Why is my plan not working?

LishieFruit89

OP is not gaining muscle on low calorie intake, whilst doing mainly cardio.

Actually as OP has said she has only recently started doing more than gentle exercise.. any new regular exercise will form new muscle growth as your body never did it before.. we are talking holding on to 1lb here and there instead of losing it, we aren't talking about bulking up. If her measurements are changing as per the clothes fitting differently but the scales aren't moving then YES this is could very well be the case. Not all muscle growth is from weight training and calorie loading.

Diet is also important, but she would need to be making some serious logging errors to account for her 500 cal deficit each day.

If OP had been logging for months at a sustained loss then plateaued my answer would have been different, but she hasn't so it isn't.

She's retaining water as muscle repairs itself from his but she isnt growing any.

chapklc

I hear you and understand, as another reply mentioned, you're probably holding on to weight due to changes especially if your exercising as much as you mentioned. One thing I was doing was overestimating calorie burn. There is a lot of information out there for gross calories and net calories... The calories you see at the gym, say for example treadmill, reveal to you gross calories (and if you eat all those calories back, it's just too much).

I highly recommend that you enter into MFP the NET calories burned. To help you get these numbers I suggest this calculator. It has helped me tremendously. http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/net-versus-gross-calorie-burn-conversion-calculator.aspx You just input the information for your self and then the minutes and calories you burned. It will then give you the NET to enter into MFP.

I know it all sounds a little nuts, but it helped me be more cautious about what i was eating back, and how much I actually had to burn to make a difference. I hope this helps

PrettyPearl88

Although I have been semi-going to the gym since late november....I didnt actually get serious about it till late jan.

Around jan 20th....i began only eating about 1300 calories per day (veggies, lean meats, the whole 9 yards) and excersizing more frequently ( almost everyday) burning about 200-350 each session (cardio) and some strength training for legs. Although I ate those calories back so my body would not go into starvation mode and hold on to any weight.

At first it was working...I lost about 5 lbs in 2 weeks....but then on my 'free day'...i ate more than 1300 calories (but still under 2000) and literally gained back all the weight i had worked off in that one day ( i dont know how). But ever since then...I havent been able to loose anything anymore....

what is wrong with this plan??...please heeeeeeelp!

UPDATE:
age-23
weight- 158 (got it down to 153 at some point in my dieting)
height- 5'6''

and yes...free day as in i ate around 1800 calories or so. (although i didn't excersize on that free day....I did walk around for a couple hours at a comfortable walking pace...about 2.5 mph)

yes my clothes do fit better and a bit looser actually.... but it hasnt really changed much with anything else.

I just measure the calories burned by what is says on the machine and also i enter all the food on here that i eat very precisely.

First of all, if you're 5'6" and around 158 lbs, you're NOT going to gain weight quickly eating at 1800 calories/day. (You may not even gain at all; that may be close to maintenance for you, but everyone's body is different so I can't say for sure.) So your one day of eating at 1800 calories almost certainly had ABSOLUTELY NO NEGATIVE EFFECT on your progress. So don't fret about that.

Second, if you're on your cycle/time of the month, it's entirely possible that your "weight gain" is due entirely to that. My weight normally goes up about 3-4 lbs during my cycle and then drops right back down when I'm done. It's totally normal.

Finally, have PATIENCE! Netting around 1300 calories/day sounds like a healthy plan and because it's healthy and fairly manageable, you're NOT going to see quick results. It's going to take time. (The plus side of losing weight slowly though is that because you learn to keep up the healthy habits for a long time, they truly become ingrained in you and the change becomes more permanent, so it's MUCH easier to keep the weight off!) You must be patient, stay strong and motivated, and keep going and doing what you're doing! What you're doing is clearly working because you said your clothes are starting to fit better! So CONGRATS! You're doing it right, just keep on going and please DON'T GIVE UP! It's going to take time, it might take a LONG TIME, but I promise it'll be so worth it when you get to your goal! *hugs* :flowerforyou:

P.S. Right now, I'm about 5 lbs from my weight goal, but I lost all of the weight in my ticker over a period of 4 years. I did it very slowly and during that time, I learned to make exercise and healthy eating work into every aspect of my life. I learned how to stay healthy and keep losing weight around birthdays, holidays, and even vacations. Because I taught myself how to stay healthy and still enjoyed my life during the last 4 years, the new habits I've formed have become so deeply ingrained in me that I'm a completely different person now, a person I couldn't even dream of before! It's easy for me most days to make healthy choices now because I've been practicing it for so long! It took forever to get rid of this weight, but I kept going and now keeping it off and still losing a little more is so much easier! It took forever, but it was worth it!

kuroboxx

will you help me and be my personal trainer?! haha.... really though.

I measure the calories by what it says on the package (ex. I log a veggie wrap from the store as 260 calories because it SAYS 260 calories on the package) that's how i measure calorie intake usually...

I guess I should stick to my calorie intake diet but only eat half the calories I burn in one day? and see if that makes a difference?

My biggest issue with weight loss is the lower abdomen and inner thighs. That is literally where all my fat cells are stored lol. (although it may be because I used to eat lots of sweets all the time) and I know how insulin effects weight loss.

I am confused about the low intensity/high intensity cardio. Everyone says high intensity is better... but I don't really know.

trogalicious

My biggest issue with weight loss is the lower abdomen and inner thighs. That is literally where all my fat cells are stored lol. (although it may be because I used to eat lots of sweets all the time) and I know how insulin effects weight loss.

your body just stores fat wherever it wants. there may be more there, and unfortunately.. there's no way of spot reducing.

jonnythan

will you help me and be my personal trainer?! haha.... really though.

I measure the calories by what it says on the package (ex. I log a veggie wrap from the store as 260 calories because it SAYS 260 calories on the package) that's how i measure calorie intake usually...

I guess I should stick to my calorie intake diet but only eat half the calories I burn in one day? and see if that makes a difference?

My biggest issue with weight loss is the lower abdomen and inner thighs. That is literally where all my fat cells are stored lol. (although it may be because I used to eat lots of sweets all the time) and I know how insulin effects weight loss.

I am confused about the low intensity/high intensity cardio. Everyone says high intensity is better... but I don't really know.

Instead of entering just the calories, scan the package or search for it. Nutrients like protein and fat are important too.

Anyway, your 1200 calorie goal seems reasonable. Your exercise seems to be relatively moderate. I would stick with the calorie goal and current exercise for 2 weeks but be super-religious about accurately logging everything.