Not seeing results, help!
kballeste
Posts: 19 Member
Okay, so I started exercising 6 days a week and eating very healthy about a month ago and I haven't seen any change, not on the scale or in the mirror. I know a month isn't that long, but I thought I would at least lose half a pound or at least lose water weight.
For reference, I am 20 years old, 5 ft tall, 129 pounds, and sedentary besides the 40 mins to an hour that I work out 6 days a week. (Should I even be listing myself as sedentary?)
MFP has me on a caloric deficit of 400 (estimated BMR is 1600), eating 1200 cals a day at least, with a projected weight loss of 0.8 pounds a week. I eat all of my exercise calories back. I do a mix of cardio and strength training so the amount of calories I burn a day are all different, but I usually burn at least 300 (sometimes 288 or something like that). I use a heart rate monitor (Polar FT4) to accurately track calories burned.
I'm usually not the type of person that's into weighing myself all the time or basing results on a number, but I find it weird that I haven't seen ANY change at all in a month.
I've been consistent with my workouts and with my eating (mostly clean, as natural as possible when it comes to packaged items), I honestly ate mostly healthy before jumping into weight loss to begin with. I've been drinking TONS of water, I rarely eat dessert, one "cheat" meal a week which I still try to keep somewhat healthy, the list goes on and on.
The one common problem I see in these threads is that lots of people don't eat enough. Is 1,200 cals too little? Should I be netting at least my BMR? I've read up on TDEE but this is all very complicated for me.
I've just been following what MFP has set up for me but I don't think it's working. Please help!
(Just in case you're wondering, my goal weight is around 110-115 but I mostly just want to look good no matter what I weigh. I do want to lose at least 10 pounds though! I've been following Fitness Blender workouts at home, currently on a 4 week plan for beginners)
For reference, I am 20 years old, 5 ft tall, 129 pounds, and sedentary besides the 40 mins to an hour that I work out 6 days a week. (Should I even be listing myself as sedentary?)
MFP has me on a caloric deficit of 400 (estimated BMR is 1600), eating 1200 cals a day at least, with a projected weight loss of 0.8 pounds a week. I eat all of my exercise calories back. I do a mix of cardio and strength training so the amount of calories I burn a day are all different, but I usually burn at least 300 (sometimes 288 or something like that). I use a heart rate monitor (Polar FT4) to accurately track calories burned.
I'm usually not the type of person that's into weighing myself all the time or basing results on a number, but I find it weird that I haven't seen ANY change at all in a month.
I've been consistent with my workouts and with my eating (mostly clean, as natural as possible when it comes to packaged items), I honestly ate mostly healthy before jumping into weight loss to begin with. I've been drinking TONS of water, I rarely eat dessert, one "cheat" meal a week which I still try to keep somewhat healthy, the list goes on and on.
The one common problem I see in these threads is that lots of people don't eat enough. Is 1,200 cals too little? Should I be netting at least my BMR? I've read up on TDEE but this is all very complicated for me.
I've just been following what MFP has set up for me but I don't think it's working. Please help!
(Just in case you're wondering, my goal weight is around 110-115 but I mostly just want to look good no matter what I weigh. I do want to lose at least 10 pounds though! I've been following Fitness Blender workouts at home, currently on a 4 week plan for beginners)
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You really don't have that much to lose, and what you are losing you're making up in muscle from the toning. Don't lose hope.0
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libbydoodle11 wrote: »
Thank you so much, I think I needed to see that haha. I love working out so consistency isn't an issue but my patience definitely is. I'm also paranoid that I'm not doing things the right way, but I think I should give it more time and see what works for me!0 -
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billieljaime wrote: »you arent weighting and measuring your food you do not accurately know your caloric intake. You are not sedentary either. Buy a food scale, measure log, change MFP settings to lightly active.
Thank you! I've actually been weighing my food for a week now, I didn't have a food scale before. Maybe it'll start helping. Changing my settings to lightly active only upped my calories by 90, we'll see!
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Sounds like you're doing great. Calories burned from exercise are often overestimated, so I'd eat back half instead of all.
You're very close to your goal, certainly at or close to a healthy weight. Slow progress is to be expected. Use an app like Happy Scale to track your weight. It can be hard to tell whether or not you're losing when daily fluctuations are greater than the total amount lost.
Don't give up. The added exercise is certainly benefiting you no matter what, as are the improved eating habits.0 -
Sounds like you're doing great. Calories burned from exercise are often overestimated, so I'd eat back half instead of all.
You're very close to your goal, certainly at or close to a healthy weight. Slow progress is to be expected. Use an app like Happy Scale to track your weight. It can be hard to tell whether or not you're losing when daily fluctuations are greater than the total amount lost.
Don't give up. The added exercise is certainly benefiting you no matter what, as are the improved eating habits.
Forgot to mention that I use a heart rate monitor (Polar FT4) and it's helped so much, I DEFINITELY used to overestimate my calories. Thank you for that, that makes me feel a lot better.
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Pretty much no one is sedentary. Most people are at least lightly active even without exercise. Doing a super quick estimate on Scooby's to include your exercise in your caloric needs, 1680 is given as an estimated amount to consume to lose ~3.5lb/month. This is assuming 3-5hrs of exercise a week. I'd assume you do more than this and might be in between 3-5 adn 5-6, in which case 1780 would be a good place to start.
Food scale, daily logging, accurate logging (proper entries and no generic recipes/etc) are all important.
You might want to open up your diary so we can see if there are logging issues resulting in lack of results0 -
Maybe investing in a tape measure would help? If you are building/toning but not losing any weight, you might be losing cm/inches instead?0
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"Not seeing results"
Wrong. You are always seeing the results of what you actually consuming, so if the result is that you arent losing weight, it is because you are eating at a level to not lose weight.0 -
"Not seeing results"
Wrong. You are always seeing the results of what you actually consuming, so if the result is that you arent losing weight, it is because you are eating at a level to not lose weight.
I agree, but eating too little delays results as well so that's why I was asking if 1,200 cals a day is too little. I shouldn't be eating less than that though
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"Not seeing results"
Wrong. You are always seeing the results of what you actually consuming, so if the result is that you arent losing weight, it is because you are eating at a level to not lose weight.
I agree, but eating too little delays results as well so that's why I was asking if 1,200 cals a day is too little. I shouldn't be eating less than that though
No it doesnt. This is a myth.0 -
Keep at it!!
Take measurements and photo's too!!
That scale can be an evil liar
Don't give up!!!!!!!!0 -
If you were eating too little you would be losing weight.
It sounds like you are on the right track and I bet now that you have a food scale you'll start seeing more weight loss!0 -
"Not seeing results"
Wrong. You are always seeing the results of what you actually consuming, so if the result is that you arent losing weight, it is because you are eating at a level to not lose weight.
I agree, but eating too little delays results as well so that's why I was asking if 1,200 cals a day is too little. I shouldn't be eating less than that though
No it doesnt. This is a myth.
Really? That's good to know. Thank you. That's just what I've gathered through researching online, but it's so hard to tell what's real and what's myth!
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Don't eat back your exercise calories, for one, and for two just have patience. Vanity weight (instead of health-based weight loss...like 30+lbs and such) is a lot harder to lose than those with weight related health issues. And yes, I agree that you could be seeing a very small weight loss but isn't showing up on the scale because your muscles are developing. Just be patient and keep looking at this whole thing as just a change in lifestyle (cause you'll need to continue the exercise and healthy food to maintain your ideal weight) and the weight will come off. Just don't forget to count every single calorie! Good luck!0
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SpockAdventures wrote: »Don't eat back your exercise calories, for one, and for two just have patience. Vanity weight (instead of health-based weight loss...like 30+lbs and such) is a lot harder to lose than those with weight related health issues. And yes, I agree that you could be seeing a very small weight loss but isn't showing up on the scale because your muscles are developing. Just be patient and keep looking at this whole thing as just a change in lifestyle (cause you'll need to continue the exercise and healthy food to maintain your ideal weight) and the weight will come off. Just don't forget to count every single calorie! Good luck!
If you are using the MFP formula you should eat back at least 50% of your exercise calories - if you're using a HRM probably more
If you're doing cut from TDEE then this don't eat exercise calories advice is appropriate - otherwise you can ignore it, particularly if your base level is as low as 1200 - you need to fuel workouts and avoid crash and burn0 -
I'm not using any particular formulas - I'm following the very simple words of my doctor which is it's all about calories in vs. calories out. It doesn't matter what kind of calories you take in necessarily (though you want healthy ones to avoid malnutrition), nor how you burn them off, it's just making sure that there is a deficit. It's not nearly as complicated as a lot of people make it out to be.0
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Your diary isn't open. Are you weighing and measuring your food? Logging everything? If not, you may be eating more than you think.0
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SpockAdventures wrote: »I'm not using any particular formulas - I'm following the very simple words of my doctor which is it's all about calories in vs. calories out. It doesn't matter what kind of calories you take in necessarily (though you want healthy ones to avoid malnutrition), nor how you burn them off, it's just making sure that there is a deficit. It's not nearly as complicated as a lot of people make it out to be.
May I ask how you know how many calories to eat on a daily basis then - isn't there always some kind of 'formula' involved to lose weight healthily? Very few of us are average and you need to eat less than you use up. If you're at a slow rate of loss like 0.5lbs a week, you need to know more accurately otherwise it's hard to stay at 250 under.
Agree about doesn't matter what food you eat as long as at a defecit0 -
SpockAdventures wrote: »I'm not using any particular formulas - I'm following the very simple words of my doctor which is it's all about calories in vs. calories out. It doesn't matter what kind of calories you take in necessarily (though you want healthy ones to avoid malnutrition), nor how you burn them off, it's just making sure that there is a deficit. It's not nearly as complicated as a lot of people make it out to be.
May I ask how you know how many calories to eat on a daily basis then - isn't there always some kind of 'formula' involved to lose weight healthily? Very few of us are average and you need to eat less than you use up. If you're at a slow rate of loss like 0.5lbs a week, you need to know more accurately otherwise it's hard to stay at 250 under.
Agree about doesn't matter what food you eat as long as at a defecit
You have to know your Basal Metabolic Rate first - how many calories you burn on a daily basis without additional exercise. Then you figure the deficit based on that. My BMR was 2000 (I started out at 192) and began eating 1100-1200 per day, so without exercise had an 800 calorie deficit. When I add exercise in, and I don't eat back my calories (and I feel fine, I don't have energy issues), I'm at a 1200 - 1400 calorie deficit.
Once you know your BMR, it's very easy to determine how much you are willing to cut out of your diet.0 -
I've been weight training on/off for a while. Recently I decided to get back on it and sort out my nutrition after a slight almost relapse with anorexic tendencies. I started and within 2 weeks my weight went up by 6lbs. What people often don't realise is the water weight from inflammation that you gain at the very start. Perhaps this is what is masking your weight 'loss'? According to MFP, I'm eating way under and I don't eat my calories back....yet my weight has maintained persistently at this higher level. I'm now starting to really look into my nutrition over weight. Making sure I'm healthy and not obsessed with the physical mass shown on the scales. Even at my lowest weight, which was low...to now, I've only gained around 3% bodyfat. yet my weight has increased quite a lot (stones!) Just use the scale sparingly and keep your food and exercise in your mind, not the scale number x0
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SpockAdventures wrote: »SpockAdventures wrote: »I'm not using any particular formulas - I'm following the very simple words of my doctor which is it's all about calories in vs. calories out. It doesn't matter what kind of calories you take in necessarily (though you want healthy ones to avoid malnutrition), nor how you burn them off, it's just making sure that there is a deficit. It's not nearly as complicated as a lot of people make it out to be.
May I ask how you know how many calories to eat on a daily basis then - isn't there always some kind of 'formula' involved to lose weight healthily? Very few of us are average and you need to eat less than you use up. If you're at a slow rate of loss like 0.5lbs a week, you need to know more accurately otherwise it's hard to stay at 250 under.
Agree about doesn't matter what food you eat as long as at a defecit
You have to know your Basal Metabolic Rate first - how many calories you burn on a daily basis without additional exercise. Then you figure the deficit based on that. My BMR was 2000 (I started out at 192) and began eating 1100-1200 per day, so without exercise had an 800 calorie deficit. When I add exercise in, and I don't eat back my calories (and I feel fine, I don't have energy issues), I'm at a 1200 - 1400 calorie deficit.
Once you know your BMR, it's very easy to determine how much you are willing to cut out of your diet.
Oh so you did use a formula - just checking
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SpockAdventures wrote: »SpockAdventures wrote: »I'm not using any particular formulas - I'm following the very simple words of my doctor which is it's all about calories in vs. calories out. It doesn't matter what kind of calories you take in necessarily (though you want healthy ones to avoid malnutrition), nor how you burn them off, it's just making sure that there is a deficit. It's not nearly as complicated as a lot of people make it out to be.
May I ask how you know how many calories to eat on a daily basis then - isn't there always some kind of 'formula' involved to lose weight healthily? Very few of us are average and you need to eat less than you use up. If you're at a slow rate of loss like 0.5lbs a week, you need to know more accurately otherwise it's hard to stay at 250 under.
Agree about doesn't matter what food you eat as long as at a defecit
You have to know your Basal Metabolic Rate first - how many calories you burn on a daily basis without additional exercise. Then you figure the deficit based on that. My BMR was 2000 (I started out at 192) and began eating 1100-1200 per day, so without exercise had an 800 calorie deficit. When I add exercise in, and I don't eat back my calories (and I feel fine, I don't have energy issues), I'm at a 1200 - 1400 calorie deficit.
Once you know your BMR, it's very easy to determine how much you are willing to cut out of your diet.
Oh so you did use a formula - just checking
Lol yes yes, I suppose I do use a formula. Just not any of these super crazy ones that people try to use. Mine is just (BMR - (Calories In - Exercise Calories Burned) = Deficit, then 3500 Calories / Deficit = # Days to lose 1lbs.
There's my formula. lol0 -
SpockAdventures wrote: »Don't eat back your exercise calories, for one, and for two just have patience. Vanity weight (instead of health-based weight loss...like 30+lbs and such) is a lot harder to lose than those with weight related health issues. And yes, I agree that you could be seeing a very small weight loss but isn't showing up on the scale because your muscles are developing. Just be patient and keep looking at this whole thing as just a change in lifestyle (cause you'll need to continue the exercise and healthy food to maintain your ideal weight) and the weight will come off. Just don't forget to count every single calorie! Good luck!
If you are using the MFP formula you should eat back at least 50% of your exercise calories - if you're using a HRM probably more
If you're doing cut from TDEE then this don't eat exercise calories advice is appropriate - otherwise you can ignore it, particularly if your base level is as low as 1200 - you need to fuel workouts and avoid crash and burn
So, I should be eating back my calories? I was starting to think that because I've been eating them back, I've been maintaining my weight rather than losing.0 -
SpockAdventures wrote: »Don't eat back your exercise calories, for one, and for two just have patience. Vanity weight (instead of health-based weight loss...like 30+lbs and such) is a lot harder to lose than those with weight related health issues. And yes, I agree that you could be seeing a very small weight loss but isn't showing up on the scale because your muscles are developing. Just be patient and keep looking at this whole thing as just a change in lifestyle (cause you'll need to continue the exercise and healthy food to maintain your ideal weight) and the weight will come off. Just don't forget to count every single calorie! Good luck!
If you are using the MFP formula you should eat back at least 50% of your exercise calories - if you're using a HRM probably more
If you're doing cut from TDEE then this don't eat exercise calories advice is appropriate - otherwise you can ignore it, particularly if your base level is as low as 1200 - you need to fuel workouts and avoid crash and burn
So, I should be eating back my calories? I was starting to think that because I've been eating them back, I've been maintaining my weight rather than losing.
Should I follow MFP or my TDEE?
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You're short and you're close to your goal weight, so unless you're super active, you're going to have to get by on eating fewer calories than taller people who have more to lose unfortunately. IMHO as a fellow short person at roughly the same weight, now that you've tightened up your logging by measuring and weighing in the last week, give that a few weeks to see how things pan out. Be super meticulous about the logging, as a little bit here and a little bit there can wipe out your deficit.
If that still doesn't work after a few weeks, try eating back only half your exercise calories, as they may be overestimated.0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szwmvtcguyc&list=UUXDX5yHGUm5xIKv46yxm9JA
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