Why am I NOT losing weight?!?!

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brittanylynne1209
brittanylynne1209 Posts: 56
in Success Stories
I am stuck between 157 and 159lbs.. my weight just fluctuates between that (the last 2 days its been 158 even)..it hasn't budged in 2 weeks. I have eaten my exercise calories back, not eaten them back, did more cardio, ate more protein, etc. etc. Why isn't it working?

Am I just destined to be big? I drink 12 glasses of water a day. Eat within my restrictions of my sugars, carbs, fats, sodium, etc. Exercise 60-80 minutes a day (plus I chase my 1 and 2 year old around all day).

What can I do? I want to lose 10 lbs by September 13, but I doubt that will happen because I can even lose a pound in 2 weeks!
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Replies

  • navyw1fe
    navyw1fe Posts: 313 Member
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    I am stuck between 157 and 159lbs.. my weight just fluctuates between that (the last 2 days its been 158 even)..it hasn't budged in 2 weeks. I have eaten my exercise calories back, not eaten them back, did more cardio, ate more protein, etc. etc. Why isn't it working?

    Am I just destined to be big? I drink 12 glasses of water a day. Eat within my restrictions of my sugars, carbs, fats, sodium, etc. Exercise 60-80 minutes a day (plus I chase my 1 and 2 year old around all day).

    What can I do? I want to lose 10 lbs by September 13, but I doubt that will happen because I can even lose a pound in 2 weeks!

    I know exactly how your feeling becuz im going thru the same thing right now!! when u find out the solution plz let me know? i lost 5lbs when i first started MFP 30 days ago and since starting 30DS 2 weeks ago ive gained 2lbs back..and been stuck between 147-150..im want to hit my goal of 140 by the beg of oct, but at this rate its not goin to be till the new yr!! VERY frustrated!!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Are you weighing yourself every day?

    Try doing that only once a week at the same time and look at the weekly trend rather than the daily fluctuations and adjust accordingly.
  • Italiandoglover
    Italiandoglover Posts: 29
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    How many calories are you eating a day? Are u doing at least 2 days a week of resistance/strength training? Are you giving yourself 1 rest day? These all play a part. You sound like you need to be eating between 1400-1600 calories a day minimum. Are you hitting those numbers. Really look into what kind of exercise routine you are doing, and make sure you are eating that number of calories before you add in your exercise calories, because if you are burning at least 300-400 calories a day in exercise, and you eat only 1400 calories, you are dipping into starvation mode, and that could factor into your non losing scheme.
  • Bmoviemama
    Bmoviemama Posts: 90
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    Maybe you are at the weight you should be at or have hit a plateau.
  • brittanylynne1209
    brittanylynne1209 Posts: 56
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    I know right! I have to FORCE myself to eat the 1200 calories a day, because I'm not hungry. I eat roughly 70-100 g protein a day (lots of chicken! easy to make and my kids love it too!)

    I usually average about 1000 calories and then have to force myself to eat the extra 200.. so I'm thinking I cut it down to 1000 and see what happens.. since I shouldnt be eating because I have to meet a quota. I workout all the time! Chase a 1.5 and 2.5 year old around all day... I should be losing more. haha so irritating! I want to be 150 lbs by my husband and i's 3rd anniversary on sept 13, and its going so slow! haha
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I am stuck between 157 and 159lbs.. my weight just fluctuates between that (the last 2 days its been 158 even)..it hasn't budged in 2 weeks. I have eaten my exercise calories back, not eaten them back, did more cardio, ate more protein, etc. etc. Why isn't it working?

    Am I just destined to be big? I drink 12 glasses of water a day. Eat within my restrictions of my sugars, carbs, fats, sodium, etc. Exercise 60-80 minutes a day (plus I chase my 1 and 2 year old around all day).

    What can I do? I want to lose 10 lbs by September 13, but I doubt that will happen because I can even lose a pound in 2 weeks!

    You need to try each of the things that you listed individually for 2 weeks, not all of them for a couple of days over 2 weeks...

    Remember, you didnt put all the weight on in a few weeks, and it wont come off in a few weeks either!
  • thetrishwarp
    thetrishwarp Posts: 838 Member
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    You're likely not eating enough.
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
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    1200 is too low - especially if you're close to your goal weight --- and double if you're exercising too and still not even eating 1200. Not sure how tall you are but I'm 5'4 and 160 and my resting BMR is 1680 so my daily is 1430 to lose 1/2 pound a week. Maybe you just need to relook at your numbers? Also, more protein is a good thing! I changed my goals to 45% protein, 25% carb, 30% fat. It's frustrating I know.... but I was stalled for months at 1200 and finally started losing little by little again when I upped the cals.

    PS I just reread your post --- you're not even eating the 1200 and you're working out? You need to get more food...your body is holding on to every thing it can because you're starving it! Can't eat more? Drink it! Bring a protein shake to the gym instead of plain water and get some calories and protein that way. I drink 2-3 protein shakes a day - they keep me feeling full all day.
  • hstallings13
    hstallings13 Posts: 306
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    stop focusing on the weight and try measuring...you may be loosing inches or your body may be changing shapes. I just finished the 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels and I only lost 10lbs, but from my pics on my profile, it looks like more. I still have a long way to go, but my shape is changing and so when I don't see the scale move, I'm seeing my measurements changing. I am also a fan of before and after pics cause you don't always see the changes happening.
  • Nikki881
    Nikki881 Posts: 203
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    I know how you feel, it took two months of working out and eating right to lose even a pound! But I've actually found lately that if I lower my sugar and sodium intake then I can get rid of the water weight. Also, I went back up two pounds this weekend, and discovered it's from drinking too much water and retaining that water. I've started trying to keep it at a max of 2 liters of water a day, which seems to be a good balance. Also, have you tried measuring yourself? I mean, I've only lost 4 pounds, but I've lost almost six inches off my body because muscle weighs more than fat (actually, it's denser, so it makes you look smaller, but usually at a bit of a higher weight). Hope this helps!
  • brittanylynne1209
    brittanylynne1209 Posts: 56
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    I'm not hungry enough to eat 1600 calories a day! Im barely hungry enough to eat 1200! I do strength training, rest on Sundays, etc.
  • kdnewkirk
    kdnewkirk Posts: 2 Member
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    Change your work-outs: type, duration, and/or intensity. Most people do steady cardio. Interval works best and weight lifting. Do shorter work-outs, but more intense. I too, have improved my diet and am working out more and haven't lost anything, but I am not lifting enough weights!! So, I need to follow my own advice!!
  • djh1980
    djh1980 Posts: 18
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    People wont agree with me but here it is.. I tried doing it that way too and it didnt work for me. It still wasnt enough change to get quick results. I am now doing atkins. I have gone to no sugar, and maximum 10 carbs a day and im down 4 lbs in 4 days. It may work for you or it may not. But its just a thought if you havent tried it.. For only 10 lbs to be lost you also could take a water pill and youd lose 5 but it would only be excess fluid. Try eating meat cheese eggs and carb free veggies for a week. and drink lots of water... It may happen for you then and fast!!!!
  • moylie
    moylie Posts: 195
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    1000 calories plus exercise is starving yourself, and your body is holding onto the weight. YOU NEED TO EAT MORE. As others have said, hit between 1400 and 1600 NET, that means if you burn 400 exercising, YOU HAVE TO EAT most of that back. If you're not hungry, try some nutrient/calorie dense things like protein shakes, nuts, nut butters, etc. Trust us, it works! You can also try zig-zagging or calorie cycling. Best plan I've found is at freedieting.com. Your metabolism needs to be kick-started again. Rest days are important, too.
  • brittanylynne1209
    brittanylynne1209 Posts: 56
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    Yeah, I switched up my workout yesterday, different machines, different weights, different reps, def. was feeling it this morning! So hopefully that helped!
  • mtkautz
    mtkautz Posts: 218 Member
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    My body stays at the same weight for weeks (3-4), then I will drop 5 pounds within a few days... stay at that weight for weeks, and drop another 5 pounds, and so on. Just be patient, you're doing all the right things!! Add in a bit more high intensity cardio? That will increase fat burning and maybe get your body going again.
    I don't particularly agree with eating back excercise calories until you are rather close to your goal weight, but once you figure out what your body needs... stick with it. It sounds like you keep changing what you are doing every couple of days because you aren't seeing results immediately? If you are, try sticking to one way for 2 weeks and see how it goes. By that I mean, if you are going to try eating back excercise cals... do that consistently for 2 weeks and see how it goes.
  • brittanylynne1209
    brittanylynne1209 Posts: 56
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    I FORCE myself to eat at least 1250 a day, sometimes I'll even eat up to 1400 calories a day. But usually once I hit 1000 calories, I'm full and make myself eat a LUNA bar or something, or drink some protein powder smoothie.. anything so my body doesn't hit starvation.
  • tomomatic
    tomomatic Posts: 1,794 Member
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    A couple things you can do:

    Take a look at your portions and make sure you're getting it right. For example, I've seen the size of a chicken breast vary from a deck of cards to larger than my fist. It should be a deck of cards.

    Take a look at hidden calories. If you've started a profile here, then the friends you've made on MFP can give you feedback on what you're eating.

    Adjust your level of activity on MFP. When you first set up your profile, take into account that the level of activity does not take into account exercise activity. A nurse or lumber jack are going to burn more calories at work than a nerd like me, sitting at a desk in front of a computer all day. my level of activity is set to "sedentary." It will affect your calorie target.

    Anyways, I thought I plataued after two weeks. Keep it going and push through it.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    How tall are you? Have you been tracking other measurements besides just the scale? Are you feeling more fit physically than you were before you started? All these things play into it.

    By looking at your page, it looks like you want to get to the weight you were at before children. Without knowing your current routine/diet one suggestion I can make is to consider incorporating strength training into your exercise program (you didn't mention it as one of the things you've tried). Increasing your lean muscle mass increases your bmr and burns more calories. You don't have to bulk up, but it might help. [EDIT] Sorry missed the post where you said you did strength training, what kind of intensity are your workouts? What kind of strength training do you do? Interval training is my favorite for cardio and military style, high intensity compound workouts are my favorite for strength, and I personally have seen pretty good results with them in the past.

    Also to confirm what other people have mentioned already, that 10 lb goal you have is over 6% of your body. That is a large undertaking and will not happen overnight. Changing a bunch of things to see if it works from day to day will not net you results. If you're going to incorporate something new, you have to stick with it for a while before you can determine if it works/doesn't work.

    Good Luck!
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    I FORCE myself to eat at least 1250 a day, sometimes I'll even eat up to 1400 calories a day. But usually once I hit 1000 calories, I'm full and make myself eat a LUNA bar or something, or drink some protein powder smoothie.. anything so my body doesn't hit starvation.

    May I see your diary? I'm on your friends list, so even if you just open it up to friends? If you do I'll pam you if I see anything I think I can help with.

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