Counting, exercising NOT losing

Songbird61377
Songbird61377 Posts: 54 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I’ve been treading dietary waters for a long time, bottom line not only im not losing weight but I am quick to gain. I ran some tests everything is normal. I get tired quickly, what worked just a couple of years ago doesn’t seem to anymore. I was told to basically accept the changes that come with age (40) am I missing something? I started talking vitamins which help.
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Replies

  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    How are you measuring your food intake and calorie burn?
  • Songbird61377
    Songbird61377 Posts: 54 Member
    Food scale, measuring cups. I use treadmill for my runs
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    Can you open your diary so we can identify any logging errors?

    Also, what is your current and target weight, sex, height, etc.?
  • jayemes
    jayemes Posts: 865 Member
    What are your stats? (height, current weight, goal weight)
    How long has it been that you haven't lost.
    I'm 45 and I lost 25 pounds last year using MFP, so it's not your age.
    You're probably eating more than you think or overestimating your calorie burn when you run.
  • Deviette
    Deviette Posts: 978 Member
    If you're tired, make sure you're drinking enough water. Dehydration can make you feel really tried.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,779 Member
    At the age of 53, I lost 58lbs in 12-14 months. I doubt it's your age by default. Probably logging errors. If you were to open your dairy, perhaps others can spot the logging mistakes.
  • Songbird61377
    Songbird61377 Posts: 54 Member
    5’7” currently 165 lbs goal 155 I try to stay under 2000 cal pms makes it very hard with sugar cravings
  • amyepdx
    amyepdx Posts: 750 Member
    I lost 97 lbs between 56 & 58 years old so whoever told you that is wrong. 40 is a great age to get the weight management figured out for good!
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    Songbird61377 wrote: »
    I’ve been treading dietary waters for a long time, bottom line not only im not losing weight but I am quick to gain. I ran some tests everything is normal. I get tired quickly, what worked just a couple of years ago doesn’t seem to anymore. I was told to basically accept the changes that come with age (40) am I missing something? I started talking vitamins which help.

    Gosh who told you to this? :grimace:


    Can you open your food diary???
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    Songbird61377 wrote: »
    5’7” currently 165 lbs goal 155 I try to stay under 2000 cal pms makes it very hard with sugar cravings

    I am male, 6', 172lbs, eating 2,100 net calories (eating back all exercise calories burned) in maintenance, so I think your calories are probably too high.
  • Songbird61377
    Songbird61377 Posts: 54 Member
    Question, how long can it take to begin losing weight? In the past I would lose nothing for couple of weeks then suddenly drop 5 lbs after say 3-4 weeks. I don’t seem to follow the typical 1-2 lbs a week process.
    I also have over calorie limit days between very “clean ‘ days. Could that be the reason why I’m not losing? Do I need endless perfect diet days to start losing weight? It just seems like my body is unforgiving, example: I eat clean for 5 days lose 1 lb then I over eat by 500 cal I gain 3 lbs. I’m just confused, and discouraged.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    You might open your diary so people can give input on your logging. Logging is the first place to start when you are not losing like you think you should. Check the accuracy of your logging. Use a food scale if you are not. Check that the entries you choose from the database are correct. Make sure you are logging everything.

    What activity level are you without exercise?
    If you are sedentary and eat about 1,500 calories then you should lose .5 lb a week. If you are sedentary and eat closer to 2,000 calories then you are eating slightly above your maintenance level which is probably about 1,700-1,800.
    Do you exercise, log it and eat exercise calories?

    What tests did you have done?



  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    edited May 2018
    Songbird61377 wrote: »
    5’7” currently 165 lbs goal 155 I try to stay under 2000 cal pms makes it very hard with sugar cravings

    I think those cals are high for losing for you at the point you're at, but you'll have to break down how you are calculating and tacking before anybody can give you real insight. Now we have your physical stats, we need to know how you chose that calorie goal and what you do about your exercise. Did you run the guided setup here or just pick the number? If you used MFP to get the goal, what activity level and goal loss did you set? Have you lost some weight and not reset it lately? Lastly, how do you calculate your exercise cals and do you eat them all back?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Songbird61377 wrote: »
    Question, how long can it take to begin losing weight? In the past I would lose nothing for couple of weeks then suddenly drop 5 lbs after say 3-4 weeks. I don’t seem to follow the typical 1-2 lbs a week process.
    I also have over calorie limit days between very “clean ‘ days. Could that be the reason why I’m not losing? Do I need endless perfect diet days to start losing weight? It just seems like my body is unforgiving, example: I eat clean for 5 days lose 1 lb then I over eat by 500 cal I gain 3 lbs. I’m just confused, and discouraged.

    you don't need to eat clean, but you do need a consistent calorie deficit, which it sounds like you may not have?
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,779 Member
    edited May 2018
    Songbird61377 wrote: »
    Question, how long can it take to begin losing weight? In the past I would lose nothing for couple of weeks then suddenly drop 5 lbs after say 3-4 weeks. I don’t seem to follow the typical 1-2 lbs a week process.
    I also have over calorie limit days between very “clean ‘ days. Could that be the reason why I’m not losing? Do I need endless perfect diet days to start losing weight? It just seems like my body is unforgiving, example: I eat clean for 5 days lose 1 lb then I over eat by 500 cal I gain 3 lbs. I’m just confused, and discouraged.

    All that is necessary for weight loss is a consistent caloric deficit. There is no perfect diet. There is however a "best" diet. The "best" diet is the diet that consists of foods that satisfy your nutritional needs, leaves you feeling satiated without being "stuffed", adequately fuels your daily activity and is sustainable for the long run. "Clean" eating, lots of restrictions, "black and white" thinking, "good" vs "bad" foods merely muck up the process.

  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    Songbird61377 wrote: »
    I eat clean for 5 days lose 1 lb then I over eat by 500 cal I gain 3 lbs. I’m just confused, and discouraged.
    I'm not sure what you mean by eating clean. There are a couple of variables at play. If you've restricted cards for several days and then have a heavy carb day it can cause a jump in weight. No need to panic, it's most likely water weight.

    If you dehydrated yourself while "eating clean" you would have lost water weight. If your day of over eating included high sodium foods then your weight could also spike due to water retention.

    It sounds like you're micro examining the scale weight everyday. If you must weigh yourself everyday then you should focus on your trend weight rather than daily weight. This helps with not panicking when the weight suddenly jumps up. There are a couple apps for tracking trend weight. Happy Scale for iOS and Libra for Android.

    It's about the average over time. An average calorie deficit over a week. An average weight loss trend over several weeks. Patience pays.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    Bry_Fitness70 wrote: »
    Songbird61377 wrote: »
    5’7” currently 165 lbs goal 155 I try to stay under 2000 cal pms makes it very hard with sugar cravings

    I am male, 6', 172lbs, eating 2,100 net calories (eating back all exercise calories burned) in maintenance, so I think your calories are probably too high.

    That depends on if the OP is using net or total calories. If that 2000 calories are total/gross, it's entirely possible that no, that's an accurate number.

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