Only lost a 1lb in a month. Getting Discouraged :(

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  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    First, I found that I weight a pound or two more after I exercise than before (I actually weighed myself before and after a few times). Weird, I know. But it's best to weigh yourself at the same time every day, since there can be a several pound difference within a day.

    Second, you are loosing inches, especially in your waist. So either you are tightening the muscle there or burning fat and building muscle. Either is good. Besides measurements, if you have a way to track your body fat % it would be a helpful way to track progress, more than numbers on the scale.

    Third, I looked at your food diary. You aren't eating enough!!! Especially for the amount of exercise you're doing, you need more than 1200 calories per day, and most days you aren't getting that. You're at least 400 calories under your goal most days. There is such a thing as eating too little, and your body reacts by trying to hold onto what you've got (survival mechanism). The deficit to lose the amount you want to each week is already worked into the calories MFP gives you, so don't go too far under, and eat back at least half of your exercise calories. You can add more vegetables, whole grains (whole wheat bread, brown rice, cereal, etc) and lean meats and other proteins to reach your calorie goal. A lot of people here have found that it makes a big difference in losing the weight!

    Don't give up, you can do it!
  • SummerLuvR
    SummerLuvR Posts: 90
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    You are losing inches, so don't give up!! I also think you need to eat more. Try to spread your calories over the day if you can.

    Plus: 1 cup of homemade Collard greens? Yummmmm I couldnt have stopped at only 1 cup :)

    Feel free to add me as a friend, if you like :)

    Good luck!
  • Gallen88
    Gallen88 Posts: 171 Member
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    Well, I've peeked at the past week of your diary... and if you've asked for some advice so I'm going to be brutally honest and tell you what I see (remember, this is just my opinion so take it or leave it).

    1) You are eating too few calories, especially with the amount you say you are exercising. I would aim for 1400-1500 calories, but make sure you always eat at least 1200 regardless, you might have inadvertently slowed your metabolism. You need to eat more to rev it back up again. It will take a couple of weeks for your body to reset, so don't look at the scale too much, but eat more and in a couple of weeks you should start to drop again soon.

    2) I'm not a fan of your macros (again, just my opinion). I would change your diary settings to 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein - you will be eating fewer carbs and more protein if you aim to make your diary happy with these settings. Protein is harder to digest, will keep you from feeling hungry (fiber helps with this too) and will support lean muscle mass, so you will hopefully burn more fat and less lean tissue as the scale drops.

    3) Go ahead and add fiber and sodium to your tracker. Aim for 25 grams of fiber a day. Try to keep sodium under 1500 mg a day.

    It's great that you are eating vegetables, but try to eat less fried food and candy. Ideally, you want to eat stuff that is very little processed (very few ingredients on the label or something that doesn't come out of a box or a can).

    What do I eat? Egg whites, tuna, fish, chicken, turkey, fresh vegetables (darker, brighter colors are better than pale colors) that are lightly steamed or sauteed in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, almonds, very little fruit. Whole grains are good but make sure it is 100% WHOLE wheat or WHOLE grain. Don't be fooled by tricky labeling. Try to stay away from starchy carbs, white breads, white rice, sugary cereals, etc...

    Here's a great link that will help you clean up your eating over 8 weeks... if you want to give it a try:

    http://www.extremely-fit.com/fitness-tips/2011/01/8week-transition-diet/

    Remember, you have to FUEL your body to do what you need (have energy, stay young, stay healthy). If you feed it junk, it just gets in the way of the nutrients you REALLY need. You can't out train the dinner table.

    Good luck! You can do this!

    Yea the plan was to go seriously low carb and i have been trying but i do need some carbs for my runs that's y i try to get them in in the morning but thanks for the 8 weeks suggestion
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
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    Read the link in my signature titled HOW TO BUST THROUGH A PLATEAU...

    There is three key indicators to getting out of a plateau Weight lifting CArdio and Diet,,,


    See which one you are doing wrong, and then fix it.
  • bigislandgrrl
    bigislandgrrl Posts: 196 Member
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    Hi I took a good look at your diary for food...but before I comment please dont take it to offense but sometimes you have well over 500-600 calories for breakfast and the food choices your eating are very high in sodium...you would be better off having low sodium foods and spread those calories out some ...i sometimes eat big in the morning as well BUT I watch my sodium intake for the most part.....I think you could cram much more food in thats way more nutritious and leave out the excess processed stuff...good luck if you need advice or want to friend me please do ..


    YES! THIS! I think its hard with so many calorie and sodium ladden foods in such concentration in the morning. Id try to spread out your calories and try to get more of them from fresh veggies and lean plain proteins (grilled chicken and fish). Maybe consider watching your sugar and fiber intake as well. I ALWAYS go over in Fiber and Protein and stay far from the Carb and Fat goals on MFP (I think they are high)! Just two cents! DRINK WATER!
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    I have a same but different problem. I started my weight loss 1 month ago. I lost 8lbs in the first week. But the last 3 weeks I'm stuck at 151lbs. However I checked my measurements and I've lost a total of 7 inches. Don't understand why I'm losing inches but not weight. I jog 3x/week, P90x every night, with Strength Training the opposite nights I jog. I eat 1320cals/day and don't eat back my exercise calories for the most part. Eat healthy keep track of my sodiam and sugar intake in particular, and drink 8 glasses of water. Hope we get some answers! goodluck

    With what you're doing and the fact that you're losing inches, I would say you are replacing fat with muscle. A lb of muscle takes up much less space than a lb of fat. It is also healthier to be carrying the muscle instead of the fat! Like I said to the OP, if you can track your body fat % it will give you a better idea of what progress you're really making.
  • Gallen88
    Gallen88 Posts: 171 Member
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    Looks like your weight is redistributing itself around. Measurement are lean and larger in other spots. If you are exercising and lifting weights this may be it?? Getting stronger. Muscle is heavier then fat. Do you do high carbs?? May want to take a new look at diet plan. How long are your cardio workouts?? The human body doesn't start burning fat till 20 minutes into the workout. If you cardio for 15-20 your not getting any fat burner done. Just warmed up the body. My trainer has me on this workout:

    Cardio for 40- 60 mins on T & TH can do longer if like
    Weights & cardio on M-W-F...10-15 min warm up, do my weighting plan for that day, and finish off with 20-40 min cardio.

    This is MY workout set up fpr me, but it may be an option for you. Mine is set up to drop weight, while cutting by muscles.

    Anything else needed I would try seeing a trainer at a gym and see what they say...

    Hope this has helped and good luck!!!

    I do an 1hour of cardio everyday and i mean every single day
  • Gallen88
    Gallen88 Posts: 171 Member
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    losing an inch on the waist is nothing to complain about.

    Just looked at your diary. You really need to eat at least 1200 calories a day and please consider drinking water.
    Also it looks like you are doing two things with your diet (other than low calories) that may be a hindrance.
    1. you don't seem to eat between breakfast and dinner most days and dinner can be way to light.
    2. while you are watching how much you are eating (great) in may help to look into what you are eating. Balancing your food really will help. Make sure you get the proper nutrients and enough of them without going over on fat or sugars.

    The best I can think of is trying to space your eating out to keep your stomach from getting empty over the day. Never ever starve yourself.

    Have you thought about talking to a nutritionist at your local gym? Or maybe a personal trainer?

    I'm not complaining about that in particular, its just that i expected to see more ya know? The reasons for the gaps in the food are i spend alot alot of time at the library and sometimes ill forget to bring something w/ me to eat and will get lost in my work and wont worry about eating until i leave. So maybe i should start packing something w/ me when that happens
  • Gallen88
    Gallen88 Posts: 171 Member
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    So it seems like you guys are sayin the general consensus is i need to eat more? Ok Thanks!
  • Jhillian
    Jhillian Posts: 185 Member
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    I have a same but different problem. I started my weight loss 1 month ago. I lost 8lbs in the first week. But the last 3 weeks I'm stuck at 151lbs. However I checked my measurements and I've lost a total of 7 inches. Don't understand why I'm losing inches but not weight. I jog 3x/week, P90x every night, with Strength Training the opposite nights I jog. I eat 1320cals/day and don't eat back my exercise calories for the most part. Eat healthy keep track of my sodiam and sugar intake in particular, and drink 8 glasses of water. Hope we get some answers! goodluck

    With what you're doing and the fact that you're losing inches, I would say you are replacing fat with muscle. A lb of muscle takes up much less space than a lb of fat. It is also healthier to be carrying the muscle instead of the fat! Like I said to the OP, if you can track your body fat % it will give you a better idea of what progress you're really making.





    Thanks, I might head into my docs for a full body check and see where I'm at. My Hubby says he can tell I've lost some weight so that helps a little too. I just rely so much on the scale. Thanks for the advice :D
  • M_lifts
    M_lifts Posts: 2,224 Member
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    hey
    well done on the inch loss. i agree with loads of the other posters. you def need to eat more as your body looks like it might be in starvation mode.

    packing your lunch sounds like a good idea, as you need to eat regularly to ensure your body is wel fueled. you could always make lunch the night before and pop it in the fridge, together with some fruit and yoghurt. and slow cookers are great for making sure you come home to a cooked meal.

    good luck
  • shannaire
    shannaire Posts: 38
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    Get a tape measure and measure yourself once a week. I do bust hips and waist and in a week I have 3 inches of my waist and it ahsnt shown up on the scales yet! Don't weigh yourself 4 a while and see if this works I think it does x

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