NO WEIGHT LOSS AFTER SWIMMING EVERYDAY

TAMMY7173
TAMMY7173 Posts: 32 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am so discouraged this morning. I swam laps almost everyday and stuck with my 1200 calories a day for a week. I didn't lose one pound What happened? I weigh 200 pounds so you think something would have come off.

Replies

  • norahwynn
    norahwynn Posts: 862 Member
    It's only been a week. I worked out 19 days straight before I lost a pound . I'd give it at least 1 more week (maybe a bit more), and if nothing has happened, you might want to up your calories. It could be that you're eating too little.
  • Siennacita
    Siennacita Posts: 67 Member
    I can understand why you feel discouraged - that sounds like a lot of work to not see results yet. But please don't lose your determination. I would suggest mixing up your exercise a bit. I understand that swimming is a great exercise, but because of the cold water your body may be trying to hold onto the excess fat, at least for a bit. Try mixing in brisk walking/jogging, elliptical machines, or some other sort of cardio exercise on some days.
  • cally69
    cally69 Posts: 182 Member
    Hi
    It doesn't sound like you are eating enough calories. When I weighed 200lbs I was eating 1600 a day and I swim 3-4 times a week for an hour. You will be burning a good number of calories during your swims and you need to fuel your body..have a read of the road map info on these forums to get a better idea of your calorie goals. You don't need to undereat to do this. Above all, stick with it, it will work!
    Best of luck
    X
  • kteach36
    kteach36 Posts: 6
    I feel your pain. I have been stuck for over 3 weeks now. I do an hour of aerobics and stretching 6 days a week. I swim and do aqua aerobics for an hour each day. I am staying at 1200 calories also. I am getting discouraged also!
  • schnarfo
    schnarfo Posts: 764 Member
    Calories estimates are always high on Mfp - maybe your over estimating the number of calories you've burned and eating back?
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    You will be burning a good number of calories during your swims and you need to fuel your body..have a read of the road map info on these forums to get a better idea of your calorie goals. You don't need to undereat to do this.

    This^

    Increase your calories. A car doesn't go anywhere without gas, and neither will your body. Eat your exercise calories back. Don't NET below 1200 (or try not to).
  • WalkingMermaid_
    WalkingMermaid_ Posts: 205 Member
    You're not eating enough, especially if you're not eating back some of those exercise calories.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    She may not be eating enough in the long run but a week at 1200 hasn't done any harm so there's something else at play here. Are you logging all of your food, every bite, weighed and measured? Are you eating back those exercise calories and if so, how are you measuring the burn?

    You can't count on exercise for weight loss. Your food intake plays at least 80% of the role in any diet and being truly vigilant with your food choices and intake is the key to weight loss. Open your diary if you want more advice on food.
  • TAMMY7173
    TAMMY7173 Posts: 32 Member
    How do I open my diary?
  • TAMMY7173
    TAMMY7173 Posts: 32 Member
    I figured out how to open it. Can you guys take a look?
  • learningslowly
    learningslowly Posts: 1
    i feel your pain i am differently exercising enough and i don't eat a lot, but i suppose I eat more than i should in order to lose weight. I am 48 and I just can not move the dial.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    How long have you been eating below 1200 calories? That's a very low amount for someone who's active. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but a lot of us have found that we can't drop the weight if we cut our calories too low. MFP gives you those earned exercise calories for a reason. You might want to start eating some of them.
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
    If everything you logged is accurate, you are not eating enough. I do think your exercise calories may be an overestimate, but you are not eating them anyway, so that is not an issue. You are under eating and need to net at least 1200. IMO, you should eat a portion of your exercise calories back.

    You may want to use fat2fit radio and do some research on BMR and TDEE. You need to fuel your body better.
  • busy91
    busy91 Posts: 15
    I just looked at your food diary quickly. 1st thing I'll say is that you are eating WAY too many carbs especially if you are only getting 1200 calories a day. My nutritionist told me that the number should be around 35 grams per meal. You go over on every meal (even lunch, because you don't have the carbs down for the Subway sandwich which is loaded with carbs). I'm not a carbaphobe, but I think between the combo of too few calories and really high carbs, you are stuck.

    Tweak both of these and I think you'll have better luck.
  • TAMMY7173
    TAMMY7173 Posts: 32 Member
    I guess I just hadn't been that hungry. I am also a vegatarian.
  • cingle87
    cingle87 Posts: 717 Member
    having a look at your diary you are netting 1000 for the yesterday, I didnt go further back but I bet its similar. You are not eating enough to fuel your body, your body needs more than that to survive search bmr calculator, you should be looking at eating above that minimum.
  • NyimaR
    NyimaR Posts: 108 Member
    I disagree with the person saying you're eating too much carb. Your carb is fine but you need to add a heap of protein to it.
    Pulses (beans, chickpeas or lentils), tofu, meat substitute (if you can get hold of quorn that's realy good), wholegrain carbs, some dairy, a small amount of nuts.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    One week.

    You have lost some weight due to your Caloric restriction.

    You have gained some water weight due to the fact that you are doing a new(?) exercise every day. This will almost definitely pass.

    In short, I can't (or won't) judge how many Calories you should be eating. But one week is simply not enough time to make any real determination.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    Waterlogged. :smile:
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    I have no explanation because one week at 1200 should have dropped at least a couple of pounds off someone of your size without any exercise. The only explanation I can think of is muscles retaining water if you are exercising some you haven't used before. Do you have a lot of muscle soreness?

    I also question the calorie burn you're getting from the swimming. Are you actually swimming full out laps for 90 minutes straight without breaks? Not many people can maintain that type of steady swim time. It doesn't do you any justice to show overinflated exercise burns even if you aren't eating them back. At some point you probably will need/want to eat some of those calories so logging them accurately is important.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    The body will retain extra water during new exercises (water aids in the transportation of materials to fuel repairs in muscle fibers).

    Additionally, changes in diet will also cause variations in water retention.

    Keep at it for a few more weeks and be encouraged by the fact it WILL eventually start moving provided there is nothing abnormal at play.
  • penny_lane709
    penny_lane709 Posts: 9 Member
    You're not eating enough. You also don't seem to be eating much real food. If you're a vegetarian where are the vegetables? Where's the fruit? You're not taking care of your body.

    Start by figuring out your bmr and tdee and try not to eat below your bmr. Then add more nutritious foods to your daily intake, and eat back your workout calories.

    Don't lose hope, you're obviously well motivated, you just need to do some more research on long lasting weight loss. Also when you push your body like that muscles retain water to help heal themselves, so don't freak out yet. Keep up your hard work!
  • jogglesngoggles
    jogglesngoggles Posts: 362 Member
    Well I took a look at your diary...keep in mind, I'm no expert...three things screamed at me as I looked through your last week. You are definitely NOT eating enough! You are eating a LOT of "bad carbs" ie: chips, sugar cereals, etc., and there are no vegetables whatsoever! You may be over estimating your exercise calories burned as well, so if you can, try wearing a heart rate monitor as it will give you a much more accurate count for your body. The counters on this site tend to be a little high!

    Best of luck and don't give up! Your body is doing something it's not used to. It could very well be figuring out what the heck is going on, and once it does..watch out world :)
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    I technically didn't lose weight after 2-3 weeks at first. That's the most discouraging point but you have to continue. It's now been a bit over a year and I lost what you see in my ticker
  • Lisamay380
    Lisamay380 Posts: 17 Member
    I agree, increase your caloric intake. I would also suggest you drink lots of water (I didn't see any recorded in your diary, unless you're drinking lots and just not recording any). Keep it up, you'll see results!

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  • jackjackattck
    jackjackattck Posts: 117 Member
    I took a quick look at a few days on your diary, and most days you are not eating back the calories you gain from exercise. This is making your net calories really low, and they should be higher. My advice is to up your calorie intake to at least 15-1600 a day and see if that helps! With super intense workouts, your body isn't getting enough fuel and it is holding on to the fat cells.
  • horrorstory
    horrorstory Posts: 125 Member
    Forget the calories/food intake, my post is only about the swimming.

    I was a competitive swimmer for 8 years, so Im not just talking out of my *kitten*. Swimming is a great work out. But just like every other work out you have to remember to challenge yourself. Get your heart rate up and do some sets. (eg. 5 x 50 m freestyle sprints with 1 min rest, or 3 x 100 m with 15 secs rest) Look up online at some swim sets, find something that you feel like you can do and work off of that. Remember to warm up, and cool down with some easy laps. Push yourself to do better each time. Swimming is a great work out, and it can be an AMAZING work out if you train hard with it.

    My favorite set currently is:

    6 x 100 1-free, 1-back
    8 x 75 Choice kick/drill/swim
    12 x 25 Choice: 1 build, 1 dps
    2 Sets of: 12 x 50s
    Set 1: Free – 4 @ 1:00, 4 @ :50, 4 @ :45
    200 back smooth
    Set 2: Choice – 4 @ 1:05, 4 @ :55, 4 @ :50
    200 back smooth
  • escloflowneCHANGED
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
    You need more fat and protein while you're at it!
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
    If your diary is accurate then you're not eating enough, and how much water are you drinking? At 200 pounds you should be getting about 100 ounces a day, and keep in mind that swimming will dehydrate you faster than running. Drink more water, eat more calories, and switch to TDEE.

    Rigger
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    Step 1 - fuel your body more. Add more protein and fats
    Step 2 - Give it time


    Your body needs fuel for the workouts and cutting calories too much can cause hormonal reactions to prevent weight loss, but also understand water retention can mask fat loss loss. You need to try something for 4-6 weeks before you change anything or freakout. I would eating around 1600-1800 calories if you are going to exercise like that.

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