Not Losing Despite 2-a-day workouts

Amazonbella

Okay, so here is my dilemma....

For the past 5 weeks I have started a NEW workout program my chiropractor (who also used to be a trainer) put me on because I have had injuries w/my back, two torn meniscus in my knees and an ankle that was broken, but has healed.

I am doing weights in the a.m. at the gym. One day UPPER BODY, Next day LOWER BODY, third day CARDIO, then repeat. I have also added cardio sessions at night, and just recently added more cardio after my weight lifting sessions.

In the past 5 weeks....I have not LOST ONE POUND!!!! NOT ONE....WTF?

I have incorporated eating more fish into my nutrition, I take a vitamin D supplement, I drink Protein shakes and drinks now instead of empty calorie breakfast items, and try to stay within a healthy range of calories.

Let me just say too, I am 5'10 and I am needing to lose at least 60 pounds! So I'm not someone at goal weight trying to lose.

I do take Celexa, but my doctor told me that this medicine is the LEAST likely ssri to cause weight gain. I have had some stress the past 3 weeks w/a relationship that had ended badly, but I feel I am coping with it pretty well, but it's been emotional. I just can't fathom with the effort I am putting out that I am not losing anything.

I would love to hear from you guys if there is something else I should try or see something I am missing THANK YOU!!!!

SingingSingleTracker

Okay, so here is my dilemma....

For the past 5 weeks I have started a NEW workout program my chiropractor (who also used to be a trainer) put me on because I have had injuries w/my back, two torn meniscus in my knees and an ankle that was broken, but has healed.

I am doing weights in the a.m. at the gym. One day UPPER BODY, Next day LOWER BODY, third day CARDIO, then repeat. I have also added cardio sessions at night, and just recently added more cardio after my weight lifting sessions.

In the past 5 weeks....I have not LOST ONE POUND!!!! NOT ONE....WTF?

I have incorporated eating more fish into my nutrition, I take a vitamin D supplement, I drink Protein shakes and drinks now instead of empty calorie breakfast items, and try to stay within a healthy range of calories.

Let me just say too, I am 5'10 and I am needing to lose at least 60 pounds! So I'm not someone at goal weight trying to lose.

I do take Celexa, but my doctor told me that this medicine is the LEAST likely ssri to cause weight gain. I have had some stress the past 3 weeks w/a relationship that had ended badly, but I feel I am coping with it pretty well, but it's been emotional. I just can't fathom with the effort I am putting out that I am not losing anything.

I would love to hear from you guys if there is something else I should try or see something I am missing THANK YOU!!!!

Simple. You're not running enough of a calorie deficit to lose weight. Calories in vs. calories out is the entire rule no matter if you exercise or not.

How do you have your settings here at MFP programmed? Are you counting the calories you eat vs. the ones you burn during your exercise? What do you use to count the exercise calories?

Gemini61454

Muscle weighs more than fat

ninerbuff

Weight loss is about calories in/out. If you're estimating how much you eat, then chances are you're eating too much.

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

brianpperkins

Muscle weighs more than fat

Muscle is more dense, a pound of each weighs exactly the same.

The time span in question is not enough to put on an appreciable amount of muscle mass. Some of the weight stagnation could be water retention or miscalculation of burns and intake.

Deb_622

There's not always a simple solution to your issue...

Did you take measurements and/or body fat % before you started your new workout? Also, if your muscles are sore it could be an idicator that your muscles are retaining water for repair...your body may just be adjusting to the increase in activity, or you may just be trading fat for muscle...do your clothes feel like they fit better/looser now?

I am also 5' 10" and when I started (with Weight Watchers) last summer, my weight was very slow to start coming off (which I thought was weird, because most people say that a lot of weight comes off quickly and then slows down...) ...anyway...I have now lost 65 pounds in 10 months (with a few ups/downs/stalls along the way)...

so...keep watching your calories - make healthy choices - don't overestimate your workout calories (so you don't "eat back" more than you actually burned) - and good things will happen!! absolutely take measurements and photos...they are a much better indicator than the scale (even though its really nice to see it go down!!)

Good Luck!! :flowerforyou:

Amazonbella

I did weight watchers for a year...I track food very accurately. I use MFP and scan labels to calculate all food. . . . even if I have ONE bite of something I will add it in as calories, it's how I was taught to be accountable.

I also feel the calories that you earn from working out here on MFP is WAAAAAY too high and I never go by that. I use an app on my Ipad. So if MFP says I burned 450 calories I put in 220 calories burned, and I always try not to "eat back" calories.

I know a lot of people think it's "THAT SIMPLE" and trust me you would think it would be. I'm doing almost 60 minutes of Cardio a day along with 30-60 minutes of weight lifting a day. My calories generally stay within 1600-1900. I have even tried weeks of staying between 1200-1400 and still no weight loss.

Amazonbella

I by no means am giving up...I almost just don't want to weigh anymore as it depresses me, and I feel GREAT, doing the workouts I am doing....and I do feel I am getting MUCH stronger and (knock on wood) my back issues, are almost NONE right now, which is amazing. So Thank You for your ideas and suggestions, I do appreciate it

ericzanetti

It would help if you open up your diary so that we can see what you're eating.

Amazonbella

OKAY Diary is Public now.

asciiqwerty

some WW users get causght in the trap that in WW some things are counted as null whereas when they're counting calories like in mfp they're not

eg. fruit and veg

other obvious ones are cooking oils, and alcohol

without seeing your diary it's really hard to tell the only thing we can suggest is going to be really generic so here goes the generic:
what you log whether consumption or excercise is and estimate, so is your target
if you're not loosing hten calories in = calories out

BusyRaeNOTBusty

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html#more-9313


When someone complains about not losing at X number of calories there's several possibilities.

1. They aren't really eating X calories. They are logging incorrectly, either not weighing, forgetting binges, or not logging on the weekends, etc.

2. They are losing weight but due to messed up stress hormones they could be retaining an incredibly large amount of water, masking their weight loss.

3. They aren't really eating at a deficit because the weight they've already lost has resulted in a lower TDEE.

4. They aren't really eating at a deficit because their activity level has dropped considerably due to the fatigue caused by eating less calories and/or stress hormones.

5. Or some kind of combination of points 1-4.

asciiqwerty

so i just looked at your diary (only a couple of weeks)

lots of your entries are cups/tbsp/servings/things(like fillets, slices, qusadillas)
these entries can be more inacurate than you might assume

i also didn't see any alcohol or cooking fats
and there's not much in the way of fruit or veg i couldn't live without these

Amazonbella

Today's workout:

10 Minute warm-up on Treadmill 3.0 mph
Upper body weights: Bicep, tricep, chest press, overhead press, lateral pull downs, row, back extensions 4 sets, 12 reps, heavy weight to exhaustion on last set
20 Minute Recumbent bike at level 7

Tonight: 45 min. cardio-Treadmill incline 4% 3.0 mph

Tomorrow's workout:

10 Minute warm-up on Treadmill
Lower body weights: leg curls, leg press, leg extensions, hip adductor, hip abductor, calf raises, hamstring machine, abs. 4 sets, 12 reps, heavy weight to exhaustion on last set
20 Minute Treadmill-incline 2% 3.0 mph

Day 3 workout:

30 minute treadmill in the a.m. incline 6%
45-60min. treadmill in the p.m. incline 2%

That is basically how my workouts line up for the weeks. This is the program I've been doing for about 5 weeks now.

I don't eat some crazy restrictive diet. Yes I do have treats, and I calculate them. I could lie and say I didn't have candy or eat chips and salsa or drink some vodka, but I log it, I log it all. I keep a hard copy hand written log, so days I'm away from the computer I usually log on paper.

Amazonbella

YES I should incorporate more veggies...I actually like them, I'm just impatient to steam them, and I hate microwave versions. But I need to do more of that

Amazonbella

And I don't like fruit. I eat the dried cranberries and walnuts, and I will eat watermelon in the summer time. Other than the "fruit" in the Core Power drinks that is about it....I can try and incorporate more if that is something that will actually help.

Amazonbella

This is a good point....I do feel I am getting "smaller" despite no movement on the scale. I do have clothes that are starting to feel looser, I should of taken measurements. I will do that tonight and keep better track of that as well. And good for you doing weight watchers, I did it a couple of years ago and lost 75 pounds, I then moved and didn't like the new leader where I live now unfortunately, but I am a big believer in it working and love the community it gives you at meetings

There's not always a simple solution to your issue...

Did you take measurements and/or body fat % before you started your new workout? Also, if your muscles are sore it could be an idicator that your muscles are retaining water for repair...your body may just be adjusting to the increase in activity, or you may just be trading fat for muscle...do your clothes feel like they fit better/looser now?

I am also 5' 10" and when I started (with Weight Watchers) last summer, my weight was very slow to start coming off (which I thought was weird, because most people say that a lot of weight comes off quickly and then slows down...) ...anyway...I have now lost 65 pounds in 10 months (with a few ups/downs/stalls along the way)...

so...keep watching your calories - make healthy choices - don't overestimate your workout calories (so you don't "eat back" more than you actually burned) - and good things will happen!! absolutely take measurements and photos...they are a much better indicator than the scale (even though its really nice to see it go down!!)

Good Luck!! :flowerforyou:

asciiqwerty

so i just looked at your diary (only a couple of weeks)

lots of your entries are cups/tbsp/servings/things(like fillets, slices, qusadillas)
these entries can be more inacurate than you might assume

i also didn't see any alcohol or cooking fats
and there's not much in the way of fruit or veg i couldn't live without these

correction over the past 2 months i have found 5 vodka entries but still no sign of cooking fat/oil

asciiqwerty

what matters for weight loss is the calorie deficit

i get spots if i don't eat enough fruit and veggies - it's not a weigh tghing

i'm afraid to me it looks like logging accuracy > underestimating calories

asciiqwerty

This is a good point....I do feel I am getting "smaller" despite no movement on the scale. I do have clothes that are starting to feel looser, I should of taken measurements. I will do that tonight and keep better track of that as well. And good for you doing weight watchers, I did it a couple of years ago and lost 75 pounds, I then moved and didn't like the new leader where I live now unfortunately, but I am a big believer in it working and love the community it gives you at meetings

if you're loosing size then you are making progress

kaaaaylee

Muscle weighs more than fat

Actually 1lb of muscle = 1lb of fat, it just takes up less space.

1princesswarrior

I think you need to really be diligent on your calorie tracking. Get a food scale. Check this out:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

asciiqwerty

Muscle weighs more than fat

density not weight

k_nicole87

Get a food scale. Weight everything. I am actually awaiting mine in the mail right now.

Heart rate monitor when you work out. A machine or an app has no idea really how many calories you just burned.

leggup

Have you made MFP recalculate your calories after you lost the first 17 lbs? You need to every few pounds. I am 5'11, have a similar amount that I want to lose, set to sedentary (I have a desk job) and 1.5 lb loss per week, MyFitnessPal gives me 1,390 calories a day to eat. When I started here I had 1510 calories a day.

SingingSingleTracker

I know a lot of people think it's "THAT SIMPLE" and trust me you would think it would be. I'm doing almost 60 minutes of Cardio a day along with 30-60 minutes of weight lifting a day. My calories generally stay within 1600-1900. I have even tried weeks of staying between 1200-1400 and still no weight loss.

Well, there is a big gap between 1200-1400 calories per day, and 1600-1900 per day. Or at least a 200 to 700 calorie gap from end to end in that range. That can make all the difference.

I'm 6'4" and weigh 173 pounds at the moment. I set my MFP profile at "sedentary" and a goal of losing 1 pound per week. Intitially, I had chosen "lightly active" because I do stand a lot and walk around a lot at work, but that didn't result in weight loss at all as I was stagnating. So I switched it to "sedentary" and presto - the lower calorie number resulted in weight loss. I do calculate/log my workouts on a daily basis because they fluctuate rather than using the built in exercise function.

Under the category of "lightly active", and the goal of losing a pound a week - MFP suggested I eat 1930 calories per day.
Under the category of "sedentary", and the goal of losing a pound a week - MPF suggested I eat 1670 calories per day.

That's a 260 calorie difference, which again seems to be what made the difference. I average about 10-12 hours a week of exercise (cycling, weight lifting) and some days I do eat back most of the exercise calories (weight stagnates), or if I run a nice deficit with the exercise included, then the weight slowly comes off.

So I am just curious at your height, gender, and weight if your daily calorie goal (before exercise) might be set too high.

kimbux

Muscle weighs more than fat

How do you figure? 1 pound = 1 pound whether it's feathers or bricks!

chivalryder

you say you repeat that exercise program. do you take rest days (at least one per week) where you do no exercise whatsoever? If not, you should google overtraining.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Muscle weighs more than fat

How do you figure? 1 pound = 1 pound whether it's feathers or bricks!

BY VOLUME. When ever someone says that they of course mean by volume. You never compare a pound of something to a pound of something then talk about weight. A trash bag feathers weighs a LOT less than a trash bag of bricks. My formerly fat *kitten* weighs weighed less than my currently muscular *kitten*, even though there's not much difference in size.

However, OP HAS NOT GAINED MUSCLE.

Ninkyou

1. Weigh your food. You can log until you're blue in the face, but unless you are weighing your food, it's not going to be nearly as accurate as you think it may be. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

2. Water retention. 5 weeks is a bit long for water retention.... BUT.... First you started exercising 5 weeks ago. You probably retained water from that (for muscle repair). Then you upped your exercise again (though I don't know how recently). Factor in your monthly times as well. I always retain water during ovulation and my period. All those things combined could mask anything you might have lost, and if they're all lined up, for example, (week 1)Begin Working Out/(week 2)Ovulation/(week 3)UppedExercise/(week 4)Period, etc... that would be at least 4 weeks of water retention. This may or may not apply to you, but it could happen.

Definitely start weighing your food though.

dawncolleen0120

I'm 5'9", 58 years old and 25 lbs too fat, mostly in my belly. Like you I was walking for miles and going to the gym constantly on top of tracking my food and after 6 weeks I hadn't lost anything. So I totally understand. Here's what I've heard. Losing weight happens in the kitchen and strength and muscle tone in the gym. This week I've lost 3 or 4 lbs. What did I do differently? I got off an anti-depressant. Could any medications you're taking cause weight gain? I just started last night walking around the block before meals, so no more gym... for now. For me, I find really working out hard is detrimental to my fat loss. I know, it makes no sense, and goes against EVERYTHING you're taught, but that's what works for me. Once I lose 20 lbs., it's back to the gym.

Good luck!