On paper, I'm doing everything right...so why aren't I losing weight?

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Woman_on_Fire
Woman_on_Fire Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm doing everything I should be doing but the scale isn't budging. I'm wondering if anyone else is or has experienced this...I'm religiously documenting every bit of food I eat, and am staying between 1400-1600 calories each day (my cal target is 1540). I rarely eat processed foods, eat plenty of veggies and fruit, and keep my sugar down. I am working out 5 days a week for an hour each day, and getting between 11,000-16,000 steps per day (including days I don't work out). I don't eat the calories earned from exercise ever. I am without a doubt in a calorie deficit. So what is going on here? I know not to expect miracles, but when I'm getting up at 5 every day to hit the gym before work, turning down the plentiful treats in the office in favor of veggies, and have been at this for 3 weeks, it's hugely frustrating to not see any results on the scale. Medically, there is nothing preventing me from losing weight that I know of (last physical I was completely healthy, no numbers out of whack- including thyroid). Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Have you been here before and overcome the issue? I'm at a loss (no pun intended :smile: ) as to how to proceed to get the weight loss going.
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Replies

  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
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    Are you weighing and measuring EVERYTHING that you eat and drink?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    How tall are you? Are you weighing your solid foods and measuring your liquids? When you log, are you using good nutrition info?
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    Are you weighing and measuring your food?

    Are you weighing yourself at the same time of day, on the same scale, in the same outfit?

    Are you approaching your period?

    Is your workout routine new?

    Are you literally at the same weight or frustrated that the process is slow?
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    If its been 3 weeks, you just may need to stick it out and be patient. TOM/hormones, sodium, muscle soreness/fatigue or a combination of those is causing water weight.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Height & weight ? 33 yo female.
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
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    Do you use a food scale to weigh your food?
  • kcn2bluesky
    kcn2bluesky Posts: 187 Member
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    I just peeked at your food diary real quick....I only went back a month, but in that time you have multiple weekends with nothing logged. What happened on those days? I wonder if that may have wiped out any calorie deficit you were in.

    Depending on how much you have to lose, it wouldn't take much to eat back a deficit. MFP has me maintain at ~1650 calories, and in a small deficit at ~1430. All it takes for me to go from losing to maintaining is a Quest bar and a small apple on any single day.

    My suggestion would be to take a very honest look at your logging, and be sure you are weighing all your food with a scale. Also, check the database entries you are using to be sure they are correct.

    Good luck!
  • kimberlee_45
    kimberlee_45 Posts: 19 Member
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    I have been in the same boat as you. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat. Don't let the scale discourage you. If you feel better and your clothes are fitting looser, then you are doing everything right and you will start seeing the loss on the scale. Trust me, I know how frustrating this journey can be when this happens. Don't give up! You got this!

    Please add me if you like.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
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    kimberlee_45 wrote: »
    I have been in the same boat as you. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat. Don't let the scale discourage you. If you feel better and your clothes are fitting looser, then you are doing everything right and you will start seeing the loss on the scale. Trust me, I know how frustrating this journey can be when this happens. Don't give up! You got this!

    Please add me if you like.


    Seriously, muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound, whether it is fat, muscle, feathers, lead.
  • mommazach
    mommazach Posts: 384 Member
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    Make sure you are drinking enough fluids. I hit a wall and my weight loss was stuck. My nutritionist told me to get a water app on my phone that sends reminders. Now that I'm drinking more, I'm starting to lose again. Best of luck to you and keep with it. Even on days that your eating sucks, make sure you log them. And weigh in on Wednesday's, allowing your body to recover from any crap on the weekends.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    snowflake930 wrote: »
    kimberlee_45 wrote: »
    I have been in the same boat as you. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat. Don't let the scale discourage you. If you feel better and your clothes are fitting looser, then you are doing everything right and you will start seeing the loss on the scale. Trust me, I know how frustrating this journey can be when this happens. Don't give up! You got this!

    Please add me if you like.


    Seriously, muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound, whether it is fat, muscle, feathers, lead.

    And it is very hard to build muscle while eating in a deficit.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    While muscle is more dense than fat, if you are eating in a calorie deficit you will lose weight...eventually. Your body retains water for a million different reasons, which will do much more to mask initial weight loss than any possible muscle gain.
  • hsndmoose
    hsndmoose Posts: 1 Member
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    I would definitely keep an eye on Sodium levels. Could be water weight if it's too high. It'll be nice if you want a real big woosh though.
  • Woman_on_Fire
    Woman_on_Fire Posts: 3 Member
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    snowflake930 wrote: »
    Are you weighing and measuring EVERYTHING that you eat and drink?

    Yes, I weigh and measure absolutely everything I eat. I prepare all of my meals for the week using a digital scale. I do not measure beverages as I only drink no-cal drinks (water, black coffee and unsweetened tea only).
  • trexsoup
    trexsoup Posts: 4 Member
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    As others have said, keep and eye on sodium but make sure you weigh everything too. Try eating back some of those exercise calories. I used to thrive off eating under 1500, now because I'm so active I HAVE to eat 1800-2000 to even lose. I'm not saying all of them but an extra protein shake wouldn't hurt (or an extra 4oz. of chicken?)
  • M3ltD0Vvn
    M3ltD0Vvn Posts: 76 Member
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    Post on your own account, and open the diary. That could be the most valuable thing towards weight loss you could ever do on MFP...
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
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    I too am seeing missing and/or incomplete logging in just the last week or so. I get it, it's tough to be consistent every single day. But that's what you really have to do, especially in the very beginning, so you can get a handle on your eating habits.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Is the exercise new? Any time you add exercise (or significantly increase exercise), your body retains water for muscle repair. That water retention can mask weight loss in the short term. There's nothing you can do about it; you just have to wait it out.

    Beyond that, three weeks isn't a long time at all. Some people take 4-6 weeks to see a change, especially if they have started exercising. Be patient, continue logging as accurately as possible, and give it some more time.
  • Woman_on_Fire
    Woman_on_Fire Posts: 3 Member
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    To clarify a couple items- I measure all foods I eat using a digital scale. I don't log electronically on weekends because I have a "cell phone free" home on the weekends, but I do log on paper so I know that I am not exceeding my calories then. My weekends are exactly what you see during the week- I'm not going out and calorie-binging or drinking. I actually measure and prepare all of my meals for the entire week (Mon-Sun) each Sunday, so I know exactly what I am putting in my body. I do not drink soda, only water, black coffee and unsweetened tea. The water I drink well exceeds 8-8 oz servings. And it's not that the progress is slow- it's that the scale HAS NOT MOVED in 3 weeks. That is where the frustration is.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Your logging this past Monday seems to be incomplete, as well as Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You have a few other weekend gaps and weekday gaps. Your apple is 231 grams every single time you eat one. Your cherry tomatoes are always 100 grams. When you say you're "doing everything right" that's not really the truth. I'm not trying to be harsh to you, but I've seen that phrase on this forum a multitude of times and in the end, their diary always reflects the opposite of their claims. Be honest with yourself, invest in a food scale, and weigh and record everything you eat. You will see progress that way.

    Edit: I see that you're saying you weigh everything. I can understand weighing out cherry tomatoes to 100 grams, but how are your apples 231 grams every single time? What about your entries in cups, ounces, etc?

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