What am I doing wrong?

So, after the first 6lbs, you've lost on average about half a pound a week, right? That's exactly what you should be aiming for if you've got 16 lbs to lose. I don't see the problem? The 1 lb gain is totally normal, fluctuations happen.

(And just to say your diary isn't open!)

tabl_23 wrote: »

I weigh everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, I put in my mouth.

It doesn't look like it... I'm not seeing that many weighed entries. Lots are in cups, or spoons, or slices.

Not that it really matters that much right now, since you're losing at the rate you should be.

You aren't burning 800+ calories walking at a slow pace even for 2 hours.
One entry shows 800 for about 90 minutes.

HRMs accuracy are very much overstated here and aren't great for lower intensity exercise like walking.

tabl_23 wrote: »

terar21 wrote: »

You're being impatient and expecting too much.

1) Just because the scale goes up a pound in a week doesn't mean you gained a pound. If you weigh everything, then you know you didn't actually consume an extra pound of calories. It's very normal to weigh in a pound heavier one day week.

2) Even putting aside the amount you think is water weight, 30 days and you've lost 2 pounds. That's the right rate for someone at your size. You cannot expect to lose 2 pounds a week when you're looking to lose less than 20 pounds.

3) 30 days isn't a very long time. You certainly wouldn't be losing multiple inches in 30 days.

It seems like you're looking to have instant results and these things take time. We didn't gain all the weight in a few months and we certainly won't lose it in that amount of time either.

I don't expect instant results. I have been on this weight loss journey for nearly a year (I lost 30 lbs before starting MFP). I started in September of last year and lost 30 lbs by January. Since January I haven't lost anything. I never can seem to get below 160. That is why I joined MFP figured maybe it would give me the edge I needed to take off the last 16 lbs.

Thanks for all your guys advise. I'm not trying to rush anything...maybe I was just accustomed to losing weight quickly....since the first 30 lbs came off so quick. It's been 8 months of trying to take off the last 16 lbs...lol.

Just based off the current nets in your diary (took a look after I commented and you opened it), I'd say there's a good chance you lost so quickly because you were under-eating. You're nets are very low (too low). That's why it keep off so easy. Don't know exactly when you started in September and when you stopped losing in January but that could be around 2 pounds a week right? So yeah...the math would definitely say you had a very low net.

This is just speculation since I don't have details of what you did from January to now to know exactly why you didn't lose but a lot of people panic when they stop having dramatic losses and sabotage themselves by making weird adjustments week by week trying to get some results.

Also, if this is something you've been going at, then that 6 pounds wasn't water. You wouldn't lose 6 pounds of water just from starting MFP if you've been actively at this for months. The 6 pounds should be counting as part of your loss, which would definitely confirm the low nets you have in your diary.

Remember that pounds don't come off at a consistent rate and there's countless reasons why you don't show loss in a scale for an extended period of time and then it suddenly comes off.

tabl_23 wrote: »

My Garmin HRM puts it at "walking" regardless of what I'm doing. Usually I am doing areobics and weight lifting daily....but when I sync my heart ate monitor it puts "walking"....it doesn't even give me an option to change it.

Even still 800 calories in 90 minutes would be basically equivalent to running about 8-10 miles in that time frame. Certainly possible, but unless you are doing something that intense (ie - NOT weight lifting), you're not burning nearly that many calories.

HRMs should only be used for steady-state cardio activities anyway - aerobics maybe, but certainly not weight lifting.

I don't think you're doing anything wrong, but your expectations may be a bit high. As others have stated you can expect ~.5 lb/week loss assuming you want to preserve your muscle mass and only reduce your body fat %.

I have a similar approach to tracking my exercise and use my fitbit steps to ensure I'm maintaining a deficit. As I am in my final 10 lbs to lose I have noticed a significant decrease in the rate of loss. Just be patient and continue doing what you're doing.

tabl_23 wrote: »

I started in September of last year and lost 30 lbs by January. Since January I haven't lost anything. I never can seem to get below 160. That is why I joined MFP figured maybe it would give me the edge I needed to take off the last 16 lbs.

1. 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.

2. The smaller you get, the smaller the margin of error. So you need to log everything you eat & drink even more accurately & even more honestly. Logging is simple, but it ain't easy. Logging works.

lemonlionheart wrote: »