What am I doing wrong?

khristiana

Hi All,

I need some advice. I've been on my weight loss journey for just a little over a month now. I'm sticking to a very healthy 1,200 calorie a day diet and working out (hard!) at the gym 4 days a week, and taking daily walks (40 mins) with 3 pound weights.

My issue is: I don't know why I'm not losing weight! With the amount of calories I torch daily, I'm definitely in the area of losing 2 pounds a week easy. I haven't weighed myself for two weeks, until this morning, and it said I only lost 2 pounds, and just to verify that it was correct I weighed myself again and it said I weighed the same!

What is going on? Am I building muscle by using my 3 pound weights every day, and that is counter acting my weight loss?

Confused....

Christine_72

It depends how much you have to lose? 1 pound a week is probably the average loss.
I've got 8 lbs left till goal and I'm losing roughly 2.2lbs a month! !

higgins8283801

You won't build muscle on 1200 calories.

How do you know how much you're eating?? If you're not weighing, you're probably eating way more than you think.

Christine_72

higgins8283801 wrote: »

You won't build muscle on 1200 calories.

How do you know how much you're eating?? If you're not weighing, you're probably eating way more than you think.

^^^^ 100% yes^^^^

SandieM7

Are you new to working out? You are probably building muscle which weighs more than fat. Don't give up, you will eventually see results. Also, if you haven't done so already, be sure to drink plenty of water. Water is one of the best tools in weight loss.

When I first started this weight loss journey my body wouldn't shed the lbs. like I thought it should be. I had been such a yoyo person for so long I think my body was holding on to the lbs. until things finally leveled off. It's been a long journey, but nothing good comes easy.

Keep up the good work and give yourself time. The weight will come off.

Mitchbay91

Weight loss is more than a number on a scale.

As long as you're feeling healthier and feel as though you're looking better isn't that the whole point of watching what you eat and exercising?

Just stick with it, it'll all work out in the end if you keep working hard.

tflyswagg

One question for you to think about and be honest with yourself and one suggestion.
Are you drinking half your body weight in oz. Of water everyday? Suggestion: Go to YouTube and check out one of Adrian Bryant's workout videos. I currently do a 45 minute High Intensity Interval Training workout on my elliptical machine. Burns around 800+ calories. HIIT is way more effective than regular workouts. Basically you could use your 40 mins way more effectively in my experience. This is my first week doing ALL 3 (Healthy Eating/Drinking Enough water/Exercise) I see and feel results already and its not even Friday:)

tflyswagg

Also cute saying:
It takes 4 weeks for you to see your body chanhing.
It takes 8 weeks for your friends & family to notice. &
12 weeks for the world to see!

khristiana

I'm fairly new to this yes, but I've lost weight before so I know what to do. I'm eating nutritious food and logging everything I eat on MyFitnessPal. I have a FitBit that helps me track my steps, and also I use Endamondo.

I have over 100 pounds to lose. I drink SO much water everyday, probably more than I should, and I sweat a lot of it out as well. MyFitnessPal said according to my workouts and my 1200 calories a day, I should be losing 4 pounds a week, but that's not the case.

I'll take your advice that I'm building muscle and it will soon even out. I just expected more weight to come off, seeing how I have so much to lose.

I was living a sedentary lifestyle (working, coming home, dinner, watching tv) now I walk at work twice a day with my 3 pound weights, go to the gym 4 days a week with an hour of cardio. I was using the weights at the gym, but I stopped a week ago in hopes that it would help with my weight loss.

Metazoick

Even if you're new to working out you haven't put on pounds of muscle in a week or two.
A few questions:
Are you eating back your exercise calories? All of them or half? If yes to any of the previous how are you working out how much you're burning? Also are you positive you're weighing out everything accurately - no skipping the odd biscuit or rounding, guessing by sight, using cups etc?
Plus it sounds like it's just been 2 weeks, which is a short amount of time. You can have huge weight fluctuations (especially if you're a girl, water weight can make a huge difference depending on the time of the month you weigh yourself). You're just not going to consistently lose exactly 2lb a week. It may look like 1lb a week for the last two, but if you keep going and outlast the fluctuations you'll probably find the average loss a lot closer to what you want it to be (not to mention 1lb a week is nothing to sniff at).

CharlieBeansmomTracey

SandieM7 wrote: »

Are you new to working out? You are probably building muscle which weighs more than fat. Don't give up, you will eventually see results. Also, if you haven't done so already, be sure to drink plenty of water. Water is one of the best tools in weight loss.

When I first started this weight loss journey my body wouldn't shed the lbs. like I thought it should be. I had been such a yoyo person for so long I think my body was holding on to the lbs. until things finally leveled off. It's been a long journey, but nothing good comes easy.

Keep up the good work and give yourself time. The weight will come off.

muscle does not weigh more than fat(it weighs the same but takes up less space) and she wont build it on 1200 calories. you have to be in a caloric surplus to build muscle for it to make a difference on the scale(if at all) and it can take months or more for a female to build it.

khristiana

I even track the butter I use. Yes, every little bite I take goes on my food tracker. I track my exercise with Endamondo and my FitBit.

I started this mid-January.

khristiana

I average 1200-1350 calories a day and burn much more than that.

khristiana

Well great... If it's been a month and I'm NOT gaining muscle, why am I not dropping the weight quick enough?

I'm being completely honest when I say I stick around 1200-1350 calories eaten every day and I burn at least 1000 at the gym, and that does not include calories for everyday things like walking, sleeping, etc.

*stumped*

I'm going to stick with what I'm doing, I'm just frustrated and could use the help.

Thanks.

khristiana

I should state that since mid-January I've lost 12 pounds.

Christine_72

khristiana wrote: »

I even track the butter I use. Yes, every little bite I take goes on my food tracker. I track my exercise with Endamondo and my FitBit.

I started this mid-January.

yes, but do you weigh everything (solids) on a food scale? ?

Metazoick

khristiana wrote: »

I average 1200-1350 calories a day and burn much more than that.

But do you eat back the calories you burn off, or are you aiming for an overall negative (aka eat 1200 but work off 1400 a day so your net is -200)? The latter is hugely unhealthy, and I just want to double check that isn't the case.

If you're eating back the calories using the numbers that fitbit and the like give you, there's a decent chance they're overestimating (basically every calculator for this does, there's just way too many variables). If you aren't losing weight as quickly as you should be if the numbers were correct, maybe you could try only eating back half of the calories and see what difference that makes over a couple of weeks?

Also if your weight loss has slowed down it's possible the early weight loss was just due to water weight coming off (it can happen when you move away from saltier foods), and not actual fat loss, which is what you're now seeing.

Christine_72

khristiana wrote: »

I should state that since mid-January I've lost 12 pounds.

Far out!!!! I'm not exactly seeing a problem here. That is a great result!

khristiana

I'm very sorry but I don't understand what you mean by "eat back" my burned calories? I strictly stick to a certain number of calories per day eaten, and my burned calories per day varies, dependent on if I go to the gym, if I walk with my weights, or just rest. I do not try and eat food to match the total number of calories burned per day.

khristiana

Does eating back calories mean: If I burned 2000 a day, and ate 1200 a day, I needed to eat 2000 a day?

disneygirl626

khristiana wrote: »

I should state that since mid-January I've lost 12 pounds.

Weight loss isn't linear. You're not going to lose exactly two pounds every week. You should be looking at averages. And if you've lose 12 pounds in 4-5 weeks that's well over a 2 lb/week average. Basically you're not doing anything wrong.

cityruss

Can we see your diary?

You aren't building muscle in any way that would effect weight loss.

If you are eating at a calorie deficit, you will drop bodyfat/inches/weight. If you aren't dropping these then you aren't eating at a calorie deficit.

Metazoick

Eating back calories means that if your baseline calorie goal for the day is 1200 and you burn off 300 you need to eat 1500 to break even. Estimates for burned calories tend to be high so it can be advised around here to try eating back half, in which case you'd eat 1350. This is very important. I doubt the 1000 estimate is correct, but even if it's close you're only netting something like 500 calories a day for your body to live on - that's waaaay too few and without medical supervision it really isn't advised to be below even 1200. Try eating back half the calories your apps tell you that you've burnt and track your progress.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

if you lost 12 lbs since mid january you just may be in a plateau. what are you using to calculate your calories that you burn? if you use machines at the gym most of the time calories burned will be off by quite a lot. you cant count sleeping as calories burned.what do you do for work? as for 4lbs a week, MFP only suggests 2 lbs a week(someone correct me if Im wrong)and that is considered aggressive weight loss. if you are not dropping the weight its possible because you are eating too much(especially if you dont weigh/measure everything),retaining water, or something else. 2 weeks is nothing though. I havent lost anything in over a month but have lost inches. so measure yourself and do that about once a month and see if you get a different number

khristiana

I'm realizing it's a great number thus far, my issue is: I haven't weighed myself for almost two weeks (had my special monthly time and didnt' want that to fluctuate my weight with the water retention it has) and after sticking to my eating right/work out plan, the scale said I lost two pounds (yay! I'm happy with that too!) but I double checked and weighed myself immediately again and it said I lost zero pounds.

Perhaps it's my scale? I'm really just trying to understand exactly what I'm doing so I'm successful long term. Thanks everyone!

ndj1979

SandieM7 wrote: »

Are you new to working out? You are probably building muscle which weighs more than fat. Don't give up, you will eventually see results. Also, if you haven't done so already, be sure to drink plenty of water. Water is one of the best tools in weight loss.

When I first started this weight loss journey my body wouldn't shed the lbs. like I thought it should be. I had been such a yoyo person for so long I think my body was holding on to the lbs. until things finally leveled off. It's been a long journey, but nothing good comes easy.

Keep up the good work and give yourself time. The weight will come off.

she is not building muscle with three pound weights and 1200 calories a day ….not even newbie gains…

she may have water retention which is slowing down her "loss" …but she is losing one pound a week...

Christine_72

christinev297 wrote: »

khristiana wrote: »

I even track the butter I use. Yes, every little bite I take goes on my food tracker. I track my exercise with Endamondo and my FitBit.

I started this mid-January.

yes, but do you weigh everything (solids) on a food scale? ?

yay or nay??

CharlieBeansmomTracey

its possible it could be the scale . weigh something that you know the weight of. and do it 2-3 times. if you get a different weight each time then yes it could be the scale. but if you weigh say at 8am and then again at 9 your weight can fluctuate that much in that little bit of time.(depending on if you ate,used the bathroom,or just normal fluctuations).

khristiana

I don't weigh my food yet, but I use my hand as a scale. Small portions, people. I'm NOT over eating. I'm making sure my foods are colorful, more vegetables. I do not eat bread, chips, pizza. Please do look at my diary! I need all the advice I can get.

khristiana

I weighed myself immediately. 15 seconds later perhaps?

CharlieBeansmomTracey

eyeballing portions no matter how small they are can be way off. if you dont weigh food you have no idea how much is really there(learned that the hard way). same way with food packaging,its not 100% and can be off as well.also even if its healthy foods you still can eat too much and gain weight(or not lose it at all). too much of any food can can put you over your calories,the difference between say 2 apples can be 20-50 calories even if they seem to be the same size. same with meat,most of the time no 2 things weigh the same