Frustrated

ruthhowellwriter · June 2017

I have only been doing this program for one week and today was my weigh in day. Only lost ONE lb! My goal is 2 lbs. per week. I find this very frustrating since I have totally stuck with the diet plan, and only used about 800 of my 1200 calories per day. I am hardly eating and yet only a measly little weight loss. What am I doing wrong?

MelanieCN77 · June 2017

Too soon to be worried, stick with it. Also eat your 1200 so you are sure you are getting proper nutrition.

kristen8000 · June 2017

Even if you were aiming for 2lbs, 1 pound a week is great. You should be proud of that. This won't be a fast process, it shouldn't be.

Ok, now. 800 calories isn't enough for anyone. Even a child. I'd need more info from you to see what the issue is...CW, GW, height, etc. Because you may not be heavy enough to lose 2lbs/week. It's only recommended for people with 100+ lbs to lose.

Weight loss shouldn't be a punishment - so stop starving yourself. 1200 calories may be too little for you even. I loose weight on 1600 calories and I only have 10lbs to lose. Everyone is different.

christopherwelch95 · June 2017

Stick with it for a bit. It might come off in a clump, that's what my body does.

rsclause · June 2017

Slow and steady weight loss is your friend.

Derf_Smeggle · June 2017

I'm going to be a little harsh here.

One, you stated that you ate 800 calories a day. This is a recipe for failure in the vast majority of cases. Unless you're less than 4'6", it's stupid (<-sarcasm). Stop it.

Two, you are assuming/expecting weight loss to be linear, meaning a straight line down. It's not. Weight fluctuates based on a lot of variables. Water retention. Last bowel movement. Time of day weighing. Etc.

Three, weight loss should be in most cases gradual. It's been a week. You need to be patient.

Four, you lost a pound! Congratulations!

Now, a couple of questions:

How are you measuring your intake? Estimating. Weighing with a scale. Measuring with cups.

Are you absolutely positive you logged everything that passed your lips?

Are you eating a lot of meals out where it becomes difficult to find calorie data?

Age, height, current weight, goal weight?

matthewgeraldfrench123 · June 2017

First, congratulations on losing your one pound. Do not get distressed. Losing weight is a long and arduous trek through empty bags of potato chips, pizza boxes, dirty gym clothes, and celery. I see losing weight not as a diet, but as an attempt to change my lifestyle. Lifestyle changes are not easy. They take hard work, and you may be in battle for years.

cherilee0831 · June 2017

Increasing your water intake will definitely help but you should also increase your calories. Trust me, I just lost a lot of weight very quickly on 800 calories for two months and then it stopped and even gained some (eating clean too). I have increased to almost 1200 calories and it is coming off again.

ndj1979 · June 2017

you are doing nothing wrong, you lost one pound ...and it has ONLY been one week.

Also, eating 800 calories a day is a recipe for losing muscle, and may lead to binging due to being so hungry.

Purplebunnysarah · June 2017

The bolded made me laugh.

AliceDark · June 2017

The amount of weight you can lose in a week is dependent upon your current weight; people who are heavier can lose more per week. If you are on the lighter side, you may not be able to lose 2 pounds per week. Additionally, MFP has established 1200 calories as its floor, so no matter the input, it will not tell you to eat fewer than 1200 calories. This is important to know, because you may have unrealistic expectations.

For example, at my current weight, if I want to lose more vanity pounds, I can't create a big enough deficit to lose 2 pounds per week. If I give MFP my current weight and activity level, and tell it I want to lose 0.5-1 pound per week, it's going to tell me to eat about 1200 calories. If I tell it I want to lose 2 pounds per week, it will still give me 1200 calories. If it were configure to allow a higher goal, I could tell it I want to lose 5 pounds per week, it would still give me...1200 calories.

You can check this by changing your goal rate of loss and seeing what MFP gives you to eat. Since you're only trying to lose 26 pounds, I'd suspect that you'll have a very hard time losing 2 pounds per week.

Beyond that, your body is a very complex biological machine and doesn't immediately respond to stimuli as much as you might want it to. One week isn't long enough to know what is really going on, so you need to give it more time. You also need to give yourself adequate nutrition and enough fuel to run your body, and you won't get that on 800 calories.

cerise_noir · June 2017

^This.

Change your expectations, OP. It has only been a week (give it at least 6 weeks) and you've lost 1lb... that's huge for someone with not much to lose. Be happy.

Change your rate of loss to .5lbs per week as the 2lbs per week is reserved for those who have a lot to lose. To lose 2lbs per week, one must consume 1000 calories under maintenance (not the calories mfp gives you- mfp calories are calculated off your maintenance) daily. This gets impossible the less weight one has to lose (would have to go the very unsafe route of well under 1000 calories ). Eating that low can lead to muscle loss/damage (the heart is a muscle) and many other health complications (gallstones are one of them).

Eat all your calories that mfp gives you. That's what they're there for. You're supposed to eat them all. Going over them will not lead to weight gain.

namelesshere · June 2017

Eat your full amount of calories. If you are exercising, eat some of those back as well. Make sure you drink at least 8 cups of water a day. And most important: Weigh all of your food and log it faithfully. Do not underestimate sizes. My small (to me compared to others I could have bought) was actually 2 servings. The bowl of cereal I eyeballed was closer to 3. Yikes! No wonder I wasn't losing. That digital scale made all the difference. Secondly it has only been one week. Celebrate your loss! (Just not with food) and enjoy the process because it truly is a lifestyle change. Depending on how much you need to lose, 2 lbs a week may be too aggressive.

ruthhowellwriter · June 2017

Thank you for all your insightful replies . . . but they raise yet another question. Here goes... I am 5'7" and my starting weight was 179. As of today (Wed) I have lost 2 lbs. My goal is to lose 26 lbs at 2 lbs a week. My normal diet was comprised of a lot of sweets and pasta. The only thing I've changed is I've cut out both of them and that has left me with the appx. 800 calories a day. Except for the sweets and pasta, I AM eating normally (for me).

How in the world can I increase my calorie intake while NOT increasing my carbs and sugar? I most definitely do not want to do muscle damage, especially to my heart as I have already undergone heart valve surgery and have some heart damage. I just don't crave food very much - except for sweets and pasta lol. This may sound a little ridiculous to most, but I was think for most of my life and, apparently, never learned to eat properly or worry about things like calories, carbs, sugar, etc. Now I am worried about my low calorie intake.

susanp57 · June 2017

Sweet potatoes and beans come to mind. There are some vegetables you can eat tons of without a big caloric impact. They will be all rolling in at your farmer's market soon. Fruits have a higher caloric hit.

I'm sure others will add to this.

missmagnoliablossom · June 2017

Unless you have a specific medical need, there's no reason you can't learn to moderately include carbs/treats in your life. This is the time to develop good habits! And good habits usually include a little treat now and then.

As to increasing calorie counts without carbs... you know literally every other food on this earth has calories, right? Add some more protein to get to your 1,200.

fitoverfortymom · June 2017

If you are 5'7" and 179lbs, trying to lose 2lbs per week is an unrealistic goal. Aiming for 1-1.5 is more viable and will give you more calories to work with. As you lose, adjusting rate of loss down to .5-1lb per week will also happen.

It has little to do with what you are eating. You shouldn't have to cut out any foods if you don't want to, but you do need to weigh solid foods on a digital scale and measure liquids with measuring spoons/cups for the best calorie counting success.

SezxyStef · June 2017

With your current stats you really should aim for 1lb a week.

You increase your calories by eating what you want but measured/weighed accurately.

for example have your pasta but weigh out the 85gram serving and log it...cook it...eat it. See that easy.

The only thing you need to worry about is calories the rest is for health and body composition.

Carolyn1965032017 · June 2017

Possibly add more protein instead of adding carbs and fats.
Is the 26lb to loose at 2lb a week your goal or what MFP had said is achievable?
It'd be best to up your exercising and calories and lower your weight loss to 1lb a week.
And at 5ft 7" your eating way below maintenance which in the long term might not last.
Slow, steady progress and the weight stays off.
It's a lifestyle not a race.

nancybuss · June 2017

Congrats on the 2 pounds! Now just "cutting out" the sugar foods and those that turn to sugar faster, is one thing, but then an "add in" is needed. Again - 800 calories a day isn't enough for long periods of time. What Are the 800 calories consisting of?
How can you increase calories without carbs? Healthy fats, oils, and proteins. What are those? Protein is meats, eggs, cottage cheese.... google is your friend for idea's.
Healthy fats. almonds, walnuts, pecans, avocodo, avocodo oil for making veggies or olive oil.
Veggies - eat up!
Are you making most of your meals at home? What is a typical day?
Keep drinking that water too.

Ask away with more questions.
Those that quit, quite because of the biggest factors
Lack of Understanding of food groups and what is best for them
Cutting calories too deep, not sustainable, and gives in to cravings after 2 weeks
Looks at this as a "diet" Not a Lifestyle change.
Zero exercise. Keep moving! Or too much exercise up front, then sore, tired, hungry and 'not fun'.
Find a workout program that Fits Your Life, and is fun, or somewhat fun. That keeps people going.
Routines!

Good luck!

Silentpadna · June 2017

^^^^^

A pound a week looks the most reasonable looking at your (OP) stats. I didn't adjust for age, but that should give you 1300 or so at least to eat - add more for exercise or regular activity.

Now, at a pound per week, your fluctuations will be greater, sometimes several times greater in one day than your weight loss goal is in one week. Unfortunately that means you may get masked (or exaggerated) weight loss indications on your scale.

Don't trust your scale. Trust your process. If you are measuring accurately, time and trend are your friends. You can't get around that.

Rammer123 · June 2017

How often are you weighing yourself also?

If you're just weighing once a week, it could give you numbers that will not be consistent. It's possible that the day before you had weighed a pound less, but since you didn't weigh, you dont know. I always have clients weigh themselves everyday, in the morning, fasted, after using the bathroom, and take an average for the week and compare the weekly averages.

Obviously if you think this would cause you problems, then don't do it, but if you can see the number objectively on a daily basis and not let little bumps and changes mess with you, it can help you a lot. By going off the weekly averages, it helps to eliminate any daily fluctuations and lets you really learn about your body and see what causes you to retain water and get rid of water weight.

ndj1979 · June 2017

the answer is that you can eat carbs, sugar, etc, as long as you stay within your calorie target for the day and are getting sufficient nutrition, and hitting macros.

For example, if the number MFP gives you to lose two pounds per week is 1500 and at the end of the day you are at 1200 then you can eat some ice cream to get to 1500 and you will still lose weight.

kshama2001 · June 2017

As others have said, with only 26 pounds to lose, losing 2 pounds per week is too aggressive.

Because I don't find sweets and pasta to be very filling, limiting them is helpful for me to create a calorie deficit. However, unless you have a medical condition that requires you to be low carb, you don't need to cut them out all together in order to lose weight. (I did eliminate foods like Oreos that I am unable to moderate.)

I find potatoes and rice more filling than pasta so have them more often.

kshama2001 · June 2017

Ya, I weigh every day and chart this in Excel (there are also apps that do this) and log my weight in MFP when I hit a new low that looks like it has stuck.

Because of weighing every day I know that I have a water weight gain when I ovulate, premenstrually, after Chinese food, etc., so no longer worry about these normal fluctuations. It's the downward trend that matters.

AliceDark · June 2017

I don't think this is an unusual question; I think a lot of people don't necessarily think about what they're eating until they have to.

If you look back in your log, are there areas where you're consistently missing your targets? Are you consistently low on your protein or fat? Are you happy with the number of fruit/vegetable servings you're getting daily? If it looks like you're low in any particular area, now's your chance to focus on getting more of that, whatever it is. For example, if you're consistently low on your vegetable servings, you could try using a spiralizer to make vegetable noodles or even just make spaghetti squash, then top with whatever sauce you'd use for pasta. If you're low on protein, time to experiment with some new meat-, egg- or dairy-based dishes. If you're low on fat, start adding oil/butter, avocado, peanut butter, etc.

If everything else looks good, it's okay to eat pasta! (Unless you have a medical reason to limit sugar, like diabetes or PCOS, carbs are fine.

savithny · June 2017

How do you add calories/nutrition?

You find food that isn't sweet or pasta, and you eat it.

What ARE you eating? Have a slightly larger portion! Add a little sauce to it!
Are you eating veggies? Put a full-fat salad dressing on them!
Add some nuts! What about some toasted seeds? Pine nuts! Avocado slices! Drizzle everything with olive oil!
Add some beans for fiber and fullness, or some whole-grain pilaf.

Eating more and keeping "more" healthy isn't rocket science.

DamieBird · June 2017

No, but it can feel like it until you get an idea of what proper nutrition is all about. *shrug*

Soundwave79 · June 2017

Congrats on the loss! 2lbs a week is tough and aggressive. All losses even the incremental ones add up to big results eventually.

Frustrated

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