What am I doing wrong? :(

I have been faithfully CC for two weeks now. And I haven't lost a pound. If anything I've gone up a pound. (depending on which time my scale told the truth cause each time I step on it (back to back times not hours apart) it says totally different things..and its not a cheap one either)

I drink at least 120+oz of water a day. I eat whole grains and lots of veggies and fruit. I stopped adding salt etc. 

I don't want to give up because I NEED to get rid of this weight.  I just want to cry! I never had this problem on WW with points and thats the same thing as CC pretty much. (this is just cheaper and less math)

I am female 5'6 294lbs medium frame.

I have it clicked that I am sedentary and maybe thats where I am wrong? I stand a lot during the day and mostly only sit to check email and feed my newborn. (I homeschool my 7yr old, chase my 1yr old and care for my 3month old) I run after kids a lot, climb the stairs a number of times with laundry and kids, mopped a huge kitchen, vacuum, try to go for a walk a time or two a week at least. (very slow with kids in tow) I dance with my toddler almost every day. I do NOT do something to consciencely get my heartrate up daily and I don't yet do a regular workout program like I used to. But this is the ONLY area where I think I could be going wrong...maybe not eating enough or something stupid?

At the moment it says my calorie goal is 1750 and I get about that. On a day where I go over a bit I cut back a bit the next day to make sure I get the deficit in the week.

PLEASE HELP!!!

I'd say your activity level is above mere sedentary, but nonetheless it's pivotal for burning fat to include exercise in your routine. I'm partial to strength training but you'll know what suits your schedule and body best. Finding the time for it might be tricky, that's totally understandable, but I think adding exercise might be the first place to start.

I know it can feel frustrating and impossible at times, but hang in there - with the right diet and exercise, you're bound to see results! Just promise yourself you'll stick with it, ok? :)

I don't mean to get all touchy-feely but it might cheer you up to focus on all the positive things your fat loss will bring, all the improvements watching your calories has already brought about, how motivated you are etc instead of worrying. It might take its time, but you'll get there! If you find time for yourself, you could give yoga and pilates a try, it's a good place to start. Good luck!

I love to exercise but at the moment I have a few issues that are making me take it slowly. (hips and such from 2 back to back babies) But I know working out helps me and I look forward to it. I am easing my way in so I don't hurt myself and have to stop.

I eat lean proteins, whole grains, lots of fruit and veggies. Fat free milk and/or Rice Milk (cause it's lower in sugar) I try to avoid salty foods and processed junk. I like my family to eat healthy even if its more work for me.

There are your answers :)

I get that you should be eating about 2075 calories if sedentary at your weight and height. Go to http://www.phord.com/cc/?m=US&q=f-22-164- 60.45-1.55-0-0-20 for a little more detailed report. With "sedentary" you should be looking at a healthy weight loss of a little less than one pound per week. It might take a while to notice appreciable losses. Hang in there!

When I just updated my information to the one about sedentary it added 400 stinkin calories..and I know I am NOT sedentary by what I've read on it. Just thought I was at first because I have yet to workout regularly. I am between light and moderate activity levels by this sites defining. So should I up my calories today? And when I do start working out, which i had scheduled for today also, do I eat all those calories or not??

UGHH!!!

when I used that link posted (thanks by the way) it says 2500 something a day... UGH!!

which one is right?

2500 to maintain that weight for a sedentary person. For a more active than sedentary person, do not worry about a slightly higher defecit.

For every level of activity up to moderately active (which it does not sound like you are) it recommends 2074 calories (I am guessing you are about 30 year old).

Ok...maybe I read it wrong or something. Too many different sites with different info. :)

Thanks for the advice!

Why does this site say 300 less per day than the number you're getting?

http://www.phord.com/cc/?m=US&q=f-22-164- 60.45-1.55-0-0-20

is the site I recommended. If you read the report, it has a lower limit of 20% of BMR as an activity deficit.

I would suggest reading the how to use this site thread in weight loss and all the linked articles. After that come back with any questions.

Cheers!

Original Post by fatlongenough:

I am female 5'6 294lbs medium frame.

At the moment it says my calorie goal is 1750 and I get about that. On a day where I go over a bit I cut back a bit the next day to make sure I get the deficit in the week.

PLEASE HELP!!!

If you haven't done so yet, check out http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/post/654 52.html there is alot of wonderful information on CC about how this all works, but I did go to the burn meter and checked out your stats, so to speak.  and a 5' 6" sedentary female, 294 lbs burns about 2400 calories a day.  If you do the same stats for a  lightly active female that average number jumps to 2800.  That's an extra 400 calorie difference, which is alot when you consider we're advised to eat at only a 500-750 calorie deficit daily.

If you're eating 1750 calories a day, which is a 650 calorie deficit (from the sedentary average) of 650 and you're actually closer to the lightly active area (of 2800 calories a day) then you're actually eating at a 1000 calorie deficit.  Granted these are average numbers, but maybe you could take a few minutes and sit down and log all your activities for the day on CC and SEE what your average burn would be.  I'm willing to bet that you may be able to increase your calories and lose some weight.  Since you're in this for the long haul (like me) it couldn't hurt to take the time to log all of your average activities for the day (CC has all kinds of activities to choose from) just to see if you're closer to the lightly active.

If you find that this isn't it then you can perhaps look towards other causes, but this might be a good place to start.

Safiyah

Try for one week to very carefully log EVERYTHING.  That means what you eat - bites, licks, and tastes count and must be logged.

You must also log all your activites and try to estimate the caloric burn of each one. 

Your calorie deficit should be 500-700 calories per day MAX. 

I think you're going to find that you're burning more than you think or a lot less than you think. 

Either way, you'll have a much better idea of how to adjust your caloric intake. 

If you adjust it and you still don't loose weight, you really need to see your doctor. 

Are you nursing? If so that adds to your calorie needs.

If not, I would go with the sedentary estimate and not light to moderate activity. It seems that "sedentary" still expects you to walk to & from your car, walk around stores, etc.. at least for me, I never approach "light activity" burn estimates unless I actually do sustained cardio exercise.

With your stats, I think you should be losing well on 1750. I eat over 2000 calories a day myself and have been losing steadily (of course I exercise like a fiend). Two weeks is just not much time. You could have lost 2 lbs during that time and it hasn't shown yet because of water weight fluctuations and also considering the error range of the scale. My advice is to not change a thing and just keep it up a couple more weeks to give the scale time to show your results.

i would just chill out a bit. Its just been two weeks, some people go a whole month before seeing results. You just have to remember this lifestyle change is not going to happen overnight...it takes time.

Just hang in there, dont give up.

I'd agree with Lisa and say it's too soon to see results but nonetheless here are a few things you can try.

First off, have you tried many fad diets in the past (Atkins, Weight Watchers, South Beach, etc...).  I've found most of these diets are pretty close to crash diets and in the long run they lower your metabolism.  If you are a person who's been through a lot of diets, lost weight at first only to gain it back then you may be in for a longer road that someone who's never dieted before.

Second, measure everything you eat.  If you are just logging stuff on estimates and can't yet determine your portion sizes you may be underestimating the amounts.  I remember awhile back I started measuring my portions and was amazed at how much I was actually eating.  My big bowls of cereal in the morning were actually four servings, I was eating two servings of pasta, etc....  After a few weeks of measuring you will get used to seeing food in their proper serving size.

You probably want to increase your caloric intake a little, I'd say to around 2000 calories per day.  Going too low will lower your metabolism as your body will switch to survivor mode.  Stay away from sugar as much as possible... even sugar alternatives (diet pop and sugar free jello).  Allow yourself one cheat day per week where you can eat what you want.

Hope this helps.... one more thing.. don't give up.

Not sure if you've ever heard of Inside Out Weight Loss, but it's a podcast (audio blog type thing) that has worked wonders for me. I just thought i'd share it with you. You don't need an mp3 player to listen to them, just download itunes, at www.apple.com and subscribe to her podcast and listen to them on your computer. http://renee.personallifemedia.com/ here is the link, it's completely free too.  I truly love this program, I've even started to lose weight, 3 pounds :) yay, finally the scale is moving. I was doing weight watchers for 4 months and the scale didn't move all that much for me. Anyway, I hope it helps.

You mention trying to eat healthier, but you do not mention measuring and logging.  That is really important at first.  You will be suprised at how many calories you are getting in some foods.  So, make a vow to measure and log everything for at least two weeks.  That should give a better idea of what your intake really is.

Your

Take 500 per day off that to lose a about a pound per week.

please just stick with it. there are some great responses added here that I could not improve upon. Just plug away at it week by week, day by day, hour by hour if you have to. Pretty soon it will be a year later and you will realize you have done wonderful things!