Hard time losing weight

elyelyse

I eat about 1000-1200 calories daily and do cardio for 30 minutes each morning and 30 minutes of weight training each morning together. I also attend Barry's Bootcamp twice a week which is a 800-1000 calorie burn itself.

By trying everything I meant about 3 different diets and working out and different types of workouts. I even had a personal trainer.

I'm at 158 and I'd like to be at 135-140 again. I'd like to lose 1-2 pounds per week.

If you aren't losing weight at that level of calorie intake and exercise then you are either 1) eating more calories than you think 2) very very very very short or 3) need to see a doctor because you have a medical issue. (I suspect the answer is 1. Probably due to you not weighing/measuring your food.)

You don't need to try any special diets, or being vegan or special workouts. Most people here who have lost weight do it by eating the foods they love without cutting out entire food groups, by just eating at a caloric deficit.

With only about 20 pounds to lose, 1-2 lbs a week isn't healthy or sustainable, you should be looking to lose .5-1 a week. People who aren't very overweight lose fat more slowly.

Regarding the measuring thing...you mentioned in another comment that you don't measure because there can't be that much difference. Well, are you eating 3oz or 6oz of chicken? That can be 100+ calorie difference. 1oz of granola or 2? (Easily 150+ cal difference) How many calories in a single slice of cheese? Bc it depends on the size of the slice. Do you know what a serving of rice looks like? Bc being off by a quarter cup could cost you 50 calories. It DOES make a difference.

amjfox

I don't really eat processed foods... Granola has too much sugar in it. I'm trying to have a clean diet, so cheese is out!

If I was 300 cals say out that would take calories up to 2000 a day, I exercise 5/6 days a week burning between 300-900 cals a session which would take me back well within the TDEE recommended weight loss range. Is my calorie deficit too high? Or has my metabolism just given up because it misses haribo too much?!

amy1612

If you're not loosing weight then it's because your fat is TURNING INTO muscle - hence not loosing scale weight!

Your fat is HIGHLY unlikely to 'turn into muscle' on a very low calorie vegan diet #justsaying

amjfox

But I will endeavour to weight my food and see if that makes a difference next week. Thanks for the tips!

MinnieInMaine

Realistic expectations:

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

OP, you have 27 pounds to lose, that means you shouldn't expect to lose more than 1 pound per week and 1/2 a pound per week wouldn't be anything to sniff at. So 4 pounds since Thanksgiving is absolutely right on target.

Be prould of your accomplishments and be patient

elyelyse

I don't really eat processed foods... Granola has too much sugar in it. I'm trying to have a clean diet, so cheese is out!

If I was 300 cals say out that would take calories up to 2000 a day, I exercise 5/6 days a week burning between 300-900 cals a session which would take me back well within the TDEE recommended weight loss range. Is my calorie deficit too high? Or has my metabolism just given up because it misses haribo too much?!

granola and cheese were just 2 random foods i picked out...it doesn't matter if the food you eat is "clean" or not, or has sugar in it or not...if you do not have an accurate measure of how much you are eating, then...well...you have no idea how many calories you are consuming. Avocado is clean and sugar free, right? but calorie dense. nuts are awesome for you, and "clean" right?, but the difference between 1oz and 2oz of nuts can be 150+ calories. If you don't want to measure, that's fine...but then you can't really come here and ask why you aren't losing weight, because no one can help you.

amjfox

Please see my last post...
But I will endeavour to weight my food and see if that makes a difference next week. Thanks for the tips! I didn't mean to come across as nasty!

amjfox

or even weigh my food! d'oh

animatorswearbras

Please see my last post...
But I will endeavour to weight my food and see if that makes a difference next week. Thanks for the tips! I didn't mean to come across as nasty!

I don't think you're coming across as nasty, just frustrated and it's hard to think that you are doing things like under estimating how many cals of food you're eating or overestimating how many cals you burn. This was my exact problem.

I know I found a huge difference when I started weighing and logging everything that passed my lips (even sugar free drinks), it is just the little things that add up like underestimating what a tablespoon of peanut butter or light mayonnaise looks like, or that I was having double(!) the amount of museli then the portion on the box recommended, or that the cals between slices of wholegrain bread can vary from 60-160 cals.

I also found getting a heart rate monitor (in my case the Polar FT4) helped me track my cals burned during cardio exercise really helpful too.

amjfox

Thanks for the advice!
I have been thinking about getting a heart rate monitor- currently debating whether I want that or a garmin more!
It is frustrating as I avoid a wide range of foods due to them being high in fat- peanut butter, cashew nuts, cheese have all been kicked to the curb and things don't seem to be changing that much compared to when I ate more "naughty" foods.

I don't think my portion sizes differ that much each week but this week compared to last I put a pound and a bit on (and I've not had an alcoholic drink this week) I'm hoping my muscle percentage goes up next week as then at least I'll know that what I'm doing is making a difference in some form or another.
I'm just having a bit of a mope, I thought I'd had a good week food wise and then I get weighed and it all goes downhill. So from this evening I'll weigh all that I eat. x

Lesa_Sass

Thanks for the advice!
I have been thinking about getting a heart rate monitor- currently debating whether I want that or a garmin more!
It is frustrating as I avoid a wide range of foods due to them being high in fat- peanut butter, cashew nuts, cheese have all been kicked to the curb and things don't seem to be changing that much compared to when I ate more "naughty" foods.

I don't think my portion sizes differ that much each week but this week compared to last I put a pound and a bit on (and I've not had an alcoholic drink this week) I'm hoping my muscle percentage goes up next week as then at least I'll know that what I'm doing is making a difference in some form or another.
I'm just having a bit of a mope, I thought I'd had a good week food wise and then I get weighed and it all goes downhill. So from this evening I'll weigh all that I eat. x

Oh sweetheart, fat does not make you fat. PB and cashews are good for you, especially if you are vegan right now.

You are not eating enough. Please find out your BMR and TDEE and go from there and remember, fat AND calories are your friends if you eat the correct amount of them.

DeadliftAddict

Are you tracking you calories? Eating what you consider healthier doesn't mean you are eating in a deficit. For losing weight all that matters is that you are creating a calorie deficit. The better choices in what you put in your body is for how you feel, your skin, and all the other stuff. You need to track your calories like everyone has said to truly know how much you are consuming. After you are an expert at that you can stop and be able to give it the eye test to know about how much you are eating. Good luck.

FattyFeast

How frustrating! Hope you figure it out OP - don't give up!

This isn't exactly a scientific suggestion, but have you tried varying your workouts a little bit? I found that once I got to a decent level of fitness and that what I was doing was no longer pushing myself, I'd start putting weight on again because I don't think I was burning off anywhere near as many calories as I used to.
I started out running for about 30 mins then 45 and at the moment I'm up to an hour and 15 just to get the same effect. Even now I just feel a bit achey but never tired like I used to. Changing the intensity (possibly preferable to extending the time!) or changing to a different activity may perhaps help? If nothing at least it would make you fitter in a more dynamic range of things :P

Also the more used to something you get the more lazy you get. Or at least this is true for me! I have a lot more breaks during my running now than I used to, even though I'm much fitter now - just because I'm psychologically no longer on the ball. Anyway, I'm rambling but I guess I'm basically saying to re-visit the quality of your exercise and just see if perhaps there's a little bit you could change.

amjfox

I think people might have confused me with the author of this post. I'm not the vegan! I'm just as frustrated as her though and have more weight to lose. I couldn't be a vegan I like eggs and meat too much!

Lesa_Sass

I think people might have confused me with the author of this post. I'm not the vegan! I'm just as frustrated as her though and have more weight to lose. I couldn't be a vegan I like eggs and meat too much!

Yep, I did am I am sorry. Its the whole non picture thing. But I still stand behind my post, fat does not make you fat, fat in nuts is a good kind of fat for your heart and brain as a matter of fact.

amjfox

Ah lack of fat could be why I've been so daft lately! :-)

fast_eddie_72

So yes burning fat during exercise does effectively build muscle albeit in a round about way.

I'll admit I'm not clear on this, but I asked some questions just earlier today and got responses that sounded right to me.

If you're eating at a deficit, I'm pretty sure you're not gaining muscle at all, let alone "turning fat into muscle". You can't simultaneously lose mass and gain mass. One day I hope to have blown away enough fat that I want to start replacing it with some muscle. If you look in the weight gain forum, those people are eating a LOT. Just as we need a deficit to lose weight, they need a surplus to gain it. And they have the same issues we have, only in reverse. We burn fat, but lose some muscle as we do it. We work out to try to maintain the muscle we have so we're burning fat. They gain some fat as they gain muscle. They work out to make sure they gain a lot more muscle than fat. It's two sides of the same coin, but the coin never comes up heads and tails at the same time. If you're losing weight, I don't think you're gaining muscle from fat or anything else. At least that's my current understanding.

Now, I challenged this because I was kinda sure my legs, especially my calves, got bigger from running. I run quite a bit. They assured me that the muscles may have gotten stronger, but not bigger. I did my work out at the gym tonight in front of a mirror and I kept looking at my calves. I have to say, I think they were right. The look better. More defined. But now I don't think they are bigger. In fact, maybe a little smaller. All of that nonsense is new to me, so I could have something off. But I think that's the broad stokes of it. Either that or I'm completely wrong! lol Which, in this case, I could be.