Help! What am I doing wrong?!

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rshoop
rshoop Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have about 15more lbs to lose- am active about 4-5x/week and have been sticking to a 1200cal diet or less (some rare days due to work business) I've tried weight watchers as well as MFP, have a Fitbit etc. I can't seem to drop these 15lbs- the se just fluctuates +\- 1-2lbs & I know I can do it-I've been at that goal weight before(& even lower actually) my clothes fit no different, I look no different (to combat the comment "the scale doesn't say it all- which I believe too) but things don't seem to be changing! What am I doing wrong?! Only thing I can think- I do eat a fair amount-to a lot (?) of fruit/day but it helps beat eating other non nutritional things + I eat veggies with lunch&dinner & protein usually with bfast & lunch. I'm at a loss but refuse to give up! I need to say goodbye to these 15lbs!!! Thanks!!

Replies

  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
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    Do you weigh your food on a food scale? (Including the fruit!)

    Do you eat back your exercise calories? And if so, what are you estimating for those?
  • rshoop
    rshoop Posts: 9 Member
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    I do have a food scale- don't always weigh fruit but of its measurable I will- so like this morning I had 1/2c berries with my hard boiled egg- I weigh proteins though (like chicken fish etc) and I never eat back exercise calories- I exercise to create the deficit so don't eat them
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    rshoop wrote: »
    I do have a food scale- don't always weigh fruit but of its measurable I will- so like this morning I had 1/2c berries with my hard boiled egg- I weigh proteins though (like chicken fish etc) and I never eat back exercise calories- I exercise to create the deficit so don't eat them

    You should weigh everything. Half a cup of berries can vary greatly and cause you to eat more than you think. Additionally, your 1200 calories is already calculated with a deficit. Eating the calories back is recommended to fuel your body and maintain the same deficit.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Weigh everything you eat—including packaged foods.

    Read the Sexypants post: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    Get some friends in the Fitbit Users group, and do Fitbit challenges. They're great motivation—and fun! http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
  • rshoop
    rshoop Posts: 9 Member
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    Sorry- I should have been more clear-- I do measure everything- I did measure the berries- but with a measuring cup vs the scale. I use the scale for chicken fish mostly and measuring cups for sauces, fruit, yogurt etc. I did read that article- thank you. I hadn't been eating back the "exercise calories burned" so maybe I'll try to do 50% of those & see if I can do more muscle building & fat burning! Obviously I can't 'target' fat loss- but that dang 'kangaroo pouch' has got to go!!!
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    rshoop wrote: »
    Sorry- I should have been more clear-- I do measure everything- I did measure the berries- but with a measuring cup vs the scale. I use the scale for chicken fish mostly and measuring cups for sauces, fruit, yogurt etc.

    Measure =/= weigh. Cups & tablespoons measure volume—not weight. Weigh everything you eat—including dressings, oil, peanut butter, etc. Everything.

    You're in for quite a shock.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    I promise you your measuring cups are lying to you :)

    Try this:

    1) Weigh your measuring cup on the scale in grams and note its weight
    2) Fill it with the serving listed on the container
    3) Weigh it again and subtract the weight from the cup

    You will probably find you have at least 10% more in that cup than what the serving is as listed in grams. For something that's 100 calories for a serving, that's another 10 calories. If you're doing this for calorie-dense things like nut butters and even fruit, you'll probably find you're eating a couple hundred more calories than you're recording and erasing your deficit.

    ~Lyssa
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
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    You need to use a food scale to weigh everything. Measuring cups aren't accurate. If your not losing, it's because your eating more then you think. Cico. So tighten up on your weighing and make sure you log it accurately on here.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    Patience. The last 10-15lbs will come off slowly. It might take you several months. If you've only been at it 4-5 weeks, you could be losing weight but within the margin of fluctuation -- for instance, maybe you've lost a pound or two of body fat, but your weight fluctuated upward due to water weight or time of month, so you can't tell. Just be patient and stick with it.
  • ImitatetheSun
    ImitatetheSun Posts: 44 Member
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    segacs wrote: »
    Patience. The last 10-15lbs will come off slowly. It might take you several months. If you've only been at it 4-5 weeks, you could be losing weight but within the margin of fluctuation -- for instance, maybe you've lost a pound or two of body fat, but your weight fluctuated upward due to water weight or time of month, so you can't tell. Just be patient and stick with it.

    I think this is the best advice. If you're that close to your goal and as disciplined as you've been, it might be time to realize your metabolism is burning for a much smaller person now and you're going to be measuring weight in ounces lost instead of pounds. If you turn your attention towards toning your body and challenging yourself to build endurance, you'll be able to measure a different kind of progress while you chip away at those last 15 pounds. If you were gaining weight and at a loss about how to reverse it, weighing everything like everyone recommends might be worth it. In your case, I don't think further deprivation is necessarily called for - patience sounds like a less stressful option.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    The less you have to lose, the more slowly it comes off. That's just the way the human body works. Set your goal to .5 lb. per week, and be patient.

    The smaller you get, the smaller the margin of error. So it's important to log everything you eat & drink even more accurately and even more honestly.
  • rshoop
    rshoop Posts: 9 Member
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    WOW! Yes! I started weighing out thing vs measuring it- things like carrots grapes mango etc-- I was shocked! So I'm eating like 2-3servings of fruit at a time-- here's were I struggle- it's not like fruit is bad for you- I eat it in the evening to prevent snacking on other things that are probably worse- created this habit through WW where fruit is zero points- but maybe that's a bad idea! So now I need to break this habit? Get a new evening snack? Stay fuller throughout the day so I don't need a snack? What a sad reality! I love fruit!
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Just fit the fruit into your calorie goal.

    I'm less hungry when I use MFP's protein & fiber goals as minimums, and ignore fat & carbs. It'll take trial & error to find what works for you.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    rshoop wrote: »
    I have about 15more lbs to lose- am active about 4-5x/week and have been sticking to a 1200cal diet or less (some rare days due to work business) I've tried weight watchers as well as MFP, have a Fitbit etc. I can't seem to drop these 15lbs- the se just fluctuates +\- 1-2lbs & I know I can do it-I've been at that goal weight before(& even lower actually) my clothes fit no different, I look no different (to combat the comment "the scale doesn't say it all- which I believe too) but things don't seem to be changing! What am I doing wrong?! Only thing I can think- I do eat a fair amount-to a lot (?) of fruit/day but it helps beat eating other non nutritional things + I eat veggies with lunch&dinner & protein usually with bfast & lunch. I'm at a loss but refuse to give up! I need to say goodbye to these 15lbs!!! Thanks!!

    Hi

    I've read the thread and think you've had great advice in terms of weighing everything

    But I just wanted to go back to your OP because I don't understand the bit I've bolded

    are you saying you look and measure the same now as you did when you were 15lbs lighter? If that is true I'm failing to see the problem

    whilst you cannot build muscle in a defecit - clearly your scale weight is not a true reflection of your body size and at some point in your life you have changed your body composition enough so that you are the same size but weighing more

    or am I misunderstanding
  • rshoop
    rshoop Posts: 9 Member
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    Oops yea- that is a mis-understanding. What I was saying is that I am about 15lbs heavier than I have been in the past. Some people may argue that those 15lbs could be muscle and not necessarily "fat" and so to not go solely off a number/scale-- and what I was trying to say is that my clothes do not fit any differently in the sense of feeling looser or better-- so I know it is not 15lbs contributed to muscle. Some people also argue that maybe losing 15lbs in not an attainable and maintainable goal-- that maybe it just isn't feasible with my body-- but to that I was arguing that I have weighed less than what I am now and less than what I set my "ultimate goal" at so I know it is an attainable and maintainable goal-- I just need to get there. Hope that clears up the confusion. I know I do not look like what I did when I was 15lbs light and I definitely do not feel like I did just a year ago when I was 15lbs lighter--- that was a good feeling....this....not so much :(
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
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    Is there any way you can see a nutritionist or dietitian, or even your doctor, to analyze your diet specifically and troubleshoot it? You may want your body composition analyzed too. Weight is only part of the big picture. You may benefit by knowing your lean body mass, water %, and fat % rather than just what you weigh, as part of deciding what needs to be done at this point in your fitness journey.

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