Not losing weight

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I started back up with personal training, calorie counting, and using Fitbit on August 22nd
I'm 5ft2 and weighed in at 173
Currently a month later I'm still the same weight. I don't understand how this is. I've followed my diet eating 1500 or 1700 Cals on days I'm more active. My body fat is measured too and it has not budged much. Should I go lower in calories? My Fitbit says I burn 2500 a day or sometimes even 3000. I walk everyday 10k steps at least including days I'm going to the gym for over an hour.
Anyone have similar issues? Trying to get to 130!

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    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.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    Never go lower on calories. If are not losing at the 1500 - 1700 (which is presumably your deficit MFP gave you to lose weight) then you must reassess if you are 100% on point with calories in and calories out.

    Try not use Ftibit as your 100% point of accuracy. Trackers do not tell your whole story. Trending your rate of loss over a period of time will tell you that the accuracy of your Fitbit can be off.

    And how are you measuring your body fat%? Using arbitrary methods such as scales that provide body composition can be gravely inaccurate as well. Your best point of reference will be in taking tape measurements as well the look and feel in your clothes outside of getting a professional body composition test done.

    The above reference points is what you need to pay attention to. Particularly, the food logging and accuracy and also if eating back exercise calories. Make sure when eating back exercise calories you are not eating too many back which can cut into your deficit.
  • 2manyhats
    2manyhats Posts: 1,189 Member
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    I stalled for a couple of months. But I was honestly drinking literally half of my calories, alcohol. (I have now stopped) I weigh everything! Just keep at it, sometimes it just takes time. Don't give up!
  • caramm1
    caramm1 Posts: 22 Member
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    Your fitbit sounds well out! I walk minimum of 20000 a day and only burn off 500 calories. It may need calibrating :)
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    1500-1700 is a wide range. Do you know your actual daily average?
  • MichelleNicole93
    MichelleNicole93 Posts: 89 Member
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    Usually I stick to 1500 but some days such as day I go hard at the gym and walk for over an hour I'll go to 1700 cals
  • Longevity100
    Longevity100 Posts: 84 Member
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    I started back up with personal training, calorie counting, and using Fitbit on August 22nd
    I'm 5ft2 and weighed in at 173
    Currently a month later I'm still the same weight. I don't understand how this is. I've followed my diet eating 1500 or 1700 Cals on days I'm more active. My body fat is measured too and it has not budged much. Should I go lower in calories? My Fitbit says I burn 2500 a day or sometimes even 3000. I walk everyday 10k steps at least including days I'm going to the gym for over an hour.
    Anyone have similar issues? Trying to get to 130!

    What does a typical day of eating look like for you? I train a lot of clients that come to be with similar issues while hitting their calorie goals. After evaluating the specific foods they're eating I can see why things haven't changed.
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I started back up with personal training, calorie counting, and using Fitbit on August 22nd
    I'm 5ft2 and weighed in at 173
    Currently a month later I'm still the same weight. I don't understand how this is. I've followed my diet eating 1500 or 1700 Cals on days I'm more active. My body fat is measured too and it has not budged much. Should I go lower in calories? My Fitbit says I burn 2500 a day or sometimes even 3000. I walk everyday 10k steps at least including days I'm going to the gym for over an hour.
    Anyone have similar issues? Trying to get to 130!

    3000 calorie burn sounds like a lot of calories for a short person. I'm 5'7" and 164 lbs and I burn 2100 cals walking 10k steps. My BMR is 1600 without exercise, and 10k steps gives me 500 calories a day. I'm willing to bet it's overestimating.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    caramm1 wrote: »
    Your fitbit sounds well out! I walk minimum of 20000 a day and only burn off 500 calories. It may need calibrating :)

    Yours seems to be out of calibration. 20,000 should burn well over 500 cals. 10 miles a day and only burning 500 sounds a little off

    I think yours may be overestimating, and theirs is underestimating! Of course, this all depends on height/weight/age.
  • ESCgfb2020
    ESCgfb2020 Posts: 2 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Deleted....
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
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    I started back up with personal training, calorie counting, and using Fitbit on August 22nd
    I'm 5ft2 and weighed in at 173
    Currently a month later I'm still the same weight. I don't understand how this is. I've followed my diet eating 1500 or 1700 Cals on days I'm more active. My body fat is measured too and it has not budged much. Should I go lower in calories? My Fitbit says I burn 2500 a day or sometimes even 3000. I walk everyday 10k steps at least including days I'm going to the gym for over an hour.
    Anyone have similar issues? Trying to get to 130!

    What does a typical day of eating look like for you? I train a lot of clients that come to be with similar issues while hitting their calorie goals. After evaluating the specific foods they're eating I can see why things haven't changed.

    what types of foods have no bearing on weight loss unless you have an issue. its about how much you are eating. if that was the case people who eat ice cream,fast food and other foods would not have lost weight, and surprise they have.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I started back up with personal training, calorie counting, and using Fitbit on August 22nd
    I'm 5ft2 and weighed in at 173
    Currently a month later I'm still the same weight. I don't understand how this is. I've followed my diet eating 1500 or 1700 Cals on days I'm more active. My body fat is measured too and it has not budged much. Should I go lower in calories? My Fitbit says I burn 2500 a day or sometimes even 3000. I walk everyday 10k steps at least including days I'm going to the gym for over an hour.
    Anyone have similar issues? Trying to get to 130!

    3000 calorie burn sounds like a lot of calories for a short person. I'm 5'7" and 164 lbs and I burn 2100 cals walking 10k steps. My BMR is 1600 without exercise, and 10k steps gives me 500 calories a day. I'm willing to bet it's overestimating.

    I have to agree. I'm 5'3" and 135 pounds. I've taken over 14,000 steps today and my Fitbit shows 1700 calories as my burn for the day. 5 miles of those steps were running, not walking, too.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    edited September 2016
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    caramm1 wrote: »
    Your fitbit sounds well out! I walk minimum of 20000 a day and only burn off 500 calories. It may need calibrating :)

    Yours seems to be out of calibration. 20,000 should burn well over 500 cals. 10 miles a day and only burning 500 sounds a little off

    It's probably just a 500 adjustment over a fairly active setting?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I'm 5"8, age 44 and 148lbs. This is what i got yesterday...

    1kb1a2pe0fqf.png
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
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    Obvious question first. How are you measuring your calories in? If you're eyeballing it, rethink that. :)
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
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    Someone just posted a great thread about why you may not being losing weight. I would encourage you to look at it.