Frustration with the scale not moving

pupleglass
pupleglass Posts: 13 Member
edited November 15 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
    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: 13,342 Member
    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
    Could you open your diary? That would be helpful.
  • tennetubbie
    tennetubbie Posts: 312 Member
    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
    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
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnnpUYmr0OM
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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: 8,626 Member
    you are likely eating more than you think you are
  • lost_work7
    lost_work7 Posts: 41 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    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.

    and even if you can't weight it out in the dining hall - you can log what it weighs when you get back to your room
  • kelzxxxT
    kelzxxxT Posts: 3 Member
    Hi. Does the progress bar change by itself or do i need to change myself.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    kelzxxxT wrote: »
    Hi. Does the progress bar change by itself or do i need to change myself.

    If you have a question of your own, you may want to start a new thread rather than post this in someone else's.
  • Myaaka
    Myaaka Posts: 25 Member
    Is there a reason you are eating vegan, other than for weight loss? If it's because you don't like meat, then ignore. But if you do like meat then I would add in lean protein like chicken breast and fish at least once or twice a day. And research shows that eating yogurt a few times a day an help. I do the 80 calorie Greek non fat yogurts 2-4 times a day. Helps with cravings and it's good protein. Eating vegan for personal reasons, that's a different story. I would say try to add in more protein laden foods if possible to help. And lower your carb intake. Vegans tend to eat higher carbs because of the beans and rice. So maybe cut out rice? Again, as mentioned above, without access to your diary it's hard to know what to say to help. But def give it a few more weeks and see how things go. I've lost 80 lbs in the last 11 months but have been stuck for the last month at the same weight. I know it'll drop about 5 lbs soon. ☺
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    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.

    Sorry, just re-read that you were vegan, so scratch most of the food suggestions I made.

    But the overall premise holds - if you're able to swap out higher calorie foods for lower calorie foods, you can effectively reduce your calorie intake while maintaining your portion sizes. You'll still want to be mindful of overall health/nutrition, but it addresses the calories and portion size issues.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
    Plateaus suck! You're not alone, pretty much everyone on a weight loss journey has experienced one. My plateaus are usually because I've "splurged" a little and I know it, but there have been times where I feel like I'm doing everything right. I would be patient and give it more time and maybe switch up your workouts a little. Try some HIIT, zumba or add some weights. You can do it!
  • SoUl_ReBeL2021
    SoUl_ReBeL2021 Posts: 120 Member
    I had the same problem my weight stayed to a standstill for an entire month, increase your calories by 200-300 and that should get you back on track. If you're not eating enough calories and exercising you can actually put your body into starvation mode and it will store fat.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    OP, will the dining centre allow you to take food back to your room? I agree with asking about nutrition. Perhaps they use a lot of fat or sodium in food prep.
  • kelzxxxT
    kelzxxxT Posts: 3 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    kelzxxxT wrote: »
    Hi. Does the progress bar change by itself or do i need to change myself.

    If you have a question of your own, you may want to start a new thread rather than post this in someone else's.

    How rude. Im new and wasnt sure.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    kelzxxxT wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    kelzxxxT wrote: »
    Hi. Does the progress bar change by itself or do i need to change myself.

    If you have a question of your own, you may want to start a new thread rather than post this in someone else's.

    How rude. Im new and wasnt sure.

    I'm sorry that came across as rude. I was trying to help you get a wider audience for your question.
This discussion has been closed.

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