Doing everything I'm supposed to and not losing?

ishietar

Hello!
I've been on this journey for a while now-- I've lost 57 lbs so far and I've been very patient with myself- it's been slow going but each pound down, counts.
I have 30 more lbs. to shed and I'll be good to go.
I always low-key count calories, didn't really work out-- I still lost and I convinced myself I didn't have time to really pay attention to the fitness half of weight loss.
Recently, I decided I had enough and decided I'm going to take an active role in losing the last 30 lbs to get to a normal weight for my height.
So I bought a NordicTrack with iFit, got weights. And I've been doing AMAZING. I work out for at least two hours every morning, burning anywhere between 500 to 1000 calories a day. I feel fantastic!
I drink my 8+ glasses of water a day.
I eat between 1200 to 1600 calories-- I tend to circle 1300 calories. My goal is to lose 1 to 2 lbs. a week-- shedding 30 lbs by November-- I mean, that's pretty reasonable, right?
I pay attention to my protein and sugar intake and I have to get better with carbs.
For four weeks, that's been me!
And I haven't lost a single pound!
I know I'm not supposed to get frustrated or upset- I'm not supposed to really get discouraged based on the scale-- but still, it's a little disheartening!
I'm not exactly sure what to do.
I'm not going to stop working out-- I'm having too much fun! I do a combination of cardio/yoga or pilates and weight lifting.
Any advice, or suggestions for adjustment, I'll take it.

Megan_smartiepants1970

Have you taken measurements ... I know we get obsessed with the scale but other measurements are worth looking at ... How do your clothes feel on you is another sign you are losing even though the scale says not ... Have faith in the process ...you have done great losing 57 lbs... Maybe change it to 1/2 lb instead of lb. you don't have a lot to lose ...wishing you much success

goal06082021

First: congratulations, 57lbs is amazing and you should feel proud of what you've already accomplished.

So, there are a few things that could be at play here:

1. There's something wrong with your scale and/or how you're using it. If your scale has batteries, when was the last time they were replaced? Do you move the scale around (put it away when you're not using it, for instance), or does it sit in the same place on the floor all the time? If you do move it around, do you put it in the same place in your house every time? Is the floor level and hard? Especially if the scale lives in your bathroom, dust and gunk can accumulate on and around the feet - do they need to be cleaned? Do you weigh yourself under the same circumstances every time (same amount of clothing, time of day, after using the bathroom/before eating or drinking anything, etc)?

2. Your CI:CO ratio is off. Where are you getting that 500-1000 calorie burn figure from? That seems high; if you're getting that from the NordicTrack, look into how it's calculating that for you. Also, are you weighing your food and using accurate entries from the database? There are some entries floating around--some of them even with the green check mark--that are wildly inaccurate. I've found a few that look reasonable when you click on them, but for some reason the math gets REALLY wonky when you change units. If you're not weighing your food or picking inaccurate entries, and depending on how you're figuring that calorie burn, your calories in may not be as low and your calories out may not be as high as you think.

3. You're retaining water and you're about to see a massive whoosh. This might be contributing even if both or neither of the above problems exist. Four weeks is not very long at all. Tighten up your logging, verify your burn, and if the math works out your body will eventually catch up. We retain water for all sorts of reasons, and one of them is for muscle repair following a workout. You went from spending 0% of your day exercising to 12% - that's a big jump and a big adjustment.

I will also say that for having only 30 lbs to lose, 2lbs a week is probably too aggressive for you. You should probably up your calories a bit and aim for 0.5-1lb per week at most.

Beverly2Hansen

I steadily gain weight for up to 2 weeks when I begin new exercise and then it starts slowly going back down. This is very common in women. You're also putting on muscle which will help your confidence once you get to your goal.🙂

TwistedSassette

Question: When you started exercising diligently, did you increase your calorie intake to fuel your workouts? If not, this is something you should do. If you're eating ~1,300 calories a day and burning ~750 on average, you're only leaving yourself 550 net calories which is much (MUCH) lower than recommended and can cause a lot of damage to your body. If you search here in the forums you'll find countless people who were in just the same boat as you, they increased their calorie intake and BAM, started losing weight again. This is the way that MFP is designed to work.

Of course, the 500-1000 calorie burn figure isn't always going to be completely accurate, so it may take some trial and error to find a calorie intake level that works for you, but maybe start by eating back, say, half of your exercise calories for a few weeks and see what happens. You can always adjust from there.

ninerbuff

Are you accounting for your exercise calories? I doubt you're burning 1000 calories in 2 hours (it's really intense non stop practically gasping for air workout) but let's say 750 calories. If you're only eating 1300 and subtract 750, then your NET calories for the day is 550 calories. And the body DOESN'T get enough nutritional value to sustain without forcing the body to slow it's metabolic rate. You should NET 1300 calories a day.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

yirara

Beverly2Hansen wrote: »

I steadily gain weight for up to 2 weeks when I begin new exercise and then it starts slowly going back down. This is very common in women. You're also putting on muscle which will help your confidence once you get to your goal.🙂

Yes, no!
When you start a new exercise or up the intensity then the body retains water for muscle repair. That's normal, that's water, that's not fat. TO is not gaining muscles. Gaining muscles takes even more time and effort than losing weight. You don't accidentally gain muscle but you have to work very hard for it, and consume sufficient calories for it.

neanderthin

Probably a combination of over estimating your calories burned and underestimating how much you ate. Your body will use energy from adipose if your undereating on a consistent basis which it looks like your not, according to your critique.