Need some help please!
lrhodes907
Posts: 8 Member
Hi! I have been doing daily cardio workouts for the past week along with weight exercises & squats, all while watching what I eat and keeping my daily calories at 1200. But I’m barely losing!! My goal is to lose weight and burn fat, not turn the fat I already have into muscle and staying larger. I have been drinking a protein shake in the morning, collagen powder in my coffee, and drinking a BCAA for muscle recovery after I workout. Is that too much protein or extra stuff? I know there’s science behind weight loss, someone please help point me in the right direction! 🙏🏻
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Replies
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You're probably just retaining water from all the new exercise. Give it a few weeks to even out.
Are you counting calories using a food scale including all the calories in the supplements? Including the collagen.
All those supplements are really not necessary tbh, especially if you dont want to build muscle. If they're helping you keep on track and you like them, good, keep doing you. But you might be happier spending those calories on more filling foods instead of on drinks.
Also are you sure 1200 is an appropriate calorie goal and that it isnt too aggressive?
You sound like you're going hard core everything you can do all at once... it sounds like a recipe for "diet/exercise burnout"... especially if you're disappointed with how your body is responding. Losing weight is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one.
Do you mind me asking your stats? Might be able to help you wade through the process with the info.
Current Weight
Goal weight
Goal rate of loss
Height
Age6 -
Thanks Katie, that’s so helpful! The 1200 calories per day was from the goal I had set in my MFP profile. I just went and adjusted it to a smaller, more attainable goal which changed my daily calorie goal to 1500. I think that will help me not feel so burnt out. I have been enjoying the daily workouts but have considered readjusting my “schedule” of them. I have been inputting the extra supplements into my daily calorie count and there are different reasons of why I use each one. The collagen powder was just something I started to help my hair, skin and nails. The protein shake is because I am not big on breakfast and the recovery drink is to help me to not be sore from my workouts. I could easily cut out the last one though. And I think you’re right about retaining water! I especially feel bloated after I do my workout from drinking so much at one time. My current weight is 197, my newly adjusted goal is 180, 2lbs per week, height is 5’6, and age is 37. Thanks so much!3
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At 197 with only 17 lbs to lose, 2 lbs is too aggressive of a loss. Realistically, 1 lb a week for a couple of weeks, MAYBE, then .5 a week.
Also, you didn’t answer about the food scale (unless I missed it). Are you weighing all your foods?5 -
A friend of took 9 months to hit her goal. 1/2 lb a week and sometimes none. She adjusted her cals up and down depending on her excersise and recovery. Increasing and decreasing intensity. Protein up and down as choose to build booty or lean out.
But most of all she stayed the course, learned along the way, searched for answers that worked for her and kept those, tossing away the ones that worked only for others. But she was most of all persistent. consistent and patient.
You can do it too.
Check her out TinaZ20182 -
Some observations:
1) 1200 calories while exercising that much is low. Aside from the potential water weight from the intense exercise, the combination of low calories and exercise alone could be stressing your body to the point of retaining water, hiding fat loss on the scale
- it's only been a week. Our weight fluctuates all the time and weight loss isn't linear. It takes patience. 6 to 8 weeks to determine the true weight trend beyond fluctuations. A lot of people here use weight trending apps for that: Libra, Happyscale
- as has been mentioned above, choose a less aggressive rate of loss. And eat back (a reasonable estimate of) your exercise calories. You're not heavy enough to allow for 2lbs a week.
2) is working out daily, like you are now, something you can see yourself doing long-term? The best strategy is one you can stick to without needing tons of 'motivation'/gritting your teeth etc. Same thing with what you eat: can you see yourself eating that way long term?
The more unpleasant and extreme your weight loss strategy is, the less likely you'll stick with it long-term. Making temporary changes to lose weight to then be able to go 'back to normal' is how people regain after losing weight.2 -
Make sure the protein powder your using isn't full of sugar. I just learned that some powders are not really good for you and hinder your process. I gave my pea protein up, I'm just going to use home grown protein in my shakes. Just a thought0
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Make sure the protein powder your using isn't full of sugar. I just learned that some powders are not really good for you and hinder your process. I gave my pea protein up, I'm just going to use home grown protein in my shakes. Just a thought
@loni26 calories are what matter. Macros are far less important. If a protein powder is high in calories, but it’s logged properly it won’t matter for weight loss as long as the person eats in a deficit. Same for sugar. You CAN eat only cupcakes and lose weight provided you eat in a deficit. You shouldn’t for health reasons, but you can.2 -
Hey @lrhodes907. This is something I still get confused with as there is always conflicting arguments on MFP; do you, or do you not eat back the exercise calories?
From what I've seen, anyone doing MFP successfully long term is eating back their calories, as MFP already puts you in a deficit.
If you were in a 500 calorie deficit eating 1200 calories, then went and ran for 2h, and burned 1200 calories; your calorie intake if you ate your 1200 calories for the day would essentially be 0 because you burned them all running.
From what I understand, and @Lietchi please correct me if i'm wrong, but even if you set your activity level to really high (exercising 5 times a week), that number, let's say in your case 1200, is the "resting calorie level"; as in the number of calories you burn just sitting around. Exercise calories are on top of that. Is that right @Lietchi?
Basically i'm in the same boat. I'm trying to lose weight and train for a marathon. Which means I need to maintain energy for my runs; whilst also not over eating.0 -
Hey @lrhodes907 I just found this article that I think you'll find really informative: https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/eating-back-calories-burned/.0
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From what I understand, and @Lietchi please correct me if i'm wrong, but even if you set your activity level to really high (exercising 5 times a week), that number, let's say in your case 1200, is the "resting calorie level"; as in the number of calories you burn just sitting around. Exercise calories are on top of that. Is that right @Lietchi?
Basically i'm in the same boat. I'm trying to lose weight and train for a marathon. Which means I need to maintain energy for my runs; whilst also not over eating.
If you're using MFP as intended, your activity level is not supposed to include intentional exercise, it's how active you are in daily life (work, hobbies, household tasks...).
You then log your exercise separately, which will increase your calorie goal. Depending on the type of exercise, MFP might give an inflated calorie burn, so it can be interesting to do some research yourself to verify if the calorie burn is accurate.
(If you have a fitness tracker synced, it's a bit different: the activity level you choose doesn't really matter, since your tracker will send info to MFP to correct your calorie goal if you are more or less active than the activity level you chose.)1 -
Losing weight is good, in any amount. At a current weight of 197, losing 4-8 pounds in a month would be a realistic expectation. "Barely losing" is still losing.
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nanastaci2020 wrote: »Losing weight is good, in any amount. At a current weight of 197, losing 4-8 pounds in a month would be a realistic expectation. "Barely losing" is still losing.
Not sure on what planet 4-8 lbs a month is barely losing? 8 lbs a month is 2 lbs a week which is the maximum you can even set mfp to. Additionally, everyone’s 197 will be different. A 5’2” female at that weight could realistically lose more per week than a 5’8” female at the same height.0 -
Read more, attack less perhaps Dogmom?
Original poster said, in her first post of this thread, that she is barely losing. Later she stated her current weight is 197. I don't know her #s for how much she has lost just that she stated she was 'barely losing'. Implies weight loss of some amount which she was not pleased with. I was pointing out that even if one feels they are 'barely losing' then they HAVE lost weight, that is a success. I suggested that 4-8 pounds lost in a month, meaning 1-2 pounds a week, is a reasonable goal at 197 pounds.Dogmom1978 wrote: »nanastaci2020 wrote: »Losing weight is good, in any amount. At a current weight of 197, losing 4-8 pounds in a month would be a realistic expectation. "Barely losing" is still losing.
Not sure on what planet 4-8 lbs a month is barely losing? 8 lbs a month is 2 lbs a week which is the maximum you can even set mfp to. Additionally, everyone’s 197 will be different. A 5’2” female at that weight could realistically lose more per week than a 5’8” female at the same height.
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nanastaci2020 wrote: »Read more, attack less perhaps Dogmom?
Original poster said, in her first post of this thread, that she is barely losing. Later she stated her current weight is 197. I don't know her #s for how much she has lost just that she stated she was 'barely losing'. Implies weight loss of some amount which she was not pleased with. I was pointing out that even if one feels they are 'barely losing' then they HAVE lost weight, that is a success. I suggested that 4-8 pounds lost in a month, meaning 1-2 pounds a week, is a reasonable goal at 197 pounds.Dogmom1978 wrote: »nanastaci2020 wrote: »Losing weight is good, in any amount. At a current weight of 197, losing 4-8 pounds in a month would be a realistic expectation. "Barely losing" is still losing.
Not sure on what planet 4-8 lbs a month is barely losing? 8 lbs a month is 2 lbs a week which is the maximum you can even set mfp to. Additionally, everyone’s 197 will be different. A 5’2” female at that weight could realistically lose more per week than a 5’8” female at the same height.
Yes but 2 lbs a week may not be a reasonable goal and staring blankly that it IS reasonable may make people feel really crappy who can’t possibly manage that. Plus if OP isn’t losing then 2 lbs a week probably IS NOT reasonable for the OP. So your comment offered 0 value. Not attacking just pointing out that 4-8 a month is definitely NOT the definition of barely losing.0 -
I did not say a 2 pound per week was right for her. I said 4-8 pounds in a month. It is a range. It might be 4, it might be 8, it might be 4.5, 6.7. The OP knows much more about her #s than I do. But having a realistic expectation is a starting point.0
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I would start to add in some weight training. Heavy weights will not make you bigger. 0
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She’s struggling to lose anything so telling her 4-8 lbs a month is realistic is equivalent to telling someone with no money that 50-100 a month in gas to get to work is realistic 🙄0
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Dogmom1978 wrote: »She’s struggling to lose anything so telling her 4-8 lbs a month is realistic is equivalent to telling someone with no money that 50-100 a month in gas to get to work is realistic 🙄
Many people think TV #s like losing 5-10 pounds in a week is normal. So finding out actually 1-2 pounds in a week is the most to be expected can be VERY helpful.1 -
At 197 with a goal weight of 180, losing 1-2 lbs a week is probably unrealistically high. But maybe you missed that part when reading.
I wish I could find the chart to share it, but someone here has posted it before with how much weight you have to lose and what the realistic weekly weight loss is.0 -
Here you go:
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Dogmom1978 wrote: »
I need this explained. What do they mean by 1%? Is that 1% every week? Every month? I have like... 5 lbs to lose but 1% would say i could lose over 1.2 lbs a week still but thats completely different than the recommendation immediately below it.
Op lies in that 500 cal deficit a day range based on the lower portion of that infographic. So if she set it at 1500 and eats back exercise she is probably aiming for about that now.0 -
Dogmom1978 wrote: »
I need this explained. What do they mean by 1%? Is that 1% every week? Every month? I have like... 5 lbs to lose but 1% would say i could lose over 1.2 lbs a week still but thats completely different than the recommendation immediately below it.
Op lies in that 500 cal deficit a day range based on the lower portion of that infographic. So if she set it at 1500 and eats back exercise she is probably aiming for about that now.
It's 1% every week, as the basic rule of thumb.
But see how right under that, it says "that doesn't mean 1% is what you should aim for". The table underneath is a more detailed suggestion of what to aim for.
But it's always fine to go slower, if it's more sustainable. And it's probably fine to go faster if under close medical supervision, in cases where weight loss is urgent for health reasons.2
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