no weight loss

dmartins2002
dmartins2002 Posts: 21 Member
edited November 15 in Fitness and Exercise
I have been on this journey since January 4 and to date have lost only 5lbs I was eating under 1200 and have now increased it to 1400-1500 calories a day. During the week I am ver active at work so I don't workout . On the weekends I run 4km and or walk. What am I doing wrong?

Replies

  • jacquelinexxmarie
    jacquelinexxmarie Posts: 2 Member
    Hey, what kind of work do you do? If you are doing the same actions over and over again you may need to add workouts that build muscles that you usually dont use while at work.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    You have been at an overall deficit which reflects that rate of loss.
    If you feel you should have lost more then it normally boils down to eating more than you think, burning less or both.

    5lbs is ok considering you dont have a lot to lose, but I cnat say what reasonable expectations are without checking the math.

    If you arent you should be logging and weighing all your food in grams. You cna open your diay if you wnat people to check that.

    Are you eating back exercise calories? If so only eat 50%.
    A 4k run isnt going to burn that much, if thats your sole exercise.
    Check your activity level isnt set too high.

    If you wnat to lose more then its just a case of adjusting your deficit and checking its in order. Dont go below 1200 calories.

    If you check out all the above then the fall back position is that weight loss isnt linear or an exact schience and you keep on doing the right things as well as being patient.
  • dmartins2002
    dmartins2002 Posts: 21 Member
    Hey, what kind of work do you do? If you are doing the same actions over and over again you may need to add workouts that build muscles that you usually dont use while at work.

    I'm an executive assistant and office administrator and no two days are the same. It's always go go go.
  • dmartins2002
    dmartins2002 Posts: 21 Member
    999tigger wrote: »
    You have been at an overall deficit which reflects that rate of loss.
    If you feel you should have lost more then it normally boils down to eating more than you think, burning less or both.

    5lbs is ok considering you dont have a lot to lose, but I cnat say what reasonable expectations are without checking the math.

    If you arent you should be logging and weighing all your food in grams. You cna open your diay if you wnat people to check that.

    Are you eating back exercise calories? If so only eat 50%.
    A 4k run isnt going to burn that much, if thats your sole exercise.
    Check your activity level isnt set too high.

    If you wnat to lose more then its just a case of adjusting your deficit and checking its in order. Dont go below 1200 calories.

    If you check out all the above then the fall back position is that weight loss isnt linear or an exact schience and you keep on doing the right things as well as being patient.

    Thank you for your post. I don't agree with you that 4km isn't going to burn a lot especially since I'm a beginner. As well I do log in all my foods and I mean all. I don't eat less than 1200 I eat between 14-1500 calories a day as well my daily activity level is set to lightly active.

    Still not sure why I'm not losing. I was using sparkpeople and compared it to fitness pal and there was a difference of 200 -300 calorie. Hence why I'm back on fitness pal.
  • SweatLikeDog
    SweatLikeDog Posts: 320 Member
    Track your calorie burn with a fitbit, etc to get an idea of what your calorie deficit is instead of the "lightly active" guesstimate.. Track your food calories strictly for a week or so to see if 1200 calories is accurate.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    Is your goal set to lose 1 lb/week? For your ultimate weight loss goal, this is recommended. When you get to within 10 lbs of your goal weight, change that to 0.5 lb/week loss.
    What is your activity level set to? Sedetary is a good place to start. That way, you're guaranteed not to be overestimating your work "exercise". If it turns out that you're losing weight too quickly (ie more than your set goal), you can always change your activity level.
    Beginner or not, a 4Km walk is not many calories. It has nothing to do with fitness level but with distance and speed. Check out the different walking exercises in MFP's exercise database. Pick the one closest to the speed you're walking, put in the time it takes you to walk that 4Km and see what happens. MFP may also be listing a calorie burn that is too high. In general, I think the calorie burn for walking is about 100 calories per mile for a 150 lb person. That's not exact but a ballpark figure. A 4Km walk, therefore, would only be about 250 calories. In one week, that isn't much exercise.
    However, exercise is not required for weight loss. A calorie deficit is. Are you weighing all your food? If not, you may be eating more than you think.

    Keep working at this. You'll find your way. It takes a bit of time. You're doing great just trying to find the information.
  • I have been on this journey since January 4 and to date have lost only 5lbs I was eating under 1200 and have now increased it to 1400-1500 calories a day. During the week I am ver active at work so I don't workout . On the weekends I run 4km and or walk. What am I doing wrong?

    I've been having almost the same problem I've been hitting the gym 7 days a week of cardio 5 days a week of heavy weight training for about a month I don't see any results on the scale I feel better tho and my clothes fit a little better but no weight loss!! Wth?!?
  • dmartins2002
    dmartins2002 Posts: 21 Member
    Track your calorie burn with a fitbit, etc to get an idea of what your calorie deficit is instead of the "lightly active" guesstimate.. Track your food calories strictly for a week or so to see if 1200 calories is accurate.
    I dont have a fitbit and not wanting to buy one..
  • dmartins2002
    dmartins2002 Posts: 21 Member
    PaytraB wrote: »
    Is your goal set to lose 1 lb/week? For your ultimate weight loss goal, this is recommended. When you get to within 10 lbs of your goal weight, change that to 0.5 lb/week loss.
    What is your activity level set to? Sedetary is a good place to start. That way, you're guaranteed not to be overestimating your work "exercise". If it turns out that you're losing weight too quickly (ie more than your set goal), you can always change your activity level.
    Beginner or not, a 4Km walk is not many calories. It has nothing to do with fitness level but with distance and speed. Check out the different walking exercises in MFP's exercise database. Pick the one closest to the speed you're walking, put in the time it takes you to walk that 4Km and see what happens. MFP may also be listing a calorie burn that is too high. In general, I think the calorie burn for walking is about 100 calories per mile for a 150 lb person. That's not exact but a ballpark figure. A 4Km walk, therefore, would only be about 250 calories. In one week, that isn't much exercise.
    However, exercise is not required for weight loss. A calorie deficit is. Are you weighing all your food? If not, you may be eating more than you think.

    Keep working at this. You'll find your way. It takes a bit of time. You're doing great just trying to find the information.

    You are totally right you dont have to exercise to lose weight whether its 4km walk or run its better than nothing. If 80 % of weight loss has to do with food then im not sure why im not losing. Why are folks on this site so harsh??? I think it had to do with site u was on I dont think it was very accurate. So i guess will see. I dont really want to weigh food as I think thats extreme, but will see I may change my mind. I will up my cardio to include to kore days during the week and will see what happens.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    999tigger wrote: »
    You have been at an overall deficit which reflects that rate of loss.
    If you feel you should have lost more then it normally boils down to eating more than you think, burning less or both.

    5lbs is ok considering you dont have a lot to lose, but I cnat say what reasonable expectations are without checking the math.

    If you arent you should be logging and weighing all your food in grams. You cna open your diay if you wnat people to check that.

    Are you eating back exercise calories? If so only eat 50%.
    A 4k run isnt going to burn that much, if thats your sole exercise.
    Check your activity level isnt set too high.

    If you wnat to lose more then its just a case of adjusting your deficit and checking its in order. Dont go below 1200 calories.

    If you check out all the above then the fall back position is that weight loss isnt linear or an exact schience and you keep on doing the right things as well as being patient.

    Thank you for your post. I don't agree with you that 4km isn't going to burn a lot especially since I'm a beginner. As well I do log in all my foods and I mean all. I don't eat less than 1200 I eat between 14-1500 calories a day as well my daily activity level is set to lightly active.

    Still not sure why I'm not losing. I was using sparkpeople and compared it to fitness pal and there was a difference of 200 -300 calorie. Hence why I'm back on fitness pal.

    How do you determine how much you're eating (food scale, measuring cups, eyeballing portions)?
  • dmartins2002
    dmartins2002 Posts: 21 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    999tigger wrote: »
    You have been at an overall deficit which reflects that rate of loss.
    If you feel you should have lost more then it normally boils down to eating more than you think, burning less or both.

    5lbs is ok considering you dont have a lot to lose, but I cnat say what reasonable expectations are without checking the math.

    If you arent you should be logging and weighing all your food in grams. You cna open your diay if you wnat people to check that.

    Are you eating back exercise calories? If so only eat 50%.
    A 4k run isnt going to burn that much, if thats your sole exercise.
    Check your activity level isnt set too high.

    If you wnat to lose more then its just a case of adjusting your deficit and checking its in order. Dont go below 1200 calories.

    If you check out all the above then the fall back position is that weight loss isnt linear or an exact schience and you keep on doing the right things as well as being patient.

    Thank you for your post. I don't agree with you that 4km isn't going to burn a lot especially since I'm a beginner. As well I do log in all my foods and I mean all. I don't eat less than 1200 I eat between 14-1500 calories a day as well my daily activity level is set to lightly active.

    Still not sure why I'm not losing. I was using sparkpeople and compared it to fitness pal and there was a difference of 200 -300 calorie. Hence why I'm back on fitness pal.

    How do you determine how much you're eating (food scale, measuring cups, eyeballing portions)?

    Measuring cups, quantity and sometjmes eyeballing.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    999tigger wrote: »
    You have been at an overall deficit which reflects that rate of loss.
    If you feel you should have lost more then it normally boils down to eating more than you think, burning less or both.

    5lbs is ok considering you dont have a lot to lose, but I cnat say what reasonable expectations are without checking the math.

    If you arent you should be logging and weighing all your food in grams. You cna open your diay if you wnat people to check that.

    Are you eating back exercise calories? If so only eat 50%.
    A 4k run isnt going to burn that much, if thats your sole exercise.
    Check your activity level isnt set too high.

    If you wnat to lose more then its just a case of adjusting your deficit and checking its in order. Dont go below 1200 calories.

    If you check out all the above then the fall back position is that weight loss isnt linear or an exact schience and you keep on doing the right things as well as being patient.

    Thank you for your post. I don't agree with you that 4km isn't going to burn a lot especially since I'm a beginner. As well I do log in all my foods and I mean all. I don't eat less than 1200 I eat between 14-1500 calories a day as well my daily activity level is set to lightly active.

    Still not sure why I'm not losing. I was using sparkpeople and compared it to fitness pal and there was a difference of 200 -300 calorie. Hence why I'm back on fitness pal.

    How do you determine how much you're eating (food scale, measuring cups, eyeballing portions)?

    Measuring cups, quantity and sometjmes eyeballing.

    And right there is the likely reason why you're not losing. You do not know what your intake is in reality. You're starting with an estimated intake goal, then estimating the food you eat to meet that goal ... a series of compounding errors that negate your deficit.
  • deluxmary2000
    deluxmary2000 Posts: 981 Member
    PaytraB wrote: »
    Is your goal set to lose 1 lb/week? For your ultimate weight loss goal, this is recommended. When you get to within 10 lbs of your goal weight, change that to 0.5 lb/week loss.
    What is your activity level set to? Sedetary is a good place to start. That way, you're guaranteed not to be overestimating your work "exercise". If it turns out that you're losing weight too quickly (ie more than your set goal), you can always change your activity level.
    Beginner or not, a 4Km walk is not many calories. It has nothing to do with fitness level but with distance and speed. Check out the different walking exercises in MFP's exercise database. Pick the one closest to the speed you're walking, put in the time it takes you to walk that 4Km and see what happens. MFP may also be listing a calorie burn that is too high. In general, I think the calorie burn for walking is about 100 calories per mile for a 150 lb person. That's not exact but a ballpark figure. A 4Km walk, therefore, would only be about 250 calories. In one week, that isn't much exercise.
    However, exercise is not required for weight loss. A calorie deficit is. Are you weighing all your food? If not, you may be eating more than you think.

    Keep working at this. You'll find your way. It takes a bit of time. You're doing great just trying to find the information.

    You are totally right you dont have to exercise to lose weight whether its 4km walk or run its better than nothing. If 80 % of weight loss has to do with food then im not sure why im not losing. Why are folks on this site so harsh??? I think it had to do with site u was on I dont think it was very accurate. So i guess will see. I dont really want to weigh food as I think thats extreme, but will see I may change my mind. I will up my cardio to include to kore days during the week and will see what happens.

    What???? Who has been even remotely "harsh" in this post?
  • errollmaclean
    errollmaclean Posts: 562 Member
    Get a food scale so that you know how many calories you're eating.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    999tigger wrote: »
    You have been at an overall deficit which reflects that rate of loss.
    If you feel you should have lost more then it normally boils down to eating more than you think, burning less or both.

    5lbs is ok considering you dont have a lot to lose, but I cnat say what reasonable expectations are without checking the math.

    If you arent you should be logging and weighing all your food in grams. You cna open your diay if you wnat people to check that.

    Are you eating back exercise calories? If so only eat 50%.
    A 4k run isnt going to burn that much, if thats your sole exercise.
    Check your activity level isnt set too high.

    If you wnat to lose more then its just a case of adjusting your deficit and checking its in order. Dont go below 1200 calories.

    If you check out all the above then the fall back position is that weight loss isnt linear or an exact schience and you keep on doing the right things as well as being patient.

    Thank you for your post. I don't agree with you that 4km isn't going to burn a lot especially since I'm a beginner. As well I do log in all my foods and I mean all. I don't eat less than 1200 I eat between 14-1500 calories a day as well my daily activity level is set to lightly active.

    Still not sure why I'm not losing. I was using sparkpeople and compared it to fitness pal and there was a difference of 200 -300 calorie. Hence why I'm back on fitness pal.

    How do you determine how much you're eating (food scale, measuring cups, eyeballing portions)?

    Measuring cups, quantity and sometjmes eyeballing.

    Unfortunately, you're eating more than you think. I saw you posted as I was reading about not wanting to use a food scale, but without it you can't be certain of how many calories you're consuming, as you're only getting a volume and not the actual amount.
  • gabbo34
    gabbo34 Posts: 289 Member
    I have no great answer...but I understand your frustration. When you eat clean day after day and the scale doesn't move, it can be really discouraging. Sometimes we all hit wall - but usually not right out of the gate.

    The only thing I would suggest, and I have no idea if it would have an impact, is to take a look at the types of calories your eating. Everyone is different, but the rate of weight loss for me is always impacted by the quality of what I'm eating. When I cut out processed foods, artificial sweetener, excess sodium (which is in a lot of stuff) ,caffeine and really stick hard with a good break down of lots of fresh vegetables, lean meat, whole grains etc- I tend to lose weight faster.

    But as someone who's seen a 'stuck' scale...I know it can be discouraging. The good thing is that usually it's followed by a pretty nice drop.


  • dmartins2002
    dmartins2002 Posts: 21 Member
    edited March 2015
    Thank you gabbo34 I think it was another app that I was using that wasn't accurate. I know a lot of people are suggesting a food scale so I may just get one and it was suggested I increase weekly cardiovascular to 3-4 times a week. So I will try that and see how it goes. But thank you for your kind words.
This discussion has been closed.