Help! Restricted Diet and Exercising Every Day and Not Lost a Pound!
flodeehoo
Posts: 4 Member
Hi all! I'm new-ish to the app and the forums here and looking for a little advice and/or motivation! Ive been sticking to 1280 calories a day (the amount determined for me to lose weight) and Ive been exercising daily or at least 6 times a week intensely for 30 mins to an hour. (usually 30 mins of running or cardio and 30 mins body weight exercises) as Im looking to get more heart healthy and slim down after gaining my COVID 19 llbs (well 15 pounds but 19 is funnier). I started this dedicated routine a month ago (only had the app for three weeks as i didn't discover it until a week in) and Ive been working really hard and have seen NO progress! I know I know losing weight is hard but I thought I would've of lost a couple pounds this last month with how little I'm eating (not too little, just right) and how much stronger I've been feeling while working out.
I don't buy that I'm gaining muscle and thats why the scale isn't moving because... my body hasn't changed. I just feel stronger and healthier which is great but ultimately Im trying to lose weight! So...Don't want this to run on too long but ill just put a bit about myself here and maybe someone will have some advice or support!
Im 31 yo/5'8 and have weighed 130 pounds consistently for the last few years. I knew I was gaining weight while stress eating/boredom eating/depressed eating/eating eating eating (lol) during the pandemic...But was shocked to see I gained a full 15 pounds. So now at 145. Im vegan and eat a typically very healthy diet...I cook my own meals with whole foods and eat a lot of legumes, nuts, fresh veg and fruit, seeds and typically use alternatives to pasta and bread to reduce extra fat/empty calorie intake. drink low fat oat milk in my coffee etc. (i do love vegan ice creams as well and indulge in moderation) HOWEVER before dedicating to weight loss I wasn't limiting my portions... Turns out you can gain weight just eating too much dang kale and chickpeas.
So yea, in conclusion, Im eating my typical diet but pared down to stay in range of my calorie goals and have added daily activity and exercise into the mix...but am not making any headway. Any ideas what Im doing wrong?? Does it just take more time than the app makes it seem like? Because everyyyyy day when i "complete my diary" it says something like "if you eat like this every day you'll weigh 137 in five weeks"(which would be losing more than a pound a week)...its said that every day for 3 weeks...so what the heck!
Thank you so so much to anyone who might read this(sorry it got long
) and any all advice would be appreciated!!
Ok thanks and good luck to all!!
FLO
I don't buy that I'm gaining muscle and thats why the scale isn't moving because... my body hasn't changed. I just feel stronger and healthier which is great but ultimately Im trying to lose weight! So...Don't want this to run on too long but ill just put a bit about myself here and maybe someone will have some advice or support!
Im 31 yo/5'8 and have weighed 130 pounds consistently for the last few years. I knew I was gaining weight while stress eating/boredom eating/depressed eating/eating eating eating (lol) during the pandemic...But was shocked to see I gained a full 15 pounds. So now at 145. Im vegan and eat a typically very healthy diet...I cook my own meals with whole foods and eat a lot of legumes, nuts, fresh veg and fruit, seeds and typically use alternatives to pasta and bread to reduce extra fat/empty calorie intake. drink low fat oat milk in my coffee etc. (i do love vegan ice creams as well and indulge in moderation) HOWEVER before dedicating to weight loss I wasn't limiting my portions... Turns out you can gain weight just eating too much dang kale and chickpeas.
So yea, in conclusion, Im eating my typical diet but pared down to stay in range of my calorie goals and have added daily activity and exercise into the mix...but am not making any headway. Any ideas what Im doing wrong?? Does it just take more time than the app makes it seem like? Because everyyyyy day when i "complete my diary" it says something like "if you eat like this every day you'll weigh 137 in five weeks"(which would be losing more than a pound a week)...its said that every day for 3 weeks...so what the heck!
Thank you so so much to anyone who might read this(sorry it got long
) and any all advice would be appreciated!!Ok thanks and good luck to all!!
FLO
1
Replies
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No offense, but I doubt you are not losing weight on 1260 calories. You bmr is probably almost that. The blaring issue i see is the nuts and seeds. Those buggers add up quickly. Maybe consider getting away from the breads and pastas. Even the alternatives. Try eating plain potatoes, rice, and whole grains, unless the pasta/bread alternatives have less calories. Oat milk as just as many calories in it as 1-2% milks. Just less fat. Make sure to weigh and log everything. Even that 100% plant based chocolate from work. I really have no idea if there is such a thing, but i was just using that as an example of how "small" things add up. If you are truly eating 1280cals and not losing. Go see an M.D. and get some test run. Best wishes.2
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Do you use a food scale to weigh out your ingredients/portions?3
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psychod787 wrote: »No offense, but I doubt you are not losing weight on 1260 calories. You bmr is probably almost that. The blaring issue i see is the nuts and seeds. Those buggers add up quickly. Maybe consider getting away from the breads and pastas. Even the alternatives. Try eating plain potatoes, rice, and whole grains, unless the pasta/bread alternatives have less calories. Oat milk as just as many calories in it as 1-2% milks. Just less fat. Make sure to weigh and log everything. Even that 100% plant based chocolate from work. I really have no idea if there is such a thing, but i was just using that as an example of how "small" things add up. If you are truly eating 1280cals and not losing. Go see an M.D. and get some test run. Best wishes.
thanks for the feedback!! when i say nuts and seeds i just mean i add them to salads etc to add something filling instead of adding chicken breast etc, but i only use a tablespoon or two of pumpkin seeds for example at a time and always check serving recommendations and read labels. and yea i use zucchini or quinoa pasta which is lower cal/higher protein than normal pasta. sooo I'm stumped. Thanks for the tip I think ill book myself a physical with my MD.
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moonangel12 wrote: »Do you use a food scale to weigh out your ingredients/portions?
I don't use a food scale because Im scared I will get overly obsessive with it
But I follow serving sizes and use measuring cups etc for certain foods (liquids, cashew yogurt, rice) ...its possible I'm going over a tad but i can tell just from how little I'm eating theres no way Im going over 1300 or maybeee 1400 calories on a big day. I would think I still would've at least lost a pound or two in a month from even eating up to 1400 as I'm very active! Do you find a food scale really makes the difference? 0 -
Absolutely! If you're not weighing your food you have no idea how many calories you are eating. I struggled for many months, thinking I was eating 1600 calories as a 5'9", 250 lb. male and not losing any weight. Uh, no. I got a digital scale and dropped 70 lbs. over the next year. Weigh and record everything that goes in your mouth that has calories. Unless you have a history of eating disorders, that's a different story. BTW, at 5'8" and 145 lbs, you are solidly in the middle of a "Normal" BMI range. Just sayin'.7
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Absolutely! If you're not weighing your food you have no idea how many calories you are eating. I struggled for many months, thinking I was eating 1600 calories as a 5'9", 250 lb. male and not losing any weight. Uh, no. I got a digital scale and dropped 70 lbs. over the next year. Weigh and record everything that goes in your mouth that has calories. Unless you have a history of eating disorders, that's a different story. BTW, at 5'8" and 145 lbs, you are solidly in the middle of a "Normal" BMI range. Just sayin'.
Okay thanks! Seems to be the consensus a scale is the next step in this process. No eating disorders just wanting to balance the line between making an effort with my health/weight and not letting it take over my days. But sounds like an effective tool so I will have to order one! Thanks again for your input and congrats on your achievement!!
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Weigh your food. And if you're only eating 1280 and exercising, up it to 1500 and see how you do.1
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Everyone hit it on the head.... weigh everything. We always eat more than we think and burn less than we think. You'll hit your stride.4
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Before I joined MFP I thought I should be losing weight, or certainly not gaining because I was only eating around 1300 calories per day. This was based on a guess and looking at nutritional labels. No, even at 40 you don't gain weight on 1300 calories. I was more likely eating about 2000-2300 calories each day.2
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I was afraid of the same thing, and in the beginning I was pretty strict, but now that I am close to goal weight and have upped my training/miles significantly I am OK with wiggle room and don’t fret (almost 30 lbs down since 9/19, through several weeks of not weighing due to life circumstances - thanksgiving, Christmas, weddings, funerals, etc. I still logged, but it was more guesstimating and in the long run it was just fine because I had a decent mental image of serving sizes at that point).moonangel12 wrote: »Do you use a food scale to weigh out your ingredients/portions?
I don't use a food scale because Im scared I will get overly obsessive with it But I follow serving sizes and use measuring cups etc for certain foods (liquids, cashew yogurt, rice) ...its possible I'm going over a tad but i can tell just from how little I'm eating theres no way Im going over 1300 or maybeee 1400 calories on a big day. I would think I still would've at least lost a pound or two in a month from even eating up to 1400 as I'm very active! Do you find a food scale really makes the difference?
There are a couple threads showing the difference weighing can make, I can never remember the titles though... hopefully someone else not on mobile can post links.
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psychod787 wrote: »No offense, but I doubt you are not losing weight on 1260 calories. You bmr is probably almost that. The blaring issue i see is the nuts and seeds. Those buggers add up quickly. Maybe consider getting away from the breads and pastas. Even the alternatives. Try eating plain potatoes, rice, and whole grains, unless the pasta/bread alternatives have less calories. Oat milk as just as many calories in it as 1-2% milks. Just less fat. Make sure to weigh and log everything. Even that 100% plant based chocolate from work. I really have no idea if there is such a thing, but i was just using that as an example of how "small" things add up. If you are truly eating 1280cals and not losing. Go see an M.D. and get some test run. Best wishes.
thanks for the feedback!! when i say nuts and seeds i just mean i add them to salads etc to add something filling instead of adding chicken breast etc, but i only use a tablespoon or two of pumpkin seeds for example at a time and always check serving recommendations and read labels. and yea i use zucchini or quinoa pasta which is lower cal/higher protein than normal pasta. sooo I'm stumped. Thanks for the tip I think ill book myself a physical with my MD.
I would recommend optimizing for protein intake when in a fat loss phase. Higher protein levels in a diet seem to help maintain lean mass loss when losing weight. Coupling this with resistance overload training is a good thing. Both will help maintain muscle mass. Getting higher protein in a vegan diet is not optimal, so by replacing those nuts with a protein source like legumes, tofu, tempeh...ect will help with protein intake and satiety. Protein is the most satisfying nutrient per energy unit there is. Why bread and pasta alternatives? I am not vegan, but I think most contain no animal products? Unless you celiac, eating pasta and bread is fine.0 -
moonangel12 wrote: »Do you use a food scale to weigh out your ingredients/portions?
I don't use a food scale because Im scared I will get overly obsessive with it But I follow serving sizes and use measuring cups etc for certain foods (liquids, cashew yogurt, rice) ...its possible I'm going over a tad but i can tell just from how little I'm eating theres no way Im going over 1300 or maybeee 1400 calories on a big day. I would think I still would've at least lost a pound or two in a month from even eating up to 1400 as I'm very active! Do you find a food scale really makes the difference?
If you learn the tricks for using a food scale efficiently, it takes less time and fewer steps than cups/spoons, and has less washing up after, besides being more accurate. It's hard for me to understand why a quicker, easier method is more obsessive?
There's a whole thread about it I'll link at the end, but here's an example: Peanut butter. It's calorie dense, so good to be careful. So, if you use a measuring tablespoon, you're loading, scraping flat, scraping out of spoon onto toast or whatever, spread on toast with a knife, wash tablespoon & knife. With the scale, you take the lid off the jar, put it on the scale, zero the scale, use your knife to scoop out a reasonable-looking amount (or preplanned amount, also easy), use that same knife to spread it on your toast, read the negative number on the scale (it's the amount you took out) and log that. Easy, takes mere seconds, and just the knife to wash.
Ignore the joke-y clickbait title of the thread, it truly is about scale-using tips and tricks people use:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10498882/weighing-food-takes-too-long-and-is-obsessive3 -
I agree with what a lot of people said about weighing your food. I wanted to be an intuitive eater and not become obsessed with the numbers (I remember my mother being like that when I was young and I think it influenced my bad relationship with food), but then I realised that if I don’t really know how much I’m eating then I can’t adjust accordingly. In time I hope to develop a healthy relationship with food where I don’t have to measure everything out. I still feel it’s never 100%accurate, but it has made me aware of a lot of misconceptions I had.
I also agree that if you try this and still don’t lose weight seeing a doc might be a good idea. Either way try to focus on the feeling stronger and healthier.
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moonangel12 wrote: »Do you use a food scale to weigh out your ingredients/portions?
I don't use a food scale because Im scared I will get overly obsessive with it But I follow serving sizes and use measuring cups etc for certain foods (liquids, cashew yogurt, rice) ...its possible I'm going over a tad but i can tell just from how little I'm eating theres no way Im going over 1300 or maybeee 1400 calories on a big day. I would think I still would've at least lost a pound or two in a month from even eating up to 1400 as I'm very active! Do you find a food scale really makes the difference?
If you learn the tricks for using a food scale efficiently, it takes less time and fewer steps than cups/spoons, and has less washing up after, besides being more accurate. It's hard for me to understand why a quicker, easier method is more obsessive?
There's a whole thread about it I'll link at the end, but here's an example: Peanut butter. It's calorie dense, so good to be careful. So, if you use a measuring tablespoon, you're loading, scraping flat, scraping out of spoon onto toast or whatever, spread on toast with a knife, wash tablespoon & knife. With the scale, you take the lid off the jar, put it on the scale, zero the scale, use your knife to scoop out a reasonable-looking amount (or preplanned amount, also easy), use that same knife to spread it on your toast, read the negative number on the scale (it's the amount you took out) and log that. Easy, takes mere seconds, and just the knife to wash.
Ignore the joke-y clickbait title of the thread, it truly is about scale-using tips and tricks people use:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10498882/weighing-food-takes-too-long-and-is-obsessive
That thread really taught me how to use a scale and like it so much more than measuring cups and spoons for the most part. Makes it so much faster and cleaner. I don't even zero it out first because I have always done math in my head easily.2
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