But I still can't lose any weight

[Robin1980]

I keep track of my food. I stay to the calorie limit per My Fitness Pal.  I'm exercising 3-4 times a week but I'm not loosing.  Any suggestions on what to do?

[CarolS]

Robin, one suggestion that has been made here is to be absolutely sure you are recording your food intake accurately.  For me, that means weighing every bit of food or drink that goes in my mouth.  I have a scale that measures in different units, so I measure everything solid in grams, and liquids in fluid ounces.

Another suggestion is to be sure you are eating enough.  If your calorie deficit is too high, your body will "hold onto" those calories and you won't lose weight.  I've never personally experienced that, but it's been reported in different forums.

Give yourself time, if you're just starting on this journey.  Don't give up!

[Collin1000]

Couple things that I like to point out:

#1) It's entirely possible that you are losing fat and gaining muscle, thus your weight is staying the same. This tends to happen to people when they suddently become active. Do you own any body-fat measuring tools?

#2) How long have you been "at it" and how reliable is your food logging? You need to make sure it's as accurate as you think it is. 

#3) When do you weigh yourself? It's important to do it at the same time every day, preferably after using the restroom and before eating anything. Every day, your weight fluxuates massively as you take in water and food and release waste and sweat. 

[Robin1980]

I'm pretty religious on my food recording.  I've been trying to lose for a long time but I just now got back into exercising more regularly now that I have a new job and time to use the gym in the building. 

[trainer]

One more thing to consider, you might want to check with your dr to see if there is an imbalance somewhere (thyroid, blood sugar, etc). I personally have not lost one pound using fitbit. I am post menopausal and all med tests indicate I am a perfectly healthy, absolutely normal woman who is eating a deficit big enough to lose about 2lb a week (and I'm a personal trainer so I exercise enough and all that). My dr is completely stumped and has tested me for everything we can think of. In my case, it just seems that my body is going to be this weight now and that is that. While this is very frustrating I at least know I AM doing everything possible to lose weight and it is not something I am doing wrong.

[Inga]

I am 5'6" and 114 lbs, thanks to my fitbit. I am 50 years old, non medicated hypothyroid (allergic to the med). I measure what I eat and stay under my calories, usually around 1100 per day, if you want to see my logs, friend me. I make them visible to my friends.

[Robin1980]

I know how you feel.  I've had tons of tests too including the thyroid. So frustrating!!

[Natalie]

have you tried taking your measurements.  You may be the same weight but maybe you have re-distributed the weight.

When I hit a weight plateau, this is what I do.  It is amazing to see the differences in my measurements or even the feel of my clothes.

I also found that as I was losing weight (I am about 1kg off my goal weight) that at different points my weight just plateaued.  I think it was fighting the weight loss (my theory).  Anytime it happened, I mixed up my eating and exercising routine and within a couple of weeks to a month, the weight started moving.

All I can say is don't give up.  Remember this is a journey to be a healthier you, and the weight loss is an added bonus

Nat

[Farmgirl7]

I know how that feels, I have been trying to loose 10kg for years. Last year October I decided to get serious and found mfp, I tracked all my calories carefully, most often using the labels on the food and not the food data base averages. I also started alternating between interval training and 5km jogs each weekday, and quite often on a Saturday. I also followed the weight training program on body for life. Any how a year later, not even a kg Down. As far as calorie intake goes I couldn't be more careful, I weigh at the same time everyday, I am on no medication. All year I hoped there was muscle gain and that's why my weight didn't change. But even my measurements only changed very slightly. Well now I have just got the flex and aria and have still had no loss in 2 weeks, with a 500 cal deficit. I am going to press on and not give up. Two things I may try is increasing my activity further, and maybe eating more protein and less carbs.

[Idahonancy]

Do you need to lose weight or are you at a good healthy weight? Your body might be at it's lowest.

Are you insulin resistant? Eating too many carbs or too long between meals will hinder weight loss.

The biggest reason for not losing is not counting calories eaten or burned correctly. Are you logging every little bite you take or alcoholic drink? Are you entering extra exercise that the Fitbit doesn't pick up? If so are you using a HRM for it to make sure it's correct?

So if those aren't the reason then try eating more calories one day and less the next rather than the same number every day. So one day eat 1500 then the next 1200. Change what you are eating, cut back on carbs and eat more non-starchy veggies and protein. Drink more water. Change what you are doing for exercise.

Just some ideas.

[Jim_M]

One key part for me, was WATER!  Drink LOTS of water!  It somehow aids in weight loss.

[Ukase]

Water, water, everywhere...

Up until this past January, if it were in my control, I'd never drink water. Plenty of Diet Coke, but no water. I'm not entirely certain, maybe it was my gall bladder that was acting up, but I stopped drinking soda and started to drink water.

It was a strange experience. Diet Coke would quench my thirst. Water just made me more thirsty - a very annoying sensation. But, once I noticed how much money I was saving, I decided to stick to drinking water. It's free. Well, mostly free.

I have a friend who is a certified fitness trainer in Tennessee. I've known him a very long time. He tells me that not drinking water is like not having the right amount of air in your tires on your car. You might still be able to run and run fast - but your fuel efficiency will be impacted, as well your driving. Sooner or later, you'll probably blow out and wreck.

So - that bit about eight 8 ounce glasses? That's not for everyone. Some will be hard pressed to get down 40 ounces. Others might drink a gallon. We're all different and I suspect our bodies will tell us when we're thirsty - if we listen.

I can tell you that I've been trying to choke down 64 ounces every day since I got the fitbit One, and it certainly seems to help with weight loss.

[CarolS]

Thank you for the water reminder.  I've been lax with that, but will start tracking it again!  Love these forums 🙂

[Farmgirl7]

I am going to make more effort to drink more water, that's interesting thanks...

[TangledWood]

@Robin1980, I was amazed when I got a kitchen scale. Packaging will tell you serving size in both weight and volume. For example, corn flakes say a serving size is 1 cup or 28 grams. If you use a measuring cup like I was, it sort of works. At the top of the package your serving cup is a little light, because the corn flakes are big and not broken. At the bottom of the package, your cup can be two or three times heavier with the crumbs and broken corn flakes, and that will have two or three times the calories. 

I now weigh my food, especially if it is a new food, or a fluffy food. I had stopped sheding weight and was stuck for months. When I finally figured out where the "hidden" calories were, I was very upset that I had been misled by using volume instead of weight.

[Jim_M]

One of things that surprised me when I was watching cals, was the package labeling.  I'd pick up a bowl of microwave soup, for example, and see it was listed as "x calories per serving" on the package.  But then in small print, it would say "servings per container: about 2".

Now this was one of the pre-packaged bowls, where you take off the metal lid, and pop it in the microwave.  Who would actually split this with a second person?  Seemed a bit deceptive to me!

[LA]

Hi,Robin! My advice is to keep on going! Your body will start to build muscle first, so you might see a gain. But don't worry! Eventually your body will start to burn the fat. You'll notice that your pants might fit a little looser. Try using a tape measure instead of using the scale. This gives a better indication of how many inches you are losing. Also try to eat more lean proteins, and healthy fats like Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish, nuts, avocado's, nuts, and seeds. Try to eat more salad greens like lettuce and spinach too! These have lots of fiber, and with chicken, and a little ranch dressing, you will stay fuller longer. Just make sure you measure out your portion sizes using measuring cups, spoons, and a food scale. Make sure you are drinking lots of plain water too to flush out those toxins from your body. If we don't drink enough water, our bodies cannot do their job properly to get rid of the fat and waste. I sure hopoe this helps! 🙂

[Ukase]

Well, Jim, I agree with you there. What's the phrase? Caveat Emptor - let the buyer beware!

There's more to the calorie story, I'm sure. I recall reading that when someone tested 5 different foods at random in a lab, they all exceeded the posted calorie information except for the Subway sandwich which was a little less than posted.

I think I read that somewhere in this forum.

[Doug]

@Jim:  Serving sizes for nutrional labels can be very deceiving if you don't pay attention.  This was driven home to me years ago when I decided to compare the calories in some white bread vs. wheat bread.  At first I was quite surprised they were very close.  Then I noticed the serving size of the wheat bread was 2/3 of a slice of bread!  Who makes a sandwich using 2/3 of a slice of bread??

I'm sure it was labeled this way because that was the equivalent of 1 ounce of bread in each case.  But the wheat bread was denser, so it only took 2/3 slice to reach 1 oz.  Thus one slice of the wheat was actually about 50% more calories than the white.  It just didn't look that way at first blush.

Small kitchen digital scales are great, especially with a tare button.  You can put a plate on it, zero out the weight then add one food at a time resetting the tare weight between each additional food.  Way easier than having to weight each food separately.

[Tassie]

Hi Robin,

Going gluten and dairy free helped me lose weight effectively. And i try to eat less salt too to prevent water retention and bloatedness.

Hope that helps!

Tas