10 Weeks In, 0 lbs Lost

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13

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  • meganjcallaghan
    meganjcallaghan Posts: 949 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    99.9% of the time when it looks like a horse, it's a horse, rarely is it a zebra


    except for Mr. Ed. Mr. Ed was a zebra. A lady zebra named Amelia. Ah, the miracle of black and white television.
  • Dragn77
    Dragn77 Posts: 810 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Ill say the same thing everyone else has about getting a scale. I just got one last week, and was floored to find out what an actual serving of rice was. My whole life, never knew it was *so small*!! LoL!

    Its not tedious at all, actually...I find it to be quite fun!! I got a digital one with a tare feature. So I just put my plate on it, and tare after putting each of whatever on my plate to get the correct amount of everything. (I also now use it for every single thing I measure while cooking, and enter my own recipes into MFP doing this).

    While my plate seemed small at first, I was surprised to find that Im actually satisfied after eating proper portions. Plus I just find the whole thing of measuring it out fun, but its still new to me and Im weird so....

    Oh, and I have been sticking to 1200 cals, but moving to eating back half of my exercise calories. I noticed a *huge* difference in my weight loss ever since getting my scale, 3 lbs lost in this past week alone. (Im in Week 5 btw) While nice, thats too fast, and I am eating less now afterall. So working towards adding back some of those exercise cals. I dont want to crash and burn here.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    I had a peek at about 2 weeks of your diary. I have some suggestions. It isn't just about the food scale. It's about what would be getting weighed.

    Add some fresh fruits and vegetables. You are sorely lacking in those.

    One one occasion you have nearly 800 in calories in snacks for the day, which included avocado, tortilla chips, kettle chips, pizza and vodka tonic. We all have days like that, so congratulations for your honesty and for logging all that.

    But I do think on the whole, your diary is pretty carb heavy. You go over on carbs more often than anything else. I think you need more balance, way more natural dietary fibers and sugars. And variety -- you need to make it more interesting. I see very little in the way of meat, poultry or fish, but a lot of pumpkin stew. That can't make meals very interesting, and it's important.

    And though I know people here always say nothing should be off limits, even sweet stuff can be had in moderation, I see it in your diary pretty often. If you haven't lost one pound after ten weeks of logging, try cutting out all the pizza, chocolate, ice cream and chips for a week, have fresh fruit, green salads and more cooked vegetables.
    I lost 121 pounds eating this stuff, lol!!

    OP is not losing because she is eating to much (ALL) food, she needs to weigh her food to be more accurate with her logging.
  • mscheftg
    mscheftg Posts: 485 Member
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    tcobleigh wrote: »
    Ceci_O_K wrote: »
    I lost 65 lbs. and have kept it off for 16 months and I don't own a food scale. I try to over estimate the food calories and under estimate the exercise calories. It is possible to lose weight without weighing every piece of food.

    Just saying.


    Thank you. I was wondering if every person on here used a food scale.

    Using a food scale is a great idea. You want to make sure you're logging accurately. I looked at your food diary and I think you are grossly underestimating the food you are eating. For example: 1/4 C of soup... I give my cat 1/4 C of food for lunch. Surely you ate more than 1/4 C.

    I think you need to allow yourself to eat more, as well. Your calorie goal (1100) is quite low for your weight, amount you want to lose, and age. If you're working out regularly, then you don't live a sedentary lifestyle.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    mscheftg wrote: »
    Using a food scale is a great idea. You want to make sure you're logging accurately. I looked at your food diary and I think you are grossly underestimating the food you are eating. For example: 1/4 C of soup... I give my cat 1/4 C of food for lunch. Surely you ate more than 1/4 C.

    Yeah, a small serving of soup in a small bowl is usually about a cup, at least. If you're only eating a quarter of a cup of soup, you're probably finishing it in just a few spoonfuls.
    I think you need to allow yourself to eat more, as well. Your calorie goal (1100) is quite low for your weight, amount you want to lose, and age. If you're working out regularly, then you don't live a sedentary lifestyle.

    OP should start with learning to measure accurately. At that point, once she's *truly* eating her calorie goal, if she's losing weight too fast, she could up it. But she's not eating 1100 right now or else she would be losing weight.
  • tinascar2015
    tinascar2015 Posts: 413 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    Ignore the people with the possible metabolic disorder stuff. Get a scale and figure out how much you're eating.
    I had a peek at about 2 weeks of your diary. I have some suggestions. It isn't just about the food scale. It's about what would be getting weighed.

    Add some fresh fruits and vegetables. You are sorely lacking in those.

    One one occasion you have nearly 800 in calories in snacks for the day, which included avocado, tortilla chips, kettle chips, pizza and vodka tonic. We all have days like that, so congratulations for your honesty and for logging all that.

    But I do think on the whole, your diary is pretty carb heavy. You go over on carbs more often than anything else. I think you need more balance, way more natural dietary fibers and sugars. And variety -- you need to make it more interesting. I see very little in the way of meat, poultry or fish, but a lot of pumpkin stew. That can't make meals very interesting, and it's important.

    And though I know people here always say nothing should be off limits, even sweet stuff can be had in moderation, I see it in your diary pretty often. If you haven't lost one pound after ten weeks of logging, try cutting out all the pizza, chocolate, ice cream and chips for a week, have fresh fruit, green salads and more cooked vegetables.

    Regardless of what she is eating she's eating too much. Also maybe try replying to the posts the respond to the things you write.

    So it doesn't really matter what she's eating as long as she's within her calorie total? Sorry, but any diet that's so lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables isn't very nutritious.
  • klkarlen
    klkarlen Posts: 4,366 Member
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    Ceci_O_K wrote: »
    I lost 65 lbs. and have kept it off for 16 months and I don't own a food scale. I try to over estimate the food calories and under estimate the exercise calories. It is possible to lose weight without weighing every piece of food.

    Just saying.

    Nice to see I'm not the only one not weighing my food. I do the same things you do, and lost 10 pounds in the first few months, and 20 total in the last year.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    Ignore the people with the possible metabolic disorder stuff. Get a scale and figure out how much you're eating.
    I had a peek at about 2 weeks of your diary. I have some suggestions. It isn't just about the food scale. It's about what would be getting weighed.

    Add some fresh fruits and vegetables. You are sorely lacking in those.

    One one occasion you have nearly 800 in calories in snacks for the day, which included avocado, tortilla chips, kettle chips, pizza and vodka tonic. We all have days like that, so congratulations for your honesty and for logging all that.

    But I do think on the whole, your diary is pretty carb heavy. You go over on carbs more often than anything else. I think you need more balance, way more natural dietary fibers and sugars. And variety -- you need to make it more interesting. I see very little in the way of meat, poultry or fish, but a lot of pumpkin stew. That can't make meals very interesting, and it's important.

    And though I know people here always say nothing should be off limits, even sweet stuff can be had in moderation, I see it in your diary pretty often. If you haven't lost one pound after ten weeks of logging, try cutting out all the pizza, chocolate, ice cream and chips for a week, have fresh fruit, green salads and more cooked vegetables.

    Regardless of what she is eating she's eating too much. Also maybe try replying to the posts the respond to the things you write.

    So it doesn't really matter what she's eating as long as she's within her calorie total? Sorry, but any diet that's so lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables isn't very nutritious.

    Your hijacking this thread, it's not about what she is eating, it's about how much she is eating!!! It's up to the OP what she wants to eat not YOU!!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    tcobleigh wrote: »
    Ceci_O_K wrote: »
    I lost 65 lbs. and have kept it off for 16 months and I don't own a food scale. I try to over estimate the food calories and under estimate the exercise calories. It is possible to lose weight without weighing every piece of food.

    Just saying.


    Thank you. I was wondering if every person on here used a food scale.

    OP, it is certainly possible to lose without using a food scale, because some people are simply able to accurately eyeball servings or whichever way they use cups and teaspoons just happens to get them an accurate serving size. But you'll never know if the servings you are measuring are correct unless you spend some time with a food scale.

    Some people are able to use the scale for a short period of time to re-learn what a serving looks like, and then go back to not using it. Other people have to use it all the time because they just can't get it right without the scale. I have found myself somewhere in the middle... there are some foods I just can't estimate right and I use the scale for those. Even if you don't stick with it, it will be a valuable learning experience!
  • Deedee1111111
    Deedee1111111 Posts: 66 Member
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    i'm around the same height/starting weight. I've been at it for 2 months and have lost an average of 1lb/week. it IS possible. but you really do have to weigh your food. like the people above have noted, you're probably eating way more than you realize. and you said you make "most" of your meals at home. if you're eating out, that is a LOT of extra calories that you're probably not logging.

    have you been exercising enough? that is a very important part of weight loss and losing inches as well...

    good luck!
  • joelleys
    joelleys Posts: 5 Member
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    Okay, it seems like it's a good time for this

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU

    This is awesome! Great video that shows why weighing is better!!
  • squeakyfish
    squeakyfish Posts: 109 Member
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    I love my scale. I find it so much easier than measuring and less dirty dishes too. Last night I made tacos. Instead of measuring out the meat after it was cooked and then trying to divide that portion into 4 units of measure that were equal, I just dumped it all in a bowl that I had tared out on the scale and then divided the number of grams by 4. Removed it from the scale, put my dinner plate on and tared it out, then added the serving of meat that I had calculated in grams. Tared it again, added how many tomatoes I wanted and logged it, tared it again, added the cheese, etc. I've been using my scale for 2 years now and I'll never go back. I use it every day and finally convinced my husband of how much easier it is too. You'll get the hang of it and find it easier too.
  • tffcx
    tffcx Posts: 20 Member
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    jkal1979 wrote: »
    Your goal should not be set to 1,000 calories a day. It should be a minimum of 1,200.

    She's 5'2", 1000 calories is fine. The idea that 1200 calories is the magical number that stops your body going into starvation mode is ridiculous and superstitious.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    Ignore the people with the possible metabolic disorder stuff. Get a scale and figure out how much you're eating.
    I had a peek at about 2 weeks of your diary. I have some suggestions. It isn't just about the food scale. It's about what would be getting weighed.

    Add some fresh fruits and vegetables. You are sorely lacking in those.

    One one occasion you have nearly 800 in calories in snacks for the day, which included avocado, tortilla chips, kettle chips, pizza and vodka tonic. We all have days like that, so congratulations for your honesty and for logging all that.

    But I do think on the whole, your diary is pretty carb heavy. You go over on carbs more often than anything else. I think you need more balance, way more natural dietary fibers and sugars. And variety -- you need to make it more interesting. I see very little in the way of meat, poultry or fish, but a lot of pumpkin stew. That can't make meals very interesting, and it's important.

    And though I know people here always say nothing should be off limits, even sweet stuff can be had in moderation, I see it in your diary pretty often. If you haven't lost one pound after ten weeks of logging, try cutting out all the pizza, chocolate, ice cream and chips for a week, have fresh fruit, green salads and more cooked vegetables.

    Regardless of what she is eating she's eating too much. Also maybe try replying to the posts the respond to the things you write.

    So it doesn't really matter what she's eating as long as she's within her calorie total? Sorry, but any diet that's so lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables isn't very nutritious.

    OP is wondering why she hasn't lost any weight. Adding more fruits and vegetables and dietary fiber without addressing why she isn't losing (probably logging issues) isn't going to help.
  • nascarchix83
    nascarchix83 Posts: 7 Member
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    The first time I used MFP and lost 30lbs. I stress I never used a scale to weigh food. I did log everything I ate and the food I made at home was an estimate. I usually picked something with higher calories if I wasn't sure. I only had about 30 lbs to lose to start with. Now, 4 years later I'm just starting this again to lose the 15lbs I've gained in the last two years but I haven't been working out not keeping track of what I eat over that time. I feel you need to be realistic and calorie counting for life is not something I think is healthy.
  • deannaaaaaaaaa
    deannaaaaaaaaa Posts: 238 Member
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    Ceci_O_K wrote: »
    I lost 65 lbs. and have kept it off for 16 months and I don't own a food scale. I try to over estimate the food calories and under estimate the exercise calories. It is possible to lose weight without weighing every piece of food.

    Just saying.

    same here.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    Just wanted to pop in and say that I've lost 40 lbs (5'3" and went from 148 to 108) without a food scale. If you use a measuring tablespoon and use a knife to level it off (no heaping tablespoons), you should be able to accurately calculate the calories in peanut butter. And if you buy a one pound package of chicken breasts and it contains 4 chicken breasts of approximately the same size, they are most likely 4 ounces each. I would probably overestimate and count it as 5 ounces but still.
    Stop eating back exercise calories and make sure you are counting every. bite. ever. And if in doubt, always overestimate calories.

    Why?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    The first time I used MFP and lost 30lbs. I stress I never used a scale to weigh food. I did log everything I ate and the food I made at home was an estimate. I usually picked something with higher calories if I wasn't sure. I only had about 30 lbs to lose to start with. Now, 4 years later I'm just starting this again to lose the 15lbs I've gained in the last two years but I haven't been working out not keeping track of what I eat over that time. I feel you need to be realistic and calorie counting for life is not something I think is healthy.
    The first time I used MFP and lost 30lbs. I stress I never used a scale to weigh food. I did log everything I ate and the food I made at home was an estimate. I usually picked something with higher calories if I wasn't sure. I only had about 30 lbs to lose to start with. Now, 4 years later I'm just starting this again to lose the 15lbs I've gained in the last two years but I haven't been working out not keeping track of what I eat over that time. I feel you need to be realistic and calorie counting for life is not something I think is healthy.

    If calorie counting keeps you from regaining weight, what isn't healthy about it? Yo-yo dieting (losing the same weight again and again) has been associated with negative health effects too. If calorie counting allows someone to maintain, I think that could be a good thing.