How are you all losing?

Did all of you lose just by counting the calories and entering exercises on MFP? Or did you all do something additional? I'm a skeptic. I've been using MFP consistently for 2 weeks and the scales are moving in the WRONG direction for me or not moving at all. I've been exercising more than ever. 1 hour on the stationary bike 4 - 5 times a week. And I've just started 1 hour on the elliptical starting this week :( I want to see results!!!! Help!! Any suggestions?
«13

Replies

  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    Did all of you lose just by counting the calories and entering exercises on MFP? Or did you all do something additional? I'm a skeptic. I've been using MFP consistently for 2 weeks and the scales are moving in the WRONG direction for me or not moving at all. I've been exercising more than ever. 1 hour on the stationary bike 4 - 5 times a week. And I've just started 1 hour on the elliptical starting this week :( I want to see results!!!! Help!! Any suggestions?

    I don't like the MFP way of adding in the exercise calories, as it has me too low on non-exercise days, so I just followed TDEE - 20% deficit.

    I'm not sure what you mean by Something Additional - No Diet pills, magic potions, sweat suits, rasbery ketones etc.
  • Just eating and logging and not trying to make things go "faster than necessary". I am assuming you are eating 1200 a day which is low and purely assumption on my part, since I can't see your diary. I started out eating 1765+ exercise, now I eat 2600 + exercise.....
  • Sissy1074
    Sissy1074 Posts: 18 Member
    I am entering my foods and exercises. I don't always eat my exercise calories back! I think the exercise cals are over what I really burn! I know that I didn't see any results for almost 2 weeks... I still haven't seen much in inches yet. I have dropped 12 pounds so far and I kinda took 2 weeks and wasn't logging much in....

    Be persistent! Muscle does weigh more than fat so take that into consideration. When I was working out with a trainer I barely saw the scale move...But I lost 19 inches overall in the first 2 months!
  • mindidily
    mindidily Posts: 196 Member
    If you are just starting a new excerise, it could be water retention.
    But I am running, eating the calories MFP recommends and I eat back my exercise calories if I am still hungry. And I've started weight lifting again.
  • laus_8882
    laus_8882 Posts: 217 Member
    Ignore the scales, like healthy bowels they'll move when they're good and ready. I can't be bothered going and buying a scale and weighing myself, tbh. If my clothes are fitting better then I'm a-ok. Are yours fitting better? Could you be eating more than you're logging? Not intentionally, of course, but our brains are tricky little buggers and we tend to perceive the weight and dimensions of our food as being lower than it actually is.
  • abbylg1983
    abbylg1983 Posts: 177 Member
    You are doing an awful lot of cardio- did I understand that right, one hour each on the bike and ellipitcal 4-5 times a week? Are you going the same speed for the whole hour? Because I think that can be counter productive.

    I started out just counting calories (1200 a day) and doing some form of cardio for around 30 min a night, and I did lose a little weight (about 5 pounds) that way, but I still had so much flab I couldn't get rid of. I decided to quit doing cardio. It was boring and time consuming and I felt like it wasn't doing anything for me. Now I do only body weight exercises- pushups, squats, lunges, pull ups, tricep dips, and a couple times a week I do deadlifts and kettlebell swings. I was doing bench and shoulder presses but I kind of got off of doing those and now I can't get motivated to start up again. Takes me about 15 min a day, and I have noticed a huge difference. I can't say enough good things about pushups. No one really ever thinks about what all they do for your body. It is not just a tricep workout- it works out your back, you arms, and surprisingly, your abs. My sides totally tightened up after a month or so of regular pushups.

    I quit calorie counting. It just got too tedious. Instead I just cut out almost all wheat and sugar products which pretty much ensures a lower calorie count without the work of logging everything. Although I don't log foods anymore I still really recommend it for awhile- just to get an idea of what the calorie count in everything is, as well as how much protein, fiber, sugar, and sodium is in each food. I eat vegetables at every meal and for snacks- prob 5-6 servings a day. I eat probably 2-4 servings of fruit a day, and try to get in at least 20 (30 is better) grams of protein per meal. Lots of chicken breasts, turkey burgers, eggs, tuna, shrimp. I have lost another 7 pounds changing (not just reducing) my eating habits and just doing the body weight exercises.
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    I started reading up and concentrating more on the human fat metabolism and less on the calories.

    Sounds dull and geeky but there you go ...
  • escloflowneCHANGED
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
    Did all of you lose just by counting the calories and entering exercises on MFP? Or did you all do something additional? I'm a skeptic. I've been using MFP consistently for 2 weeks and the scales are moving in the WRONG direction for me or not moving at all. I've been exercising more than ever. 1 hour on the stationary bike 4 - 5 times a week. And I've just started 1 hour on the elliptical starting this week :( I want to see results!!!! Help!! Any suggestions?

    Look at your diary for this week...the answer is right there! 500-800 net calories!?
  • Hi Abby - I only do the bicycle or elliptical for an hour per day not both. I've been getting these in around 4 days a week for 2 weeks now.

    And escloflowne - whats wrong with my net calories?
  • momtokgo
    momtokgo Posts: 446 Member
    I myself lose weight by watching what I eat. I don't eat junk food (often) not pop, no processed crap, no fast food. And I'm losing 2lb/week right now. I do not do any exercise due to injury, but on my really good days I can go for a walk. I don't log it though. Half hour with the kids is not an intense work out.

    But looking at your diary, Eat more!! 800 calories a day is not healthy, especially if you are working out.
  • i'm trying to be painfully honest with my logging. i know i've had some outrageous days. But my log is 98% accurrate
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Counting calories. Eat as healthy as I can most of the time. Allow myself to have foods that I want/crave sometimes.

    I use the method of eating at maintenance for my goal weight....so I don't worry about eating back exercise calories. I eat the same amount every day (whether I run 5 miles or it's a rest day). It works pretty well for me!
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
    I'm using www.reddit.com/r/keto+fitness+loseit+getmotivated to keep me on track. :)
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    I'm creating a calorie deficit.

    I'm also eating the appropriate amount of macronutrients for body composition goals.
  • Curvimami
    Curvimami Posts: 1,851 Member
    Did all of you lose just by counting the calories and entering exercises on MFP? Or did you all do something additional? I'm a skeptic. I've been using MFP consistently for 2 weeks and the scales are moving in the WRONG direction for me or not moving at all. I've been exercising more than ever. 1 hour on the stationary bike 4 - 5 times a week. And I've just started 1 hour on the elliptical starting this week :( I want to see results!!!! Help!! Any suggestions?

    Look at your diary for this week...the answer is right there! 500-800 net calories!?


    ^^^THIS. You are eating waaaaay too little. Your journey will continue to slug along if you continue to deprive your body of the fuel it needs to function properly. You are doing yourself a disservice. Do not be afraid of food. Eat PLENTY of the right foods, drink at least 10-12 glasses of water and continue to exercise and you will surely see results. They could possibly even double. But only if you are doing the right thing. Good luck to you. :happy:
  • tony2009
    tony2009 Posts: 201 Member
    WHOA! 800 Calories is your goal? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

    Again, NO.

    You need to eat more. You can't expect your car to drive across the country on half a tank of gas.

    Again, NOOOOOOOOOOO.
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
    Your calories are crazily low and there is no way that MFP set it that low for you. If you aren't using it properly you can't really complain it's not working.
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
    I lose minimum 4-6 pounds a week. I only use MFP to track my macros, i eat whatever the fk i want. I'll splurge eat, gain 20 pounds in a week and lose it all in 2-3 weeks because i can lmao. You're probably eating too much, also you are over thinking. Eat healthy, eat less, train more. it's as simple as that.

    It's incredibly dangerous to say she's probably eating too much - several people on this thread have commented on how LOW her calories are, they are at 800 a day :/ Did you look at her diary before you commented?
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    Go here - seriously - it's all you will need to know.
    http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    Good points in this thread. I'd just like to add that resistance training will help your body burn fat instead of muscle.
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    You are definitely not eating enough. 800 calories a day? NO WAY!!!

    I keep sayin' it... you wouldn't put half a tank of gas in your car and expect it to take you across the country. You can't half fuel your body and expect it to take you ANYWHERE.

    EAT!

    I have my daily calories set to my BMR (1470), and then I eat all or most of my exercise calories. This puts me up to anywhere from 1800 to 2100 (sometimes more) calories a day. You gotta fuel your body!
  • feellikerain
    feellikerain Posts: 46 Member
    Mix up your exercise and add in some strength training, I'd say probably every other day. Building up some muscle will help give your metabolism a boost. Keep in mind, muscle weighs more than fat though, so by doing more exercise than you feel you've ever done before, this could negate any scale movements, so even though you're technically losing fat, you're gaining muscle! And that's GOOD!!

    Are you getting enough protein in your diet? If you're exercising a lot like you say you are, your muscles need protein to function properly, grow, and repair themselves. Seafood, chicken, yogurt, peanut butter, eggs, etc are all high in protein.

    I know there's a controversy around whether or not to eat back your exercise calories. Personally for ME, I don't generally find it necessary except on days where I do some crazy exercising (like a 5k or hiking for 4+ hours) and my body needs the extra fuel just to keep functioning.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    i'm trying to be painfully honest with my logging. i know i've had some outrageous days. But my log is 98% accurrate

    you are starving.

    EAT MORE FOOD.

    Go into your mfp settings and change your activity level to active, assuming it's at sedentary since most people falsely choose that, change your goal to "lose 1 pound a week" and EAT WHAT IT SAYS for a month WITHOUT looking at the scale.

    With it at active and 1 pound, I wouldn't concern yourself so much with LOGGING exercise, just keep moving your body and EAT. You should be set at about 1500 or 1600 I am estimating, looking at your goals...
  • jsj024519
    jsj024519 Posts: 400 Member
    Running high mileage
  • Ervie317
    Ervie317 Posts: 179 Member
    I am entering my foods and exercises. I don't always eat my exercise calories back! I think the exercise cals are over what I really burn! I know that I didn't see any results for almost 2 weeks... I still haven't seen much in inches yet. I have dropped 12 pounds so far and I kinda took 2 weeks and wasn't logging much in....

    Be persistent! Muscle does weigh more than fat so take that into consideration. When I was working out with a trainer I barely saw the scale move...But I lost 19 inches overall in the first 2 months!

    This is great insight but I did want to point out that muscle does not weigh more than fat and pound is a pound regardless of what it is made out of. Muscle is however, more dense than fat so you will see inches lost where you might not see pounds lost.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    1. Weights
    2. by EATING! 1500+ calories a day even into the 2000's sometimes.
    3. clean food helps rid the cravings
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    Did all of you lose just by counting the calories and entering exercises on MFP? Or did you all do something additional? I'm a skeptic. I've been using MFP consistently for 2 weeks and the scales are moving in the WRONG direction for me or not moving at all. I've been exercising more than ever. 1 hour on the stationary bike 4 - 5 times a week. And I've just started 1 hour on the elliptical starting this week :( I want to see results!!!! Help!! Any suggestions?

    Two *whole* weeks?!

    Sorry I couldn't help myself, two weeks is not very long. But the answer for me was that yes I was doing something other than MFP, but no it wasn't another diet. I changed my habits. As corny as it sounds, 300 calories of grilled chicken and veggie and yogurt sauce (delicious btw) are really different than 300 calories of cheeseburger.

    Eat well. Eat a lot. Be patient. Don't worry about the scale. Get lots of sleep. Watch your energy soar and be happier.

    Screw low calorie. Screw living by the scale or your weight. Use MFP to help you live happier and more healthily. Don't just jump from one extreme to another.
  • txlissa62
    txlissa62 Posts: 128
    In taking a quick look at your diary, I'd also add that you seem to have little to no fruits or vegetables in your daily diet. I'd recommend cutting back on processed/fast foods, and add lots of fresh fruits and veggies to your diet. (This is the perfect time of year to get in that habit, with all the produce available at farmers markets.) I'd also make sure you get enough protein.
  • Chagama
    Chagama Posts: 543 Member
    I've just followed the MFP daily calories, logged everything I ate, and exercised a lot. Nothing magic, no hidden secrets.
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
    Have patience...it won't happen over night.

    I watched what I ate (ate less and better), and worked out more. Kept my body challenged with new and different exercises.

    EDIT: And drank A LOT of water! (ESSENTIAL!)