am stuck and have not lost weight....not sure what to change, please help
jrieth79
Posts: 9 Member
I've been diligent about doing MFP for several weeks now. It's tough on the weekend but whatever i've had I've made sure to have small portions. I weigh 162lbs and I'd like to get down to about 135lbs. I have it set to lose 1lb per week and I can eat 1460 calories per day. I got on the scale today and haven't lost anything.
I did order a digital food scale and that should be coming soon. I've been measuring the best I could until then. Could you take a look at my food diary and see if i'm doing something wrong?
I did order a digital food scale and that should be coming soon. I've been measuring the best I could until then. Could you take a look at my food diary and see if i'm doing something wrong?
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I was having the same problem with measuring things. I started finding low calorie recipes on pintrest and then I divide them up before I sit down to eat. That way I know how much a serving is. Hope this helps out some before you get your scale. Plus don't let the scale get you unmotivated. When I haven't lost anything or I have gained weight it motivates me to work harder. If you need more people on here to motivate you, you can add me as a friend!0
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It's likely that your eye for portions just isn't what you think and that you're eating more than you're logging. Entries for your meats and veggies right now are just estimates at this point, right?
Don't be too hard on yourself, I know it has to be frustrating. Eyeballing portions is hard for some of us.
You've taken a good step and have ordered the scale, trust me, as soon as it's there, you'll see progress.0 -
Jrieth, what are you drinking during the day? I had a quick look over the last week and saw 1 beer logged and a glass of orange juice?
I had 2 glasses of milk yesterday, which was a couple of hundred calories and I just realised that I didn't log any of my cups of tea or coffee, which I probably had another 3 or 4 of those. Which not a lot per drink but it's all the little things like that which add up.
Have another think about the last week, check each day and truly think about every single thing you ate and drank on each day. Are you really logging every single thing.0 -
Use the scale. You will be surprised the difference it makes. Really, people's perception of portion sizes is skewed bad these days.
Just keep doing the best you can till you get the scale. Then log accurately and you should see progress within a week or two.0 -
First, how long have you been at this? Exercising regularly? Logging food is tricky without weighing it and I can bet you are underestimating calories - it is easy to do.
Now, that being said, looking at your food diary and what you have logged - you are not eating enough! 900 calorie days with very little nutrient dense foods is not the way to lose weight. Think about really getting rid of the junk and adding in real, whole foods (fruits, veggies, meats, eggs, whole dairy). You will be fuller, longer; and easily hit your calorie goals.
It is not easy. If it was, we would all be at our goal weights quickly. But really think about getting accurate calories logged and trying to switch over to as much real food as possible. And trust the process - if it says you should eat 1450 calories a day then DO IT. Don't go under all the time, you'll just end up stalling your weight loss. Trust the process, get some real whole food into your daily diet, and give your body time to shed those pounds.
You can 100% do this.0 -
It's probably the fact that you haven't been weighing your food, if you've been guessing and not losing weight then chances are you're eating more than you think. Hopefully the food scale will help!
Other than that, I had a look through your diary and noticed a few days that weren't complete or were completely empty. Not saying this is your reason, but I know when I do that it's usually because I've been out all day, probably eaten a lot of food which is likely quite a lot over my calories, and couldn't be bothered to enter it all in when I got home. It's never really affected me much, but if you're not in much of a deficit, or any deficit at all on the other days, then days like that can completely remove any deficit you've built up. So if that's why you didn't log those days then it's something to bear in mind.
Also looks like you've been doing this for just over 2 weeks, sometimes weight loss will stop for a couple of weeks, which is completely normal. Doesn't usually happen in the first 2 weeks admittedly, but try not to get too disheartened.
Good luck!0 -
She won't stall her weight loss from going under her calorie goal. Weight loss stalls happen from being at a calorie deficit anyway.
Also? The whole bit about the 900 calorie day and her "not eating enough"? She hasn't lost any weight. She clearly is eating enough at present.
As for her getting rid of "junk", a calorie deficit is all that is important to weight loss. Some days in her diary had more nutritious food than others. What she eats is her business. If she's satisfied and happy with her consumption, good for her.
smh.0 -
thanks everyone! yea I'm guessing i'm underestimating some of my food and can't wait until that scale comes in! Looks like another week though.
Mostly what I've been drinking if water and sometimes tea. I've been going to the gym about twice a week and am planning on uping that. Just been a lot going on lately. I've also ordered the Fitbit flex and can't wait to use that to track what I'm really doing.0 -
There was a day when I went out over the weekend for dinner with some friends and felt that I couldn't accurately log the meal so I left it. I got a meal that was in the low calorie healthy section but it wasn't a chain restaurant so I felt I couldn't log it in. I think it was the next day where I ate less in hopes of trying to make up for going out too. I'm really craving sweets and I've been so good at staying away that it's just frustrating. I'm really hoping this scale helps.
So any and all solid foods I should weight? I just want to make sure I'm using it right.0 -
Even though exercise is great and healthy, your lack of isn't the reason the scale isn't moving. I haven't exercised a minute since Dec. 9th, 2014 and I'm down 14lbs, with 2.6 to go. If you are accurate with your food, the scale will gradually go down.
If you eat out a good bit, sodium can be a big player. It could be your time of the month. Because you aren't weighing your food you may be eyeballing bigger portions that you think. All of these come in to play. I realize weekends are hard, they are hard for everyone. I find if I plan ahead a day and stick the plan it really helps. I also plan meals on Sunday for the week so I never get into that "Oh, crap, I guess it's pizza" tonight thing.
Just a few tips for what it's worth. We've all be in your shoes. Once you "get" this, it will be so easy, I promise. You just need to tweak things until they work.0 -
There was a day when I went out over the weekend for dinner with some friends and felt that I couldn't accurately log the meal so I left it. I got a meal that was in the low calorie healthy section but it wasn't a chain restaurant so I felt I couldn't log it in. I think it was the next day where I ate less in hopes of trying to make up for going out too. I'm really craving sweets and I've been so good at staying away that it's just frustrating. I'm really hoping this scale helps.
So any and all solid foods I should weight? I just want to make sure I'm using it right.
You don't need to stay away from sweets! Just have a small portion. Once you're weighing your foods, you'll be able to work a treat in now and then because you'll have a better grasp on exactly how many calories you're consuming.
You should weigh all solid foods, yes. Verify the data base entries you choose for your diary with either the USDA web site or nutritiondata.self.com. There are data base entries for cooked and raw meats, use whichever ones are appropriate. Weigh your vegetables raw. Measure all your liquids using measuring cups and spoons.
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There's a couple of reasons why you're not seeing results.. to be blunt, number one, you're eating a lot of processed crap. There's a difference between "healthy" food and real, whole, nutritious, actual food. I've looked through several days. You're starving yourself throughout the day and then eating junk like potato chips (baked doesn't mean they're good for you), brownies, and cookies. Crap food is still crap food.
Second, your macro nutrients are way out of wack. You can go in and adjust it with MFP. You need to drop your carb intake, a lot, and up your protein intake with LEAN proteins. Chicken breast, eggs (mostly egg whites). My plan has me at 1400 calories a day. 140g of protein, 105g carbs, and 47g fats. It takes work to balance your allowed calories and your nutritional goals but it is doable. You best bet is to play around with different meal ideas and then go buy the food. Eating clean and nourishing your body will lend you better results than starving yourself and binging. It's hard to do, trust me i know, i have a weakness for coca-cola, jalapeno cheetos, and peanut m&m's. But it's worth it.
I eat the same thing every day pretty much. There is a lot of chicken breast and veggies in my diet. It can be difficult at times to spend the time weighing everything, or measuring it into cups, half cups etc, and finding ways to eat healthy on the go. But if you stick to it you will lose weight. Also, give yourself a cheat meal once a week. It helps. The sugar cravings suck, I know. But it's like trying to quit smoking. If you feed that habit, it will only be worse. Cut the processed sugars, and foods out and it will get better. Stick to the perimeter of the grocery store, and never grocery shop when hungry. Hope this helps!
p.s. exercise is good too.0 -
There's a couple of reasons why you're not seeing results.. to be blunt, number one, you're eating a lot of processed crap. There's a difference between "healthy" food and real, whole, nutritious, actual food. I've looked through several days. You're starving yourself throughout the day and then eating junk like potato chips (baked doesn't mean they're good for you), brownies, and cookies. Crap food is still crap food.
Second, your macro nutrients are way out of wack. You can go in and adjust it with MFP. You need to drop your carb intake, a lot, and up your protein intake with LEAN proteins. Chicken breast, eggs (mostly egg whites). My plan has me at 1400 calories a day. 140g of protein, 105g carbs, and 47g fats. It takes work to balance your allowed calories and your nutritional goals but it is doable. You best bet is to play around with different meal ideas and then go buy the food. Eating clean and nourishing your body will lend you better results than starving yourself and binging. It's hard to do, trust me i know, i have a weakness for coca-cola, jalapeno cheetos, and peanut m&m's. But it's worth it.
I eat the same thing every day pretty much. There is a lot of chicken breast and veggies in my diet. It can be difficult at times to spend the time weighing everything, or measuring it into cups, half cups etc, and finding ways to eat healthy on the go. But if you stick to it you will lose weight. Also, give yourself a cheat meal once a week. It helps. The sugar cravings suck, I know. But it's like trying to quit smoking. If you feed that habit, it will only be worse. Cut the processed sugars, and foods out and it will get better. Stick to the perimeter of the grocery store, and never grocery shop when hungry. Hope this helps!
p.s. exercise is good too.
Ignore this, OP. Eat what you like.
The composition of your diet matters for nutrition and satiety, and if at some point you aren't satisfied with either of those things, then yes, tweaking it will help.
HOWEVER, diet composition is not why you're not losing weight.
Calories are.
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I love "crap" food - there are days that I live on it (within my calorie limit of course). And somehow I've managed to lose 45 pounds. Wonder how that happened.
Anyway, yeah, get that food scale and weigh everything. It will make a huge difference.
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I doubt a scale will help much because your diary looks like there are some things you aren't logging. There could be a bunch of calories in those blank spots.0
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TimothyFish wrote: »I doubt a scale will help much because your diary looks like there are some things you aren't logging. There could be a bunch of calories in those blank spots.
She just started and explained what she didn't log. It's a learning curve. Give your food scale hate a break.
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One thing that worked really well for me was to get the food part down and working before I added exercise. It was fewer moving parts and then if it wasn't working, easier for me to identify the issue.0
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I just wanted to reiterate how easy it can be to misjudge portion sizes and how much that can affect your calorie total. I recommend weighing out your portions. Here's a video that demonstrates it clearly:
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mamapeach910 wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »I doubt a scale will help much because your diary looks like there are some things you aren't logging. There could be a bunch of calories in those blank spots.
She just started and explained what she didn't log. It's a learning curve. Give your food scale hate a break.
A scale can not fill in gaps in a log. If someone is having trouble logging everything, knowing the weight of the stuff they do log isn't going to matter.0 -
My fitbit was a big help and eye opener as far what my calories needed to be. I was told that to be sedentary, I had to be a couch potato. But I have an office job and I really am sedentary because of it. My fitbit gave me an accurate measurement of my activity and I'm losing weight because of it. I have the charge HR which is measuring my heart rate, but the flex will be helpful just as well. A HRM would be helpful if you do a lot of exercise like Zumba because Fitbit doesn't record that as well.
Food wise, I'm right down the middle here. You can lose weight eating chips and candy bars, but would you want to? I eat my junk too. It's yummy. But honestly I feel better eating food I have prepared myself like lean meats and veg. It's also much easier for me to hit macro goals with home prepared meals. I am a carb nut so I really have to watch that intake. But that's me!
Your scale will be a big eye opener. It was to me. Especially with my pasta consumption. When I started weighing my pasta and I realized how much I was really eating? I nearly had a heart attack. LOL. And cereal. One serving of cereal is a joke.
Anyway, find what works best for you. For me, I enjoy pizza and breadsticks in moderation but I will always FEEL better with my home made foods. I lift weights as well so bloated carb overload doesn't feel well when I'm aiming for sleek. LOL. Wishing you all the best!0 -
SunRunTing, thank you for posting that video. I was hoping you'd come along. I hope you don't mind that I've bookmarked it to post it myself.0
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I had the same problem, you need to reduce calories to 12000
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SingRunTing wrote: »I just wanted to reiterate how easy it can be to misjudge portion sizes and how much that can affect your calorie total. I recommend weighing out your portions. Here's a video that demonstrates it clearly:
This video is fabulous...0 -
mamapeach910 wrote: »SunRunTing, thank you for posting that video. I was hoping you'd come along. I hope you don't mind that I've bookmarked it to post it myself.
No problem. I should probably bookmark it myself. I always have to search for it when I want to post it.0 -
Wow that video was a real eye opener....0
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Hi everyone. I have been using mfp for 4 weeks now and have lost no weight
I log all food and drink for each day. Eat around 1000 calories and burn off 200 calories every time I exercise which is usually 5 times a week. I weigh my food out and everything. But still no weight lose I am beginning to think maybe I should give up. 0 -
jenjay8045 wrote: »Wow that video was a real eye opener....
It is also deceptive. They purposefully chose foods that were dense in calories to make it easy to hide calories. Most people who are trying to lose weight know better than to pour a bunch of syrup on their pancake in the morning. If we had made the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it would've been easier to judge how much peanut butter we were using. With less calorie dense foods, there is less chance of error.0 -
I concur with everyone else that's said that once you start weighing your food, you'll likely see a difference. I'd just like to add that for me having no logging days is what I need to do to maintain, rather than lose. Instead, I would recommend that your "cheat" meals be meals that you guesstimate (like that restaurant meal) but still log, knowing it's not perfectly accurate. If you are careful to weigh and measure the rest of the time (and stay within your calorie limits), then a couple of guesstimated meals a week shouldn't keep you from losing, so long as you don't go over your maintenance number for that day.
Finally, there has been some mixed advice on whether you should change what you're eating. Here's my 2 cents:- You don't have to change what you're eating in order to lose, so long as you control how much of it you eat.
- However, you will likely feel much more hungry if you're eating low nutrient density foods (like chips and sweets and simple carbs).
Personally, I've found that I'm satisfied on much fewer calories when those calories are primarily natural, whole, high protein, full fat foods (think chicken thighs, eggs, whole fruit, veggies, potatoes, etc.). You can find a balance when you eat primarily those whole foods and then maybe plan for one treat a day (chips, something sweet, etc.). That way, you can enjoy life but not feel as hungry while losing weight.
The most important thing is to commit to logging and to take it one day at a time.
Good luck!
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Thanks!
I hated not being able to log that day and kept thinking about it. I just got on the scale this morning and felt discouraged. of course I'm going to keep trying and have been working hard. I'm new at this and just learning the different sizes of things. I've been using the barcode scan and going by the serving size. I can't wait to be able to weigh the food.
I've definitely been logging everything. When I do have sweets I log it. I actually don't even like chips so I can't imagine I had any to log. When I do have something chocolate I try to make it a fiber one bar or a protein bar with low calories.0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU
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