Not losing at all

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prplhaz300
prplhaz300 Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I am reaching out because I just don't know what else to do. I have used MFP in the past and I lost about 75 pounds about 5 years ago. Then I went back to old habits and got totally stressed out and gained back every pound. So I had actually decided to suck it up and look into Bariatric surgery as the gastric sleeve has taken away the majority of the awful consequences of the Bypass surgery and then found out 2 months ago that my insurance doesn't cover any procedures. I decided I could do this myself, I had done so well before. I have some knee problems which makes working out difficult at this time which I didn't before but I just figured I would lose slower. I am not losing at all. I am drinking 10-12 cups of water a day. I not only count calories but I watch my macros and my nutrients to try and stay balanced. I have not had any cheat days and have been religious about recording all items that enter my mouth. I am on day 51 today and haven't lost an ounce since the first 2 weeks. I even started doing some exercising to try and get things going but nothing. My calories are set for me to lose 2 pounds a week and for a sedentary lifestyle so I figured I would lose something each week. Any other suggestions??

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  • __leis__
    __leis__ Posts: 100 Member
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    The first thing everyone is going to ask is do you weigh your food. If you do, talk to your dr. If you dont, start now. Best of luck, you can totally do this!
  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
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    There is a very good video on YouTube that I'm hoping someone will post for you as I can't find it for the life of me, but it shows just how easy it is to underestimate your calorie intake. If you have recorded everything and not lost weight then I'm afraid this must be the cause.

    Check this simple flow chart: 127w9sygosyu.jpeg
  • prplhaz300
    prplhaz300 Posts: 26 Member
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    I don't weigh food anymore, I did the first time around but I measure everything so that I am only getting the correct serving size. And I almost always end my day with surplus calories just in case I have underestimated any counts. I wear a Garmin Vivoactive and although it tells me I have extra calories from just my normal lifestyle walking around, I ignore that because normal walking doesn't count as exercise. I will sometimes eat back some exercise calories on the days I do work out but never all of them. I don't take any medications. I don't know. It is really starting to bother me. Thank you for the flow chart!
  • hiyomi
    hiyomi Posts: 906 Member
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    prplhaz300 wrote: »
    I don't weigh food anymore, I did the first time around but I measure everything so that I am only getting the correct serving size. And I almost always end my day with surplus calories just in case I have underestimated any counts. I wear a Garmin Vivoactive and although it tells me I have extra calories from just my normal lifestyle walking around, I ignore that because normal walking doesn't count as exercise. I will sometimes eat back some exercise calories on the days I do work out but never all of them. I don't take any medications. I don't know. It is really starting to bother me. Thank you for the flow chart!

    If you don't mind me asking, what's your height/weight? female/male?
  • prplhaz300
    prplhaz300 Posts: 26 Member
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    No, I only weighed the food the first time until I learned the sizes of the portions. I quit after the first month and lost for over 6 months, never weighed food again. Thanks. I am 52 years old, female, 5'5" and 311 lbs.
  • megsb1991
    megsb1991 Posts: 22 Member
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    Hi there, I'm so sorry that you're feeling so down about this. I know its incredibly frustrating.

    Firstly, what I would say is that I cannot back up what these guys are saying enough!!
    When I first started MFP last year, I didn't see the point in scales and just guessed based on handfuls etc.
    As soon as I got my *kitten* in gear and purchased some good digital scales, the weight begin to trickle away. I did lots of research online as to how much you need of certain things and I stuck to it.

    I'm also awful for putting that extra bit on my plate or sneaking in snacks but I've made myself listen to my body. I always got concerned that when my stomach rumbled that I obviously needed to eat but as a GP friend told me, your body needs to get used to the less amount and not rely on what you ate before.

    What I also noticed is that you talk about the 51st day and counting everything to the book. Try to think of using MFP to help you obviously get to a better weight but also to just feel healthier and more energised in general. It should be a lifestyle change, not a fixation on what you eat. (Im so sorry if that's a little harsh)

    Carry on!! Keep going! You can absolutely do it and prove that you can live a healthy lifestyle without medical assistance.

    Good Luck!!
  • prplhaz300
    prplhaz300 Posts: 26 Member
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    The only thing that I know of that is different is that I work full time night shift now. I worked days 5 years ago. I don't know if that just has my Circadian rhythm so goofed up that my metabolism is toast. It still should just be calories in and calories burned but it just seems like it's not working. I am also post menopausal now so I know it's harder to lose but again calories in and calories burned, right?
  • sharondjs
    sharondjs Posts: 676 Member
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    Time to start weighing again i watched people use measuring cups etc and say what they think is in them never ever correct . there's a couple of great video's on here .. How many calories a day are you having and is your diary open maybe someone in this thread could have a look and see for you
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Stress and lack of sleep do impact hormones. Perhaps you can drop caffeine levels. Excess caffeine can increase stress (if you do drink it). I found drinking green tea to be soothing. It has 75% less caffeine.
  • sharondjs
    sharondjs Posts: 676 Member
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    This is one of the video's on here it's an eye opener when you don't weigh food , it's about an extra 1300 calories a day
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU&feature=player_embedded



  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
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    Thanks @sharondjs that's exactly the video I was looking for. OP, take the time to view this as its quite an eye opener how easy it is to wipe out the calorie deficit you think you have just through misjudgement on portion size. There have also been many interesting threads where people have weighed out 'a portion' from a packet food e.g say a breaded chicken breast, and found the actual weight can easily be 10-20% different to what's stated on the packet, so your calories can be up to 20% higher than the value on the pack/mfp listing against a portion. Give weighing a go for a few weeks, just think, it's worth the extra hassle for just a short time so that you know 100% then that that is not the root of your issues. Don't forget to include all the drinks, sauces, cooking oils, butter etc. Good luck with your journey, I'm sure it'll all come good in the end for you as you're clearly motivated to make a change.
  • prplhaz300
    prplhaz300 Posts: 26 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I will weighing.
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
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    About working on third shift. This is purely anecdotal and I have no experience with this myself, but I have a friend whose daughter became gravely ill when she was in her late 40s. The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. She is a nurse and had been working long shifts at night for years. When she was able to get her schedule changed, she recovered. Some people do have an awful time working at night and I've read that a lot of people have weight issues when they do.

    I am with you on the food weighing--I don't do it. I've never had to. I did weigh some things in the beginning to get an idea of portions, etc., just as you did. But the suggestion to weigh your food is not unreasonable. Lots of MFPers swear by it.

    And there is one other thing. You could have a metabolism that hasn't bounced back from when you lost your weight before. This does happen, esp. if you lost your weight rapidly. There have been articles in The New York Times (The Biggest Loses) and Atlantic (pushing back against the Times' piece) about this issue. This was also covered on HBO's The Weight of The Nation. For some people, and no one knows exactly why, the CICO formula is not so straightforward. BUT, it is not like this for everyone.

    What does your doctor say about your weight? Have you had any tests?

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