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I'm stuck after losing 23 pounds and I'm getting frustrated I don't want to give up either I started lifting weights a little. In waiting for the weather to get nicer and I'm gonna start running. Any suggestions for inside.

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  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so since you last saw a drop on the scale, 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.
  • torrielewis1991
    torrielewis1991 Posts: 73 Member
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    Thanks I do almost all of that. It's just so frustrating... I want to lose 15 more pounds before may or even 10
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
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    How long though since you haven't lost weight? Has it been more than 3 weeks? Because 1 or 2 weeks of no loss is perfectly normal.

    Also, if you just started lifting weights, good chance you are retaining water. When you do a new activity your muscles will hold on to water in order to repair themselves. That could account for 1 or 2 lbs which could wipe away fat loss.

    I always give it 21 days. I have yet to go 21 days without losing anything if I'm actually logging accurately.

    Use cups/spoons for all your liquids. Use a food scale for all your solids. Food scale to measure butter/peanut butter/ even oil. Tare out the spoon/knife you use and then weigh again with the butter on the knife. That's how accurate you need to be. Especially if you are close to a healthy weight, it gets even harder because your BMR is dropping as you lose weight and there's less room for error. Keep at it. Tighten up the logging and be patient.
  • torrielewis1991
    torrielewis1991 Posts: 73 Member
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    I just started lifting weight not much but some and it's been about 2 weeks since I've lost weight. I will defiantly be more strick with myself
  • msyellowrose077
    msyellowrose077 Posts: 6 Member
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    Give it time although your not losing weight your probably building muscle and losing inches. Make sure u eat something low cal every 3-4 hrs to keep metabolism up. Feel free to add me (anyone) we're all in this together. I'm trying to lose 100 lbs and it feels like 20,000 right now lol
    :/