Exercising and counting calories - not losing weight.
cajach
Posts: 22 Member
I'm 5'3 and I weigh 147 lb. I started counting calories a couple months ago but I've only lost 5 lbs which is rubbish.... I'm currently eating 1450 calories/per day and a week ago I started exercising 2-3 times a week. But I know it's not because I'm not exercising enough because I lost those 5lb way before I even started exercising. I chose my calorie intake by reading the In Place of a Road Map guide and using the fat2fit app recommended. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Do I eat less/more/more regularly but small meals, etc? It's really demotivating stepping onto the scale and noticing the number has not budged since last week. Please help. Thanks :-)
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Replies
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Btw my goal is to reach 130 lb by June. Is this achieavable?0
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First of all, you need realistic expectations. If you want to lose a total of 30 lbs as your ticker indicates, you will aim at a weight loss of about 1/2 lb per week.
Second, it does not matter when you eat, 2 large meals, 10 tiny snacks, just maintain a calorie deficit.
If you think you are at a deficit and you are not losing for weeks, then you are not at a deficit. Go over your diary and see how you are logging: do you log everything and I mean everything? do you use a scale or just estimate foods? when looking for a food in the database, do you double check or just use blindly whatever some user has entered, which unfortunately could be completely off?0 -
Thanks for you answer. I want to lose 30lb eventually but not before June. I am aware that is unhealthy. My aim is to lose at least 15lb by then :-)0
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You have about 12-13 weeks until June. I would aim for around 10 lbs by then personally.0
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I weigh all my foods by the way. Some days I go crazy and just sort of give up and eat another bag of chips or whatever. But generally I try to be as accurate as possible. Maybe that's why I'm not losing?0
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1. meal timing and frequency (how often or how many) has nothing to do with weight loss
2. it's not so much the number on the scale as it is your physical appearance. take pictures for comparison
3. define "exercise" -- cardio or weight training?
4. if you've been completely honest with logging everything you eat/drink and you're stalling with weight loss, then try lowering your calories by 100-150 and staying at this amount for another few weeks. weigh yourself every morning and take weekly averages. then adjust calories accordingly -- however I wouldn't suggest lowering them any more since you're already in a severe deficit. try raising it instead0 -
agge is giving great advice. It would be helpful to have you open your diary if you want folks to help you dig into things any deeper.0
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Some days I go crazy and just sort of give up and eat another bag of chips or whatever.
aaaaand we have our answer0 -
Could you open your diary.
Also, do you have your weight, in weekly increments over the last 8 weeks?0 -
I started counting calories a couple months ago but I've only lost 5 lbs which is rubbish....
So you are losing weight, just slower than you'd like to. It's not a race, as long as you are making lifestyle changes and staying in a slight deficit you're on the right track :flowerforyou:0 -
I weigh all my foods by the way. Some days I go crazy and just sort of give up and eat another bag of chips or whatever. But generally I try to be as accurate as possible. Maybe that's why I'm not losing?
If you're not logging EVERYTHING you don't know how much you've eating and are probably not in a deficit!0 -
Hi everyone, I've put my diary on public now. I completely went off the rails in week beginning 24th Feb. Also I don't log my exercise (I run on the treadmill btw) because I don't eat back calories so I don't see the point as long as I do it. Thanks for all your advice :-)0
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And I lost those 5lb in the first month of when I started but ever since I've just been the same weight.0
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And I lost those 5lb in the first month of when I started but ever since I've just been the same weight.
When did you start exercising?0 -
About a week ago. I'm trying to run for at least 20 minutes every 2-3 days. I know it's not much but I'm trying to start off slow.0
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Check out the libra weight scale in the app store on your phone... I use it and it's pretty good about showing the overall trend... It has helped me to see that I am making progress, even when it's only .5 lb in 2 weeks.0
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About a week ago. I'm trying to run for at least 20 minutes every 2-3 days. I know it's not much but I'm trying to start off slow.
Any exercise will of course help you get in shape and running is awesome to improve your health, so you are on the right track. But I doubt you are burning enough to really make a difference regarding weight loss, so focus on eating at a deficit and accurately logging to lose weight, keep up with the exercise to get fit
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About a week ago. I'm trying to run for at least 20 minutes every 2-3 days. I know it's not much but I'm trying to start off slow.
You have lost about 1lb a week that is a great rate.
The new exercise will cause water retention...that goes away in about 3 weeks.
Eat your exercise calories back...you already have a deficet built into your food calories...you need to fuel your next workout.
As mentioned this is not a race...be patient you didn't gain 30lbs in 2months...don't expect to lose it that fast.
ETA:
I looked at your diary and yes you are good at weighing your food...but I have to ask...
Do you log everything...that extra bag of chips?
be careful of the entries you use...anything that starts with "Generic" or "Homemade" or an * are user entered and no guarantee they are correct. I see some of your entries are using those ...homemade - chinese noodles, I would be leary of that calorie content.0 -
I'd agree with those that are saying to try and pay more attention to your logging. Also, give it time.0
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Please consider writing down what is going on and how you are feeling before, during, and after grabbing that bag of chips. Learning your triggers is just as important (if not more) as learning how to log everything and keep track of things. Good luck.0
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your diary looks incomplete, either that or you are logging everything as breakfast which it prob what you are doing.0
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Check you diary entries.
You maybe underestamited your calories. Some of your entries like for example pork congee entries seems to be way under a proper value.
For the look of you diary you are probably Asian so it can be hard to cut some carbs but your diet seem a bit unbalance. Try to add some greens and fruits and reduce a bit those bland carbs like white bread, rice everyday, etc at least until you reach your goal.
DH0 -
Weight doesn't speak to body composition.
It's irrelevant.
How much fat are you carrying now compared to when you started?0 -
Could be water weight? Did you weigh in at the same tome of the day? And are you being honest about your calorie intake? A few bites here and there can add up. Also, maybe the calories you are logging for exercise aren't accurate? You might want to invest in a heart rate monitor for a more accurate measure of calories burnt. Could be that you're putting on muscle weight wither. A measuring tape might be a better way to track progress than a scales.0
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My old rule was log your weight once a week (same day of week) and log measurements every other week. Sometimes the tape tells more than the scale. Other folks have offered good advice! Take it slow.0
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Weight doesn't speak to body composition.
It's irrelevant.
How much fat are you carrying now compared to when you started?
^^ This!
Your body could be still changing composition. I disagree with the people who say it's all just about deficit too so find out what works for you. Have you lost weight in the past? What did you do then? Some people respond to lowering carbs (not neccessarily drastically) and increasing protein, some lose just with deficits, every body is different. But don't stress love, you are doing fine. I know people who have taken 6 months before they saw there scale shift. Patience is key.0 -
I weigh all my foods by the way. Some days I go crazy and just sort of give up and eat another bag of chips or whatever. But generally I try to be as accurate as possible. Maybe that's why I'm not losing?
ding, ding, ding…we have a winner…
yes, you are not logging accurately, which is why you are not losing.
You need to weight/log/measure anything….if you skip logging 1000 calories a week then that is going to have a big impact….
start being more honest with your logging...0 -
About a week ago. I'm trying to run for at least 20 minutes every 2-3 days. I know it's not much but I'm trying to start off slow.
You have lost about 1lb a week that is a great rate.
The new exercise will cause water retention...that goes away in about 3 weeks.
Eat your exercise calories back...you already have a deficet built into your food calories...you need to fuel your next workout.
As mentioned this is not a race...be patient you didn't gain 30lbs in 2months...don't expect to lose it that fast.
ETA:
I looked at your diary and yes you are good at weighing your food...but I have to ask...
Do you log everything...that extra bag of chips?
be careful of the entries you use...anything that starts with "Generic" or "Homemade" or an * are user entered and no guarantee they are correct. I see some of your entries are using those ...homemade - chinese noodles, I would be leary of that calorie content.
just to clarify ..OP Is doing TDEE method so he/she should not eat back exercise calories...0 -
Your not counting calories accurately it's that simple so your eating far more than you think. The Calories you're putting down for Chinese take aways are hopeful at best. Prepare your own food weigh and measure everything and get more variety in your diet.0
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Ty so much everyone, I will take all your advice on board :-)0
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