3 weeks and still nothing

You are missing the calorie mark dang near every day. Basically from what I am seeing you are eating to maintain your weight and not lose any. Im not sure why you are puzzled and going to give up after 3 weeks.
To be blunt, the choice is simple. Either get serious about wanting to lose weight or go on doing what you are doing.
If you want to lose its simple, Drop it to 1200 calories a day and DO NOT GO OVER. IF you do go over, work it off with excercise.
And above all record everything you eat. I know its hard, but no one said this was gonna be easy.

I agree with this. I try my best to stick between 1100 and 1300 calories a day, and that's really been working for me. I have a lot of weight to lose, and 1200 calories is PLENTY for me. I think 1500 actually sounds like a lot..especially for a woman. When I first started using MFP I logged my height wrong, so they gave me a goal of 1450..I was eating that and barely losing!! Then I relogged my height, my daily goal is now 1330..but i try not to even eat that!! I do Power 90 6 days a week and I don't eat back my calories. I find this to be helping me lose the best way. Since May 7 I've lost 21 lbs, averaging 10 lbs a month, which I think is ideal. So many people on here talk about starvation mode and not eating enough....... YOU'RE NOT GOING TO STARVE IF YOU EAT 1200 CALORIES. ...and yes, you can stay full all day while eating 1200 calories..it's all in WHAT you choose to eat. I do my best to eat healthy snacks and meals all day long. On weekends, I tend to have 1 cheat day just because welp..I'm female, I have cravings, and it's what works for me. I always get back on track!

Weight loss is great, but how much of that is lean body mass?

I was the same way, exercising, eating smaller portions, counting calories and either went no where or gained. I decided to forget about calories and count carbs instead. I lost 24 pounds last month and dropped from a size 18 to a 14. I weighed 204 when I started counting carbs on June 4th and now I weigh 179. I am wanting to lose about 30 or 40 more pounds and the last couple weeks have been difficult because of pre menopause. I am having terrible cravings and sometimes I give in, but I make sure to exercise before my day ends. Speaking of exercise, I had not exercised since 2004 due to my health and now I am loving it, even if I just go for a walk or play around with the weights at the gym, I love how getting in some exercise makes me feel better about myself! If you are serious about seeing a change, pay attention to your carbs and don't eat back your exercise points. Keep hydrated and stop drinking soda of any kind! I find snacking every couple hours is satisfying for me and I tend to eat healthier than if I try to eat 3 meals a day and have a snack. Grab some salami, cheese, an apple and drink a big glass of tea or water with lemon. If you like sweet drinks, use a sweetener, not sugar! I make a gallon of ice tea or kool-aid every day and between myself and my daughter, we drink it all. Get ride of breads of any kind no matter what they have or don't have in them. I was addicted to carbs, pasta, chips, bread, sweet breads, you name it and I ate it. I think it is still with m e on my hips...lol Along with the bread I had soda and after all the salt from the chips or lunch meats, I wanted sweets. I decided to quit coming up with excuses for being fat and realized if I wanted to make a change, I was the only one going to make it happen. I have slowed down on weight loss, but I am losing inches and feeling fabulous, except for when I have nothing to wear like last Sunday because the clothes that I just bought just this past Mother's Day are way too big now! It is so worth it! Good Luck!!!!!

i would say to look at what ur eating maybe something with to much sodium might be holding u steady, even if u have the cal and fat u could be eating something ur body is storing so i would say go look at what u were eating before u got stuck and c if its changed.

But if she is exercising, she is not getting 1200 per day.

Mom, make your own decision but research it for your own sake. That's what I am doing. I have another article for you to read:

http://optimalbodyweight.com/qa/weight-loss-tips/body/starvation-mode-weight-loss

Thing is, many people lose weight, yes, but we don't know what type of weight. Is it just fat or is it water, or even lean muscle. Everyone has an opinion, I have mine. You have to get yours. I just encourage you to do the research. Losing weight is a serious business, it isn't just "oh, I'm going to lose 50 lbs by such and such time". It takes research, trial and error sometimes, and a real desire to be healthy not just thinner. Unless a person just wants to be thinner and to heck with the consequences.

I won't say anymore on this thread but I do hope you will not listen to anyone without looking into what they are saying.

a friend, denise

You are missing the calorie mark dang near every day. Basically from what I am seeing you are eating to maintain your weight and not lose any. Im not sure why you are puzzled and going to give up after 3 weeks.
To be blunt, the choice is simple. Either get serious about wanting to lose weight or go on doing what you are doing.
If you want to lose its simple, Drop it to 1200 calories a day and DO NOT GO OVER. IF you do go over, work it off with excercise.
And above all record everything you eat. I know its hard, but no one said this was gonna be easy.

I agree with this. I try my best to stick between 1100 and 1300 calories a day, and that's really been working for me. I have a lot of weight to lose, and 1200 calories is PLENTY for me. I think 1500 actually sounds like a lot..especially for a woman. When I first started using MFP I logged my height wrong, so they gave me a goal of 1450..I was eating that and barely losing!! Then I relogged my height, my daily goal is now 1330..but i try not to even eat that!! I do Power 90 6 days a week and I don't eat back my calories. I find this to be helping me lose the best way. Since May 7 I've lost 21 lbs, averaging 10 lbs a month, which I think is ideal. So many people on here talk about starvation mode and not eating enough....... YOU'RE NOT GOING TO STARVE IF YOU EAT 1200 CALORIES. ...and yes, you can stay full all day while eating 1200 calories..it's all in WHAT you choose to eat. I do my best to eat healthy snacks and meals all day long. On weekends, I tend to have 1 cheat day just because welp..I'm female, I have cravings, and it's what works for me. I always get back on track!

Amen to this one Mom, check this out;):drinker: :drinker: :flowerforyou: PS and it is the very last sentence on this I am agreeing with;)

You are missing the calorie mark dang near every day. Basically from what I am seeing you are eating to maintain your weight and not lose any. Im not sure why you are puzzled and going to give up after 3 weeks.
To be blunt, the choice is simple. Either get serious about wanting to lose weight or go on doing what you are doing.
If you want to lose its simple, Drop it to 1200 calories a day and DO NOT GO OVER. IF you do go over, work it off with excercise.
And above all record everything you eat. I know its hard, but no one said this was gonna be easy.

I agree with this. I try my best to stick between 1100 and 1300 calories a day, and that's really been working for me. I have a lot of weight to lose, and 1200 calories is PLENTY for me. I think 1500 actually sounds like a lot..especially for a woman. When I first started using MFP I logged my height wrong, so they gave me a goal of 1450..I was eating that and barely losing!! Then I relogged my height, my daily goal is now 1330..but i try not to even eat that!! I do Power 90 6 days a week and I don't eat back my calories. I find this to be helping me lose the best way. Since May 7 I've lost 21 lbs, averaging 10 lbs a month, which I think is ideal. So many people on here talk about starvation mode and not eating enough....... YOU'RE NOT GOING TO STARVE IF YOU EAT 1200 CALORIES. ...and yes, you can stay full all day while eating 1200 calories..it's all in WHAT you choose to eat. I do my best to eat healthy snacks and meals all day long. On weekends, I tend to have 1 cheat day just because welp..I'm female, I have cravings, and it's what works for me. I always get back on track!

Weight loss is great, but how much of that is lean body mass?

First off, I would go to your doctor and have blood work and a physical. Then you will know if you have any medical condition that you need to address. Let your DOCTOR, not strangers, advise you on how many calories you need to be eating daily to lose weight.

Measure and weigh every bite of food that you eat. Log EVERYTHING. Increase your water intake. Get an HRM so that you have an accurate idea of how many calories you are burning. I find MFP overestimates calories burned in general.

Be patient. You did not put on all of those extra pounds in 3 weeks and you won't take them off in 3 weeks. Everyone has to find what works for THEIR bodies. Don't be discouraged and don't give up. You CAN do this! Best wishes to you.


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools

try to stay positive and stick with it no matter how hard it is. feel free to add me, I make a point of commenting a lot and being very supportive.

I took a good look at your diary and you are consistently over in carbs and sugar. That's most likely the reason you're not seeing any weight loss and it also looks like you're not drinking water. You don't have sodium levels showing, but I'm pretty sure by the foods in the diary (restaurant and pre-packaged) that your sodium level may be over as well. These are all elements that are strikes against you.

Hope this helps and feel free to add me as a friend. We can motivate each other!

Laurie

Totally agree - I bet your sodium levels are pretty high. Definitely drink more water, lots more water and veggies!

this is pretty much exactly what i was coming in here to say.

when i stop losing, it's b/c i'm doing too much pre-packaged, which sucks. or i'm not drinking enough water.

drink ALL of your water - at LEAST 8 cups (8 oz per cup, this is three refills of a 24 oz container) and more like 12.

Eat Your Veggies.

Lots of conflicting info here. IMO, clean up your eating by laying off the pre-packaged foods, and follow this to set your calorie goals: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

First of all, good on you for sticking with this journey and asking for guidance when the going gets tough! You can do it!

Clearly there are a lot of people with different opinions.....different things work for different people. The key to this lifestyle change (and hopefully that's how you're viewing it) is to figure out what works for YOU. Make healthy choices and the results will follow. You will hit bumps in the road and then you change things up and BAM off to the races again!

From what I'm seeing I would highly recommend that you clean up your eating habits before anything else. With the amount that you are aiming to lose, 1500 cal/day should be sufficient for a bit.....but chances are very likely that if you keep working out like you are, you will have to increase. ( I would suggest finding out what your BMR and TDEE are just for reference). Cut the pre-packaged food......that can be such a hindrance in itself. As for the sugar, I would say cut out any specialty drinks (and per-packaged food). For example, iced coffee is soooooo yummy but check the nutritional information.....1 of those suckers is a killer in the sugar department! If you eliminate the majority of the fast food, pre-packaged, and sugary drinks, you probably won't have to worry so much about the fruit. Also, don't worry about the diet soda. I have lost 60lbs and 27inches in 10 months still drinking 1 diet coke/day. Water! DRINK WATER! TONS OF WATER. 8 cups/glasses is very subjective. Get BIG water bottles and fill those suckers up and drink morning until night. It truly does make a difference! I also don't believe you have to eliminate carbs. I think you have to make healthy choices and stay away from anything white (although I eat white rice, so that is my exception) but MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE! If you want this to be sustainable, your changes must be something that you can live with for the rest of your life! This is where the success comes in!

Good luck and I hope that you are successful in finding your balance!

At your weight there is not a snowball's hope in hell that 1500 calories are too much!!

Please don't listen to astrampe. I totally agree with Springer007 and AmyP619. If you are a female in your 40s-50s, 1500 calories is too much to eat for weightloss. Your scale agrees with me. "Eat for the body you want, not the body you have." GL!

As much as I would like to debate most of the information in here, I would rather show some math. Your estimated BMR is 1739 calories (I don't have your height, so I took the average female height of 5'5). You are at least moderately active since you workout 5-6 days a week. And from there we can form a deficit and figure out your caloric needs.

TDEE = 1739 *1.55 = 2695 <-- about how many calories you burn on average.
CN = 2695 *.8 = 2156 <--- about how many calories you should eat.

I would suggest eating 1850-2100 calories a day. I generally also suggest eating 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats. Now, the one kicker in this equation could be your hormones since you are premenopausal. And unfortunately math doesn't equate for this hormones.

Now, I know a lot of people will say, that is too many calories, but I can tell you I have worked with women who are 5'2, 120 lbs and doing programs like insanity and they eat 2000 calories and still continue to cut body fat. What most people don't realize is that you have to fuel your body to burn fat and not muscle. You can do 1200 calories a day, but you have a great chance that your body will catabolize it's own muscle to create energy.


BTW, when I first did p90x, I ate 1800 calories and didn't lose any weight, any inches or even a lb. I then did chalean extreme (a light version of p90x) and ate 2600 calories, and then I lost 11 lbs, 3% body fat and 6" and I am very close to my goals.

Solid advice!

I'm 5'6" and I currently weigh 192. I started at 230 in December. When I first started, I was eating 1200 calories, as set by MFP. That was too difficult, so I upped it to 1400, then 1500. My BMR back then was around 1700. I never net by BMR. My hair started falling out. I had no energy for my workouts and felt like I was hitting a wall all the time. I tried doing the Spike Diet. It worked for awhile, but not for long.
Then, I started doing some research and reading posts by people who were smarter and more successful than me. And now, I aim to eat 1800-2100 per day. My hair is great and I have tons of energy. I'm training for a half-marathon. I'm losing weight steadily.....but I'm losing more inches and reshaping my body.

I'm not losing 10lbs a month, but I can see this as being sustainable for the rest of my life.

Good luck!

Nah...don't listen to me - I eat a minimum of 1800 calories per day - some days up to 2300, lift weights 3x a week, runs 3x per week and am peri menopausal and in my forties ....

Oh, and am slowly but surely (by accident?:noway: ) getting rid of bodyfat and inches to the point of being a jean size smaller and 5% less bodyfat than six months ago....
It is probably all in my mind and does not work at all, I know, but I just like doing it......:laugh: :

No need to be a smart *kitten*. :-) I'm sure its working for you, but as you said. "slowly but surely". IF DONE RIGHT, there are faster ways to safely lose weight. Not everyone has the patience to lose a pound a month. Once again, Im not talking "crash diet" Im talking more "reasonable results in less time" at the price of a little bit of will power. There is no free ride when dieting. You get the results directly related to the blood, sweat, tears, and effort you put in. If you only have the will power for a pound a month, then thats your zone. Personally I need to see more.

At your weight there is not a snowball's hope in hell that 1500 calories are too much!!

Please don't listen to astrampe. I totally agree with Springer007 and AmyP619. If you are a female in your 40s-50s, 1500 calories is too much to eat for weightloss. Your scale agrees with me. "Eat for the body you want, not the body you have." GL!

I personally don't want a body that will restrict me to 1500 calories every day for the rest of my life.........

Dont worry, judging by your pictures, you dont have one.

You're right I don't.

But I do have a body that is training for a half marathon, that can last through back to back advanced spin classes, that lifts heavy weights and that competes in mud-runs and goes rock climbing for fun.

I'll probably never wear a 2 piece bathing suit, but I'm really proud of my progress and what I've been able to achieve without having to be hungry.

At your weight there is not a snowball's hope in hell that 1500 calories are too much!!

Please don't listen to astrampe. I totally agree with Springer007 and AmyP619. If you are a female in your 40s-50s, 1500 calories is too much to eat for weightloss. Your scale agrees with me. "Eat for the body you want, not the body you have." GL!

I personally don't want a body that will restrict me to 1500 calories every day for the rest of my life.........

Dont worry, judging by your pictures, you dont have one.

You're right I don't.

But I do have a body that is training for a half marathon, that can last through back to back advanced spin classes, that lifts heavy weights and that competes in mud-runs and goes rock climbing for fun.

I'll probably never wear a 2 piece bathing suit, but I'm really proud of my progress and what I've been able to achieve without having to be hungry.

Sheez...didn't you know "real women" (in some weird guys' minds) should live on carrot sticks and do 20 mins a day on the elliptical and have hip bones sticking out??? :laugh: :happy: :flowerforyou:
You look great btw!
Would love to do a warrior dash one of these days! But then again, that might not have the "There is no free ride when dieting. You get the results directly related to the blood, sweat, tears, and effort you put in. If you only have the will power for a pound a month, then thats your zone. " piece of crap our "clever" friend above spouted.....