completely frustrated - different results, same effort
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soulofgrace wrote: »If you are convinced that everything you did worked, then I am not sure there is anything anyone can say to help. There are no tricks or magic formulas. The only thing you can do is try different things, like a scale, but you've said that's not something you want to do.You say that is a pat answer around here, and maybe it is. That is because it's the protocol of this calorie counting community...precise measurements. You are understandably frustrated and you're hearing things in a harsh way. But, it's the truth. Your measuring was sloppy, not you. So, I don't know...you could try Weight Watchers? I do wish you the best.
^^This^^ I've been on here sporadically since 2013. Same situation as yours. Lost, gained, held steady for a couple years because I quit trying. This year I'm giving it another go, and I hope for the last time! I resisted the scale idea, because I've been losing steadily. Then curiosity got the best of me, can all these people be on to something here? Is there really that much discrepancy between cups and spoons and grams and milliliters and the nutrition charts on packaging? Much to my surprise, yes there is! Get a scale, give it a try, then if you're still not getting results, come back for more discussion.0 -
Since you should be losing weight with that amount of calories, and instead have remained essentially the same for two months, you are actually eating at maintenance, and therefore either your CI (food) counts or CO (exercise) counts are wrong.
What percentage of your exercise calories are you eating back? If 100%, try 50%. If 50%, try 25%.0 -
what is your current BF%? I'm assuming the 1000 cals is on a non workout day and 1300 on workout days? how is your water intake and do you increase that on workout days too?
last year when you gained the weight back do you know what the main cause was food wise? I am also assuming your not on or have been any medication that could change hormonal balance in any way?
I'm not sure what my BF is - though I read above someone's comment that my BF might be higher - I think that's probably highly likely. We live rurally and cut all our own logs and then split the wood manually to supply our heat. This past year I didn't help my husband with this chore, so in the past, I defintely had a lot of muscle hiding in my fat because I was carrying, stacking, hauling literally tons of wood. This past summer I didn't replace that activity with anything active.
Cause of weight gain? Too much of everything. Cake is my favorite bad food - and i ate more than my share - but hubby also did a lot of cooking this past summer/fall and he uses much much more oil when he cooks than I do - so I'm sure there were sneaky oil calories in there too.
The difference in calories isn't strategy - just what i happen to be cooking that day. I typically have the same lunch almost every day, and a revolving 3-4 breakfasts. What I cook for dinner is what makes the difference, or because I travel for work, occassionally I'll buy a popcorn to snack on the train, which adds about 180 calories.
Sleep is a struggle - I do have one of the 'fancy' trackers someone mentioned, but mine is focused on sleep, not on heart rate or calories. It does track steps and resting heart rate, but doesn't display it. I use it to track and measure the quality of my sleep which is something I struggle with.
No meds - to answer that question. The only 'meds' I take are multi vitamin and calcium+D. Occasionally allergy medicine.
I am going to focus on water - that could be a part of the problem.
I've looked at my nutritional makeup - I seem to be in the 35-50 carb range consistently; fat and protein flip flops.0 -
In the kindest possible manner, I will say this:
You're eating more than you think you are.
You're not doing the same thing that you were doing last time - even though you think you are:
You are working in a different environment.
You are starting from a different body composition than before (age, starting weight, body fat%, perception & attitude).
All these things mean that what you did before, is not going to work the same way this time.
One helpful thing to do, is measure food very accurately. Or, simply eat a smaller portion of what you normally do (use a smaller cup, instead of the regular size one).
Other helpful things to do are: drink a lot of water, & move more.0 -
I am close to the same age (38), height (5'5"), and size (150.2 lbs) as the OP. Not directly comparable as I exercise a lot more and have been eating close to 2000 calories per day (and still losing, a little more than 0.5 lbs per week this month, on average, almost all fat according to my body fat scale). I have lost weight 3 or 4 times in the past 15 or so years, not using MFP or counting calories, and it gets harder each time.
I don't think there are any easy answers (except the one the OP doesn't want to hear...). For me, cutting more calories should work quite well if I want to increase my weight loss rate or start to plateau. But plotting my calories logged versus my exercise exertion for the past month has given me an estimate of how far off I am with logging (CI, CO, or both). So I can make corrections.
However, as a previous poster says, the OP must be eating at maintenance if she is holding steady like that. So CI estimate is almost certainly wrong (that level of exercise is not going to be the deciding factor here) and that means a different way to get CI is needed.
(For the record, I don't currently use a food scale. But in this instance, I can totally see why the OP would benefit from one. I do own one and if I get stuck, I will certainly start using it.)0 -
Weighing your food in grams is the most accurate measure. Since you don't want to purchase a scale, can you find a friend with a scale and do an experiment? Take 2 1 cup measures and fill them as you normally would and weigh. The weights will be drastically different. Take 5 apples from the bag and weigh them, Weights will be anywhere from 150-250 grams, Cut your meat portions and weigh. I bet they are different also. In the grand scheme of things, the $20 or less you spend on a good digital food scale will be the best investment you make. Why did you lose last year and not this year doing the same things? Obviously this year's measures are on the heavier side than last year. I am sorry if you didn't want to hear this but if you want results, it is time to do something to get those results.0
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missblondi2u wrote: »Just taking a peek at your diary for yesterday shows some odd entries. Like you have .13 cup of cashews logged. If you're not using a scale, how in the world do you measure .13 cup of cashews? There is also an entry for 0 oz of popcorn? And I see an entry for 2.5 "small potato." Apart from your adamant resistance to weighing your food, these entries aren't even properly measuring your intake in any meaningful way.
.13 c = slightly more than 2 tbsp
0 oz popcorn is logged because popcorn copied from a different day, and there was no way to delete it. when i can't delete from ios, i just set amount to 0.
etc, etc.
thank you for looking at my diary to see if you could find anything that would help.
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quiksylver296 wrote: »No - you are wrong - a scale is not the issue. If it
What if we show you, instead of tell you? Please, please, please watch this video, @ellaskat. It's only three minutes of your life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpHykP6e_Uk
putting my response here too...
Hi Quik sylver - thank you for your interst and for trying to help. I do truly understand that weighing is absolutely, without a doubt, the most accurate way to go. Many years ago I worked at a company that made a food product, so I'm very aware how different results can be.
That said - I never weighed last year. Not once. I did exactly what I'm doing now - so that's my frustration. I'm looking for answers about why it is so different - why i'm losing no weight at all - in what should be the period where I lose the most weight the fastest. I've never not had a big weight loss in the first few weeks.
It doesn't make sense to me that Ihaven't.
If you go from eating 2000-3000 cal a day (that's a guess) to 1000-1300, you should lose weight! Add to that I have been inactive for many months - walking less than 2000 steps a day and no exercise, to my current level of activity, I should definitely be seeing a differnce.
Even if I was losing slowly - say 1/2 a pound a week, I would say ok, this is slow, but the scale is moving. I'm not seeing that happen though, so I feel like a complete failure and i'm just trying to figure out what's going on.
To me, suggesting a scale isn't the point. what i'm trying to focus on is why does the same effort get a very different result?
I hope that makes sense - and I super appreciate your taking the time to help me:)0 -
I'm only going to reiterate what everyone's been telling you because maybe if enough people come in and tell you the same thing, you'll be willing to accept it.
I do have to ask, though, why you would be so against weighing your food and why you won't accept that as an answer?
When I first came here, in kind of the same predicament as you, doing all the same things but no longer losing, I didn't start a thread, but instead I read lots and lots of threads. The overwhelming responses to almost every "I can't lose weight" thread was to buy a food scale and weigh your food. It's like a light bulb went "ding" in my head and I was so thrilled! How easy is that? Why didn't I even think of that before? I just can't wrap my head around why people aren't thrilled at such a simple answer.
Having a food scale takes all guesswork out of the picture and makes it super easy to make sure you're staying within the right amount of calories. A difference of just 100 or so calories can make a difference. It is very, very easy to underestimate by 100 calories throughout a day. 20 here, 10 there. In the end, it's all just estimation, but at least with a food scale and hopefully correct food labels, it's as accurate of an estimation as we can get. I can't eyeball even a semi-accurate portion to save my life.0 -
That was then, this is now, and apparently what you are doing isn't working now.
One thing I noticed--you are recording 300+ calories in exercise daily--most likely a gross overestimation. At less than 5000 steps per day you are truly sedentary. And 45 minutes of exercise total per week is probably only good for about 300 calories total per week, not per day.0 -
But as someone said above, if your LBM was brought down in the process your current TDEE might be lower.
Anyhow, the past is past. Daydreaming about what worked before isn't doing diddly squat for your case now.
If you insist on the cups/spoons & are adamantly anti food scale (sounds silly but this is your 'thing') you will need to deliberately start slightly under filling those measures to guard against over generous amounts. Your workouts strike me as short. Bump those up too. If you are using weight machines, consider moving to free weights. And your steps, aim for 10k rather than under 5k. And try not to gain weight back next time; it gets progressively harder when you yo yo. I'm sorry for your losses. We all experience these heartbreaks. That is a separate issue.
I've given you several suggestions that do not involve your scale taboo. I'm wishing you well. I've offered you condolences. Don't try to pretend people are picking on you!
Some folks have been quite nasty and offensive - you haven't been one of them.
I brought up the 'why' because someone asked - no condolences asked for or necessary
Do you believe 30-40 minute workouts are short? I stated I moved from 12-20 minute workouts to 30-45 minute workouts last week - after several months of inactivity, i thought starting slow would be wise; with it being much more than the nothing i was previously doing, i thought i would still see some result;
I don't use weights or machines - i do all bodyweight exercises (fitstar) each 'routine' is different so that my body will not adjust; same with my running days; i do walk-run-sprint intervals of different lengths each day, so the workout is always different.
thanks for the suggestions you have provided.0 -
No - you are wrong - a scale is not the issue. If it was the issue, I would not have lost weight last year. Using a scale is a thoughtless pat answer on these boards - which is why I say that.
I lost all my weight last year without a scale, by measuring. I am doing exactly the same thing now. That is the issue I want help with - not some mindless MFP mantra of 'buy a scale'.
I am also not trying to lose additional weight. I am trying to lose the same weight (sadly) a second time.
Same starting weight
Same recipes
Same measuring system
Same exercise amounts
Very different results - the same methods with different/no results is what i'm looking for insight on. Why is this happening.
I asked nicely for help - so please don't throw your nasty 'you're sloppy, don't want to hear it, etc comments at me - not the case.
Wow, you sound very uptight, I agree you need a scale. Maybe you should see a doctor since the answers here are not what you want.0 -
But as someone said above, if your LBM was brought down in the process your current TDEE might be lower.
Anyhow, the past is past. Daydreaming about what worked before isn't doing diddly squat for your case now.
If you insist on the cups/spoons & are adamantly anti food scale (sounds silly but this is your 'thing') you will need to deliberately start slightly under filling those measures to guard against over generous amounts. Your workouts strike me as short. Bump those up too. If you are using weight machines, consider moving to free weights. And your steps, aim for 10k rather than under 5k. And try not to gain weight back next time; it gets progressively harder when you yo yo. I'm sorry for your losses. We all experience these heartbreaks. That is a separate issue.
I've given you several suggestions that do not involve your scale taboo. I'm wishing you well. I've offered you condolences. Don't try to pretend people are picking on you!
Some folks have been quite nasty and offensive - you haven't been one of them.
I brought up the 'why' because someone asked - no condolences asked for or necessary
Do you believe 30-40 minute workouts are short? I stated I moved from 12-20 minute workouts to 30-45 minute workouts last week - after several months of inactivity, i thought starting slow would be wise; with it being much more than the nothing i was previously doing, i thought i would still see some result;
I don't use weights or machines - i do all bodyweight exercises (fitstar) each 'routine' is different so that my body will not adjust; same with my running days; i do walk-run-sprint intervals of different lengths each day, so the workout is always different.
thanks for the suggestions you have provided.
Nobody has gotten nasty and offensive (unless the nasty and or offensive comments were zapped by a mod) with you.
Everybody is telling you what you need to do. You just don't want to hear it.0 -
My wife and I lost a lot of weight last year, before MFP with no weighing of food. Then as we got closer to a normal BMI our loss got much slower. I started using MFP and foolishly bought a food scale, that I didn't need. Well our weight loss went back to 1-2 pounds weekly and we both felt we ate more than before. Why, nothing changed? Perhaps it was that unnecessary scale?
We have two dogs that I have to watch their weight, one that was 20 pounds is now 12. The vet sold us diet prescription dog food. The directions said for their weight they should eat 1.5 cups daily. Well the one started losing weight while the other gained! Both are eating the exact same amount of food! Well the useless food scale showed some inconsistent weights to the premeasured food. Today one of the dogs get 2 servings of 60 grams daily. The other get 2x65 grams. I threw the useless cups away and use the useless food scale to weigh their food. I can not measure weight by guessing. YMMV.
Oh yea that useless scale, I'm pretty attached to it.
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missblondi2u wrote: »Just taking a peek at your diary for yesterday shows some odd entries. Like you have .13 cup of cashews logged. If you're not using a scale, how in the world do you measure .13 cup of cashews? There is also an entry for 0 oz of popcorn? And I see an entry for 2.5 "small potato." Apart from your adamant resistance to weighing your food, these entries aren't even properly measuring your intake in any meaningful way.
.13 c = slightly more than 2 tbsp
0 oz popcorn is logged because popcorn copied from a different day, and there was no way to delete it. when i can't delete from ios, i just set amount to 0.
etc, etc.
thank you for looking at my diary to see if you could find anything that would help.
You're welcome. I just don't know how you even measure 2 tbsp of something like cashews. That is the point a lot of people are trying to get at. I understand your point that you didn't weigh before and everything worked then, but like everyone says there are so many factors to consider--loss of LBM, current water weight, simple difference in perception of 2 tbsp now vs. then, etc. What is the harm in trying the scale method for a month or so, and see what happens?
Full disclosure--I do not weigh everything. I did in the beginning, but I've gotten to where I'm pretty good at eyeballing the things I eat all the time. I know I'm close because my weight is dropping as expected (actually a little faster than expected). Getting a scale and weighing your food doesn't mean you have to do it forever. It was an essential learning tool for me in order to conceptualize what a correct serving was, but now I don't have to use it as often.0 -
Yes clearly drinking not enough water is your problem, because everyone knows that drinking water makes you magically burn more calories.
For what it's worth, how much you can eat and still lose will go down as you lose weight. So yeah, if you're lighter this year than you were last year, it's very possible to stop losing if you stick to the same diet. You have to eat less. So you can either start cutting things out to save calories, and start weighing your food (or I guess use smaller measuring cups... which I don't get... as it's easier to plop a plate on a scale and hit the 'tare' button than washing 10000000 cups a day).0 -
I share your pain. 5 weeks, eating 1500/day (MFP says that's 11/2 lbs/week0
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putting my response here too...
Hi Quik sylver - thank you for your interst and for trying to help. I do truly understand that weighing is absolutely, without a doubt, the most accurate way to go. Many years ago I worked at a company that made a food product, so I'm very aware how different results can be.
That said - I never weighed last year. Not once. I did exactly what I'm doing now - so that's my frustration. I'm looking for answers about why it is so different - why i'm losing no weight at all - in what should be the period where I lose the most weight the fastest. I've never not had a big weight loss in the first few weeks.
It doesn't make sense to me that Ihaven't.
If you go from eating 2000-3000 cal a day (that's a guess) to 1000-1300, you should lose weight! Add to that I have been inactive for many months - walking less than 2000 steps a day and no exercise, to my current level of activity, I should definitely be seeing a differnce.
Even if I was losing slowly - say 1/2 a pound a week, I would say ok, this is slow, but the scale is moving. I'm not seeing that happen though, so I feel like a complete failure and i'm just trying to figure out what's going on.
To me, suggesting a scale isn't the point. what i'm trying to focus on is why does the same effort get a very different result?
I hope that makes sense - and I super appreciate your taking the time to help me:)
Ok. Good luck then!0 -
If you're not losing weight doing the 'same thing', then you're not doing the same thing. Something has changed in your method that you don't see or realize. You're either not burning as many calories as you think you are or eating more than you think you are.
And the reason a food scale is the first suggestion here is that 99% of the time, improper logging is the problem. I had issues and I didn't want to buy a food scale. When I finally did, I was shocked to learn just how bad my estimates were, even with measuring ingredients. I don't use one now very often because after three years I've gotten better at guesstimating, but that doesn't mean it wasn't worth using when I started out.0 -
Because I don't think this has been said...
It would be one thing if you preferred to estimate and eyeball. But if you are taking out the measuring cups and teaspoons/tablespoons, it takes no more effort to weigh things. It's actually easier and takes up less dishes. pouring milk into a measuring cup then pouring it into a bowl seems useless when I could just put a bowl on a scale and pour milk directly in.
Just saying.0
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