Weight loss frustration
bethcothern
Posts: 14 Member
Hi there! I started eating healthier about a month ago. I keep my daily caloric intake to about 1200 calories per day. I have recently started walking 5 miles per day and started circuit training 3 days ago. I am 44 years old and this is the first time in my life that I haven't been able to lose weight. I am overweight by about 10 pounds in my opinion and really needed to tone up and build a little muscle. Anyone have any ideas what I may need to add to lose a few pounds.
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Replies
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Your diary is closed, but often when people don't lose weight when they expect to it is due to a logging issue.1
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I honestly eat mostly fruits and veggies and high protein. I honestly always go towards the high end when logging in what I eat!0
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Weigh your food and log correctly. Don't use generic or "homemade". Change your goal to 0.5-1 pound of loss per week since you are only within 10 pounds of your goal.4
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bethcothern wrote: »I honestly eat mostly fruits and veggies and high protein. I honestly always go towards the high end when logging in what I eat!
What you eat is going to be less important than how many calories you're eating. Are you weighing all your solid food? Are you entering your own recipes (not using "generic" or "homemade" from the database)? Have you double-checked the calorie counts on the foods you eat frequently to ensure you're using the right database entry?3 -
Well, I haven't gone to the extreme of actually weighing solid foods but I lost about 15 pounds a year or so ago doing the exact same thing except I'm actually a lot more active than I was then. I basically stick to a common sense low glycemic foods diet for the lost part.0
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If you're really honest about your calorie intake and you're sure you only take in 1200 a day after exercise, I would highly consider recomp instead of focusing on that last 10 pounds. You'll find that those last ten pounds won't come off but the inches will.0
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Thanks for the info!0
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GI index has nothing to do with weight loss. Its calories in/calories out. Simple. I eat poptarts and ice cream and still lose. As long as you are in a deficit you will lose.1
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bethcothern wrote: »Well, I haven't gone to the extreme of actually weighing solid foods but I lost about 15 pounds a year or so ago doing the exact same thing except I'm actually a lot more active than I was then. I basically stick to a common sense low glycemic foods diet for the lost part.
Weighing foods isn't "extreme," it is the most accurate way to ensure you know how much you're eating.
May I ask a question? When you asked if anyone had any ideas for you, what did you have in mind besides people giving you their ideas?
The vast majority of the time when people aren't losing, it is because they aren't logging accurately. If you are positive you are logging accurately -- despite not knowing exactly how much you are eating, what *do* you think isn't working?14 -
If you aren't losing, it could be because you aren't logging correctly as the others have said. However, did you set your calories or did MFP? And are you eating your exercise calories? Some people don't do well if they are eating too FEW calories and some people don't lose if they eat their exercise calories. Everybody's different. But if I were you, I would let MFP set the calorie target and then log every single bite. Even if it's a cucumber or a stalk of celery.0
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Weigh everything. Even if you are just eating a bunch of fruits and veggies, those can add up. 10 pounds is a small amount, and if you're trying to lose that 10 from an already relatively low BMI, it's going to be more difficult that losing 10 pounds from an overweight or obese BMI. You'll have to be very accurate in logging.
You might see long periods of no loses, or even gain. Also, you just recently starting walking 5 miles and doing circuit training so your muscles might retain water to repair themselves from this new, increased activity level.
Also, you said you want to build a little muscle, and I really hope you mean just a very very very little, because a 1200 calories, that's about all you can expect. At 1200 calories, which is a very aggressive goal for 10 pounds anyway, you're actually more likely to experience muscle loss rather than buildings any, but if you do, it will be minimal. And to go with that desire to build muscle, muscle weighs more than fat, so if you were to increase your calories and do more strength training, you could see weight gain there. Don't be so focused on the 10 pounds. Be more focused on the results in the mirror. Take some pics, and keep measurements.8 -
With 10 pounds to go - weight loss will be slow. Water weight can easily mask weight loss if we are talking about 1 or 2 weigh-ins. Water weight is from higher sodium, time of month, sore muscles, waste, etc.
Weighing food is so helpful, especially fruit. What's a medium apple anyway?2 -
Thanks for your reply. I am soon to be 45 and have recently noticed my energy level has gone down and I don't have the strength I once did. I weigh 139 and I'm 5'3" and have a medium frame. I don't look overweight but I feel like I am all flab and don't have a lot of stamina as I once did. I will sometimes go over in my calories if I have been very active during the day. I will start weighing my food. Thanks for the tips.2
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I really like what BeYoutiful had to say. This is exactly what I need to hear. I am not losing but I REFUSE to admit that I am eating cookies, as a part of my dinner mal. Also refuse to count the FlipSide crackers that I consume daily at my desk. Thank you all for "throwing this cold bucket of water" on my head. This is just the encouragement and truthfulness that I need.6
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BeYouTiful94 wrote: »Weigh everything. Even if you are just eating a bunch of fruits and veggies, those can add up. 10 pounds is a small amount, and if you're trying to lose that 10 from an already relatively low BMI, it's going to be more difficult that losing 10 pounds from an overweight or obese BMI. You'll have to be very accurate in logging.
You might see long periods of no loses, or even gain. Also, you just recently starting walking 5 miles and doing circuit training so your muscles might retain water to repair themselves from this new, increased activity level.
Also, you said you want to build a little muscle, and I really hope you mean just a very very very little, because a 1200 calories, that's about all you can expect. At 1200 calories, which is a very aggressive goal for 10 pounds anyway, you're actually more likely to experience muscle loss rather than buildings any, but if you do, it will be minimal. And to go with that desire to build muscle, muscle weighs more than fat, so if you were to increase your calories and do more strength training, you could see weight gain there. Don't be so focused on the 10 pounds. Be more focused on the results in the mirror. Take some pics, and keep measurements.
Agree with everything but this. 1 pound of muscle weighs the same as 1 pound of fat. Its just that a pound of fat takes up more space than a pound of muscle.
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When did you weight yourself on your initial weight? Did you have clothes on, had you just eaten? When do you weigh yourself now? Best to weigh first thing in the morning after you've done your business, then check your weight at the same time the next time you weigh. That can make a big difference.1
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I haven't cheated at all, that's why I'm so frustrated. If I eat a snicker bar I log it but I have honestly eaten what's on my log. A year ago, my log looks pretty much the same except my weight changed drastically!0
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In reply to your response. I weigh myself in the mornings when I get to work. I work in a medical office and use the scales there. My weight generally only fluctuates an ounce or two when I'm not trying to lose weight.0
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You can log everything thing you put in your mouth, but if you're not weighing everything you don't know if you're eating 1200 calories.
If that snickers bar says it's 250 calories per whatever gram(s) it could be upwards of 20% higher than what the package says.3 -
GI index has nothing to do with weight loss. Its calories in/calories out. Simple. I eat poptarts and ice cream and still lose. As long as you are in a deficit you will lose.
The reason I mentioned that I eat from the low glycemic index is because if I ate pop tarts and ice cream I would starve to death! I find that I get to eat more if I eat from this list, I feel fuller longer so I don't go over my calories for the day.
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If you only just started the circuit training, you're probably also retaining water.
I eat ice cream all the time. I have a nice bowl with the choc mint topping when I get home from the rink.0 -
bethcothern wrote: »Well, I haven't gone to the extreme of actually weighing solid foods
This is not extreme and this is what almost everyone here is actually doing. And especially those of us who successfully lose weight.
If you are frustrated like you say, I would really advise you to try at least for a while weighting EVERYTHING you eat and see how it goes. I can in fact promise you it is actually going to work if you do it properly
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Ok it's been a long time since I've started on MFP so I can't remember. Does MFP start you out at 1200 calories or something because every thread says 1200 calories and if that's the case they really need to fix that. Anyway, OP that doesn't sound like enough food. I would increase cals by 100 each week or every 2 weeks and watch your weight and do some trial and error. Fail a few more times so you can learn more about your body.1
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Why you need to weigh your food:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU 1 -
BeYouTiful94 wrote: »Weigh everything. Even if you are just eating a bunch of fruits and veggies, those can add up. 10 pounds is a small amount, and if you're trying to lose that 10 from an already relatively low BMI, it's going to be more difficult that losing 10 pounds from an overweight or obese BMI. You'll have to be very accurate in logging.
You might see long periods of no loses, or even gain. Also, you just recently starting walking 5 miles and doing circuit training so your muscles might retain water to repair themselves from this new, increased activity level.
Also, you said you want to build a little muscle, and I really hope you mean just a very very very little, because a 1200 calories, that's about all you can expect. At 1200 calories, which is a very aggressive goal for 10 pounds anyway, you're actually more likely to experience muscle loss rather than buildings any, but if you do, it will be minimal. And to go with that desire to build muscle, muscle weighs more than fat, so if you were to increase your calories and do more strength training, you could see weight gain there. Don't be so focused on the 10 pounds. Be more focused on the results in the mirror. Take some pics, and keep measurements.
Agree with everything but this. 1 pound of muscle weighs the same as 1 pound of fat. Its just that a pound of fat takes up more space than a pound of muscle.
Therefore, the same VOLUME of muscle weighs less than the same VOLUME of fat. This is what people mean. No one has ever said, in any thread, that 1 pound of one thing weighs more than 1 pound of something else.3 -
chelseafxx wrote: »Ok it's been a long time since I've started on MFP so I can't remember. Does MFP start you out at 1200 calories or something because every thread says 1200 calories and if that's the case they really need to fix that. Anyway, OP that doesn't sound like enough food. I would increase cals by 100 each week or every 2 weeks and watch your weight and do some trial and error. Fail a few more times so you can learn more about your body.
I think many people who start will select the most aggressive plan so they lose as quickly as possible. MFP automatically goes no lower than 1,200 for women, which is why people who don't have as much to lose will post saying that's their daily allotment.
OP, adjust your plan so it's less aggressive. You have less to lose. You should be able to set it to .5 lbs/week.4 -
When I first started on here I thought people who weighed everything they ate were uber obsessive, and i resisted for a long time. But i finally came around, and this was when i realised how much more i was eating than i thought...
Now it's become a habit and i dont even think about it anymore. Best of all i never have to wonder if i'm eating enough, or too much because it's right there in black and white, and i know i'm being as accurate as humanly possible!5 -
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bethcothern wrote: »Well, I haven't gone to the extreme of actually weighing solid foods but I lost about 15 pounds a year or so ago doing the exact same thing except I'm actually a lot more active than I was then. I basically stick to a common sense low glycemic foods diet for the lost part.
Here is your problem then, not weighing = eating more than you think.
When we've only around 10lbs to lose weight loss is slow and best done at .5lb per week so we don't lose too much muscle along with the fat.
Being active is good, helps create more deficit for one thing. If you start logging accurately again you will lose those lbs.
All the best 2 -
When I first started, I was fortunate enough to be fat enough and have a bad enough diet that I didn't have to weigh/measure/count calories for the first 30 pounds
I simply had to eat reasonable serving sizes and make fewer stupid food choices. At a certain point, I had to tighten up my methods. Since the OP is only slightly overweight, she needs to tighten them up now IMO. 5
https://youtu.be/JVjWPclrWVY
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