Why my weight loss is so slow?

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redheadmommy
redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
in Motivation and Support
Today is my 6 months anniversary here on MFP. I always thought, I will post a big cheerful topic in the success story on this day. Well, I feel gloomy and not very successful. I lost 23 lb since joining MFP. That is a bit less then 1 lb a week. I know MFP suggest a 1 lb per week weight loss, but everybody else seems to losing sooo much faster . It is really discouraging. I actually started my journey much before MFP, and I lost the first 10 lb prior to joining , but that was even slower like 0.5lb / week or less.

I am on a 1500 calorie diet, which by MFP supposed to make me lose 1.5 lb per week. I barely do a 1 lb on average.
Every day when I hit complete my day , I get mad at MFP and just want to quit. It predict that I will be such and such weight in 5 weeks and it is a big fat lie. I may get to that point that MFP predict in 10 weeks instead of 5 weeks.
I work out 3 times a week and based on everybody suggestion, now I do strength training instead of cardio. I tried eating back my calories, now I try not to eat back my calories. I do feel stronger an all, but I do not care. I just want to be thin. I am still freaking obese based on my BMI. I have like another 5 lb before I can say I am only overweight. I just wanted to close this year as NOT obese. It is less then 4 weeks left, and I am going to start yet an other year as a big fatso. :angry:
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Replies

  • ilovemyhorse
    ilovemyhorse Posts: 87
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    You should be doing cardio AND strength training. Try upping it to 4 times a week, and 1,400 calories. You need to change things up to confuse your body.
  • Vanessahogan03
    Vanessahogan03 Posts: 27 Member
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    I had on my profile that I was slightly active. Unless your on your feet all day your not slightly active. I then choose a sedentary life style and it changed my calorie amount and then I started loosing weight. I maybe ran a few errands a day but it was not enough to consider slightly active.
  • KriscoOil
    KriscoOil Posts: 305 Member
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    Slow and steady is the best way to lose anyway! Don't be discouraged...it is a learning process.
  • feydruss
    feydruss Posts: 349 Member
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    I totally understand, because my loss isn't tracking the way it "should" according to MFP and all the calculators. Whenever I see that "in five weeks" thing I want to throw my computer.

    But we have to remember that all these predictions are based on standard calculations, and don't take individuals into consideration. Maybe we're moving less than we think. Maybe we're eating more than we think. Maybe our metabolism is a little slower. Maybe we're bloated or not getting enough sleep or not baying at the moon correctly.

    I've lost nearly 20lbs here since the summer, but that's less than I wanted to and hoped to lose. But I really only have myself to blame for that, and I have to remind myself that it's a marathon, not a sprint. 20lbs lost is still 20lbs, and your 23lbs is still an accomplishment! Be proud of it!

    I have to trust that if we stick to it and be as consistent as possible (without losing our marbles), then it WILL happen. Maybe slowly, but I'd rather go slow and steady and have it be a real lifestyle change than just be able to post big numbers on the Success Stories board but not understand how to approach the rest of my life.
  • rainbowbuggy
    rainbowbuggy Posts: 320
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    First let me tell you the 23lbs you have lost looks amazing! On alot of people the loss shows mostly in their face....yours is in your tummy area and you look so awesome!

    I too am a slow loser. Alot of my friends lose 1.5-2lbs a week and some even lose weight DAILY! Not me!

    Maybe you should mix cardio and strength training together. I hear together it yields the best results. I have recently started doing that to see if I can shake things up a bit.

    Hang in there, you’re doing great! You look awesome!
  • TexasBrunette74
    TexasBrunette74 Posts: 1
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    It is so easy to get discouraged. I more than understand. I love all of these replies! All right on the mark. Keep your head up and enjoy your accomplisment thus far! Big hugs from Texas!
  • grapenutSF
    grapenutSF Posts: 648 Member
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    You're looking GREAT! Fabulous pics. And I agree with others, slow and steady means you're more likely to maintain your weightloss-- think big picture. You could certainly tweak things by doing both cardio and strength-- and maybe add 1 more day-- but I think you're on the right track and just need to talk more positively to yourself-- you have LOTS of reasons to. Just remind yourself what those are.
  • Pocket_Pixi
    Pocket_Pixi Posts: 1,167 Member
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    Congrats on your 23lbs, imo that is fantastic!!! Do NOT ever let everyone elses losses determine your mood towards your own. I have been trying to lose weight since August 2010 and have lost 3 pounds, I would be doing a friggen happy dance if I had a 20+ pound loss.

    Also, have you tracked your measurements? I can see a pretty big change in your picture so I was just curious - sometimes the loss in inches can be more motivating than the loss on the scale!
  • Mom2M_and_O
    Mom2M_and_O Posts: 214
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    Please don't be discouraged! I'm one of those < 1 lb/wk folks, too, and I also am on 1500 calories. I intentionally picked 1500 calories because I knew I'd be hungry/frustrated on the 1200 that MFP recommended. And for me, hunger = no willpower. And consider it this way, the slower it comes off, perhaps the less likely it will come back on because you'll have been practicing good habits that much longer.
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
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    I had on my profile that I was slightly active. Unless your on your feet all day your not slightly active. I then choose a sedentary life style and it changed my calorie amount and then I started loosing weight. I maybe ran a few errands a day but it was not enough to consider slightly active.
    I set my profile to sedentary lifestyle originally for the initial 4 months, and I was eating back my calories as described. I hit a long 7 weeks plateau, which I managed to get out by changing up things a bit including switching my lifestyle to slightly active. It it less then 200calories difference a day (=1400 calories a week) , and I do NOT eat back my exercise calories since I switched to slightly active. I exercise 3 times a week for almost an hr, which actually would come out about the same 1400 calorie per week. So at the end of the week I eat the exactly same calories as before, but more spread out.

    I am doing my Phd AND have a 3 yr old who I am running after hrs and hrs every day. I literally carry his 40 lb *kitten* on my shoulder on average an hr a day. We have a dog and go for big walks and he gets tired, and I end up carrying him. Or we go for a walk with a sled and the darn kid shouting the entire time that "mommy go faster , faster" and the 1 hr dog walking end up being a jog/walk training. I do not tract these as an exercise, because it is just part of my daily routine.

    At the summer , I was biking 1 hr daily, as I used my bike as a transportation device. That was great mainly because it didn't add much time to my commute, and got a lot more exercise. Unfortunately I live on a cold climate and my biking days are over until April or so. I am really short on time, I do not watch TV, I have barely have any social life left. Really the only way I could increase the amount of exercise if i sleep less...
  • _VoV
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
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    Slow loser here, too. It can do a mental trip on you when others lose so much faster. Plus, there's always the worry that the weight loss will stop altogether at a higher weight than you want to be. I am not sure that MFP factors in your personal tracking in resetting your calorie requirements, or if it's one-size-fits-all the whole way down to your goal. Does anyone know that?
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
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    Congrats on your 23lbs, imo that is fantastic!!! Do NOT ever let everyone elses losses determine your mood towards your own. I have been trying to lose weight since August 2010 and have lost 3 pounds, I would be doing a friggen happy dance if I had a 20+ pound loss.

    Also, have you tracked your measurements? I can see a pretty big change in your picture so I was just curious - sometimes the loss in inches can be more motivating than the loss on the scale!
    Yes I did lose a lot of inches, especially around my tummy, which is great. When I had an almost 2 months plateau from mid September to mid November, the inches lost was the only thing that kept me motivated. Still i just want the stupid scale to move .
  • trilikeagirl
    trilikeagirl Posts: 218
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    We're in the same boat. Proof that the universe has a twisted sense of humor! Hang in there. Your post made me realize that I've been on here exactly five months, writing down everything I eat and thinking "thin" thoughts. I'm only halfway to where I planned to be...but I like me better now than then. This is a crappy time of year to expect ourselves to feel all motivated. How about we just tell ourselves, "good job" and accept that the "in five weeks" function on mfp is effing retarded?
    Friends if you like,
    Christiane
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
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    Please don't be discouraged! I'm one of those < 1 lb/wk folks, too, and I also am on 1500 calories. I intentionally picked 1500 calories because I knew I'd be hungry/frustrated on the 1200 that MFP recommended. And for me, hunger = no willpower. And consider it this way, the slower it comes off, perhaps the less likely it will come back on because you'll have been practicing good habits that much longer.
    i am the same way. That is why I switched around, and set things up so I have a steady 1500 calorie everyday regardless exercise day or not. I am much more likely to keep the every day 1500 calorie, then having 1200 calorie one day and 1800 on the exercise days.
  • Lesliecs
    Lesliecs Posts: 930 Member
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    Don't give up! I've been on this journey for about six months myself, since July and I've lost 23 lbs. also. I am happy with a 1 lb. a week loss..... it's better than the alternative of staying the same or gaining! Even on the weeks that I didn't lose lbs., I did lose inches. I'm down 2 sizes in my clothing and look and feel 100% better than I did 6 months ago.

    Would I like to lose more quicker? YES! Wouldn't we all?! Keep on your path and don't get discouraged!
  • myshell26
    myshell26 Posts: 113
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    Do you have a heart rate monitor? MFP isn't very accurate when it comes to calories burned.
  • Mom2M_and_O
    Mom2M_and_O Posts: 214
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    Do you have a heart rate monitor? MFP isn't very accurate when it comes to calories burned.

    Oh, I need to get one of those. What kind do you have? I'm very tempted to get one before Christmas. I came really close to getting one by Timex that got good reviews on Amazon but then I saw in the reviews that it way overestimated calories for women.
  • Sarah0334
    Sarah0334 Posts: 2
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    I think 23lbs is great success! My only advise would be to focus on how you feel, and that you are still moving forward toward your goal. You arn't moving backward, you are just not moving as quickly as you like and perhaps that means that the weight you are loosing will stay off. I know a lot of folks who lose pounds really quickly only to gain it again or simply plateau. Seeing results on a scale is nice, but don't let it be your only indicator of your success!
  • LuciaLongIsland
    LuciaLongIsland Posts: 815 Member
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    Today is my 6 months anniversary here on MFP. I always thought, I will post a big cheerful topic in the success story on this day. Well, I feel gloomy and not very successful. I lost 23 lb since joining MFP. That is a bit less then 1 lb a week. I know MFP suggest a 1 lb per week weight loss, but everybody else seems to losing sooo much faster . It is really discouraging. I actually started my journey much before MFP, and I lost the first 10 lb prior to joining , but that was even slower like 0.5lb / week or less.

    I am on a 1500 calorie diet, which by MFP supposed to make me lose 1.5 lb per week. I barely do a 1 lb on average.
    Every day when I hit complete my day , I get mad at MFP and just want to quit. It predict that I will be such and such weight in 5 weeks and it is a big fat lie. I may get to that point that MFP predict in 10 weeks instead of 5 weeks.
    I work out 3 times a week and based on everybody suggestion, now I do strength training instead of cardio. I tried eating back my calories, now I try not to eat back my calories. I do feel stronger an all, but I do not care. I just want to be thin. I am still freaking obese based on my BMI. I have like another 5 lb before I can say I am only overweight. I just wanted to close this year as NOT obese. It is less then 4 weeks left, and I am going to start yet an other year as a big fatso. :angry:

    I totally understand. I see all these people losing big time. Have you tried to lower your calories? My thyroid is messed up. Perhaps having your doctor do a blood test to make sure everything is ok.
  • AdAstra47
    AdAstra47 Posts: 823 Member
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    Don't get discouraged! Everyone's metabolism is different, everyone's body is different. Some people will lose at a faster rate than others. Slower is actually healthier & more sustainable in the long run, because you're more likely to be just losing fat, rather than fat & muscle.

    And make sure your weight goal is realistic, too. You said you've been losing inches even when you're not losing weight, so you may just be getting more toned, and a toned body with plenty of muscle will weigh more (because muscle is more dense than fat). In fact, my doctor just told me that my physical build is more muscular, just by virtue of nature and genetics, than many people's. So my original weight loss goal is unrealistically low. The BMI (and everything else, really, calorie goals, BMR etc) as calculated by MFP is just a vague guideline based on your height & gender. But in my case, the doc said that I'm tall & big-boned and have a high percentage of muscle mass so we're increasing my goal weight by 25 lb. According to MFP's BMI calculator, that would still leave me in the low end of the "obese" category. But according to my doctor, that would be my ideal weight (if I maintain my current musculature). So if I were you, I'd double-check that your goal weight isn't set too low, too. You may not have as far to go as you think! :smile:

    You certainly are looking good! Best of luck to you.

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