Help, I am not losing weight

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momgorz
momgorz Posts: 29 Member
in Motivation and Support
Well, I have been off and on MFP for a few months now. But I was very religious the last few weeks, tracking food and exercising almost every day (30 minutes eliptical or treadmill fast walk). And guess what? I gained a pound. My net calories are where they need to be accoring to MFP. I am so discouraged. And I know if I stop tracking, I will gain even more, but I thought for sure if I tracked every day and honestly, I would at least lose a couple of pounds. Any ideas?
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  • RunTheDay
    RunTheDay Posts: 9
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    It has only been a few weeks! Dont give up :). If you are working out daily, you are building muscles. Muscles will hold on to water for a while before they let it go. If you continue to build the muscle, it will eventually start eating up the fat :). How do your clothes fit? And how do you look and feel? I guarantee there are results in other areas! Keep up the great work!
  • Fit_2013
    Fit_2013 Posts: 336 Member
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    Same boat your in 49 years old and difficult to lose weight but increasing protein by eating fish few days a week seems to be helping me a slight bit.
  • sarahthecamper
    sarahthecamper Posts: 45 Member
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    I'm right with you! Two weeks of being SO GOOD and I'm up a pound. I'm hoping the muscle theory is correct.
  • Dnc2Luz
    Dnc2Luz Posts: 33
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    I have found that there seems to be many more components to weight lose than just what I eat. Consider factoring in stress and how much your workload has been. Think also about the types of food ie was the balance of food what you should be taking in. Consider adding morning exercise that is something that boosts me when I find a stretch that I am not losing.
    Sheila
  • Ldubb007
    Ldubb007 Posts: 77
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    Don't give up. We workout for our health as well as to lose weight (in some cases). Exercise is a fact of life. Just remember you are doing your body good by working out. Keep working out and eat right. You'll see a change. Also, if you have time work out a little longer and crank up your power walk a little. Hang in there!
  • PoochPottery
    PoochPottery Posts: 205
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    Throw out the scale and get out the measuring tape!!
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
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    AHHHH...it's NOT muscle!!! lol Sorry just had to let that out. Stay persistent. Weight loss trends should be tracked over a long period of time (week to week or even better month to month).
  • amoore1960
    amoore1960 Posts: 3
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    There are variables not spoken here so that makes it difficult to fully address these concerns. I can tell you that it will take a good 4-6 weeks on adhering to a good plan to see some good solid results. 2 weeks is not a reasonable amount of time to expect results. Patience. There is no instant fix.
  • AllergicToExercise
    AllergicToExercise Posts: 434 Member
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    If you are exercising regularly are you consuming enough net cals?
  • momgorz
    momgorz Posts: 29 Member
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    Thanks so far. BTW, I am 49 and have been working out almost daily for a long time, so do have alot of muscle, but also alot of fat. I am trying some different workouts, as I don't think the old ones are helping me lose (if I stopped, though, I would gain). I do drink alot of Diet Coke (probably 3-4 per day) and probably not enough water, so need to get on that bandwagon. Maybe less carbs and more protein??
  • the_dutchess
    the_dutchess Posts: 8
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    The first of the year I made a goal to lose weight like so many people who are trying so hard on MFP, After the first week of working out and eating healthier I gained four pounds, I don't only use this site I write down what exercises I do everyday! I looked back and noticed that I had done some kind of strength training all week. Last week I only did strength training once and lost pounds. Like others have said its probably muscle! My Grandmother suggested that I take measurements of my body. You might not see progress on the scale but you might in inches, Good Luck to you and everyone on MFP!
  • misti458
    misti458 Posts: 2 Member
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    don't give up, are you drinking the proper amount of water? that can play a big part, the water is very important as well as making sure you are not going to low on the calories. if you are to low then the body will tend to hold on to the fat , it goes into starvation mode and holds tight to the fat. I use to be a fitness instuctor and one of the things we found was that sometimes when you are working out you may even need to up the calories for a short period of time to wake back up the motabolism and get things burning again. if you are on target with water and calories, then it could very well be some muscle gain and you will start to drop soon, take your messurments and see where they are. i bet you will see a differance. but most of all, hang in there and do not give up, we are all here to support and help each other.
  • grmpy1
    grmpy1 Posts: 462 Member
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    I asked this same question to some of my group friends just yesterday. That is exactly what they suggested...less carbs and more protein. I am going to give that a try and hopefully my scale will move...and in the right direction, DOWN!!
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
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    It takes a long time to build muscle (sorry) you body just may be adjusting to what you are doing. Open your diary and maybe someone with some knowledge can help you. I may take you awhile trying different combinations of food and exercise to see what your body will respond to everyone is different. Best wishes
  • mumbuki
    mumbuki Posts: 1
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    It is definately muscle gain, it happens to me everytime I start working out again. The important thing to focus on is the fact that you are getting more toned. Gaining muscle is actually a good thing, it allows you to burn more calories all day, even while resting, so be happy about it :) Also, remember to switch up your workout routines, doing the same thing day after day allows your body to get used to it and you don't get the same benefits as you did when you first started it. So if you usually walk 45 minutes a day, try swimming one day a week to totally throw your body for a loop. I like using the on demand feature on my cable box, just pick a different workout each day and it is totally free. Good luck and keep it up :)
  • determinedsocialworker
    determinedsocialworker Posts: 108 Member
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    I think mixing it up at the gym is an excellent idea... try some interval training, or something different..confuse your muscles a bit and keep moving forward... :)
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
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    Assuming you are indeed logging every calorie, it would seem the only thing to do would be to cut your calorie goal. Eating more vegetables and whole foods might help, since it takes more energy to break those down. I'm in the same boat - after losing 20 lbs I'm stuck. I probably need to add weight training, but I don't like doing it.
  • auntv77
    auntv77 Posts: 24 Member
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    I could not agree more! The measuring tape should be a major factor in your tracking. That said, MFP tends too give me too many calories from workouts. maybe try not to eat all of your workout-earned calories this week?
    And forthe love of all things good for you - put down the Diet Coke and run from it! Most nutritionists etc hate the stuff for a reason. it makes you want more sugars (carbs). I know it i hard but in general you should try to cut as many artificially sweeteners out as you can! They are chemicals!
  • PaPenguin
    PaPenguin Posts: 19 Member
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    I didn't start exercising till I lost 30 lbs. Then I felt like I had the energy to exercise.
  • bada_bing
    bada_bing Posts: 128 Member
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    I do drink alot of Diet Coke (probably 3-4 per day) and probably not enough water, so need to get on that bandwagon. Maybe less carbs and more protein??

    In my honest opinion, yes, you need to cut the diet coke and get more water. And change up you equation, I cannot lose weight on low cal, I have to go low carbs and more protein. Remember weight loss is 90% what goes in your mouth and 10% exercise (even though some will say different)!

    Try low carb...it's really quite easy!

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