Not losing weight.

dward843

I have been on a diet since the beginning of January. I have lost 20 pounds then went camping in June and gained two pounds. I haven't been able to lose any weight since. My daughter told me to come to fitnesspal and I'm tracking all of my eating and now started working out to Zumba. By the numbers I should be losing weight but nothing is happening. I have lost in inches...not big amounts but it is moving. What am I doing wrong? Any help or advice?

Dora

batty5

Hello Dora,I can sympathise because I too am having a lot of problems losing weight a nowhere near my goal. One thing I would say is that, like you I am losing inches so looks as if whatever exercise you do is paying off as muscle develops & as 1lb of muscle takes up less space than 1lb of fat inches are lost. Try to stick with it & perhaps look at what you are eating. Is your diary public? If so that may shed some light, low sodium & high fibre are essentials. Maybe we can encourage each other by being friends?
Good luck.

KeriA

I can't help but I will be checking to see what help you get since I just posted a blog on this too. However I haven't lost 20 pounds. I do think people can have plateaus but I haven't got there yet. I think you will get some more helpful replies soon.

meanddamonkey

Hey Dora,

You are losing fat and building muscle. Muscle is heavier and more dense than fat, so those inches are disappearing, and you are building leaner strong muscle to replace them. That is a good thing!

As you continue to monitor calories and work out, you will reach a point where your muscles will be adequate to the increased level of activity you are demanding of them. Then, your muscle gain will slow down. You will keep losing fat though, and the pounds will start to fall off.

The good thing about building muscle is that muscle tissue is hungry. For every pound of muscle you put on you burn more calories just to maintain it, so this initial re allocation of weight from fat to muscle will pay big dividends later.

Keep up the good work, and you WILL see dramatic results as time goes on. Remember to take the long view, and dont get down on yourself. Add me if you like, and we can support each other.

-Jon

dward843

I have been doing GNC Lean Shakes for breakfast and lunch and eating a regular meal. I have cut my portions considerably but my husband thinks that I'm not taking in enough calories. I'll have to check to see if my diary is public. I feel I've been taking in enough calories because even though I've cheated on stuff I've been staying within calories. I would love to be friends and have the support. Thank you.

KerryB1977

I'm new to this too so not an expert by any means but I agree with all the other replys. How is your water intake? If you eat alot of high sodium foods and don't get it flushed out of your body from your water you may stand still on weight loss even with exercise. Try uping your water, and if your not doing cardio along with strength exercises start because that can help too. Best of luck to you and feel free to add me as a friend too for some encouragement as you go along. :happy:

tmcowan

Unless you're eating a lot at dinner, I'm guessing that you're not taking in enough calories especially on the days that you're doing Zumba. The body needs at least 1200 per day and you need to eat the calories that you burn from exercise (at least try to). If you're leaving too many calories on the table you're hindering your weight loss. Happy Eating

dward843

Maybe I'm thinking wrong because I was trying to keep my caloric intake at around 1200 but then I do my exercise. Am I sabotaging myself? Also, can I add you as a friend for advice?

dward843

No, I've been doing the water intake sometimes over...by what I've been seeing maybe I'm not taking in enough calories?

dward843

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BigGail

Yep - every time you exercise if you put it in the calculator your calories go up - if you don't replace the fuel when you're exercising your body goes into starvation mode and hangs on to it's resources cos it thinks it's in famine!
Good luck, hope you like it here - everyone is lovely x

ebert5150

It could be that 1200 calories is not enough. If you're getting a lot of excercise it's almost definitely not enough. It might seem like a good idea to just eat the 1200 calories but if you burn off calories in exercise you need to increase your food intake or your body will think you're starving it and hold onto weight. Remember...if the mfp tells you 1200 hundred that just includes your normal daily activity, not exercise...don't cheat your body out of the fuel it needs to work properly.

megamom

I didn't start losing consistently until I increased my calorie allowance and started zig zagging. I also took the metabolism burning test to see if I had my nutritional ratio correct. I changed that and it helped. Just mess around with the numbers and see what works for you. I also decreased my goal to 1 pound and stopped stressing about how fast it was, or wasn't coming off. I judged my progress by how good I feel and how many sizes I have gone done. Hang in there, it will happen.

NanaWubbie

Try changing up your routine, just a little. If you've been walking, try bicycling or kickboxing. Sometimes you just need a little change in routine to bust out of that plateau. Are you eating the same foods day in and day out? Try to completely change everything up for one week and see what happens. Used to having cereal or oatmeal for breakfast? Try a two egg omlet instead and get that protein in first thing in the morning. I am a new user to MyFitnessPal, but six years ago I lost 150 pounds....and I have finally decided to tackle that last 30. I have been able to maintain most of my original weight loss. You have the perfect tools here at your fingertips. Best of luck.

sandara

Have you tried consulting your doctor? Sometimes you can be doing everything right and there could be an underlying problem that you are unaware of. Such as low vitamin D, thyroid problems, etc. If you really feel your doing everything right it might be worth checking out.