Not losing when I (think I!) should be.
janellec885
Posts: 16 Member
Hello, I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do and not losing. I even gained a pound.Here's a brief history: I'm a 45 year old woman. At the end of Sept. I weighed 243 lbs (I'm 5"5"). I switched from Celexa to Welbutrin. My cravings for sugar disappeared! Yay! Because of this, I lost 10 pounds the first month. I downloaded My fitness pal and have been faithful for the last 6 weeks. Two weeks ago I was down to 213 pounds. I have lost 30 pounds in 3 1/2 months! 
but here's where it seems to have halted. Today I was up to 215. I and scheduled to eat 1,300 calories a day. I workout almost everyday, but only count 1/2 the calories. I usually burn about 600 but only log in 300. I swear I have been faithful, even coming in under my calories on most days. I check my nutrients to make sure I'm getting all my protein, carbs, etc. I have cut out 99% of processed foods and things that contain white sugar, corn syrups. I've tried reducing my calories, but I feel tired and weak.
So. Do I stay the course? I'm I just being impatient? Thanks for your help!
but here's where it seems to have halted. Today I was up to 215. I and scheduled to eat 1,300 calories a day. I workout almost everyday, but only count 1/2 the calories. I usually burn about 600 but only log in 300. I swear I have been faithful, even coming in under my calories on most days. I check my nutrients to make sure I'm getting all my protein, carbs, etc. I have cut out 99% of processed foods and things that contain white sugar, corn syrups. I've tried reducing my calories, but I feel tired and weak.So. Do I stay the course? I'm I just being impatient? Thanks for your help!
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Replies
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Sounds like you are on the right path, I had a frustrating 8 days around Christmas and I felt like I was a poster child for perfect eating and exercise, I finally lost 3 pounds overnight. and continue on with loss. You will hear "weight loss is not linear" and "you didn't put it all on in a week" here and its true. I took a few days off and rested and feel that contributed to the restart. good luck, many have felt your pain.
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There is a lot of up and down with weight loss. Even when you think or know that you are doing all the right things, it will still go wonky sometimes. Because you are a human being, not a robot. Things like excess sodium, menstrual cycle, illness, etc will come into play. And other invisible factors that you have no control over. Weight loss is not a steady march down the scale. It's more like down, down, stop, up, down, down, stop, up, down down, stop, up, down.....There will be fluctuations, pauses, halts, even gains. And then more losses. But keep going, and you'll find that the trend will be downward.0
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janellec885 wrote: »Hello, I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do and not losing. I even gained a pound.Here's a brief history: I'm a 45 year old woman. At the end of Sept. I weighed 243 lbs (I'm 5"5"). I switched from Celexa to Welbutrin. My cravings for sugar disappeared! Yay! Because of this, I lost 10 pounds the first month. I downloaded My fitness pal and have been faithful for the last 6 weeks. Two weeks ago I was down to 213 pounds. I have lost 30 pounds in 3 1/2 months! but here's where it seems to have halted. Today I was up to 215. I and scheduled to eat 1,300 calories a day. I workout almost everyday, but only count 1/2 the calories. I usually burn about 600 but only log in 300. I swear I have been faithful, even coming in under my calories on most days. I check my nutrients to make sure I'm getting all my protein, carbs, etc. I have cut out 99% of processed foods and things that contain white sugar, corn syrups. I've tried reducing my calories, but I feel tired and weak.
So. Do I stay the course? I'm I just being impatient? Thanks for your help!
2lbs more or less is normal fluctuation. Do not panic.0 -
I've been pretty frustrated with my lack of results. I just went lower carb and have increased the duration of my workouts and frequency. I'm hoping these changes being about some results. I think my body got used to my regular routine. I'd definitely log all of your food, though.0
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Thank you! I will not panic. I guess I'm a little sensitive/paranoid. After being so heavy for so long, I never ever want to go back. I'm going to start some weight training this week to bring my poor atrophied muscles back to life.0
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phyllis731 wrote: »... I'd definitely log all of your food, though.
I do put everything I eat into my app. Is that what you meant? I'm trying to watch my sugars. Seems I like my fruit a little too much!
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janellec885 wrote: »Thank you! I will not panic. I guess I'm a little sensitive/paranoid. After being so heavy for so long, I never ever want to go back. I'm going to start some weight training this week to bring my poor atrophied muscles back to life.
That is a great plan! Be aware that when you first start a weight training routine, you may actually see a temporary gain due to the muscles retaining water, but muscle burns more calories than fat so it will put you ahead in the long run. Do a search for "weight loss is not linear" in the forums and put your mind at ease for the coming months
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There's nothing wrong with sugar. Enjoy your fruits, enjoy your treats - just maintain the calorie deficit. It sounds like you're very committed and doing well. Now don't rush. You want to sustain that commitment over the long haul. Beware restricting foods and looking for fast results.
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Be aware that when you first start a weight training routine, you may actually see a temporary gain due to the muscles retaining water, but muscle burns more calories than fat so it will put you ahead in the long run.
Ok, I should probably take my measurements as well. I just don't WANT to.
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Are you using a food scale to weigh your food?0
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2 lbs up could be due to anything. Keep it up, sounds like overall you are on the right track. Really impressive and well done.
But if I may, possibly, you are not eating enough at 215 lbs and almost daily burn of 600 cals. If I were you, I'd up my daily limit to my BMR at least, or TDEE-20% which should be around 1600-1700.0 -
vivmom2014 wrote: »There's nothing wrong with sugar. Enjoy your fruits, enjoy your treats - just maintain the calorie deficit. It sounds like you're very committed and doing well. Now don't rush. You want to sustain that commitment over the long haul. Beware restricting foods and looking for fast results.
Really? Yay! I have a problem with eating vegetables. Especially leafy greens. They make me gag so I mix them with fruit and puree them with my Nutri-Ninja! Kale, romaine, carrots, cauliflower, etc. are back in my life thanks to the smoothie! I do keep within my calorie goals. I have a sweet tooth and it satisfies it.0 -
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I agree that two pounds could be water retention due to eating too much sodium on a given day or hormones. No worries.
I also agree that you might do yourself good to eat a bit more to support your exercise efforts.0 -
2 lbs up could be due to anything. Keep it up, sounds like overall you are on the right track. Really impressive and well done.
But if I may, possibly, you are not eating enough at 215 lbs and almost daily burn of 600 cals. If I were you, I'd up my daily limit to my BMR at least, or TDEE-20% which should be around 1600-1700.
What is TDEE-20%? and how do I calculate my BMR? I do count in half my exercise calories, so that pushes it up to 1,600 on the days I exercise. (sorry I wasn't clear on that!)
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janellec885 wrote: »2 lbs up could be due to anything. Keep it up, sounds like overall you are on the right track. Really impressive and well done.
But if I may, possibly, you are not eating enough at 215 lbs and almost daily burn of 600 cals. If I were you, I'd up my daily limit to my BMR at least, or TDEE-20% which should be around 1600-1700.
What is TDEE-20%? and how do I calculate my BMR? I do count in half my exercise calories, so that pushes it up to 1,600 on the days I exercise. (sorry I wasn't clear on that!)
http://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator/0 -
janellec885 wrote: »vivmom2014 wrote: »There's nothing wrong with sugar. Enjoy your fruits, enjoy your treats - just maintain the calorie deficit. It sounds like you're very committed and doing well. Now don't rush. You want to sustain that commitment over the long haul. Beware restricting foods and looking for fast results.
Really? Yay! I have a problem with eating vegetables. Especially leafy greens. They make me gag so I mix them with fruit and puree them with my Nutri-Ninja! Kale, romaine, carrots, cauliflower, etc. are back in my life thanks to the smoothie! I do keep within my calorie goals. I have a sweet tooth and it satisfies it.
That sounds very creative -- good for you!!
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My TDEE-20% is 1,512. Now, is that every day or just the days I work out?0
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Just to make sure! When you weigh things, do you weigh them before AND after cooking? The 'cooked' calorie listings I've found vary *wildly* and many are not in any way accurate. Weigh raw and enter the 'raw' calories, then weigh at the end only in order to split the meal equally.
Example: when I cook fish, the packaging always gives the 'cooked' portion calories (3oz cooked is 110). If I cook a whole filet the raw weight varies from 6-8oz, but a 6oz portion could weigh as much as 5oz after cooked, but an 8oz portion could also end up weighing as little as 3oz. So I could be accidentally under-eating (not much too few in the calories, but there's the fat and protein to consider), or eating almost 300 calories and entering it as 110! Do that a couple times a day, especially on a day you didn't exercise and... yeah. So I find the USDA entry for that type of fish raw, and always enter its raw weight.0 -
We all go through this at some point. Weight loss isn't linear. Sometimes we do everything right and still don't see a loss for a while. Fluctuations are normal. Sometimes my scale goes up 8lbs! Because of water retention .
What matters is that over a length of time you see a downward trend. Use an app like trend weight and log your weight there .0 -
spoonyspork wrote: »Just to make sure! When you weigh things, do you weigh them before AND after cooking? The 'cooked' calorie listings I've found vary *wildly* and many are not in any way accurate. Weigh raw and enter the 'raw' calories, then weigh at the end only in order to split the meal equally.
Example: when I cook fish, the packaging always gives the 'cooked' portion calories (3oz cooked is 110). If I cook a whole filet the raw weight varies from 6-8oz, but a 6oz portion could weigh as much as 5oz after cooked, but an 8oz portion could also end up weighing as little as 3oz. So I could be accidentally under-eating (not much too few in the calories, but there's the fat and protein to consider), or eating almost 300 calories and entering it as 110! Do that a couple times a day, especially on a day you didn't exercise and... yeah. So I find the USDA entry for that type of fish raw, and always enter its raw weight.
Thanks! I'll consider the cooked vs not cooked weight. Chicken/turkey I usually weigh after I cook it. I bag it up in 3oz servings and freeze it. With hamburger I use the raw weight.0 -
thorsmom01 wrote: »We all go through this at some point. Weight loss isn't linear. Sometimes we do everything right and still don't see a loss for a while. Fluctuations are normal. Sometimes my scale goes up 8lbs! Because of water retention .
What matters is that over a length of time you see a downward trend. Use an app like trend weight and log your weight there .
Yeah, there's a certain week of the month I don't even get on the scale. I'll gain 3-5 pounds in water weight!
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janellec885 wrote: »spoonyspork wrote: »Just to make sure! When you weigh things, do you weigh them before AND after cooking? The 'cooked' calorie listings I've found vary *wildly* and many are not in any way accurate. Weigh raw and enter the 'raw' calories, then weigh at the end only in order to split the meal equally.
Example: when I cook fish, the packaging always gives the 'cooked' portion calories (3oz cooked is 110). If I cook a whole filet the raw weight varies from 6-8oz, but a 6oz portion could weigh as much as 5oz after cooked, but an 8oz portion could also end up weighing as little as 3oz. So I could be accidentally under-eating (not much too few in the calories, but there's the fat and protein to consider), or eating almost 300 calories and entering it as 110! Do that a couple times a day, especially on a day you didn't exercise and... yeah. So I find the USDA entry for that type of fish raw, and always enter its raw weight.
Thanks! I'll consider the cooked vs not cooked weight. Chicken/turkey I usually weigh after I cook it. I bag it up in 3oz servings and freeze it. With hamburger I use the raw weight.
Yeah, gotta be careful! You could easily actually be under-eating (I found I was funny enough, sometimes by a LOT. Worked it out when I started showing signs of not eating enough fat).
Hamburger is one of those fun ones. If you eat higher fat hamburger, but drain it, you could be eating significantly less than you think. I eat 93 & 97 % lean only and never drain for that very reason.
Bacon is another - usually you drain off a LOT of the fat, so the raw portion is very seldom accurate. I always enter whatever the packaging says and don't worry about it, because bacon XD
But this is all really just something to worry about if you continue not to lose, or as you lose more weight and need to tighten up more. Your trend is downward and that's all that really matters 0 -
You say you lost 30 pounds in 3 1/2 months which is pretty amazing. And that was probably the easy weight to lose. The deeper you go, the harder it will be to lose the weight. Don't get discouraged! Keep on with your plan and results will come for sure! Good luck 0
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You say you lost 30 pounds in 3 1/2 months which is pretty amazing. And that was probably the easy weight to lose. The deeper you go, the harder it will be to lose the weight. Don't get discouraged! Keep on with your plan and results will come for sure! Good luck
Yeaaaah. MY-Fitness-Pal has already lowered my calories twice. People said I was losing too fast (shut up. I gained it even faster.) Honestly the first 10 pounds or so I wasn't doing anything but not eating the sugary things anymore. Then using the app and logging my food helped immensely! I love the triumphal "If everyday were like today... " statement when you complete your entry for the day. (yay me!)0 -
I got on the scale today, and was 212.6 . Yesterday I was 214.something! It was water weight. So I actually lost a pound from last Thursday's weigh-in. From now on, I only weigh-in once a week. I'll move the scale upstairs so I'm not tempted. I'm too lazy to walk up the stairs in the morning.
I want to thank everyone for answering my post. I was really surprised that so many people responded! And wanted to be my friend, too! You guys are great! =D0 -
janellec885 wrote: »I got on the scale today, and was 212.6 . Yesterday I was 214.something! It was water weight. So I actually lost a pound from last Thursday's weigh-in. From now on, I only weigh-in once a week. I'll move the scale upstairs so I'm not tempted. I'm too lazy to walk up the stairs in the morning.
I want to thank everyone for answering my post. I was really surprised that so many people responded! And wanted to be my friend, too! You guys are great! =D
There's nothing wrong with weighing everyday. Especially because you will start to see the daily fluctuations and it won't freak you out as much.0 -
janellec885 wrote: »I got on the scale today, and was 212.6 . Yesterday I was 214.something! It was water weight. So I actually lost a pound from last Thursday's weigh-in. From now on, I only weigh-in once a week. I'll move the scale upstairs so I'm not tempted. I'm too lazy to walk up the stairs in the morning.
I want to thank everyone for answering my post. I was really surprised that so many people responded! And wanted to be my friend, too! You guys are great! =D
Just remember that if you weigh once a week, you may weigh on a high day, such as when you "gained" that 2 pounds. Find whatever works for you, just keep that in mind. That's why I like daily weighing and use trendweight to track my progress.
Also, don't worry about TDEE and BMR and all that right now if you're still getting used to the basics. 30 pounds in three months is quite a bit, so your loss is likely to slow down. While it can be exciting to see the weight loss, you don't want to lose more lean body mass than you have to. I'd suggest just sticking with MFP's method for a while. Eventually your losses should generally reflect your goal (e.g. if it's 1lb/wk, you might not lose that every week, but the average should be about that). If you find that's not happening, lower or raise your calorie goal for 4-6 weeks, or adjust your exercise calories. Most people have to work with the numbers since they're just estimates.0 -
For a while I was weighing daily and also keeping a 7-day average. I don't bother any more; I'm used to the fluctuations now.0
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Hey it's normal to have some weight fluctuations so don't panick. Plus don't always worry what the scale says that shouldn't b your primary goal, primary goal is to have a healthier lifestyle and feeling good the weight loss is just an added bonus. Also you may not b loosing the weight but maybe you have lost some inches. Another big contributor to weight gain might b excess water or just that your muscles are a bit swollen and are trying to repair themselves after an intense workout session. Like I said its normal and don't panick just keep on eating healthy and doing excersie. Keep up you hard work and keep on crushing it!!!0
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