My Exercise is Not Helping me to Lose Weight

MayaDyra

I have been exercising daily to lose weight since March 25.

For example, today I ran for 20 minutes on the treadmill without stopping on the "weight loss" setting. I also did many exercises (lunges, squats, planks, etc) which left me panting and exhausted. I have been exercising daily - today I hadn't even been planning to since I had slept 3 hours and was afraid I would fall over on the treadmill.

Needless to say, I also walked around the neighbourhood and cycled, which are things I did before I started the weight loss, anyways. I also take intense classes at the gym including spinning, Les Mills Body Pump, among others. I exercise so much that at any given point in time, my body is sore and in pain.

However, I am 57 kg up from 56.7 kg yesterday, ie 126 as opposed to 125 pounds. And both times were measured several hours after eating. It seems like there is nothing I can do and I am doomed to live my life being judged by others as an obese woman.

I am not going on a diet nor do I plan to, but I eat healthy, vegetarian food. I never use sugar in my cooking and I only drink water. I don't eat midnight snacks or other stuff like that.

GillianMcK

Is this an April Fool's??

What height are you that you feel 126lbs is obese (even at 5ft 126lbs is still within the healthy BMI range), what are you using to determine that 126lbs is obese (unless you're under 5ft then BMI is still within healthy range for 126lbs and BMI is only 1 measurement, muscle is denser than fat).

Have you 'damaged' your muscles with all the exercise and there is excess water weight due to swelling??
Could you have gained some lean muscle?? How many calories are you eating??

You would also need to open your diary for people to be able to comment properly.

I'm eating 2000 calories a day, running 4 times a week (minimum time 40min, maximum depends on how long my long run is but can be up to 4hrs), a PT session once a week and a weights class once a week and still losing approx 2lb a week.

greypilgrimess

To lose weight you need to use more calories than you eat. Roughly 3500 calories equates to a lb of fat. An example: On the treadmill I burn roughly 200 calories for a 20 minute session, so that's nearly 18 of those treadmill sessions to lose a lb.

Most successful weight loss happens with exercise and changes in the kitchen together, the bulk usually comes from the food. Have you tried tracking your food intake and logging your exercise to see what your situation is?

Also, water weight (especially when exercise is involved) can affect your weight by something like 3lbs a day. Try weighing yourself once a week, first thing in the morning. It's not a fail proof but it's more consistent than the middle of the day.

MayaDyra

Hi Gillian, no, I am serious. I'm 5'3''. I have been feeling bad about my weight after my close friend Kazik ended our friendship because he thought I was too fat. Some people I know tell me that I"m not fat but I feel that they're just trying to be nice especially since they follow up with comments like "wow really? you weigh 126 pounds? I'm only 100 pounds but we're the same height."

I hope I have not damaged my muscles But my 2 knees are hurt, yes. IDK how many calories I'm eating. It's kind of hard to calculate in Taiwan because for example the thing I ate today had all sorts of random vegetables in it and I don't count calories as I feel like I am eating healthy and don't need to change my diet, but rather exercise more. Wow you can run for 40 min at a time or 4 hours?????? AMAZING *.* I am happy for you that you are losing the weight you want to lose Gillian

greypilgrimess

Maya, you're at my goal weight! (We're the same height). It sounds to me like Kazik wasn't such a good friend after all.

Weight lifting is a good tool for toning up and helping lose the last few lbs (you really don't have much to lose). It will also be slow because your body is at a healthy weight and probably wants to stay there.

traceydawn89

Hi Huni,

I'm sorry but if someone ends a friendship because they think your'e too fat! Then they are no friend!!
Tracey xx

GillianMcK

I'm marathon training, that time spent running will drop in 8 weeks.
5ft 3, 126lbs' is well within the healthy BMI range, going down to 100lbs puts you in the underweight category, I'm overweight (my current BMI was just inside the obese range the last time I had my measurements done, I weigh myself every week but get full body measurements done approx every 6 weeks) so I have a lot more weight to lose.

Personally I don't care what people think about me, I certainly wouldn't end a friendship because I felt that someone had gained weight (that's not really what a friend would do), if you want to lose a bit of weight that's fine, but do it for yourself not for anyone else.

It's difficult but you would need to log food to get an idea of how many calories you're consuming against how many you want to consume (also including exercise calories, once my marathon is done my calories will most likely drop)

animatorswearbras

Your muscles are retaining water weight for repair from increasing your exercise, give your body at least a couple of weeks to adjust to your new regime, also make sure you are at least eating your BMR in cals or you'll be burning muscle along with the fat. x

changergirl

Exercise isn't going to help you lose weight, your diet is what's going to do it. Though at your weight you definitely don't need to. I think you probably need to just develop more confidence in your body! If you weigh more than your friend who thinks you look the same it probably just means you have more muscle which is a good thing!

Anyway, I live in Korea and eat a ton of meals that are full of random vegetables and other ingredients and I'm able to count calories and figure it out, for the most part. It takes some time at the beginning but it becomes much easier especially if you're eating the same foods.

Good luck!

ndj1979

I have been exercising daily to lose weight since March 25.

For example, today I ran for 20 minutes on the treadmill without stopping on the "weight loss" setting. I also did many exercises (lunges, squats, planks, etc) which left me panting and exhausted. I have been exercising daily - today I hadn't even been planning to since I had slept 3 hours and was afraid I would fall over on the treadmill.

Needless to say, I also walked around the neighbourhood and cycled, which are things I did before I started the weight loss, anyways. I also take intense classes at the gym including spinning, Les Mills Body Pump, among others. I exercise so much that at any given point in time, my body is sore and in pain.

However, I am 57 kg up from 56.7 kg yesterday, ie 126 as opposed to 125 pounds. And both times were measured several hours after eating. It seems like there is nothing I can do and I am doomed to live my life being judged by others as an obese woman.

I am not going on a diet nor do I plan to, but I eat healthy, vegetarian food. I never use sugar in my cooking and I only drink water. I don't eat midnight snacks or other stuff like that.

if you are not losing then you are over eating and are not in a calorie deficit.

this is must by a april fools troll post...

PhearlessPhreaks

OP, with that slight fluctuation, I'd bet it's water weight.

Make sure you're drinking plenty of water, as it will help with water retention. You said you aren't counting calories because it's too hard; if you're not going track cals, at least write down what you eat and how much of it you eat. Weight loss happens in the kitchen and you can't out-exercise a bad diet; meaning, exercise helps create a deficit, but even if you're eating 'healthy', you can still eat too many calories to make weight loss successful.

Give it more than a week, track your food in *some* way, drink plenty of water and exercise to be healthy, not to lose weight.

ETA: if your body is constantly sore from working out, you need to rest. Rest is when your body repairs itself. You do yourself no favors not giving your body a chance to recover.

Feel free to FR me :flowerforyou:

jenm0611

First off, your "friend" wasn't really a friend and to be brutally honest with you, it sounds to me like there are self esteem issues not weight issues. My dear, I am 5'5" and at 135 I look anorexic so you are 10 pounds lighter and 2 inches shorter, you are absolutely perfect.

Your "friend" is a shallow, egotistical excuse for a human being and will never be happy with anyone. Please do not take what he says seriously, do what feels good for you! People who tell you they weight less than you and are the same height, ignore it! Not every body is built the same, what is good for them at 100 is good for you at 126. As long as you are healthy that is what matters.

Secondly, you have been exercising for 7 days now and if you are exercising as much as you say you are building more muscle and everyone knows that muscle weighs more than fat does. Stay off the scale for a while and do what feels best for you....which I hate to say it, might include talking to a therapist about your self esteem issues caused by some shallow *kitten*!

SonicDeathMonkey80

It's all muscle!

youngamber82

You are not obese! I would LOVE to weigh 126 lbs! My ex used to tell me I was fat all the time. Turns out I am not fat, my ex just wasn't very nice. I weigh 140 lbs and I am 5'7. I need to TONE, yes, but I am not FAT. Neither are you.

lilchino4af

For what it's worth, I would track what you eat, not so much to go on a diet but to give you a visual perspective/comparison of how many calories you're eating compared to how many calories you're burning (track that too). You may find that instead of eating too much as other posters have commented (especially if as you mentioned you're eating vegetarian) that you're not eating enough. Too large a deficit can actually have the opposite affect to weight loss, especially when you don't have that much to lose for your height. And if you set up MFP to already be at a calorie deficit, you may find you're making it worse. So track and see if what you need to do is eat more, or eat less - you don't have to change what you eat, just how much.

ETA: if you've only worked out since 25 March, then I would give it another 1-2 weeks to see weight loss, especially if you haven't worked out much before. Right now your muscles have broken themselves down and need to repair (water retention) and it will take some time for your body to get over the shock of working out before it starts letting go of the fat.

Good luck - remember, change isn't immediate and only you can dictate your own worth and beauty!

marybowldseddington

No human being can be fat..Fat is a type of tissue. A person can have fat but they cannot be fat..Just like a person can have beauty, strength, a sense of humor, intelligence...they are all traits that make up the entire person.

However, your "friend" is an idiot!

J72FIT

I have been exercising daily to lose weight since March 25.

That long you say?

JoshD8705

I started at 275 on the 24th I'm only down to 272. You just don't have a lot of weight you need to lose, so it'll take you a bit longer to see a difference. Make sure exercise isn't your only activity each day, and eat within your calorie goal. I always eat some of my exercise calories back.

The idea is to never let your body feel like it's starving, or your metabolism stops burning the fat. I'm constantly eating all day. 5 or 6 meals

On days my meals are larger I chew gum, and keep celery sticks around.

Inspired30

April Fools much??:laugh:

nomeejerome

OP:
If this thread is serious, at your height, your goal (losing 25 pounds) is questionable and not healthy. It sounds like it is time to re-evaluate many things in your life.

brianpperkins

The OP needs to fix the issues going on between her ear holes before she can do anything about getting in better shape.

MayaDyra

Thank you all for the responses, seems you are saying that it could be water and that it takes time and that I should eat more healthily. I guess I just wanted to see a result right away, since I changed my lifestyle a lot. Before I only did walking, cycling, and once a week at the gym on the elliptical for about 30 min of exercise.

eldamiano

"My Exercise is Not Helping me to Lose Weight"

Wrong answer. The water retention thing is valid but can only be used temporarily.

Otherwise, your overeating/overcalulating of calories burned is what is actually not helping you to lose weight.

cwolfman13

Diet for weight control; exercise for fitness. My exercise had nothing to do really with my weight loss other than regular exercise allowed me to eat more than I would have otherwise been able to and still lose weight...this kept me sane and thus able to consistently stick to my calorie goals.

ninerbuff

Exercise is for health and fitness.

Calories in/out is what helps one lose weight. If you aren't counting calories correctly, you won't lose weight regardless of how much exercise you do.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Josalinn

Thank you all for the responses, seems you are saying that it could be water and that it takes time and that I should eat more healthily. I guess I just wanted to see a result right away, since I changed my lifestyle a lot. Before I only did walking, cycling, and once a week at the gym on the elliptical for about 30 min of exercise.

I think everyone would be happy to see instant results. But sweetie, you need to stop being so down on yourself. Your erm...acquaintance?... was not a friend and should not be listened to. Anyone who puts you down should not be listened too. I know you have some other stuff you are working through, but step one to fix all of your problems is to realize that you are worthwhile human being, and that your self worth does not come from others, even the nice people on here.

When my mom was like 20, she had a BF who told her she was fat. My mom was 5'2" and 90lbs. She would run hours and hours to be skinny enough. HE would then ALLOCATE to her a single Rasinette saying that anymore would make her fat then proceed to eat the whole bag in front of her. He was dou***bag and not worth the skin he inhabited. She finally wised up and dumped his A** but she still bears those scars. Its control and dominance and some people do it to make themselves feel better, and really don't care about the other person. I'm just happy that pr*** is not my father.

dgirllamius

Your friend is an idiot.

TheMrsCole

>>> My dear friend, Kazimierz, left me because he wanted me to be thinner and I would like to be thinner so that people will no longer be disgusted by me and so that I can feel better about myself.

Sounds to me like you need new friends. Surround yourself with positive people who aren't *kitten*.

tattooedmadre

I have been exercising daily to lose weight since March 25.

That long you say?

HAHAHA You stole my thunder!!!! So what I was thinking. I was like, "damn, I think I'd just throw in the towel by now!" Geez. Only been on this site for nearly a month but I think I found my first troll post! Fun times.