Why am I not losing weight?

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Replies

  • Jamiewoodle
    Jamiewoodle Posts: 100 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing


    THIS^^
  • Wilson336
    Wilson336 Posts: 76
    I've been on MFP for about 5 weeks now. In the first three weeks, I lost 5 lbs, which is crazy. I was so excited! Since then, I haven't lost any! I am working out 6 days a week, 20 minutes of cardio, plus 20 minutes of workout with a DVD, mostly squats and lunges. Then I do 10-15 minutes weights, alternating upper and lower body, mostly compound lifts and squats, with some upper arm isolations. I also track my calories very carefully, and eat back my exercise calories. I generally come in close to, if not slightly under, my calories.

    One thing I have not seen mentioned:

    Were you weight lifting regularly before you started MFP 5 weeks ago? If you started your lifting at the same time, you are likely building muscle at the same time you are losing fat. Since muscle is quite dense, the muscle gain can offset the weight you lose in fat. Even though your weight is the same, have you been losing inches, or do your clothes fit better?
  • JeepBrah
    JeepBrah Posts: 150
    Then I do 10-15 minutes weights,
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    If you have been doing the same routine for 5 weeks try switching things up and see what happens! :)
  • mamawval
    mamawval Posts: 1
    Muscle weighs more than fat! Keep it up and eventually the pounds and inches will melt away with a tone and firm body!
  • pupcamper
    pupcamper Posts: 410 Member
    How much water do you drink? I notice a big differnce in my weight loss when I drink lots of water, caffine free teas vs other drinks!

    God luck!
  • leannems
    leannems Posts: 516 Member
    This follows the BMR advise, but has some great info:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map?

    If the MFP values aren't working for you - change it up. Just try to give any change 4 weeks before you move on.
  • dedarlin
    dedarlin Posts: 41 Member
    i find that the cal burn on machines is too LOW if you're doing HIIT...i say increase to 1500+exercise cals and get a HRM (i got one from Big 5 sporting for less than $40, its a Bowflex w/chest strap) and keep doing what you're doing exercise wise! i found that increasing my cals (i do 1750+exercise) bumped up my bf% losses as well as dropping pounds. good luck!
  • hphm420
    hphm420 Posts: 34 Member
    Feeling frustrated...bump!
  • KSpiked
    KSpiked Posts: 12
    Go by the numbers on some website or experiment with what works best for you.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Yes, if you are only 5ft, you are eating too much. That 1200 number is for an avg sized person or someone who works out a lot. Im short so I should know. Build a little muscle. Experiment with what works for you in your diet. You might have to sacrifice more time and effort than usual to get your metabolism working well. Eat small amounts many times per day. Eat heavier in the day then at night whenever possible. Lots of chicken. Almost no food out and not too many pasta type dishes. Forget wine for a while.

    But,. some people dont really want to get info or even compliments from someone else. Im starting to think that some folks would rather hear they have a fat *kitten* and a triple chin , right up front. Instead of someone recognizing a beautiful spirit somewhere inside them. I hope you're not like my lil sis. Guess the adoption is off, lol.
    .
    1200 is not meant for an average sized person, for most people 1200 cals is too low, for the OP it may not be due to being smaller.
  • Fit40Freak
    Fit40Freak Posts: 5 Member
    I think there is the science and there is reality. The science says 3500 calorie deficit = 1 pound lost. The reality is that every body is different and the answers are not like math equations. I'm 40, I weigh 140, body fat % somewhere in mid 20% and I spend hours at the gym every week...lifting weights, doing spinning and other aerobics classes, fitting in yoga and pilates...I have tried eating less, I have tried eating more...I have gained some muscle, I have lost some fat, but my body seems pretty happy here. I am not. I really want to get to 129! I used to never go above 129 no matter how badly I ate--back before I exercised. Just recognize everyone is different, and many people are frustrated! Losing weight isn't easy! Keep trying! I feel better when I recognize that I am not the only one struggling and there are no easy answers.
  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
    You've lost a pound a week, the initial 5lbs was mostly water and usually catches up by week 4. Congratulations on your 5lbs. You need to be patient and keep doing what you're doing.
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member

    I am not using a food scale. I will get one. Generally I use the caloric info on the package of food or the MFP database. Am using the calories burned counter on the elliptical for the cardio, and MFP defaults for the strength training. I'm not sure I can justify spending $70 on a HRM... is it worth it? Just spent a bunch of money on the elliptical.

    I am using MFP defaults for the carbs/protein/fat ratios.

    i think this is a BIG part of your problem. You only need to eat an extra 250 cals per day to gain 0.5lb a week, so any inaccurate entries could be cancelling out your loss without you realising it HOWEVER - you could also not be eating enough - check out your numbers on the fat2fit page and eat between your BMR & TDEE.
    If you are eating back exercise cals the counts on MFP or cardio equipment tend to be on the high side so a HRM is best for accurate burns. If you use the fat2fit calculator, you dont need to log additional exercise as its already built into your cal level so saves on buying a HRM.
    The reply re changing your macros to 45c / 25p / 30f is good too, thats what mine are set to :-)

    Dont rely on the database - today I ate some Ben & Jerry's icecream that is listed as zero sugar which is obviously wrong, on the package it had 26g!! Don't use other people's custom recipes as you dont know what has gone into them, their idea of 1 serving / 1 portion could be totally different to yours. Get a digital food scale and weigh everything then you can be sure what is going into your meals, make up your own saved meals / recipes to save time.
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,033 Member
    bump
  • MomOfJoey
    MomOfJoey Posts: 58
    Just did measurements. Waist and hips are the same. Lost an inch off each thigh and half and inch off each calf. Sadly, my legs were never really fat in the first place, though the inner thighs had some flab. The places I really want it gone, butt and abs, no change whatsoever. Thus, I still don't fit into my favorite jeans. This is aggravating me.

    I got the food scale today. My body fat ratio is somehow smack in the middle of "healthy range" on Fit2Fat, even though the mirror and my jeans say otherwise. It says my goal weight should be 125, not 115, even though I weighted 115 from the age of 18-30. Hmmm. I will try to find a decent heart rate monitor. What exactly is "hard exercising"? Is my 40 minutes of HIIT "hard"? It feels hard. What if I go hard three times a week and easy three times?

    I'm really confused now. Should I be eating 1200 calories a day + exercise = ~1500-1600 per day, or is that wrong? My BMR is 1350. My calorie intake at my goal weight is 1970-2200 depending on how much and hard I work out. I have been eating 1200 + exercise. If today is my rest day, do I eat 1200 or 1350?
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    if you exercise 6x a week 3 hard / 3 easy i would say that puts you between 'moderate' and 'very active'. If you follow the fat2fit cal allowances, you dont need to worry about exercise cals as you will get the same allowance every day. The tables on fat2fit include a 20% deficit already so the number in the table is what you should eat. to get your maintenance cals you need to add 20% to this number.

    If you stick with MFP's eat back exercise way, you should never eat below BMR so I would change your cal goal from 1200 to 1350, and then eat back your exercise cals on gym days.

    What is your height by the way? 115lbs does seem really low!
    Take into account if you are exercising you will have more muscle than last time you weighed 115lbs, so you may get into the same size you were before but will weigh more.
  • MomOfJoey
    MomOfJoey Posts: 58
    I'm only 5'0" and was not over 120 until I turned 30. It's been all downhill since then...

    I changed MFP to indicate I want to lose up to 120 lbs and lose one pound a week, and it still says to eat 1200 calories. Still confused.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Just did measurements. Waist and hips are the same. Lost an inch off each thigh and half and inch off each calf. Sadly, my legs were never really fat in the first place, though the inner thighs had some flab. The places I really want it gone, butt and abs, no change whatsoever. Thus, I still don't fit into my favorite jeans. This is aggravating me.

    I got the food scale today. My body fat ratio is somehow smack in the middle of "healthy range" on Fit2Fat, even though the mirror and my jeans say otherwise. It says my goal weight should be 125, not 115, even though I weighted 115 from the age of 18-30. Hmmm. I will try to find a decent heart rate monitor. What exactly is "hard exercising"? Is my 40 minutes of HIIT "hard"? It feels hard. What if I go hard three times a week and easy three times?

    I'm really confused now. Should I be eating 1200 calories a day + exercise = ~1500-1600 per day, or is that wrong? My BMR is 1350. My calorie intake at my goal weight is 1970-2200 depending on how much and hard I work out. I have been eating 1200 + exercise. If today is my rest day, do I eat 1200 or 1350?

    preferably 1350 + exercise cals (as you don't have a lot to lose), but as long as you don't go below 1200+exercise calories you will be fine.
  • MomOfJoey
    MomOfJoey Posts: 58
    OK, here's another issue: there is a big discrepancy between the Covert-Bailey body fat % scale and the Military Body Fat % scale. the first says I'm 30%, the second says 37%. That's a big gap. One measures thigh and calf, the other measures neck. So which do I go with? This is the difference between eating 1200 calories/day and 1350, so I really need to figure this out.
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