I'm not losing weight

ramosriley · June 2011

I am open to advice on how to convert my many burn calories per workout into actual weight loss. It is so frustrating to be stuck at the same old three month weight.I don't give up because I keep hoping that next week or month I will see a difference. I might sound nutty but MFP keeps me faithful to the fight and my faith that this to shall pass. Does that keep me from feeling depress-nope? I need to figure this out. I keep my calories to 1200, workout very well, but whether I eat or not my calorie back I haven't lost any weight. I got the clear of any thyroid issues and am honest about what I log in.

TAMMY_76 · June 2011

hey hun have you considered zig zagging? maybe 1200 is to low for what you are burning? cause you do burn alot in a day

anna_lisa · June 2011

I woul try incorporating protein or getting a little bit each time you eat. I would try more smaller meals And also trying to cut back on simple sugars and white breads. This could help.

SusanneWhittington · June 2011

what kind of food are you eating, is it with a lot of sodium? How much water do you drink a day. You have to drink a lot and keep the sodium low. Hang in there!!!

mark03264 · June 2011

You should always eat most of your exercise calories back. If you set up MFP right in the beginning the there is already a calorie deficit built in to lose weight. If you eat too few calorie you are sabotaging yourself just as much as if you eat too many calories.

Question, are your clothes fitting better even though you are not losing weight? Sometimes the scale is not the best tool to measure progress. If you are looking better in the mirror and/or your clothes are fitting better/looser than you are making progress.

Ferrea · June 2011

You might want to take a bit of a break and try eating 1400-1500 calories a day for a week or two. You could even just go up to the maintenance amount for a couple weeks. This might give your body a break, since you've been on a reduced calorie amount for so long. Then you can go back to the lower calorie amount. I upped my calories a couple weeks ago after plateauing and after I reduced my calories again I was able to start losing again. Good luck!

ramosriley · June 2011

As sad as this sounds but the main difference in my appearance is that I don't look swollen. When folk see me now they look at me like "WTF" is different and then they come to the same conclusion, no one ever comments on my weight loss and its non existence. I would be lying if I said that I do not feel better, look better and clothes feel so much better but the scale says since March(I joined in January) that I have not lost a pound. I have tried different scales, have thrown my scale out the window, have open unpurshaced scales at TARGET and weighed myself only to break down and cry. I know what most are thinking, that I must be eating more, or not working out much or not keeping a true diary but I am. I must figure this out before I give this up.
I spin on a high level for over an hour on most days and run on others. I do eat white bread every now and then and I am weak for rice. But if I have rice I work out longer. I even stop drinking alcohol or wine and haven't bought cheese to munch on for over three months. God, am I alone? this isn't normal right? It must be something I am doing wrong, right?

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo · June 2011

That was my problem before & only to discovered that I wasn't burning more calories than what I take in. Another thing was that I ate too few calories & that didn't helped me at all. First of all you should evaluate all what you put in your mouth and also how much calories do you actually burn. Just because you workout daily doesn't mean you burn more than you eat. Or probably you are eating too few calories which causes your metabolism to slow down. You need to know also your calorie needs in order to maintain weight. You can do this so by knowing your BMR (basal metabolic rate), formula is as follows:

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

Then once you know your BMR, next thing you need to know your daily calorie needs based on your activity level. To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

For example my BMR is 1401 x 1.55 = 2171.55 is my daily calorie needs to maintain my current weight. Now in order for you to lose one pound per week, you need to have a calorie deficit of 3,500 per week or 500 daily. So if you want to lose weight, you can do so by decreasing your calorie intake by 500 (e.g. 2171.55 - 500 = 1671.55 is what I should consume in a day). You can also do so by increasing your exercise or the best option is the combination (+250 calories out from exercise, -250 calories in from food).

Also avoid weighing in daily because there will be always fluctuations because of water weight. Instead, you need to set a schedule for your weekly weigh-ins. As much as possible do it on the same day and at the same time using the same weighing scale so you can keep track of your progress. Don't worry you are not alone, I myself also had this problem just before I joined MFP although I lost weight before but I was also on plateau before I join here.

Sorry for keeping it long but nevertheless I hope this helps.

I'm not losing weight

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