Frustration with the scale not moving

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pupleglass
pupleglass Posts: 13 Member
edited February 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
So I've been following a fairly strict diet and exercise routine for about 3 weeks now and the scale has not moved a bit.
I am an18 year old female, 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 180 lbs
I'm eating completely vegan, rarely any sugar that's not from a fruit, 1500 calories a day, with running 2-3 miles on a treadmill 5 days a week (which is much more exercise for me than usual) but I haven't seen any change in my weight! It's driving me insane honestly. I don't know whether I need to change something or just be patient with what I'm doing now...
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Replies

  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    Your numbers sound pretty reasonable, so at face value, you should be seeing some results.

    Are you weighing/measuring your food? Logging everything? Doing both of those things consistently?
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    Give it time, we didn't become over weight in a matter of weeks so we can't expect to lose quickly either.
    If you are logging your foods as accurately as possible you will eventually see results so keep on going :smile:
  • missmagnoliablossom
    missmagnoliablossom Posts: 240 Member
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    Could you open your diary? That would be helpful.
  • tennetubbie
    tennetubbie Posts: 312 Member
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    I was stuck for 5 weeks! Then all of a sudden 7 pounds literally fell off in 8 days!! I try to eat over 1500 calories but aim for a net deficit of 1000 calories to keep up 2 pounds a week You are smaller, so maybe a 500 calories deficit, but still keep over 1200 cals in, so you don't lose muscle. I found weight lifting is what turned the corner for me!
    On to my next mini goal to be overweight instead of obese---18 pounds to go!
  • pupleglass
    pupleglass Posts: 13 Member
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    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    Your numbers sound pretty reasonable, so at face value, you should be seeing some results.

    Are you weighing/measuring your food? Logging everything? Doing both of those things consistently?

    I am in college and I don't have a food scale but I try to measure whatever I eat in volume (cups, tablespoons, etc.) as accurately as possible.
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnnpUYmr0OM
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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    I lose once a month. I have my goal set at 1 lb per week. For the last three months I will be "stuck" for several weeks then...whoosh...4-5 lbs over night. I have noticed that it coincides with a certain time during my cycle. So even though I am not seeing a 1 lb per week loss every week, on average I am still losing 4-5lbs per month.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    Get a digital scale they're cheap and essential. You're probably just not accurate enough with your measuring.

    Also take a look at your nutrients under the nutrition menu... how is your protein intake? Are you hitting that macronutrient goal daily? Being vegan it can be tough and adequate protein is essential for weight loss, health, and optimal body composition.
  • pupleglass
    pupleglass Posts: 13 Member
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    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    Get a digital scale they're cheap and essential. You're probably just not accurate enough with your measuring.

    Also take a look at your nutrients under the nutrition menu... how is your protein intake? Are you hitting that macronutrient goal daily? Being vegan it can be tough and adequate protein is essential for weight loss, health, and optimal body composition.

    I would love to but I eat off of a meal plan at my college so I can't really measure out my foods at the dining center :/
  • pupleglass
    pupleglass Posts: 13 Member
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    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    I lose once a month. I have my goal set at 1 lb per week. For the last three months I will be "stuck" for several weeks then...whoosh...4-5 lbs over night. I have noticed that it coincides with a certain time during my cycle. So even though I am not seeing a 1 lb per week loss every week, on average I am still losing 4-5lbs per month.

    That makes me feel a lot better actually. I know my time of the month is coming up so that could play into why I'm not seeing movement on the scale
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I've been stuck for a week. Just that little time is frustrating. And I don't have TOM to blame it on either.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    you are likely eating more than you think you are
  • lost_work7
    lost_work7 Posts: 41 Member
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    I have the same problem. I lost 2lbs over a month. It is completely frustrating. I meet with a gym person and he tells me I'm doing everything right and reassures me that some people just lose quicker than others. It will eventually change and to give it time. Just keep logging, exercising and weighing your food and you got this.
  • pupleglass
    pupleglass Posts: 13 Member
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    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    you are likely eating more than you think you are

    Could be but it's definitely a lot less than I used to eat, and I'm exercising a lot more so you would think I at least would have seen a little bit of movement over 3 weeks, even if it's not as much as I'd hope for
  • pupleglass
    pupleglass Posts: 13 Member
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    For those of you commenting about how, because I can't accurately measure my food, I may be eating more than I think, do you think it would be helpful to decrease my portion sizes and see what happens? I feel like that might show some results but the only problem I see with that is that I already eat pretty small portions for the most part so I'm scared that would cause me to under eat, which I've had problems with in the past.
    I am definitely going to start increasing my exercise time when possible.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    pupleglass wrote: »
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    Get a digital scale they're cheap and essential. You're probably just not accurate enough with your measuring.

    Also take a look at your nutrients under the nutrition menu... how is your protein intake? Are you hitting that macronutrient goal daily? Being vegan it can be tough and adequate protein is essential for weight loss, health, and optimal body composition.

    I would love to but I eat off of a meal plan at my college so I can't really measure out my foods at the dining center :/

    Check with dining services to see if they have any nutritional information available. Some of the big food service providers do have that info.
  • pupleglass
    pupleglass Posts: 13 Member
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    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    pupleglass wrote: »
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    Get a digital scale they're cheap and essential. You're probably just not accurate enough with your measuring.

    Also take a look at your nutrients under the nutrition menu... how is your protein intake? Are you hitting that macronutrient goal daily? Being vegan it can be tough and adequate protein is essential for weight loss, health, and optimal body composition.

    I would love to but I eat off of a meal plan at my college so I can't really measure out my foods at the dining center :/

    Check with dining services to see if they have any nutritional information available. Some of the big food service providers do have that info.

    Okay, I may do that.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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    pupleglass wrote: »
    For those of you commenting about how, because I can't accurately measure my food, I may be eating more than I think, do you think it would be helpful to decrease my portion sizes and see what happens? I feel like that might show some results but the only problem I see with that is that I already eat pretty small portions for the most part so I'm scared that would cause me to under eat, which I've had problems with in the past.
    I am definitely going to start increasing my exercise time when possible.

    I would definitely invest in a food scale. I got a dial food scale from WalMart for $5. It's not as fancy as some of the other scales, but it seems to work just fine. To me, it was at least better than just eyeing it up even if it is not as accurate as some of the more expensive ones, it is still better than my judgement.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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    pupleglass wrote: »
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    Get a digital scale they're cheap and essential. You're probably just not accurate enough with your measuring.

    Also take a look at your nutrients under the nutrition menu... how is your protein intake? Are you hitting that macronutrient goal daily? Being vegan it can be tough and adequate protein is essential for weight loss, health, and optimal body composition.

    I would love to but I eat off of a meal plan at my college so I can't really measure out my foods at the dining center :/

    I didn't read all the comments before I gave you the suggestion of a food scale...my bad :(
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    pupleglass wrote: »
    For those of you commenting about how, because I can't accurately measure my food, I may be eating more than I think, do you think it would be helpful to decrease my portion sizes and see what happens? I feel like that might show some results but the only problem I see with that is that I already eat pretty small portions for the most part so I'm scared that would cause me to under eat, which I've had problems with in the past.
    I am definitely going to start increasing my exercise time when possible.

    Well, from a weight loss standpoint, that certainly can't hurt.

    But if you've had problems under eating in the past, that might be a slippery slope that you don't want to get caught on.

    The alternative would be to keep portion sizes the same and switch to lower calorie foods. You can kinda do that by knowing what you're eating, but having nutritional info would make it much easier.

    Your diary is closed, so I can't offer any real help... but if you're eating a lot of fried foods and/or high-fat dairy or meat, then you could swap those high calorie foods for lower calorie stuff (more fruits and vegetables, leaner meats, etc).

    But ultimately, if you don't know how many cals your consuming, it's all just trial and error.

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