HELP! Diet and exercise but no changes.

Anamargonz

Hi there, I started back in the just over a month ago and I lost just two pounds. I have a calorie intake of 1270 per day being that 45%proteins 30% fats and 25% carbs and do strength training 4 times a week but I've beem stuck for the past two and a half weeks. Can anyone give some advice? I mainly want to lose far but don't know what I'm doing wrong. Can it be that my metabolism is very low or any other suggestions?? Thanks! I'm female 26 year old.

Anamargonz

I meant back in the gtm

livingleanlivingclean

How do you determine your calorie intake? Do you weigh all solids and measure all liquids, and are you using accurate database entries?

Anamargonz

Yes, i weigh everything I eat and I scan the products with the app, so far I found everything i scanned so good for me. About the liquids all i drink is water appart from my morning coffee with 50mls of semi-skimmed milk which I also log....

Anamargonz

Sorry i messed up with the macros... It's 45% proteins 25% carbs and 30% fats.

Nony_Mouse

When did you start the strength training?

heybales

So you started a huge deficit in eating compared to what maintained weight with no exercise?
(you likely never logged how much you ate before to know that 1270 is probably close to 50% less)

And you started lifting as exercise compared to none before?
What type of program 4x weekly for strength training?

26 should mean a high metabolism (compared to older) - but, are you short?

How much weight to be lost to healthy weight?

TavistockToad

Soubds like you're just being impatient to me!

Anamargonz

4 weeks ago, currently on the fifth week... I'm doing the same programme that i was doing before my nearly a year gap due to pregnancy and very bad anaemia. I definitely can see that I'm getting stronger per week as I'm close to the weights i used to lift...

heybales

Well - with limited answers comes limited possible reasons.

Your body is massively stressed out and retaining water for many reasons.

Likely huge calorie drop.
Total increase in exercise.
Strength training water retained for repair.

Great to find that you still have muscle to use and strengthen though - keep those increases going to tap the full potential of the muscle you got.

Anamargonz

Well, i lost lots of weight when i was about 18 and since then my metabolism slowed down bcos i didn't do.it properly at that time. I've always eaten little since then, let's say about 1500 per day cos i put on weight straight away if i ate more...

I started with a week of pure cardio and then the strength training. Each day i do different muscle groups like quads, hamstrings and calfs, then chest and abs...

I want to lose just 13 pounds

Anamargonz

Any ideas about how to fix my metabolism??

heybales

Sounds like an appropriate routine for an experienced lifter - which includes recent time lifting.

That's not you though right now. Perhaps couple of years.

3 x weekly whole body is going to provide the best results.
Muscle group a day is the other end of the range, so it'll take longer.

You can make 3x whole body a matter of 3 x a 2-day split of push/pull or upper/lower if you have the time for 6 shorter workouts a week.

13 lbs is going to be benefited from only a 250 cal deficit. Why stress your body out more on the diet, get the most from the workout and look better no matter the weight, 250 cal deficit will help that.

And since you said you had a child - I hope you were honest and selected MFP activity level of Lightly-Active.

Metabolism isn't really broken - but you may not like what body has done IF it really was trying to adapt.
Here's study that shows how they fixed it.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales/view/reduced-metabolism-tdee-beyond-expected-from-weight-loss-616251

(also, you have 60 min to edit a prior post to add to it)

Anamargonz

I'll take ur advice and change my programme and calorie intake and see what happens. I'll definitely be reading the article too.

Yes, i choose light activity levels otherwise i would just be lying to myself.

Thanks!!

TavistockToad

Anamargonz wrote: »

Any ideas about how to fix my metabolism??

reverse diet

Nony_Mouse

Anamargonz wrote: »

Well, i lost lots of weight when i was about 18 and since then my metabolism slowed down bcos i didn't do.it properly at that time. I've always eaten little since then, let's say about 1500 per day cos i put on weight straight away if i ate more...

I started with a week of pure cardio and then the strength training. Each day i do different muscle groups like quads, hamstrings and calfs, then chest and abs...

I want to lose just 13 pounds

Your metabolism is not slow from something you did eight years ago. Though you may well have affected it with your chronic under eating since then. Increase your calorie intake by 100 cals a day, then another 100 cals a day the next week, and so on.

That putting on weight straight away if you went over 1500 was probably a mix of glycogen replenishment and more food in your system, not fat gain.

swebb1103

The other thing I would do is take measurements. You might be toning, which will affect your measurements but not your weight. Do you notice in changes in how your clothes fit?
I only say that because I stopped losing weight when I started strength training and was very discouraged, until I took my measurements. I was dropping inches but the scale was not moving. I recently went shopping and fit in a smaller size in everything, despite the fact that my weight has only decreased a pound or two.

emailmehere1122

I'll second the no damage to your metabolism from 8 years ago,measuring yourself and double check your food entries ... and definitely patience

If you enjoy your workout program and are making proogress there is no reason to change it...you should quickly get back to where you were before

How much do you weigh...how much weight do you gain when you eat 1500 calories. If you're eating more carbs or sodium you'll gain some water weight...if that's the case it's nothing to worry about. You will also gain some water weight from working out...again it's nothing to worry about...it's supposed to happen

My suggestion is to keep doing your same exercise routine...eat your maintaince calories for a couple of weeks. The added carbs/sodium will cause you to add a little water weight really fast but should level off in a couple of days. After you see your weight stabilize for a week then cut 250 calories. Since you only want to lose 13 pounds you should set your target at .5 pounds a week and again ... patience

amtyrell

2 weeks is not a plateau. Particularlyas a woman. Time of month often makes a difference. Often weight come off mainly at a certain time of month.
Also are you using a weight trend app and weighing every day or if only weigh say once a week water or excrement fluctuation can be more than 2 lbs.

JaydedMiss

how is it people keep saying no changes and yet youve lost 2 pounds? thats a change. relax. adjust your expectations.

Lynzdee18

I think you’re measuring progress with only the scale number. There is so much more to fitness and health than weight. It took me a lifetime to realize that and I still focus on the number too much at times.

When I was on my way down in weight, I added a lot more walking and cardio, like the elliptical, when I got stuck at a weight for a week or so. That worked for a while but as I became more fit and felt compelled to run instead of walk, I found I was hungrier and began to weigh more because I was starving all the time. But also, I had muscles and not as much fluttery bits.

Perhaps measure yourself and record that instead of focusing primarily on your pounds? Set goals other than the number on the scale, which can fluctuate madly day by day. One meal with lots of sodium and carbs and I can be up on the scale as much as 5 pounds the next day!