Why can’t I lose weight?

[Martyna123]

Hi. 
Ive had my Versa 2 for 3 months now. I did set my goal which was to lose 6kg and I was logging in every single thing I ate during the day and most days I was under the target or in a zone and I still didn’t lose any weight, in fact, I think I  gained more. I was on a diet a few months ago too for quite a long time and nothing’s changed. I even went to see doctor about it but my results came back ok. Do I do anything wrong? 
thanks. 

[cathm]

Hi @Martyna123 

If it were me, I would make sure I was properly hydrated, watching my sodium intake, not dropping my calories too low, and maybe trying to add a little extra cardio (if not already doing so).  

I hope this helps 😊

[Heybales]

For 6kg to I assume healthy weight, reasonable rate of loss would be 1/2 lb weekly, or daily 250 cal deficit. That means a lot of accuracy.

What rate of loss goal did you select?

How far under that target did you come for "most days"? (because a goal is something to reach, not miss. like goal weight - miss it or reach it?)

But even an unreasonable rate that would cause stress eventually would cause some normal water weight loss the 1st week even if nothing else.

But if you did drop 1st week and gained back the following, and you are attempting an extreme diet (faster than above) - then you could be losing fat but slowly gaining stress retained water weight (upwards of 20 lbs possible there, how many weeks on the scale could that hide?).

Which is why measuring several spots also important, scale is just 1 measurement that can be fooled.

Of course the body stressed like that to retain water isn't good either.

If that is not the effect you saw, then the reason is simple - you are not eating less than you burn.

Likely with errors on both sides of the equation.

Good that you logged all that you ate.

Did you confirm the database entry matched the label in your hand for everything?

Did you weigh how many servings you ate, or did you use the inaccurate but convenient volume measurements or package size?

Because calories is per gram, not cup, spoon, or "about 3 servings per package".

What is the daily activity the Fitbit is seeing?

How many steps and what daily distance average?

What other workouts?

Now - if you did not get the stress effect of retained water - you could just accept the fact there is an error somewhere - and eat less.

But that means you have no clue what your numbers kind of are and where the error was - and perhaps you don't need that going forward. You'll reach goal weight and know you can eat some unknown amount more. But not too much more or you'll gain fat back. And you won't know what eating level should be when seasons and activity levels change.

Frankly it's better to know some decently accurate levels, though it will always be about adjusting - it's just nice when it's minor adjustments, not some unknown amount.

[Glenda]

@Martyna123   Marty, I doubt that anyone will agree with me but I'm going t express my opinion on this anyway.  You have a great Fitbit that measures everything.  I wear one all the time myself.  However I have come to believe that exercise is only critically important for excellent health and doesn't help in weight control at all.  Counting calorie burn is counter productive.  All the studies show that people who exercise to lose weight eat more and don't lose weight.  I suggest that calorie burn doesn't work at all.  Figure out how many calories will maintain your weight at you height and age etc. and reduce that number by about 500 and eat that amount.   I walk on a treadmill every day for 5000 steps and then a few thousand steps more in normal activities like yard work and house keeping  but I don't ever consider that calorie amount used and eat more because of it.  Exercise for health and restrict calories some consistent amount to lose weight.  Forget about calories used.  ( By the way I am in EXCELLENT health at age 78 and I weigh 115 pounds at 5'2"  tall.)   I have exercised every day for decades because I like to read on my treadmill or bike.  Try to make exercise something you can enjoy someway  and easy to do, so that you will stick with it.  

        It was interesting the last 5 weeks while I have had shingles, in great pain some of that time, and not exercising at all, for a change, that I used almost as many calories as when I exercised. !!!!  Amazing.  So sometimes when you go for a walk or something and use X amount it might be on 50 calories more than if you sat on the couch perfectly still.  

[AnTeddy8]

Maybe eating small meals often can help you. You would create a calorie deficits, but would eat a full diet of protein and fat. Walking and swimming help me. The excess of water leaves, which has its own weight. Hope it helped.

[kaquduhu]

it is advisable to go to the doctor before the start of the program

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sry. hello @Martyna123 

[KatyPerkins]

You need to be drinking lots of water; at least two liters per day. If you’re not drinking enough, your body retains the water you do drink., being hydrated makes you feel more energized.
Are you measuring your foods or just estimating the amounts? Sometimes people think they’re eating a lower number of calories than they are. Buy some inexpensive measuring cups and spoons.
Are you counting the little things in your caloric intake? Things like coffee creamer, a couple of teaspoons of sugar in a glass of iced tea, or tasting foods when you cook add up. You may be consuming more extras than you realize. https://mangoclinic.com/top-14-health-enthusiasts-debunk-weight-loss-myths-with-3-helpful-advises/
Finally, make sure you’re getting some exercise each day. If you’re new to training, start by taking a brisk 30-minute walk each day, or join a gym with a weight loss exercise program.

[Heybales]

Since calories is per gram, ie weight, not per volume cups and spoons - recommend spend the money on a scale with a TARE function.

Might be a tad more money than cheap cups & spoons - but actually accurate to use the nutrition labels and database entries correctly.

[craigatron]

Using a scale made a huge difference for me when it comes to perspective.  Just counting calories in general is a huge perspective shift once you see how much you are actually consuming. But as far as the scale goes, an example for me was using miracle whip.  The serving size is 1tbsp or 15g.  I thought I could eyeball a tbsp pretty well just using a regular spoon...until I measured out 15g. Now granted, its only 50 cals per serving so this isolated case is pretty insignificant, but it made me realize that using the weight as a serving measurement helped me to feel more confident with my counts.

[RonaldShow]

Eat as little as possible and the highest quality foods possible. You should know that each person has a different metabolism, perhaps even related to blood type, body structure, any underlying health problems, etc. In my case, high fiber, high gluten, gluten, gluten, wheat, wheat, wheat (I make my own bread with my own hands, using four organic ingredients, including the yeast), and other whole grains, legumes, vegetables, vegetables, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and occasional seafood. Avoid any processed food like the plague. Find more tips on careyourbodynow.com.  Exercise everyday, yes, for at least 30 minutes. Personally I cannot do rigorous exercise, but I do about 40 minutes of stretching/yoga and about 40 minutes of walking everyday.

[Heybales]

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@RonaldShow wrote:

Eat as little as possible and the highest quality foods possible. You should know that each person has a different metabolism, perhaps even related to blood type, body structure, any underlying health problems, etc. In my case, high fiber, high gluten, gluten, gluten, wheat, wheat, wheat (I make my own bread with my own hands, using four organic ingredients, including the yeast), and other whole grains, legumes, vegetables, vegetables, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and occasional seafood. Avoid any processed food like the plague. Find more tips on careyourbodynow.com.  Exercise everyday, yes, for at least 30 minutes. Personally I cannot do rigorous exercise, but I do about 40 minutes of stretching/yoga and about 40 minutes of walking everyday.

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I gotta call out the bad advice above - "eat as little as possible" is advocating an eating disorder.

Perhaps you meant something else by that phrase and it just comes across as bad.

The goal should be to be able to eat as much as possible while still losing at a reasonable rate.

People are already talking about losing weight because of some problem with food, which means anything extreme recommended will likely be unworkable long term and cause failure as 80% do in reaching and maintaining goal for a year.

But science behind blood types and body structure for anything meaningful especially weight loss has been debunked in many studies.

Finding as you did what works for YOU to sustain and adhere to a reasonable diet is good advice, as indeed people's level of healthy body differs and stress it's under.