I’m stuck. Please help!

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angeleyez127
angeleyez127 Posts: 11 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hey everyone, I’ve been on this weight loss journey since May 4th and so far I’ve lost 19 pounds. I track every single day and plan my meals ahead of time. For the pass 3 weeks now I’ve been stuck at the same weight (going up and down between .6 pounds). I’m not understanding what’s going on, I understand plateaus but can they come this early? I’m still looking to lose around another 40 pounds so I’m nowhere near my goal lol. Any tips? Feel free to follow me on here so we can support each other 😊

Replies

  • ScorpioL1GHT
    ScorpioL1GHT Posts: 15 Member
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    Do you weigh yourself under the same conditions every time you weigh-in? Water weight can easily fluctuate and skew our fat loss.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    Water weight is definitely a thing. Depending on your monthly cycle, you may take more on either at menstruation or at ovulation.

    How are you measuring your portions? If you're exercising, how are you calculating your exercise burns?
  • DarkNightBrightDays
    DarkNightBrightDays Posts: 30 Member
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    Hi, congratulations on your weight lose however you have lost quite a lot in a relatively short amount of time. I got stuck around 27lbs and just bounced around the same lb on and off for weeks. Turns out I was not eating enough and working out too much so my net calories were waaaaaay too low. I worked out my correct TDEE* (inc. total workout time per week) using http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/ which then gave me the correct number of calories to consume.

    The result is a higher calorie allowance each day/less time needed working out and I have lost 3lbs this week (first decent loss in weeks).

    Also, make sure you drink enough water and WEIGH EVERYTHING :smiley:

    Good luck!

    * Total daily energy expenditure
  • angeleyez127
    angeleyez127 Posts: 11 Member
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    ScorpioL1GHT wrote: »
    Do you weigh yourself under the same conditions every time you weigh-in? Water weight can easily fluctuate and skew our fat loss.

    Yes I do, I weigh in every Friday morning when I wake up for work. I was thinking water weight too but don’t that becomes a problem when you don’t drink enough water because your body is holding onto what yo have? I drink between 40- 72oz a day.
  • angeleyez127
    angeleyez127 Posts: 11 Member
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    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    Water weight is definitely a thing. Depending on your monthly cycle, you may take more on either at menstruation or at ovulation.

    How are you measuring your portions? If you're exercising, how are you calculating your exercise burns?

    It’s not that time of the month for me so it’s not that. I also track my ovulation on Fitbit, idk how accurate it is though. I use measurements cups/spoons or count out the amount for a serving. I never estimate because I want to be accurate. I use my Fitbit to measure calories burned as well, but I sometimes don’t eat back those calories that I burn off.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    angeleyez127 wrote: »
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    Water weight is definitely a thing. Depending on your monthly cycle, you may take more on either at menstruation or at ovulation.

    How are you measuring your portions? If you're exercising, how are you calculating your exercise burns?

    It’s not that time of the month for me so it’s not that. I also track my ovulation on Fitbit, idk how accurate it is though. I use measurements cups/spoons or count out the amount for a serving. I never estimate because I want to be accurate. I use my Fitbit to measure calories burned as well, but I sometimes don’t eat back those calories that I burn off.

    cups aren't accurate
  • angeleyez127
    angeleyez127 Posts: 11 Member
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    DarkNightBrightDays wrote: »
    Hi, congratulations on your weight lose however you have lost quite a lot in a relatively short amount of time. I got stuck around 27lbs and just bounced around the same lb on and off for weeks. Turns out I was not eating enough and working out too much so my net calories were waaaaaay too low. I worked out my correct TDEE* (inc. total workout time per week) using http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/ which then gave me the correct number of calories to consume.

    The result is a higher calorie allowance each day/less time needed working out and I have lost 3lbs this week (first decent loss in weeks).

    Also, make sure you drink enough water and WEIGH EVERYTHING :smiley:

    Good luck!

    * Total daily energy expenditure

    Thank you! I know the first couple of pounds come off pretty easy but since I’m still considered “obese” and have a lot more to lose I didn’t think I’d get stuck for awhile. I don’t stick to one specific amount of calories a day, it ranges from 1,200-1,700. As far as exercise goes, at first I was only walking and getting in around 20,000 daily. I just started to exercise yesterday so hopefully that’ll help.

    Congrats on your weight loss by the way!
  • angeleyez127
    angeleyez127 Posts: 11 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    I personally dislike the concept of weightloss plateaus. What's happening, is actually really simple. As you lose weight, your body will have less fatty tissue. This means that your maximum possible weightloss rate slows down, because you can't create as large a calorie deficit anymore. All the time, your body weight fluctuates, from day to day. As you get lighter, those fluctuations outweigh and mask your loss, unless you look at the trend for several weeks. And that is if you still have a calorie deficit. Creating a calorie deficit when you have a lot to lose, is easy. Of course it's harder in practice, but in theory, you could lose the first 20 pounds just by cutting out soda or something. To keep having a calorie deficit when your body is lighter, you may need to adjust your calorie target - and of course your expectations, as explained. You absolutely need to make sure you're logging your food intake correctly. This is why we so often insist on buying and using a food scale. You also need to make sure the entries you use are valid, and that you're logging the amounts you're actually ingesting,and if you cook, use the recipe builder. Then you need to weigh yourself regularly, and be patient.

    Oh trust me there’s a ton of fatty tissues left in me lol. Seriously though I get what you’re saying. I track everything I eat/drink and I’m always under my goal. I burn off a lot of calories per day from exercise as well as my BMR. I’m in a deficit everyday and I never guess the amount of calories in a meal, I’m sure to count everything. If I were to have a small piece of candy I make sure to add it on here. That’s why I’m so confused as to why I’m not losing not even .1lbs.
  • angeleyez127
    angeleyez127 Posts: 11 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    angeleyez127 wrote: »
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    Water weight is definitely a thing. Depending on your monthly cycle, you may take more on either at menstruation or at ovulation.

    How are you measuring your portions? If you're exercising, how are you calculating your exercise burns?

    It’s not that time of the month for me so it’s not that. I also track my ovulation on Fitbit, idk how accurate it is though. I use measurements cups/spoons or count out the amount for a serving. I never estimate because I want to be accurate. I use my Fitbit to measure calories burned as well, but I sometimes don’t eat back those calories that I burn off.

    cups aren't accurate

    When it comes to things like meat and certain things, yes I know. I also know how the palm of our hand and the thickness can equal a serving depending on what you’re measuring.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    angeleyez127 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    angeleyez127 wrote: »
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    Water weight is definitely a thing. Depending on your monthly cycle, you may take more on either at menstruation or at ovulation.

    How are you measuring your portions? If you're exercising, how are you calculating your exercise burns?

    It’s not that time of the month for me so it’s not that. I also track my ovulation on Fitbit, idk how accurate it is though. I use measurements cups/spoons or count out the amount for a serving. I never estimate because I want to be accurate. I use my Fitbit to measure calories burned as well, but I sometimes don’t eat back those calories that I burn off.

    cups aren't accurate

    When it comes to things like meat and certain things, yes I know. I also know how the palm of our hand and the thickness can equal a serving depending on what you’re measuring.

    if you say so...

    a portion for me is the amount that fits my calories and macros when i have weighed it.
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,463 Member
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    You need a food scale. I was undercounting by as much as 30% without one. Cups are ok for liquids.

    Be careful eating back exercise calories. Weight loss takes place mostly in the kitchen.

  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    angeleyez127 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    angeleyez127 wrote: »
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    Water weight is definitely a thing. Depending on your monthly cycle, you may take more on either at menstruation or at ovulation.

    How are you measuring your portions? If you're exercising, how are you calculating your exercise burns?

    It’s not that time of the month for me so it’s not that. I also track my ovulation on Fitbit, idk how accurate it is though. I use measurements cups/spoons or count out the amount for a serving. I never estimate because I want to be accurate. I use my Fitbit to measure calories burned as well, but I sometimes don’t eat back those calories that I burn off.

    cups aren't accurate

    When it comes to things like meat and certain things, yes I know. I also know how the palm of our hand and the thickness can equal a serving depending on what you’re measuring.

    To a point, but neither is anywhere near as accurate as a scale. Just as an example, in the MFP database a cup of grapes is 62 calories. When I measure out a cup of grapes, weigh that on a scale and check the calories for that (usually 160-170 grams)? Today, it was 111. And grapes aren't really calorie-dense when compared to something like peanut butter...
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
    edited July 2018
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    Go into MFP and reset your goal with your new weight to lose 1lbs a week. The appropriate goal when you have 40lbs to lose.

    Buy yourself a food scale, weigh all foods, even packaged food, oils, bread, dressings, fruit and veg, meats, in grams. Liquids in cups.

    Consistently eat back 50% of your Fitbit and/or exercise calories.

    Do this through one whole menstrual cycle month, 6 weeks even better, and then see where these numbers are taking you.

    If you are losing more than 1lbs a week, eat a higher percentage of your Fitbit/exercise calories back.

    If you are losing less than 1lbs a week, double check you are using the correct entries for your foods, if that doesn't help, drop the percentage of Fitbit/exercise calories you are eating back.

    All exercise calorie burns are estimates, these can be adjusted depending on real life results.

    Consistency will give you a clearer picture of where adjustments need to be made, and better results, than eating 1200-1700 cals, counting and guessing at food quantities, and eating back some Fitbit/exercise calories when you feel like it.

    Cheers, h.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    angeleyez127 wrote: »
    ScorpioL1GHT wrote: »
    Do you weigh yourself under the same conditions every time you weigh-in? Water weight can easily fluctuate and skew our fat loss.

    Yes I do, I weigh in every Friday morning when I wake up for work. I was thinking water weight too but don’t that becomes a problem when you don’t drink enough water because your body is holding onto what yo have? I drink between 40- 72oz a day.

    Water retention is caused by a lot of things and not drinking enough is just one of them. Too much sodium, too little electrolytes, dehydration, warm weather, time of the month or ovulation, increasing exercise, changing your exercise routine, adding weight to your exercise, changes in medication, changes in the amount of carbs you eat, cheat days, changing the amount of food you eat, and probably a dozen other things I don't even know about.

    You know how people say that weight loss isn't linear? Water weight fluctuations are why and they're nothing to worry about. 3 weeks is a little long for it to be water weight, but it's still in the realm of possibilities if you've been making changes to your routine lately.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    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.
  • angeleyez127
    angeleyez127 Posts: 11 Member
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    Thanks everyone 😊
  • GrayRider61
    GrayRider61 Posts: 337 Member
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    All good info. Maybe change up your routine a little. You also said something about starting to exercise. What type are you doing?
  • angeleyez127
    angeleyez127 Posts: 11 Member
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    GrayRider61 wrote: »
    All good info. Maybe change up your routine a little. You also said something about starting to exercise. What type are you doing?

    It changes daily, some days are HIIT, others could be yoga or just focused on one body part. I have these two apps with workout plans so I’m giving them a try. They’re called HASfit and keep trainer.

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