Why can't I lose weight?

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  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
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    I have neglected my cardio for a few months so last weekend I started again. 5 miles per day.

    Water retention is a strong contender here, then. Your muscles retain water during the repair process. Keep doing what you're doing (provided your food is in check and your burn estimates are reasonable). Give it a couple of weeks; your body will catch up :)
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
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    measure your food, drink lots of water, watch your sodium, and most importantly: eat at least 80% of your exercise calories (or figure out your TDEE and eat that).
  • miadhail
    miadhail Posts: 383 Member
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    Weight loss takes awhile. Especially if this is a new change from your past regular routines. Wait it out :) Don't be discouraged! Give it at least a month. :)

    See it as a lifestyle change, and gauge progress through other means i.e. measuring parts of your body, how your clothes fit, your stamina, how well you are breathing, etc. Very often, the scale is quite unreliable.
  • Ludka13
    Ludka13 Posts: 136 Member
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    [/quote]
    do you measure your food? It is very easy to go over if your not.
    [/quote]

    This. Measure everything. Measure with measuring spoons, measuring cups, weigh things on a food scale.
  • PcShed
    PcShed Posts: 84 Member
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    How are you measuring, just weight scales. It is possible that you are losing weight, Body Fat and gaining Lean Mass hence you weight is the same or increased. How do you feel? How are you clothes fitting?
    The only way to know, do some measurements, waist, chest, neck, legs, arms. Get a body fat monitor and record your current fat levels and BMI then work out your lean mass.
    Like this you be able to see if you gained weight, what was it: Fat or Muscle?
    Also check if you getting a good balance of protein, fats and carbs.
    Check my blog for example: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/rodrigs2013
    Hope this helps
    Sergio
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
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    How are you measuring, just weight scales. It is possible that you are losing weight, Body Fat and gaining Lean Mass hence you weight is the same or increased.
    <snip>
    Like this you be able to see if you gained weight, what was it: Fat or Muscle?

    Sorry, you can't gain muscle on a deficit (nothing substantial, anyways).
  • mjl54
    mjl54 Posts: 127 Member
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    How are you measuring, just weight scales. It is possible that you are losing weight, Body Fat and gaining Lean Mass hence you weight is the same or increased.
    <snip>
    Like this you be able to see if you gained weight, what was it: Fat or Muscle?

    Sorry, you can't gain muscle on a deficit (nothing substantial, anyways).
    Sorry but there are exceptions ie. noob gains. will build some muscle on a deficit
    thats why its always good to regularly take measurements and not just rely on the scale.
  • lambchristie
    lambchristie Posts: 552 Member
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    I just looked at your food diary for the past 4 days and it looks like you eat about the same thing at the same time of day. Your body may be use to it and it might help to add variety to your meals and life. You are also way over in your sugars everyday; might be something to look into as well.

    Perhaps you are not eating enough .. you are under daily on your calories; so try eating a few more of those exercise calories.

    This is a tough journey for all of us. Keep going it will happen.
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
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    How are you measuring, just weight scales. It is possible that you are losing weight, Body Fat and gaining Lean Mass hence you weight is the same or increased.
    <snip>
    Like this you be able to see if you gained weight, what was it: Fat or Muscle?

    Sorry, you can't gain muscle on a deficit (nothing substantial, anyways).
    Sorry but there are exceptions ie. noob gains. will build some muscle on a deficit
    thats why its always good to regularly take measurements and not just rely on the scale.

    Noob gains, sure. "Nothing substantial", like I said.
  • PcShed
    PcShed Posts: 84 Member
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    Hi sorry but I have proved this wrong, in these last 4 weeks doing IF, my body fat loss in 1 week, was 0.4% (1.1lbs) bringing my body fat to 26.1% but gained total weight too.
    Lean gains i made this week. I gained 2.21 lbs in Lean mass bringing my total weight to 241.40lbs.
    so you see it is possible to lose body fat and gains lean mass on a calorie deficit

    BMR: 2259 calories
    BMR+Activity: 3502 calories
    Target BMR with Nutrition: 2802 calories
    Fat - 202g
    Protein -196g
    Carbs - 49g

    Cheers
    Sergio
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
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    OP I checked your diary back over 4 or 5 days and you are netting less than 1200 cals?

    You are not eating at your BMR even. this could be the biggest problem causing the lack of weight loss?

    Friday your net calories after exercise were 251 :noway:
  • PcShed
    PcShed Posts: 84 Member
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    How are you measuring, just weight scales. It is possible that you are losing weight, Body Fat and gaining Lean Mass hence you weight is the same or increased.
    <snip>
    Like this you be able to see if you gained weight, what was it: Fat or Muscle?

    Sorry, you can't gain muscle on a deficit (nothing substantial, anyways).
    Sorry but there are exceptions ie. noob gains. will build some muscle on a deficit
    thats why its always good to regularly take measurements and not just rely on the scale.

    Noob gains, sure. "Nothing substantial", like I said.

    Hi sorry but I have prove this wrong, in these last 4 weeks doing IF, my body fat loss in 1 week, was 0.4% (1.1lbs) bringing my body fat to 26.1% but gained total weight too.
    Lean gains i made this week. I gained 2.21lbs in Lean mass bringing my total weight to 241.40lbs.
    so you see it is possible to lose bodyfat and gains lean mass on a calorie deficit

    BMR: 2259 calories
    BMR+Activity: 3502 calories
    Target BMR with Nutrition: 2802 calories
    Fat - 202g
    Protein -196g
    Carbs - 49g

    Cheers
    Sergio
  • mjl54
    mjl54 Posts: 127 Member
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    Hi sorry but I have proved this wrong, in these last 4 weeks doing IF, my body fat loss in 1 week, was 0.4% (1.1lbs) bringing my body fat to 26.1% but gained total weight too.
    Lean gains i made this week. I gained 2.21 lbs in Lean mass bringing my total weight to 241.40lbs.
    so you see it is possible to lose body fat and gains lean mass on a calorie deficit

    BMR: 2259 calories
    BMR+Activity: 3502 calories
    Target BMR with Nutrition: 2802 calories
    Fat - 202g
    Protein -196g
    Carbs - 49g

    Cheers
    Sergio
    how did you calculate that body fat scale? but regardless if its true it won't last and you WILL need to be at a surplus to make muscle gains.
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
    Options
    How are you measuring, just weight scales. It is possible that you are losing weight, Body Fat and gaining Lean Mass hence you weight is the same or increased.
    <snip>
    Like this you be able to see if you gained weight, what was it: Fat or Muscle?

    Sorry, you can't gain muscle on a deficit (nothing substantial, anyways).
    Sorry but there are exceptions ie. noob gains. will build some muscle on a deficit
    thats why its always good to regularly take measurements and not just rely on the scale.

    Noob gains, sure. "Nothing substantial", like I said.

    Hi sorry but I have prove this wrong, in these last 4 weeks doing IF, my body fat loss in 1 week, was 0.4% (1.1lbs) bringing my body fat to 26.1% but gained total weight too.
    Lean gains i made this week. I gained 2.21lbs in Lean mass bringing my total weight to 241.40lbs.
    so you see it is possible to lose bodyfat and gains lean mass on a calorie deficit

    BMR: 2259 calories
    BMR+Activity: 3502 calories
    Target BMR with Nutrition: 2802 calories
    Fat - 202g
    Protein -196g
    Carbs - 49g

    Cheers
    Sergio

    I'd have to argue that if you're gaining, you're not in a true deficit. The maths don't make sense.

    Worth a read: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html

    Glad what you're doing seems to be working for you.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
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    OP I checked your diary back over 4 or 5 days and you are netting less than 1200 cals?

    You are not eating at your BMR even. this could be the biggest problem causing the lack of weight loss?

    Friday your net calories after exercise were 251 :noway:

    Has anyone bothered to look at the OP`s diary, as I have mentioned above, he is grossly undereating
  • sexymuffintop
    sexymuffintop Posts: 636
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    Do this and you *will* lose weight:

    1) Eat mostly to get the nutrition your body needs, and less for enjoyment. Establish a healthful diet and find pleasure in other things.

    2) Three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's it. No snacks, and no "in between" meals.

    3) Give up sugar. No sugar in coffee, soda, or on cereal. Give up fruit juice -- it's mainly just another form of sugar. Water is the only liquid you need.

    4) In the beginning, establish a very regulated moderate calorie diet. Don't follow any sort of fad. Just pick a selection of foods that add up to a normal balanced diet -- whole grains, veggies, fruit, dairy, a little meat, etc. But start out by having exactly the same three meals each day -- the same foods and the same amounts. Weigh the portions on a scale. Consider frozen dinners. Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Kashi, Smart Ones, and probably other brands have several that are low in calories and saturated fat, 25% daily value or less of sodium, and high in fiber.

    5) Weigh yourself every day on a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale. Your weight should go down over every two or three days. If it doesn't, eliminate items from your diet or reduce the size of portions until your weight does go down. (If you don't have a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale, I'd recommend the EatSmart Precision Plus Digital Scale, which is sold on Amazon.) Don't obsess over the scale — let it be your friend and point the way to a weight losing diet.

    6) When you have achieved a weight losing diet, then you can start making adjustments to add variety, but make sure that you keep losing weight.

    7) Maintain your exercise program.

    I've written an essay about losing weight on my blog that talks somewhat more generally about how to lose weight. Here's a link to that essay: http://bobday.net23.net/?p=27

    Ignore about 90% of this ^^^ keep up doing what you're doing but for longer and see how things pan out. If you still arn't losing in a month reassess then.

    Edit due to not seeing your diary. Eat at your BMR at the very least, minimum.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
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    So my advice OP is to eat at least at your BMR.

    So you need to add more food in order to lose weight.

    If you constantly eat below your BMR you will become ill and your organs will not function correctly.

    In order to lose weight you have to eat, especially if you are exercising.

    The only thing you will lose if you carry on as you are is muscle.
  • sexymuffintop
    sexymuffintop Posts: 636
    Options
    Hi sorry but I have proved this wrong, in these last 4 weeks doing IF, my body fat loss in 1 week, was 0.4% (1.1lbs) bringing my body fat to 26.1% but gained total weight too.
    Lean gains i made this week. I gained 2.21 lbs in Lean mass bringing my total weight to 241.40lbs.
    so you see it is possible to lose body fat and gains lean mass on a calorie deficit

    BMR: 2259 calories
    BMR+Activity: 3502 calories
    Target BMR with Nutrition: 2802 calories
    Fat - 202g
    Protein -196g
    Carbs - 49g

    Cheers
    Sergio

    You are saying you gained 2.2 lbs of lean mass in a week.....really?
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
    Options
    OP I checked your diary back over 4 or 5 days and you are netting less than 1200 cals?

    You are not eating at your BMR even. this could be the biggest problem causing the lack of weight loss?

    Friday your net calories after exercise were 251 :noway:

    Has anyone bothered to look at the OP`s diary, as I have mentioned above, he is grossly undereating

    Good catch. OP, she's got a very good point.
  • Imani9629
    Imani9629 Posts: 52 Member
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    See if your doctor can prescribe you phentermine pills. I would work out and eat right with no results but phentermine increases your metabolism and decreases your appetite so you're bound to lose weight

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