason.

    Oh, just one other thing. You say you're on your feet most of your day. Do you have your settings accounting accurately for that? IIRC, a job where one is on one's feet for the majority of the day is still only Lightly Active (somebody correct me and I don't feel like fiddling around with my settings right now to see). If you're at Very Active because you're on your feet in that way, you aren't getting the accurate count per MFP's parameters.

    I know I thought I should be considered "lightly active" as I chase around all day housecleaning, playing with and running around after my kids, taking them to their sports and sometimes volunteering and so on (plus working from home - but that part is sedentary). But per MFP, that's actually Sedentary. They're right. My settings right now seem to be perfect and I'm losing weight.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    CharlieRuns7225 wrote: »
    christinev297 wrote: »
    CharlieRuns7225 wrote: »
    Whats your TEE vs your calorie intake ?

    TDEE?

    Total Energy Expenditure

    yeah I know. It's tdee not tee.
    Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

    Doesn't matter lol. No biggie :smiley:

  • Charliegottheruns
    Charliegottheruns Posts: 287 Member
    edited March 2015
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    The abbreviated method for your REE has you at about 1600 calories Your activity level is about 50% of your REE that does not include breast feeding or your TEF. If your eating 1600 calories a day you should be losing 2-3 pounds a week. I would take a closer look at your food logging It can be surprising how fast they add up.
    christinev297 wrote: »
    CharlieRuns7225 wrote: »
    christinev297 wrote: »
    CharlieRuns7225 wrote: »
    Whats your TEE vs your calorie intake ?

    TDEE?

    Total Energy Expenditure

    yeah I know. It's tdee not tee.
    Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

    Doesn't matter lol. No biggie :smiley:

    You brought it up, let me refer you to the Nutrition Fourth edition ( My plate update )
  • amykins1984
    amykins1984 Posts: 18 Member
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    No I don't log the breastfeeeding calories. She still nurses frequently (8-10x per day) but I don't log it. I was but figured it was pointless because she's big enough now that breastfeeeding is established and I don't need the extra calories on top.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
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    amykins1984 wrote: »
    No I don't log the breastfeeeding calories. She still nurses frequently (8-10x per day) but I don't log it. I was but figured it was pointless because she's big enough now that breastfeeeding is established and I don't need the extra calories on top.

    Oh, sorry. You said 1 year old (stated that way) and I saw the "1" and thought once per day.



  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Do you log your cheat meals? If not, they're probably the issue.

    Also, you're saying that you weigh everything, but your diary says otherwise (1/2 cup broccoli, 1/3 banana, 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes - most of which seem to be a complete underestimating). Also lots of random 'homemade' entries that are probably completely inaccurate if you didn't make them yourself (and I doubt anyone would bother making an entry for a 'chicken sandwich' when it's easier to just enter every ingredient in your diary).

    But if you weigh everything (which doesn't seem to be the case anyway) and really eat 1600 in average with a TDEE of 2400 while breastfeeding... You're probably eating WAY too little. I know, the science says you should lose anyway, but if it's clearly not working, and if you have a clean bill of health, I'd increase calories, personally, to 2000 (including your cheat days though) for a few weeks and see what how it goes. But you got to weigh everything, and not guess.
  • KombuchaCat
    KombuchaCat Posts: 834 Member
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    I would try cutting down on the carbs and sugar if you have not already. Especially the sugar.
  • SWEETMAY84
    SWEETMAY84 Posts: 66 Member
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    I would lower my intake a tad, and I would log cheat days, I do, and it helps you to see how baaad does days can really be...weight everything, and try to watch you sodium closely, if you are like me, I hold on to water for dear life and my body bloats a lot during does "days too" ...best luck!!!!

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