dieting and exercising for a month- no results

SConnolly686
SConnolly686 Posts: 5 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I'm 25, 5'5" and 130 lbs. I stared at 135 which is the most I have ever weighed. In high school I was around 120 and last year I gained like 15-20 lbs. I have to admit I was eating very very badly and didn't even notice the weight going on. This year I am on a new health kick life style and I want to eat healthier, be healthier and look healthier. The problem is I feel like I'm doing everything right and although I've seen small changes in my body I think I should be seeing more of a result. So here is the breakdown: I eat about 1200 calories a day sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. My goal is to be down to 120-125 but to be leaner. I want to have flat abs, leaner legs hips and torso. I eat a lot of chicken, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats.. Can someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong?? I've been doing this for a month now and I've barely seen any results. Any help would be appreciated.

Replies

  • marissanik
    marissanik Posts: 344 Member
    Cringing at 1200 calories
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I'm 25, 5'5" and 130 lbs. I stared at 135 which is the most I have ever weighed. In high school I was around 120 and last year I gained like 15-20 lbs. I have to admit I was eating very very badly and didn't even notice the weight going on. This year I am on a new health kick life style and I want to eat healthier, be healthier and look healthier. The problem is I feel like I'm doing everything right and although I've seen small changes in my body I think I should be seeing more of a result. So here is the breakdown: I eat about 1200 calories a day sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. My goal is to be down to 120-125 but to be leaner. I want to have flat abs, leaner legs hips and torso. I eat a lot of chicken, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats.. Can someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong?? I've been doing this for a month now and I've barely seen any results. Any help would be appreciated.

    With 8 pounds to lose your weekly goal should be 1/2 pound a week loss. With MFP you get a calorie deficit BEFORE exercise, so you "earn" extra calories when you exercise.

    1. Put in a weekly goal of 1/2 pound......this will likely give you more calories.
    2. Measure (a scale is a great tool) all your food. Every taste, bite, or lick. Have a pretty good idea what the calories should be so you don't pick up something a MFP user has entered incorrectly
    3. Log exercise.....and aim to eat back at least 50% of those calories

    Why do you want to lose 1/2 pound a week & eat most calories back? Because you want to lose FAT. Eating too little over time.....your body will use muscle mass for fuel. This leaves you skinny-fat.

    A different method............TDEE (maintenance) less a % is another method. You don't track exercise as a separate number because it's included up front. This is a good way to eat the same # of calories everyday. Keep the number above your BMR (basal metabolic rate)...the "cut" from TDEE would be 5% or 10% tops.

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
  • rainbowxelephant
    rainbowxelephant Posts: 71 Member
    I'm 5'5 and 130 pounds as well, and I can tell you that I eat about 2500 calories on average to maintain my weight. I'm aiming for 1900 net calories now to lose weight. Though there are a lot of differences between us, I'd bet you aren't eating enough. I say set your MFP to "maintain my current weight" and the number of cals it will give you will be approximately your bmr (basic metabolic rate) plus activity. If you want to build muscle and look lean you A) need to weight train and build muscles, and B) need to eat enough food for your muscles to repair and build successfully. If you're under eating, which it sounds like you could be, your body goes into starvation mode and hangs on to the fat deposits it has and eats muscles for energy instead (pretty counter-intuitive if you want to look lean!)
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    What does "barely any results" mean? Weight loss and body recomposition are slow processes. At your weight, you should be aiming for 1/2 pound to a pound per week, maximum. Even slower if you're trying to retain as much muscle as possible.

    What kind of exercise are you doing right now? If you haven't yet, you should pick up a good strength or resistance training routine.

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