can't lose enough weight..

IsraaQ

My height is 5'3 and I weigh 150 lbs I want to lose at least ten to fifteen pounds as I have a petite figure but a big belly and thighs.. I've been trying so hard to do that for the past five months but for some reason I've not been successful in losing anything over six pounds at the most. I stick to the amount of calories I should be eating and I exercise quite regularly but I dunno why i just can't lose any more than that.. My weight has been yo yoing for a while now and even the weight I've lost at the beginning I am slowly regaining .. What am I doing wrong? I am eating around 1400 kcals a day, I'm quite short so should I eat only 1200 kcals for example? Plz help

IsraaQ

And please feel free to add me .. I really need some more helpful friends

peggybrant

I would stick to the 1200 and see what happens or get in more aerobic style exercise.

kris2683

i know how you feel, I will diet and exercise for months and not lose but a few pounds. I'm trying to watch my salt more, and not eating many carbs.

NightOwl1

If anything, you be eating more, not less! What is most likely happening is that since you exercise quite regularly, You are actually taking in less than 1200 net calories (calories taken in - calories burned from exercise). This is slowing your metabolism and your body is storing any calories it can get as fat. If you try eating 1700-1800 calories a day, instead of 1400, you may see better results.

Sometimes more is better!

bpayne78

What do you have your settings set to? Are you trying to lose 2 lbs a week? What is your activity level set to? You might play around with those settings some and see what happens. I know it can be frustrating, but hang in there. As far as workouts go....Push the cardio to burn off any excess and remember that it comes off where the BODY wants to take it off not where WE want to take it off.

Good Luck!

secostley

The "home stretch" pounds are always the hardest to lose. I don't know how much cardio you're doing. If none or little, recommend increasing your cardio. Beyond that, recommend the following:

1. Change your exercise routine totally. If you've been doing the same exercise and cardio work routine for awhile, your body is adjusting. Come up with new exercises and cardio work for a change. This shocks your body into responding.

2. Ensure you're getting enough rest.

3. Believe it or not, you may want to increase your calories by 100-200 calories and track what happens.

Let me know how you do.


Shawn

Aeriel

I can't see what you are eating because your diary is private, but here are a few suggestions/questions:

First, what rate do you have your weight loss set at? If you only have 10-15 pounds to lose and are trying to lose 2 pounds a week it is not going to happen. Your body will rebel. Try a slower rate of weight loss (giving you more calories to eat and you should start losing again). Your body will lose at a slower rate the closer you are to a healthy goal.

What are you eating? If it is all processed foods, rather than fresh made, you are probably taking in a lot of sodium, which can cause water retention.

Do you eat a variety of foods or the same thing all the time? If you don't vary your diet, your body gets used to it and won't lose.

Do you vary your type of exercise, or your duration/intensity? Again, the body will adjust and you need to change it up to see results.

Hope some of these things help you. Feel free to add me if you want.

jewelzz

I was wondering the same thing. Good info

roylawrence87

We need some more info. What are you eating and what type of workouts do you do and how vigorous are they?

MyaPapaya75

My height is 5'3 and I weigh 150 lbs I want to lose at least ten to fifteen pounds as I have a petite figure but a big belly and thighs.. I've been trying so hard to do that for the past five months but for some reason I've not been successful in losing anything over six pounds at the most. I stick to the amount of calories I should be eating and I exercise quite regularly but I dunno why i just can't lose any more than that.. My weight has been yo yoing for a while now and even the weight I've lost at the beginning I am slowly regaining .. What am I doing wrong? I am eating around 1400 kcals a day, I'm quite short so should I eat only 1200 kcals for example? Plz help

..whats your excercise routine and what is the excercise of choice? i think 1400 is reasonable calories depending on what your doing in regards to excercise BUT it also depends on what exactly your eating..perhaps take a good look at your diet and change up and increase your excercise..watch that sodium too!

Nailrep

YOU COULD TRY ZIG ZAGING YOUR DIET....EXAMPLE...TAKE IN 1200 CALORIES ONE DAY. THE NEXT DAY, EAT 1000 CALORIES. TE FOLLOWING DAY, EAT 1300. AND SO ON. IF YOU PLAN ON STICKING WITH 1200 CALORIES DAILY, HAVE ONE LARGE CHEAT MEAL THE SAME TIME EVERY WEEK. I ALWAYS LOST AN EXTRA POUND THE DAY AFTER MY CHEAT DAY. I THINK YOU NEED TO SWITCH THINGS UP AND BE LESS PREDICTABLE. ALSO, SWITCH UP YOUR CARDIO. TRY RUNNING ONE DAY, WALKING THE NEXT, ELLIPTICAL, AND SO ON.

KEEP IT UP. YOU WILL LOSE IT!!

rjgazray

If you're not already doing it, make sure to track all of your exercise on myfitnesspal. When it says you've earned extra calories from exercising, make sure to eat those calories. I would continue to stick to whatever calorie amount they recommend but make sure you eat those exercising calories. When you don't eat them, your body can go into starvation mode because it's not getting enough nutrients and this can actually cause you to retain and even gain weight because your body is trying to hold on to as much as possible. So eat those calories! Another suggestion I received when dealing with the same issue is to really vary your workout. If you're mostly doing running and cardio, switch to doing more weights and maybe take a class. Changing it up can make a huge difference.

furrina

Weight and resistance training really bumps up your metabolism; muscles burn way more calories than fat even when you're sitting around. They actually may weigh a bit on the scale, but you won't notice it when you look in the mirror. I've heard it suggested that for weight loss in particular (as opposed to general health and fitness) you might even want to make around 60% of your exercise weights/resistance (ie. pushups, situps, things that build muscle with weight resistance).
Also switching up your exercise as everyone says really works. even varying the intensity: try doing 10-20 minutes of super intense workout on something you're doing more slowly even.

I'm a little skeptical of this "eat more" business. I get the starvation mode thing but if you're getting enough protein and other nutrients I don't think your body is going to start holding on to things so fast. You know if you're starving yourself, basically, unless you have a disorder and that's whole other psychological story.
I'd say don't starve yourself but don't make it a point to eat more cals (just stick with the MFP calculation for the right amount of calories to lose a lb. a week or whatever) or always eat ALL your exercise calories if you don't especially feel like eating and you've gotten enough nutrition.

And have patience. Slowly is the best way to lose weight so you can keep it off forever. Just be thinking you're doing everything you can and the change is happening rather than being impatient for the scale to keep moving.
good luck!

edit: I don't remember how much you're trying to lose, but the amount of calories you should eat to lose weight goes down as you weigh less. So your correctly restricted calculated amount if you did it at 170 lbs should be lower if you weigh, say, 150. You should recalculate. MFP won't go below 1200 though.

IsraaQ

Thank you all for your comments.. They really helped.. I will take in everything everyone here said and will update the results in a few weeks so watch this space .. Goof luck to all of us

LWatson43

also remember to drink more or at least the recommended amount of water. WATER WATER WATER AND BREAKFAST TO GET THE BODY GOING.