My weight isn't budging even after doing most things right
Isra_1
Posts: 44 Member
My weight isn't budging since two weeks eventhough I do believe I've been maintaining a calorie deficit throughout the week. I read somewhere once that if your body has stayed on a weight for a long time its harder to lose/gain weight. I have maintained this weight for about 2 years (on and off tries for weight loss) and I think that that might be the reason. I also heard that in that order it may be a good idea to give your body a 'shock' and maybe increase the deficit by taking in fewer calories than recommend. I'm willing to give that a try and eat 1000 calories this week. But I'm not sure if health wise if thats safe or not. I'm only 5'2 and mfp currently recommends me 1340 kcals in order to lose 0.5kg (1 lb) per week. I don't think reducing it to 1000 is unsafe, however I'm not an expert and would like to know if you have any opinions.
However, I know that sticking to 1000 kcals is not gonna last long term (knowing myself) and I want to do it to give myself a kickstart as i've only lost 1 kg in the past 3 weeks and its not very motivating.
So I want to do it for only a week then go back to eating 1340 kcals, but I'm scared that if I manage to lose weight this week, i will put it on when i return to 1340 kcals, eventhough thats still a deficit.
I would like to hear if anyone here knows more about this topic. Most peoole hit a plateau halfway (or atleast some way) along the journey. But the weight comes off easily in the start for most people and that isn't the case with me
However, I know that sticking to 1000 kcals is not gonna last long term (knowing myself) and I want to do it to give myself a kickstart as i've only lost 1 kg in the past 3 weeks and its not very motivating.
So I want to do it for only a week then go back to eating 1340 kcals, but I'm scared that if I manage to lose weight this week, i will put it on when i return to 1340 kcals, eventhough thats still a deficit.
I would like to hear if anyone here knows more about this topic. Most peoole hit a plateau halfway (or atleast some way) along the journey. But the weight comes off easily in the start for most people and that isn't the case with me
17
Replies
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Do you use a food scale and log everything religiously, no skipping, cheating or forgetting? If no, start there.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p117 -
People tend to "stick" at a certain weight for a long time because many food habits are ingrained since childhood and are hard to break. People tend to gain when they get older because as you get older, you burn less calories (less cell turnover), and you tend to be less active (desk job, no required gym or recess time), but you eat the same, so you start gaining until you reach maintenance level, and that's the weight you "settle" at. It's not necessarily harder for the body, it's just that long-term habits have to change, and that's not easy.18
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Are you using a food scale?
Are you double checking that the entries you are using in the database have the correct calories listed?
Having said that, two weeks isn't much time. Depending on where you are in your cycle, what dietary changes you've made to get into a calorie deficit, and any new exercise you might be doing, water weight fluctuations can easily hide a couple of lbs weight loss on the scale.
1 kg in 3 weeks is not a plateau - it's losing almost three quarters of a lb per week. Depending on how much total weight you have to lose, that might actually be a great rate of loss. You said you were aiming for 1 lb per week, so you aren't that far off. I'd bet tightening up your logging and being a little more patient is all you need to change. :drinker:15 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »Do you use a food scale and log everything religiously, no skipping, cheating or forgetting? If no, start there.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
x100
also, have you started a new exercise?
has the scale not budged AT ALL? or just not as much as you want?
5 -
How much weight are you trying to lose? Two weeks is generally not enough time to know whether or not a weight loss plan is working, especially if you a) have a menstrual cycle, b) have a small amount to lose, and/or c) have just started a new workout routine.
You should be eating the number of calories MFP recommends, making sure that you are using a food scale to log all food accurately, and you should absolutely not be going below 1200 calories per day.
Your body does not need a "shock." This is a myth. It is also not true that it's easier or harder to lose weight depending on how long you have been at that weight.7 -
Why not start with the obvious...you say you think you're in a calorie deficit. But you don’t know for sure. In order to know for sure, buy a food scale and weigh everything for a week and see if you were or were not actually in a deficit. No need to completely change everything.11
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quiksylver296 wrote: »Do you use a food scale and log everything religiously, no skipping, cheating or forgetting? If no, start there.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
x100
also, have you started a new exercise?
has the scale not budged AT ALL? or just not as much as you want?
Not AT ALL0 -
Sre you using a food scale?0
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How much weight are you trying to lose? Two weeks is generally not enough time to know whether or not a weight loss plan is working, especially if you a) have a menstrual cycle, b) have a small amount to lose, and/or c) have just started a new workout routine.
You should be eating the number of calories MFP recommends, making sure that you are using a food scale to log all food accurately, and you should absolutely not be going below 1200 calories per day.
Your body does not need a "shock." This is a myth. It is also not true that it's easier or harder to lose weight depending on how long you have been at that weight.
Im trying to lose about 70lbs. I am menstruating at the moment though. And haven't started a new workout routine. I'm only 5'2 so i thought maybe a 1000kcal would not be too much of a deficit? Please correct me if im wrong.0 -
it took 4 weeks of MFP logging everyday before I lost my first 2#, then over the next 2 weeks I lost another 2#. I can take time for your body to release the weight. Just stay on program don't weigh yourself every day (I weigh my self every 2-3 weeks), and you will loose weight over time. it may be slow but that's better than gaining over time3
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are you using a food scale? if not that is your most likely issue, you are eating more than you think you are.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
a normal women should never eat below 1200 in order to get the base nutritents they need unless closely supervised by a doctor. and even 1200 is pretty low. At 5'1 i lose at 1400cal/day (0.5lb/week)2 -
Just to look at it another way, in the last 3 weeks, you have lost 1kg (2.2lbs) which averages out to .33kg(.73lbs) per week. Even if the scale hasn't moved in the last 2 weeks, that's a great rate of loss - especially as you were going for only .5kg/week. Keep going with what MFP has you doing, it's working!1
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How are you calculsting your calories? Several people have asked you, and it seems you are avoiding the question. How do you know how many calories you are actually eating?7
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How much weight are you trying to lose? Two weeks is generally not enough time to know whether or not a weight loss plan is working, especially if you a) have a menstrual cycle, b) have a small amount to lose, and/or c) have just started a new workout routine.
You should be eating the number of calories MFP recommends, making sure that you are using a food scale to log all food accurately, and you should absolutely not be going below 1200 calories per day.
Your body does not need a "shock." This is a myth. It is also not true that it's easier or harder to lose weight depending on how long you have been at that weight.
Im trying to lose about 70lbs. I am menstruating at the moment though. And haven't started a new workout routine. I'm only 5'2 so i thought maybe a 1000kcal would not be too much of a deficit? Please correct me if im wrong.
Weight loss for us shorties (I'm 5'1'') is just going to be slower. You should eat at least 1,200. We are not short enough to be an exception to that guideline. Remember that because we're short, each pound looks like more in the grand scheme of things, so we do not have to lose as fast as those tall people to see an impact. I started with 80 to lose (40 lost so far) and 1lb. per week (500 cal deficit) is really the max I could go and feel satisfied.11 -
musicfan68 wrote: »How are you calculsting your calories? Several people have asked you, and it seems you are avoiding the question. How do you know how many calories you are actually eating?
Yeah, I generally consider it a waste of time to consider other things before we even figure out if the estimate of calories in is accurate.16 -
My weight isn't budging since two weeks eventhough I do believe I've been maintaining a calorie deficit throughout the week. I read somewhere once that if your body has stayed on a weight for a long time its harder to lose/gain weight. I have maintained this weight for about 2 years (on and off tries for weight loss) and I think that that might be the reason. I also heard that in that order it may be a good idea to give your body a 'shock' and maybe increase the deficit by taking in fewer calories than recommend. I'm willing to give that a try and eat 1000 calories this week. But I'm not sure if health wise if thats safe or not. I'm only 5'2 and mfp currently recommends me 1340 kcals in order to lose 0.5kg (1 lb) per week. I don't think reducing it to 1000 is unsafe, however I'm not an expert and would like to know if you have any opinions.
However, I know that sticking to 1000 kcals is not gonna last long term (knowing myself) and I want to do it to give myself a kickstart as i've only lost 1 kg in the past 3 weeks and its not very motivating.
So I want to do it for only a week then go back to eating 1340 kcals, but I'm scared that if I manage to lose weight this week, i will put it on when i return to 1340 kcals, eventhough thats still a deficit.
I would like to hear if anyone here knows more about this topic. Most peoole hit a plateau halfway (or atleast some way) along the journey. But the weight comes off easily in the start for most people and that isn't the case with me
A plateau is closer to 2 months. It is common for many people to hover for a couple of weeks. I do it almost all the time. You should never adjust your calories on 2 weeks of results.
If you are in healthy calorie deficit you are losing fat weight no matter what the bathroom scale says in the short term. The important thing is to verify you are in that calorie deficit and as others have suggested logging accurately with the help of a food scale is the best way to do it. It is not absolutely necessary but if you are like me and you go weeks without seeing a new low weight it will help keep you calm and motivated.
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OP, I see lots of vague measurements and suspect entries in your diary - A Quick Add of calories, a half a naan, a cup of tea for 50 calories, etc. Before you panic, tighten up your logging, you are probably eating more calories than you realize. It is really common for folks to log inaccurately at first (I did it myself)
Get a food scale and weigh all solids, as often as possible.
Double check the entries you are using in the database to your package. Most entries were created by other users and many are simply incorrect. Also try to avoid generic or recipe style entries like "macaroni and cheese" unless it's a recipe you created yourself in the database, as you have no idea how the random stranger who made that entry measured out the ingredients.
Make sure you are logging everything: condiments, cooking oil, nibbles, beverages, late night snacks, cheat meals, bad days, etc.
There is no reason to go crazy low cal for a week, all it will probably do is make you moody and more likely to overeat the following week. And check out this post when you get a chance:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p113 -
Op, you still haven't answered-are you using a food scale to accurately measure out your portion sizes?6
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How much weight are you trying to lose? Two weeks is generally not enough time to know whether or not a weight loss plan is working, especially if you a) have a menstrual cycle, b) have a small amount to lose, and/or c) have just started a new workout routine.
You should be eating the number of calories MFP recommends, making sure that you are using a food scale to log all food accurately, and you should absolutely not be going below 1200 calories per day.
Your body does not need a "shock." This is a myth. It is also not true that it's easier or harder to lose weight depending on how long you have been at that weight.
Im trying to lose about 70lbs. I am menstruating at the moment though. And haven't started a new workout routine. I'm only 5'2 so i thought maybe a 1000kcal would not be too much of a deficit? Please correct me if im wrong.
If you’re menstruating right now than not losing weight at the moment is normal for most of us, even a slight gain around this time due to water retention is completely normal. I typically gain 4-7lb the week leading up to my cycle and it doesn’t disappear until the last day of it.4 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »Do you use a food scale and log everything religiously, no skipping, cheating or forgetting? If no, start there.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
x100
also, have you started a new exercise?
has the scale not budged AT ALL? or just not as much as you want?
Not AT ALL
But in the OP you say you lost 1kg in 3 weeks?6 -
I'm going to guess that you're still eating more than you think. Very often, the recommended serving size is considerably less than you'd imagine. Cereal, for example, is probably less than half of what most people would tip into their bowl. So if you read the box, and it says 150 cals/serving, most people actually eat more than 300.
6 -
monkeyookook wrote: »I'm going to guess that you're still eating more than you think. Very often, the recommended serving size is considerably less than you'd imagine. Cereal, for example, is probably less than half of what most people would tip into their bowl. So if you read the box, and it says 150 cals/serving, most people actually eat more than 300.
The first time I weighed out what a portion of cereal actually is, I remember saying, "You've got to be kidding me. That's IT?"
It was an eye opener, for sure.
15 -
How much weight are you trying to lose? Two weeks is generally not enough time to know whether or not a weight loss plan is working, especially if you a) have a menstrual cycle, b) have a small amount to lose, and/or c) have just started a new workout routine.
You should be eating the number of calories MFP recommends, making sure that you are using a food scale to log all food accurately, and you should absolutely not be going below 1200 calories per day.
Your body does not need a "shock." This is a myth. It is also not true that it's easier or harder to lose weight depending on how long you have been at that weight.
Im trying to lose about 70lbs. I am menstruating at the moment though. And haven't started a new workout routine. I'm only 5'2 so i thought maybe a 1000kcal would not be too much of a deficit? Please correct me if im wrong.
You shouldn’t eat less than 1200 calories for a very sedentary petite woman. Especially when you won’t be able to maintain it long term.3 -
Also as stated above you need to weigh your food. There’s no way you can eye measure your food (unless you’ve been doing this for a long time and been weighing your food on a scale) especially if you just started. You haven’t answered whether you use a food scale so I’m assuming you don’t. Serving sizes are much much smaller than you’d think.2
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rickiimarieee wrote: »Also as stated above you need to weigh your food. There’s no way you can eye measure your food (unless you’ve been doing this for a long time and been weighing your food on a scale) especially if you just started. You haven’t answered whether you use a food scale so I’m assuming you don’t. Serving sizes are much much smaller than you’d think.
Heck, I'm 7 years into this process and I still use my food scale regularly, it really is a fantastic weight management tool
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snickerscharlie wrote: »monkeyookook wrote: »I'm going to guess that you're still eating more than you think. Very often, the recommended serving size is considerably less than you'd imagine. Cereal, for example, is probably less than half of what most people would tip into their bowl. So if you read the box, and it says 150 cals/serving, most people actually eat more than 300.
The first time I weighed out what a portion of cereal actually is, I remember saying, "You've got to be kidding me. That's IT?"
It was an eye opener, for sure.
It's insane. I think a lot of products are deliberately misleading. They tell you the calorie count per portion, but the image on the package shows much bigger portions. No wonder people struggle!
7 -
monkeyookook wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »monkeyookook wrote: »I'm going to guess that you're still eating more than you think. Very often, the recommended serving size is considerably less than you'd imagine. Cereal, for example, is probably less than half of what most people would tip into their bowl. So if you read the box, and it says 150 cals/serving, most people actually eat more than 300.
The first time I weighed out what a portion of cereal actually is, I remember saying, "You've got to be kidding me. That's IT?"
It was an eye opener, for sure.
It's insane. I think a lot of products are deliberately misleading. They tell you the calorie count per portion, but the image on the package shows much bigger portions. No wonder people struggle!
Cookies get me. "200 calories per portion" and it turns out to be for half4 -
How much weight are you trying to lose? Two weeks is generally not enough time to know whether or not a weight loss plan is working, especially if you a) have a menstrual cycle, b) have a small amount to lose, and/or c) have just started a new workout routine.
You should be eating the number of calories MFP recommends, making sure that you are using a food scale to log all food accurately, and you should absolutely not be going below 1200 calories per day.
Your body does not need a "shock." This is a myth. It is also not true that it's easier or harder to lose weight depending on how long you have been at that weight.
Im trying to lose about 70lbs. I am menstruating at the moment though. And haven't started a new workout routine. I'm only 5'2 so i thought maybe a 1000kcal would not be too much of a deficit? Please correct me if im wrong.
You really aren’t correct. If you truly are at a calorie deficit, you will lose weight over time. Please place emphasis on the words “over time.” With a half-pound deficit a week/250 calories a day (a good goal) that type of loss can easily be masked by food waste, water weight, and hormonal fluctuations. It’s really important to give your body the fuel it needs to function. And 1000 calories a day won’t come close.5 -
rickiimarieee wrote: »Also as stated above you need to weigh your food. There’s no way you can eye measure your food (unless you’ve been doing this for a long time and been weighing your food on a scale) especially if you just started. You haven’t answered whether you use a food scale so I’m assuming you don’t. Serving sizes are much much smaller than you’d think.
Heck, I'm 7 years into this process and I still use my food scale regularly, it really is a fantastic weight management tool
This is almost my 3rd year into it, granted I took like 5-6 months for pregnancy away but I still use my food scale for EVERYTHING.3 -
musicfan68 wrote: »How are you calculsting your calories? Several people have asked you, and it seems you are avoiding the question. How do you know how many calories you are actually eating?
Haha, not avoiding the question. I did take into account and have been taking extra care with counting now, as I realized that could be a very big reason why the weight isn't coming off. I don't have a digital food scale yet, I usually try to measure using cups as most options on mfp have food with cups as units. Although I do sometimes just make do with guessing 😬 (I know maybe thats the issue which i realised after reading comments about that). I took out my analogue food scale today and am going to make it work until i get a digital one.10
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