Not seeing weight loss
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spots8172
Posts: 17 Member
Hi everyone! Ok so since I been going to the gym for about 3 months now basically 4 - 5 times a week, I've noticed a little bit of weight loss, but not significant. I usually do elliptical for about 45 minutes breaking a sweat, big time. Then afterwards I do machine weights for legs, arms, stomach, so on. Could it be I'm not noticing the weight change so much on the scale because I'm gaining muscle? If anyone has any idea, please let me know. Much appreciative ☺☺
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Replies
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A few questions to help us better answer your inquiry:
- How much weight have you lost?
- Are you reducing your food intake or are you relying solely on increased activity to lose weight?
- If you are reducing your food intake, are you counting calories? How many calories are you eating each day?
- How do you know you are eating at your calorie goal? Are you weighing solids, measuring liquids, and logging your food using good nutrition info such as that from the USDA or food packages?
- What are your height and weight?
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Simple Answer:
You can't outrun your fork. You HAVE to track calories. Calculate your TDEE with an online calculator, and eat -200 to -500 under that to lose weight (it takes a deficit of -500 calories a day for 1lb a week). You need a food scale and measure Every. Single. Thing. you put in your mouth and track it.
Eat at a deficit and lose weight. No one is exempt from this rule.0 -
Thanks for responding. Ok, let's see if I can answer all these questions. I'm new to all this so I may not answer correctly for there's a lot I'm still unsure about. Like how much calories should I be eating a day? When I workout, I log in MAP what I did and it adds it in the exercise part. Does that mean I should just ignore that and stay at my calorie mark, or stay below? Ok, back to answering questions.
1- I lost about 5 pounds. I was 128, I'm down to 123 which seems to fluctuate.
5 - I'm 5 ft 1 inches tall, I'm a shorty. Weight 123 now.
2 - I'd say a little of both. I definitely decreased my food intake. I have a nutri ninja nutrition drink usually for lunch, and dinner I eat a regular meal without going whole hog. Breakfast, ehhh, I usually have coffe. Maybe a mini croissant.
3 - Yes. I log everything on MFP. Sometimes I'm unde, sometimes I'm just a bit over. I'm guessing that's not good
4 - I don't actually weigh my food yet, gotta get a scale. But I do eyeball it and pretty much know what it's supposed to be. I do measure other things out. I usually use my scanner on my phone to scan the products I'm using into MFP.
Looking forward to your feedback. Thanks
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HamsterManV2
So if my calorie intake says 1200, I should only be using 700 calories?0 -
HamsterManV2
So if my calorie intake says 1200, I should only be using 700 calories?
No. Absolutely not. Your MFP goal already has the deficit you need in order to lose weight built into it. At your height, your ability to incur a deficit is a bit limited simply because smaller people burn fewer calories. 1200 is the minimum that you should eat as you have to eat a certain amount just to get in your basic level of nutrition each day.
5 pounds in 3 months isn't bad IMO. That's slightly less than a half pound per week. If you tighten up on weighing food you might speed it up a bit but if your current method fits your lifestyle better, I'd stick with it and understand that the process may be a bit slower.0 -
You're in the healthy weight range for your height. How much are you trying to lose?0
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Ok, so I should be taking in 1200 calories a day? Sorry, like I said, I'm new to all this and trying to figure out what I should be doing and sticking to. And I appreciate all the advice and recommendations I can get. My basic day at the gym consist of going on the elliptical for 30 to 45 minutes breaking a nice sweat. Afterwards I use the machine weights and I work my legs, arms and stomach, you know all that good stuff. That usually takes about another 45 minutes to an hour. How does that routine seem to be? Any suggestions/changes?0
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4 - I don't actually weigh my food yet, gotta get a scale. But I do eyeball it and pretty much know what it's supposed to be. I do measure other things out. I usually use my scanner on my phone to scan the products I'm using into MFP.
Looking forward to your feedback. Thanks
Get a scale. Your eyes will fool you.
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Sault_girl
I am trying to lose about 10 to 15 pounds.
And trying to slim and tone my legs (well more so thighs) as well as tone and define my arms.0 -
Rosebarnalice
Yes I do agree with that, no doubt. I am definitely going to get one.0 -
Diannethegeek
I press on that link but nothing happens. Silly me, I'll Google it, I'm sure that will help so I can see what you sent me. 0 -
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Scanning the backs of packages isn't always accurate if you don't know how much you are actually feeding yourself. I remember the first time I learned this:
I was cooking some pasta for the family for dinner. I decided to start logging it all in as I was cooking to save me time later, and when I got to the pasta package, I scanned in the bar code, put one serving in, and then... wait a minute. Exactly how much is one serving? I look at the box and: 2 ounces? 2 ounces! Do you know how little 2 ounces is? So my "normal" serving of pasta that I had always been eating was probably 3 or 4 servings according to the box! Yikes!
If you don't measure out what is going into your body then its a waste of time logging. You need to know as exact as you can reasonably get to have a fighting chance.
And as far as exercising, you may want to mix up your routine. Your body gets used to doing the same thing over and over. I mean, I can break a sweat carrying laundry up and down the stairs and vacuuming. Doesn't mean I got a workout in. I'd think about using free weights instead of the machines, too. Machines will literally work one muscle group at a time, they isolate muscles. Make it too easy. Free weights incorporate multiple muscles to stabilize the weight and give you far more bang for your buck.
We all hit plateaus, too. You just have to push through and keep after it! Good luck!0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »
It shows some sort of image, I really can't make out what it is. Where can I find it?0 -
brian_gunther wrote: »Scanning the backs of packages isn't always accurate if you don't know how much you are actually feeding yourself. I remember the first time I learned this:
I was cooking some pasta for the family for dinner. I decided to start logging it all in as I was cooking to save me time later, and when I got to the pasta package, I scanned in the bar code, put one serving in, and then... wait a minute. Exactly how much is one serving? I look a
Oh that is so funny cause I do the same thing. Then what I do is Google any question I may have like 2oz pasta equals..... then I get my answer, then I log it in. Then of course I actually measure out my pasta after it cooks so I know exactly how many servings I'm eating. BTW, I sure love pasta! And rice, and potato, and bread, yeah you know, all the fattening stuff! LOL0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »
It shows some sort of image, I really can't make out what it is. Where can I find it?
I hate that the app/mobile site won't let you zoom. It's a flowchart created by one of the members here. Linking you to the original would only cause the same problem since it only exists here on the forums. Most of the advice has been covered already by other posters. But here's most of the same advice from the flowchart in list form:
1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.
2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.
3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.
4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.
5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.
6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.
7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.
8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.
9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.0 -
brian_gunther wrote: »Scanning the backs of packages isn't always accurate if you don't know how much you are actually feeding yourself. I remember the first time I learned this:
I was cooking some pasta for the family for dinner. I decided to start logging it all in as I was cooking to save me time later, and when I got to the pasta package, I scanned in the bar code, put one serving in, and then... wait a minute. Exactly how much is one serving? I look a
Oh that is so funny cause I do the same thing. Then what I do is Google any question I may have like 2oz pasta equals..... then I get my answer, then I log it in. Then of course I actually measure out my pasta after it cooks so I know exactly how many servings I'm eating. BTW, I sure love pasta! And rice, and potato, and bread, yeah you know, all the fattening stuff! LOL
Just to be sure -- since this is one of those common things that comes up -- when you lookup the information for something like pasta, you're looking for the nutrition information for cooked pasta if you're weighing it after cooking and not the nutrition information from the box which would be for dry pasta, right?0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »
It shows some sort of image, I really can't make out what it is. Where can I find it?
I hate that the app/mobile site won't let you zoom. It's a flowchart created by one of the members here. Linking you to the original would only cause the same problem since it only exists here on the forums. Most of the advice has been covered already by other posters. But here's most of the same advice from the flowchart in list form:
1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.
2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.
3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.
4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.
5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.
6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.
7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.
8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.
9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.
WOW, thank you for all that information. I don't mean to sound stupid here, but could you explain #6 a little bit to me? I don't quite get it. I'm thinking I have to cut back on calories? But I thought I was suppose to be taking in 1200? Do I always have to take in 1200? Thanks for your response!0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »brian_gunther wrote: »Scanning the backs of packages isn't always accurate if you don't know how much you are actually feeding yourself. I remember the first time I learned this:
I was cooking some pasta for the family for dinner. I decided to start logging it all in as I was cooking to save me time later, and when I got to the pasta package, I scanned in the bar code, put one serving in, and then... wait a minute. Exactly how much is one serving? I look a
Oh that is so funny cause I do the same thing. Then what I do is Google any question I may have like 2oz pasta equals..... then I get my answer, then I log it in. Then of course I actually measure out my pasta after it cooks so I know exactly how many servings I'm eating. BTW, I sure love pasta! And rice, and potato, and bread, yeah you know, all the fattening stuff! LOL
Just to be sure -- since this is one of those common things that comes up -- when you lookup the information for something like pasta, you're looking for the nutrition information for cooked pasta if you're weighing it after cooking and not the nutrition information from the box which would be for dry pasta, right?
Yes, I'm looking for the nutritional information for the cooked pasta.0
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