Not losing weight - need help and advice! Please

haburgess

Just some background here, I have always been a dieter. I stated on January 2nd to the gym - running/walking intervals 5 days a week then walk/run interval 1 day on the weekend (2 miles and/or 30 minutes). Our family has switched to the Paleo diet (all healthy stuff). After 1 month, I had lost nothing in weight or inches. Last week I got a personal trainer, so I'm at 3 days a week with him and 2 days a week doing a treadmill/elliptical/bike routine (~45 minutes). I have now gained 2 lbs.
That is 42 days of being in the gym and eating healthy and NO results. I have about 40lbs to lose and I'm at 1200 calories, logging everyday along with tracking on my Fitbit.
I am EXTREMELY frustrated and I would like any suggestions and/or help. Thanks.

parkscs

Are you using a food scale? Doing paleo is fine, but you should make sure you're accurately logging everything and using a food scale for every item possible. You may be surprised how wrong guestimates can be. If you're just starting a fitness routine, your body may be retaining a bit of water which could account for those 2 lbs you gained. How are you tracking and logging your exercise calories? Are you eating them back? I would suggest you do eat them back but you need to be careful when it comes to how you track them and how much you eat back. At the end of the day, your food log and calorie counts are only useful if they they are accurate.

MommyApple22

1200 calories may be too low for someone who is exercising that much. Make sure you eat back the calories you burn.

diannethegeek

Would you be comfortable setting your diary to public so that we can take a look? It's possible we'll spot something that you've missed.

I'd hazard a guess that the 2 pounds you gained this week are water weight, either from the exercise, hormones, excess sodium, etc.

beedymondz30

Hey,
I was like this too and I had two knee injurys. I did INSANITY, PlanetFitness but I just follow the MyfitnessPal I eat 1700Cal a day I went to WAWA and I drink those big liters (2 a day) of water and I just walk an hour while I watch a movie on a tread mill..That's it!! Be realistic with your self and positive enegry will win here. Trust me and trust your self.
Good luck
Trish

AmyRhubarb

Yep, open diary would make it much easier to offer advice.

mrsjones2point0

I agree that 1200 is too low for what you are exercising.

MFP puts me at 1400 calories to lose a pound a week, but every other calulator out there puts me at 1700 to lose a pound a week.

I've been stuck on a plateau for as long as I can remember. Working out 5-6 days a week, eating 1400 calories, and NOTHING.
Two weeks ago I started adding back in calories and extra snacks through out the day, and I'm starting to see a little movement in the downward position.

writergeek313

1200 calories definitely doesn't seem like enough to fuel the amount of exercise you're doing. If you're not eating back your exercise calories, you're probably not netting enough calories to be healthy.

We don't know your height, weight, or age, which are all factors in figuring out how many calories you should be eating, but 1200 is too low in a lot of cases. Fewer calories doesn't automatically equal more weight loss. In fact, like you're experiencing, it might equal no weight loss.

Also: think about getting a food scale. I've been amazed in the week since I've gotten mine by how much I was overestimating portions and eating more calories than I thought I was.

bwogilvie

I recommend reading the posts that are linked in this post from the Eat, Train, Progress group:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

In particular, these two:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

WESKEITH

I think drinking the required amount of water is the key! Drink at least 2 glasses before each meal and another 4 during the day. I have a friend who lost 62 pounds in last 8 months by primarily increasing his daily water intake to 100 + ozs. This caused him to eat less and removed salt and other harmful items from within the body. Remember muscle weights more than fat and as you exercise your the size of muscles increase, don't get discouraged, the weight will come off. Good luck!














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haburgess

WOW! Thanks everyone!
I'll get on and see how to make that public.
And yes, sadly, I do have a scale to measure food.
However, I am not eating back the calories I burn. That could be part of it? That's just A LOT of food though!!!
Keep the help coming! I'm taking notes!!!

diannethegeek

I think drinking the required amount of water is the key! Drink at least 2 glasses before each meal and another 4 during the day. I have a friend who lost 62 pounds in last 8 months by primarily increasing his daily water intake to 100 + ozs. This caused him to eat less and removed salt and other harmful items from within the body. Remember muscle weights more than fat and as you exercise your the size of muscles increase, don't get discouraged, the weight will come off. Good luck!
.

Exercise alone isn't enough to increase muscle mass. The OP would also have to be eating in a surplus to put on any significant amount of muscle, and even then it's not going to be 2 pounds in a week or two.

Exercise does cause the muscles to retain water, because our bodies flood sore muscles with excess fluid to help cushion and repair them. This can cause a stall or even a slight gain on the scale and gives the muscles a "pumped" look, which is often enough to confuse people into thinking they've added a remarkable amount of muscle.

haburgess

That's good advice. I forgot to put in my water amount. I'm already at 80 - 90 oz. a day. No caffiene.

diannethegeek

It looks like you only started consitently tracking your intake here a few days ago, is that right? Before Feb 10th there are a lot of days missing and days where you only logged breakfast or stopped logging halfway through the day.

Have you been logging elsewhere? I often stop logging here, but I track on paper at home. It makes my diary look a little wonky at times, so I understand if you're logging somewhere else. But if you aren't logging somewhere else, I don't think you've been at this long enough to say whether or not it's working.

Get as accurate as possible with your logging and keep up with your trainer and give this some time to work.

Will210

Based on your diet the last few days... It does appear you are not getting enough calories. I would first change breakfast. Like maybe replacing the Kashi Bar with a protien smoothie. Like a cup of frozen fruit, protien powder. Or maybe eggs and fruit. Also try to get healthy fats like almonds, fish oil. Fats are really important and can help with fat loss. Does your trainer ask you for your diet? If not, maybe its time to check out a new trainer? He/she should be asking you each time about your diet. I know people are all about a calorie is a calorie but if you are going that low, try to get more nourishing calories.

Maybe the best advice would be find somone on here to pattern and benchmark. People ussually explain in their success stories how they did it. Vegan,paleo, meals five times a day, meals 2 times a day, 1200 calories, 2200 calories, no surgar, only protien..the key is finding somehthing you like and can stick too. Most of these people have their diets listed and are great about updating them daily. Would be a good place to start.

haburgess

Good advice! I will swap to a smoothie. Yes, the trainer asks me every time what I am eating
I'm a creature of habit, so if I didn't log it, you can be sure that's its pretty close to the same thing I eat every day.

deksgrl

Good advice! I will swap to a smoothie. Yes, the trainer asks me every time what I am eating
I'm a creature of habit, so if I didn't log it, you can be sure that's its pretty close to the same thing I eat every day.

MFP does not include exercise in its calculation for how many calories to eat. So, yes, eat more.

Also, I don't know your stats, so impossible to know if you set yourself to a correct calorie level. If you chose 2 pounds per week, you may be set at too low of a calorie level. 2 pounds a week is only suitable for those with a lot of weight to lose. Getting a result of "eat 1,200 calories" is often because people choose that much. This is too much of a calorie deficit for most people.

haburgess

My stats are I'm 5'4 and 210.

deksgrl

So, you probably chose 2 pounds a week to have been set at 1200 calories. I recommend you set it for 1 pound per week and eat back some exercise calories.

Or eat at TDEE - 20% and do not worry about eating extra exercise calories.

Using one of the many TDEE calculators I get this:
BMR: 1695 (the amount you need for basic body functions if you stayed in bed)
TDEE: 2627 (the amount where you would maintain your current weight, not gain or lose)
TDEE-20%: 2102 (this would result in about 1 pound a week loss)

Flacachica

Hi! I was just reading this and noticed your stats are close to mine! I'm 5'4" and started at 212 lbs. I've lost 11 lbs in about two months. I eat 1400-1600 calories a day -- whether I work out or not (and sometimes even more -- on a "cheat" day!). I continue to lose, so I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing. I'm no rock star athelete... but as I get more fit, I'll increase workouts or intensity. For now 30 mins about 4 times a week is all I do!

I bet if you increase your calories you'll see a difference.

haburgess

OH MY!!! How does one eat that much??? I'm serious! I dont know how I could fit that into a day!

fast_eddie_72

1200 calories may be too low for someone who is exercising that much. Make sure you eat back the calories you burn.

Could be. But won't keep you from losing weight. If the scale isn't moving, either you're not burning as many calories as you think, or you're eating more than you realize. A calorie deficit *will* result in weight loss. No weight loss, no calorie deficit. Eating more won't fix that. To be clear - eating too little is a really bad thing. But it's a bad thing that will result in weight loss. If there's no weight loss, that's not what's happening here.

As suggested, if you're not already using one, get a food scale. (edit - I see later you say you are) And many recommend eating back only half your exercise calories. I don't even seem to be able to eat that much back.

I have now gained 2 lbs.

No one has ever gained weight because they ate too little. Period. Don't mean to come off harsh, but everyone telling you to eat more is wrong. Something is out of whack. Take a look at your food measuring and reporting and make absolutely sure you're not missing something. If you gained weight, you simply are not at a calorie deficit. There's no two ways about it.

Repeating this for clarity - I am NOT advocating that you eat too little. Anorexics are not healthy and literally die from too little nutrition. Eating too little is no joke. But Anorexics are never fat. You simply do not gain weight with that particular unhealthy behavior. By what is being reported here, there's no way that you're eating too little.

erickirb

OH MY!!! How does one eat that much??? I'm serious! I dont know how I could fit that into a day!

If you couldn't or didn't eat more than that then you wouldn't be in the position of needed to lose weight, so you have eaten that much and probably more.

elleloch

Read up girlfriend. For real!

http://sophieologie.me/2013/09/26/1200-calories/

deksgrl

OH MY!!! How does one eat that much??? I'm serious! I dont know how I could fit that into a day!

Three 500 calorie meals and two 250 calorie snacks. It's not that hard to do, in fact it is rather easy to go over. Which is why most people are here.

hortensehildegarde

OH MY!!! How does one eat that much??? I'm serious! I dont know how I could fit that into a day!

you're kidding, right?

haburgess

I'm not an eater. I'm a starver. That's always been my go to when losing weight. I battled aneorxia for many years during high school. When I gain, that's what I fall back on. So, no, its not overeating that is my problem by any means.
I've done Weight Watchers, Adkins, Dietitians (a couple, actually), The Virgin Diet, etc. The dietitian used to keep me on a high protein, 1200 calorie diet. We moved to 1400 and 1600, working out 45 minutes once a day, then twice a day. I lost maybe, 10lbs in a year's time, then plateaued and never budged.
So, I'm not crazy when I try to keep my calories down. I'm a LIFELONG dieter.

fast_eddie_72

I'm not an eater. I'm a starver. That's always been my go to when losing weight. I battled aneorxia for many years during high school. When I gain, that's what I fall back on. So, no, its not overeating that is my problem by any means.

If you have a history of anorexia, you should get some advice from a professional. A bunch of yahoos on the internet aren't what you need. But something is out of whack. If you really are eating that little and *gaining* weight, something is seriously wrong.

tegalicious

I'm not an eater. I'm a starver. That's always been my go to when losing weight. I battled aneorxia for many years during high school. When I gain, that's what I fall back on. So, no, its not overeating that is my problem by any means.

Hmm. This just went into a whole different realm.

haburgess

It shouldn't be any different. I just listed all that I've done, along with the "professional" help that I have received.
I'll try and increase my calories and see what that does.

elleloch

Sounds like you've done quite a number on your metabolism.