Why no loss?

aseigen

Hi all,

I made my profile public so you can help. Its been months of around 1200 cals a day and working out 5/6 times a week. My weight has been 145 since november and im 5'5. What gives??

Ninkyou

Your diary isn't public, so without that it's pretty hard to say.

However, are you weighing your food? Or do you use measuring cups or eyeball?

If you are not weighing your food, most likely you are eating more than you think...

and/or

overestimating your calorie burns from exercise.

Guinivere

....and are you lifting weights or doing endless cardio that your body has adapted to. You have keep tricking your body into working hard by changing things up about six weeks or so

Mr_Knight

Its been months of around 1200 cals a day...

Your diary isn't open.

collingmommy

Not EATING enough.

meggers22510

Do you measure out your food? Cause when we eyeball portion sizes... we tend to be wrong, unfortunately. Also, if you REALLY are working out that much a week, then I don't think you're eating enough. I was given 1,220 calories a day and I workout twice a week AND walk a lot (I'm a full time college student... so I walk everywhere). 1,200 calories a day with that much weekly exercise seems FAR TOO LOW! It's also dangerous if you are not eating enough with that much exercise...

I_Will_End_You

This is probably why: http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/


If you can't seem to get it right, get a food scale.

Blue801

Not EATING enough.

^^^this... I do not think is your problem.

janeytom

This is probably why: http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/


If you can't seem to get it right, get a food scale.

That's a GREAT blog!
Weigh everything! It's shocking, for example, how small a serving of cereal is.

aseigen

Sorry I made my diary public.

mschicagocubs

I'm also 5'5 and 142lbs. I started at 150 a week after new years. I've lost 8 pounds since and I'm set at 1400 calories/day

Try going up to 1400 and eating back at least 50% of your exercise calories.

Feel free to add me

cafeaulait7

I just looked at a couple of days of your diaries, but I'd say the elliptical burn rate is inflated by a lot, and a 2 oz chicken breast would be a really, really teeny little chicken

You might want to switch to TDEE-20% (or whatever percent you like), don't eat back exercise calories with TDEE, and yeah get a scale or otherwise figure out how to get very accurate sizes of things.

collingmommy

Not EATING enough.

^^^this... I do not think is your problem.

Looking at the numbers op gives, that is the issue. cardio 5/6 days a week on 1200 calories? Maybe netting 600 calories! That is below the BMR for a 145 lb female..especially 5ft5.

commtry

How long has it been since you started your diet??? I did NOT see any result for the first few days/weeks of diet/work out. It was different every hour, so I tried to weight every morning and average it, no change. But then after that, I see a SUDDEN change, and that type of series went on for a long time.
One time I eat so much and yet I LOSE weight. then I eat almost nothing and I GAINED weight. At those times, I always just think its going to be fine. Just stick to your diet. DO NOT be discouraged. Ur just in the usual LIMBO.

resistnz

You could cut down on the amount you are drinking as well. I am pretty sure that Jim Beam doesn't have a 0 calorie intake per beverage, even when combined with Coke Zero.

Exercise seems grossly overestimated while portion sizes mean you are eating pretty near to enough to starve yourself.

The key to actually achieving results - measurement, measurement, measurement. And this only works if you are doing it correctly, buy some scales as others have said here - you can get pretty good digital scales for around $25~ US:

http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Digital-Kitchen-Silver/dp/B001N07KUE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392538324&sr=8-1&keywords=digital+kitchen+scale

froggiebecky

I see a few things you could shift around:
1. Lose the booze. If you're out with friends, perhaps have 1 drink and switch to soda and lime for the others. (diet coke, club soda, whatever you feel like)
2. I don't see much in the way of veggies. Lean more towards protein and veggie, rather than protein and carb.
3. This is anecdotal, but I find I lose more fat with a lower-carb diet, so you might consider adjusting your macros (and you'll feel fuller, too)

jmv7117

Sorry I made my diary public.

I checked a couple of days of your diary. I see a lot of alcohol that is incorrectly logged. Jim Beam will come in at 100 calories in a shot (1.5 fl oz) so even if you mix it with zero calorie diet soda there are still 100 calories total in that drink, not 0. In terms of your logging of alcohol calories alone, you definitely consumed more calories those days than you logged. I think your calories from coffee entries are off too. The amount of alcohol means your diet is carb heavy and your protein is low. I see almost zilch calories from fruits and vegetables but a lot of calories from processed foods. I also see you are taking supplements (iron, fibre, multi) but these should not be used to replace those from food. I take a gazillion dietary supplements, all for specific purposes but that is in addition to eating healthy. I don't see any water being logged at all. I think you are over estimating the calories burned as well. I also use an elliptical with a burn of 207 calories for 25 minutes which would be 496 calories for 60 minutes. The longest session on the elliptical is 35 min and that is with a couple of short breaks. Do you actually go the full 60 minutes with no breaks? If not, you need to adjust for the breaks. Essentially, you aren't creating the calorie deficit for your desired weigh loss.

You could try substituting beer or wine with non-alcoholic versions (about 40 cal/8 oz wine or 50 - 80 cal/12 oz beer) or a light beer (about 70 cal/12 oz) which would save you a few calories and give you the alcohol portion you want. Buy a food scale (about $15) and use it. That 2 oz of chicken is likely closer to 4 oz. The food scale will help you get more accurate logging so you can make the appropriate adjustments. Buy a pedometer (about $15) and use it. Aim for 10,000 steps a day. Walking alone can add a fair number of calories burned. I burn about 265 calories per 10,000 steps (about 3.8 mi) every day usually by early afternoon with additional steps for a higher calorie burn after that. I would nix the 60 minute sessions on the elliptical because your body is getting used to it. I would replace it with other activities and use the elliptical for burst sessions which give a higher calorie burn in a shorter period of time.

jmv7117

I see a few things you could shift around:
1. Lose the booze. If you're out with friends, perhaps have 1 drink and switch to soda and lime for the others. (diet coke, club soda, whatever you feel like)

Of note, club soda can be quite high in sodium which can cause water retention. Be sure to log the club soda as well especially if you are watching your sodium intake.

wilsoje74

Too much alcohol
Inaccurate logging (even a skinny latte is more than 80 cal sorry)
I'm guessing you are consuming more than your diary shows

ebayaddict0127

You're already at a healthy weight for your height so it might take awhile to lose.

Stage14

Your logging is completely inaccurate. Sorry, but you aren't eating close to 1200 calories a day and you aren't burning nearly as much as you think you are on the elliptical. This is why you aren't losing weight.

lilbearzmom

I agree with the rest- it's your inaccurate logging. Why is Jim Beam logged as 0 calories? Also, I noticed there's an entry for a Starbucks latte that is wrong- it's not 60 cals for a Grande. Try 2x that.

writergeek313

Eat more. Some days you're not netting anywhere close to the minimum your body needs to function properly. That's not healthy.

Eat more real food and more balanced meals. There are almost not fruits and vegetables in your diet. You eat a lot of processed/packaged foods, which means you're getting a lot of sodium.

Your protein intake is extremely low. You should be eating 1 g of protein per pound of lean body mass you have.

A lot of the measurements in your diary seem really odd and potentially wrong. 12 mussels with wine and garlic sauce being 36 calories? That combined with overestimating exercise calories could explain a lot.

Mr_Knight

Looking at the numbers op gives, that is the issue. cardio 5/6 days a week on 1200 calories? Maybe netting 600 calories! That is below the BMR for a 145 lb female..especially 5ft5.

Those numbers are inconsistent. 600 net calories is literally concentration camp level of intake.

The OP's problem is absolutely not that she needs to eat more - the problem is OP is eating more than she thinks.