Am I not pushing hard enough?

MagdaSea
MagdaSea Posts: 78 Member
in Motivation and Support
Just to get this out of the way; I am not impatient. I have seen some results and I've been moderately satisfied with them.

On an average day:

I burn 200 doing cardio and strength training.

I consume about
1000 calories.
80 grams of carbs.
50 grams of fat.
90 grams of protein.

Initially I was seeing great results and lost 15 pounds in the first month. The second month has been interesting. Weight has flipped flopped, gaining and losing 5lbs day to day and to be honest, I'm seeing almost less tone in some places.

I'm not saying that I want to give up or that I'm expecting magic being only 60 days in. I would just like to know if maybe I could be doing something differently?

Replies

  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Are you very short?
    1000 calories is below the minimum that mfp sets for weight loss.
    Personally, unless you have some specific medical condition or are extremely short, I would up your calories, and increase the intensity of your exercise.
  • MagdaSea
    MagdaSea Posts: 78 Member
    Boo-erns. I had a feeling my workouts weren't high impact enough.

    Thanks.
  • zombiewithtea
    zombiewithtea Posts: 73
    You only read what you wanted to and took what you wanted to out of the response.

    Up your calories to a decent amount.
  • sweetcurlz67
    sweetcurlz67 Posts: 1,168 Member
    Might also want to see a nutritionist. They can help you with the food and the exercise. You state you work out every day? Depending on your body, they might recommend a schedule. Mine recommended about 4 days per week. My nutritionist helped me with both a meal plan and a workout plan. Well worth the money! She also followed up with me on a regular basis. She still would be if I hadn't been laid off my job! (I set my email to my work email & I forgot her email address - boooo :sad: )
  • MagdaSea
    MagdaSea Posts: 78 Member
    You only read what you wanted to and took what you wanted to out of the response.

    Up your calories to a decent amount.

    I'm very wary of upping my calories especially since - I am not joking - I feel fairly full after eating the calories that I do. I'm 5'3 by the way so not necessarily short but a slightly under average height.

    If I could afford to pay a nutritionist, I would absolutely consult one. Unfortunately I can't at this time so the best I can do is research into eating right. I've drank senna tea before. At the time, I didn't know what it was and only drank it after my mother-in-law said it would help with my upset stomach. Wow. Never again ha ha.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    15 pounds is a LOT in one month - from your ticker you only have another 5 pounds to go, yes?

    I think you need to be patient, and aim for half a pound a week.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    why are you eating so little? all you're doing is setting yourself up for binging, metabolic damage and health problems in the future...
  • Harry_jazzhands
    Harry_jazzhands Posts: 16
    Up your calories - if you cant eat MORE then add buffers, like a bit of butter or something, you CAN eat more, how else did you get fat in the first place?
  • ElizabethAnneLatimer
    ElizabethAnneLatimer Posts: 8 Member
    My fitness trainer told me to not do strength training every day; every other day at most. I had the exact same problem, and I do average about 1200/day, my trainer and my daughter said, it's not always about the scale; How do your clothes feel? How do you feel? While a pound of fat equal a pound of muscle, the pound of fat has more mass. My plateau was 20 pounds. BUT my clothes were all getting loose, and way too big.

    Did you take measurements before you started? That is an excellent way to measure. While I had only lost 20 pounds by my second month, I also SHED 40 inches!!! :)
  • KhatLady
    KhatLady Posts: 51 Member
    I'm 5'2" and do about 1400/day. I was stalled at 35lbs to go for months when I was under that. I'm with the people who say you aren't eating enough.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Personally, I would eat more, and then be more patient. It seems you are expecting a lot of results, in a short time. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. Weight loss isn't linear, one week you could lose 2 lbs, and then the next, you could lose none. But I would definitely start to eat more and be patient!!!!
  • MagdaSea
    MagdaSea Posts: 78 Member
    15 pounds is a LOT in one month - from your ticker you only have another 5 pounds to go, yes?

    I think you need to be patient, and aim for half a pound a week.

    Two things - this is not about patience and weight loss. I am not impatient as stated in my original post. But if I'm not working out hard enough, I'd rather know now and change my routine before it's two months down the line and I'm wondering why I'm still not seeing results.

    And I am not really particular about the pounds lost but more about body fat. It takes 2 months on average for women to gain 1lbs of muscle so it's not like the weight I have gained is muscle weight.
    Up your calories - if you cant eat MORE then add buffers, like a bit of butter or something, you CAN eat more, how else did you get fat in the first place?

    Are you being serious with this? OF COURSE I can eat more. People gain weight because they eat too much and of the wrong thing. If I eat 20 oreo cookies, it's not because I am hungry. It's because I have a craving for cookies, I am definitely not listening to my body and I am over eating. What the heck? That's exactly why people get fat. Why would I want to do this?

    I'm eating this little because I want to get to a certain figure. Not weight. I used to weigh 110 and I looked much more lean that I do now. So I suppose maybe I'm just trying to fast track to where I started out from. I haven't taken measurements for three weeks so will be doing that today actually.
  • Harry_jazzhands
    Harry_jazzhands Posts: 16

    Are you being serious with this? OF COURSE I can eat more. People gain weight because they eat too much and of the wrong thing. If I eat 20 oreo cookies, it's not because I am hungry. It's because I have a craving for cookies, I am definitely not listening to my body and I am over eating. What the heck? That's exactly why people get fat. Why would I want to do this?

    im saying eat more calories to say 1200 or so, not stuff yourself full of cookies, jesus christ.

    edit: spelling

    also
    People gain weight because they eat too much and of the wrong thing.
    this is bull****. if i ONLY ate 1200 calories of big macs everyday, i would be losing weight not gaining. Weight loss is calories in Vs calories out - it doesnt matter WHERE the calories came from, please be more deluded
  • sola24
    sola24 Posts: 334 Member
    You have to eat more. Period. I am just 5 ft and I eat 1600 calories and still lose. I dont burn more than u. I dont have much lean mass either.
  • MagdaSea
    MagdaSea Posts: 78 Member
    im saying eat more calories to say 1200 or so, not stuff yourself full of cookies, jesus christ.

    Fair enough. Just the way it came off in your post.
    Weight loss is calories in Vs calories out - it doesnt matter WHERE the calories came from, please be more deluded

    Don't get your panties in a twist or anything ha ha. I said too much and of the wrong thing. I can eat too much lettuce. It would have to be close to 50 heads of lettuce but it is possible.
  • mrsiCkstar
    mrsiCkstar Posts: 3
    The people telling you to eat more are right. If you eat too little, and you are, your body will think it's starving and it will actually hold on to the fat for energy and you will not lose weight as quickly. Try going up to like 1200 calories/day.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    What kind of weight training and cardio are you doing? and how often? And to what fitness goals?

    "I consume 200 cals" is not enough to go by.
    If you are doing 20 minutes a day of a specific program, whatever it is and it is aligned with your goals. Yes, it's enough.

    And yeah, eat a bit more. Even at your height, the rate of loss you have is likely resulting in LBM loss too. Not going to get fit that way and see the results you want to see.
  • ReginaM49
    ReginaM49 Posts: 65 Member
    It's a hard concept to accept, but eating too little will actually stop you from losing. You're in starvation mode. Eat more!
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    15 pounds is a LOT in one month - from your ticker you only have another 5 pounds to go, yes?

    I think you need to be patient, and aim for half a pound a week.

    Two things - this is not about patience and weight loss. I am not impatient as stated in my original post. But if I'm not working out hard enough, I'd rather know now and change my routine before it's two months down the line and I'm wondering why I'm still not seeing results.

    And I am not really particular about the pounds lost but more about body fat. It takes 2 months on average for women to gain 1lbs of muscle so it's not like the weight I have gained is muscle weight.


    I think your thinking is a bit off here....

    To lose weight, it is not how hard you are busting *kitten* in the gym.
    It is what you are consuming.

    #1, 1000 calories is very low. If you have been doing that for any length of time (say greater than 1.5 months), take about 3 days to eat at maintenance....then I guess go back to 1000 if you want. But I think you are asking for trouble dropping below 1200

    #2 We exercise to help burn calories, yes. Or lift weights, so you develop the muscle, so that when you get rid of the fat, your body looks nice and toned/lean.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    It's a hard concept to accept, but eating too little will actually stop you from losing. You're in starvation mode. Eat more!

    Not really

    Your body is recognizing a shortage of energy.
    So it is taking steps to preserve the energy it does have.....so it slows down your metabolism.
    But if you are below caloric needs, u will lose weight.

    It may slow down a bit though.
  • kethry70
    kethry70 Posts: 404 Member
    The issue is not starvation mode really. / it is a slight thermagenic slow- down with an increased risk of losing lean body mass. If you want to lose just fat, you can't realistically set your deficit so high. For someone who is do patient, you sure are in a huge hurry. I'm not sure why you asked for advice if you didn't want to hear honest answers.
  • loubidy
    loubidy Posts: 440 Member
    I'm 5'3 and I'm pretty sure I would die if I was only eating 1000kcals WHAT
  • MagdaSea
    MagdaSea Posts: 78 Member
    The issue is not starvation mode really. / it is a slight thermagenic slow- down with an increased risk of losing lean body mass. If you want to lose just fat, you can't realistically set your deficit so high. For someone who is do patient, you sure are in a huge hurry. I'm not sure why you asked for advice if you didn't want to hear honest answers.

    I realize I can't set it that high. I am at 24% body fat and was at 23% last year around this time. I am possibly in a hurry to get BACK to 23% but my ultimate goal is 20%. And I asked for advice as far as intensity of workout which is why the topic is "am I not pushing hard enough."

    I am just worried about eating more on an average day. I have one cheat day a week where I consume 2000 calories.
    #1, 1000 calories is very low. If you have been doing that for any length of time (say greater than 1.5 months), take about 3 days to eat at maintenance....then I guess go back to 1000 if you want. But I think you are asking for trouble dropping below 1200

    I started out doing P90x but now I go to the gym only. Usually run on the treadmill for 15 minutes (6.8-7.2) and then do about 35 minutes of strength training. I suspected this wasn't intense enough as I felt more sore doing P90x.

    Again I am not impatient per say. Just asking for advice. It's like handing a draft copy of your essay to be looked over before handing it in for the final mark. Essentially I just want to make sure I WILL get the results EVENTUALLY based on what I'm doing CURRENTLY.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Essentially I just want to make sure I WILL get the results EVENTUALLY based on what I'm doing CURRENTLY.

    i am sure you will ignore this, like all of the other posts you're choosing to ignore, but no, you wont get the results you want doing what you're currently doing, becasue you're not fueling your body properly.
  • charlychops
    charlychops Posts: 18
    Why have you decided to only eat 1000 calories??! Was it just a random figure you thought sounded about right or did you take all of your factors into account??
  • MagdaSea
    MagdaSea Posts: 78 Member
    Why have you decided to only eat 1000 calories??! Was it just a random figure you thought sounded about right or did you take all of your factors into account??

    I was struggling emotionally and physically with my weight. I was eating a regular amount of calories a day and it seemed like my weight just kept going up. This has never happened to me before so I admit that two months ago, I was in a bit of a panic.

    I am not all that hungry through out the day. I have looked into all those calculators online and I realize that I should be consuming about 1600-1800 calories a day considering my workout. I am not ignoring any posters who say I should eat more at all. I have stated several times that I am only worried about increasing my caloric intake. I plan to do it within a week.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Can I ask how you are measuting your body fat%? It's a notoriously difficult thing to measure accurately, and the difference between 24 and 25% is not statistically significant.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    I started out doing P90x but now I go to the gym only. Usually run on the treadmill for 15 minutes (6.8-7.2) and then do about 35 minutes of strength training. I suspected this wasn't intense enough as I felt more sore doing P90x.

    Again I am not impatient per say. Just asking for advice. It's like handing a draft copy of your essay to be looked over before handing it in for the final mark. Essentially I just want to make sure I WILL get the results EVENTUALLY based on what I'm doing CURRENTLY.

    I still say stick with weight lifting, there are a few good programs out there you can do.....


    But your calories are very low...
    And I see you say you just aren't hungry.....

    Ok, I can understand this....
    But if you are working out doing P90X or whatever else, and still eating so few calories
    I think you are asking for trouble......
  • marpeters
    marpeters Posts: 205 Member
    Look at increasing your calories first off. Too little calories over time makes your body keep the weight on....you'll loose muscle not fat. Secondly, look at water and sleep totals. Add ing more water and more sleep in your life can really make a difference for weight loss.

    Most of all...don't give up. You'll eventually find the key to what will make you loose more. One this is certain. You MUST change something....doing the same thing won't make you loose weight.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    The issue is not starvation mode really. / it is a slight thermagenic slow- down with an increased risk of losing lean body mass. If you want to lose just fat, you can't realistically set your deficit so high. For someone who is do patient, you sure are in a huge hurry. I'm not sure why you asked for advice if you didn't want to hear honest answers.

    I realize I can't set it that high. I am at 24% body fat and was at 23% last year around this time. I am possibly in a hurry to get BACK to 23% but my ultimate goal is 20%. And I asked for advice as far as intensity of workout which is why the topic is "am I not pushing hard enough."

    I am just worried about eating more on an average day. I have one cheat day a week where I consume 2000 calories.
    #1, 1000 calories is very low. If you have been doing that for any length of time (say greater than 1.5 months), take about 3 days to eat at maintenance....then I guess go back to 1000 if you want. But I think you are asking for trouble dropping below 1200

    I started out doing P90x but now I go to the gym only. Usually run on the treadmill for 15 minutes (6.8-7.2) and then do about 35 minutes of strength training. I suspected this wasn't intense enough as I felt more sore doing P90x.

    Again I am not impatient per say. Just asking for advice. It's like handing a draft copy of your essay to be looked over before handing it in for the final mark. Essentially I just want to make sure I WILL get the results EVENTUALLY based on what I'm doing CURRENTLY.

    Well, you'll eventually get there if "there" is realistic and you are consistent.

    Is this every day? Once a week? How consistent are you?

    Soreness is not a measure of intensity. I am more sore when I'm out of shape, and pulling lower weights than when I'm in form, going consistently and meeting my PRs.

Categories