No scale progress - Can someone briefly check my numbers?
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Rewind1387
Posts: 8 Member
Hello!
I've lost and gained weight many times, so I'm not really new to the process, but I'm having a really difficult time the past couple weeks. I got back on the wagon after several months in the beginning of July. I've been tracking about 40 days and still can't break down to 10 pounds lost. I started at approximately 240 and right now fluctuate between 231.2 and 233 and can't seem to get lower than that. It's been a bit over two weeks. I've never had such trouble in the beginning weeks, and it's getting really frustrating to be slowing so early. Anyway, let me run some numbers by you guys and see if you can help me come up with some ideas of what's going on.
29F/5ft5in/231.2-233
Last Month my goal was 1500-1700 (I do better with ranges) - was not sticking to it all that well.
The past few weeks I have dropped my goal to 1400 to see if I could get my loss going again. It has not helped at all. I'm not perfect on a day to day basis, but have been doing better the past month than I was at the beginning of July.
Calculated TDEE: 2134 Sedentary
Current Workout: 25+ minutes per day (Mostly cardio, some bodyweight resistance)/6 days per week/1 day completely off, I also get in an evening walk for 30 - 60 minutes about 3 times a week
Job: Standing/Walking - Generally, work 3 days per week 6 to 8 hours. Off days are somewhat sedentary, so I on and off get in walks.
Currently working on: Eating more whole foods - I know I fall to packaged carbs quite a bit. I have made some progress, but not there yet.
My diary is open, and any ideas you could give me would be really helpful. I have never felt so discouraged just ~6weeks in. I really don't want to give into the part of my brain that is telling me it's just not worth it. I feel like I could regain my entire 6 week loss in one week.
I do weigh everything I eat, log honestly (even on crap days), and compare the listings I choose with the manufacturer nutrition facts or google (to see if it's around the average listed for that item) when I log.
Thanks!
*Edit* I realize I eat a lot of processed foods (especially on work days) - I know I should be eating more whole foods, and am working some in. However, I am still having a deficit based on CICOv even with the processed foods, so theoretically that shouldn't be causing a slow, right?
I've lost and gained weight many times, so I'm not really new to the process, but I'm having a really difficult time the past couple weeks. I got back on the wagon after several months in the beginning of July. I've been tracking about 40 days and still can't break down to 10 pounds lost. I started at approximately 240 and right now fluctuate between 231.2 and 233 and can't seem to get lower than that. It's been a bit over two weeks. I've never had such trouble in the beginning weeks, and it's getting really frustrating to be slowing so early. Anyway, let me run some numbers by you guys and see if you can help me come up with some ideas of what's going on.
29F/5ft5in/231.2-233
Last Month my goal was 1500-1700 (I do better with ranges) - was not sticking to it all that well.
The past few weeks I have dropped my goal to 1400 to see if I could get my loss going again. It has not helped at all. I'm not perfect on a day to day basis, but have been doing better the past month than I was at the beginning of July.
Calculated TDEE: 2134 Sedentary
Current Workout: 25+ minutes per day (Mostly cardio, some bodyweight resistance)/6 days per week/1 day completely off, I also get in an evening walk for 30 - 60 minutes about 3 times a week
Job: Standing/Walking - Generally, work 3 days per week 6 to 8 hours. Off days are somewhat sedentary, so I on and off get in walks.
Currently working on: Eating more whole foods - I know I fall to packaged carbs quite a bit. I have made some progress, but not there yet.
My diary is open, and any ideas you could give me would be really helpful. I have never felt so discouraged just ~6weeks in. I really don't want to give into the part of my brain that is telling me it's just not worth it. I feel like I could regain my entire 6 week loss in one week.
I do weigh everything I eat, log honestly (even on crap days), and compare the listings I choose with the manufacturer nutrition facts or google (to see if it's around the average listed for that item) when I log.
Thanks!
*Edit* I realize I eat a lot of processed foods (especially on work days) - I know I should be eating more whole foods, and am working some in. However, I am still having a deficit based on CICOv even with the processed foods, so theoretically that shouldn't be causing a slow, right?
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Replies
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your protein is a bit low and your sodium is pretty high - so if you're not drinking enough water then water retention could be masking some weight loss.
Do you weigh everything you eat with scales?
that being said, you've lost 7lbs is a month, which is a really good rate of loss, so it may be that the last week or so is just the normal fluctuations, as weight loss isn't linear.
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TavistockToad wrote: »your protein is a bit low and your sodium is pretty high - so if you're not drinking enough water then water retention could be masking some weight loss.
Do you weigh everything you eat with scales?
that being said, you've lost 7lbs is a month, which is a really good rate of loss, so it may be that the last week or so is just the normal fluctuations, as weight loss isn't linear.
Yes, I am weighing everything with scales. If it was just a week I wouldn't be annoyed as much - it has been about since the 25th. I think most of the sodium is from the prepackaged items. I'm hoping to cut down on them, as it is especially a problem on work days. Maybe I'm just stressing too much about it, I was expecting plateaus after the first couple months (I know two weeks isn't really a plateau yet), was just hoping I wouldn't have so many stagnant weeks right in the beginning I guess.0 -
Ultimately it is CICO. Make sure you are weighing your solids, measure your liquids and don't forget oils and seasoning when you are cooking. Also there are some bad entries for some foods so if you're unsure of something check the USDA or manufacturers website or packaging for the most reliable data.
Having said that I find that I do better when I keep my carb and sodium intake in check and drink lots of water. Carbs make me bloat. Fat and protein keep me full.
Hang in there. You've lost some weight and that's great!0 -
I know that it's the deficit that counts, but judging by yesterday, you eat a LOT of processed food.... Kellogs, Special K, Cheetos, Lean Cuisine...
Try making for example baked chicken strips covered in oats with some joghurt mixed with fresh squeezed lemon juice, it came out really nice for me. Instead of bought dressings I make a lot of my own based on greek jogurt (e.g. tzatziki = greek yo. with cut up cucumber and herbs etc)
it's much harder to eat a lot of calories when you eat whole foods, whereas with cheetos you eat a handful and that should be enough for a whole meal
good luck!0 -
You've probably heard this before, but weight loss isn't linear. Try not to get disheartened. Despite being in a deficit, I can hang around the same number for up to a fortnight due to water weight, hormones, ToM, mysterious other factors - and then I lose a few pounds in the same week. Patience is the way to go. But yeah I know it's hard.
I took a look at your diary and did some maths.
Over the last 38 days - your average daily intake has been 1728 cals.
Going by a weight loss of approx 8 pounds, this has also meant an average daily loss of 737 cals. This works out at roughly a pound and a half a week.
Overall you have a daily TDEE of 2465 cals.
That implies if you continue to exercise consistently at the rate you currently are, in theory you can eat up to 2465 cals a day to maintain your weight.
But, as I said at the start, weight loss isn't linear and as you have said you lost some quickly and now its tapered off.
If you are shooting for a 2 pound loss a week, then eating around 1400 cals a day should do it, if you continue your current exercise regime. For this calculation you do not eat your calories back as it's based on TDEE and not NEAT.
In a months time, reevaluate your calories and loss again.
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What I see in your diary is the following:
Entries not in weight such as butter, cottage cheese, rice, sausages
Entries in oz
generic entries
non consistent brands (fine if you are using different brands)
homemade entries (which are fine if you made them....but based on the other entries you didn't)
but mainly weight loss is not linear...stress, sodium, new exercise etc can cause water retention which can mask weight loss...
your logging could use some cleaning up...just to ensure you are eating the calories you think...
but to be frank I wouldn't stress over it too much right now...if you haven't lost anything...I mean nothing...no scale movement at all...in 6 weeks that's when I would get worried...
but if you see scale movement down then back up...yah no worries.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html
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8lbs in 38 days when you are aiming for a 500 cal a day deficit (ie a lb a week loss) is on track. Don't sweat. Check your logging. Persevere.0
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I 100% agree that weight loss isn't linear from personal experience. Like you, I have lost weight on and off for a few years now, almost every time I would drop pounds extremely fast and was consistent with the weight loss. In January of this past year I had started dieting and exercising again and had lost 2 pounds in 2 MONTHS! In the past I had lost almost 25 lbs in two and a half months!! I kept on trying and eventually lost 15 lbs in 5 months, but I had gotten frustrated with the slow results and stopped dieting again. Come July I restarted dieting and again, the pounds were flying off like before! I've been dieting for almost three weeks now and have lost 7 lbs, and I'm positive it wasn't just poop weight or anything because I had been consistently weighing myself before that!0
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I 100% agree that weight loss isn't linear from personal experience. Like you, I have lost weight on and off for a few years now, almost every time I would drop pounds extremely fast and was consistent with the weight loss. In January of this past year I had started dieting and exercising again and had lost 2 pounds in 2 MONTHS! In the past I had lost almost 25 lbs in two and a half months!! I kept on trying and eventually lost 15 lbs in 5 months, but I had gotten frustrated with the slow results and stopped dieting again. Come July I restarted dieting and again, the pounds were flying off like before! I've been dieting for almost three weeks now and have lost 7 lbs, and I'm positive it wasn't just poop weight or anything because I had been consistently weighing myself before that!
This is probably most of what's driving me nuts. 10 pounds in a month was a cinch before (even around the same weight I'm at now) every time I have lost weight. It would slow down, but the first 2-3 months were always great losses (~10+/month). Maybe if I just push through it and add more whole foods eventually I'll get a bit of a whoosh or at least start seeing my numbers drop below 230 - that would at least feel like I've made some tangible progress.0 -
TOM/hormones give me two weeks a month where my weight goes up before it comes back down. As a female - your hormones/cycle have an impact on your weight but its impossible to know how unless you track it. If you are a daily weigher then commit to weighing in for 90 days/3 months so you can see the trend.
You ARE losing weight. Some days you just have to remind yourself to trust the science and know that your efforts will show eventually. Our bodies are not efficient so what we do today may not show up tomorrow. It may be next week or even later.
Consider your options: a) give up and be worse off in a few months than you are now or b) keep going, eating at a reasonable deficit and be better off in a few months. If eating 1500-1700 is something you can do long term, then that is probably a good goal for you.1 -
What I see in your diary is the following:
Entries not in weight such as butter, cottage cheese, rice, sausages
Entries in oz
- I do weigh my products whenever possible: I use a brand that I can't find on MFP, don't use the app so it's not convenient to add while prepping food, so I choose XYZ brand which has the same calories. I weigh 113g (80 cals) of my brand and log 0.5cup (80cals) of XYZ brand. Not logged 100% accurate b/c macros and stuff, but calories are accurate. This is why the brands switch back and forth too, it's just based on what I can find (Since MFP doesn't seem to let you add things to your favorites unless you add them into the database).
- My grocery makes sausages and there is no listed nutrition information I can find on them. I will consider asking the grocer, but this is the closest I can find for that type of thing.
- If I cannot figure out calories (Restaurant that doesn't list info, family member made while I was not around) I will Google for an idea of what seems 'normal' and pick a similar entry on MFP. It's not the best system, but I'm not sure how else to count things I cannot get an accurate measurement for. Any ideas for this are welcome!
It definitely is a great point that I can clean up my logging quite a bit. I have certainly been lazy about not adding my specific brand in and instead matching the calories to already made listings. Is there a reason not to weigh proteins in oz? I have matched up some measurements on oz (accounting for change to grams) on some listings on other products, but not most. I really could work on making sure I weigh every pre-measured products too. I try to sometimes, but can slack on it for sure. Thanks!
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Rewind1387 wrote: »What I see in your diary is the following:
Entries not in weight such as butter, cottage cheese, rice, sausages
Entries in oz
- I do weigh my products whenever possible: I use a brand that I can't find on MFP, don't use the app so it's not convenient to add while prepping food, so I choose XYZ brand which has the same calories. I weigh 113g (80 cals) of my brand and log 0.5cup (80cals) of XYZ brand. Not logged 100% accurate b/c macros and stuff, but calories are accurate. This is why the brands switch back and forth too, it's just based on what I can find (Since MFP doesn't seem to let you add things to your favorites unless you add them into the database).
- My grocery makes sausages and there is no listed nutrition information I can find on them. I will consider asking the grocer, but this is the closest I can find for that type of thing.
- If I cannot figure out calories (Restaurant that doesn't list info, family member made while I was not around) I will Google for an idea of what seems 'normal' and pick a similar entry on MFP. It's not the best system, but I'm not sure how else to count things I cannot get an accurate measurement for. Any ideas for this are welcome!
It definitely is a great point that I can clean up my logging quite a bit. I have certainly been lazy about not adding my specific brand in and instead matching the calories to already made listings. Is there a reason not to weigh proteins in oz? I have matched up some measurements on oz (accounting for change to grams) on some listings on other products, but not most. I really could work on making sure I weigh every pre-measured products too. I try to sometimes, but can slack on it for sure. Thanks!
oz are not as accurate as grams...that's all...you can have 1oz which can be anywhere from 28.3495 grams to 42.5 grams...
I took a look at your diary yes but I don't think the logging is causing an issue yet...it might later on when you have less to lose...
As I said in my post don't stress it yet...that will cause water retention...I would chalk it up to water retention for now and relax a bit.0 -
If your period is due, you could just be retaining water. Weight loss is not linear and I ONLY lost weight the week after my period... so not losing for a couple weeks is nothing to be worried about.
That's the only thing I can think of. Your exercise calories seem too high but you're not eating them all back so it's not really an issue.0 -
Yeah, you're losing more than a pound a week. That's success. Keep it up!0
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OP, you've already gotten great advice on what you actually asked about, but I wanted to add something that hopefully will help as well:
You said you have lost and gained weight many times, and I'm wondering if that is tied up in the difficulty you are having now. Weight loss is a life-long proposition. Success doesn't have to be defined by "get to goal weight as fast as possible!". It's often far better to take the time to lose the weight slowly while learning about your eating preferences and what will work for you so you can keep the weight off for the rest of your life.
You don't have to eat "whole" foods to lose weight. You don't have to eat foods you don't like or foods a magazine article told you were healthy to lose weight. Play with your food selections, play with your macros until you find a way of eating that you enjoy and that keeps you feeling good at the correct number of calories.
Better to lose 1 lb per week for the next 50 weeks and then keep the weight for good, then to lose it fast, rebound, and gain it all back. Hang in there, and good luck :drinker:0
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