To expect some results even this early on?

[Teachtolive]

I'm desperate to lose a few pounds/excess baby weight that's hanging on. In an effort to sort myself out 2 weeks ago I started dieting and exercising. I'm exercising every 2nd day and it's a combination of strength and cardio (running 5k).

I'm using my fitness pal and my daily limit is 1200 calories. Usually I come in on target but if I don't I'm at no more than 1500 per day. I'm making a conscious effort to choose healthy foods and drink plenty of water and NOTHING! Not so much as a pound in 2 weeks, not a flicker on the scales! What am I doing wrong? I wasn't thinking I'd be down a stone in two weeks or anything but nothing at all? I'm not expecting too much, am I?

Probably quite early to be worrying. Also, I'd say that if your target is 1200 then you won't get results if you allow it to creep up to 1500 regularly. That 300 calories is not your friend. Keep going! The slow steady way to a healthier stronger you is best, not a crash weight loss.

It takes a while. Have you taken your measurements? You might find results sooner that way. Also, time of month can affect weight.

Are you maybe eating back the calories you burn exercising? It's very hard but hit helps to see your dietary calories as separate from your exercise calories and not have the latter add to the limit of the former if that makes sense.

1200 is the lowest MFP will let you do though, isn't it? Have you set your target too steeply?

I have baby weight to lose too (4st) and am using MFP. My daily limit is 1790 and I lost 2 stone in the first 2 months. In the last month I've started running again and the weight loss has stopped. Perhaps you could try a slightly higher limit and get used to sticking with that first?

Good luck

Are you weighing and measuring everything?

Thanks for the replies, I'll try to address all the questions bit by bit.

ILoveDolly Thanks, I am definitely keeping it going. I know I have to play the long game, but some encouragement would be nice from the scales. It's rare that I would let it get to 1500, I'd say 90% of the time I'm on target.

User147... I haven't actually taken my measurements but only because I don't own a measuring tape 😄 Maybe I should invest!

wellBeehivedWoman I'm not sure I know what you mean? The way My Fitness pal works it out is that I have my 1200 a day. I log what I eat and it subtracts it from my 1200. If I run and burn 350 calories I'm then allowed to eat 350 more calories that day to maintain my allowance. Should I not be?

DuggeeHugs (love the name!) Yeah 1200 is the lowest. I didn't think my target was that steep though, it's 1.5 to 2lbs per week. I had managed this before with MFP (although I was 6 years younger!) I've got a stone to lose and I've lost about 4lbs since March!! (I was doing training for a 10k but my diet was crap).

LadyLoveYourWhat do you mean food? Yes, by and large I'm very accurate with what I put into MFP and if there's ever a doubt where there are multiple options for the same thing I always pick the higher calorie one.

Oh User147... the time of the month thing is interesting. I haven't got periods back since I stopped breastfeeding but I think I may have ovulated in the last few days for the first time since stopping. Would this lead to more water retention?

If you are doing strength training you may be building muscle. So on the scales it may look like you aren't losing weight, but you may be reducing levels of fat

Building muscle is a bit of a myth, women generally only build 0.5lb of muscle per month. Have you looked at the type of foods you’re eating? Not all calories are equal, for example many people (in a different weight loss group I’m in online) choose a 2-finger kit kat as it’s ‘only’ 107 cals but there are much better ways to get 107 cals that don’t have as much sugar. I used to do low-carb with very few processed foods, lost 2 1/2 stone in 9 months (combined with PT and gym classes).

Eating back your calories could be the issue - most apps and fitness bands tend to drastically overestimate the actual number of calories you have burned. Most people don’t way back the extra calories they burn through exercise, or if you really have to then only eat back a maximum of half what it credits you with.

I’ve been using MFP and exercising for 2 and a half months now - my target allowance from MFP is 1240 and I don’t eat my exercise calories. I’ve lost 23lbs so far, it can be done!

Well done on making such a huge effort, it’ll be worth it!!

MissCharleyP I really have been trying to eat right, not just "I can squeeze 3 jaffa cakes into my allowance" type. Any carbs I have are either porridge oats or wholemeal pasta/Brown rice (And those are in small portions, and maybe only once or twice a week.) If I'm hungry, I'll go for fruit as a snack and I put as many veggies into my diet as possible. The only treat I have really is coffee with 2 small sugars, and that's usually only once a day (twice if I'm really tired)

Only eat during an 8hr window. No ifs no buts. 11-7pm works best for me. I can eat the same as I would 8am - 8pm but I lose weight 🤷🏼‍♀️

2 small sugars is still another 10g of carbs plus carbs in the milk. 2 coffees or even one coffee a day with sugar could equal that 1lb you want off each week.

Don't eat the exercise calories back. You can change your settings so you don't see them. I bet it falls off you. You need a 500 calorie deficit each day to lose a pound a week. So as long as you're burning 2000 calories per day you should see results.

Fair enough, just wondered as I see your Jaffa Cake example a lot! I’d cut down on the fruit as well, when I started with my PT last year he gave me a meal plan that was all protein based. At first there was no fruit - it’s high carbs, sugar and although low-calorie isn’t that filling. Protein fills you up and the body finds it harder (not impossible) to turn protein into fat. A typical day for me was: grilled bacon medallions, scrambled egg white (3 whites, 1 yolk), slice toast with butter, fage yoghurt with Nakd bar as a snack, chicken salad (Subway are ideal), sliced ham and nuts as a snack, steak with salad/veg. The advice I was given is to have double the amount of protein to all other macros. E.g. if having something with 10g fat/carbs, eat something with 20g protein. Is a PT something you could do? I was sceptical at first but it’s one of the best things I did!

Mfp is quite inaccurate at measuring calories burned, so stop eating the calories it says you've burned. Stick to 1200 calories only, regardless of what exercise you do.

I'm not sure I know what you mean? The way My Fitness pal works it out is that I have my 1200 a day. I log what I eat and it subtracts it from my 1200. If I run and burn 350 calories I'm then allowed to eat 350 more calories that day to maintain my allowance. Should I not be?

Ideally not, although it's not a hard and fast rule!

Basically, it is very difficult to accurately count calorie burn and many apps and online calculators overestimate this. Things like your height, weight, bone density, body fat, speed, intensity etc etc all affect how many calories you burn. So it's almost impossible to get a really accurate measure of the calories you burn.

So, MFP might tell you you have burned 600 calories on your run. So you think you can eat 1800 calories rather than 1200. But the reality is you might only have burned 400 calories, and so have an excess of 200 calories. If that is combined with you eating over your limit (e.g. Going up to 1500) a couple of times a week it could add up to an excess of a few hundred per week. That can be enough to mean you aren't losing weight.

You can eat back some of your exercise calories because you are of course burning more on the days you exercise. But I would stick to a rule of not eating back more than a third of what you burn. So if MFP says you can eat 1200 calories and says you have burned 600 through exercise, I wouldn't eat more than 1400.

I DO eat my exercise calories back - well, half the time anyway. I lost 9lbs in 4.5 weeks having takeaway once a week.

My typical MFP is three net 1200 days, three net 1500 days, and one over.

AlphaBravo there's no way I could do that. I think one of my big issues is that I don't usually have dinner til 8 because of the way my husband works and the babies' bedtimes. Im usually up at 6. If I waited til midday to eat, the kids won't survive the day, I'll eat them!

As to not eating the exercise calories, if im only on 1200 a day, is that not very unhealthy to leave myself that short? (I'm genuinely asking here, my knowledge of nutrition boils down to eat small portions and fresh food!)

When losing weight I was eating back half of the exercise calories. The estimates are just too inaccurate. It worked for me.

Drop the hard exercise try just walking. Exercise can increase certain hormones that make you cling onto body fat. Once you start losing slowly up the exercise

I think the latest theory is that if you eat reduced calories every day, your body goes into starvation mode and your metabolism adjusts downwards permanently so that if you return to normal eating, you put weight back on. So maybe eat normally a couple of days a week. To avoid this.
Also agree about using measurements rather than weight, and allow for daily / weekly / monthly weight fluctuations. Also that it's good to exercise but that most weight loss is through diet rather than exercise.
We are having success on the fast diet (800 calories a day, 2 days a week, don't go too mad the rest of the week)

Sorry, I just saw some of the responses about the exercise calories after I posted the last part. Ok now I think I see what you mean. I think that could be a bit more doable!

MissCharleyP I'd love to do personal training but financially it's out of reach at the moment. Thanks for the info about the protein though, I can definitely incorporate some of that.

Yes, I did mean your food, sorry!

I always eat all my exercise calories back, but only because it seems pretty accurate for me, most of my exercise is running or walking and I have a Fitbit that I wear on my bra to keep track of my burn. Try eating half of your calories back and see if that makes a difference, then adjust the proportion if necessary. You're right that you need to make sure you are eating your 1200kCals, but you might be thinking you've burnt 300kCals when you've only burnt 150.

I also weigh (myself) every day and use Trendweight to plot the trend (Happy Scale is similar, I think), my weight fluctuates depending on all sorts of things, like menstrual cycle, or popping up to maintenance for a few days, so I know to ignore big spikes (and drops!)

It’s the calories not the exercise

Focus on the calories first and exercise second

I don’t mean stop exercising - it’s great and will tone you

But from experience it’s hard to lose weight and the food is the place to focus

That’s not probably the right answer

But it wasn’t till I really cut back on food did I lose weight OP