New and not losing any weight

If you have a calorie deficit you have to lose weight even if you eat all carbs! The best advice I ever got here was to buy a food scale and weigh and measure everything.....that made a huge difference. I was way out on my guessing which is really common. Log everything that you eat, make sure your goal weight is set properly and it will work. This absolutely does work! Good luck. Add me if you want, I'm here everyday and my diary is open.

Read this

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest

sndrd49 wrote: »

If you have a calorie deficit you have to lose weight even if you eat all carbs! The best advice I ever got here was to buy a food scale and weigh and measure everything.....that made a huge difference. I was way out on my guessing which is really common. Log everything that you eat, make sure your goal weight is set properly and it will work. This absolutely does work! Good luck. Add me if you want, I'm here everyday and my diary is open.

I got a food scale a couple weeks ago and was really surprised as to how bad I was at estimating portion size (unless I could measure it in a measuring cup or something.)

I think this really is the root of the problem with a lot of people that say they're only eating 1000 calories and exercising and not losing weight. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you. I have a PhD in an engineering field...I realized, I wouldn't eyeball something in the lab, why should I try that for my own body?

Also, its not really that big of a pain in the butt to do...after 2 weeks I've become quite adept and speedy at measuring out things by weight. The scale combined with the MFP app also makes it quite speedy to look up calorie amounts and aim for that serving size weight on the food scale.

I wasnt putting in drinks when i started maybe its that?

fiddletime wrote: »

I wasn't losing weight. So, I got a food scale and weighed things for awhile. I was also way off. I also wasn't measuring every little thing. I had forgotten to log coffee creamer, ketchup, etc. It added up to 100 calories a day. At 1200 calories that was a huge difference. Stick with the program. Tighten things up, and you'll lose weight.

Uhg, I just decided to cut out creamer. Even the non-dairy variety. I was surprised how much it added. A "serving" (1 measly teaspoon) of non-dairy creamer is barely enough to make my coffee turn color. Enough to make that happen was just as calorific as regular half-and-half. (I guess that's how they get ya.)

fluffygio wrote: »

I wasnt putting in drinks when i started maybe its that?

I just cut out all calorie containing drinks...save for some whole milk from time to time.

Most people here have already written the main points:
-Calories are calories no matter where they come from (it's a math thing, too many calories = gain weight or not lose weight).

- Yes, calories are different as far as nutrition is concerned. Protein and fiber will keep you satiated longer. Refined sugars will give you sugar spikes and give you cravings for more sugars. But ultimately, if you are supposed to eat 1200 calories, even if you eat 1200 calories worth of Ego Waffles and nothing more, you will lose weight... you'll feel sick after a few days, but you'll lose weight!! =P
- In my opinion, there is a relationship with sugars/carbs/processed foods eaten. Reducing sugary stuff will help... I do believe refined sugars, refined flours, and processed food help in the inflammation of the body, making it harder to lose weight. But again, calories in/calories out will predict what the number in the scale shows.

-EXACT measurement of servings/portions is key!!!! Guesstimating means you are probably eating too much, even if it's just 100-200 calories too many, it's enough to keep you from the deficit you want to see a change! Get a food scale, seriously... SERIOUSLY!! Get your measuring cups and spoons out!!! SERIOUSLY!! And if you cook for the family, E.V.E.R.Y bite counts, even that extra bite you took of your kids' plate, or the one or two bites you munched of while you were cooking the pasta, those also add up!!! !!!

That flow chart says it all!!

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.