Can't lose more than 1lb a week

Options
chrissyhissey
chrissyhissey Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Totally frustrated lost 18lbs since October only lost 3lb in last 3 weeks.i am weighing & recording everything I eat. I am going to the gym mon- Friday everyday & calories burnt is between 350-450 every visit. Calories consumer is normally between 1500-1800 even though I could have more.my fitness pal tells me every day in 5 weeks my weight will be under 160lbs currently 173lbs.what am I doing wrong???
«1

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    Deep breath.

    3 pounds in 3 weeks is good! I know it isn't what you hoped for, but the scale is moving in the right direction.

    When you say calories burnt is 350-450 on every visit, where are you getting that number? The machines? The machines tend to over-estimate a lot. Are you eating those calories back?

    What is your calorie goal?

    I would ignore the "in five weeks" message each day. They're based on just one day and I find them to be pretty worthless.

    If you open up your diary, you may get some specific and useful advice.
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    edited March 2015
    Options
    The MFP calorie thing is an estimate if every day for the next 5 weeks is EXACTLY like the day you had. In truth, weight loss isn't linear, and a pound a week is great.
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Options
    chrissyhissey wrote: »
    Totally frustrated lost 18lbs since October only lost 3lb in last 3 weeks.i am weighing & recording everything I eat. I am going to the gym mon- Friday everyday & calories burnt is between 350-450 every visit. Calories consumer is normally between 1500-1800 even though I could have more.my fitness pal tells me every day in 5 weeks my weight will be under 160lbs currently 173lbs.what am I doing wrong???

    Forget about the "in five weeks you will weight blah blah blah" thing.

    Do you have any idea about weight variance?
  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
    Options
    You're losing 1 lb a week? Congrats you're doing it right! Keep it up, small losses add up over time.
  • FitnessTrainer69
    FitnessTrainer69 Posts: 283 Member
    Options
    Could be a number of things. The last few are the hardest and require more attention. For me personally in this case I would readdress my diet and workout. Are you eating those 350-450 calories back?
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Options
    You are doing great! Celebrate the loss.
  • sirion2
    sirion2 Posts: 50 Member
    Options
    Agree with everyone else! A pound a week is fantastic. Sounds like you have the right calorie target for sure.
  • My_Butt
    My_Butt Posts: 2,300 Member
    Options
    I would ignore the scale for a moment and use a measuring tape. At one point, I wasn't losing any weight, but I was losing inches instead. I'm doing insanity 6 days a week and 1400 calories a day. I lost 0lbs while losing 3" from my hips. Progress photos help too.
  • chrissyhissey
    chrissyhissey Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    I used to use the log in key but now wear my heart rate monitor because I'm doing squats kettle bells n core weight bags on shoulders step ups n squats.calories goal is 1580 plus 3-400 rarely use them sometimes 1500-1700 so always below calorie goal.how do I open up diary?5 weeks ago changed programme n started speed shifts n lost 6lb in a week!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,708 Member
    Options
    That's 52lbs in one year. That's a good loss.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    chrissyhissey wrote: »
    I used to use the log in key but now wear my heart rate monitor because I'm doing squats kettle bells n core weight bags on shoulders step ups n squats.calories goal is 1580 plus 3-400 rarely use them sometimes 1500-1700 so always below calorie goal.how do I open up diary?5 weeks ago changed programme n started speed shifts n lost 6lb in a week!

    If I understand you correctly, you are using a heart rate monitor to figure out your calorie burn for resistance exercises. Heart rate monitors aren't really useful for this type of exercise, so you may be over-estimating your burn. If you are eating your calories back based on this, you are probably reducing your deficit. However, it looks like you're still creating a deficit because you are losing weight.

    If you got to Settings and then choose Diary Settings, you can let others see your diary.
  • Brans34
    Brans34 Posts: 599 Member
    Options
    I have been having pretty good luck losing 1-4 lbs a week lately. My calorie goal is 1200 cause I'm a shorty, and I try to stay between 1000 and 1200 calories every day. I burn 4-500+ when I go to the gym 5-6 days a week, and I DON'T eat those back. I also avoid breads and pastas most of the time. When I eat bread, I eat Ezekiel bread (it's made from sprouted grains and doesn't hold water as bad), and low carb tortillas. I make myself something different when I make things like spaghetti for the rest of my family...usually some chicken breast with salsa and cheese, or something like that.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    Options
    3 pounds in 3 weeks is great! It took me 35 days to loose 3 pounds (but I'm also not in any hurry to loose weight so I set my calories to eat more because I love food.)
  • chrissyhissey
    chrissyhissey Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    Opened my diary up & changed MFP carbs,protein & fat don't want 50% carbs cos I don't eat a lot plain noodles mostly. Going to step up training next week try to burn 500+ each week but keep calories to 1580
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited March 2015
    Options
    Brans34 wrote: »
    I have been having pretty good luck losing 1-4 lbs a week lately. My calorie goal is 1200 cause I'm a shorty, and I try to stay between 1000 and 1200 calories every day. I burn 4-500+ when I go to the gym 5-6 days a week, and I DON'T eat those back. I also avoid breads and pastas most of the time. When I eat bread, I eat Ezekiel bread (it's made from sprouted grains and doesn't hold water as bad), and low carb tortillas. I make myself something different when I make things like spaghetti for the rest of my family...usually some chicken breast with salsa and cheese, or something like that.

    If you truly are burning 400-500 calories a day, then you're netting as low as 500 calories a day. This is not good for you long term. MFP's goals are designed for you to eat your calories back (adjusting, if necessary, for over-estimation of exercise burn).

    If you don't care enough for yourself to alter your behavior, please consider avoiding giving others potentially dangerous advice.
  • harmar21
    harmar21 Posts: 215 Member
    edited March 2015
    Options
    Just be patient. i was stuck in a plateau for the past month, when yesterday morning I woke up 4.6lbs lighter. Mind you in the past month I did lose 1 inch around chest, belly, and hips.

    The ONLY thing I did different? 2 days ago I did the very first day of C25K. For me, I find to break plateaus I have to do something different that I normally don't do for my body to release the water or whatever it is storing instead of the fat. I have broke plateaus by splurging and eating way MORE calories then I normally do (I may gain a couple lbs the next day or 2, but then 3 or 4 days later lose a ton). Exercising in a different way -- I normally do heavy weightlifting, so the jogging was something entirely new for my body. Short length PSMF (protein sparing modified fast) where you only meet your protein macro and have almost zero fat and carbs (except for veggies).

    If I don't lose any weight after 3-4 weeks I just try and do something different. It seems to be a trigger.
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
    Options
    Resistance and strength training are great for long term goals (gaining muscle mass to up your metabolism and increasing bone density). However, it is easy to overestimate how many calories you are burning through exercise. Also, your body can slow down after a longer term consistent weight loss - this is normal. You could consider eating within a range of calories instead of the same amount every day (yesterday I ate 1750 with kickboxing, today 1350 with a two mile jog) to help mix things up and possibly confuse your metabolism (in a good way) AND you can gain muscle mass while training (I gained 2 pounds of muscle mass in two weeks - my trainer couldn't believe it, but I shoveled for about 15 hours on top of intense kickboxing and strength training). PLEASE do not get impatient. Getting impatient with your progress can lead you to fall of the wagon. Keep up the good work and believe in the process!
  • spzjlb
    spzjlb Posts: 599 Member
    Options
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Brans34 wrote: »
    I have been having pretty good luck losing 1-4 lbs a week lately. My calorie goal is 1200 cause I'm a shorty, and I try to stay between 1000 and 1200 calories every day. I burn 4-500+ when I go to the gym 5-6 days a week, and I DON'T eat those back. I also avoid breads and pastas most of the time. When I eat bread, I eat Ezekiel bread (it's made from sprouted grains and doesn't hold water as bad), and low carb tortillas. I make myself something different when I make things like spaghetti for the rest of my family...usually some chicken breast with salsa and cheese, or something like that.

    If you truly are burning 400-500 calories a day, then you're netting as low as 500 calories a day. This is not good for you long term. MFP's goals are designed for you to eat your calories back (adjusting, if necessary, for over-estimation of exercise burn).

    If you don't care enough for yourself to alter your behavior, please consider avoiding giving others potentially dangerous advice.

    I interpreted Brans34 to mean that she eats 1200 calories per day. She also exercises and MFP increases her "allowed calorie intake" by 400-500, but does not eat those expended calories back. I think she's fine and eating well over 500 cals, if I understand your concern.
  • spzjlb
    spzjlb Posts: 599 Member
    Options
    Oh back to the OP - Be very happy for losing a pound per week!!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    spzjlb wrote: »

    I interpreted Brans34 to mean that she eats 1200 calories per day. She also exercises and MFP increases her "allowed calorie intake" by 400-500, but does not eat those expended calories back. I think she's fine and eating well over 500 cals, if I understand your concern.

    I completely understood her post, I don't think you understood mine. Her net consumption is only 500. If MFP gives you a goal of 1,200, you should net 1,200. The goal already has a deficit built in. If you increase it through exercise, you need to account for that. 500, net, is not enough health and well-being.

Categories