Taking longer than expected
mikebxb
Posts: 138 Member
floating between 215 and 212.6lbs two weeks now..Losing weight takes longer than expected. Dunno how much longer I can just drink shakes and eat boiled eggs and rabbit food......I'm logging every day. Even before starting in Nov last year, I've never been a big candy, ice cream and bon bon type guy. I've always degreased meat, I rarely eat fried food. We cook in a NuWave / George foreman. I've always limited my bread. I've substituted beer/ Wine for 90 cal Spiked Seltzers. Eat pork rinds or cottage cheese and fruit instead of ruffles Lays Fritos and Summer sausage and cheese. Now I drink protein brkfst shakes, tuna, fresh kale, and haven't had a beloved baked potato in 2 months. I'm surprised at this daily up & down swing. I thought I'd broken 215 for good and was gradually headed down to my 185lbs goal. 
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The sad news is that it takes pretty much longer than expected for 99% of people who lose weight. Back in the day when weight loss blogs were very popular, I tracked the weights of dozens of people (plus huge 500+ people spreadsheets from Reddit challenges) and only one blogger did not rebound at least once. Not that I'm saying it will happen but it always takes longer than expected.
Sorry about that.2 -
Eat whatever you want. Just stay within your calorie goal. Weigh everything that goes into your mouth and log it. Get a free app like libra or happy face, weigh daily in the morning and you will see natural fluctuations and not be alarmed by them.. as long as the trend remains downward, you are doing fine. Please don't feel discouraged. Hope this helps:)13
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Sorry it does take time there is no quick fix follow babyluthi advice if you just eat rabbit food when you go back yo eating normally it will pile on again , portion size0
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You don’t mention anything about how many calories you eat, how often you hit that calorie goal, or weighing your food.
Fat loss is 100% caused by consistently being in a calorie deficit. None of the things you mentioned ensure a calorie deficit. The specific foods you eat and how you cook them are not relevant to weight loss. You can ensure a calorie deficit by weighing ALL your food and getting as close as possible to your calorie goal without going over.16 -
thanks all for the tips and encouragement. I weigh and log everything. Target 2000 Cal, 125 Carb, 56 Fat g's, 250 Protein (2,300 Sodium, 56 Sugar. - I don't concern myself too much with Salt and sugar as I add little to none to my food. I dont usually exceed the Cals so I focus on Carbs and Fat. Dr says don't exceed 45 carbs / meal if I expect to lose weight... I readjusted my goals for a little more Carb to allow for snack.
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You need to take in less until you start losing. I need to do 200 less than the recommended to lose anything7
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thanks all for the tips and encouragement. I weigh and log everything. Target 2000 Cal, 125 Carb, 56 Fat g's, 250 Protein (2,300 Sodium, 56 Sugar. - I don't concern myself too much with Salt and sugar as I add little to none to my food. I dont usually exceed the Cals so I focus on Carbs and Fat. Dr says don't exceed 45 carbs / meal if I expect to lose weight... I readjusted my goals for a little more Carb to allow for snack.
Do you have a medical reason for restricting carbs, such as diabetes? Carb intake is not relevant to fat loss; restricting carbs is only necessary for medical reasons or personal preference. Your doctor may have told you to limit them due to some medical need, or it could be that your doctor (like most doctors) received very little medical training in weight loss and nutrition.
Some doctors, for example, tell people to cut carbs because they assume that cutting carbs will lead to a calorie deficit. This is not true; cutting carbs does not automatically cause a calorie deficit.
Macros are important for health and satiety; they are not directly relevant to weight loss. How much protein, fat, and carb you eat doesn't have anything to do with losing fat.
How did you arrive at the 2000 calorie/day goal? Is that what MFP gave you, and if so, what pace of loss did you select?
Do you exercise, and if so, how do you calculate your exercise calories?6 -
If you don't know how much longer you can maintain your current eating, how do you intend to maintain your goal weight? Because if you go right back to your old way of eating as soon as you're there, you'll put all the weight back on very quickly. Maintenance is harder than weight loss, and doesn't have an end point.
Better to learn now how to eat what you actually like and create a diet you want to keep forever.24 -
I recently had a 3 week plateau so I stopped weighing every day, so as not to get too discouraged, and carried on with the eating plan secure in the knowledge it would sort - and it did and I am now losing again.
But if you are allowing yourself 2000 calories, which is enough for a very varied diet with a decent quantity of food, but are getting sick of shakes, eggs and rabbit food then you doing it wrong! Simply stop drinking shakes, eggs and rabbit food and eat something you enjoy instead. Why have you cut out baked potato for example? Fantastic food for 200 or so calories.
Meanwhile for what it is worth (and I am female), I am a tad heavier than you and I eat no more than 1800 and try to keep to 1500 while fasting every 3rd day with a limit of 500, and am losing around 1kg a week - so you do seem to be allowing yourself rather a high calorie limit unless you are doing one heck of a bunch of exercise.
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Hope you don't mind my checking out your diary. There are a couple of potential issues there. Just in the last few days, I see a couple of entries that begin with "homemade" and "generic". Did you enter a recipe into the database and calculate the accurate serving size? If not, you have no idea what you're logging with those entries- everybody's "homemade" is different and "generic" is virtually useless. Also, for one meal you have items that say Rosas Cafe. Is this a prepackaged brand or a restaurant meal? If the latter, do you have verified info for it? Sometimes, if I've eaten out at a local restaurant that isn't represented in the database, I will choose something that sounds "close", but that happens rarely and I choose the items I use based on high estimates. Obviously, the more a person eats out, the less accurate a person's data will be.
You say you weigh everything, but you have many entries listed as .5 container, .5 cup, etc. This may or may not be an issue. I don't typically weigh pre-packaged foods (tortillas, frozen meals, etc), but I have 75 lbs to lose and a lot of margin for error. Someone with only 20-30 lbs to lose, not so much. The closer you get to goal, the more important accuracy becomes. You may also want to double check your settings and calorie goal and make sure they reflect your current situation.
Lastly, if you hate shakes, boiled eggs, and kale, please stop eating them! It's not helping your weight loss, and it sounds like it's hurting your mental game and endangering your continued adherence. If you want to make dietary changes for reasons related to health, that's fine, but the single greatest benefit to your health comes from getting the extra weight off.
Wish you well
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Today back to 213.5 lbs. here's yesterday's intake. -
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225 grams of protein seem quite high, and fat at 56 grams seem low, may want to change to 35% protein and up your fat by 10%4
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Today back to 213.5 lbs. here's yesterday's intake. -
If you find a way to eat pizza and hot dogs and fast food burgers and other convenience food literally all day long and still lose weight, please write a book! You will have come up with a diet all of us could get behind.
Seriously, though, if having to fill up or snack on veggies instead of packaged foods feels like you're losing quality-of-life (not to mention the expense or hassle of very frequent shopping) then you're allowed to be unhealthy and happy. Maybe weight loss isn't the thing for you? I know it's not a popular opinion, but if a good diet is causing you more unhappiness than a bad diet, you might be better off with the bad diet.
edit: Also, LOL at 72fl oz of "spiked seltzer." That's a half-gallon (two liters) of booze, right? This has got to be a troll post.4 -
"f you find a way to eat pizza and hot dogs and fast food burgers and other convenience food literally all day long and still lose weight, please write a book! You will have come up with a diet all of us could get behind." ..............hahahaha. Not the best representation.. this was NFL Playoffs 2 Game Day.. the fast food burger was a lettuce wrap, Pizza was a leftover thin crust and I never eat the outer bread crust (it's still grease and cheesy true). the late night fatty hot dog was wrapped in the lettuce. The 6 pack of Seltzer at 90 cals / can (540) replaces the old Beer (800 cals) for football days. Remember this was a Sunday game day. (** at 4 % it's about 5 oz of alcohol).
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. When my wife (years ago) went to weight specialist he had her attack FAT GRAMS. She had the best results with that approach...I'm using that as reference..225 grams of protein seem quite high, and fat at 56 grams seem low, may want to change to 35% protein and up your fat by 10%
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michaelwrightkindle wrote: »Today back to 213.5 lbs. here's yesterday's intake. -
If you find a way to eat pizza and hot dogs and fast food burgers and other convenience food literally all day long and still lose weight, please write a book! You will have come up with a diet all of us could get behind.
Seriously, though, if having to fill up or snack on veggies instead of packaged foods feels like you're losing quality-of-life (not to mention the expense or hassle of very frequent shopping) then you're allowed to be unhealthy and happy. Maybe weight loss isn't the thing for you? I know it's not a popular opinion, but if a good diet is causing you more unhappiness than a bad diet, you might be better off with the bad diet.
edit: Also, LOL at 72fl oz of "spiked seltzer." That's a half-gallon (two liters) of booze, right? This has got to be a troll post.
If pizza + hot dogs + convenience foods < maintenance calories, weight loss is going to occur, period. Is it ideal from a health stand point? Likely not, but that's not what you're asserting. Is it a greater challenge to stay within a person's calorie goal eating primarily calorie-intensive foods? Absolutely. But it still comes down to the math. Finding a balanced way of eating that enables us to achieve our goals- whether they be weight loss, fitness related, or something else- and still be able to enjoy the things we love, is what we should all be striving for. For many who use this site weight loss will create the biggest health benefits, regardless of the type of food choices involved.11 -
"f you find a way to eat pizza and hot dogs and fast food burgers and other convenience food literally all day long and still lose weight, please write a book! You will have come up with a diet all of us could get behind." ..............hahahaha. Not the best representation.. this was NFL Playoffs 2 Game Day.. the fast food burger was a lettuce wrap, Pizza was a leftover thin crust and I never eat the outer bread crust (it's still grease and cheesy true). the late night fatty hot dog was wrapped in the lettuce. The 6 pack of Seltzer at 90 cals / can (540) replaces the old Beer (800 cals) for football days. Remember this was a Sunday game day.
Your day seems fine, although remember- there's just no telling how accurate the numbers are on your pizza and 1.25 burgers. Do be aware that alcohol and a sudden uptick in sodium can cause water retention that may result in a spike on the scale, but it should be temporary and gone within a few days.
Hope your team won 7 -
michaelwrightkindle wrote: »Today back to 213.5 lbs. here's yesterday's intake. -
If you find a way to eat pizza and hot dogs and fast food burgers and other convenience food literally all day long and still lose weight, please write a book! You will have come up with a diet all of us could get behind.
Seriously, though, if having to fill up or snack on veggies instead of packaged foods feels like you're losing quality-of-life (not to mention the expense or hassle of very frequent shopping) then you're allowed to be unhealthy and happy. Maybe weight loss isn't the thing for you? I know it's not a popular opinion, but if a good diet is causing you more unhappiness than a bad diet, you might be better off with the bad diet.
edit: Also, LOL at 72fl oz of "spiked seltzer." That's a half-gallon (two liters) of booze, right? This has got to be a troll post.
If pizza + hot dogs + convenience foods < maintenance calories, weight loss is going to occur, period. Is it ideal from a health stand point? Likely not, but that's not what you're asserting. Is it a greater challenge to stay within a person's calorie goal eating primarily calorie-intensive foods? Absolutely. But it still comes down to the math. Finding a balanced way of eating that enables us to achieve our goals- whether they be weight loss, fitness related, or something else- and still be able to enjoy the things we love, is what we should all be striving for. For many who use this site weight loss will create the biggest health benefits, regardless of the type of food choices involved.
Maybe I am an outlier for my thoughts on this subject. But I think for many people just achieving weightloss is not going to make them healthy. And maybe just maybe, what many need to work on, during the journey is also learning to make better food choices. I do not mean it is has to be the 180 change. As just losing weight can in itself be very challenging and take a long time. Just working on portion control of fairly unhealthy foods over time has the potential for long term health issues. No, I am not saying not have a treat of chocolate or a cookie or even some ice cream here and there as calorie counts allow it. But better choices for say 80% of food choices still seem like a better way to approach it overall. Again I get many thoughts on this.2 -
maureenkhilde wrote: »michaelwrightkindle wrote: »Today back to 213.5 lbs. here's yesterday's intake. -
If you find a way to eat pizza and hot dogs and fast food burgers and other convenience food literally all day long and still lose weight, please write a book! You will have come up with a diet all of us could get behind.
Seriously, though, if having to fill up or snack on veggies instead of packaged foods feels like you're losing quality-of-life (not to mention the expense or hassle of very frequent shopping) then you're allowed to be unhealthy and happy. Maybe weight loss isn't the thing for you? I know it's not a popular opinion, but if a good diet is causing you more unhappiness than a bad diet, you might be better off with the bad diet.
edit: Also, LOL at 72fl oz of "spiked seltzer." That's a half-gallon (two liters) of booze, right? This has got to be a troll post.
If pizza + hot dogs + convenience foods < maintenance calories, weight loss is going to occur, period. Is it ideal from a health stand point? Likely not, but that's not what you're asserting. Is it a greater challenge to stay within a person's calorie goal eating primarily calorie-intensive foods? Absolutely. But it still comes down to the math. Finding a balanced way of eating that enables us to achieve our goals- whether they be weight loss, fitness related, or something else- and still be able to enjoy the things we love, is what we should all be striving for. For many who use this site weight loss will create the biggest health benefits, regardless of the type of food choices involved.
Maybe I am an outlier for my thoughts on this subject. But I think for many people just achieving weightloss is not going to make them healthy. And maybe just maybe, what many need to work on, during the journey is also learning to make better food choices. I do not mean it is has to be the 180 change. As just losing weight can in itself be very challenging and take a long time. Just working on portion control of fairly unhealthy foods over time has the potential for long term health issues. No, I am not saying not have a treat of chocolate or a cookie or even some ice cream here and there as calorie counts allow it. But better choices for say 80% of food choices still seem like a better way to approach it overall. Again I get many thoughts on this.
The only people who don't know that are very young children. It's reasonable to assume the users of this app are not that young.
Weight loss is hard. Doing something hard is scary. Being patronizing and lecturing people who are already doing something hard and scary about what they already know... what are you trying to accomplish? Because all you're going to accomplish is chasing them off of doing any good at all for themselves. It's really awful to try hard and be told you're 80% wrong.
This is a place for support and information about weight loss, a very personal and painful topic. It is a very bad place to not be mindful of your words and their impact.
MYOB still applies.11 -
maureenkhilde wrote: »michaelwrightkindle wrote: »Today back to 213.5 lbs. here's yesterday's intake. -
If you find a way to eat pizza and hot dogs and fast food burgers and other convenience food literally all day long and still lose weight, please write a book! You will have come up with a diet all of us could get behind.
Seriously, though, if having to fill up or snack on veggies instead of packaged foods feels like you're losing quality-of-life (not to mention the expense or hassle of very frequent shopping) then you're allowed to be unhealthy and happy. Maybe weight loss isn't the thing for you? I know it's not a popular opinion, but if a good diet is causing you more unhappiness than a bad diet, you might be better off with the bad diet.
edit: Also, LOL at 72fl oz of "spiked seltzer." That's a half-gallon (two liters) of booze, right? This has got to be a troll post.
If pizza + hot dogs + convenience foods < maintenance calories, weight loss is going to occur, period. Is it ideal from a health stand point? Likely not, but that's not what you're asserting. Is it a greater challenge to stay within a person's calorie goal eating primarily calorie-intensive foods? Absolutely. But it still comes down to the math. Finding a balanced way of eating that enables us to achieve our goals- whether they be weight loss, fitness related, or something else- and still be able to enjoy the things we love, is what we should all be striving for. For many who use this site weight loss will create the biggest health benefits, regardless of the type of food choices involved.
Maybe I am an outlier for my thoughts on this subject. But I think for many people just achieving weightloss is not going to make them healthy. And maybe just maybe, what many need to work on, during the journey is also learning to make better food choices. I do not mean it is has to be the 180 change. As just losing weight can in itself be very challenging and take a long time. Just working on portion control of fairly unhealthy foods over time has the potential for long term health issues. No, I am not saying not have a treat of chocolate or a cookie or even some ice cream here and there as calorie counts allow it. But better choices for say 80% of food choices still seem like a better way to approach it overall. Again I get many thoughts on this.
For people with a significant amount of weight to lose, weight loss creates the biggest impact on their health markers, absent of other medical issues. Will it benefit someone with 20 lbs to lose as much as someone with 70 lbs to lose? Probably not.
And no one is saying we shouldn't strive to make healthier food choices- it's not an all or nothing proposition. Many, myself included, started on MFP by doing nothing but counting the calories of their existing diet. And then, over time, identifying changes, healthier swaps, or strategies that make it easier to achieve one's calorie goal, all without sacrificing any one particular food or category of food. It's a process, the end result hopefully being a balanced diet and routine we can live with for the rest of our lives, because we'll have to if we want to maintain our success. 9 -
Just thought I'd drop this here
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10740948/iifym-practioners-just-eat-junk6 -
This has probably been covered enough, but it makes me so sad that you aren't eating baked potatoes if you love them.
If your doctor has you restricting carbs for something like diabetes, that's different, but if it's solely for weight loss, eat the potatoes!!!
FWIW, I eat potatoes (with BUTTER) pretty often, and I've been losing weight for 1.5 years. It really is all about a calorie deficit. Since I don't have any specific medical issues, my method is to eat what I like in portion sizes that fit my calorie goals, and slowly work toward healthier eating overall.14 -
bobsburgersfan wrote: »This has probably been covered enough, but it makes me so sad that you aren't eating baked potatoes if you love them. If your doctor has you restricting carbs for something like diabetes, that's different, but if it's solely for weight loss, eat the potatoes!!!
FWIW, I eat potatoes (with BUTTER) pretty often, and I've been losing weight for 1.5 years. It really is all about a calorie deficit. Since I don't have any specific medical issues, my method is to eat what I like in portion sizes that fit my calorie goals, and slowly work toward healthier eating overall.
Yes! Potatoes are a go-to for me when I'm limited on calories- very filling, especially with the skin. Makes me very sad when people think they have to avoid them. 8 -
@mikebxb : |-/\/\/\/\/\/--> I think your calorie target is a bit too high for weight loss.
My estimate for you is 2200kcals to maintain your weight. I base this on an online calculator that uses the M st J formula, the same one MFP uses. But, I made a few assumptions and you should try it yourself.
This means you will need to keep to about 1700kcals to lose a pound a week. If you go to 2000, you might lose ~.5lbs a week, but you would have to do extremely accurate logging, which is really hard. The advice is borne out by your weight trend, which is flat. In other words, it appears that you have been eating at or just slightly below your maintenance level.
I suggest you re-check your MFP settings and set to sedentary and 1lb/week loss. Then add in for sustained cardio workouts. Always stay on the conservative side and bank up a few extra calories for the weekend. I am living proof that this approach works!9 -
Try2again. Thanks to all for the tips and encouragement. Please let me emphasize Sundays food choices are NOT the norm... For example today so far is a typical weekday since starting MFP ( notice the Protein Shake as in most brkfst's, The absence of bread / cheese / taters / fries/ chips / candy/ etc.) Now I probably will have a full dinner tonight but if beef I will mash out the grease cooked in a NuWave air convective oven without oil. I try to eat smaller portions of the sides that are carb heavy. Admittedly, I like evening cocktail and either popcorn, Simply Fit Crackers, pork rinds or cottage and pears for snacks. (in lieu of pre diet chips salsa, summer sausage and cheese, Ruffles etc ... ....
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It always seems to go on faster and come off slower than expected. I am a numbers guy so I track my weight loss predicted vs actual. The real number to keep an eye on is the 4 week average. Lots of things can make your weight fluctuate - your weight loss over a longer period of time is much more indictive of your real results. If I find I am not losing what I expect, I look really hard at my logging. One national study said that people trying to log accurately are off as much as 15%. That can be the difference in hitting your goal and staying in the same place. I do wish you all the best!
Charles4 -
I no longer do biscuits and gravy, fast food breakfast sandwiches, fried foods. One of you mentioned potatos I may go back to a baked spud occasionally but will have to offset the carbs elsewhere that day..With your help and using MFP I am absolutely sure that I am eating healthier overall.2
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Try2again. Thanks to all for the tips and encouragement. Please let me emphasize Sundays food choices are NOT the norm... For example today so far is a typical weekday since starting MFP ( notice the Protein Shake as in most brkfst's, The absence of bread / cheese / taters / fries/ chips / candy/ etc.) Now I probably will have a full dinner tonight but if beef I will mash out the grease cooked in a NuWave air convective oven without oil. I try to eat smaller portions of the sides that are carb heavy. Admittedly, I like evening cocktail and either popcorn, Simply Fit Crackers, pork rinds or cottage and pears for snacks. (in lieu of pre diet chips salsa, summer sausage and cheese, Ruffles etc ... ....
I didn't assume your choices were typical, just pointing out that as long as you were in your calorie goal, it wouldn't matter.
I do agree with @Jthanmyfitnesspal above that you might want to double check your calorie goal.3 -
One of you mentioned potatos I may go back to a baked spud occasionally but will have to offset the carbs elsewhere that day..With your help and using MFP I am absolutely sure that I am eating healthier overall.
All good stuff. There really isn't anything wrong with a good old potato coming in at a mere 110kcals (depending on weight). It is a nutritious choice. Tasty, too. The hard part is giving up the butter, sour cream, and bacon bits, and it's hard to eat plain. I can recommend pouring some chicken or beef stock over it. That's good eating!
A sweet potato is much easier to eat plain or with a very small amount of butter and is also a great food choice. (I mostly eat those.)4 -
I normally put butter & brown sugar on sweet potato when I "bake" them in the microwave, but elsewhere I saw roasting them at 400 degrees for an hour would really carmalize them. Tried it & so good...didnt need anything on it!6
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