HELP I am so discouraged I have been faithfully to a low cal low diet and not losing!

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horsegalcher59
horsegalcher59 Posts: 7 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I have been on no more than 1250 cals a day for 21 days (this site says I can lose on 1535 cals a day) work out 4 x a week on a Pilates reformer, (50 mins) lift free weights-(10 mins) and yoga 10-15 mins and I hike 90 mins up & down hills 1-2 x a week.. I have only lost one darn pound!. My diet is low cal, low fat and low sugar- what am I doing wrong??
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  • rianneonamission
    rianneonamission Posts: 854 Member
    edited January 2019
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    Question 1: Do you use a food scale?
    Question 2: What are your stats (Height, weight, sex, age, activity outside of exercise)
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    rianneonamission wrote: »
    Question 1: Do you use a food scale?
    Question 2: What are your stats (Height, weight, sex, age, activity outside of exercise)

    This^^

    A food scale was the #1 thing that kickstarted weigh loss for me.
  • horsegalcher59
    horsegalcher59 Posts: 7 Member
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    yes I measure- I am 5'3 age 60 (in March) and 165 lbs ( size 10 jeans)(we have a small ranch so I keep busy) horse stall mucking, etc..not a lot of TV or sitting I think I am medium boned.
  • lin_be
    lin_be Posts: 393 Member
    edited January 2019
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    Not measure, weigh your food on a food scale in grams or ounces (not cups or tablespoons)? Also, is this exercise new for you?
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
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    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
  • horsegalcher59
    horsegalcher59 Posts: 7 Member
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    no -I have exercised all my life -but this reformer is new-it uses pulley weight(s) and I have a cardio trampoline as well I use- its a killer workout- I have done weights,yoga, treadmill,hiking, riding for 34years- Okay I will get a scale-sounds like that may be the key-
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    lin_be wrote: »
    Not measure, weigh your food on a food scale in grams or ounces (not cups or tablespoons)? Also, is this exercise new for you?
    kami3006 wrote: »
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

    Seriously, use a food scale. It's the easiest fix out there.
  • FarmerCarla
    FarmerCarla Posts: 470 Member
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    I see you're frustrated, but not ready to give up. That's great! Sometimes, you have to experiment with different things to see what works for you.

    You can definitely lose weight just sticking to low calories, but be careful to weigh everything for accurate calorie calculations. Be aware you can retain water weight after strenuous exercise. I walked almost 6 1/2 miles two days ago, saw a little gain on the scale yesterday, then saw a 2 lb. drop this morning, after a day of rest.

    In 2011, just before I turned 60, I lost 40 lb. in 7 months eating low calories, strength training, and running. Two years later, I injured my ankle doing yard work and gained everything back.

    I'm no expert, but I've been eating low carb (keto) since late September, and I've lost 36 lb. The loss was quickest for the first couple of weeks, but steady since then. The only things you mentioned that I've done differently from you is no sugar (except for a rare bite of a treat, one bite of cake/pie, half a cookie), and I increased fats--olive oil, butter, avocado and coconut oil (no vegetable oils). On low carb, I don't drink milk or eat bread, corn, root vegetables, or fruit (occasionally I have a few berries). That actually frees up calories for more filling protein (fish, chicken, beef, pork). I eat leafy green veggies, broccoli, cauliflower, avocados, tomatoes, and squash.

    Experiment to find out what works for you. Best wishes on your success--with persistence, it will come!


  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    horsegalcher59 wrote: »
    no -I have exercised all my life -but this reformer is new-it uses pulley weight(s) and I have a cardio trampoline as well I use- its a killer workout- I have done weights,yoga, treadmill,hiking, riding for 34years- Okay I will get a scale-sounds like that may be the key-

    Yay! Let us know what you find out. It's always super interesting.
  • rianneonamission
    rianneonamission Posts: 854 Member
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    Yup. A scale is your first step as it will tighten up your logging significantly.

    However, don't be discouraged. You have still lost weight, even if just a pound. It means you are doing something right.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    I love my food scale, but it's only half of being sure you're logging accurately. Be sure that you're double-checking entries in the food database against your labels. There are a lot of bad and bizarre entries on the site. Use the recipe builder for the food you're making and never rely on someone else's generic or homemade entry.

    You might also want to look into a trend weight app like trendweight, libre, or happy scale. Fluctuations in your weight can hide the losses sometimes. Especially with a new workout routine, you'd expect to see some water retention that can mask weight loss for a few weeks.

    Overall, look at your successes. You've lost a pound so far! You're doing a killer workout. These are all great things! Now it's time to dig in and be sure you're logging as accurately and as consistently as possible.

    This might also be a useful read: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10640205/the-basics-of-accurate-logging
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    kaygirl1730 wrote: »
    Don't give up! If you're eating high sodium foods that might mean you're retaining water weight. Also if your calories are to low you'll go into starvation mode and you'll gain. HIIT and strength training has helped some of my plateaus.
    You sound strong, positive and determined you got this.

    No, you won't. If that were the case, nobody would ever die of starvation. Starvation mode is a myth.
  • Fatty_Nuff
    Fatty_Nuff Posts: 273 Member
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    kaygirl1730 wrote: »
    Don't give up! If you're eating high sodium foods that might mean you're retaining water weight. Also if your calories are to low you'll go into starvation mode and you'll gain. HIIT and strength training has helped some of my plateaus.
    You sound strong, positive and determined you got this.

    But how to you gain weight from less calories? Goes against the laws of physics and not true, dear.
  • thomasdiet
    thomasdiet Posts: 14 Member
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    i would try an intermittent fast 2 out of the week seemed to jump start my weight loss
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    pacsnc6 wrote: »
    Fatty_Nuff wrote: »
    kaygirl1730 wrote: »
    Don't give up! If you're eating high sodium foods that might mean you're retaining water weight. Also if your calories are to low you'll go into starvation mode and you'll gain. HIIT and strength training has helped some of my plateaus.
    You sound strong, positive and determined you got this.

    But how to you gain weight from less calories? Goes against the laws of physics and not true, dear.

    If you eat too little your metabolism slows down - aging also slows your metabolism - so although you won't GAIN weight by eating too little, you won't lose as easily either

    Adaptive thermogenesis takes months of drastically undereating to affect metabolism enough to notice.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited January 2019
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    Boomshakalaka01 wrote: »
    If you're eating sugar... or anything that can be converted to sugar (bread, beer, etc) cut back on consuming those. Not to mention, because you're working out, you may not lose looking at the scale. You may be converting fat into muscle mass!

    Fat and muscle are two different things, you can't convert one into the other. And building enough muscle to affect the scale is hard, especially for women. A woman working with a trainer to bodybuild while eating in a surplus might gain a half-pound of muscle per week. The average dieter eating at a calorie deficit will not be gaining enough muscle to offset fat loss on the scale.

    And I ate bread and drank beer, plus some pizza and ice cream while I was losing weight, because I stayed in a calorie deficit.

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