Diet and exercise but no weight loss?

Flabbergastedtaciturn
Flabbergastedtaciturn Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been now sticking to the diet lower in calories – below 2,000 and exercising every day. I had been seeing results until recently, when I stopped seeing any progress. My weight is still the same for the third week. I thought it might be due to the muscle weight gain? I am not sure, and don’t know what to make of it.

(I duplicated this post, as the first one I placed in the wrong thread, I believe)

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    We're gonna need more info.

    How did you decide on 2000 calories? How are you logging food? Do you log everything?

    What is your current weight and height? Are you female?

    Do you eat more on days you exercise or just stay at the same level?

    It's really common to have weeks of no scale movement, but the above could help us (if you're really looking for answers.)

    Here:


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  • Flabbergastedtaciturn
    Flabbergastedtaciturn Posts: 9 Member
    I used a calorie calculator that showed me calorie estimates that can be used as a guideline for how many calories to consume each day to maintain and lose my weight, which, according to the calculations should be 2,000. On top of that, I burn a few hundred a day exercising, but I may have been underestimating the daily food intake, indeed. Will try to focus on it. Thank you for the chart! Perhaps, I am just being too impatient.
  • Flabbergastedtaciturn
    Flabbergastedtaciturn Posts: 9 Member
    edited October 2021
    If you changed up your exercise routine recently you may be retaining more water temporarily.

    Yes, I did change.

  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited October 2021
    4 things may be going on here:
    1) You could be eating too many calories for your current weight and activity level
    2) You could be underestimating the calories you eat
    3) You could be overestimating your calorie burn
    4) Your muscles could be retaining water as they adjust to new activity

    Starting with the calories: plug your stats into MFP's guided set-up and see how many calories it tells you. A second opinion can help. Once you know your target is in the right range, start logging everything you eat. Weigh all solids and semi solids (peanut butter, mayo, butter) and measure all liquids. If you are not weighing, it is easy to take in more calories.

    Many people overestimate their calorie burn and activity level. Be honest when you plug your stats into MFP. Are you at a desk job and sit around the rest of the day unless you are exercising? You are sedentary. Do NOT count exercise in your activity level. Many databases and trackers will overestimate calories burned so start out by eating only half of the ones earned. You can increase as needed later.

    If it is water retention from new exercise, don't try to do anything about it except stay hydrated. Your muscles need to do this and your body will regulate itself.
  • Flabbergastedtaciturn
    Flabbergastedtaciturn Posts: 9 Member
    I logged all my calorie input on MFP trying to be accurate. Will be checking each day and see the outcome. Thank you. I am now doing more exercises with heavier dumbbells and for the abdominal muscles.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Flabbergastedtaciturn wrote: »
    I logged all my calorie input on MFP trying to be accurate. Will be checking each day and see the outcome. Thank you. I am now doing more exercises with heavier dumbbells and for the abdominal muscles.

    But did you weigh everything?
  • Flabbergastedtaciturn
    Flabbergastedtaciturn Posts: 9 Member
    But did you weigh everything?

    I did not, unfortunately.

  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited October 2021
    Flabbergastedtaciturn wrote: »
    But did you weigh everything?

    I did not, unfortunately.

    Ding, Ding, Ding! we may have a winner here. It is surprising how much people underestimate what they are eating.

    There are members who, when they started weighing their food, discovered they were wiping out their entire deficit.
  • Xellercin
    Xellercin Posts: 924 Member
    3 weeks is nothing. For me, the scale can stay stuck no matter what I do for nearly 8 weeks.

    However, when I look at the long-term graph of my weight, the slope is steady. So I might lose steadily for several weeks, and then stay the same or gain for several weeks, and then have a few sudden drops in a row, and then get back to steady, and so one.

    But when viewed from a longer time scale, for me, as long as my behaviour is steady, so is my weight loss over time.

    I tracked it for 4 years, my loss was exactly consistent with my behaviour the entire time.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Xellercin wrote: »
    3 weeks is nothing. For me, the scale can stay stuck no matter what I do for nearly 8 weeks.

    However, when I look at the long-term graph of my weight, the slope is steady. So I might lose steadily for several weeks, and then stay the same or gain for several weeks, and then have a few sudden drops in a row, and then get back to steady, and so one.

    But when viewed from a longer time scale, for me, as long as my behaviour is steady, so is my weight loss over time.

    I tracked it for 4 years, my loss was exactly consistent with my behaviour the entire time.

    It is unusual to not lose anything in the first 3 weeks, though, so OP should look at how they are gathering/entering info first.
  • Flabbergastedtaciturn
    Flabbergastedtaciturn Posts: 9 Member

    It is unusual to not lose anything in the first 3 weeks, though, so OP should look at how they are gathering/entering info first.

    Not the first 3 weeks, though:

    "I had been seeing results until recently, when I stopped seeing any progress"
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,055 Member
    Flabbergastedtaciturn wrote: »
    I logged all my calorie input on MFP trying to be accurate. Will be checking each day and see the outcome. Thank you. I am now doing more exercises with heavier dumbbells and for the abdominal muscles.
    You could indeed be retaining water, which would mask fat loss on the scale. I GAINED seven pounds when I started weight lifting again.

    But did you weigh everything?
    Flabbergastedtaciturn wrote: »
    I did not, unfortunately.
    Do start weighing :)

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