What am I doing wrong?
ngormally
Posts: 4 Member
I'm more than frustrated with this process.. I know I've only been logging for 2 weeks but I've been at it for over a month. I officially started at 178 but lost 6lbs due to 48 hours of the stomach flu. Thats the most I have lost, well maybe a pound... I was actually seeing the scale move the end of last week and now I'm back to where I started... I log literally everything I put in my mouth and work my *kitten* off running and cycling... So what am I doing wrong...? My husband thinks I need to see my doctor, he sees how hard I'm working and it's just not coming off. I know I went overboard today, but it's only one day.. I believe you have to allow a cheat meal or day as long as its not super crazy like a whole chocolate cake.
So any thoughts as to what I am doing wrong... I know I'm getting old but seriously this is ridiculous .
So any thoughts as to what I am doing wrong... I know I'm getting old but seriously this is ridiculous .
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Replies
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We really need more information to help. How many calories a day are you eating? How much do you have MFP set to lose? Do you weigh ALL food on a digital scale?
That said two weeks isn't very long to establish anything.0 -
So where is your weight now?
You were 178, then lost 6lbs, so that's 172. What is your weight currently?0 -
You don't give any of your stats, but considering your starting weight, you probably shouldn't be expecting more than 1 lb loss per week. 2 weeks of logging really isn't enough time to tell whether it will work or not.
Are you weighing your portions? That is most accurate.
Double check the entries you are using in the database to make sure they are accurate.
If a cheat meal is something you want to do, make sure you are logging it to make sure you are still eating at a deficit for the week.
In my opinion a "cheat day" is too much, it is way to easy to undo 6 days worth of hard work with 1 day.
If you would like more specifics, you will need to provide all your stats and maybe open your diary if you are willing to.0 -
3dogsrunning wrote: »So where is your weight now?
You were 178, then lost 6lbs, so that's 172. What is your weight currently?
I'm 171.80 -
Two weeks is not long enough to scratch your plan. And if you go overboard, you still need to log to know if you are in a deficit or not.
You could be retaining water for any of a million reasons, especially with the exercise you describe, you could be eating more than you think you are if you aren't measuring your food properly, or you could just be losing .75 lbs. A week instead of a whole pound.0 -
You don't give any of your stats, but considering your starting weight, you probably shouldn't be expecting more than 1 lb loss per week. 2 weeks of logging really isn't enough time to tell whether it will work or not.
Are you weighing your portions? That is most accurate.
Double check the entries you are using in the database to make sure they are accurate.
If a cheat meal is something you want to do, make sure you are logging it to make sure you are still eating at a deficit for the week.
In my opinion a "cheat day" is too much, it is way to easy to undo 6 days worth of hard work with 1 day.
If you would like more specifics, you will need to provide all your stats and maybe open your diary if you are willing to.
Stats? what stats do you want, 5'6 172lb 49 year old female. Allowed 1200 a day, figured by MFP. I dont do cheat "days", just fell off the wagon today... I do treat myself to a nice meal once in a while.
I exercise almost every day, most of the time if I take time off it's because I'm sore or worn out and need a day off. My workouts consist or 15-25 mile bike rides or 3 mile runs...
I know you say 2 weeks isnt long enough but the 2 weeks prior to logging I was eating about 1000 calories or less a day.0 -
Well u could go see a doctor and rule that out, but if u lost 6 lbs in a month, that's about the average or even better, so keep on keeping on0
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Since you're saying you're allowed 1200 a day, I'm assuming you set it to "Lose 2 pounds a week". Trying resetting it to "Lose 1 pound a week". With bike rides and runs like that, you've got to be starving and feeling low on energy. You need to eat more to fuel those workouts. Also, don't eat less than 1000 calories.
ETA: When I aimed for 1200 cal/day, the scale barely moved and I was sluggish and irritable. Now I eat roughly 1400-1600 cal/day, feel great, and am losing steadily.0 -
You've lost 6lbs, in a month, with not a huge amount to lose (and a detour into being sick in the middle).
I'm completely failing to understand the problem here.0 -
OP, I peeked at your diary. A couple of things:
I see a lot of generic entries. Are these recipes you created, or did you just find these in the database? You should try logging individual ingredients or creating your own recipes, otherwise you have no idea whether they are correct or not.
I also see a lot of measurements in cups and "one serving" serving sizes. It would be most accurate to use a food scale as often as possible. Find database entries with grams listed, and the first time you log an ingredient, check it against USDA values found on line. Then it will be saved in your recent foods and you can just grab it off there whenever you need it.
Are you using an HRM to get those calorie burns?
My guess is you are eating more calories than you think, and eating back more exercise calories than you really burned. If you can tighten that up, I bet you will start to see more consistent results. Good luck!
Edited because on a second read I caught how much exercise you are doing and second-guessed my original comment about that...0 -
Get a food scale, use the recipe builder, use accurate entries, log every thing. Watch the scale go down.0
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3dogsrunning wrote: »So where is your weight now?
You were 178, then lost 6lbs, so that's 172. What is your weight currently?
I'm 171.8
Most of the weight you lost when sick was water weight - which means it was temporary. It was going to come back when you returned to eating normally. It wasn't true weight loss. You didn't return to normal eating, you were dieting. All of that weight didn't come back, you are still ahead of the game.0 -
Keep carbs under 100 grams/day.
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Something is not adding up if you're truly biking 15-25 miles and running 3 miles frequently and truly eating 1200 cals a day.0
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You lost 6lbs being sick because you were not eating and probably at least partially dehydrated. It was not true weight loss. As I said, you would have put all or most of that weight back on once you got better. So forget the 6lbs you lost while sick.
So you HAVE lost weight. It's just complicated because of the illness thing. Keep going.0 -
You say you have a goal of 1200 calories. But your diary indicates you are eating more than double this number, because you are adding 1000-2000 calories per day from exercise and then eat these back. I have no idea how you are coming up with the burned calories, but I am guessing the final number comes up to having no deficit at all. realistically, for a middle aged woman who is not too tall either, it would take several hours of exercise per day to burn these calories. I would suggest you lower your sums by 500 or so average and see what happens in a few weeks. And do not allow yourself cheat days of doubling the calories you eat, this can easily make the whole week's deficit disappear. Look at the weekly averages.
Also, get a food scale. Your logging is basically estimations. They could be very very off.0 -
Your NET calories at the end of the day are well under 1200 if you're not eating back calories. And when the body senses NET calories being to low, it goes into homeostasis. It's NOT going to burn at rest (where you lose the most fat) in large amounts due to NET calories being so low. First goal of the body is to survive and too low of calories will ensure very slow weight loss (unless one is quite obese).
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Your NET calories at the end of the day are well under 1200 if you're not eating back calories. And when the body senses NET calories being to low, it goes into homeostasis. It's NOT going to burn at rest (where you lose the most fat) in large amounts due to NET calories being so low. First goal of the body is to survive and too low of calories will ensure very slow weight loss (unless one is quite obese).
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
She is eating back her calories. And these calories are crazy high: 90 minutes cycling 1400 calories, 40 minutes run close to 1000 calories and so on.0 -
Shiiii#%%%% lol 40 min for 1000 cals - yeah right
When is MFP going to fix these crazy #s0 -
Your NET calories at the end of the day are well under 1200 if you're not eating back calories. And when the body senses NET calories being to low, it goes into homeostasis. It's NOT going to burn at rest (where you lose the most fat) in large amounts due to NET calories being so low. First goal of the body is to survive and too low of calories will ensure very slow weight loss (unless one is quite obese).
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
She is eating back her calories. And these calories are crazy high: 90 minutes cycling 1400 calories, 40 minutes run close to 1000 calories and so on.
I didn't even look at the diary.
Yeah. This is a problem.0 -
3dogsrunning wrote: »Your NET calories at the end of the day are well under 1200 if you're not eating back calories. And when the body senses NET calories being to low, it goes into homeostasis. It's NOT going to burn at rest (where you lose the most fat) in large amounts due to NET calories being so low. First goal of the body is to survive and too low of calories will ensure very slow weight loss (unless one is quite obese).
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
She is eating back her calories. And these calories are crazy high: 90 minutes cycling 1400 calories, 40 minutes run close to 1000 calories and so on.
I didn't even look at the diary.
Yeah. This is a problem.
Agree. OP I have a vivofit synced to MFP and it just logs my movement as walking even though I do more intense exercise, partly because it is such a guessing game as to how many calories you have burned.0 -
I'm going to echo the others here.
Weigh all your foods when possible. Don't use generic entries. I'm all for eating back SOME calories, but you are eating yourself right out of a defecit. The average person will burn approximately 100calories per mile, whether walking or running, so your 3 mile run burns between 300-350 calories. I also highly doubt that you are burning 1,400 calories cycling. I would invest in a HRM, I have a Polar and I really like it.
Try these things and see if it makes a difference. It's a learning process, and it's great that you came here for advice, there are a lot of smart people on these boards who have been there done that and always willing to help others.0 -
OP, I peeked at your diary. A couple of things:
I see a lot of generic entries. Are these recipes you created, or did you just find these in the database? You should try logging individual ingredients or creating your own recipes, otherwise you have no idea whether they are correct or not.
I also see a lot of measurements in cups and "one serving" serving sizes. It would be most accurate to use a food scale as often as possible. Find database entries with grams listed, and the first time you log an ingredient, check it against USDA values found on line. Then it will be saved in your recent foods and you can just grab it off there whenever you need it.
Are you using an HRM to get those calorie burns?
My guess is you are eating more calories than you think, and eating back more exercise calories than you really burned. If you can tighten that up, I bet you will start to see more consistent results. Good luck!
Edited because on a second read I caught how much exercise you are doing and second-guessed my original comment about that...
^this exactly. I find most people underestimate how much they're really eating. I thought I knew what a cup looked like until I started to weight it or measure and I was like holy crap I don't know portion sizes at all.
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You say you have a goal of 1200 calories. But your diary indicates you are eating more than double this number, because you are adding 1000-2000 calories per day from exercise and then eat these back. I have no idea how you are coming up with the burned calories, but I am guessing the final number comes up to having no deficit at all. realistically, for a middle aged woman who is not too tall either, it would take several hours of exercise per day to burn these calories. I would suggest you lower your sums by 500 or so average and see what happens in a few weeks. And do not allow yourself cheat days of doubling the calories you eat, this can easily make the whole week's deficit disappear. Look at the weekly averages.
Also, get a food scale. Your logging is basically estimations. They could be very very off.
This. I have never used MFP to estimate my calorie burn, but according to my HRM I burn about 400 kcals during a 5k (3.1 mile) run. My guess then is overestimation of exercise calories. I wouldn't recommend eating back the calories, as exercise already helps little to create a deficit, but if you really need to do it, keep it very moderate.0 -
You've lost 6lbs, in a month, with not a huge amount to lose (and a detour into being sick in the middle).
I'm completely failing to understand the problem here.
I know, right? I am shorter and heavier than OP. I lost ~3 lbs in December, 4 lbs in January, 4 lbs in February, and 2 lbs in March. OP should be extremely pleased with their progress.0 -
Most people on MFP recommend eating back half of your exercise calories instead of all because MFP severly over estimates. Understand that exercise is good but it's really for fitness. The bulk of your weight loss will be in what you're eating so modify your exercise so that you can be the most successful with tracking, if that makes sense. If that doesn't fix it after a month of really focusing on your food and eating only half of your exercise calories back, then Id see a doctor.0
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