Not losing - advice appreciated

lizadams09
lizadams09 Posts: 7 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all, i'be been on a bit of a blitz over the last 8-9 weeks, but have been struggling to lose any weight. I have started to do quite a bit of weights work at the gym, alongside some cardio, so appreciate that (hopefully) I have put a bit of muscle on which may account for 1-2 pounds, but surely that's it. I really struggle with my diet having been on every fad diet in the book and feel that I have restricted my calories for so long that my body has just got used to it!! I have over the last few days been trying to eat everything myfitnesspal tells me too, but finding it really tough. Unless I'm out and drinking wine I just struggle to consume the calories. I have my diary open, and I have logged regularly, apart from a couple of days, for the last couple of months. Any advice appreciated..... Thx.

Replies

  • heatherv4
    heatherv4 Posts: 17 Member
    I don't think your diary is open
  • lizadams09
    lizadams09 Posts: 7 Member
    ok, had it on myfitnesspal members before, now on everyone.... Is that what I'm supposed to do??
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    In your settings, set it to public.
  • lizadams09
    lizadams09 Posts: 7 Member
    Got it, was being daft, thanks!!
  • neaneacc
    neaneacc Posts: 224 Member
    Have you been taking measurements too? I know sometimes the scale doesn't budge, but the measurements show the progress. If not, I would start so you can better track your progress.
    Basic tips that might help:
    1) drink more water- current science reccommends that you divide your current body weight in half and drink that many ounces of water a day. ( say you weigh 160 you would need 80 oz a day of water. Additionally, I don't count my workout water as that mostly is used to make sweat.
    2) eat more protein- I know it sounds weird but to build lean muscle you need to eat protein regularly. Good sources include: eggs, meat, nuts, seeds, even Greek yogurt.
    3) Try to get more sleep. Oddly enough getting 8 hours a night seems to help the body repair itself and has been noted in several studies to have an impact on diets.
    4) Try keeping a small diary of how you feel each day. This may allow you to see if something in your diet is creating problems for you. Things like I had no energy or felt sleep is your body's way of trying to tell you something.
    5) Last but not least, try to eat smaller portions several times a day. Eating only 3 meals often leave long gaps between feeding, which leads people to make poor food decisions out of hunger. If you can eat 4 to 5 times a day you will notice that you are so starving that just anything will do.
    I hope any or all of this helps! Stick with it and you will see changes.
  • Zedeff
    Zedeff Posts: 651 Member
    neaneacc wrote: »
    Have you been taking measurements too? I know sometimes the scale doesn't budge, but the measurements show the progress. If not, I would start so you can better track your progress.
    Basic tips that might help:
    1) drink more water- current science reccommends that you divide your current body weight in half and drink that many ounces of water a day. ( say you weigh 160 you would need 80 oz a day of water. Additionally, I don't count my workout water as that mostly is used to make sweat.

    What science is that?
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Do you use a food scale to measure everything? I see lots of things that are not weighed.

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  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    You need to start using a scale. All solids should be weighed- you have things, like a cup of chicken. Unfortunately, you're not in a deficit.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    If you're eating at a deficit, you almost assuredly did not put on 1-2 lbs of muscle.

    I agree with queenliz - how are you determining calorie count? Also calorie burns - some of which seem pretty high.
  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
    by looking at your diary, most days u have gone over your allotted amount. one day i noticed over by 1500. thats alot. that alone can eliminate 3 days worth of effort. its ok to go over some days.....but not most. this can especially make a difference if u have little to lose. u dont have your goals listed so i have no clue how much weight ur looking at losing
  • lizadams09
    lizadams09 Posts: 7 Member
    I tend to scan the barcode (appallingly a lot of what I eat come out of packets) and account for the portion. I do check the calorie info is correct which it tens to be, is this not a reasonable way to account for things that are barcoded??
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Watch this

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
  • lizadams09
    lizadams09 Posts: 7 Member
    That was my birthday (the 1500 cal over!!) oops!! I did do a 10mile walk that day which made me feel a little better!!
  • lizadams09
    lizadams09 Posts: 7 Member
    Just counted, last 19 days, 12 under calorie intake and 7 over it, guess that's my problem, need to be more consistent. Activity is set one up from the worst one, changed recently from sedentary to allow neg Fitbit calories.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    edited March 2015
    You're using a Fitbit? Excellent. My One was an eye opener as to how inactive I was!

    A simple goal is to have a deficit between what Fitbit says you burn, and what you consume at least 6 days a week, and for the 7th aim to be about even or another day of deficit. (Eating 'at' maintenance is what I mean for aiming for even.)

    Be honest & accurate on your food log, meaning weigh solids and log all. Consider calories to be a budget, as to what nutrition your body needs. And look for ways to add in extra activity. The 10 mile walk on your birthday was great, but not realistic for everyday I imagine. Jog in place here & there, its about the equivalent workout (For me, based on heart rate) as a brisk walk.

    Beyond that, weigh in as often as you want but compare weight today to weight 30 days ago. That will help to offset water weight fluctuations from TOM, etc. Meaning give this a good 4-8 weeks. Honesty & accuracy & consistency will get results.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    PS-you still want to weigh prepackaged food. Such as when 2 slices of bread = 1 serving and should be 41g, but its actually 46g. That's an extra 10%+. Happens often on prepackaged food.
  • NurseCU
    NurseCU Posts: 122 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Watch this

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

    This is great!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    OP - do you use a a food scale to weigh all solids?
  • goblue8426
    goblue8426 Posts: 41 Member
    As someone above posted, weighing packaged foods is still a good idea. I notice a lot of discrepancy between what the label says a serving size is, and what I actually weigh. For example, we have a package of rolls in the house that says one serving is 74 grams. When I weighed ALL the rolls in the package, they were all between 50 and 65 grams!
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