Why am I not losing weight???

madijo41

I have been on MFP for over 3 months, and I have lost 21 lbs in (20 lbs before MFP total 40-45lbs). My first month I worked on logging all my food, following a proper diet and exercising. I have been following my 1200 cals a day religiously and working out.

My second month was more of the same but I added intensity. Instead of just walking everyday I also joined a gym where I lift weights like a fiend.

Month three still following my diet and exercising added P90x doubles (doing two a day) to the mix with everything else. What I wonder at is why I am not loosing more weight? I do something everyday. I log my food and I am usually sore by night time with the amount of effert I put in working out,

Any ideas?

I have lost inches 16 in total, but hardly anything in the last month. ????

Am I working out too much? Not enough?

meaghanls

You're building muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. If you're losing inches, that's a super indication that you're doing something right!

watch48win

1200 calories per day is low for your current weight. What does MFP say you should be eating per day to lose 1 lb per week?

countjackula

I have been on MFP for over 3 months, and I have lost 21 lbs in (20 lbs before MFP total 40-45lbs). My first month I worked on logging all my food, following a proper diet and exercising. I have been following my 1200 cals a day religiously and working out.

My second month was more of the same but I added intensity. Instead of just walking everyday I also joined a gym where I lift weights like a fiend.

Month three still following my diet and exercising added P90x doubles (doing two a day) to the mix with everything else. What I wonder at is why I am not loosing more weight? I do something everyday. I log my food and I am usually sore by night time with the amount of effert I put in working out,

Any ideas?

I have lost inches 16 in total, but hardly anything in the last month. ????

Am I working out too much? Not enough?

Just so I understand: you've lost 21 lbs total (since joining MFP). How is that split between months 1, 2, and 3?

- Are you eating the same amount each day (calorically)?
- Are you eating the same amount of each macronutrient (carbs, proteins, fats) each day?
- Are you gaining muscle?
- Are you resting and sleeping enough?

SHBoss1673

She's not building muscle at 1200 calories. You can't build muscle in a caloric deficit, the human body exists in one of two states at any point in time, anabolic or catabolic (excess energy and deficient energy states) in the former you can build muscle, in the latter you can lose weight, you can't do both at once. I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and ask if you're eating your exercise calories. P90X is intense, and these things take energy to do. If you're creating a super large deficit, then you might be in famine response.

Sigra

There is a time when your body will hit a plateau because it is trying to sort things out I know because I hit it only 10lbs in. And it took me almost 2months to get below that!

Just know that it's a way of your body saying "OK I know I need to lose weight, let me do a few things before we continue to move on" don't get discouraged, know that being at this point is a good thing because your body is realizing your change.

valentine72

I agree with above.

TaneeisFitforLife

She's not building muscle at 1200 calories. You can't build muscle in a caloric deficit, the human body exists in one of two states at any point in time, anabolic or catabolic (excess energy and deficient energy states) in the former you can build muscle, in the latter you can lose weight, you can't do both at once. I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and ask if you're eating your exercise calories. P90X is intense, and these things take energy to do. If you're creating a super large deficit, then you might be in famine response.

This!

NightOwl1

I'm going to also agree with people here and say it's likely that you are not eating your exercise calories back, so you are not eating enough, and your body has plateaued in starvation mode.

VeryKerri

Listen the SHBoss, he KNOWS what he is talking about.

iplayoutside19

I have been on MFP for over 3 months, and I have lost 21 lbs in (20 lbs before MFP total 40-45lbs). My first month I worked on logging all my food, following a proper diet and exercising. I have been following my 1200 cals a day religiously and working out.

My second month was more of the same but I added intensity. Instead of just walking everyday I also joined a gym where I lift weights like a fiend.

Month three still following my diet and exercising added P90x doubles (doing two a day) to the mix with everything else. What I wonder at is why I am not loosing more weight? I do something everyday. I log my food and I am usually sore by night time with the amount of effert I put in working out,

Any ideas?

I have lost inches 16 in total, but hardly anything in the last month. ????

Am I working out too much? Not enough?

You're lifting AND P90X....and you're doing this everyday?

I think you've long past exceeded the law of dimishing returns regarding your workouts. Dial it back a notch, and eat a little.

SHBoss1673

to be fair guys, we don't KNOW if she's eating her exercise calories, that was a guess/question. It's one possibility (of many), but one that seems more likely than others. It could be she is eating them and has some other reason why she isn't losing.

madijo41

SHBoss1673, I am not eating my exercise cals. It just seems....wrong. But your earlier comment makes sense. If I ate all my cals plus exercise cals, I would be eating like 3k., how can you lose weight eating that amount?

cmriverside

SHBoss1673, I am not eating my exercise cals. It just seems....wrong. But your earlier comment makes sense. If I ate all my cals plus exercise cals, I would be eating like 3k., how can you lose weight eating that amount?

Whoa. Well, that's your problem. SHBoss will chime back in, but please eat!!!!!!

madijo41

Oh I love to eat. Dont worry about that. It just seems fundamentally wrong if you know what I mean:) In the past year I have stopped taking all medication (alot) for depression and anxiety (under medical supervision) and it was suggested I should work out to help with those feelings. It has helped immensely. But I guess I am not getting the happy medium.

cmriverside

Oh I love to eat. Dont worry about that. It just seems fundamentally wrong if you know what I mean:) In the past year I have stopped taking all medication (alot) for depression and anxiety (under medical supervision) and it was suggested I should work out to help with those feelings. It has helped immensely. But I guess I am not getting the happy medium.

It may seem counterintuitive, but you need to be eating either most or all of those calories earned by exercise. Please read these and you will understand more. Good luck!


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions?page=1

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/20343-how-i-have-avoided-plateauing-length-warning

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madijo41

thx for the link, checking it out right now......

angisnee

The links in the above post are great. Some are long stories though, so I'll sum it up with my goals as an example:

2130 -- Calories my body uses in a typical day (sedentary lifestyle--desk job)
1630 -- MFP suggests eating this many calories to create a 500-calorie deficit/day = 1 pound/week

Now if I exercise and burn 400 calories and then eat back those 400 calories, I'm still at the same deficit. My NET calories are still 1630, and my daily deficit is still 500 calories.

If your NET calories are much below 1200, your body doesn't have enough fuel for basic body functions (breathing, kidneys, etc.), not to mention normal daily activity plus all that exercise you're making it do. (1200 is not a magic number, but a guide...my net needs to be above 1400 or I get fatigued and cranky. Found that out by trial and error).

Out of curiosity, why do you feel the need to do P90X twice a day + insanity + weights? I love activity and feel more energetic if I get in a good workout, but to be honest, my motivation to work out is so that I can eat more! I eat close to 2000 calories a day (sometimes more!) and continue to lose weight, averaging 1.5 pounds/week.

If you do start trying to eat your exercise calories, you might see an initial gain. But don't get discouraged. You obviously have the drive and motivation to do this, and you've come so far already. But be good to your body! Give it the fuel it needs!!!

SHBoss1673

SHBoss1673, I am not eating my exercise cals. It just seems....wrong. But your earlier comment makes sense. If I ate all my cals plus exercise cals, I would be eating like 3k., how can you lose weight eating that amount?

are you saying you're burning 1800 calories a day with exercise? I find that hard to believe. but then again...

Anyway, think about it logically.

your body burns say, 1800 calories to maintain your current weight (this is just a number I pulled out of thin air as an example), and you drop it down to 1200 to lose about 1.2 lbs a week (600 cals a day deficit is 4200 a week I.E. about 1.2 lbs)

now you exercise for, lets say 500 calories today, that means today your body burned 2300 calories, now if you don't eat those exercise calories back, but only eat the 1200, you have a deficit of 1100 calories. Probably won't be a problem if you do it once, but do it for long enough and your body can't make up the difference (which it has to do somehow), and to keep up with energy demands your body starts turning off other things, like a dimmer on a light switch, it slows down organ function, it starts pulling energy out of muscle (it's a long story why it does that, but just be assured, it does) and because your body thinks it's in a starvation situation, it starts storing any fat it possibly can, which means, maybe you'll still be losing weight, but not anywhere near as much as you think you should be, and a higher percentage of it will be muscle mass (never a good thing), all the while storing extra fat.

That being said. I don't recommend suddenly starting to eat 500 extra calories, you WILL gain fat that way. You need to let your body adjust, slowly ramp your calories up to where they should be, and IMHO if you've been doing this for over a month, you should shrink your deficit to something around 250 calories for about 3 weeks or so, then when your body recognizes that it's getting enough food again, NOW you can start growing the deficit again, also slowly, and all the while eating exercise calories, this way your body doesn't panic (one way or the other) and make drastic changes. I know this sounds slow (and it is) but it's what you need to do to do it right.

Also, stop thinking about this as a diet and/or temporary situation, your eating habits need to be a lifestyle change, the AMOUNT can go up, but the quality of food needs to stay high, and the exercise needs to continue for ever.

hope this helps.

msdebg

I vote for SHBoss1673 I thing that is the right answer. You are probably not eating enough! Who would have thunk it? It is only logical though

meaghanls

Sorry, I saw 2100 instead of 1200!

meshaffer

I think it also depends on what you are eating. Yes, I agree that it looks like you should be adding to your diet, but the foods that you choose are just as important.

SHBoss1673

By the way doing doubles of high intensity stuff probably isn't the best plan. At a certain point fatigued muscles don't perform as they should, and even though your HRM may say you're burning X calories, you no longer are, it takes a while, but I could see doubles of P90X reaching that phase.

I did P90X for a round, it was ok, I prefer my own routines, shorter, but harder (similar to insanity, but I do more resistance and less cardio) so I have an understanding of what's involved. I have respect for Tony Horton, for a mass produced DVD he does ok, hate his food plan though. It's not really based on actual science, more on popular quasi-science.

madijo41

"are you saying you're burning 1800 calories a day with exercise? I find that hard to believe. but then again... "


I could be calculating wrong... but I go to the gym and lift heavy weights for half and hour, no breaks talking to people. Then I walk with incline for half an hour. Go home do 2 p90x, then walk the dogs for an hour. Everyday.

But I have seen the error of my ways. I read the links offered, which all make sense. I need to find the happy medium...

SHBoss1673

"are you saying you're burning 1800 calories a day with exercise? I find that hard to believe. but then again... "


I could be calculating wrong... but I go to the gym and lift heavy weights for half and hour, no breaks talking to people. Then I walk with incline for half an hour. Go home do 2 p90x, then walk the dogs for an hour. Everyday.

But I have seen the error of my ways. I read the links offered, which all make sense. I need to find the happy medium...

maybe you do, I didn't realize you were doing doubles of P90. But that sounds like overkill. I'm not a big fan of walking by the way. At least not walking for someone who is fit enough for P90X. that's just a personal thing. It's not an indictment on walking. Walking is the thing our bodies do most, thus lots of muscle efficiency, any time your muscles become efficient, they burn less calories doing the same amount of work. It's why people(trainers) recommend changing your exercise routine every 6 to 8 weeks, some call it "muscle confusion" but it's basically just making sure your muscles don't become to efficient at a specific exercise. For instance, instead of walking, try the rowing machine for 15 minutes, I'll bet it'll be a killer workout for you. Do that a couple times a week for 3 or 4 weeks then switch to the stepper, then try a moderate Tabata protocol program on a spin bike for a month (always do tabata on a spin bike, these bastardized programs aren't nearly as good)...etc. (FYI if you like the endorphin rush from P90, you'll LOVE what you get from Tabata, it's a million times harder, and only takes about 15 minutes).

Oh by the way, if you are burning 1800 calories with exercise a day (or even close) then I can say with a high degree of certainty that you're in starvation mode to some degree. You're creating a deficit over 2000 calories a day. I'm still surprised that you aren't losing weight though, that's a little odd to me. I wonder, have you had a lot of colds this year, or viruses (or just felt run down)? One of the first things affected by starvation mode is a compromised immune system.

camille45

you dont have to eat them all back, just a little more, if you are burning off all the calories that you have eaten then is almost like you havent eaten anything. your body is gonna store fat because it feels its being deprieved. If you eat 1200 cals and burn off 1000 of those, then you only took in 200 cals for the day. I dont know how many cals you are burning but that is just an example of how you body can behave like its getting too little calorie and cause you to gain or not lose weight.

Eating back a few of your calories wont hurt you since you excercise so much

madijo41

Seeing all the exercise I do in black and white, I can see the overkill too. I dont even like to walk (treadmill), so Im all up for mixing things up. And to answer your question about being run down the answer is a definite yes. I am draggin *kitten*. I just do it anyways as hard as I can. I know I know stupid. Its just that after not losing weight for a couple of weeks I added lifting weights, then it just went on from there.
I added the P90x, then doubled it when I didnt loose. I have to say under all the fat I am hard as a rock. Am I gaining muscle as fast as I am loosing? I have not changed in inches for at least a month so I dont think so.

SHBoss1673

Seeing all the exercise I do in black and white, I can see the overkill too. I dont even like to walk (treadmill), so Im all up for mixing things up. And to answer your question about being run down the answer is a definite yes. I am draggin *kitten*. I just do it anyways as hard as I can. I know I know stupid. Its just that after not losing weight for a couple of weeks I added lifting weights, then it just went on from there.
I added the P90x, then doubled it when I didnt loose. I have to say under all the fat I am hard as a rock. Am I gaining muscle as fast as I am loosing? I have not changed in inches for at least a month so I dont think so.

no, I doubt you're gaining muscle (see my first reply). But you're existing muscle is probably top notch. In a caloric deficit, you can't really gain new muscle mass. In fact you've probably lost a good amount. Don't worry though, adding some calories and giving yourself a break here and there will ease that up.

See, muscles that are infrequently used will only use a percentage of the total fibers, the rest are dormant (and eventually canabalized if energy is needed), so when you begin any new resistance program, the first thing your body does is activate the dormant muscle fibers, it takes about 6 weeks or so to do this, and you might gain a few lbs in glycogen storage while this is happening (those newly used muscle fibers need energy, thus the glycogen). Once your muscle is up close to 95% active muscle, then the body will recognize the need to up the mass, that's when your muscle grows. This is commonly known as the "plateau" that weight lifters hit at the 6 to 8 week mark of a new program, because it takes a little while for the body to produce enough new muscle, and you don't see any performance gains during that time. But if you're in caloric deficit, your body will never grow that muscle, it'll just sit at that plateau.

madijo41

I am going to follow your advise. I am going to go eat some pasta (My favorite food of all time that I have not had in over 6 months)...in moderation and give myself a break. I am so excited! I see the logic in everything that you have said.
I am going to try not trying so hard.
What would be a logical amount of exercise I should do in the run of a day? I still have to walk my dogs everyday though.

madijo41

toned down on the amount of exercise but I have amped up the intensity. Feel much better and funny enough lost 2 lbs!

ChelleBelle1

This entire thread is a perfect example of why I LOVE this site so much!