Not Losing?
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germangirl2007
Posts: 31 Member
I started tracking on MFP about 6 weeks ago. Haven’t missed a day. Almost every day (minus a few I’ve allowed myself) I’ve finished under my calorie goals. I just joined a gym finally this week, and I’ve been here every day for 45-60 min. That said, I’ve been fluctuating on the same 2 pounds +/- for the past 3 weeks or so. This should be simple - CICO. Why isn’t the scale moving?
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Replies
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Actually, it is that mathematical. Over time. And six weeks is long enough. If you're not losing weight, you're eating too much. Period. Whether that's due to those few days you've not finished under your calories, or miscalculation, or because your body doesn't fit within the standard metabolic rubric doesn't really matter. Sad to say.
It is very simple. It's just not easy.12 -
How much have you set out to lose?
Are you using a food scale?
Are you adding calories based on your exercise?
And don’t fret. There’s a significant calorie counting learning curve that is rarely discussed. You can work through this.4 -
Maybe your calorie goal isn’t low enough or you are miscalculating the number of calories you are eating. Lots of gyms offer a free personal training session to new members maybe see if your gym does and see if you can get some helpful feedback from a PT3
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I weigh 167 and my goal is 140. I’m eating between 1200 and 1300 calories a day. Sometimes i do add more for exercise but on those days i have always finished under goal. I’m either tracking things according to the package (I.e. 1 pkg of oatmeal is 100 calories), or I’m measuring to the extent possible. I’ll scan barcodes or look up nutrition information online if I’m going somewhere. It’s definitely possible that I’m off sometimes, but I’m really diligent about being as accurate as possible and tracking everything. Maybe I’m eating at the wrong times? Does that matter?2
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Meal timing is not relevant to weight loss. Logging accurately is the biggest factor. Using measuring cups can put you off significantly as can going off of packages, which are by law allowed to be up to 20% off. Using erroneous entries can also be an issue and scanning labels only pulls up user-created data just like any other search.
The simplest way is to use a food scale and see exactly what you're eating. They can make a significant difference.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p16 -
meal times are not relevant. Could be miscalculations. But, here i will get "woo'd" for this, but I kinda agree with the first response up the top - yes CICO is a MAJOR factor, however personally I feel there is more to it than just that. Hormonal imbalances for example. When I started my weight loss journey it was soooo hard to lose and my oestrogen was stupid. Now when I pack some on, it's easy to lose. I just need to shut my mouth a bit. Anyway I won't go into any big answers here coz I know i'll just get slammed, but yeah, also, another thing, more than one professional very good nutritionists and trainers who I have worked with (as in been their clients) have said that unless you are tiny short you should be at more than 1200 cals. 1200 cals only for short periods of time when dieting down for particular things.
aaaand again lots of people will disagree with me there so i better just shut up now.1 -
I have an appt w/a personal trainer tomorrow so maybe that will help. I’ve worked w/a nutritionist before but I’ve noticed that things have definitely changed since I had my second baby and got old! Haha! I just need to figure out what will work for me now. I’ve done really well on Whole30, but that’s not sustainable for me.
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Meal timing is not relevant to weight loss. Logging accurately is the biggest factor. Using measuring cups can put you off significantly as can going off of packages, which are by law allowed to be up to 20% off. Using erroneous entries can also be an issue and scanning labels only pulls up user-created data just like any other search.
The simplest way is to use a food scale and see exactly what you're eating. They can make a significant difference.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
This^^. Food scale2 -
I should also say that up until I started tracking again (6-ish weeks ago), I was probably eating close to double this amount of calories in a day, so I’ve cut WAY back.1
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OP, I was POSITIVE I was eating 1400 cals and couldn't lose a lb. Then I got a food scale and starting weighing all solids, every single one. And I was actually eating 1700+ every day. A study was done showing that even RDs would underestimate what they were eating by several hundred calories.
Commit to logging like a maniac for at least a couple of weeks. Put everything on the scale, whole food, packaged food, everything. Double check every entry you use in the database. I'd bet it shines a light on where you are missing calories, it's done that for so many of us.
Also, with so little to lose, lose, you should be expecting to lose an avg of 0.5lbs -1 lb per week, which can hide behind water weight fluctuations on the scale for several weeks. It can be frustrating, but it's real life, so keep it in mind.
Hang in there and good luck!8 -
Stalls suck, but they can be difficult to troubleshoot without more information. Opening your diary might help, but just be sure you're open to suggestions first.
These would be my very generic suggestions without a lot of info, though:
1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.
2. 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.
3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one and use it for everything. Everything. For a couple of weeks to see what kind of discrepancies you're running into. 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.
4. 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. Don't trust the barcode scanner or restaurant entries 100%.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.5 -
it is not all mathematical but it is a waste of time to argue that with the ones on here where the math works. I always say, if CICO works like math why all the posts with plateaus and stalls of six months or more? I counted calories for years and bounced up and down 15 pounds. up down..up down.. count count ..log log..
Anyway. I lost all my weight in three months early this year, by changing how I ate.. I eat six meals a day ..a metabolism diet basically. I eat all food groups and don't count a single calorie. I'm actually getting even smaller since my initial weight loss eating like this.
I think different things work for different people..
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I don’t see where you say you’re getting a food scale. You really don’t know where you are without one. Seems like you’re already putting in plenty of effort. A food scale would be a small but valuable addition.
Eating times don’t matter. It’s CICO but about 90% is CI.
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I'm impressed. You've managed to touch on every possible reason (no matter how unlikely) for not losing weight. Except that you're eating too much. You've discussed all sorts of potential 'fixes' and it's been pointed out to you several times that you are obviously eating too much and your current tools are not providing you with what you need to achieve your goal.
So, here's the question set...
Do you currently use a food scale?
If yes, what is it telling you?
If no, is this something you would consider going forward?3 -
I don’t see where you say you’re getting a food scale. You really don’t know where you are without one. Seems like you’re already putting in plenty of effort. A food scale would be a small but valuable addition.
Eating times don’t matter. It’s CICO but about 90% is CI.
yes they do!
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elisa123gal wrote: »
yes they do!
How do they matter as far as whether someone is losing weight or not?4 -
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I'm impressed. You've managed to touch on every possible reason (no matter how unlikely) for not losing weight. Except that you're eating too much. You've discussed all sorts of potential 'fixes' and it's been pointed out to you several times that you are obviously eating too much and your current tools are not providing you with what you need to achieve your goal.
So, here's the question set...
Do you currently use a food scale?
If yes, what is it telling you?
If no, is this something you would consider going forward?
I think I specifically said that I may be miscalculating, despite trying diligently to be accurate. I hadn’t previously used a food scale but read packages, scanned barcodes, and measured using measuring cups. Since it was pointed out in this thread by multiple people that none of those things actually work well, I’ve ordered a food scale. Know better, do better. Any other failings you’d like to point out?3 -
You may want to take the time to read this article - it explains every possible reason why you could not be losing weight, and offers helpful advice in overcoming every one of them. The most thorough article of its kind I've ever seen: https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/6
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