Why am I not losing?

[TheresADogOnYourBalls]

Hi everyone.
Feeling very frustrated this morning and would appreciate some tips or maybe just reassurance!
I started logging via MFP 10 days ago, in preparation for my holiday in August. I am 5'6" and currently weigh 10st 4lb. I would like to lose 10 pounds to start, then hopefully get down to 9st ish eventually. MFP has given me 1200 calories a day. Hand on heart, I can say I have not gone over my allowance once. I have cut out most junk, (and any I do eat is logged and accounted for). I have been exercising, (walking, running and cycling). I have cut right down on carbs.
Weighed myself this morning - 10st 4.5lbs. How?
I'm so fed up; I haven't cheated yet today, but god, I'm tempted to. So, any tips would be gratefully received. For background, I am 42, in good health, but I do suffer from IBS and oesophagal spasms / reflux. The IBS means I cannot eat very much in the way of beans and pulses, as my stomach literally explodes. Cheese I can only have in tiny amounts as it sets off my reflux. I also can't eat eggs, (no medical reason, I just hate them!).
Thanks for reading

Hi there,

I m kinda in the same boat. Been following a diet the past 3weeks. Lost first 2 andthis week stayed the same. Like you everything has been logged and accounted for but still stayed the same.

I know how disheartening it can be but this has happened to me previosuly and sometimesits just takes till the next week to show on the scales. So stick at it and im sure your hardwork will be rewarded - just try and stay away from the scales in the mean time (hard i know) . Good Luck !

I'd love to see a list of what you are eating, rather than what you aren't eating. Otherwise I would say chill, give it time, which you haven't. Fat loss is a long, slow road. Nothing should be drastic otherwise you will rebound. Also, make the food all natural, unprocessed and you will get a lot of bang for your calorie buck. Even though it's a lot of chewing you need things like whole heads of broccoli each day, bags of spinach, raw carrots, etc, it isn't the calorie that matters but the quality of the calorie.

Hello, thank you both for your messages. I agree I have been rather impatient! I'm going to lay off the scales and hope for a big drop next week. I have also introduced a daily 15 minute HIIT workout to my exercise, so hopefully that will help.
In terms of my daily diet, here is what I had yesterday, which is a typical day for me.

Breakfast - 2 slices of wholemeal toast, flora and marmite. Cup of tea, (white, one sugar)

Lunch - baked salmon fillet, big pile of broccoli. Tablespoon of teriyaki sauce. Green salad with low fat french dressing. 100g of peach and apricot yoghurt.

Snack - apple

Dinner - small handful of spaghetti, tomato sauce with lots of mushrooms and half a bag of spinach. More broccoli. Yeo valley 0% fat cherry yoghurt.

Evening - 2 cups of tea, one plain digestive

I also drank 9 glasses of water throughout the day.
Any tips for improvement gratefully received!

Poor you OP, that sounds really frustrating, and I know how disheartening it can be when you feel like you've lived off sackcloth and ashes and busted a gut and nothing to show for it.

One thing I can say is that DP has had amazing success cutting out sugar (except for special occasions). He has no impulse control / "off button" at all with sugar which is why it was necessary, but in your case ditching the sugar in the tea and the biscuits and switching one of the fruit yoghurts to plain might make the biggest difference.

Your food list looks pretty good, but I think your carbs need adjusting. Can you not have 1slice of toast & some form of protein? Normally, I would suggest an egg, but you could maybe use quark, which is high protein & makes a nice spread on toast - can also be grilled. If you must eat fruit, go for low GI. Perhaps have veg-type snacks (crudités).Avoid the flavoured yogurts. Go for courgetti instead of pasta.

Thank you for the suggestions - yes I think cutting sugar would definitely help, but I really hate tea without sugar, it honestly makes me gag.
I think I will try switching to plain yoghurt with berries and upping my protein a bit, but don't think I'm ready to sacrifice my morning cuppa yet - maybe if I still haven't lost anything in a couple of weeks!!

Oh and courgetti - yes!! I tried it last week with turkey bolognese and it was yum. I must pick up some more - I think having these things to hand is key, so I'm not tempted to just grab the easy (carby) option.

Have you measured yourself? Waist, thigh circumference etc?

I'm going to do that today - need to dig out the tape measure! Plus, I'll take some 'before' photos.
In agony from yesterday's HIIT workout - hope that means it's doing some good!!

Theres are there other teas you might be able to cope with without sugar? Lady Grey is delicious, kind of citrusy. Or Earl Grey, or white tea?

Oh and please don't buy courgette, it's such a rip off - just buy an Oxo julienne peeler and make it yourself, takes about a minute!

I'm very similar in profile (5'6, 40, 10st2). I'm 2 years post partum, never struggled with weight before but these last few baby pounds are stuck like glue! I was stuck at 10st4 for months, despite being in calorie deficit most days. Two pounds came off a couple of weeks ago but it has been a long slog. I really want to hit 10st by my daughter's second birthday next month. That's the weight I was when I got my bfp. I'd ideally like to be around 9 and a half.

All I can say is keep going but don't expect it to happen overnight!

Thanks everyone, and yes I will be making my own courgetti - first time I got it was from the reduced shelf; I couldn't believe the price of it today!
Unfortunately I really, really can't stomach Earl Grey, nor his equally foul wife . I'm sadly a PG Tips girl through and through .
So, it's all about patience. Slow and steady. I can do that, I hope!!

I was similar and posted a similar question- 5ft7 and 10st7. I have lost about 9lb now, and once the weight loss started it continued consistently even if I had some bad days. I stick to 1,200 kcal but found an occasional day of 1,800-2,000 strangely helped. I've run lots, done lots of HIIT and cut out snacks, plus tried to be really healthy and sensible. Stick at it- it can take a few weeks for the weight to start dropping.

I have heard that having a day when you eat more tricks your metabolism - don't know if there is any truth in this.

I use sweetener in my tea, a lot of them are 0calories too. Might be worth trying??

It's simple calories in and calories out, but my weight really fluctuates - can vary by 3 or 4 lbs in a day, so it can be really hard in early days to see if I am losing, but over time there is a definite trend down.

Just keep doing the right things and it will come good.

Ok I just want to suggest a few changes but I have no idea what MFP means so hope it doesn't do opposite to that!

Breakfast - 2 slices of wholemeal toast, flora and marmite. Cup of tea, (white, one sugar)

Change toast for full fat Greek yogurt and berries/nuts it will fill you up for longer.

Lunch - baked salmon fillet, big pile of broccoli. Tablespoon of teriyaki sauce. Green salad with low fat french dressing. 100g of peach and apricot yoghurt.

Ditch the fruit yogurt its full of sugar and the low fat dressing make your own with olive oil, mustard and lemon juice. Have carrot and hummus

Snack - apple or pear

Dinner - small handful of spaghetti, tomato sauce with lots of mushrooms and half a bag of spinach. More broccoli. Yeo valley 0% fat cherry yoghurt.

Again yogurt is full of sugar eat full fat Greek if you really want yogurt.

Evening - 2 cups of tea, one plain digestive

Stop eating so you have 12hours between last meal and breakfast. Drink lots of water -think 3ltrs.

Ok that's the food now if you are exercising remember that muscle is heavier than fat so take pictures and measure your chest, waist, hips, thighs and upper arms. You will be amazed at the change in body shape more that the weight loss.

Last thing good luck and take your time don't expect it to happen quickly.

A lot of it will be fluctuations down to water. 1kg of fat is roughly 7000kcal. So to lose one kg you need to save 7000kcal. Also, to gain, you must eat 7000kcal above your maintenance intake. I started weighing myself daily and whildt it goes up and down by up to a kg the overall trend is downwards, if you weigh yourself only once a week, you might not see any effect if the first week you weighed yourself with little water retention but the next you have a bit more, simply because maybe you've eaten a bit salty, or hormones etc.

Thank you everyone - I'm really appreciative of all your replies. Just done another HIIT workout this morning and feeling good. I'm going to adjust my diet a bit, it's definitely a bit sugar heavy, (although nothing compared to the rubbish I used to consume - huge bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce AND marshmallows, anyone??)
Scales still refusing to move, but my period started today, so hopefully that will shift some water weight. Had a nice compliment yesterday from one of the school mums who said I looked slimmer, so maybe it is working!!!
Hopefully I will fit in a bike ride later, it's DD's school fair though, so I'm going to need every ounce of willpower to resist the BBQ, ice creams, sweets etc!!!
Have a great Saturday everyone - look, no chocolate!!!

Ten days isn't long - I have been doing MFP for almost 8 months and do find that I get bloaty and don't lose weight for a week or so once a month. So maybe in a week or so it'll settle down. :)

I've done practically no exercise and lost almost 3 stone, so it does seem that the food amount is the most important thing for weight loss. I really want to exercise to feel fitter myself though!

I don't cut out or avoid any particular foods, because I love food I just watch portion sizes and don't snack unless I am genuinely hungry, not just bored.

I've had big successes by going low carb. Since I lost the desired amount of weight I've been able to be quite relaxed about treats (the odd biscuit, chocolate, cake, McDonalds!) as long as I carry on avoiding starchy carbs like bread, pasta, potatoes and rice entirely.

Have a look at the low carb boards, loads of info there. But looking at your diet I'd say ditch the toast for breakfast, the sugar and the pasta and see how you go.