Eating below my calories but still not losing weight :(
Pittgirl3
Posts: 69 Member
So for the past month, close to a month and a half, I have been working tirelessly to lose weight. I've been getting to the gym 3-4 times a week. I've been meticulously watching what I eat. I've been trying to swap unhealthy foods for healthy foods. I even try to stay under my daily calorie count. My goal is around 1400, but I usually try to stick to the 1,100 to 1,300 on splurge nights. And yet I still have not lost any weight. My friends and family can see a noticible change in my body. And my clothes for differently, but I haven't lost a single pound. I'm starting to lose motivation to do anything.
Can anyone help me out? I know people say the numbers don't matter, but I'm 5'6 and 182lbs. My weight is not good for my health.
Any advice?
Can anyone help me out? I know people say the numbers don't matter, but I'm 5'6 and 182lbs. My weight is not good for my health.
Any advice?
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Replies
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So for the past month, close to a month and a half, I have been working tirelessly to lose weight. I've been getting to the gym 3-4 times a week. I've been meticulously watching what I eat. I've been trying to swap unhealthy foods for healthy foods. I even try to stay under my daily calorie count. My goal is around 1400, but I usually try to stick to the 1,100 to 1,300 on splurge nights. And yet I still have not lost any weight. My friends and family can see a noticible change in my body. And my clothes for differently, but I haven't lost a single pound. I'm starting to lose motivation to do anything.
Can anyone help me out? I know people say the numbers don't matter, but I'm 5'6 and 182lbs. My weight is not good for my health.
Any advice?
Are you weighing and measuring all your food with a food scale?
Are you eating back a portion of your exercise calories?
Can you open your diary so people can give you specific advice?
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Unpossible! Tighten up that logging.0
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Weight loss ≠ getting healthier. Along with what WinoGelato said about opening diary for eating recommendation and analysis think about what you said. Friends and family notice differences and your clothes are fitting differently, Non Scale Victories count just as much!2
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So for the past month, close to a month and a half, I have been working tirelessly to lose weight. I've been getting to the gym 3-4 times a week. I've been meticulously watching what I eat. I've been trying to swap unhealthy foods for healthy foods. I even try to stay under my daily calorie count. My goal is around 1400, but I usually try to stick to the 1,100 to 1,300 on splurge nights. And yet I still have not lost any weight. My friends and family can see a noticible change in my body. And my clothes for differently, but I haven't lost a single pound. I'm starting to lose motivation to do anything.
Can anyone help me out? I know people say the numbers don't matter, but I'm 5'6 and 182lbs. My weight is not good for my health.
Any advice?
Meticulously watching what you eat means nothing without numbers.
Swapping so called unhealthy food for so called healthy food means nothing without numbers. A calorie has the same effect on weight as any other calorie regardless of what its source is.
You say you usually 'try to stick to' and mention 'splurge nights', this is a red flag warning sign of someone who eats more than they think.7 -
Hi Pittgirl3,
Having had a quick look at your diary, I can see that you are not including anything like cooking oils or condiments which you may be using in the preparation and serving of your meals. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil = 124 calories !
Also, it may be that you aren't fully logging your intake or are eating no way near enough food some days. I noticed one day you were eating about 500 calories?
It may be different based on location, but I know for example that a turkey and salad sub with light dressing (6") from Subway contains 370 calories, whereas you have it down as only 280. As you seem to eat prepared foods quite often, be really careful that the calorie/nutrition information is accurate.
I also emphasize what has already been said though. You will have gained muscle mass from all the physical activity which compensates for the fat you will have lost. The fit of your clothes doesn't lie, even if you can't always trust other people! Keep going, you're doing great! It's a marathon.2 -
If you are exercising much more strenuously than you had been, I think water retention is the likeliest culprit. I have had disappointing scale readings after extreme effort, followed by a drop on the scales the day after eating a little more. Maybe it's hormones, maybe it's coincidence, but lightening up on the extremes for a day or two might help you too.5
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No, increased muscle mass is not the cause.
Did you start exercising at the same time as trying to lose weight? There could be water weight masking losses, happens to me a lot and especially when I started or restart after a break with exercise. I swear I should just have a hump and be done with.
In addition, all points about logging are very important too.6 -
You and I almost have the same stats. I'm 5'-6". I started out around 173 lbs. but weighed more the previous years, I'm sure. The only difference is I'm older lol. I definitely do agree it is unhealthy at that weight and this was the reason I wanted to lose the weight. If people are seeing a difference and your clothes are looser, then most likely you are losing.
Weigh yourself in the morning same time & after restroom use. I weighed myself in my birthday suit. If you want to be clothed, make sure you wear the same clothing at each weigh-in.
Take measurements. If you don't know how, google it. I did. I was incorrectly measuring my waist and lost some pretty good starting numbers.
Food scale is a very important tool in my kitchen. I weighed everything during my weight loss journey. I love that nutrition labels have the grams listed!
Record all food and drinks.
Good luck to you, Pittgirl3! Keep at it! Lose clothing should be your motivation-high right now.
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You need to weigh your food. Measuring in cups is not accurate. Even weigh single serving prepackaged foods. Seriously. (Legally packaged food can be 20% more than labelled and they are fined if under so it is in their best interest to give you a little more than a little less.)
Do you cook with olive oil, vegetable oil, spray oil, wine? I'm not seeing any of those kinds of things in your log. No butter or ketchup on anything? Do you ever drink anything with calories?
The hidden calories you've been eating is likely astounding.
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I know it's frustrating when you feel like you've been doing everything right. Unfortunately we can fool ourselves far too easily.
Sorry, I have to agree with what others have said. You don't have any drinks, salad dressings, cooking oils, etc. logged. You've got serving sizes of "1 plate or .5 plate" or "1 slice" but what is that exactly? It depends largely on who does the scooping or cutting of the food and how much of it you eat. Let's take the hibachi steak plate you enter a lot - if they are over by the 20% allowed then you're looking at 411 cals instead of 343 each time you have that. Add up the difference in calories over the course of a month.
You've also got some foods that look inaccurate, such as 2 oz of homemade mac n cheese only being 65 cals. That's not realistic. One ounce of uncooked macaroni is about 100 calories. Then you add the cheese, milk, whatever else and you get the idea. I make homemade mac n cheese all the time, and 2oz of my recipe is 150 cals. I'll be honest, I never eat just 2 oz either!
You also have a few quick calories entries, including one of 600 calories. On one day you only entered 488 calories for the entire day. I sincerely hope you are not eating fewer than 500 calories a day on a regular basis.
It's this type of logging that could be tightened up. You only have 22 pounds to lose, so the results will be incremental and small compared to others who need to lose 50+ pounds. Remember that going to the gym can help you keep your heart in shape and build muscle, but you can't outrun our outlift a bad diet.
To help myself be more accurate, I tend to pre-log foods I eat often. I copy snacks and beverages from one day to the next as soon as I log on, and then adjust as needed throughout the day. I also keep a notepad with me and write down everything I eat and drink, even if it's pre-logged. Then at the end of the day I cross-check to make sure everything that went in my mouth is listed.
It's a lot of work, but it's worth it and has helped me tremendously. You can do it! (Sorry for the long post)
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Are you weighing and measuring all your food with a food scale?
Are you eating back a portion of your exercise calories?
Can you open your diary so people can give you specific advice?
[/quote]
I don't weigh really weigh my meat. Everything else is measured out. I usually guesstimate how much the protein weighs I'm eating.0 -
Meticulously watching what you eat means nothing without numbers.
Swapping so called unhealthy food for so called healthy food means nothing without numbers. A calorie has the same effect on weight as any other calorie regardless of what its source is.
You say you usually 'try to stick to' and mention 'splurge nights', this is a red flag warning sign of someone who eats more than they think.[/quote]
I log pretty much everything I eat. I might take an extra bite of something and not log it, but that's about it. And by a splurge night, I meant that it's one day a week when I eat my suggested number of calories (1460). Every other day of the week, I'm usually eating as close to 1200 as possible.2 -
If you want to change your results, you have to change what you are doing.
Buy a food scale.4 -
Nimbus5000 wrote: »Hi Pittgirl3,
Having had a quick look at your diary, I can see that you are not including anything like cooking oils or condiments which you may be using in the preparation and serving of your meals. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil = 124 calories !
Also, it may be that you aren't fully logging your intake or are eating no way near enough food some days. I noticed one day you were eating about 500 calories?
It may be different based on location, but I know for example that a turkey and salad sub with light dressing (6") from Subway contains 370 calories, whereas you have it down as only 280. As you seem to eat prepared foods quite often, be really careful that the calorie/nutrition information is accurate.
I also emphasize what has already been said though. You will have gained muscle mass from all the physical activity which compensates for the fat you will have lost. The fit of your clothes doesn't lie, even if you can't always trust other people! Keep going, you're doing great! It's a marathon.
I don't usually use cooking oils, so I don't log them and it's hard to log "pinches" and "sprinkles" into my diary. Lol
But that is a good catch on the calories for each meal. I'll have to be more careful about that. Thanks for the advice
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goldthistime wrote: »If you are exercising much more strenuously than you had been, I think water retention is the likeliest culprit. I have had disappointing scale readings after extreme effort, followed by a drop on the scales the day after eating a little more. Maybe it's hormones, maybe it's coincidence, but lightening up on the extremes for a day or two might help you too.
So how do I release the extra water to see my true weight?0 -
goldthistime wrote: »If you are exercising much more strenuously than you had been, I think water retention is the likeliest culprit. I have had disappointing scale readings after extreme effort, followed by a drop on the scales the day after eating a little more. Maybe it's hormones, maybe it's coincidence, but lightening up on the extremes for a day or two might help you too.
So how do I release the extra water to see my true weight?
Diuretics, Sauna suit, Saran Wrap........
Seriously......the number on the scale is not that important. Different scales, different numbers. Different times of day, different numbers. Different times of month (for women) different numbers.
It's ONE number, it's not that important. You are giving that one number too much power.2 -
sugaraddict4321 wrote: »I know it's frustrating when you feel like you've been doing everything right. Unfortunately we can fool ourselves far too easily.
Sorry, I have to agree with what others have said. You don't have any drinks, salad dressings, cooking oils, etc. logged. You've got serving sizes of "1 plate or .5 plate" or "1 slice" but what is that exactly? It depends largely on who does the scooping or cutting of the food and how much of it you eat. Let's take the hibachi steak plate you enter a lot - if they are over by the 20% allowed then you're looking at 411 cals instead of 343 each time you have that. Add up the difference in calories over the course of a month.
You've also got some foods that look inaccurate, such as 2 oz of homemade mac n cheese only being 65 cals. That's not realistic. One ounce of uncooked macaroni is about 100 calories. Then you add the cheese, milk, whatever else and you get the idea. I make homemade mac n cheese all the time, and 2oz of my recipe is 150 cals. I'll be honest, I never eat just 2 oz either!
You also have a few quick calories entries, including one of 600 calories. On one day you only entered 488 calories for the entire day. I sincerely hope you are not eating fewer than 500 calories a day on a regular basis.
It's this type of logging that could be tightened up. You only have 22 pounds to lose, so the results will be incremental and small compared to others who need to lose 50+ pounds. Remember that going to the gym can help you keep your heart in shape and build muscle, but you can't outrun our outlift a bad diet.
To help myself be more accurate, I tend to pre-log foods I eat often. I copy snacks and beverages from one day to the next as soon as I log on, and then adjust as needed throughout the day. I also keep a notepad with me and write down everything I eat and drink, even if it's pre-logged. Then at the end of the day I cross-check to make sure everything that went in my mouth is listed.
It's a lot of work, but it's worth it and has helped me tremendously. You can do it! (Sorry for the long post)
That is absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for the advice. There are some days when I eat less than others (mostly because I stay in bed all day until I'm starving). And I don't drink sugary drinks. I drink water. And if I need a change, water with fruit in it. I don't use condiments because I like the taste of food and I don't usually keep any in the house. I've been meaning to buy mayo for the past 3 months now and have yet to do it lol.
I liked your idea about pre logging everything that you eat. That might be something to try to help with my accountability.
Thanks so much0 -
I weigh and measure everything, I thought. Then I bought a small glass measuring cup that measures tablespoons, ounces, and1/4 cup & up. Turns out that the morning mocha mix I was putting in my coffee was 18 tablespoons. I had guessed 3 or 4 tablespoons. Same with salad dressing, mayonnaise and sauces. I was taking in hundreds of extra calories with condiments.0
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Log everything meticulously to start with as has been suggested. However, let's say that you have been logging meticulously and even going under the calorie requirement, then the issue can be that you are not eating enough calories to lose weight. Yes, I did say that. Going low calorie while working out even somewhat intensely can be a great way to self-sabotage your weight loss efforts. Briefly, your body lowers your metabolism in response to thinking it's starving.
As a nutritionist at the club where I was working out years ago and complaining about the same thing told me, "Oh for Pete's sake, eat a piece of peanut butter toast." ( I was doing very low fat.)
Do some more research on this, but honestly, if you try to outsmart the plan, your body will outsmart you.0 -
So when you log something from the database like Prego spagetti, and it gives a calorie count of 100 calories per whatever, are the noodles to be added separately? what about something like Starkist Tuna creations. I always add boiled eggs & mayo, should that be logged separately as well? I'm new to this so PLEASE bear with me. One last question, my daily goal is 1380. If I log my morning walk, that increases depending on the distance I've walked. If I don't get close to the 1380, it says I NOT eating enough? Can someone PLEASE advise?0
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melaniemetoyer wrote: »So when you log something from the database like Prego spagetti, and it gives a calorie count of 100 calories per whatever, are the noodles to be added separately? what about something like Starkist Tuna creations. I always add boiled eggs & mayo, should that be logged separately as well? I'm new to this so PLEASE bear with me. One last question, my daily goal is 1380. If I log my morning walk, that increases depending on the distance I've walked. If I don't get close to the 1380, it says I NOT eating enough? Can someone PLEASE advise?
You might want to start your own thread, but yes, you need to log everything you're adding to a food because the website has no way of knowing what things people might be adding to their meals. If you log a pouch of tuna, you will need to log whatever you add to it. If you log pasta sauce, you will need to log the pasta you add.
MFP's calorie goals are set before exercise. It's designed for you to eat back the calories you burn through activity. So assuming your estimate of calories burned is accurate, you will still lose weight if you eat back the extra calories you "earn" through activity. Some people eat back just a portion (50-75%) to account for potential over-estimates.1 -
thanks janejellyroll
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Your profile says you lost 7 pounds. If that was within this month, that's a great amount.
If you're looking to lose 29 pounds and you lost 7 in a month, don't be too worried, that rate is pretty good!
If you're going to look for perfection though, make sure you're weighing and measuring everything, check each food item for accuracy.2
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