Help - what else can I do??

red2175

Hi! This coming May I am flying to Hawaii for the first time. The last time I flew I had to ask for a seatbelt extender. :-/ I don't want this to happen this time. It seems over the past few weeks I've been at a standstill with weight loss. I go to Zumba 5 times per week and swim one day per week. Some people had told me I wasn't eating enough calories so I increased the amount of calories from 1200 to my goal of around1700-1900 (for 2lb weight loss/week). Does anyone recommend anything else I should be doing? Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!

MysticRealm

Open your diary. Are you weighing all your solid food on a food scale, and measuring all liquids with measuring cups/spoons?

Mr_Knight

Open your diary.

red2175

I think my diary is opened? I'll check but yes I do weigh everything that I can.

Mr_Knight

It is now! :drinker:

You have all kinds of entries that aren't weighed. And your exercise calories are...well, let's just say you could divide them by 3 and they still might be to high.

courtney065

The biggest thing that worked for me was trying hard to cut the starchy carbs. Your potatoes, breads, pastas, rice, etc. this can make a dramatic difference in your weight loss achievements. I weighed 246 lbs and doing this helped me drop 20+ lbs in about 6 months. I gained some of it back when I started dating my boyfriend and now I'm back on the fitness boat. Now I'm down to 208, and am working on getting to 180lb.

It sounds like you're doing great to keep physical, so keep I up!!! And also give yourself positive vibes!! We're so bad to ourselves because we don't feel like we're losing weight, despite noticing that our clothes fit us looser. Keep up the good work and keep faith in yourself!!! You can do it!!

Lisabobisa13

Minimum caloric intake for women is 1200 calories. Add that to the amount of calories you burn when you work out, and that would be your total caloric intake for the day. Say you burn 350 calories on Monday, plus 1200 calories equals 1550.

Try adding a weight training routine (either dumbbells, barbells or circuit machines) to your work out at least three days a week (Here's a sight that might give you some ideas: http://barbell-exercises.com/). And keep journaling, every meal and every workout!

Good Luck!!!!

farmboyphotography

You are definitely staying active and getting a good amount of cardio. I see Zumba on your exercise diary. That probably includes lunges and squats. How about adding additional strength training if you currently are only doing body weight exercise, e.g. within the Zumba? In any case, strength training of some type, be it dumbbells or kettle bells or whatever suits you can really kick start your losses. Good luck!

sweetpea03b

I use a HRM when I go to Zumba and it's about a 700 cal burn. Now, you might have a higher burn if you're a little heavier than me but I doubt you're burning 1200 calories in a 1hr class. I highly recommend getting a HRM. It makes all the difference in the world so you're not guessing on your exercise. Also, as some people said a lot of starchy foods. Also, your sodium is pretty high. Eating out kills you on sodium. Make sure you're drinking a ton of water to counteract that or you'll retain water weight like mad.

Mr_Knight

HRMs will significantly over-estimate burns on exercises like Zumba.

sweetpea03b

Mr_Knight wrote: »

HRMs will significantly over-estimate burns on exercises like Zumba.

Not the way I do Zumba. When your heart rate stays at about 180bpm for an hour... yeah that's a 700 cal burn. Sure, nothing's 100% but that's pretty darn close.

Mr_Knight

sweetpea03b wrote: »

Mr_Knight wrote: »

HRMs will significantly over-estimate burns on exercises like Zumba.

Not the way I do Zumba. When your heart rate stays at about 180bpm for an hour... yeah that's a 700 cal burn. Sure, nothing's 100% but that's pretty darn close.

Heart rate does not correlate with calorie burn.

Sorry, but you're doing it wrong.

red2175

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I really appreciate it. I'll do some research to figure out some weight training and definitely cut back on the carbs. Tomorrow is a new day!

MysticRealm

So you only seem to have one day logged and nothing on that day appears to have been weighed on a scale as it's all in cups not oz or grams.

CaterinaThrace

Hello! I had a look at your diary too - I think you're massively overestimating your exercise calories. I run for an hour most days (outside, not on a treadmill) and I really only burn about 330-400 calories. Otherwise... I guess it's just a matter of time and dedication. One thing I've found has helped recently has been to really make an effort to stop eating dinner or lunch when I"m no longer hungry and concentrate on the idea of not having to finish everything on my plate. It's really helped. Good luck!

yirara

sweetpea03b wrote: »

Mr_Knight wrote: »

HRMs will significantly over-estimate burns on exercises like Zumba.

Not the way I do Zumba. When your heart rate stays at about 180bpm for an hour... yeah that's a 700 cal burn. Sure, nothing's 100% but that's pretty darn close.

Not if you have a naturally high heart beat during workouts. If I do a spinning lession I stay around 180 for most of the time when other people are at around 150. I can still sing along the music, no problem. My maximum heartbeat is just much higher than those equations tell me I should have. Could it be it's the same with you and that the monitor is using a similar equation?

V2Win1000

Well researching "counting macros" would be a good start. Could learn that callories alone may not solve all your weight loss goals if your body is in a defensive mode from the strain of a new lifestyle. Cortisol could increase.. Your metabolism could slow down to protect itself from massive fat loss from such a huge change.. I bet you're pretty stressed if thats the case in which case you would be getting by on pure determination! Learn about macros! Not saying your callories should go up or down thats your call after you learn how to structure your macronutrient needs, but ill bet if you get your protein up more or less around .8grams of protein per pound of body weight that alone would make a huge difference in how your body responds to such a huge amount of new strain. Its not only a staple for building muscle but also for loosing fat. You don't want to consume alot of fat, but cutting too much out can cause a hormone imbalance that also effects fat loss.. Carbs are necessary, but not in the way most ppl go about eating them.. You only need them as far as they effects your energy and selecting low glycymic sources of carbs does make a significant difference. Whatever macro nutrient ratio you decide on your carbs will be lower than your protein for your goals i would assume. It does take time for a body to adjust to huge habbit changes.. Took my body a month to adjust to a crazy lean diet before i finally starting making big progress, but then tweeking my protein and other macros was a huge part of that when those changes really started taking place. Hope that was something new?

CA_Underdog

Dear Red,

My biggest concern is you didn't log several days this week. If you're not logging, you can't be sure you're following calories in < calories out.

I worry that you ate 1200 kcal. I'm glad you increased it to 1700 kcal if that's what MFP recommends that you eat on a typical day for a 2lb weekly loss. You needn't make heroic efforts--which are often counter-productive. If you stay on-plan and the weight tends to follow.

Finally, I'm skeptical of your calorie burns--1,400 kcal/hr swimming and 1,100 kcal/hr for Zumba. Those are not impossible, but quite high! If you're eating per MFP (i.e., eating back exercise calories), big mistakes calculating your calorie expenditure can be costly.

red2175

I think the reason with the lack of logging was that I recently joined weight watchers and started logging in that app hoping that would give me some success. I know losing weight wont be overnight but I found I liked my fitness pal better so now I'm back to this site/app. I know without the logging here it's hard to give accurate feedback but now I'm back to this app for logging. I thought I was doing well with staying around the carbs, protein, and fat that the app recommends but must not. I'll definitely look more into macronutrients and figure out better alternatives and/or a plan to follow. When I first started, there were even days that I didn't hit 1,000kcal/day. I wasn't hungry so I didn't eat. Now I'm seeing that I have to keep the calories in a better range. Since I've increased in the calories I definitely don't exceed what the MFP recommends daily prior to exercise even when I exercise. I've tried for years to lose weight so everything that everyone is telling me is great! I have a lot to learn and I appreciate everything! It's going to take time but I'm determined to do it.

jbgibso3

It sounds to me like you're doing a great job! Being aware of what you're eating and fueling your body with is important. To keep it simple, try something different. Maybe your body is adjusting to the cardio or workouts that you're doing. Throw in some weight lifting sessions.

That being said, if you continue to be plateaued in your weight loss/body fat loss, I would suggest checking with your physician to make sure that you're in good health and that there isn't an underlying cause.