Why am I not losing weight?
Options
Replies
-
What others have said - If you are not weighing your food (and especially if having anything calorie dense like oil or fatty meats) those calories can most definitely creep up.
Also- have you recalculated your target calories? BMR will go down as you lose weight, so unless you adjust your target calories every few pounds, the calorie deficit for your daily target calories will have decreased.0 -
Adaptive thermogenesis happens after long periods of substantial calorie restriction, but you've only lost 25 lbs in 9 months which points to a very modest calorie deficit, nothing that would have put undue stress on your body. You really just need to take the math more seriously. Is there a reason you are resistant to doing so?7
-
How do you really adjust your calories in my fitness pal?0
-
wally2wiki wrote: »How do you really adjust your calories in my fitness pal?
Go to settings, diet & fitness profile, and update your current stats, activity level not including purposeful exercise, and weekly weight loss goal.
3 -
Just to give you a visual reminder of why it is so important to weigh and log all of your intake-- Here's my happy scale chart. That huge dip is when I bought a scale and started using it.
15 -
Adjusting calories for losses here is again not the issue. It's 25lbs, at most a downshift of 60 calories per day or so.
OP, your metabolism hasn't adjusted, you had the same deficit I shoot for right now at 160lbs and I have never unknowingly plateaued.
You're eating more than you think. That's it. There is no mystery. You're eyeballing. Humans are notoriously terrible as a general rule at eyeballing. Just log accurately and consistently with a food scale for 4 weeks and see what happens.10 -
wally2wiki wrote: »Hey guys I found this great article on weight loss plateau.
Check it out : https://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
Here is an excerpt:
The Weight Loss Plateau
Over time our bodies adapt to the lowered calorie level.
Our body becomes more efficient at using energy (lowered metabolism), and therefore burns less fat. This is why most of us reach a weight loss plateau.
At this point, the only option is to boost metabolism:
increased cardio,
weight training,
'cheat' meals (i.e. occasional high-calorie meals),
cycling (or zig-zagging) calories,
even manipulating macro-nutrient ratios can all help to do this (don't forget adequate sleep and hydration).
You often find that the nearer you get to your goal weight (or body fat percentage) - the harder things get!
Continually dropping calories only serves to lower metabolism even further - the moment you return to 'normal' eating - the weight comes back on.
Wally, I mean this in the most kindest of ways :flowerforyou: Stop looking for excuses, all you need to do is accurately log your food, which for now means weighing everything you eat, finding accurate database entries and logging it ALL.
16 -
wally2wiki wrote: »Hey guys I found this great article on weight loss plateau.
Check it out : https://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
Here is an excerpt:
The Weight Loss Plateau
Over time our bodies adapt to the lowered calorie level.
Our body becomes more efficient at using energy (lowered metabolism), and therefore burns less fat. This is why most of us reach a weight loss plateau.
At this point, the only option is to boost metabolism:
increased cardio,
weight training,
'cheat' meals (i.e. occasional high-calorie meals),
cycling (or zig-zagging) calories,
even manipulating macro-nutrient ratios can all help to do this (don't forget adequate sleep and hydration).
You often find that the nearer you get to your goal weight (or body fat percentage) - the harder things get!
Continually dropping calories only serves to lower metabolism even further - the moment you return to 'normal' eating - the weight comes back on.
It certainly won't hurt you to kick your metabolism in the rear. When I hit a plateau, I spent a week doing tabata, and it made me feel better and more able to go on. I don't recommend tabata unless you are fairly fit already but you can add some higher intensity intervals to your workout.
However, I still think the issue is that you are underestimating your calories and need to eat less and measure more. It is very easy for a tablespoon of peanut butter to become three, over time.1 -
If you are not weighing and logging all your food, start. If that does not work, see a doctor because somethng is wrong.1
-
Adding to my previous post - you have only been losing three pounds a month. You are not restricting your calories enough to be causing your body to react to the lower calories by reducing your metabolism. You are currently obese and should be able to lose two pounds a week without overly restricting your calories.5
-
rheddmobile wrote: »wally2wiki wrote: »Hey guys I found this great article on weight loss plateau.
Check it out : https://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
Here is an excerpt:
The Weight Loss Plateau
Over time our bodies adapt to the lowered calorie level.
Our body becomes more efficient at using energy (lowered metabolism), and therefore burns less fat. This is why most of us reach a weight loss plateau.
At this point, the only option is to boost metabolism:
increased cardio,
weight training,
'cheat' meals (i.e. occasional high-calorie meals),
cycling (or zig-zagging) calories,
even manipulating macro-nutrient ratios can all help to do this (don't forget adequate sleep and hydration).
You often find that the nearer you get to your goal weight (or body fat percentage) - the harder things get!
Continually dropping calories only serves to lower metabolism even further - the moment you return to 'normal' eating - the weight comes back on.
It certainly won't hurt you to kick your metabolism in the rear. When I hit a plateau, I spent a week doing tabata, and it made me feel better and more able to go on. I don't recommend tabata unless you are fairly fit already but you can add some higher intensity intervals to your workout.
However, I still think the issue is that you are underestimating your calories and need to eat less and measure more. It is very easy for a tablespoon of peanut butter to become three, over time.
You can't "kick your metabolism" into gear. That's not how it works.10 -
rheddmobile wrote: »wally2wiki wrote: »Hey guys I found this great article on weight loss plateau.
Check it out : https://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
Here is an excerpt:
The Weight Loss Plateau
Over time our bodies adapt to the lowered calorie level.
Our body becomes more efficient at using energy (lowered metabolism), and therefore burns less fat. This is why most of us reach a weight loss plateau.
At this point, the only option is to boost metabolism:
increased cardio,
weight training,
'cheat' meals (i.e. occasional high-calorie meals),
cycling (or zig-zagging) calories,
even manipulating macro-nutrient ratios can all help to do this (don't forget adequate sleep and hydration).
You often find that the nearer you get to your goal weight (or body fat percentage) - the harder things get!
Continually dropping calories only serves to lower metabolism even further - the moment you return to 'normal' eating - the weight comes back on.
It certainly won't hurt you to kick your metabolism in the rear. When I hit a plateau, I spent a week doing tabata, and it made me feel better and more able to go on. I don't recommend tabata unless you are fairly fit already but you can add some higher intensity intervals to your workout.
However, I still think the issue is that you are underestimating your calories and need to eat less and measure more. It is very easy for a tablespoon of peanut butter to become three, over time.
You can't "kick your metabolism" into gear. That's not how it works.
Actually, it is. High intensity exercise increases resting metabolism.9 -
wally2wiki wrote: »Hey guys I found this great article on weight loss plateau.
Check it out : https://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
.
Or you know you could try and log accurately since that's likely your problem based on what you've told us so far.9 -
Argh! Look, there are two options here. Weigh and log all foods accurately all the time, stay within calorie allowance and lose weight, OR keep looking for reasons not to and don't lose any weight.10
-
Hello all ... when you say calorie deficit, do you mean you should exercise off the amount of calories you take in on a daily basis? Newbie here, trying to understand the terminology and methods. I need to lose 40, and am set up to eat 1200 calories a day. My job is sedentary, and due to a back injury, the most exercise I get is daily walks. Thanks for any/all input.2
-
Calorie deficit means eating less than your maintenance calories. Whatever that is.1
-
Elizabeethan wrote: »Hello all ... when you say calorie deficit, do you mean you should exercise off the amount of calories you take in on a daily basis? Newbie here, trying to understand the terminology and methods. I need to lose 40, and am set up to eat 1200 calories a day. My job is sedentary, and due to a back injury, the most exercise I get is daily walks. Thanks for any/all input.
If your GOAL is 1200 a day then eat 1200 a day. That already includes your deficit. When you log your walk (which is great exercise) you can eat more because otherwise you are making your deficit larger than it needs to be. At 1200 calories you could skip the walk, do zero exercise and still lose weight.4 -
Elizabeethan wrote: »Hello all ... when you say calorie deficit, do you mean you should exercise off the amount of calories you take in on a daily basis? Newbie here, trying to understand the terminology and methods. I need to lose 40, and am set up to eat 1200 calories a day. My job is sedentary, and due to a back injury, the most exercise I get is daily walks. Thanks for any/all input.
Perhaps take some time to read the stickied threads - there is lots of helpful information that may answer lots of your questions
(you burn calories just living though!)3 -
Elizabeethan wrote: »Hello all ... when you say calorie deficit, do you mean you should exercise off the amount of calories you take in on a daily basis? Newbie here, trying to understand the terminology and methods. I need to lose 40, and am set up to eat 1200 calories a day. My job is sedentary, and due to a back injury, the most exercise I get is daily walks. Thanks for any/all input.
The moment you logged in my fitness pall that you wanted to lose 2lbs/week , 1.5lbs per week, 1 lbs per week or 0.5lbs per week, it calculated a calorie deficit and told you to eat a certain amount. Eat that and you will be in a calorie deficit.0 -
Thanks for all the replies and constructive advice. It's been 10 day and no loss yet, but hopefully soon. I'm really diligent about weighing and measuring, and limiting sugar (my Achilles heel).0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 400 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 989 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions