Y am I not losing weight?

CharlieBeansmomTracey · May 2016

a dietitian is a better option than a nutritionist.

queenliz99 · May 2016

NewMEEE2016 wrote: »

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ardrasdesign wrote: »

You are likely not eating enough. Your body wants to hang on to what you got. I eat 1500 as a base amount. That is the amount to maintain the blood bone and lean tissue in my body. Then I add for my exercise. Sometimes I stop loosing. I only have 15 to 20 lbs to lose. I am at a plateau myself. Don't do it to lose. Do it to have some fun. Set little goals and don't quit. It takes a long time and being consistent. Good Luck. Don't eat carbs. Try a majority of your calories as fat and protein.

I eat 30% HEALTHY carbs- fruits, vegetables, full fat dairy. I eat ZERO refined carbs. There is a difference. I do agree that the OP may not be eating ENOUGH. I highly recommend seeing a nutritionist (my insurance pays 100%, no copay).

Nope, the op is eating more than she thinks. Eating more is not the answer.

nutmegoreo · May 2016

Wow! I just don't even know what to say... I just keeps getting worse in here.

OP, I hope you are finding some helpful stuff in here. If you aren't losing weight, you are either (and I'm not saying any of this is your fault, or intentional) eating more than you realize, and/or burning fewer calories than you think. These things are the most common issues faced by new users who are not having success. It's not your fault, it just takes some tweaking to get it right.

The food scale is for improved accuracy. As already stated, even prepackaged foods can be off significantly, which can wipe out your deficit. I was truly saddened when I saw how tiny and actual serving of cheese really is.

The next area of inaccuracy is the database. It is mostly user entered, and therefor prone to errors along with regional differences in macro/micro and calorie make up. For example, my cereal, when I search it, comes up with about 10 entries, all with a different calorie count than what it says on the box. I'm in Canada, some of our products are different for some reason. So make sure you check the database entries that you are using.

Third, exercise calories as determined by MFP and many other calculators are a rough estimate. Start with only eating about half back, and monitor for a few weeks. Adjust up or down based on your results. If you are losing at the rate you expected, then awesome! If not, adjust your calorie intake up or down accordingly. The calculators use best guesstimates, your real life experience is the only one that will really matter in the end.

It makes sense to start with looking at these three factors first and foremost, because they are easily within your control. It is much nicer, in my opinion, to discover that your ability to achieve your goals is within your power than to have it be because of some mysterious medical malady (or an actual one). Your responses indicate that you are understanding the importance of these things. My post is more for the lurkers who are seeing some of the ongoing bunk.

dragon_girl26 · May 2016

NewMEEE2016 wrote: »

show previous quotes

ardrasdesign wrote: »

You are likely not eating enough. Your body wants to hang on to what you got. I eat 1500 as a base amount. That is the amount to maintain the blood bone and lean tissue in my body. Then I add for my exercise. Sometimes I stop loosing. I only have 15 to 20 lbs to lose. I am at a plateau myself. Don't do it to lose. Do it to have some fun. Set little goals and don't quit. It takes a long time and being consistent. Good Luck. Don't eat carbs. Try a majority of your calories as fat and protein.

I eat 30% HEALTHY carbs- fruits, vegetables, full fat dairy. I eat ZERO refined carbs. There is a difference. I do agree that the OP may not be eating ENOUGH. I highly recommend seeing a nutritionist (my insurance pays 100%, no copay).

If the OP isn't losing weight, it isn't because she's not eating enough. As stated many times in this thread, starvation mode is not a thing.

Syleyna · May 2016

I haven't read 6 pages worth of thread- but it's only a 2 week stall. Likely if you were losing weight previously that there's nothing wrong with your current eating habits, your body is just catching up. Give it another 2 weeks and I reckon you'll see a weight-loss whoosh. Be patient.

MichelleLea122 · May 2016

To the people still giving advice

1) OP doesn't weigh her food
2) It's only been 2 weeks

She needs to start tracking accurately and be patient. End of story.

nostressma · May 2016

Which scale does everyone use to weigh there food

bpetrosky · May 2016

nostressma wrote: »

Which scale does everyone use to weigh there food

Brand doesn't really matter, and it doesn't have to be an expensive one. I only have a few critieria:

Digital
Turns on fast
Tare function (almost every scale has it)
Can easily set the units to grams (i.e. no buttons on the bottom that have to be used every time it turns on)

Lukdbestucan16 · May 2016

luicaralex wrote: »

I am having the same issue as well for some reason I keep eating over my calories. I did this once before and it helped but for some reason its not working as well. It seems like Im starving all the time.

Honestly.eating 1200 cals for me..I feel soo hungry..lol.but thumbs up to those who do.

Nikion901 · May 2016

Who knows? No one actually knows although we all think we do based on what we have read, been told, etc. ... But chances are good if you are not losing any weight that you are eating more than you think you are and not burning off as much as you think you are.

Lukdbestucan16 · May 2016

TresaAswegan wrote: »

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tenshi614 wrote: »

diannethegeek wrote: »

Just to reiterate:

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.

Ok, most.of this I do, I use the recipe builder thing and I do log everything, my fiance says I'm ocd about it. I am not always hungry, so I don't eat all the calories back, I usually only eat cereal 4 breakfast and a glass of oj, for lunch a salad or sandwich, or a sub from subway, I use the barcode mostly for everything and I do make sure it correct. I do have stress and a 1 yr old I deal with. But it has only been 2 weeks so I guess I'm just expecting 2 see results right away.

Do you measure the OJ and milk on the cereal? Are you counting all the "extras" on that sub? Veggies, cheese, condiments? Maybe you logged the condiments, but they were generous and gave you double that amount.
And as mentioned, the bar code method isn't very accurate without weight. I eat prepackaged cookies a few times a week, and I used to think "this is prepacked, it's probably right." Then I weighed it, and it weighs much more than the package says.
Many entries come up for "banana, small" but your idea of "small" may be 50 calories more than that entry.
This is where some people run into trouble with eyeballing.. I for one am "greedy" with my servings unless I weight things. A tablespoon of peanut butter? Ok, but I heap it up as much as I can! Weighing things prevents me from cheating myself out of a calorie deficit and feeling like I worked so hard for it.

Very funny on the peanut butter

Christine_72 · May 2016

synacious wrote: »

Okay, I've finally read up on all the comments I've missed in this thread and now I have some questions.

RE: Calories from walking. I see a lot of people in here saying you don't earn much from walking, but I'm 5'3.5" and 111 pounds and I earn around 300 to 400 from walking for an hour as per my Fitbit Charge HR, depending on where I'm walking. I know it's accurate because I eat back my calories and haven't gained weight at all. In fact, my rate of loss is faster than expected and I'm only in the process of shedding a few post-bulk pounds. I walk 4 miles per hour though, so is that the reason why? Is the average speed of walking really that much slower? For example, yesterday I walked for 1:33:43 and burned 529 calories. There were some hills and some level surfaces. The total distance was 6 miles. Anyone else have a similar calorie burn for walking?

@synacious I walked 7.7 miles yesterday and got an extra 676 calories. I'm 5'8, 148lbs. Fitbit zip, zero incline/hills.

ericatoday · May 2016

The calories youre told you burn are an estimate so while you think you are burning over 500 calories you could have only burned 350. Or maybe you arent calculating your food correctly. Or it could be what youre eating. If youre eating lots of processed foods like 100calorie snack packs or low fat dairy. I keep my diary open if youd like to add me and get ideas. I love looking at my friends diaries

cerise_noir · May 2016

NewMEEE2016 wrote: »

show previous quotes

ardrasdesign wrote: »

You are likely not eating enough. Your body wants to hang on to what you got. I eat 1500 as a base amount. That is the amount to maintain the blood bone and lean tissue in my body. Then I add for my exercise. Sometimes I stop loosing. I only have 15 to 20 lbs to lose. I am at a plateau myself. Don't do it to lose. Do it to have some fun. Set little goals and don't quit. It takes a long time and being consistent. Good Luck. Don't eat carbs. Try a majority of your calories as fat and protein.

I eat 30% HEALTHY carbs- fruits, vegetables, full fat dairy. I eat ZERO refined carbs. There is a difference. I do agree that the OP may not be eating ENOUGH. I highly recommend seeing a nutritionist (my insurance pays 100%, no copay).

So, you're saying that if one eats refined carbs they'll gain weight? Funny, because I lost over 80lbs by including refined carbs every day....

And if OP wasn't eating enough, they'd be losing weight. OP isn't weighing her food and eating more than she thinks. Simple.

upoffthemat · May 2016

This thread is sponsored by The Onion right?

Queenmunchy · May 2016

@nostressma I've had this one for almost ten years and it still works well http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Precision-Products-6-6-Pound-Platform/dp/B001DQOEIE

kuranda10 · May 2016

synacious wrote: »

There was a post on these boards a few weeks ago where a user claimed how Fitbit was so off and gave them so many extra calories that they gained weight eating them. They then went on to state how they'd get 7000+ steps for driving without walking anywhere. Well, duh, no wonder you got hundreds of extra calories and gained weight eating them back. I blame that error on the user, not Fitbit. If you know you didn't walk those steps, why are you not logging into Fitbit and reporting that as driving time instead of whining about how it gave you extra calories and you gained weight when you're the one who chose to eat them? I also see people who think the TDEE number Fitbit gives are the calories you should eat back. People who assume they burned 1500 from exercise when it's their BMR + activity for the day thus far.

I drive a manual shift up and down a mountain so I get a lot of non-step steps and floors climbed.

There's an app, DriveBit that you start and stop when you're driving (or a passenger). It automatically converts the steps to a driving activity.

neohdiver · May 2016

Erfw7471 wrote: »

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neohdiver wrote: »

twinnermom441 wrote: »

You also may not be drinking enough water every day. You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in water. I drink a gallon of water every single day (well over the half my body weight). Sometimes more depending on my workouts-I sweat a lot!!!!!

You weigh less than 16.68 pounds? (A gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs)

The recommendation to drink at least half of your body weight in water daily (more than 14 gallons a day for most people) is dangerous misinformation. http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/water-intoxication

The common recommendation of drinking half your body weight is how many ounces to drink - I weigh 133 lbs. so I would drink approximately 70 oz.

Good clarification, because anyone following what the post actually said would be dead or heading for the ER. Seems to be par for this thread,

kgirlhart · May 2016

@pumpkinRIP02 You are supposed to eat back the exercise calories if you use MFP to set your goal. Most people will eat back 50-75% in case the estimate is wrong, but she is doing it right. OP it is especially important to eat back some of the exercise calories when your set at 1200 calories per day. Get a food scale and be patient. It has only been a couple of weeks.

AnnPT77 · May 2016

bpetrosky wrote: »

show previous quotes

nostressma wrote: »

Which scale does everyone use to weigh there food

Brand doesn't really matter, and it doesn't have to be an expensive one. I only have a few critieria:
Digital

Turns on fast

Tare function (almost every scale has it)

Can easily set the units to grams (i.e. no buttons on the bottom that have to be used every time it turns on)

I'd add one more: Has a maximum weight high enough that you can use it to weigh a whole pan full of soup/stew/whatever, whole dish of casserole ingredients, or something similar.

ogtmama · May 2016

Erfw7471 wrote: »

show previous quotes

neohdiver wrote: »

twinnermom441 wrote: »

You also may not be drinking enough water every day. You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in water. I drink a gallon of water every single day (well over the half my body weight). Sometimes more depending on my workouts-I sweat a lot!!!!!

You weigh less than 16.68 pounds? (A gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs)

The recommendation to drink at least half of your body weight in water daily (more than 14 gallons a day for most people) is dangerous misinformation. http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/water-intoxication

The common recommendation of drinking half your body weight is how many ounces to drink - I weigh 133 lbs. so I would drink approximately 70 oz.

That study was also bought and paid for by Evian. It's nonsense.

misskarne · May 2016

AnnPT77 wrote: »

show previous quotes

bpetrosky wrote: »

nostressma wrote: »

Which scale does everyone use to weigh there food

Brand doesn't really matter, and it doesn't have to be an expensive one. I only have a few critieria:
Digital

Turns on fast

Tare function (almost every scale has it)

Can easily set the units to grams (i.e. no buttons on the bottom that have to be used every time it turns on)

I'd add one more: Has a maximum weight high enough that you can use it to weigh a whole pan full of soup/stew/whatever, whole dish of casserole ingredients, or something similar.

+1 this though I would specify: pan of lasagna. Darn it.

LAC73167 · May 2016

I agree with weighIng everything however, pay close attention to your sugar intake. I stopped losing too and I'm eating 1200 calories a day. I started paying really close attention to my macros, especially sugar (it's in EVERYTHING!!) Eat less processed foods (none if possible) drink lots of water (I put lemon and cucumbers in mine) and keep moving as much as possible. Since watching my sugar (keeping under 20g a day) and following the rest I just explained, I've lost 7.5 lbs the last 2 weeks. Good luck! Don't get discouraged

NewMEEE2016 · May 2016

@tenshi614 If you want to share your food diary (go to "settings", I think), we can take a look and see if anything looks amiss. Is there ANYTHING that you are not logging? There are many food labels that give incorrect info. "No calorie" cooking spray is NOT no cal for example (just OIL) and if you use a LOT it can add up.

NewMEEE2016 · May 2016

nostressma wrote: »

Which scale does everyone use to weigh there food

This is the one I have- and I am IN LOVE w/it. Extremely easy to use & very compact. I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond. It was one of the least expensive at around $25. (and they always have those 20% off coupons). http://www.amazon.com/Sharper-Image-Precision-Digital-Scale/dp/B014Z5BFMC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462682510&sr=8-1&keywords=sharper+image+kitchen+scale

NewMEEE2016 · May 2016

cerise_noir wrote: »

show previous quotes

NewMEEE2016 wrote: »

ardrasdesign wrote: »

You are likely not eating enough. Your body wants to hang on to what you got. I eat 1500 as a base amount. That is the amount to maintain the blood bone and lean tissue in my body. Then I add for my exercise. Sometimes I stop loosing. I only have 15 to 20 lbs to lose. I am at a plateau myself. Don't do it to lose. Do it to have some fun. Set little goals and don't quit. It takes a long time and being consistent. Good Luck. Don't eat carbs. Try a majority of your calories as fat and protein.

I eat 30% HEALTHY carbs- fruits, vegetables, full fat dairy. I eat ZERO refined carbs. There is a difference. I do agree that the OP may not be eating ENOUGH. I highly recommend seeing a nutritionist (my insurance pays 100%, no copay).

So, you're saying that if one eats refined carbs they'll gain weight? Funny, because I lost over 80lbs by including refined carbs every day....

And if OP wasn't eating enough, they'd be losing weight. OP isn't weighing her food and eating more than she thinks. Simple.

You are putting words in my mouth. I NEVER said that. I said that there is a difference between refined carbs and carbs in general. I don't believe it is healthy to cut out ALL carbs (ie, all fruits, veggies, dairy). Getting into the right calorie deficit should result in weight loss no matter WHAT you eat. So, theoretically if one wanted to eat 1200 cals of Twinkies, I suppose one could- and as long as that was a deficit, one would lose weight. (I'm not sure how attractive that person would look though)

My goal is not just to "lose weight" but to gain *health*. Hence, I prefer foods that are filling and very rich in nutrients. I also find that for me personally, refined carbs are a "trigger" food. If they're not for you, great- and congrats on your loss.

I'm very happy w/my plan & it's working for me (29 lbs since Jan 1).

pcpop7 · May 2016

So many laughs in this thread. OP weigh your food and carry on.

pumpkinRIP02 · May 2016

I have been taking pictures for my Facebook and making Specail Dietary Needs Album on it.

pumpkinRIP02 · May 2016

koreangurl wrote: »

Could be that you are not counting calories properly? When I lost 40 pounds with the 3 week regime, reviewyu.com/3-week-diet-program-lose-20-pounds-21-days, it taught me how to introduce refeeds. I would introduce re-feed days every two weeks to prevent my metabolic from plateauing. In 5-6 months I've managed to lose 40 pounds. If you don't know, re-feeds is where you would increase your carbohydrate by 100 percent or more for one day. This will increase your bodies’ leptins levels, which is a fat burning hormone. When you stay in a caloric deficit for too long, your bodies leptins levels naturally drop. This was with light exercise, twice a week to ensure that I don't sit at my desk all day. You can learn more this in depth by googling it.

Interesting, I might ask my Dietary aid about this.

kiwiwizard · May 2016

I recommend u purchase a metabolic scale to weigh yourself. U don't say if you've noticed any body changes with all the walking plus restricted caloric intake??? It's quite possible that you have been losing fat but gaining muscle. A regular scale is like looking thru a key hole and a metabolic scale that provides you with fat weight, lean muscle mass, water weight, etc is like opening the door wide and getting a much better view of what is going on with your body.

Y am I not losing weight?

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