Not Losing - Calories Off?

ambuney83 · February 2012

Hi All:

I have been really trying to watch what I eat and work out for the past three weeks. I had decided not to weigh myself as I know your weight can fluctuate daily and I didn't want to become obsessed with it. So I broke out the scale after three weeks, only to find that I weighed more than when I started! I have been staying within my calorie goal on most days (1400) and have been working out at least three times a week, generally an hour of cardio and sometimes body pump. I know it takes a while to lose the weight, but nothing in three weeks is really discouraging. (And don't tell me I am gaining muscle!) I have opened my diary if anyone wants to make suggestions. You may have to go back a week as I have not logged for a while. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

Sl1ghtly · February 2012

Two weeks out of three? Nope.. can't make anything better than a guess with the limited info.

kit_katty · February 2012

You need to track sodium! I find that if I'm over or even close to the daily limit set by mfp, I can gain up to 5lbs of water. And you have like a week with nothing in it, I would suggest filling it out, even if you think you're under, it keeps you accountable.

Kimrlee25 · February 2012

Sometimes it takes longer! Keep going it will pay off. I feel the same way but I am going to try something different. Kickboxing and going back to Zumba. Good luck and hang in there!

Bookers23 · February 2012

I agree, track sodium. Get some more fiber as well, fresh salads and veggies. I see a lot of high carb processed sodium filled items like sonic, McDonald's, sour cream and that lunch sandwich thing. it's okay to cheat now and again but not
Ike that. Also, do not eat back those exercise calories and drink a ton of water. Good luck!

SteveTries · February 2012

I am eating about the same calories per day as you are and I am losing weight well at a rate of 0.6-1 kgs a week. I'm exercising about 4 hours a week. I have one day off the diet per week when I eat what I like, but don't go crazy.
I eat lower carbs than you are consuming though, and all round I probably am chosing healthier foods. My snack meals are more fruit oriented (not always), yours seem to be biased towards cookies.

I'm a 6ft 2" 96kg man though.

I'd suggest you drop your calories by a couple of hundred, reduce the sugary snacks and see how you get on in a couple of weeks.

km47 · February 2012

Hi There: I am no expert so you can take this with a grain of salt, literally. It looks like a lot of your choices are prepared foods that contain a lot of salt. It also looks like a lot of calories to me overall and I only say a few days represented. Again. I am no expert but I know there is no exact formula. I am eating way less calories than MFP recs but I am finally starting to lose weight after several months. I am eating very clean meaning, limited processed foods, no white bread, only sugar in fruit, and lean meats. We all do this in steps. Some of us are lucky and they can change one thing (exercise) and drop the weight or adjust their calories slightly and it works. I have never been one of those people. Keep exercising. Go by what your clothes feel like and take measurements. If you are doing the work, it will show up somewhere, maybe not on the scale. It doesn't look like you have a huge amount to lose so think about this as a chance to adjust your lifestyle and that adjustment may lead to weight loss. It seems like a minor difference, but it is a significant difference in terms of long term success. Good luck

ambuney83 · February 2012

I know I need to watch the sugar. It is my downfall. And in my defense, it is rare that I go out and eat a burger and fries for lunch but I feel like it is okay to splurge sometimes. If I go out, I generally try to get a salad, but who wants to eat salads all the time either? It's not that I'm not willing to try, I just think it can be done without killing yourself to do it. I have seen a lot of people say they eat whatever they want as long as it is in their calorie range but maybe that isn't going to work for me. I am still struggling with making the healthiest choices, as many of us are. Also, people have said to eat back the exercise calories???

stormieweather · February 2012

You're not logging regularly. In order to be positive that you are eating at a deficit (required in order to lose weight), you simply have to log, at least for a while. Weigh, measure, log every bite until you can guess at it and be accurate (and double check accuracy). When you can look at a chicken breast and say that 100 grams or 125 grams (25% difference!), or pour a bowl of cereal and get it right on the money at 1 cup, or pour salad dressing and get 1 tablespoon (instead of 4), then it's ok to slack on the logging.

On top of that, you say you stay in your calories "most days". How much are you going over on days you don't stay within your calories? Dessert at the Cheesecake Factory can wipe out 3 days of deficit...one dinner at Olive Garden can kill several days of effort. 3-4 drinks and a BBQ on the weekend and bam, you are actually eating at a surplus and potientially putting on weight. It's fine to have cheat days or spike days or whatever, but you need to be sure how much they are costing you in terms of weight loss.

And finally, if those things are accurate and you're sure you are actually eating less than you are burning, then it requires patience. It often takes 2-4 weeks to begin to see the results of all your efforts. Wait at least 6 weeks before determining that your plan needs tweaking.

Good luck!

v35lmt · February 2012

If you are using MFP estimates for the exercise that you are logging, you should keep in mind that they are considered much too generous for most people. If you are eating back all the exercise calories that MFP is alloting you, you may actually be eating even further over your calorie goal for the day, even when you think you're under!

melissaw1232 · February 2012

From what I can see Ambuney your snacks are killing you! track your sugar and you'll notice that your way over.
plus try not to eat back your cals for a while. And stay away from that rice-a-roni. This weekend i had quarter cup of Goya yellow rice and it was 160 cals! So not worth it. u may be underestimating the calories on that.

Not Losing - Calories Off?

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