What am I doing wrong? 2 months

DrumlineGirl

When I started MFP on Nov. 30, I started to lose weight right away. I lost a pound a week until the end of december. Then I was stuck for like 4 weeks, then I lost 0.6 pounds, and then this week I gained 0.4 pounds.

December 20 weight 126.6
Jan 1 126.6
Jan 8 126.6
Jan 17 126.0
Jan. 24 125.0
Jan. 31 125.4

Not only have I NOT lost any inches, but I have gained inches in my hips, arms and belly. Here's what I do:

I have a net of 1200 calories. I eat my exercise calories so that I always net 1200.

I bought a HRM to get more accurate calorie burn amounts.

Week 1 and 2, 30 minutes cardio/3 days
Week 4 and 5. 35 minutes cardio/3 days
Week 6 and 7, 40 minutes cardio/5 days
Week 8 and 9, 45 minutes cardio/6 days

Strength training 3 days/week throughout the entire time.

This has really got me on the verge of wanting to give up. I've given it 9 weeks and my clothes are just as tight as ever. My tight jeans still don't fit right. I really don't think after this amount of time I could just be gaining muscle, and why am I gaining inches?

Any help?

franzy

DON'T GIVE UP..... How does your food diary look?

LizardIsANerd

How tall are you? It doesn't seem like your body is meant to weigh much less than it is...

1FITmamaofTWINS

the only way to tell if its really muscle is to go to your local GNC and pick up a fat loss monitor for around 40 bucks... or ask a personal trainer at your local gym, they usually have one.

it sends electro currents through your body to measure your fat to muscle ratio then gives you a body fat %. so lets say one monday you weight 120 and are 25% body fat then next monday you are still 120 but your body fat % is 24% you know that you have gained some muscle...

see what im sayen? I would die without mine

FearAnLoathing

try eating only half your exercise calories.

UneJolieFemme

what would be a typical day for you food wise ?

alyssa83202

Are you noticing improvements in your strength and endurance when you're working out? I know it has to be frustrating, but focus on the positives and all the good you are doing your body by being so active! Also, I'm not sure how tall you are, but maybe you aren't really meant to weigh much less than where you are now? Good luck!

cclala

When I started MFP on Nov. 30, I started to lose weight right away. I lost a pound a week until the end of december. Then I was stuck for like 4 weeks, then I lost 0.6 pounds, and then this week I gained 0.4 pounds.

December 20 weight 126.6
Jan 1 126.6
Jan 8 126.6
Jan 17 126.0
Jan. 24 125.0
Jan. 31 125.4

Not only have I NOT lost any inches, but I have gained inches in my hips, arms and belly. Here's what I do:

I have a net of 1200 calories. I eat my exercise calories so that I always net 1200.

I bought a HRM to get more accurate calorie burn amounts.

Week 1 and 2, 30 minutes cardio/3 days
Week 4 and 5. 35 minutes cardio/3 days
Week 6 and 7, 40 minutes cardio/5 days
Week 8 and 9, 45 minutes cardio/6 days

Strength training 3 days/week throughout the entire time.

This has really got me on the verge of wanting to give up. I've given it 9 weeks and my clothes are just as tight as ever. My tight jeans still don't fit right. I really don't think after this amount of time I could just be gaining muscle, and why am I gaining inches?

Any help?

What kinds of foods are you eating, and are you getting enough water? If you eat a lot of processed foods that are high in sodium, and don't drink sufficient fluids, you will puff out both in inches and lbs, regardless of your calorie intake.

Take heart, I know it's frustrating. My weight loss has by no means been linear. I can go 3 weeks and see zero improvement, and then all of a sudden some muscle will appear. Then I'll gain a pound, then the scale won't budge for a month, then I'll lose 2 lbs. It's annoying, but it's a marathon. Do this for your health first, and your body will follow.

*Oh I didn't see you weight 126. That's pretty slim for most heights, are you looking to just tone up or lose much more?

scagneti

It certainly sounds like you're doing everything right.

Have you been drinking lots of water? Monitoring your sodium? Keeping your sugar in line?

If so, I'd recommend upping your calories to 1300-1400 net over 5-6 meals per day and monitor the progress just to shake up your metabolism and encourage it to burn some fat.

HMKan

I'm in your boat, except I'm almost 240, female, working out daily for at least 30 minutes, eating back to exercise calories to net 1200-1300, staying under my calorie goal, staying relatively under my fat, watching my sodium and drinking at least 12-15 cups of water a day. Not losing inches, not losing weight. In fact, I gained 3 pounds and in fact, now weigh more than I did when I started this whole eating right/working out business.

angebean

Can you open up your diary so we can see it? Things to watch for are high sodium intake, make sure you're drinking LOTS of water and change up your exercise routine. You have hit a plateau and just need to shock your body.

DON'T GIVE UP! This is a lifetime change, not just something you need to do to lose a few pounds.

ebkins7

Sounds like a serious plataue!

First and foremost... DON'T GIVE UP! We all go through this! And though it can be discouraging just keep going! YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

Have you tried increasing your caloric intake or changing your routine? If you are doing the SAME exercises for the most part, your body may be bored. Time to wake it up!!! Try a new class or different weight training exercises. Anything to confuse your body.

Again Keep at it and DON'T give up! You deserve to have a healthy body AND you will if you just keep at it!

Kshadley95

Think of the alternative, had you not done any of this how would you feel during your current cardio workouts? Also just cutting calories is not alway enough for everybody, make sure you are looking at what those calories are made up of and remember you don't always have to keep your net at a steady level.

angebean

I'm in your boat, except I'm almost 240, female, working out daily for at least 30 minutes, eating back to exercise calories to net 1200-1300, staying under my calorie goal, staying relatively under my fat, watching my sodium and drinking at least 12-15 cups of water a day. Not losing inches, not losing weight. In fact, I gained 3 pounds and in fact, now weigh more than I did when I started this whole eating right/working out business.

When you first start a new program, your body has to remetabolize and often times you gain before you start to lose. This is just your body balancing itself out. Hang in there, you'll lose.

Lula16

DON'T GIVE UP!!! it will melt off with time. one day you will wake up and wonder where did it all go? my husband was in the same boat, he didnt see results for weeks, and at times he thought he was gaining it back. within 4 months he lost 45 pounds.

slummymummy

I just took a look at your profile, and see you're about the same height as me (I'm 5'3") Your weight is within our healthy weight range, so maybe this is the weight you're supposed to be? Remember, as a relatively slim person, your BMR will be lower than most people's, so the calorie deficit you will need to enable you to lose weight (1lb = a deficit of 3500cals between your BMR and actual intake) will be significantly higher than someone larger than you.

Don't give up, even if you're not losing weight, you are gaining health :flowerforyou:

fitoverfifty

Your body is probably meant to weigh about 125 pounds.....so from here on out you will just be maintaining. You should eat probably about 1600 calories to maintain ( look up the exact amount) And you will see slight fluctuations in your weight because of water retention ( PMS) and muscle gain.
Eating less calories would put your body in survivol mode, causing it to store fat.

Good luck!

fitoverfifty

Your body is probably meant to weigh about 125 pounds.....so from here on out you will just be maintaining. You should eat probably about 1600 calories to maintain ( look up the exact amount) And you will see slight fluctuations in your weight because of water retention ( PMS) and muscle gain.
Eating less calories would put your body in survivol mode, causing it to store fat.

Good luck!

FaeFae

the closer you are to your goal the harder it will be to lose the weight. For example someone of my size would lose weight at first much faster than you would. Unfortunately people often plateau close tho their goal.

Rworthy

It's hard bull**** to lose weight. I am convinced there is no rhyme or reason to anything!!! Some people do nothing, make the smallest of changes and get the biggest results. Others kill themselves to lose the smallest amount of weight, only to have it come back 10x faster than it was gone.

iamanne

You are already at a healthy weight for your height. It seems as though your body is where it needs to be and is therefore resistant to weight loss. A better option for you may be to focus on general fitness. Being healthier and stronger not necessarily lighter is probably the best goal for you.

DrumlineGirl

How do I open my diary? I tried and can't find it.

Anyways, thanks for the suggestions so far. Basically, I'm a pesce-vegetarian (I don't eat meat except for seafood), and know I am lacking in protein most days. That said, I figured if I'm under calories it shouldn't matter.

I eat whole grains, and sometimes over do the sugar, but am never over in sodium.

I am almost 5'2" (just a smidge under), and while it seems like 125 is a good weight, it really doesn't look good on me. My arms are flabby, as is my belly and I have a big butt

But I was 115 in college and also very muscular, I loved it, and that is my goal. I also like my shape at 120, so if I get there, but look good it's fine, I'm not obsessed with the number on the scale as long as I'm healthy and toned (flabby fat is not attractive).

I have been noticing positive fitness improvements. I can work out for longer, and I can run a lot longer than I used to, so that's a good one.

DrumlineGirl

I should post a picture of myself when I started this. I know 132 doesn't seem like a big starting weight, but I've got a tiny frame, not just height, but I have like no hip bones!

benitocereno

Why are you doing so much cardio if you want to tone? It seems like you're already at a good weight, you should be lifting weights and working on muscle building, not losing fat! Trust me, any problem you have with definition will vanish when you fill that skin out with some muscle underneath.

A lot of women avoid lifting weights because they're afraid of looking masculine. What they don't realize is that unless you pump the iron seriously hard (hours a day w/ supplements, and even then you're lucky to maybe build .5 to 1lb of muscle a week compared to 1.5 to 2lb for a man), the results you'll see are going to make you look healthy, lift and fill out your sags, and give you more strength than you've ever had before.

Building lean muscle will also help you lose those few stubborn pounds.

So, as you can tell, I'd advocate lifting weights in your case . You don't have to give up cardio, but I really do think it'd be the most 'bang for your buck.' If weights aren't your thing you can try calisthenics, P90x/Insanity/BeechBody/DVD #152, etc, or any resistance training set; but they key to your fitness is muscle. Don't be scared of the weights!

DrumlineGirl

I do lift weights 3 days a week, and have for the last 9 weeks. I definitely have fat that needs to be lost, I'm telling ya'll. If anyone want me to take some pictures of it and send it to you I will. I'm not one of those people who thinks they need to lose weight when they are already really skinny

jdelana

I would def look into what you are eating first of all. Second I would look into how hard you are working out. I could walk for 35 mints at a 3.0 and see nothing. I would eat a lot better and push yourself even harder in your workouts. I would maybe even cut back to doing weights 2 a week instead of 3.

benitocereno

Well that's good then! What kind of workouts are you doing with weights? Independent of the amount of weight you do I'd recommend squats and dead-lifts.

Have you noticed strength gains, and if so, have you increased your workout yet?

In any case, it seems like you're doing really good, I think you just need to remember to not give up. You have a good thing going and increasing your fitness will resolve these problems, one day at a time.

DrumlineGirl

Thanks again for the encouragement.

I've done basically the same reps and sets (3 sets of 10 reps), on all body parts, but have increased the weight every couple of weeks.

I HAVE noticed a little bit bigger bicep and my quads are ripped, those muscles are majorly tight, but the fat around them (especially inner thigh and area under the butt) are super flabby and fatty. As I write this, my belly is spilling over my jeans about 4 inches :P

benitocereno

Honestly, it sounds like you're doing everything right, and I'd say that to very few people posting on these boards!

Just keep it up, you're going to get there. Another forum I frequent has a female weightlifting thread that recommends this site for all the girls lookin to get swol (okay not really ):

http://www.stumptuous.com

It's a good, female-oriented site for weightlifting. Check out the getting-started for weightlifting along the top, they have a great short called "no fat chicks" that I think is pretty cool

stormieweather

I've been where you are. My problem was three-fold. First, I had been dieting for too long and needed to take a couple months and eat at maintenance (might not apply to you). Second, the exercise calories per MFP/Gym were much higher than I actually burn. I use a fitbit now and know what I burn. Third and most important, measure/weigh every single thing. Peanut butter? Measure it. Olive oil in the pan? Measure it. Boneless chicken breast? Do not assume 4 oz, get it on a scale!! (some of mine were 10+ oz's). Sauces, jams, cheese....weigh it/measure every bite you take. If you can't eat the regular portion size of something...get rid of it. My weakness was ice cream and I would assume/log 2 servings....not so much :noway: . More like 3-4 1/2 cup servings. So no more ice cream. No cheat days. A cheat item once or twice a month, maybe. Not a meal, not a day. One thing...maybe. If you're diligent.

Chart your intake and weight. See where you've fallen off the plan and see how you should be losing compared to what is really happening. And be patient. Most of all, be patient.

Vicky14174

completely change your works. confuse your muscles. and if you are doing to much strength training you will bulk up so I've been told.