Slow weight loss
SRJ5820
Posts: 63 Member
Hi all- I'll try to make this as short as possible. 5 years ago, I started myfitneespal and lost almost 100 pounds in a year. I went off the diet and maintained well for 6 months and then started gaining back. Went back on diet and lost about half of what I had regained (10 pounds out of the 20), and then plateaued. I would get frustrated go off diet, gain a bunch back, and then diet again but would always slow way down or plateaua after the first 5 or 10 pounds lost. Anyways, this went on for the last 4 years. This past year, gained almost all of the weight back, and started hardcore again first week of June. I lost 6 pounds the first month, 2 pounds in July, and only 1 pound this month. I weigh 309 pounds, am 41 years old male, net 1700-2000 cals a day and walk about 8000 steps a day. Cannot lose weight.
Please don't ask if I am weighing my food. I am. Please don't tell me I am eating more then I think. I am not. I did this the first time around and worked well, and now mu body just doesn't want to give it up. Any thought on medical reasons? I has thyroid checked last year and it cam back smack dab in the middle.
Please don't ask if I am weighing my food. I am. Please don't tell me I am eating more then I think. I am not. I did this the first time around and worked well, and now mu body just doesn't want to give it up. Any thought on medical reasons? I has thyroid checked last year and it cam back smack dab in the middle.
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Replies
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If you want something to be wrong with you and not your approach, then sorry, noone here can help you.37
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How many calories are you eating (not netting) each day?
Edit:
Just looked at your diary. No, you're not required to cut out all "junk" but your diet is terrible. Completely unbalanced. If you actually are looking for long term health, start educating yourself on how to eat a balanced diet (myplate.gov is a good starting point) and build your diet around lean protein, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, etc. You've gotten to where you are by eating the way you do. If you want that to change, make serious changes to what you eat.21 -
I don't want something to be wrong medically, but perphaps someone might have medical insight. If you have ideas on approach, give em to me. For the last 2 week, I have not included exercise cals for eating. So between 1700-2000. Before, I was eating back half of exercise cals. I am set up as sedentary lifestyle.. It says I should be eating 1940 cals a day. Could I be eating too few? I've tried over and under cals and doesn't want to budge.2
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I don't want something to be wrong medically, but perphaps someone might have medical insight. If you have ideas on approach, give em to me. For the last 2 week, I have not included exercise cals for eating. So between 1700-2000. Before, I was eating back half of exercise cals. I am set up as sedentary lifestyle.. It says I should be eating 1940 cals a day. Could I be eating too few? I've tried over and under cals and doesn't want to budge.
Nobody on earth fails to lose fat because he is eating too little. That literally never happens. At your stats, the weight would be falling off you if you ate 1700-2000 calories per day. I will happily write out a week of food for you to eat that totals 2200 calories per day and if you were to eat those foods in the quantity I prescribe, you will lose fat.25 -
I know that you don't want to hear it but something in your tracking is off. You can troubleshoot that and figure out the issue or keep looking in the wrong places and keep struggling.
You are ingesting fewer calories than your body is using so you are getting some weight loss. Sedentary people lose more slowly because they can't create as much of a deficit and don't have a lot of wiggle room for tracking errors. Figure out a comfortable calorie intake amount that leaves you at a deficit and settle in for the long haul.
Increasing your calorie intake would be counterproductive.
Double-check your database entries for accurate nutrition facts. Log everything immediately before you eat so that you don't forget to log it later. If you have cheat meals/days, log them just as carefully as you log everything else.
Treat this like a science experiment where you are the only subject. Collect the best data that you can and make adjustments from that data.16 -
So back when I was 19 I went on phen-fen (this is now illegal) but I lost a butt ton of weight. I mean like over 100lbs in like 4 months... Fast forward to now, my metabolism is completely blown. I am 6 feet 2 inches tall. I am a woman and I should be able to eat 2000 calories and maintain my weight. THAT is not the case, if I want to see a loss I have to eat no carbs, work out every single day and keep it less the 1400 calories. My body is just really good at conserving calories, for whatever reason. You need to have your base metabolic rate tested. This is a real thing, people probably thought I was lying or exaggerating when I said I was keeping it low and working out, but I wasn't losing. Now I am Keto, 16 hours a day fasting, and keeping it less then 1400-1600 calories a day, I Walk at least, AT LEAST 10,000 steps a day and sometimes I jog and also put in a workout at home.. ITs so hard, also your metabolism slows when you age, starting at 30. Build muscle, it will help you raise your resting metabolism, it will take like 8 weeks to notice a difference. There are some awesome YOUTUBE channels that can help you understand. Fitmencook, and so many others. Search it. Your welcome. :-) Don't give up, just keep attacking it until you find a way. (I know what I am talking about, I have lost 165 lbs, full disclosure I did have weight loss surgery but stopped losing after the initial 110) Good luck, update if you can. :-)39
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Change of attitude. Weighloss is really simple - eat less than you burn. No need for a medical degree.If you have ideas on approach, give em to me.
Preemptively dismissing that you're eating more than you think you are, indicates that you're eating more than you think you are; and Could I be eating too few? proves that you're not willing to eat less.21 -
I don't want something to be wrong medically, but perphaps someone might have medical insight. If you have ideas on approach, give em to me. For the last 2 week, I have not included exercise cals for eating. So between 1700-2000. Before, I was eating back half of exercise cals. I am set up as sedentary lifestyle.. It says I should be eating 1940 cals a day. Could I be eating too few? I've tried over and under cals and doesn't want to budge.
Nobody on earth fails to lose fat because he is eating too little. That literally never happens. At your stats, the weight would be falling off you if you ate 1700-2000 calories per day. I will happily write out a week of food for you to eat that totals 2200 calories per day and if you were to eat those foods in the quantity I prescribe, you will lose fat.
I AM eating this amount. I have no reason to lie. This is beyond frustrating. Like I said, I lost 100 pounds "easy" the first year. Now I cannot. I don't eat the best foods, and probably eat too much sugar, but have cut way down. I don't want the reason to be medical, but something isn't right.8 -
I know that you don't want to hear it but something in your tracking is off. You can troubleshoot that and figure out the issue or keep looking in the wrong places and keep struggling.
You are ingesting fewer calories than your body is using so you are getting some weight loss. Sedentary people lose more slowly because they can't create as much of a deficit and don't have a lot of wiggle room for tracking errors. Figure out a comfortable calorie intake amount that leaves you at a deficit and settle in for the long haul.
Increasing your calorie intake would be counterproductive.
Double-check your database entries for accurate nutrition facts. Log everything immediately before you eat so that you don't forget to log it later. If you have cheat meals/days, log them just as carefully as you log everything else.
Treat this like a science experiment where you are the only subject. Collect the best data that you can and make adjustments from that data.
Thanks. Like I said, I've done this before. I plan out meals days in advance. I use nutrion form labels. I log everything, down to the 5 cal mustard on my sandwhich. I measure everything. This is why it is so frustrating, because I know all of the things to do.4 -
I don't want something to be wrong medically, but perphaps someone might have medical insight. If you have ideas on approach, give em to me. For the last 2 week, I have not included exercise cals for eating. So between 1700-2000. Before, I was eating back half of exercise cals. I am set up as sedentary lifestyle.. It says I should be eating 1940 cals a day. Could I be eating too few? I've tried over and under cals and doesn't want to budge.
Nobody on earth fails to lose fat because he is eating too little. That literally never happens. At your stats, the weight would be falling off you if you ate 1700-2000 calories per day. I will happily write out a week of food for you to eat that totals 2200 calories per day and if you were to eat those foods in the quantity I prescribe, you will lose fat.
I AM eating this amount. I have no reason to lie. This is beyond frustrating. Like I said, I lost 100 pounds "easy" the first year. Now I cannot. I don't eat the best foods, and probably eat too much sugar, but have cut way down. I don't want the reason to be medical, but something isn't right.
I'm not saying that you are lying. I believe that you believe you are eating those foods in those quantities and they equal those calories. But the bottom line is that you are not eating as few calories as you think.12 -
One of the main effects of logging, for me, has been to become more aware of what I eat. I would be starving on so little food, and sneak food and junk whenever possible.6
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Since you are wondering if something is wrong, I suggest you ask this question of your Dr. When was the last time you had blood work? Have you considered making an appointment with a registered dietician and letting him/her, review your food diary and make some suggestions? The fact that you lost a lot of weight, then gained some back suggests to me that there is something in your diet that is not serving you well. Not suggesting your are lying, but perhaps your perception needs adjusting?7
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So back when I was 19 I went on phen-fen (this is now illegal) but I lost a butt ton of weight. I mean like over 100lbs in like 4 months... Fast forward to now, my metabolism is completely blown. I am 6 feet 2 inches tall. I am a woman and I should be able to eat 2000 calories and maintain my weight. THAT is not the case, if I want to see a loss I have to eat no carbs, work out every single day and keep it less the 1400 calories. My body is just really good at conserving calories, for whatever reason. You need to have your base metabolic rate tested. This is a real thing, people probably thought I was lying or exaggerating when I said I was keeping it low and working out, but I wasn't losing. Now I am Keto, 16 hours a day fasting, and keeping it less then 1400-1600 calories a day, I Walk at least, AT LEAST 10,000 steps a day and sometimes I jog and also put in a workout at home.. ITs so hard, also your metabolism slows when you age, starting at 30. Build muscle, it will help you raise your resting metabolism, it will take like 8 weeks to notice a difference. There are some awesome YOUTUBE channels that can help you understand. Fitmencook, and so many others. Search it. Your welcome. :-) Don't give up, just keep attacking it until you find a way. (I know what I am talking about, I have lost 165 lbs, full disclosure I did have weight loss surgery but stopped losing after the initial 110) Good luck, update if you can. :-)
thanks! I know people are trying to help and give the best advice they can, but it's almost like people think I am lying or cheating or don't know what I am doing. I may not eat the best foods, but I track EVERYTHING. I wonder if being on a diet for 5 years just has screwed things up. Where can I get my base rate tested? I have seen 2 doctors and a nutrinist who haven't really been of any help.13 -
I will add that I used to use my elliptical for 30 mins a day, and ate back all but 100 exercise cals. I don't use the elliptical much anymore. Could part of the issue be my heart rate isn't going high enough? I don't think it would, but just at a loss.
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I will add that I used to use my elliptical for 30 mins a day, and ate back all but 100 exercise cals. I don't use the elliptical much anymore. Could part of the issue be my heart rate isn't going high enough? I don't think it would, but just at a loss.
Has nothing to do with your heart rate. When you were eating back your elliptical calories, how many calories were you eating per day?
It comes down to how many calories are you eating vs how many calories are you burning. If you are not losing weight over 3-4 weeks, you are eating as many calories as you're burning. If you're gaining it over 3-4 weeks, you're eating more calories than you're burning. If you are losing weight over 3-4 weeks, you're eating fewer calories than you're burning.10 -
I think it has given you a bad case of diet fatigue, and you have my sympathy. But you will still lose weight if you eat less than you burn.I wonder if being on a diet for 5 years just has screwed things up.
Google it. But no matter what number you get, you will still have to eat less, and for real.Where can I get my base rate tested? I have seen 2 doctors and a nutrinist who haven't really been of any help.15 -
OP, this is probably going to sound snarky no matter how I word it, but it's honestly not, I'm just trying to get more insight in your diary.
You say you weigh everything, but does that mean everything you eat weighs exactly what it says one serving will weigh on the package? Because at least over the last few days, almost everything is in nice round numbers. Yesterday, the 2 Pastry Crisps weighed exactly what the package said they would? The Tumaros wrap weighed 40g? You weighed out 2 oz of turkey breast? I assume the chicken breast is a partial serving that's not visible in your entry, because 140 calories of chicken breast is a bit less than 3 oz. The La Banderita corn tortillas were weighed out and came to exactly what the package said they would, every day? You weighed out 51g of the Light sour cream (because that's how much would be 70 cals)?
I ask because I often weigh out wacky serving sizes to match what the package says "1 cup" will be, so I can just log 1 cup. But some things are hard to do that with. If you didn't weigh all that stuff, you should be, at least until you can figure out why you are struggling.
Also double check the entries you are using are correct, as different name brands can have different calories.
I know that's not what you wanted to hear. Maybe 5 years ago you were logging better in ways you just aren't noticing now. But if you are aren't eating more than you are logging, there is something medically very wrong with you and a doctor would need to do tests to figure it out and document it, since it would be newsworthy - I am maintaining at 125-130 lbs eating @ the same amount of calories as you are logging as a 300 lb man.
Best of luck, I hope you figure it out.21 -
I will add that I used to use my elliptical for 30 mins a day, and ate back all but 100 exercise cals. I don't use the elliptical much anymore. Could part of the issue be my heart rate isn't going high enough? I don't think it would, but just at a loss.
Has nothing to do with your heart rate. When you were eating back your elliptical calories, how many calories were you eating per day?
It comes down to how many calories are you eating vs how many calories are you burning. If you are not losing weight over 3-4 weeks, you are eating as many calories as you're burning. If you're gaining it over 3-4 weeks, you're eating more calories than you're burning. If you are losing weight over 3-4 weeks, you're eating fewer calories than you're burning.
When I would use elliptical, I would use whatever myfitness pal would schedule me to eat. So if my goal was 1800, and I exercised and burned 500 cals, I would eat 2200 cals. Always left 100 cal cushion. I think I started at like 2000 cal at my heaviest, and when I was down to 225 it was 1500? a day I was scheduled to eat.
And I really, truly understand how weight loss works. I am not trying to argue with you. I AM doing the right things. I really wish you could all see and watch me. I know how the game works. It is just not working for me. That is why I am at my wits end. Like it has to be something else going on. Or my body now thing 1800 is what it needs to maintain.3 -
I will add that I used to use my elliptical for 30 mins a day, and ate back all but 100 exercise cals. I don't use the elliptical much anymore. Could part of the issue be my heart rate isn't going high enough? I don't think it would, but just at a loss.
Has nothing to do with your heart rate. When you were eating back your elliptical calories, how many calories were you eating per day?
It comes down to how many calories are you eating vs how many calories are you burning. If you are not losing weight over 3-4 weeks, you are eating as many calories as you're burning. If you're gaining it over 3-4 weeks, you're eating more calories than you're burning. If you are losing weight over 3-4 weeks, you're eating fewer calories than you're burning.
When I would use elliptical, I would use whatever myfitness pal would schedule me to eat. So if my goal was 1800, and I exercised and burned 500 cals, I would eat 2200 cals. Always left 100 cal cushion. I think I started at like 2000 cal at my heaviest, and when I was down to 225 it was 1500? a day I was scheduled to eat.
And I really, truly understand how weight loss works. I am not trying to argue with you. I AM doing the right things. I really wish you could all see and watch me. I know how the game works. It is just not working for me. That is why I am at my wits end. Like it has to be something else going on. Or my body now thing 1800 is what it needs to maintain.
Okay, let's go back to the basics.
How many pounds have you lost during each of the last four weeks? (list them separately for each week please)2 -
I'll have to list them later. I don't have the info with me. How come there is no "button" when I click on someones name to view their logs?
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stress much? sleep little? I ALWAYS stall when I don't get adequate sleep. And, when I'm stressed, I don't sleep well. Could be a factor that you haven't considered...4
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I'll have to list them later. I don't have the info with me. How come there is no "button" when I click on someones name to view their logs?
It's possible to set your diary so that people can't see it. I have mine set to friends only, for example. You can also set it so that nobody but you can see it and so that only people who you give a password to can see it.0 -
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I have been reading this whole thread - and I guess my question to you is what are you trying to get from this discussion? People have said everything they know about losing weight, and apparently you know all of this. If you are eating what MFP tell you to eat and you are not losing weight, then drop your calories by 100 and see what happens. Are you wanting everyone to agree there is something medically wrong with you? And then what? You still aren't losing weight, even if everyone agrees with you. You say you have met with Drs. and met with a nutritionist and you've gotten nothing from seeing them. Perhaps you will need to turn to bariatric surgery this time. I can only imagine how frustrated you are. And btw, if you want to look at my food diary, please do.
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I've had weight loss seriously slow when my macros were off. In my case, it was not eating enough fat - too much low/no fat items. I added some full fat items in, cut back on quantity to keep my calories the same, and it kicked back into gear. Prior to that I was still losing but it had slowed significantly.
If you're eating just enough to keep your body going, making sure it's actually getting what it needs is going to be more important.5 -
I agree with most of everything said. However, I will add that I think that you need to get into the kitchen and get your diet to be 80% whole foods and only 20% other crap. Your compliance will be much easier that way. Lean meats, vegetables, good starches, and fruits for a snack. Regardless of your bodyweight making real changes to your diet is going to help your health long term. Also, 8000 steps are great. I think you need to also get a workout program that you enjoy.
I would also suggest based upon your weight going up and down and the diet getting with your primary care doctor and getting Vitamin D, testosterone panel, cholesterol panel, A1c, fasted blood sugar, and thyroid before the metabolic testing. Make sure all of that is good and then get the metabolic tests.17 -
Don’t believe the packages. Literally weigh things that are individual items. 1 46g hot dog roll is let’s say 140 cals...well turns out, they don’t all weigh 46g. Some are even 60g. That’s 1.3x what it says. Those errors can add up!
Edit: typo16 -
Though what you are eating is probably not meeting your nutritional needs, (both macro and micro nutrients) if it weighed, and you are using the correct entries, it shouldn't impede your fat loss.
It is a case of revisiting your logging. Not that I doubt your logging skills.
I, and probably others on this site, after logging for a long time get complacent.
My mandarin orange got a general 'small' entry, the sugar and milk in my coffee were made into a meal, so it was consistently entered as a specific count, bread was the per slice on the package.
Oh there were so many things that I thought were good or good enough entries, even when I used packages and the scale-most of the time.
It was when I, a petite older woman, got down to those last 10 lbs, and had nowhere to move calorie wise, that I went back and started logging from scratch almost.
Everything was weighted, entries were double checked against the USDA, mfg website, or the package.
I was amazed at how many things I had let slip subconsciously over time.
A good review of what and how I was logging worked magic.
Re read the excellent help you have read in this thread, and try to apply some of it.
Cheers, h.20 -
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Thank you for the remarks. There is nothing medically wrong with me, I will be more careful with logging my entries. I was just getting discouraged and I guess I just wanted to hear that it has happened before and to just hang in there.10
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