What am I doing wrong?

jenifer4

I have a few questions. First of all I will tell you a little about myself, I have 25lbs to lose and I am not impressed with my weight lose thus far using MFP. I am looking to lose 2lbs a week, I am working out very hard in the evenings every evening with maybe one day off a week. I work a office job, and eat 1200 calories. I make sure to eat a net of 1200 calories per day. I work out 6 days a week, 2 days swim class and 4 days at the gym doing lots of cardio and circuit training. I've been doing C25K on the treadmil, then I use the elliptical - I burn approx 400-500ish calories per night.

I tend to eat out for lunch during the week... I dont know why I am doing this but my plan is to stop... I brought left over chicken breast, sweet potato and veg for today! I'm planning on making my own soup this weekend as well too.
My first question is does eating subway 3 days a week play a big role in my weight loss? I've started getting a 6" whole wheat veggie with cheese and a little bit of light mayo after eating ham or turkey for awhile.

Last week I lost 3lbs, but that was after no loss the week before. I was very excited and happy...I looked back at what i was eating last week and I decided to eat a chicken sandwhich and plain baked potato at Wendy's 2 days before my weigh in and the very next day I finally lost some lbs after being stuck at the same number all week..I am not sure why I would lose after eating fast food but I did .So, this week I decided to do the same thing as I did last week eating out wise, and working out wise...but now i'm showing +1.2 ... I dont officially weigh in until tomorrow. This is so frusterating!

I drink 96oz of water a day, so I am getting plenty I think.
I would love to hear your opinions if you think I am stuck at my current weight because I am eating out for lunch during the week?
is my body use to doing the same workout's at the gym?
Am i eating too much sodium? It's currently set at 2500 a day, some days I am under and some days I am over a little.
I read that some people try to get around 1500 only?
Should I not eat after 7pm? I typicially have a bowl of smartpop popcorn (260cal) around 10:00pm

thanks

julwills

You may not be eating enough. If you're only taking in 1200 calories but working out every day and burning an addition 500 you need to eat (at least some) of those calories back. Your body isn't getting the calories it needs so it's not letting you burn more for fear it won't get any more!

Aeriel

You are probably trying to lose weight too fast. 2 lb a week is for someone who has a lot of weight to lose, because it creates such a large calorie deficit. You would probably have better luck with a 1 lb a week target. I am going to hunt for the link that explains it well and I will edit this post to tell you where to go and read.

Edited to add:

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

Read that and it explain whereabouts to place your goal. As strange as it sounds, you need to eat to lose. Too much, you gain, too little, you won't lose.

epoeraven

Is the 1200 net calories including eating back your exercise calories? If you are are eating 1200 and then exercising 500 off you should be eating 1700 calories per day. If you aren't, you are only getting 700 net calories and your body will go into starvation mode.

hooah_mj

I'm no expert, but the fast foods are loaded with salt (I love my salt & it hates me back)....the drop could be from water loss, unfortunately. As for the weight gain, that may be your body rebounding....

Realistically, I would eat a little more than your 1200 cals if I were working out that much. You gotta fuel your workouts or you'll lose muscle.....you really need that muscle to get the weight off and keep it off. Just my 2 cents (sense)....

Your water intake is awesome....get some protein in. I use EAS Protein mix with a little yogurt...yum, to replenish and combat fatigue.

Remember...this needs to be a life dedication. You gotta take it a little slower and keep it real.

Do good & love yourself :flowerforyou:

kmsolomon

This is a very amateur opinion. But coming from someone who is in the process of losing over 100 lbs. I think we tend underestimate the calories when we eat out. I find that I lose more weight when I prepare my own food. My goal now is to eat out less than 2 times per week and prepare the rest. Good luck to you. Again, this is only my amateur opinion.

carriek1009

Hi Jenifer! I am having the exact same frustration that you are having!! I am in the gym 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day and I am gaining weight!! And I get that the muscle is there and weighs more than fat but a weight gain?? Give me a break...or a pound at the least! Anyway, my boyfriend lost over 80 lbs and suggested rather than eating the bulk of my calories at dinner to eat them at breakfast so I have all day to burn them. So for instance, rather than eating a 250 calorie breakfast and a 500 calorie dinner I am going to switch them. I tried this yesterday for the first time. Everyone keeps telling me that I'm not eating enough but I am by no means starving, in fact I'm not left hungry at any point in the day at 1200 calories. I am thinking of adding protein shakes to see if that makes a difference. Good luck and would love to hear what works for you!

jenifer4

You may not be eating enough. If you're only taking in 1200 calories but working out every day and burning an addition 500 you need to eat (at least some) of those calories back. Your body isn't getting the calories it needs so it's not letting you burn more for fear it won't get any more!

I am taking into account my exercise, I am usually eating like 1500-1600 a day but with exercise that gives me a net of 1200

shreddingit

your eating too much bread!, cut the subway plus any other fast food. You can only lose 2lbs of fat a week no more, the rest will be water weight. It takes 14-48hrs after workout to shed fat. Don't eat the same change it up.

LaurenRose2011

I have a few questions. First of all I will tell you a little about myself, I have 25lbs to lose and I am not impressed with my weight lose thus far using MFP. I am looking to lose 2lbs a week, I am working out very hard in the evenings every evening with maybe one day off a week. I work a office job, and eat 1200 calories. I make sure to eat a net of 1200 calories per day. I work out 6 days a week, 2 days swim class and 4 days at the gym doing lots of cardio and circuit training. I've been doing C25K on the treadmil, then I use the elliptical - I burn approx 400-500ish calories per night.

I don't even have to finish reading your post to tell you what you're doing wrong. You are NOT EATING ENOUGH. Based on the information I have you have an estimated metabolic rate of 2,900 calories per day. This is what you would need to eat to maintain your weight given your activity levels. 1,200 calories is only 57% of what your body needs to maintain itself. Generally speaking, anything more than 50% less than that of our metabolic rate is considered "STARVATION".

If you have been doing this for a prolonged period of time then I have very little doubt that you have put your body into starvation mode. It has begun eating away at your glycogen reserves (of which there is little), and now it is working on the rest of you. You NEED to increase your total net caloric intake by AT LEAST 300 calories per day to get back above 50% of your met, and then you need to increase even more based on your desired weight loss rate per week, and goal weight.

I could be off a little on the numbers because I do not know your height, but what I've said here will be generally true for you if your height is anywhere between 5' 2' and 5'10''. If you are under 5'2'' then you are likely still not consuming enough, and may be flirting with starvation, but you may not be there yet.

Now, for the rest of your post:

96oz of water is great given your activity level.

The popcorn at night is actually not a bad idea either. It provides a last little boost before sleeping.

Your sodium is ok. I strongly suggest reducing it to 2100mg/day, but it's not absolutely necessary.


Bottom Line: You need to increase your consumption. You need to schedule an appointment with your primary physician to discuss your diet and exercise habits, and you need to be honest with your doctor about your diet and exercise habits. You may not feel that you are not eating enough, but the numbers only rarely lie. I don't know you or your history, and I am only working off of the information you've supplied here, and the age on your profile with an estimated height. Just be careful. Prolonged starvation can reduce body fat, yes, but it can also deteriorate your muscles, reduce organ function, and/or kill you.

Well, that is all I have for now. Good luck.

Edit: **I just saw another post where you added that you eat 1500 or so calories, but you don't eat what you are supposed to when you exercise. Your 1,500 calories intake quickly becomes much less when you factor in your activity. You need to realise that MFP has already set a calorie deficit for you based on your account information and desired weight loss. You are adding to that deficit, and that is NOT a good thing. SO, no, you haven't accounted for your exercise. MFP automatically accounts for it, and adjusts your caloric needs accordingly. You are consuming too little.