Does exercise not work for some of us?

ValerieMartini2Olives

Measuring cups and spoons are not meticulous. Weighing to the gram is.

SonyaCele

kpuzzuoli wrote: »

SonyaCele wrote: »

i think alcohol screws up some people's bodies metabolism differently than others. I can diet and exercise perfectly but if i even look at a cocktail it blows all my efforts. When i'm at maintenance, even if i include alcohol calories in my budget, i will gain weight. If i eat at a deficit and include alcohol calories in that budget, i will stay the same weight. The minute i stop drinking in a deficit the weight falls off. Over the years I've tested every different kind of alcohol possible and every calorie combination , and it doesn't matter there is no way i can drink even one cocktail on the weekend and lose weight. its not fair because i love to drink!!!

Oh my that is absolutely the worst news!

yeah it sucks, i let myself drink only several times a year for special occasions that i look forward to, and i make those alcohol cheat days count !!! but i always gain a few pounds that take me a month or more of a clean deficit to lose. The days of a relaxing glass of wine after work are long gone for me.

RavenLibra

find some literature on the caloric count of your "cocktail" of choice. and remember it isn't JUST the calories.. it is what those calories come from... 1500 calories from candy bars... isn't the same as 1500 calories from a well balanced meal.

Carlos_421

Credit: lemonlionheart

janejellyroll

RavenLibra wrote: »

find some literature on the caloric count of your "cocktail" of choice. and remember it isn't JUST the calories.. it is what those calories come from... 1500 calories from candy bars... isn't the same as 1500 calories from a well balanced meal.

The calories are the same. The macro- and micronutrients will be different, but I'm pretty sure OP isn't asking if she should switch to a 100% candy bar diet.

WinterSkies

kpuzzuoli wrote: »

I will say, though, that I feel pretty confident that I am eating within the 1560 calorie range (except for cocktail days).

Give weighing all of your food a shot.... I was shocked by the peanut butter and cheese serving sizes once I started weighing. And most of my fruit is much larger than the generic entries in the food database (e.g. 180g apples vs. 154g, 120g bananas vs. 80g). The bagels my husband eats for breakfast weigh 130g, not the 100g listed on the package. It adds up quickly.

I totally get the cocktails - my kids stress me out too. Could you have one, then substitute something lighter? Or choose diet options for the mixes? I am loathe to drink diet pop or juice (I'd rather have sugar than artificial sweeteners), but it might help you see if that's where the problem is.

vixtris

Get a digital food scale. Use it for everything. Problem solved.

Therealobi1

honestly i have never come across someone telling another person to give up aerobic type exercises
i would have given them such a dirty look
my nurse kept on telling me to get in my exercise at least 30 mins daily
anyway others have already said tighten up your logging
good luck

jkal1979

Along with a food scale you need to make sure that the entries that you use are correct. Read the "Logging Accurately" post in the Most Helpful Announcement at the top of this forum.

Timshel_

kpuzzuoli wrote: »

....it's hard for me to believe they are completely derailing my weight loss when I follow the program perfectly 5-6 days a week.

I look at calories consumed over 2 or three days more than daily. I might have a day I go over by a few hundred and I compensate to be under the next few days. That is how I handle weekends myself, to compensate for eat and drinking a bit more. During the week when I am at work and super busy it is much easier to be strict on calories for me anyways so I tend to also go a bit under each day (like not eating back exercise calories) so I am already 500 to 1000 calories extra under by Friday.

That all said, exercise is not, or in my opinion, SHOULD NOT be done for weight loss as the focus. I actually use it for the above mentioned deficit, or so I can eat more. The main focus for me is specifically system health though.

Realistically, the average person burns around 350-500 calories in day from exercise. If you equate that to food or drink terms, that is like a two decent IPA beers, a decent 1/4 burger, only 6oz. of that big steak at a restaurant, etc.. Really, the most effective way to lose weight and reduce calories is to moderate portions and intake. And it means logging every little thing - if it goes in the body it goes on the food and drink log.

Measuring is critical too. For example, I have granola almost daily, which is about 200 calories per cup. If I just scoop and dump (not leveling) I might end up putting a whole other 1/4 cup in. Doesn't sound like much but that is an extra 100 calories I didn't count. If you use butter or cream cheese, eyeballing is the worst because just a few extra tablespoons over what you think and log can add 100's of calories that day you didn't count.

And even in using cups you can make mistakes, so it is better to go by weight if possible.

Once you get your calories deficit dialed in you start to get a good feeling about what and how much of stuff works so you don't have to be as regimented, but it it best to be strict to start.

kshama2001

kpuzzuoli wrote: »

You guys are all absolutely right. It has to be intake, and it could also be constant inflammation from the workouts, and water retention. One the days I manage the program perfectly, I am often up 8 times a need peeing (which is another TERRIBLE downside.) I do have a food scale. So you're saying use the MFP weight option over the other service size options?

I'd very much like to say I could cut my cocktails, but they're the last of my vices and my kids stress me out! I could maybe reduce them ...

Lack of sleep can sabotage your weight loss efforts. I've battled insomnia for years and one thing that really helps is not drinking liquid after dinner. I drink lots of liquid, but earlier in the day.

Timshel_

kshama2001 wrote: »

kpuzzuoli wrote: »

You guys are all absolutely right. It has to be intake, and it could also be constant inflammation from the workouts, and water retention. One the days I manage the program perfectly, I am often up 8 times a need peeing (which is another TERRIBLE downside.) I do have a food scale. So you're saying use the MFP weight option over the other service size options?

I'd very much like to say I could cut my cocktails, but they're the last of my vices and my kids stress me out! I could maybe reduce them ...

Lack of sleep can sabotage your weight loss efforts. I've battled insomnia for years and one thing that really helps is not drinking liquid after dinner. I drink lots of liquid, but earlier in the day.

X's 100! I just posted last week about a sudden increase in weight loss, with nothing else changed except finally getting a few hours more sleep a night and drinking A LOT of water through the day.

daniwilford

kpuzzuoli wrote: »

many think MFP overestimates exercise calories.

For some exercise it does. I found there are also many descriptors that might not jive with my estimate. I found I could be walking at what I thought was at least a moderate or fast pace, I would be tired, sweating profusely, breathing hard and have an elevated heart rate. It was actually "leisurely pace" when I divide distance by time. When I chose the correct descriptor it gave me an accurate exercise calorie allowance. With walking it was easier to measure correctly than aerobic dance. It is much like the food data base, you have to select the most accurate entry.

Yi5hedr3

You might still lose weight while having alcohol, as some have suggested, but unfortunately it won't be fat. It will be Muscle and water, leaving you lighter, but fatter than before. Also known as skinny-fat.