why am I stuck?

xperiencerage
xperiencerage Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm stuck at my current weight. I've been following the plan, staying always under 2k calories but I'm stuck. How can I overcome this obstacle?

Replies

  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    How long have you been going?
    Are you weighing and logging your food accurately?
    How are you measuring exercise?
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    This chart created by @lemonlionheart may help:


    a37btb7mxb3t.jpg

    Here's a great post about keeping a food diary that might offer some insight: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10191216/the-most-important-thing-you-can-do-to-lose-weight

    If you still have questions, please ask and give us more details about your current weight, goal, how many calories you are eating, how you're validating them, etc.
  • xperiencerage
    xperiencerage Posts: 19 Member
    I've been going for 2-3 weeks. I don't weigh my food digitally so the measurements are relative. I'm exercising every other day with an empty stomach but I don't log it. I still don't go near 2k calories a day just to be sure I don't go over cause of some miscalculation
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    Is the 2k what mfp recommends?

    Strongly suggest you get a digital food scale. They're only about £10 and make a huge difference.

    I also suggest logging exercise using endomondo, and linking up your accounts.
  • xperiencerage
    xperiencerage Posts: 19 Member
    Yes, mfp says I should take 2070 calories daily. I'd rather not log exercise cause that will encourage me to eat those calories
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    You can eat the calories if they are built in to your plan. I set mine to sedentary, with a 500 calorie deficit, and eat back my exercise calories, and still lose weight.

    That aside, you've only been going for a couple of weeks so it's too early to call a plateau, but you may need to do the scales. Weigh everything in grams, including peanut butter etc. Only use spoons and cups for liquids. Don't forget to log snacks and drinks.
  • xperiencerage
    xperiencerage Posts: 19 Member
    Been 3 weeks since I started
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    xperiencerage wrote: »
    Yes, mfp says I should take 2070 calories daily. I'd rather not log exercise cause that will encourage me to eat those calories

    The way MFP is set up you're supposed to eat those calories back. Buy a food scale and start weighing your food.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    Also get a scale that measures body composition. Then you can see if you're losing fat or gaining muscle.

    I highly suggest a digital scale for measuring food- guessing is no good.

    Might need a bigger calorie deficit.

    I don't agree with previous posts- I like to set my calories at "lightly active" and NOT log exercise & eat back calories because the calories burned estimate is almost always too high.



  • xperiencerage
    xperiencerage Posts: 19 Member
    I'd rather eat less calories than eat more without knowing
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    First law of trouble shooting is check the easy things first. Using a digital kitchen scale to improve logging accuracy would be not only the easiest next step but also the one with the highest probability of resolution.

    Also, I have found that my body weight can be misleadingly difficult to track. I can step on the scale and see a high weight and instantly feel I've made no progress. If I record my weight daily and look at the trend, however, it often paints a much clearer picture. I have learned not to react to single data points but to look at data in context instead. Do you use a trend app or a spreadsheet & rolling average for your body weight?

    I'd recommend those two things before trying to change anything else.
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    Also get a scale that measures body composition. Then you can see if you're losing fat or gaining muscle.

    I highly suggest a digital scale for measuring food- guessing is no good.

    Might need a bigger calorie deficit.

    I don't agree with previous posts- I like to set my calories at "lightly active" and NOT log exercise & eat back calories because the calories burned estimate is almost always too high.



    Horses for courses really. I use fitbit and endomondo to log exercise, not mfp. I prefer doing that because some days I do very little but others I am really active and I like to balance on a daily basis rather than guess. But I accept it can be a faff and for people with more regular activity patterns setting activity level and not logging exercise may be preferable.
  • xperiencerage
    xperiencerage Posts: 19 Member
    I jumped up one kilo in one day while staying under the limit. Maybe it's my scale, who knows.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    xperiencerage wrote: »
    I've been going for 2-3 weeks. I don't weigh my food digitally so the measurements are relative. I'm exercising every other day with an empty stomach but I don't log it. I still don't go near 2k calories a day just to be sure I don't go over cause of some miscalculation

    You're not eating what you think you are.
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    xperiencerage wrote: »
    I jumped up one kilo in one day while staying under the limit. Maybe it's my scale, who knows.

    Look at the long term trend. On a daily basis your weight will fluctuate according to how much food is in your digestive tract and when you last peed etc. Some people record fluctuations of 2-3 kg despite seeing a long term downward trend.
  • xperiencerage
    xperiencerage Posts: 19 Member
    What you said makes zero sense
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    edited October 2016
    xperiencerage wrote: »
    I jumped up one kilo in one day while staying under the limit. Maybe it's my scale, who knows.

    Or water weight. It does that. Totally normal. That's why weight trends or rolling averages are more useful than individual data points.

    ETA: OP, are you always weighing yourself immediately upon waking, after using the restroom, before drinking anything, and buck naked? Comparing your weight at different times of day with different clothing is misleading.
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    xperiencerage wrote: »
    What you said makes zero sense

    Your weight on the scales is your body's basic weight plus the weight of undigested food in your digestive tracts, plus the poop in your intestines, plus the pee in your kidneys and bladder, plus any excess water in your cells. Food weight, poop weight, pee, water etc are hard to keep perfectly level every day. You might be losing base body weight but have slightly more water retention one day and show up heavier on the scales as a result. But if you're cobsistently losing base body weight, then when you compare your weight last week with this week or last month with this month, it should be lower.
  • xperiencerage
    xperiencerage Posts: 19 Member
    I'm literally stuck for the past 2 weeks
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    xperiencerage wrote: »
    I'm literally stuck for the past 2 weeks

    My advice is the same - recheck your calorie allowance, weigh everything accurately, be patient.
  • carlosapolinarioferreira
    carlosapolinarioferreira Posts: 31 Member
    MFP works for many people. Maybe you have to see what you are eating. Learn how to read all the labels of foods you are eating, is part of the education process. Many times we miss read labels.
    To give you a better picture of what I am taking about. I would first like to say that I have been in your shoes. I have been a member of MFP since 2013, and I could honestly say I know your frustration. Since I started I never lost weight until just recently. It took me a couple of years to realize that I have not been honest with myself.
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    carlosapolinarioferreira wrote: »
    MFP works for many people. Maybe you have to see what you are eating. Learn how to read all the labels of foods you are eating, is part of the education process. Many times we miss read labels.
    To give you a better picture of what I am taking about. I would first like to say that I have been in your shoes. I have been a member of MFP since 2013, and I could honestly say I know your frustration. Since I started I never lost weight until just recently. It took me a couple of years to realize that I have not been honest with myself.

    First thing I did when I started was log my normal diet for 2 weeks. Honestly I was horrified! I had no idea I was eating so much!
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    xperiencerage wrote: »
    I've been going for 2-3 weeks. I don't weigh my food digitally so the measurements are relative. I'm exercising every other day with an empty stomach but I don't log it. I still don't go near 2k calories a day just to be sure I don't go over cause of some miscalculation

    You're eating more than you think if you aren't weighing all your solid an semi solid food on a food scale. Also, 2 weeks is not enough time. Give it 6 weeks and weigh your food. A 2 week stall is hardly a plateau. Sometimes I stall for 6-8 weeks then have a whoosh of weight loss. Weight loss isn't linear.

    Can you open your diary, please?


    Have you started or increased exercise in the last 2 weeks?

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