Not loosing weight

[dacamesare]

Three weeks ago I was a couch potato. I got my fitbit and have worked my tail off. Everyday I get a "nailed it" on my calories. I have done my 10,000 steps and get the band buzz. I drink over the amount of water needed and workout 50 minutes a night on my elliptical and exercise bike. I am also getting an average of 7-8 hours sleep. On my tracker everything is green. I work out at night before I go to bed so of course my calories I can take in goes up but I don't use them. With all this I am still not loosing weight. I need to loose about 45 pounds.
What do I need to do to get the weight off? I am getting discouraged but not giving up:)

[JenniLacey]

"cheat meals" or eating more calories than usual, doesn't fire up the metabolim... it causes fluid/waste elimination that can lead to a quick weight loss the following day when one has been restricting calories for awhile. You may find yourself getting up to use the washroom more frequently during the night after an influx in calories which would translate to a loss on the scale. Not the same loss as fat-loss which is the desired goal.

Plateaus happen during weight loss and are completely normal. You may lose nothing one week and then lose 4 lbs the next. All sorts of things affect scale weight, mainly the amount of fluid in your body at any given time. Do not place too much importance on the scale as an indication of your progress. It is a poor tool of accurate measurement because it doesn't isolate "fat-weight". It's better to use to see trends of extended periods of time. A more accurate measurement would be having your body fat % tested or take monthly body measurements. Otherwise be patient, keep making healthy choices and be sure to be honest in tracking what eat; measure and weigh... don't guess and the fat will burn off.

You should also keep in mind that the less you weigh, the slower weight loss will become. I lost 10 lbs/month my first 2 months, 8 lbs/month or so the next 2 months, 5-6 lbs/month, 1-2 lbs/month, etc. until I finally reached my goal loss of 60 lbs. Some weeks I lost, some weeks I didn't. Sometimes I went 3 weeks without losing... all normal.

[Algenon]

 Do not give up!  Everyone is different and we will not lose weight the same way.  

You might be gaining muscle while you are losing fat. muscle takes up less space but weighs more.  Are your clothes fitting better?  

The calories and steps are default buttons.  If you are not losing, try increasing your steps and/or decreasing your calories.  .  

Make sure you are changing up your calorie intake and doing different kinds of work outs.  Doing the same work out can burn calories only in a certain muscle group set.  

[Heybales]

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@Algenon wrote:

 Do not give up!  Everyone is different and we will not lose weight the same way.  

You might be gaining muscle while you are losing fat. muscle takes up less space but weighs more.  Are your clothes fitting better?  

The calories and steps are default buttons.  If you are not losing, try increasing your steps and/or decreasing your calories.  .  

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Are you aware of how hard it is for women to actually gain muscle mass, as in new muscle, at all.

Even eating in surplus, gaining fat at same time, and correct progressive overload lifting routine - they'll be lucky for 1 lb in 6-8 weeks.

The above ain't happening with walking and in a diet.

You can gain water weight of course for all kinds of valid reasons, while you drop fat stores.

[Algenon]

Heyblades:

Women can and do gain muscle.  I agree with you that  It might be harder for women because we tend to have a slower metabolism, but with a good diet and exercise program we can gain lean muscle.  Like I mentioned before, one  sign this might be happening is if your clothes are fitting better but you are not losing. This is why it is important to measure yourself as well weigh yourself.   Water weight gain tends to bloat most women.  

[Heybales]

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@Algenon wrote:

Heyblades:

Women can and do gain muscle.  I agree with you that  It might be harder for women because we tend to have a slower metabolism, but with a good diet and exercise program we can gain lean muscle.  Like I mentioned before, one  sign this might be happening is if your clothes are fitting better but you are not losing. This is why it is important to measure yourself as well weigh yourself.   Water weight gain tends to bloat most women.  

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Yes I know you can gain muscle, which is why I described about how much you could realistically hope to gain and what you have to do in order to gain it.

It's not harder because of slower metabolism at all - it's harder because you are missing the hormones men have, at least in near the same quantity.

And there is no such thing as lean muscle, unless you are at butcher ordering a side of beef.

Perhaps you are mixing in the term Lean Body Mass, which is everything not Fat Mass, which too many equate to muscle mass, or the term lean muscle mass. Muscle is 1 aspect of LBM, and as far as metabolism, a small part.

Water weight gained from exercise doesn't bloat, because it's in the muscles. Not only because of increased glycogen stores with attached water, but also muscle retained water for healing.

Agree need to measure. But if indeed losing inches and not weight, you are either gaining water weight for a short bit and that will stop, or eating at maintenance. 1 lb muscle mass gain in 6-8 weeks isn't going to mask fat loss that is happening - too slow.

[Anewstart]

Hi , I'm new to fitbit too,  but I've always tried to stay healthy .. just makes our life journey more fun 🙂

Glad to hear you won't give up , your weight maybe staying the same but is being refigured if that makes any sense .. Pants start fitting better etc., 

The weight will come off .

Check your food , what your eating plays a Big factor , and how much , small adjustments there can change your results.

If your working hard towards your goal don't sabotage your success by what you eat or drink ...I know , I've been down that road .

Working hard , lifting weights but not changing my diet , sure I got stronger but my weight did not change .

In short , I suggest changing your eating habits for the better , small changes , will give you some results and will give you the rewards for more change.

Keep setting Goals , and don't give up 🙂

[AmandaL]

Are you getting quality calories?  Experts say that weight loss is 90% in the kitchen and 10% in the gym.  100 calories from a cupcake is very different from 100 calories from broccoli.  Not all calories are created equal!!!

I was just like you: meeting my food/exercise goals and simply not losing weight.  When I finally wised up and started eating "clean" the majority of the time along with adding weight training to my cardio-heavy workouts, the pounds finally started coming off.  I've used Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred as an introduction to weight and interval training.  It's important to build lean muscle because it promotes a healthy metabolism and MUSCLES BURN CALORIES.... let me repeat that, MUSCLES BURN CALORIES.  If you're doing mostly or all cardio, it will only go so far.  Muscles will burn calories for you even while you sleep.

My best recommendation is to make sure you're drinking half your body weight in ounces of water (e.g. if you weigh 160 lbs. you should be drinking 80 oz. of water a day), add more weight training to your workouts, and focus on the quality of your calories rather than just meeting a quantity requirement.

[Heybales]

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@AmandaL wrote:

  It's important to build lean muscle because it promotes a healthy metabolism and MUSCLES BURN CALORIES.... let me repeat that, MUSCLES BURN CALORIES.  If you're doing mostly or all cardio, it will only go so far.  Muscles will burn calories for you even while you sleep.

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The amount of calories muscle burns at rest is greatly exaggerated - it's about 6 cal per lb per day.

Compared to fat at 2 cal / lb / day.

And considering during a progressive weight lifting routine eating in surplus to truly gain muscle, the rate would be about 1 lb every 2-6 weeks depending on male or female, it aitn't going to be that great an asset.

Now - muscle being used, obviously a much better burn than fat.

Muscle being repaired from a good lifting workout - even better for 24-36 hrs later.

Oh, other myth, you can't built "lean" muscle anymore than you could attempt to build fat muscle. Only doing endurance cardio has shown to add a little more fat in the muscle.

Otherwise, your body genetics totally decides if some muscle is more lean than other muscle, you can't change that through workouts or eating.

Perhaps your are thinking Lean Body Mass (LBM) - which is everything in your body NOT fat - muscle, water, organs, blood, bones, ect.

[Trooper]

Absolutely True!! You have to weighe and measure everything. I have cups, measuring spoons, and a scale ready to go. You can easily ruin your count by not counting your foods like meats. There is a huge difference between a 3 ounce grilled chicken breast-140 calories and 6 ounce breast-280 calories. Also, you need to always check your serving size on the packages. They can be deceiving!!!

[josephz2va]

There's two things you need to look for. Quality of calories and how much you should consume.

On average I consume 1200-1700. Even though I burn 3900 a day giving Fitbit a -2200 deficit. But it's not just monitoring how much you consume. It's also the quality.

Bad quality needs to be cut out. Donuts, chocolates, candy, protein bars, protein shakes, Dr. Oz placebo pills, etc. none of that will help on weight loss.

Good quality comes from Google "Foods that build lean mass". But also control your portions. Many have the evilness of not controlling portions. Like buying a jar of peanuts. That's 200 cals times 14. 2800 cals. And when you're down, you'll eat all 2800 cals.

Veggies, fruits, and food plans from the Google search will help on weight loss.

Also you should look up personal training for getting fit. Try Fitstar from Fitbit.

[MaryN60]

don't forget when you are logging food, to include any butter on your toast, dressing on your salad, sugar in your tea, etc. There are lots of hidden calories if you are not careful. Also be sure your portion sizes are accurate. I hate those granola-type cereals that have a portion size of 1/4 cup! Who only eats a quarter of a cup???

Also, as someone else said, don't expect instant results. Everyone's body react differently to changes in lifestyle. And as you gain muscle, you may also gain weight, as muscle weighs more than fat. You ARE healthier and your body is becoming more efficient and better able to do its job. Give your metabolism a chance to get its act together!

Know you are doing a good job and keep it up. There is a learning curve with anything new.

[BurdsNest]

Three weeks ago I was a couch potato. I got my fitbit and have worked my tail off. Everyday I get a "nailed it" on my calories. I have done my 10,000 steps and get the band buzz. I drink over the amount of water needed and workout 50 minutes a night on my elliptical and exercise bike. I am also getting an average of 7-8 hours sleep. On my tracker everything is green. I work out at night before I go to bed so of course my calories I can take in goes up but I don't use them. With all this I am still not loosing weight. I need to loose about 45 pounds.
What do I need to do to get the weight off? I am getting discouraged but not giving up

congratulations and welcome to the forum.  You are certainly doing all the right things, but you need to create a calorie deficit.  If your Fit is is saying, "Nailed it" that means that you have eaten your consumed number of calories.  You should eat LESS if you want to loss weight.  45pds should probably be a medium to hard deficit.  My goal is at least 2000 calories daily.  I eat no more that 1400 tops.  That already is a 600 calorie deficit, and I usually burn 2200- 2400 daily.  I weigh and track EVERYTHING through Fit and WW, so I count calories and compare to WW points.  I know it's difficult and often very frustratingly, but keep going and take what you can in advice from the forum and find what works best for YOU.  We are all different.  Good luck!

[Heybales]

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@BurdsNest wrote:

congratulations and welcome to the forum.  You are certainly doing all the right things, but you need to create a calorie deficit.  If your Fit is is saying, "Nailed it" that means that you have eaten your consumed number of calories.  You should eat LESS if you want to loss weight.  45pds should probably be a medium to hard deficit.  My goal is at least 2000 calories daily.  I eat no more that 1400 tops.  That already is a 600 calorie deficit, and I usually burn 2200- 2400 daily.  I weigh and track EVERYTHING through Fit and WW, so I count calories and compare to WW points.  I know it's difficult and often very frustratingly, but keep going and take what you can in advice from the forum and find what works best for YOU.  We are all different.  Good luck!

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Huge caveat there though.

Did they select a weight loss goal in their profile?

If they did - then their eating goal ALREADY has a deficit in it for weight loss. And if they nailed that - they ate less than they burned.

Only if someone went through their profile and said they wanted to lose no weight would your advice about eating less than eating goal be correct.

Otherwise that's actually unwise to create an even bigger deficit than what could already be unreasonable.