The scale is not budging!

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saramichelle89
saramichelle89 Posts: 65 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Very annoyed. I have been at it since May 30th in anticipation for 4th of July. I am self conscience about my legs so I do not wear shorts! I gave myself a goal and have been trying really hard. It has been 1 month and a few weeks and the scale is still what it was when I started. I have changed my diet and started the IF lean gains approach. I go to the gym and do cardio 3-4 days a week, 40 min. with strength training. The scale has not budged at all. It went down at first by 5 pounds and it is back up now. What gives? I am sadly getting discouraged. :-(
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Replies

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    Open your diary.
  • saramichelle89
    saramichelle89 Posts: 65 Member
    edited July 2015
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    It's open now
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    It's hard to answer these kinds of posts without more details. How long has it been since you last saw a drop on the scale? A plateau is something like 6-8 weeks without a drop on the scale and with no changes to your routine (since diet & exercise changes tend to come with some water weight retention - which can screw with the scale). If it's only been a few weeks, then it's possible that it's just a natural stall and will go away on its own.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear

    Other than that, the most common problems we see come from underestimating calories eaten and overestimating calories burned.

    Opening your diary might help to get you more specific advice if you're comfortable doing so.

    You're logging everything you eat? Including condiments, cooking oils, veggies, cheat days, etc? Are you using a food scale, measuring cups, or eyeballing your portion sizes? Most people can be off in their estimates by several hundred calories when they eyeball portions. Measuring cups are better, but a food scale is going to be the most accurate.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1290491-how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale

    And make sure that you've calculated your calorie goals appropriately. Remember that these are just estimates. You may need to play around a little to find what works best for you.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    If you're exercising and eating back your earned exercise calories, be sure that you're using accurate estimates of your burn. MFP and gym machines have a tendency to overestimate certain activities, which can cause you to eat back more calories than you need to. Even a heart rate monitor isn't 100% accurate. If you're eating those extra earned calories it might be a good idea to eat only 50-75% of those.

    And there's something to be said for the fact that some people just burn fewer calories than the generic equations predict. If you're an outlier due to age, size, or medical conditions, then you may want to check with your doctor or a registered dietitian for better advice.

    tl;dr version:
    6cmxqtn92c8d.jpg
  • pauljwalker52
    pauljwalker52 Posts: 2 Member
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    Dont get discouraged. Too many people are stuck on what thr scale says. If you are weight training remember muscle weighs more than fat. How do you feel? If you better now than when you started your making progress :)
  • saramichelle89
    saramichelle89 Posts: 65 Member
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    I started on May 30th. Saw a drop about the middle of June by 5-7 pounds and it has since gone right back up and stayed there. I do not log cheat days because I don't want to literally SEE what I have done.. lol mind tricks right?
  • ClarityPeace
    ClarityPeace Posts: 81 Member
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    The only thing I noticed is that you eat out a lot/fast food.. so as a result your sodium is pretty high sometimes.. that always messes with weight loss for me.. but everyone's different.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
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    +1,000,000, @diannethegeek . Love the info graphic.
  • ClarityPeace
    ClarityPeace Posts: 81 Member
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    oh I just saw you said you don't log cheat days.. that could be the problem right there.
  • x_AmandaJayne_x
    x_AmandaJayne_x Posts: 35 Member
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    Do not be discouraged! Have you been taking your measurements? Before and after pictures!?
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    wizzybeth wrote: »
    +1,000,000, @diannethegeek . Love the info graphic.

    The flow chart is courtesy of @lemonlionheart. I've just added it to my usual copy/paste with links for more information. Though lately I think that I need to revamp my standard text. Too many OPs are answering one or two of the early questions and don't seem to get any further. I'll have to tweak it to see if I can make it more accessible.

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    There are only a few days of logging - too early to tell anything.
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
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    saramichelle89 wrote: »
    I started on May 30th. Saw a drop about the middle of June by 5-7 pounds and it has since gone right back up and stayed there. I do not log cheat days because I don't want to literally SEE what I have done.. lol mind tricks right?


    You just hit on why I say it is bad to bank calories or play games with entering what we eat

    Just eat it and log it.

    If you are gonna be bad, be bad and own it.

    I can see where getting stalked is frustrating.

    Really the only thing to do is get strict on weighing and recording every single scrap of food and drink you consume

    You have lost weight before and can do it again

    Just do it!

    Or in the case of some foods, just don't it!!!
  • i_miss_donuts
    i_miss_donuts Posts: 180 Member
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    Sara - You might have to stop the cheat days. I know that some weight loss experts and nutritionists advise against them because is a single day you can eat back most of your calorie deficit for the week. Perhaps instead you could allow yourself one "cheat meal" per week and log it to have a better sense of what your true calorie deficit is? Alternatively, planning in your calorie allotment for a small treat daily (I eat 1/4 cup sugar free ice cream with Fiber One as a dessert) could help you stay on track without feeling deprived if you give up the cheat day. Finally, if you are not using a HRM to estimate exercise burn, the amount of calories burned during cardio is probably pretty far off. I know that the machines tell me that I burned 100 to 150 more calories during a 30 minute session than my HRM suggests (bummer). Don't give up or lose hope - you just need to keep tweaking it and maybe pull back on your cheat day! :)
  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
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    There is definitely a learning curve when you start out :) figure out what works for you! But be prepared to be brutally honest with yourself. If something isn't working, be upfront with yourself and make changes.
  • JulesVinTX
    JulesVinTX Posts: 13 Member
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    Do your clothes fit any differently? Could be muscle gain.
  • saramichelle89
    saramichelle89 Posts: 65 Member
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    JulesVinTX wrote: »
    Do your clothes fit any differently? Could be muscle gain.

    No. They fit the same. :-( True!
  • katsmo
    katsmo Posts: 219 Member
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    I think you're making things too hard on yourself. Have you tried calories in/calories out? Why the IF route? From your diary, I can't determine if it's an issue with inconsistent logging or it's a fasting period. Be good to yourself.
  • Mr_Stabbems
    Mr_Stabbems Posts: 4,771 Member
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    kick it, it will move
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    tl;dr version:

    I like the infographic but I find there's an even simpler metric for "I'm not losing weight". If I'm not hungry most of the time, I'm not losing weight.



  • saramichelle89
    saramichelle89 Posts: 65 Member
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    katsmo wrote: »
    I think you're making things too hard on yourself. Have you tried calories in/calories out? Why the IF route? From your diary, I can't determine if it's an issue with inconsistent logging or it's a fasting period. Be good to yourself.

    Its a fasting period. I usually put the fasting time in the notes w/ my vitamin intake but have been inconsistent with that. I dk really, I tried 5:2 IF in the past and it worked really well for me so I am doing a 13/14 hour fast and 11/10 hour feeding now.

    What is calories in/out?

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