I clearly can't lose weight. Should I still exercise?

NanBar

I went back and read many of your old posts..you might want to as well and and really see how this whole thing sounds.

You have been trying to watch what you eat and exercise since Dec 20th? and here it is the first week of January and you declare you are incapable of losing weight?

I think you are looking for instant results, I am not sure that is possible. A few days of exercise is not going to help to lose weight. It takes commitment of exercise, change in eating habits, burning more than you are taking in, and TIME. If you aren't willing to give it these three things, your body will not change.

I'm sorry, but this is my opinion.

FemininGuns

I find it funny that you've only been tracking this for 3 weeks (with ample drinks and not 100% clean nutrition).

Give yourself time and be honnest with yourself... The way you're typing this stuff is as if you're looking for a reason to quit... Exercise 4-5 times per week (with weights as well) and if you watch your diet 80% of the time, you should be golden. Give it a couple of months... You will see!!

rachpiper720

For sure exercise! I think bodies have an "adjustment period" when you begin an exercise program and it needs a while to change. I too, have had the problem of losing weight, but I have quit focusing on the scale. Instead I focus on my strength, endurance, and inches lost. This website isn't a quick fix, it is for the long haul by making lifestyle changes. Give your body time, and if you are under your calorie goal and exercising, you will see changes. Don't get discouraged! Keep up your hard work!

cynthiaj777

This sounds exactly like me. I was eating healthier and exercising-I was gaining weight and my clothes weren't fitting any better. I stopped working out, and I magically lost inches and 20 lbs in 8 weeks. IDK why but exercising does not make me lose weight. So, I just eat healthy, watch my calories and don't exercise.

Nonetheless, I hit a plateau of where my body weight is comfortable and should be....and now I can't lose weight. So, I started working out 2 weeks ago to see if I could jump start my weight loss again. Yeh, the holidays happened, so it isn't a fair accessment, but I'm gaining weight and my clothes are fitter tighter.

For me, exercise just doesn't work, apparently.

KendalBeee

I went back and read many of your old posts..you might want to as well and and really see how this whole thing sounds.

You have been trying to watch what you eat and exercise since Dec 20th? and here it is the first week of January and you declare you are incapable of losing weight?

I think you are looking for instant results, I am not sure that is possible. A few days of exercise is not going to help to lose weight. It takes commitment of exercise, change in eating habits, burning more than you are taking in, and TIME. If you aren't willing to give it these three things, your body will not change.

I'm sorry, but this is my opinion.

agreed

LJCannon

When I started this Journey I firmly believed that I COULDN'T lose weight. After all I had tried nearly every diet known to man, plus my entire Family is overweight. My mother even had Gastric Stapling and never lost any significant weight.
I started exercising only because I believed that it would act like Physical Therapy to decrease the pain in my knees and make it easier to walk.
I was FLABBERGASTED when after One Month I had lost 16 pounds!!
:noway: I think the secret is to be consistant, and change up your routine every so often.
:flowerforyou: Stick with the exercise, and you will see results. Change your diet gradually, and log in here often for support and motivation.
:drinker: Good Luck!!

kbefit

Yes still exercise! Don't ever give up. You will lost that weight and in the meantime you are doing such great things for your body - inside and out!

Connie48

I went back and read many of your old posts..you might want to as well and and really see how this whole thing sounds.

You have been trying to watch what you eat and exercise since Dec 20th? and here it is the first week of January and you declare you are incapable of losing weight?

I think you are looking for instant results, I am not sure that is possible. A few days of exercise is not going to help to lose weight. It takes commitment of exercise, change in eating habits, burning more than you are taking in, and TIME. If you aren't willing to give it these three things, your body will not change.

I'm sorry, but this is my opinion.

I didn't realize such a short time span was involved here....I should have paid more attention. I agree, instant results are not likely to happen

ginnyroxx

1. you know you haven't eaten enough calories to gain weight, right? so rule that out.
2. you know you've been working out, right?
so think about it. what can the weight be?

it's not muscle gain...not this early on. But what you're not thinking about is what happens to your muscles when you start using them. they kinda go "whoa, wtf is going on?" They totally hold onto water to repair themselves after your workouts.

also, have you been eating under 1200 NET calories? this means eating some of your exercise calories back. Your body needs its fuel to burn. Don't let it burn your muscle that you're working so hard to create.

and with all that said....are you drinking enough water? Make sure you're AT LEAST getting 8 cups of water a day. it wouldn't hurt at first to go 12 or 14 glasses to flush yourself out. (are you tracking your sodium in your diary?)

I'm looking at your post and the same thing happened to me. 2 weeks into my start here on MFP I gained and was as confused as you are. Keep going. You will get there.

DinahD144

Absolutely!! Keep in mind that diet and exercise are lifestyle changes. Whether you're doing it to lose weight or not, the health benefits of getting in the recommended amount of exercise far outweighs seeing the scale move, in the long run. I would recommend taking your measurements and tracking those in addition to weighing yourself. You might see faster results that way, and they're just as rewarding :happy:

Good luck to you and don't give up. You're worth it!

VickiMitkins

Short answer is to continue exercise at least 30 minutes 5 days a week. It does not have to be over the top. A long walk will work. Everyone can lose weight if they commit to making the changes necessary. I thought I could not lose either. I am 47 years old and have diagnosed underactive thyroid since age of 30. In 12 weeks I have lost 11 pounds. Does not seem like much, but people are noticing. A couple of tips I have that are working for me. Count every calorie you eat and measure your food so you know for sure the calorie count is correct. Keep your calories in a defecit no matter what. It does not have to be a big deficet, even 150 -200 calories less than needed (every day) will keep you losing over the long term. Be honest when you do the profile about your activity level so that you will have a better idea how many calories you can eat. Don't be discouraged if you don't lose something every week. Slow is easier and better for you. As dearariana said, weight fluctuates naturally so some weeks you may not notice much change, but over a month you will.

Jennplus2

When you are eating healthy how many calories are you eating per day? When I was eating 1200 my weight loss was the same as yours. Not there. But once I started eating 1500 calories per day plus exercise calories I do much better at losing weight. Still exercise because you might be gaining muscle and losing fat. Which would make you leaner but not lighter. Give your body time to work this out, the fat will come off. For now step away from the scale and measure yourself instead. After a month get back on the scale and you will be so happy that you waited to weigh. :flowerforyou:
That is my 2 cents anyway...

UpToAnyCool

Sometimes people plateau when they are not eating enough. Not sure if that is your issue, but it could be.

You are young and exercising will definitely provide other health benefits, even if the scale is stuck. For instance, when you reach middle age, you can lose up to 1/2# muscle a year. This will cause your metabolism to slow down. If you are fit and building muscle now it will certainly help you later in life. In my opinion, it's not a waste of time.

No one is trying to be harsh here, but these mfPeeps are HARDCORE. When they comment on your posting for 3 wks (not sure, but maybe you've been doing this for a long time, but only the past 3 wks shows up), it is because some of them have been logging here daily for over a year, etc.

I think that unless you have some unusual health condition, YOU CAN FOR SURE LOSE WEIGHT, but it might take some tinkering. Take heart, hang in there - this is your health we're talking about and you are worth it!!

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

Edited to add: i just noticed your screen name. I offer you some 'Earl grey, Hot.'

Katz85340

I am so upset. If you look at the chart below and the list of how my weight has progressed below, you'll see that losing weight is impossible for me and I'm going to continue to get fatter no matter what I do.

I was eating a lot of fast food and pizza and such before I started working out again, then I started being really good about eating and even counting calories. I admit the weekend of Christmas was bad, but no worse than all the fast food I'd had before. I was actually pretty much maintaining my weight before I started exercising, actually. I didn't eat too poorly on New Year's. I had a decent amount of drinks, but like I said it was hardly worse than the fast food I'd been having, and I ate well except for those drinks.

So since I'm incapable of losing weight, I'm wondering if I should even continue to exercise at all. It would still be good for me, right? I don't know, it's just so depressing to see that it doesn't have any effect on my weight.



12/23/10 148.5
12/30/10 150.5
01/04/11 151.8

If I was simply maintaining my weight, I might think that Christmas and New Year's had kept me from losing. But I'm actually gaining very quickly even though I'm eating well every day but Christmas weekend and New Year's Eve.

Definitely continue to exercise! Do not give up! Log everything you eat; even if it's bad, so that you can see on your log where you need to make changes. Get back on the program because you 'can' lose weight!

trekkiebeth

Thank you for all the replies! A lot of different things were said, so I'll just say a couple things.

Of course I'm not expecting instant results. That would mean I expect to drop several pounds in 2 weeks. What I was expecting was to not gain so much.

I eat the amount of calories MFP recommends for me (1,260), plus most or all of the exercise calories.

A lot of the food I buy is organic, and I stay under my sodium limit. I drink plenty of water.

I guess I just need to keep trying and try my best to not get depressed.

Bigpelly8

Beth, If this was easy, we wouldn;t be here cause we would all be on the beach showing off our rock hard abs!! It takes time, butpush through it cause your body will figure out what your doing, and it will change!!! Keep your head up, keep excercising and eating right, and it will happen!! Simple, burn more calories than you take in, and it is impossible to not lose. Also...keep in mind, that the calories from drinking, or empty, worthless calories. I used to drink a lot, and I mean a lot of beer. The two times last month I drank, derailed my progress for a week!! It makes me think twice before I put anything in my mouth!! Good luck, and please stick with it!

lfondots

First? I'm glad you posted! It can get frustrating but don't give up. Take what everyone said and see what works for you. Exercise is wonderful and you shouldn't stop. Take your measurements and see if you are losing that way. In the long run this is a lifestyle change. Good luck!

jboysdontcryp

It will be alright, I have had trouble my whole life losing weight and it is ok, everyone is different and you need to find what works for you . The most important thing is to stay to it, you're doing yourself injustice otherwise. Remember you are doing this for you, and this about you. Whenever I need extra motivation I look at success stories, and I have also found the book " Naturally Thin" by Bethenny Frankel-Hoppy to be very helpful. She provides tips that are easy to retrain yourself. Just stay to it, and I know its hard, I always have a problem myself - in the past I gave up because I didn't see results, but you will see them, just be patient. And remember life is about being healthy not about the number on the scale!

ginnyroxx

Thank you for all the replies! A lot of different things were said, so I'll just say a couple things.

Of course I'm not expecting instant results. That would mean I expect to drop several pounds in 2 weeks. What I was expecting was to not gain so much.

I eat the amount of calories MFP recommends for me (1,260), plus most or all of the exercise calories.

A lot of the food I buy is organic, and I stay under my sodium limit. I drink plenty of water.

I guess I just need to keep trying and try my best to not get depressed.

how are you getting your calorie burn numbers? do you have a heart rate monitor?

edorice

This is just...January 4th right? You said you were eating fast food, went off plan at Christmas and was drinking for New Years'. Give yourself a week before you through in the towel. Do some cardio exercise and sweat.