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Not loosing weight ?!
kennedyparker94
Posts: 7 Member
So I’ve been going gym a lot and eating really good for just under a month but I’m not loosing any weight!? I’m doing cardio and weights and been doing so well but the scales are the same 
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Replies
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Does "eating really good" involve tracking your food and being certain you're eating at a deficit from your maintenance calorie needs? If not, that's where I'd start.
1. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.
2. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.
3. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.
4. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.
5. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.
6. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.
7. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs. You might also be sure your scale is working and doesn't need new batteries or anything.
8. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.11 -
Double check your calories and/or exercise a little more. I’m experiencing a little bit of a plateau right now (past couple days) and I know it’s frustrating but the only thing to do is check that you’re not underestimating calories in foods and exercising enough.
Also, check how your clothes fit. If your clothes are looser than that’s a good sign. You may also be gaining muscle.4 -
Yeah I feel more toned and slimmer and my clothes fit better but I’m just confused about why my weight is the same ... also When I add my exercise on here it increases my calorie intake .. but I thought that to loose weight you had to burn more then you eat ?3
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See diannethegeek's post!3
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kennedyparker94 wrote: »Yeah I feel more toned and slimmer and my clothes fit better but I’m just confused about why my weight is the same ... also When I add my exercise on here it increases my calorie intake .. but I thought that to loose weight you had to burn more then you eat ?
You are burning calories all day long just being alive. Exercise adds more to that, but when people talk about burning more than you eat they don't mean just the calories you burn through exercise. Do you know your TDEE? You can find calculators online to get an estimate. Have you been through the stickied "must reads" guides on the Getting Started board yet?3 -
kennedyparker94 wrote: »Yeah I feel more toned and slimmer and my clothes fit better but I’m just confused about why my weight is the same ... also When I add my exercise on here it increases my calorie intake .. but I thought that to loose weight you had to burn more then you eat ?
MFP sets you up to lose without exercise. You burn way more calories just by living and going about your day than you do exercising.
That said, how are you measuring your calorie intake?2 -
I’m measuring it on here adding all the foods and drinks2
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Try scoobyworkshops calorie calculator online. It will give you a detailed breakdown, including your BMR (absolute minimum of what you need in calories each day no matter what -even if you just slept all day) and it will tell you what you need to eat to lose weight which is usually higher than the BMR. I use that and compare it to the numbers MFP gives me.
It is true that you have to burn more (or eat fewer calories) than you get to lose weight. Many people debate about whether to eat back calories burned during exercise .1 -
kennedyparker94 wrote: »I’m measuring it on here adding all the foods and drinks
But how are you measuring your portion sizes? Eyeballing? Measuring cups & spoons? A food scale? Only buying prepackaged meals? Etc.5 -
Erm eyeballing haha6
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diannethegeek wrote: »
But how are you measuring your portion sizes? Eyeballing? Measuring cups & spoons? A food scale? Only buying prepackaged meals? Etc.
You’re going to want to invest in measuring cups and a food scale!1 -
kennedyparker94 wrote: »Erm eyeballing haha
You'll need a set of good digital food scales. I weigh everything and am constantly surprised by how different my idea of what 30g (for example) is compared to what 30g actually looks like.3 -
kennedyparker94 wrote: »Erm eyeballing haha
I suppose that you aren't double-checking the information in the database to be sure it's accurate either? A lot of it isn't.
I know we're throwing a lot of information at you, but you've kept your diary private so we can't see what's going on. There are so many good guides on keeping that food log more accurately on these boards and that's where I would start. Because eyeballing doesn't seem to be working for you.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1290491/how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10621050/how-to-use-the-usda-food-database-mfp-food-database-for-accurate-logging/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p15 -
That_Hiker_Chick wrote: »
This is the same issue I'm having at the moment, and it is due to muscle for sure! It's been about two months of serious effort: working out 4 times a week (cardio, lifting, resistance training), occasionally hiking, lots of activity at work, and meticulous food tracking. I'm almost always way under my calorie goal now simply because I'm not hungry and I have it set to lose 1lb per week. I dropped weight pretty quickly for a month and a half but now I've stagnated for two weeks. BUT in taking my measurements, looking at how my clothes fit, examining my body, etc. I am still losing fat...but I am also gaining muscle. My measurements are smaller, my legs don't jiggle anymore/arms jiggle less, clothing is noticeable looser, etc. And since I am eating a relatively high calorie level to do slow weight loss, it seems that the fat loss/muscle gain has balanced out right now.
Time to kick it up!
This is literally me ... I’m doing cardio and weights 4/5 times a week and swimming and long walks 1/2 times a week, I’m well within my calorie intake ( well I thought I was but other comments say to measure my food which I will do now ) I’m only drinking water and coffee no fizzy or fruit juices, I’m eating high protein low carb low sugar meals, I feel good and look abit more toned and slimmer just I have not budged at all on the scales4 -
sportychic87 wrote: »
You’re going to want to invest in measuring cups and a food scale!
Yes I will do this ! Thank you x
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diannethegeek wrote: »
I suppose that you aren't double-checking the information in the database to be sure it's accurate either? A lot of it isn't.
I know we're throwing a lot of information at you, but you've kept your diary private so we can't see what's going on. There are so many good guides on keeping that food log more accurately on these boards and that's where I would start. Because eyeballing doesn't seem to be working for you.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1290491/how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10621050/how-to-use-the-usda-food-database-mfp-food-database-for-accurate-logging/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
Very helpful thank you x
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Are you measuring yourself as well? When I was in a period of burning fat and building muscle, my scale didn't budge for 4 solid weeks, but I lost 3 inches off my waist. After a while, the weight started dropping. If your clothes are fitting better that is a great sign.
And like everyone else has said, DO NOT EYEBALL. Always measure and weigh portions when possible.0 -
That_Hiker_Chick wrote: »
This is the same issue I'm having at the moment, and it is due to muscle for sure! It's been about two months of serious effort: working out 4 times a week (cardio, lifting, resistance training), occasionally hiking, lots of activity at work, and meticulous food tracking. I'm almost always way under my calorie goal now simply because I'm not hungry and I have it set to lose 1lb per week. I dropped weight pretty quickly for a month and a half but now I've stagnated for two weeks. BUT in taking my measurements, looking at how my clothes fit, examining my body, etc. I am still losing fat...but I am also gaining muscle. My measurements are smaller, my legs don't jiggle anymore/arms jiggle less, clothing is noticeable looser, etc. And since I am eating a relatively high calorie level to do slow weight loss, it seems that the fat loss/muscle gain has balanced out right now.
Time to kick it up!
um, how much muscle exactly do you think you have put on in a month or two? a woman doing everything right is fortunate to put on .5 - 1 lb of muscle per month (that means eating at a surplus, on a progressive lifting plan, etc). no woman is ever going to put on muscle at a rate that would out pace (or even out with) fat loss.5 -
Muscleflex79 wrote: »
um, how much muscle exactly do you think you have put on in a month or two? a woman doing everything right is fortunate to put on .5 - 1 lb of muscle per month (that means eating at a surplus, on a progressive lifting plan, etc). no woman is ever going to put on muscle at a rate that would out pace (or even out with) fat loss.
QFT.
It's important to note, though, that in a month or two we can get stronger (through neuromuscular adaptation), appear and feel firmer, and have better posture, all of which are good and useful things, and some of which affect fit of clothes.
Actually adding new muscle mass (which equates to muscle weight) is a sloooow process at best, and even slower during weight loss, especially for women.
Still worth doing, though, for functional strength, improved health, and more attractive appearance.
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Actually adding new muscle mass (which equates to muscle weight) is a sloooow process at best, and even slower during weight loss, especially for women.
true. however, even if it's not muscle people often retain a fair bit of water when they first start a new exercise thing.
so op, that may be a factor as well. if so, then it can go on for a while but it doesn't last forever.1 -
Why complain if your clothes feel better and fit better. Scales are subjective. If you see the results then throw the scales out the window. Also measuring food etc....blah, CRAZY. If you really want to lose weight for your own purposes above and beyond clothes and seeing the result then use intermintant fasting, a start is this reseach paper https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27304506 it may help2
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