So confused!

noaddedsugarx

Over month ago I was on quite a strict diet consuming about 1200calories a day and going to the gym every day for at least an hour. During this time I lost almost no weight and gained if anything. Then I went on holiday for a week and ate/drank whatever I wanted. Since I’ve got back over the past few weeks I’ve been more relaxed with my diet (my diary isn’t accurate) and have only been going to the gym twice a week and I’ve dropped a load of weight and my stomach looks a lot flatter. I just don’t understand how it’s possible how exercising less and eating more is making me lose weight? Not that I’m complaining! But I was considering cutting my calories again and increasing my workouts but now I don’t think it’s worth it!

KarenJanine

If what you're doing is working then stick with it. There's no need to heavily restrict your calories and exercise excessively in order to lose weight.

Read this for further info: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

noaddedsugarx

Thanks! I just find it strange because I've never dropped weight before when I wasn't restricting my diet so to do it now is totally new to me. I'm not telling myself I'm not a 'diet' anymore and it seems to be working! I probably am making healthier choices than I was when I was overweight but I am eating more.. definitely I'm thinking being less strict is the way forward..

LauraFouhse

I found that if I restricted my calories too much, my metabolism slowed. I eat more now than I used to... about 1800 calories per day.... but much healthier food. My metabolism is happy, I have sustained energy throughout the day and I have lost 25 pounds. Also, when I first began exercising, my body retained alot of water to help mend the muscles. It took about a month of regular exercise before the scale started to change. However, I had already started to notice a difference in the way my clothes fit.

I am convinced now that strict calorie restriction is not what my body wants. It wants to be fed healthy, nutritious, energy-giving food.

David_AUS

There is not much detail what you do with your hour at the gym? If it is higher intensity then working out with rest days is the best for your body if you are working a balance of muscle groups in your work-out. Remember muscle does not build in the gym it builds in the rest and recovery.

There are many reasons why you may not lose weight going to the gym every day - it is my assumption that these work-outs may have been either low intensity (low weight high reps) or slow cardio.

If what you are doing now is working for you then great - if you want to change anything just try to see what exercise you are doing now vs what you were doing before. Also for weight loss what you eat is "85%" of the equation - if you are losing weight now and you did not before you have changed something in your diet (i use this as a noun not a verb) - I am sure of it.