my diet doesn't seem to be working

cookson22
cookson22 Posts: 7 Member
edited November 20 in Health and Weight Loss
I don't seem to be loosing any weight, I've been on a diet for a few weeks now and I don't see any benefits, I know it's not going to happen straight away but surely I should of seen something, has anyone got any information please?
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Replies

  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    How many calories are you eating? What are your stats (height, weight, age, activity level)? Do you weigh your food? Can you open your dairy?
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    • Are you weighing your foods with an electric scale?
    • Are you weighing your foods accurately? i.e. using grams instead of cups
    • How are you obtaining your calorie burns? MFP, HRM or machines?

    OP, how many calories are you eating daily and are you eating your exercise calories back?
  • cookson22
    cookson22 Posts: 7 Member
    Im weighing my foods but most of the time I don't reach my target, sometimes I'm quite a lot under my calorie count?
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    Do you eat back exercise calories? Can you open your diary? Being under your calorie count is bad for various reasons, but won't stop you losing weight.
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
    Go watch secret eaters on 4OD or YouTube. Then decide if you're being totally honest with yourself.
    If it's not that, your overestimating what you're burning or not logging accurately enough. Possibly both. You can do this.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    cookson22 wrote: »
    Im weighing my foods but most of the time I don't reach my target, sometimes I'm quite a lot under my calorie count?

    You seemed to avoid one of my questions, how many calories are you eating daily?
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    i would bet you are eating more than you think you are.
  • vmccourt
    vmccourt Posts: 2 Member
    I can commensurate with you. I have been on the site for over a month now and have lost only .8 of a pound. I eat back my exercise calories, but manage to stay around 1300 calories a day. I eat only organic foods, no breads, rice of any kind, pasta or the like. My dairy is limited to splash of milk in a cup of coffee in the morning. I drink my water quota daily, and do a 3 mile run/walk three days a week combined with free weight lifting. I also do Vinyasa yoga three days as well. I am quite active. I am not losing inches, in fact my clothes are tighter. I feel like I should weigh about 50 pounds instead of the 155 I weigh at 5'5". Help!
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    edited July 2015
    vmccourt wrote: »
    I can commensurate with you. I have been on the site for over a month now and have lost only .8 of a pound. I eat back my exercise calories, but manage to stay around 1300 calories a day. I eat only organic foods, no breads, rice of any kind, pasta or the like. My dairy is limited to splash of milk in a cup of coffee in the morning. I drink my water quota daily, and do a 3 mile run/walk three days a week combined with free weight lifting. I also do Vinyasa yoga three days as well. I am quite active. I am not losing inches, in fact my clothes are tighter. I feel like I should weigh about 50 pounds instead of the 155 I weigh at 5'5". Help!

    Organic foods, breads, rice, pasta, milk - none of these have an effect on weight loss. All that matters is calories.

    Same questions to you as the OP: do you weigh everything? Can you open your diary?
  • smotheredincheese
    smotheredincheese Posts: 559 Member
    vmccourt wrote: »
    I am not losing inches, in fact my clothes are tighter. I feel like I should weigh about 50 pounds instead of the 155 I weigh at 5'5". Help!

    If you're not losing weight and your clothes are getting tighter, then you are probably eating more than you think you are. Have you been logging everything you eat?
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    vmccourt wrote: »
    I can commensurate with you. I have been on the site for over a month now and have lost only .8 of a pound. I eat back my exercise calories, but manage to stay around 1300 calories a day. I eat only organic foods, no breads, rice of any kind, pasta or the like. My dairy is limited to splash of milk in a cup of coffee in the morning. I drink my water quota daily, and do a 3 mile run/walk three days a week combined with free weight lifting. I also do Vinyasa yoga three days as well. I am quite active. I am not losing inches, in fact my clothes are tighter. I feel like I should weigh about 50 pounds instead of the 155 I weigh at 5'5". Help!

    As @DemoraFairy said, eating organic food has no affect on weight loss. It's just more expensive in my eyes. Your body doesn't tell the difference between an organic chicken breast and a non-organic chicken breast. It just sees the macronutrients.
    • Are you weighing your foods with an electric scale?
    • Are you weighing your foods accurately? i.e. using grams instead of cups
    • How are you obtaining your calorie burns? MFP, HRM or machines?

    Answer these questions and we can get you on track.
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  • cookson22
    cookson22 Posts: 7 Member
    I am 5'5 and weigh 12 stone 6 pounds, I stick to 1400 calories a day with light exercise
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    cookson22 wrote: »
    I am 5'5 and weigh 12 stone 6 pounds, I stick to 1400 calories a day with light exercise

    1500 calories is the RDA minimum for a male. Eat more than 1400.
  • Ioras88
    Ioras88 Posts: 57 Member
    Quick question:
    WHERE are you gaining 'inches'? Where do your clothes fit tighter? At your arms? Thighs?
    Since you're a man:
    Do you have an opportunity to get your body fat percentage and muscle mass checked? Men usually build up muscle quite fast so the reason why you won't see much difference on your scale (now, at the beginning), could be - as weird as it sounds - that you're simply building up muscle faster than you're losing fat.

    So yeah, my best idea is that your muscle mass is growing. Kind of an ideal situation since developed muscles are always nice to have.
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  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    Ioras88 wrote: »
    Quick question:
    WHERE are you gaining 'inches'? Where do your clothes fit tighter? At your arms? Thighs?
    Since you're a man:
    Do you have an opportunity to get your body fat percentage and muscle mass checked? Men usually build up muscle quite fast so the reason why you won't see much difference on your scale (now, at the beginning), could be - as weird as it sounds - that you're simply building up muscle faster than you're losing fat.

    So yeah, my best idea is that your muscle mass is growing. Kind of an ideal situation since developed muscles are always nice to have.

    He has only been trying to lose weight for a few weeks...he says he is only eating 1400 calories...he only does light exercise.

    Someone is not going to build up muscle mass faster than they are losing fat under those conditions.

  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    How long have you been logging? Have you lost any weight at all or are you just not losing what you thought you would?

    Can you open your diary?
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    Are you logging the instant you eat, too? :) That matters! People really do forget what they eat.
  • cookson22
    cookson22 Posts: 7 Member
    Annie_01 wrote: »
    Ioras88 wrote: »
    Quick question:
    WHERE are you gaining 'inches'? Where do your clothes fit tighter? At your arms? Thighs?
    Since you're a man:
    Do you have an opportunity to get your body fat percentage and muscle mass checked? Men usually build up muscle quite fast so the reason why you won't see much difference on your scale (now, at the beginning), could be - as weird as it sounds - that you're simply building up muscle faster than you're losing fat.

    So yeah, my best idea is that your muscle mass is growing. Kind of an ideal situation since developed muscles are always nice to have.

    He has only been trying to lose weight for a few weeks...he says he is only eating 1400 calories...he only does light exercise.

    Someone is not going to build up muscle mass faster than they are losing fat under those conditions.

    I think you're getting me and another guy rolled into one?
  • kyrannosaurus
    kyrannosaurus Posts: 350 Member
    I suspect if you're not willing to open your diary you know your logging is flawed.

    The reason you are not losing weight is because you are not eating a calorie deficit. Tighten your logging.
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
    I suspect if you're not willing to open your diary you know your logging is flawed.

    The reason you are not losing weight is because you are not eating a calorie deficit. Tighten your logging.

    I would agree. Why do people ask for help but then are so vague or secretive about their specifics that is is impossible to offer anything but an overall guess? Op....if you truly have no idea why you are not losing weight open your diary and fully answer the questions people ask so they can give you informed opinions. If you are afraid of what people are going to say or or worried about people being critical of your diet then there is no point in posting a question like this on a public forum. Perhaps you already know your answer.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    cookson22 wrote: »
    I don't seem to be loosing any weight, I've been on a diet for a few weeks now and I don't see any benefits, I know it's not going to happen straight away but surely I should of seen something, has anyone got any information please?
    cookson22 wrote: »
    Im weighing my foods but most of the time I don't reach my target, sometimes I'm quite a lot under my calorie count?
    cookson22 wrote: »
    I am 5'5 and weigh 12 stone 6 pounds, I stick to 1400 calories a day with light exercise
    Ioras88 wrote: »
    Quick question:
    WHERE are you gaining 'inches'? Where do your clothes fit tighter? At your arms? Thighs?
    Since you're a man:
    Do you have an opportunity to get your body fat percentage and muscle mass checked? Men usually build up muscle quite fast so the reason why you won't see much difference on your scale (now, at the beginning), could be - as weird as it sounds - that you're simply building up muscle faster than you're losing fat.

    So yeah, my best idea is that your muscle mass is growing. Kind of an ideal situation since developed muscles are always nice to have.
    cookson22 wrote: »
    Annie_01 wrote: »
    Ioras88 wrote: »
    Quick question:
    WHERE are you gaining 'inches'? Where do your clothes fit tighter? At your arms? Thighs?
    Since you're a man:
    Do you have an opportunity to get your body fat percentage and muscle mass checked? Men usually build up muscle quite fast so the reason why you won't see much difference on your scale (now, at the beginning), could be - as weird as it sounds - that you're simply building up muscle faster than you're losing fat.

    So yeah, my best idea is that your muscle mass is growing. Kind of an ideal situation since developed muscles are always nice to have.

    He has only been trying to lose weight for a few weeks...he says he is only eating 1400 calories...he only does light exercise.

    Someone is not going to build up muscle mass faster than they are losing fat under those conditions.

    I think you're getting me and another guy rolled into one?

    My response to @loras88 was based on your above statements. I don't know who loras88 was directing their response to but since you started this thread I assumed it was to you.

  • cookson22
    cookson22 Posts: 7 Member
    Bshmerlie wrote: »
    I suspect if you're not willing to open your diary you know your logging is flawed.

    The reason you are not losing weight is because you are not eating a calorie deficit. Tighten your logging.

    I would agree. Why do people ask for help but then are so vague or secretive about their specifics that is is impossible to offer anything but an overall guess? Op....if you truly have no idea why you are not losing weight open your diary and fully answer the questions people ask so they can give you informed opinions. If you are afraid of what people are going to say or or worried about people being critical of your diet then there is no point in posting a question like this on a public forum. Perhaps you already know your answer.

    I've only just started using this app because I friend said this community would help, I have been dieting with writing my calories down. So If I knew how to share this diary there would be nothing to look at seen as I was only told about this app this morning!!!!!!
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    cookson22 wrote: »
    Bshmerlie wrote: »
    I suspect if you're not willing to open your diary you know your logging is flawed.

    The reason you are not losing weight is because you are not eating a calorie deficit. Tighten your logging.

    I would agree. Why do people ask for help but then are so vague or secretive about their specifics that is is impossible to offer anything but an overall guess? Op....if you truly have no idea why you are not losing weight open your diary and fully answer the questions people ask so they can give you informed opinions. If you are afraid of what people are going to say or or worried about people being critical of your diet then there is no point in posting a question like this on a public forum. Perhaps you already know your answer.

    I've only just started using this app because I friend said this community would help, I have been dieting with writing my calories down. So If I knew how to share this diary there would be nothing to look at seen as I was only told about this app this morning!!!!!!

    That would have been helpful info at the outset. Since you're not logging yet, there's no need to open your diary since there's nothing to learn there.

    Do these things:
    1. Set your stats and weight loss goals appropriately in MFP, don't be more aggressive than necessary. 2 lbs/wk is only appropriate if you're quite obese.
    2. Get a food scale. Weigh everything possible and log accurately.
    3. Eat up to your calorie goal in MFP. Eating way less doesn't get you bonus points.
    4. Be patient, it will take 2-3 weeks to learn and get a routine that suits you and start to see real results.
  • cookson22
    cookson22 Posts: 7 Member
    bpetrosky wrote: »
    cookson22 wrote: »
    Bshmerlie wrote: »
    I suspect if you're not willing to open your diary you know your logging is flawed.

    The reason you are not losing weight is because you are not eating a calorie deficit. Tighten your logging.

    I would agree. Why do people ask for help but then are so vague or secretive about their specifics that is is impossible to offer anything but an overall guess? Op....if you truly have no idea why you are not losing weight open your diary and fully answer the questions people ask so they can give you informed opinions. If you are afraid of what people are going to say or or worried about people being critical of your diet then there is no point in posting a question like this on a public forum. Perhaps you already know your answer.

    I've only just started using this app because I friend said this community would help, I have been dieting with writing my calories down. So If I knew how to share this diary there would be nothing to look at seen as I was only told about this app this morning!!!!!!

    That would have been helpful info at the outset. Since you're not logging yet, there's no need to open your diary since there's nothing to learn there.

    Do these things:
    1. Set your stats and weight loss goals appropriately in MFP, don't be more aggressive than necessary. 2 lbs/wk is only appropriate if you're quite obese.
    2. Get a food scale. Weigh everything possible and log accurately.
    3. Eat up to your calorie goal in MFP. Eating way less doesn't get you bonus points.
    4. Be patient, it will take 2-3 weeks to learn and get a routine that suits you and start to see real results.
    Thank you, I have set my stats up now and will be using the app, I'm new to all this so don't know if what I have been doing is correct but this will help
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    Good luck. MFP is a tool and it does take time to learn how to use well, but it works if you apply it right.

    You will have questions as you go forward, people here are generally helpful when you ask, but it always helps to give as much context as possible so you can help them focus on the right things.
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