Where am I going wrong?

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sophieannstowers
sophieannstowers Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys,
I've been 'dieting', or trying to eat a lot more healthily, for about 5 weeks now. I weigh 11st 8 and want to try and reach 10. I don't consume more than 1200 calories per day (only going over now and again and not by much), avoid fatty unhealthy foods and carbs, and do exercise classes (such as Zumba and clubbercise) around 3/4 times a week, supplementing days where I don't go with short bursts of HIT exercise.

However, I haven't lost a single pound, in fact, I've gained 1lb since I started. It's really getting to me and I feel so down as I hate my body and I'm worried it will never change. If anyone could give me any tips as to what worked for them or where I'm going wrong is really appreciate it.
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Replies

  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
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    How are you counting calories? Are you guessing, using measuring cups, or weighing in grams using a digital scale? Are you logging calories from exercise and eating them back? On the days where you go over calories, are you accurately tracking then, too?

    You might consider setting your diary to public, if you're comfortable with that, as folks will be able to give more specific advice :)
  • misspersiphone
    misspersiphone Posts: 9 Member
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    Hey Sophie. I've got no idea how you aren't losing weight at 1200cal and heavy exercise. Do you weigh everything you eat? All I can think of is that the calories you're entering are incorrect.
    I would also like to point out that you don't have to avoid fatty and carb-filled foods to lose weight - it's all about calories in, calories out.
    Also, how tall are you? :smile:
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
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    first thing first - eating healthy is a choice not a bypass to achieve results faster.
    It is how much you eat not what you eat.
    Second - whats your stats?
    Last - post a typical "daily menu" with quantities please.
  • ClareMillsRoberts
    ClareMillsRoberts Posts: 28 Member
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    Are you logging all your food on MFP and weighing/measuring strictly? That's the only way to really tell if you are sticking to your calorie goal. Are you new to exercise? As I understand it your body might hold on to some water weight if you start a particularly intensive new regime but that shouldn't last too long. I started at 11st 7 and have the same goal weight and daily calories as you, I found the scale didn't budge for the first couple of weeks but it's now coming off slowly but surely at about 1lb per week. I'm reasonably strict with logging everything I eat - including oils, spreads, condiments - and with weighing - I sometimes guesstimate amounts of low calorie items (like lettuce for example) but I weigh/measure most things. Also, check that you are using the correct entries from the database - I find a lot of entries are based on US brands/measurements so specifically search for entries in grams or with the UK supermarket/brand name so I get the correct information. If you are making lots of errors with your logging and not weighing strictly then this could easily mean you are eating more than you realise. Good luck!
  • kingdomtech
    kingdomtech Posts: 24 Member
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    Hey Sophie, counting calories is not the main thing. It is important to TIME your calories correctly in the day to help your metabolism. For example, popcorn in the evening may have little calories but you should try to eat ALL your carbs before the evening. Mornings should be HIGH Carb, little protein and fat, midday should be MEDIUM CARBS, MODERATE protein and fat. Try to not eat carbs or have light carbs after lunch (i.e. no pasta, rice, or potatoes for dinner. ALSO the body has a difficult time with HIGH CARB and HIGH PROTEIN so DON'T DO IT. Good luck! :)
  • sophieannstowers
    sophieannstowers Posts: 9 Member
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    Hi guys, thanks so much for your help!
    I'm relatively new to this system so I do imagine I'm not entering foods strictly enough, I definitely think this could be where I'm going wrong so also imagine my expectations are a little too high! I do weigh some things I eat, but not everything, as I usually estimate based on the nutritional value provided on packaging etc.

    Here is an example of a typical day for me (I did say I try to avoid carbs but looking at this I've realised I probably don't). I'm 18, do about 4 hours of exercise per week and I'm 5ft 5.
    Breakfast: 30g of Cheerios with 125ml of skinned milk
    Lunch: White grilled flatbread with 3 slices of wafer thin chicken and some salad
    Dinner: 1.5 Lime and garlic chicken breasts with some Birdseye vegetables and a baked potato with butter
    Snacks/drinks: Satsuma, Special K cereal bar, water, 2 cups of tea with a small amount of skimmed milk
    The app estimated I ate about 1100kcal this day, and I did a 50 minute Zumba class in the morning.

    Thanks guys, I'll definitely try and improve my diary skills!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    sophieannstowers wrote: »

    Here is an example of a typical day for me (I did say I try to avoid carbs but looking at this I've realised I probably don't). I'm 18, do about 4 hours of exercise per week and I'm 5ft 5.
    Breakfast: 30g of Cheerios with 125ml of skinned milk
    Lunch: White grilled flatbread with 3 slices of wafer thin chicken and some salad
    Dinner: 1.5 Lime and garlic chicken breasts with some Birdseye vegetables and a baked potato with butter
    Snacks/drinks: Satsuma, Special K cereal bar, water, 2 cups of tea with a small amount of skimmed milk
    The app estimated I ate about 1100kcal this day, and I did a 50 minute Zumba class in the morning.

    Thanks guys, I'll definitely try and improve my diary skills!

    how much of that stuff did you weigh on scales?
  • sophieannstowers
    sophieannstowers Posts: 9 Member
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    I weighed and measured my breakfast and the chicken/potato for dinner but not lunch.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    sophieannstowers wrote: »
    I weighed and measured my breakfast and the chicken/potato for dinner but not lunch.

    what about the butter on your spud? no dressing on your lunch?
  • sophieannstowers
    sophieannstowers Posts: 9 Member
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    Counted the teaspoon of butter on my spud! No dressing on the flatbread. Haha, I do think I'm being honest with myself but I get where you're coming from. Probably not being strict enough. Will definitely start weighing stuff a lot more and being very strict, plus will give 100% in my classes. Thanks guys, this was the kick that I needed !
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    sophieannstowers wrote: »
    Counted the teaspoon of butter on my spud! No dressing on the flatbread. Haha, I do think I'm being honest with myself but I get where you're coming from. Probably not being strict enough. Will definitely start weighing stuff a lot more and being very strict, plus will give 100% in my classes. Thanks guys, this was the kick that I needed !

    if you're truly only eating 1200 cals per day and your weight hasn't moved in 5 weeks then i would say go to the docs. given your stats, you SHOULD be losing weight.

    are you drinking any of your calories?
  • mrflipmode
    mrflipmode Posts: 64 Member
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    Good luck Sophie, im looking for some extra weight if you can send it my way !
    Like other posters have mentioned id check the ingredients and calories on anything you haven't made/cooked yourself.
    Please believe me here, it's just as frustrating when you're trying to gain weight as it is when you're trying to lose it.
    I'm having an Issue where I cannot get enough calories as I feel my stomach is full and wants no more.
    It appears you're getting involved and doing enough exercise so I don't think it can be due to a lack of keeping fit.
    Hold in there, that's what I keep telling myself !
  • sophieannstowers
    sophieannstowers Posts: 9 Member
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    mrflipmode wrote: »
    Good luck Sophie, im looking for some extra weight if you can send it my way !
    Like other posters have mentioned id check the ingredients and calories on anything you haven't made/cooked yourself.
    Please believe me here, it's just as frustrating when you're trying to gain weight as it is when you're trying to lose it.
    I'm having an Issue where I cannot get enough calories as I feel my stomach is full and wants no more.
    It appears you're getting involved and doing enough exercise so I don't think it can be due to a lack of keeping fit.
    Hold in there, that's what I keep telling myself !

    Thanks for the help! Wishing you the best with your own journey, I really hope you can accomplish your goal. Keep going and we can do this!
  • sophieannstowers
    sophieannstowers Posts: 9 Member
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    Just again, thanks for all of your help guys. I'm new to this type of tracking so think I need to improve. Definitely going to try and be a lot stricter with myself and weigh food and liquids this seems to be the key! I do think it might be my cups of tea and spreads etc that are catching me. Best of luck in all of your healthy lifestyles.
  • smotheredincheese
    smotheredincheese Posts: 559 Member
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    Is that typical of how you eat everyday, or do you have cheat days sometimes where you go over your calories?
  • sophieannstowers
    sophieannstowers Posts: 9 Member
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    @smotheredincheese I'd say that's pretty typical for about 5/6 days a week. Of a Saturday I might go over those calories because we usually have a bigger family dinner on a Saturday (most I've ever gone over by is about 200 cal, but usually it's between 50-100 as I'll try to skip lunch those days). Also might not go the gym on a scheduled if I'm busy so I won't burn as many calories and so instead of going 4 times a week I'll go 3.
  • kingdomtech
    kingdomtech Posts: 24 Member
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    abadvat wrote: »
    kingdomtech wrote: »
    Hey Sophie, counting calories is not the main thing. It is important to TIME your calories correctly in the day to help your metabolism. For example, popcorn in the evening may have little calories but you should try to eat ALL your carbs before the evening. Mornings should be HIGH Carb, little protein and fat, midday should be MEDIUM CARBS, MODERATE protein and fat. Try to not eat carbs or have light carbs after lunch (i.e. no pasta, rice, or potatoes for dinner. ALSO the body has a difficult time with HIGH CARB and HIGH PROTEIN so DON'T DO IT. Good luck! :)

    Wrong - timings, metabolism, which macros to consume when total and absolutely wrong.
    Metabolism works 24/7 and a meal won't speed it nor will it make function better.
    Nutrients have no timings and only thing that might approach you to this theory is feeding your activities.... but even that....!

    THAT IS NOT TRUE.. There is no tricking of the body and the point to just "lose weight" will not have long-term results. Our bodies were designed to process certain foods to do specific things. The idea that oatmeal will have the same effect on your body as chicken because "it's all calories" is preposterous. Nobody should trick there body to loose weight but recognizing what your body needs at the time it needs it is overall healthier and will lead to weight lose. In Sophia's example. She should eat the baked potato for lunch and have an extra portion of steamed vegetables in the evening with the protein.

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