Beyond frustrated! Why am I not losing??

I have been tracking faithfully for 38 days. I use a food scale and make sure that I eat my 1200 calories or less every day. I exercise four to five times a week. I do not eat all of those calories back. A couple weeks ago the scale dropped 2 pounds. But they are now back. I have never had such trouble losing weight before and am extremely frustrated. I am 5'5" and 160 and want to lose 20 pounds. I am female and 50 years old. Any help is appreciated!
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Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    so you have been netting under 1200 calories for 38 days? OR have you been doing this for longer?

    can you open your diary?

    Barring a medical condition, if you are not losing then you are eating more than you think.

  • melcawi
    melcawi Posts: 7 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    so you have been netting under 1200 calories for 38 days? OR have you been doing this for longer?

    can you open your diary?

    Barring a medical condition, if you are not losing then you are eating more than you think.

  • carlypi314
    carlypi314 Posts: 42 Member
    What kind of calories are you taking in? Cutting back on calories makes a huge difference but also making sure you're eating a full array of healthy calories of all your food groups can make a huge difference as well. When do you do your workouts? In the morning before you eat is a great time for cardio.

    The 21 day fix from Beachbody has a really great and easy to follow workout/diet plan that has helped me more than anything else I've tried.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    edited July 2015
    carlypie84 wrote: »
    What kind of calories are you taking in? Cutting back on calories makes a huge difference but also making sure you're eating a full array of healthy calories of all your food groups can make a huge difference as well. When do you do your workouts? In the morning before you eat is a great time for cardio.

    The 21 day fix from Beachbody has a really great and easy to follow workout/diet plan that has helped me more than anything else I've tried.

    No, and no.

    If op is eating 1200 calories of ice cream and that is a deficit she will lose. Please stop with that nonsense.

    And beach body is a scam.
  • melcawi
    melcawi Posts: 7 Member
    I started MFP 38 days ago. I am accurately tracking because I know it won't work if I am lying about my consumption. Some days are not nutritionally the best but still fall under the 1200 calorie mark. I have lost these 20 pounds a few times and know the importance of accuracy. My problem is maintaining weight loss. Except this time I can't lose anything.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    melcawi wrote: »
    I started MFP 38 days ago. I am accurately tracking because I know it won't work if I am lying about my consumption. Some days are not nutritionally the best but still fall under the 1200 calorie mark. I have lost these 20 pounds a few times and know the importance of accuracy. My problem is maintaining weight loss. Except this time I can't lose anything.

    Again, can you open your food diary??
  • foxlme
    foxlme Posts: 57 Member
    At the risk of incurring the wrath of the hardcore CICO people :) I had the same problems when I was super vigilant about staying around 1300 calories and working on regularly without eating calories back. I'd lose a tiny bit but nothing like what pure math showed I should. (And YES, CICO people, I weighed and recorded all my food!). Once I gave myself freedom to increase what I was eating my weight has started dropping. I now eat around 1600-1700 calories depending on how many calories my fitbit shows I burned that day (usually around 2000). Now I'm seeing progress.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    edited July 2015
    foxlme wrote: »
    At the risk of incurring the wrath of the hardcore CICO people :) I had the same problems when I was super vigilant about staying around 1300 calories and working on regularly without eating calories back. I'd lose a tiny bit but nothing like what pure math showed I should. (And YES, CICO people, I weighed and recorded all my food!). Once I gave myself freedom to increase what I was eating my weight has started dropping. I now eat around 1600-1700 calories depending on how many calories my fitbit shows I burned that day (usually around 2000). Now I'm seeing progress.

    so you are the one person in the history of man that defies physics and eats above maintenance calories and loses weight?

    More than likely you were not logging accurately.

  • granturismo
    granturismo Posts: 232 Member
    edited July 2015
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ..
    If op is eating 1200 calories of ice cream and that is a deficit she will lose. Please stop with that nonsense.

    The previous poster was suggesting a balanced diet. 1200 calories of ice cream wont help bowel movements, skin condition, liver and kidney function, etc.

    Please stop this nonsense that calories are all that matter - 1200 calories from a balanced diet are much better.

    Agreed on the importance of accurate logging.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ..
    If op is eating 1200 calories of ice cream and that is a deficit she will lose. Please stop with that nonsense.

    The previous poster was suggesting a balanced diet. 1200 calories of ice cream wont help bowel movements, skin condition, liver and kidney function, etc.

    Please stop this nonsense that calories are all that matter - 1200 calories from a balanced diet are much better.

    Agreed on the importance of accurate logging.

    of course health is important, but truthfully, it is really a calorie is just a calorie be it a twinkie calorie or a broccoli calorie. it is a unit of energy

    I do not see where balanced diet showed up
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ..
    If op is eating 1200 calories of ice cream and that is a deficit she will lose. Please stop with that nonsense.

    The previous poster was suggesting a balanced diet. 1200 calories of ice cream wont help bowel movements, skin condition, liver and kidney function, etc.

    Please stop this nonsense that calories are all that matter - 1200 calories from a balanced diet are much better.

    Agreed on the importance of accurate logging.

    Hmmm, lets review. Here is what the poster said "What kind of calories are you taking in? Cutting back on calories makes a huge difference but also making sure you're eating a full array of healthy calories of all your food groups can make a huge difference as well."

    no, actually that poster was saying that if you continue eating 1200 and just change the type of calories you are eating you will lose, which is nonsense. if 1200 is a deficit then one should lose weight whether it is 1200 calories of balanced food, 1200 calories of carrots, or 1200 calories of ice cream.

    I was not suggesting a diet of 1200 calories of ice cream, it was a point made in jest.
  • melcawi
    melcawi Posts: 7 Member
    It is not difficult to measure and weigh food. I asked for suggestions because I have been accurately tracking what I eat. Surely others have had the same issue. If you have not, please don't assume I am eating too much.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    melcawi wrote: »
    It is not difficult to measure and weigh food. I asked for suggestions because I have been accurately tracking what I eat. Surely others have had the same issue. If you have not, please don't assume I am eating too much.

    again, can you open your food diary? you could be using inaccurate MFP database entries and eating more than you think.

    I hate to break it to you but if you are not losing you are eating too much. If you truly think that your logging is 100% accurate, then I suggest you go to a DR and get tested for a medical condition.
  • debsdoingthis
    debsdoingthis Posts: 454 Member
  • debsdoingthis
    debsdoingthis Posts: 454 Member
    Hoping that flowchart above is the updated one from lemonlionheart. OP I feel you, I really do. Check out the chart above and see if it provides you with a path to answers.
  • QueenKristine77
    QueenKristine77 Posts: 67 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    carlypie84 wrote: »
    What kind of calories are you taking in? Cutting back on calories makes a huge difference but also making sure you're eating a full array of healthy calories of all your food groups can make a huge difference as well. When do you do your workouts? In the morning before you eat is a great time for cardio.

    The 21 day fix from Beachbody has a really great and easy to follow workout/diet plan that has helped me more than anything else I've tried.

    No, and no.

    If op is eating 1200 calories of ice cream and that is a deficit she will lose. Please stop with that nonsense.

    And beach body is a scam.

    Yes, agreed, Beach body is a SCAM!!!

  • majigurl
    majigurl Posts: 660 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ..
    If op is eating 1200 calories of ice cream and that is a deficit she will lose. Please stop with that nonsense.

    The previous poster was suggesting a balanced diet. 1200 calories of ice cream wont help bowel movements, skin condition, liver and kidney function, etc.

    Please stop this nonsense that calories are all that matter - 1200 calories from a balanced diet are much better.

    Agreed on the importance of accurate logging.

    Hmmm, lets review. Here is what the poster said "What kind of calories are you taking in? Cutting back on calories makes a huge difference but also making sure you're eating a full array of healthy calories of all your food groups can make a huge difference as well."

    no, actually that poster was saying that if you continue eating 1200 and just change the type of calories you are eating you will lose, which is nonsense. if 1200 is a deficit then one should lose weight whether it is 1200 calories of balanced food, 1200 calories of carrots, or 1200 calories of ice cream.

    I was not suggesting a diet of 1200 calories of ice cream, it was a point made in jest.

    Just asking,

    I thought what you ate did matter for weight loss because of fiber. I was always under the impression that if you ate foods higher in fiber that it would be beneficial for weight loss. Same as Protein will help build muscle.

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    majigurl wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ..
    If op is eating 1200 calories of ice cream and that is a deficit she will lose. Please stop with that nonsense.

    The previous poster was suggesting a balanced diet. 1200 calories of ice cream wont help bowel movements, skin condition, liver and kidney function, etc.

    Please stop this nonsense that calories are all that matter - 1200 calories from a balanced diet are much better.

    Agreed on the importance of accurate logging.

    Hmmm, lets review. Here is what the poster said "What kind of calories are you taking in? Cutting back on calories makes a huge difference but also making sure you're eating a full array of healthy calories of all your food groups can make a huge difference as well."

    no, actually that poster was saying that if you continue eating 1200 and just change the type of calories you are eating you will lose, which is nonsense. if 1200 is a deficit then one should lose weight whether it is 1200 calories of balanced food, 1200 calories of carrots, or 1200 calories of ice cream.

    I was not suggesting a diet of 1200 calories of ice cream, it was a point made in jest.

    Just asking,

    I thought what you ate did matter for weight loss because of fiber. I was always under the impression that if you ate foods higher in fiber that it would be beneficial for weight loss. Same as Protein will help build muscle.

    if you are talking about TEF =Thematic Effect of Food - it has been shown to increase calorie burn slightly but the overall impact is negligible. Maybe an extra ten to twenty calories a day.

    As far as protein, protein is recommended to help one maintain existing muscle mass when in a deficit. If you want to add new muscle you need to run a bulk and eat in a caloric surplus, and when you do that carbohydrate intake is actually more important than protein intake. The only caveat to this would be an untrained beginner who may be able to make some muscle gains in a calorie deficit.

  • debsdoingthis
    debsdoingthis Posts: 454 Member
    High fibre foods will keep you full longer than low/no fibre foods. This helps to keep your calorie intake lower as you don't require to eat as much to obtain that full feeling. The fibre also works to keep thing "moving" so to speak. As I understand it, protein doesn't actually build muscle but is essential for maintaining lean body mass while losing.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,023 Member
    melcawi wrote: »
    It is not difficult to measure and weigh food. I asked for suggestions because I have been accurately tracking what I eat. Surely others have had the same issue. If you have not, please don't assume I am eating too much.

    The reason people are assuming this is because 99.9% of the time, once they open their diary, the MFP veterans find that they are measuring with cups rather than weight, assuming the serving size on the package is accurate, and/or using incorrect entries in the database.

    As @ndj1979 said above, if you are logging accurately, eating less than 1200 cals per day, and not losing weight, you should go to the doctor because there would have to be a medical condition present. If you are willing to hear some criticism, opening your diary and letting folks see what they can find is really helpful.