Exercise/Food Trouble!!!

_calmjam

I've been on MFP for a while, but still haven't lost any weight. More specifically, I've been working out regularly with weights and cardio for the past 6 weeks. I feel great, but still fat (225lbs and I'm 5'9").

The past 2 days I've really pushed and ate really well nutritionally and calorically. But I'm falling off the exercise wagon. I haven't worked out since Monday.

It's so hard to do both. How do people feel good while not eating as much and working out, I find that my mood really plummets, even with all the endorphins.

I'd love to hear some positive stories and advice!!!

Thanks to all.

concordancia

It helps me to recognize the connection between the two aspects.

It is easier to do my yoga and bodyweight exercises if I lose weight: this helps keep me within my calorie goals.

The protein and nutrients help me build muscles to achieve my goals: this helps me choose more nutrient dense foods more often.

apullum

Weight loss is 100% about consistently being in a calorie deficit. Working out and eating “well” don’t ensure a calorie deficit. You can ensure you’re in a calorie deficit by using a food scale to weigh and log all solid food, and by making sure your exercise calorie burns are not exaggerated. If you’re using the MFP exercise database, many people find those calorie burn estimates too high and only eat half of their exercise calories to compensate.

If you’re feeling too tired to work out, it could be a number of things, including increasing your exercise too fast, not getting enough rest, not eating properly before/after your workout, and/or not getting enough carbs for energy, among other problems.

In addition, if this exercise is new to you, you’re likely retaining water weight due to the normal muscle repair process. This can mask fat loss on the scale. However, after six weeks and with your stats, I’d expect some change. I would work on tightening up the food logging.

lorrpb

Don’t choose such a steep deficit and be sure to back about half your exercise cals.

quiksylver296

How intense is your calorie deficit? Did you set up MFP to lose 2 pounds a week? Switch it to 1 pound or even 0.5 lbs. Eat more, lose more slowly, stay mentally healthy.

Panini911

i never had an issue working out as long as I ate ENOUGH. so sounds like the issue is you the two days you "ate well" you may have greatly UNDER ate.

how did you calculate how much to eat those two days? What rate of loss and how much do you want to lose?

sammidelvecchio

Try to figure out if it is your mood or your body sending you signals you need to rest. Some might not know the difference, but even if I try to lie to myself sometimes I am just feeling lazy and don't feel like exercising, but sometimes my body is telling me to rest and i'm tired. Start trying to tap into that and see if you can understand which it is.

If your body is telling you it needs to rest, or is tired - physically, I agree you might be under eating. If its your mood, a trick that has helped me is to make a deal with myself: if I take my pre-workout and still don't want to workout, I don't have to.

Good luck!

leggup

Are you measuring your calorie intake? Also, what's a while? If you've been at it for 4 weeks with no loss- congrats! You've found your maintenance.

_calmjam

Thanks for all your comments, I really appreciate all your support and advice. I did do a workout today, and was really mindful about what I ate - a sea change from the past. Let's see it continue. You got this.