gaining/not losing weight - help!

Tabsdrury

Hi everyone - ok so I'm doing my exercise everyday (the last week just walking and swimming due to a pulled muscle when diving) and I'm under or around the number of calories reccomended evry day but I'm not losing weight - I lost half a stone the first week then a couple of pounds - now its back on. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I am building a bit of muscle and my clothes are looser so I think something is working but I don't know what.......

EpsilonGamma

you need to tell people information, height, weight, age, what exercise for what time, what foods you are eating. otherwise what do we post? eat less, exercise more? be patient it's only been 2 weeks?

KarenJanine

Do you weigh and log everything you eat?

Do you eat back exercise calories? If so, how are you measuring your calorie burns?

If you are eating at a deficit then you are not building muscle. If your clothes are getting looser then it sounds like you are losing fat (less fat means muscles are more visible so they may seem bigger, but it doesn't mean they are).

Tabsdrury

Sorry - I'm 43, female, 5'7 tall, 15.5 st, exercise is cicuit training, swimming and walking, I'm under my calories every day - some by too much but that's usually when I've been busy - I weigh and log everything. I have one rest day from exercise every week - where I just go walking. It's been three weeks so far. I am impatient - it's no big stress I guess if my clothes are getting looser and I feel better but it's frustrating that it's not showing. I exercise as much as I can during the week what with work and walking the dogs and housework etc - there sometimes isn't the time to work out for hours in the evening.

Foods I eat are generally salad with egg or some chicken at lunch and soup with a bit of bread in the evening or slaad and meat. I did have a birthday muffin yesterday though (all logged!)

Tabsdrury

In terms of muscle improvement - what I meant is that I'm stronger - able to lift stuff easier - that sort of thing - is that just oimproved efficiency then?

grainfreemama

Are you eating back your exercise calories?

SezxyStef

so you've gained back 9lbs?

Tabsdrury

I don't know what that means really - I just go by being, on average, 300-400 calories under the allotted 1500 - and mostly I do about 400-500 exercise calories per day - except rest days. Does that help?

Tabsdrury

no - i'm just not losing and fluctuating by a pound or so.

SezxyStef

weight loss is not linear and a couple of pounds fluctuation is nothing...probably water retention.

With women it could be ToM or new exercise etc.

LisaPower123

Drink more water. Aim for 3+L for a few days. I find when I am exercising, eating right and not losing I have not drank enough water. Try going to bed earlier and get a good nights sleep.

Also be patient. I try to remind myself everyday it is not a race. Eat healthy (at a deficit), exercise, drink water, the scale will eventually go in the direction you want it to.

Phrick

I have has some amazing results with the 21 day fix program to anyone that is interested!!!!!! I can't figure out how to add a picture on here but feel free to add me on Instagram to see for yourself

Gavterenna

Mommies!!!!!! You can lose the belly!!!!!!!!

I feel fantastic guys! Please message me and check stuff out!

reported

Tabsdrury

Drink more water. Aim for 3+L for a few days. I find when I am exercising, eating right and not losing I have not drank enough water. Try going to bed earlier and get a good nights sleep.

Also be patient. I try to remind myself everyday it is not a race. Eat healthy (at a deficit), exercise, drink water, the scale will eventually go in the direction you want it to.

Thank you - will try that and thank you for the encouragement. :-)

Tabsdrury

I have has some amazing results with the 21 day fix program to anyone that is interested!!!!!! I can't figure out how to add a picture on here but feel free to add me on Instagram to see for yourself

Gavterenna

Mommies!!!!!! You can lose the belly!!!!!!!!

I feel fantastic guys! Please message me and check stuff out!

reported

Thank you!! :-)

veganbaum

I don't know what that means really - I just go by being, on average, 300-400 calories under the allotted 1500 - and mostly I do about 400-500 exercise calories per day - except rest days. Does that help?

So, you eat around 1200 AND exercise AND don't eat any of those exercise calories? You need to eat AT LEAST to your goal of 1500. Then you should eat at least 50% of your exercise calories, if not 75% (just to account for inaccuracies in MFP's estimates).

Why are you eating, on average, 300-400 below the goal MFP has given you? You should start with using the tool correctly, THEN tweak things if you're not seeing results.

sedodobird99

Do more cardio exercise!! You need to get your heart rate up. You can do things such as running, jump roping, etc. If you can't do things with a pulled muscle just be patient and don't rush the healing. However, if you can't do the things I stated above then you should be eating less.

tiger4nikki

Sounds to me like you are not eating ENOUGH calories. You should at LEAST eat what is recommended for you. It told me 1200 a day when I was doing this a few months ago. I didn't lose very fast even though I would eat back my exercise calories too. So I upped my calories to 1400 a day and I seem to be losing faster. And when I start back exercising I will eat those back too.

Phrick

I don't know what that means really - I just go by being, on average, 300-400 calories under the allotted 1500 - and mostly I do about 400-500 exercise calories per day - except rest days. Does that help?

So, you eat around 1200 AND exercise AND don't eat any of those exercise calories? You need to eat AT LEAST to your goal of 1500. Then you should eat at least 50% of your exercise calories, if not 75% (just to account for inaccuracies in MFP's estimates).

Why are you eating, on average, 300-400 below the goal MFP has given you? You should start with using the tool correctly, THEN tweak things if you're not seeing results.

+10 :flowerforyou:

Tabsdrury

I don't know what that means really - I just go by being, on average, 300-400 calories under the allotted 1500 - and mostly I do about 400-500 exercise calories per day - except rest days. Does that help?

So, you eat around 1200 AND exercise AND don't eat any of those exercise calories? You need to eat AT LEAST to your goal of 1500. Then you should eat at least 50% of your exercise calories, if not 75% (just to account for inaccuracies in MFP's estimates).

Why are you eating, on average, 300-400 below the goal MFP has given you? You should start with using the tool correctly, THEN tweak things if you're not seeing results.

Not massively helpful to tell me to use the tool correctly without offering further instruction - clearly I don't know what I'm doing - I eat what I want to during the day - blimey I've had to start eating breakfast just to put more calories on it. Should I be eating all the calories including when I exercise???? Or just the ones it gives me for food??? I have no idea - I figure eat what it gives me for food and then the exercise will work in terms of losing weight.

Tabsdrury

Sounds to me like you are not eating ENOUGH calories. You should at LEAST eat what is recommended for you. It told me 1200 a day when I was doing this a few months ago. I didn't lose very fast even though I would eat back my exercise calories too. So I upped my calories to 1400 a day and I seem to be losing faster. And when I start back exercising I will eat those back too.

Thanks. I am trying but dont want to eat if I'm not hungry and to be honest - the only things I always crave are ruddy great big cakes. :-) That probably wont help.

veganbaum

I don't know what that means really - I just go by being, on average, 300-400 calories under the allotted 1500 - and mostly I do about 400-500 exercise calories per day - except rest days. Does that help?

So, you eat around 1200 AND exercise AND don't eat any of those exercise calories? You need to eat AT LEAST to your goal of 1500. Then you should eat at least 50% of your exercise calories, if not 75% (just to account for inaccuracies in MFP's estimates).

Why are you eating, on average, 300-400 below the goal MFP has given you? You should start with using the tool correctly, THEN tweak things if you're not seeing results.

Not massively helpful to tell me to use the tool correctly without offering further instruction - clearly I don't know what I'm doing - I eat what I want to during the day - blimey I've had to start eating breakfast just to put more calories on it. Should I be eating all the calories including when I exercise???? Or just the ones it gives me for food??? I have no idea - I figure eat what it gives me for food and then the exercise will work in terms of losing weight.

I understand being confused by MFP when you first start. It is set up in a way that no other weight loss tool is. But, I did tell you how to use the tool. And you're not eating even the minimum MFP gives you for food, which is 1500.

1. You already should have entered how much weight loss your goal is (1 pound a week or whatever)
2. MFP gives you a set number of calories to eat to reach that goal WITHOUT exercise - in your case that is 1500. If you eat 1500 calories daily, you should lose weight without any exercise (providing your weekly goal isn't too aggressive, you're weighing your food, etc.)
3. If you exercise, you enter your exercise into your log, and it gives you more calories to eat to keep yourself at a healthy deficit and provide your body with proper nutrition. Because MFP's exercise calorie estimates can be off, many people will eat around 75% of them rather than 100%. But some people eat 100% and lose just fine.

Summary: eat the 1500 MFP gives you to start with AND eat at least 75% of any exercise calories you earn.

Tabsdrury

I don't know what that means really - I just go by being, on average, 300-400 calories under the allotted 1500 - and mostly I do about 400-500 exercise calories per day - except rest days. Does that help?

So, you eat around 1200 AND exercise AND don't eat any of those exercise calories? You need to eat AT LEAST to your goal of 1500. Then you should eat at least 50% of your exercise calories, if not 75% (just to account for inaccuracies in MFP's estimates).

Why are you eating, on average, 300-400 below the goal MFP has given you? You should start with using the tool correctly, THEN tweak things if you're not seeing results.

Not massively helpful to tell me to use the tool correctly without offering further instruction - clearly I don't know what I'm doing - I eat what I want to during the day - blimey I've had to start eating breakfast just to put more calories on it. Should I be eating all the calories including when I exercise???? Or just the ones it gives me for food??? I have no idea - I figure eat what it gives me for food and then the exercise will work in terms of losing weight.

I understand being confused by MFP when you first start. It is set up in a way that no other weight loss tool is. But, I did tell you how to use the tool. And you're not eating even the minimum MFP gives you for food, which is 1500.

1. You already should have entered how much weight loss your goal is (1 pound a week or whatever)
2. MFP gives you a set number of calories to eat to reach that goal WITHOUT exercise - in your case that is 1500. If you eat 1500 calories daily, you should lose weight without any exercise (providing your weekly goal isn't too aggressive, you're weighing your food, etc.)
3. If you exercise, you enter your exercise into your log, and it gives you more calories to eat to keep yourself at a healthy deficit and provide your body with proper nutrition. Because MFP's exercise calorie estimates can be off, many people will eat around 75% of them rather than 100%. But some people eat 100% and lose just fine.

Summary: eat the 1500 MFP gives you to start with AND eat at least 75% of any exercise calories you earn.

Thanks - that makes sense (I'm not actually stupid - honest - I just need stuff broken down into simple terms). :-)