Am I doing something wrong?

imanididit
imanididit Posts: 3 Member
edited November 26 in Motivation and Support
Hi all. I'm a 26 year old woman weighing 256 lbs. I started this journey at 275 lbs three months ago. My job requires me to be very active, it's not uncommon for me to get 150 active minutes a day (according to my fitbit) and I also work out 5 days a week (3 strength days, 2 cardio). I weigh and measure all my food and my current daily intake is about 2000 calories with at least 150 grams of protein. I've been stuck at 256-257 lbs for the last couple of weeks and I'm beginning to think I'm doing something wrong. Also I have been measuring myself and lost a couple inches all around. I really just feel like giving up. I'll take any advice I can get, I'm really worried that I'll be stuck at 256 forever. Thanks

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    If you're in a calorie deficit, you will lose weight - just like everybody else. It may be that you're retaining water, or constipated. Or that you may have to reduce your calorie target. Or you may have to tighten up your logging - do you pick genuine database entries, do you use the recipe builder, do you have cheat meals? Your high protein goal, and especially I really just feel like giving up, prompts asking if there's any food rewards or what-the-hell-it's-not-working-anyway eating going on?
  • imanididit
    imanididit Posts: 3 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Or you may have to tighten up your logging - do you pick genuine database entries, do you use the recipe builder, do you have cheat meals? Your high protein goal, and especially I really just feel like giving up, prompts asking if there's any food rewards or what-the-hell-it's-not-working-anyway eating going on?

    Thank you. I do have a history of binge eating but instead of eliminating my favorite foods/sweets I do allow myself a treat(though I've never considered it a reward), but not more than 200 calories a day while staying within my daily goal. Do you think there's more I should be doing? Other than being patient.
  • 100_PROOF_
    100_PROOF_ Posts: 1,168 Member
    If you are not losing weight that means that you are not creating a calorie deficit.
    Calorie deficit- weight loss

    Are you using a food scale to weigh all your solids? Measuring all liquid?
    Are you eating back your exercise calories? If so, is there a chance you are over estimating them?

    The simple answer is that you are not consistently creating a caloric deficit.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    imanididit wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Make sure you are using correct entries in the database and that you are logging everything - beverages, condiments, cooking oil, nibbles, etc. Remember that weight loss isn't linear, your weight will bounce up and down sometimes, and it doesn't always immediately react to what you are doing. And be patient - this is going to happen to you many times over the course of your weight loss, even if you are perfect (which none of us are!). Good luck :smiley:

    Thank you, that is exactly what I needed to hear. I'm frustrated because I feel like I've been staying on track and doing most things right, only to not be losing weight consistently. But you're right, 20 lbs in 3 months is on track. I guess I was expecting my weight loss to be linear. Thank you for your support.

    This is one of the toughest concepts for people to come to terms with. If you really are "doing everything right" the scale will move. One thing I can promise however is that if you give up and go back to your old ways, the scale will start moving again, just int he wrong direction.

    On another note, you might consider a diet break for a couple of weeks as it sounds like you've been hitting it pretty hard.

    Congrats on your progress. Keep at it and you'll be golden.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    edited May 2018
    You won’t lose weight consistently, no one does. And women have that extra dose of hormones to “help” us at certain times of the month. :neutral:

    You just have to stay the course and keep up with what you’ve been doing so far! Such a great job—keep going! If everyone gave up every time the needle didn’t move for a few weeks, no one would be successful in the long term. It will move eventually.

    And double checking every database entry is crucial, even the “verified” (green check mark) ones can be wrong.
  • siobhanaoife
    siobhanaoife Posts: 151 Member
    I feel for you. I've had 3+week plateaus but stayed consistent, and then whoosh! a sudden drop on the scale. I assume that I didn't not lose weight for weeks and then lose multiple pounds overnight, but rather that the fat loss was masked by water retention, constipation, and the like. Hang in there, be scrupulous, and see what happens.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    have you recalculated your calorie goal since you lost 20lbs?
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    you are doing well.
    keep it up. weight loss is not a straight line and seems to have plateaus-not sure why
    use a food scale to measure your foods
    log your food.
    eat at a deficit and you will be fine
  • sksk1026
    sksk1026 Posts: 215 Member
    Try the Libra weight-trending app. It's free. It helps you see the long-term trends on your weight loss journey. As long as your weight trends downwards it will show you when you're going to reach goal weight. Has helped me stay motivated.
  • brneydgrlie
    brneydgrlie Posts: 464 Member
    Don't know if your situation has changed since you posted, but you are not alone! It's very common for the scale to be at a standstill for awhile. There may be entire weeks or more when the scale does not move. Don't be discouraged! Your body is continuously changing, even when the scale does not reflect the work you are putting in.

    There is something called the "whoosh effect". As your fat cells get depleted, your body fills the empty cell space up with water. It's a protective measure the body uses in case it needs to start storing fat there again. Once your body "realizes" it's not actually starving, and doesn't need to use the fat cells, it will release the stored water and let the cell shrink. When it does that, you will see a drop on the scale - sometimes pretty substantially - and that is the "whoosh".
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