Am I doing something wrong? And other questions

forJupiter

Hey guys,

So I wanted to ask you all when you started to see results on the scale for losing weight? I've been following mfp's calorie guide for about three weeks (two consecutive) and working out 3 days a week with an hour of elliptical/arc trainer and 30 minutes of weight training along side any walks I do through the day or cleaning a work. I know I'm working myself hard enough, drinking my water, eating right and eating my calories with a small deficit around 100-400 calories (following mfp's recommended 1400 before workouts). I'm aiming to burn between 600-1000 but am sometimes exceeding up to 1500 depending on my regular activities through the day but I eat my calories so I don't have a huge deficit and occasionally go over by about 100 or so (no more than once a week). My girlfriend tells me that it will take a while before I lose anything. Makes sense but me being impatient wants to estimate when the average individual begins to see results or if I'm doing something wrong? Should I not be eating back my workout calories and should I be working out everyday instead? Also would me pushing for this calorie burn goals and length of workout goals hinder on me later after my body adjusts?

Thanks!

Losingitin2011

Well, being able to see your diary would really help get a good idea of what might be happening. Are you drinking a bunch of water and watching your sodium intake? Are you eating back your exercise calories? Umm.... I don't really know other than that without seeing what you're eating. I started losing within a week.

Charger440

All I can tell you is I try to leave 800 - 1000 cals left for the day and I generally lose around 2 pounds a week, There are tons of ppl that will say you should eat all your exercise cals but I never have and I see no point eating back every back what you've worked so hard to burn!

Also, I eat "what ever I want" unlike some folks on here that monitor everything and it has to be "healthy" food. I still eat what Ive always eaten, just less of it!

ErnestoRos

If you are trying to see better results, or like you said since you are impatient try working out 4-5 times a week if you can't do 6 days. When I began my weight lose journey, I was told my calorie intake was suppose to be 2,000 a day, and that didn't include from my workouts. I tried to hot the caloric intake for the day and that was it, I didn't try to make up the calories I lost from my workouts. I'm sure you are doing great but it just takes time to start seeing results. Maybe the scale doesn't show it right away but when clothes start fitting looser then you know whatever you are doing, is actually working

Helena4

Do you feel as if you have lost weight or are you just going by the numbers on the scale? because by the sound of it you do alot of activity so you may be putting on muscle instead? sometimes it's not all about the scales and weigh-ins, you really have to go with how you feel. As for eating wise...I try not to eat my exercise calories because after all that is the defect and if you eat them as well...then you will only maintain your weight!

davejlee

There are tons of ppl that will say you should eat all your exercise cals but I never have and I see no point eating back every back what you've worked so hard to burn!

Because the goal is long term health and fat loss, not simply losing weight as quickly as possible.

rosiesparkle100

I think it does take women longer sometimes for their bodies to adjust as they have less muscle and muscle burns more calories than fat. It took me ages to show a decent loss, then one week I had lost 6 pounds. Stick with it, it sounds like you are doing everything right, and you will soon see results!

Charger440

There are tons of ppl that will say you should eat all your exercise cals but I never have and I see no point eating back every back what you've worked so hard to burn!

Because the goal is long term health and fat loss, not simply losing weight as quickly as possible.

Some of us are on here to lose weight and be healthier not just work out and brag about it. If you don't eat back all your exercise Cals you will lose weight faster(hopefully not to fast) but not seeing a 10 pound weight loss this time next year. If you want to lose weight slowly thats great but some of us what to get the excess weight off so we can more easily be active and lead better lives. My point was, try NOT eating back all your exercise cals if you want to lose weight and see how that works. When I get to my goal weight I plan to eat all my exercise cals to maintain weight but for now I'm actually trying to lose weight!

Tiggermummy

Do remember that MFP builds in a deficit already and if your NET calories are too low it can hinder your weight loss.

You will get lots of differing advice about I do or I don't eat back exercise calories but I think it is a very personal thing it depends a lot on you and your body.
I have lots to loose (60+) so I should be able to loose 2lb a week but I am not, now due to circumstances at home I can't always eat as healthly as I would like to, but I have always tried to stay within my calories limits, but it isn't working my first mini goal date has been and gone and I am still 1.5lbs from it.
So this week I have up'd my calories intake and dropped my goal of 2lb a week to 1lb a week, my NET calories are actually closer to what they should have been on 2lb a week and in the last week I have lost 1lb. I am starting to feel my body will be happier at 1500 calories rather than 1200, so I'll try it for a few more weeks and then re-consider.
I had a takeway indian meal last night but still managed to stay within my goals even for fat, I just switched a couple of my choices around to make better ones (and it was quite a tasty alternative!)

Just a reminder your NET calories are the Calories in - Calories burnt from exercise = NET calories - I have ended up in negative numbers a couple of times so it's easy to do.
if you look at your home page at the box at the top which shows how many calories for the day it's always the last figure on the end and I think it goes red if your in negative.

Good luck, it will take a little time, and you can always try using a tape measure to see if you are loosing inches instead of weight as I know I have and that is what has kept me going!

whateverdamnit

There are tons of ppl that will say you should eat all your exercise cals but I never have and I see no point eating back every back what you've worked so hard to burn!

Because the goal is long term health and fat loss, not simply losing weight as quickly as possible.

Some of us are on here to lose weight and be healthier not just work out and brag about it. If you don't eat back all your exercise Cals you will lose weight faster(hopefully not to fast) but not seeing a 10 pound weight loss this time next year. If you want to lose weight slowly thats great but some of us what to get the excess weight off so we can more easily be active and lead better lives. My point was, try NOT eating back all your exercise cals if you want to lose weight and see how that works. When I get to my goal weight I plan to eat all my exercise cals to maintain weight but for now I'm actually trying to lose weight!

I agree with you 100%! When I was eating back all the calories I'd burned, I was just maintaining my weight, rather than actually losing it. Now I just don't log in my daily workouts and I just eat my 1200 calories.

davejlee

There are tons of ppl that will say you should eat all your exercise cals but I never have and I see no point eating back every back what you've worked so hard to burn!

Because the goal is long term health and fat loss, not simply losing weight as quickly as possible.

Some of us are on here to lose weight and be healthier not just work out and brag about it. If you don't eat back all your exercise Cals you will lose weight faster(hopefully not to fast) but not seeing a 10 pound weight loss this time next year. If you want to lose weight slowly thats great but some of us what to get the excess weight off so we can more easily be active and lead better lives. My point was, try NOT eating back all your exercise cals if you want to lose weight and see how that works. When I get to my goal weight I plan to eat all my exercise cals to maintain weight but for now I'm actually trying to lose weight!

Who's bragging about working out? And your statement that eating back exercise calories will lead to maintaining or slow weight loss is false. Besides the goal is not weight loss but fat loss.

Eating healthy, eating often, strength training, and to a lesser degree cardio training, will lead to an increase in metabolism, and as such, rapid fat loss.

shadow3829

Are you weighing and measuring your food? Do you think you could be overestimating your calories burned and or underestimating your calories consumed?

fitnessjch

It took me 3 weeks to start losing. I hadnt done much exercise at all in the few years prior to that point.

In that 3 weeks, I lost no weight whatsoever, but I lost 5 inches on my waist, and 1 on my hips!

It may be that its muscle

Charger440

There are tons of ppl that will say you should eat all your exercise cals but I never have and I see no point eating back every back what you've worked so hard to burn!

Because the goal is long term health and fat loss, not simply losing weight as quickly as possible.

Some of us are on here to lose weight and be healthier not just work out and brag about it. If you don't eat back all your exercise Cals you will lose weight faster(hopefully not to fast) but not seeing a 10 pound weight loss this time next year. If you want to lose weight slowly thats great but some of us what to get the excess weight off so we can more easily be active and lead better lives. My point was, try NOT eating back all your exercise cals if you want to lose weight and see how that works. When I get to my goal weight I plan to eat all my exercise cals to maintain weight but for now I'm actually trying to lose weight!

Who's bragging about working out? And your statement that eating back exercise calories will lead to maintaining or slow weight loss is false. Besides the goal is not weight loss but fat loss.

Eating healthy, eating often, strength training, and to a lesser degree cardio training, will lead to an increase in metabolism, and as such, rapid fat loss.

OK this is the last time I'm going to post on this but I just wanted to make a point. You mentioned that fat loss is not weight loss. Aren't they one and the same? I really can't remember anyone that was in pretty good to great shape saying they would love to lose weight. Just the people that were "fat" wanted to lose weight/fat.

I've seen her food diary and there are plenty of things on there Ive never heard of so she is probably eating "right/healthy" the only I seen was she talked about eating back all her exercise calories. To me that makes about as much sense as drilling a hole in the bottom of a bucket and then letting water run back in it and wondering why the bucket never get empty. Let the water trickle and it will slowly empty. My original statement was only a suggestion anyway. It is what has worked for me and continues to work well and ive never had any of that expensive, tasteless "healthy" food.

Losingitin2011

Just remember that rapid weight loss isn't always healthy weight loss. A lot of people who lose the weight really quickly (a lot of biggest loser contestants for example) often gain it right back.

sandyfeet10

maybe workout 5 times a week....3 days cardio and 2 days strength training. strength training burns more fat...so i've heard!

casey12105

I'm aiming to burn between 600-1000 but am sometimes exceeding up to 1500 depending on my regular activities through the day

Are you logging daily activities that you do as exercise to get how much you've burned? If so, you're probably overestimating your calories burned and therefore eating too many calories since you're eating those "burned" calories back. If you're pretty active every day, just set your activity level at active or lightly active, whichever applies to you, and only log the actual exercises that you do.

olyrose

Pretty much every time I started trying to actively lose weight by exercising, I wouldn't drop any pounds, which would lead to me giving up.

I've read a couple different places something about your muscles hanging on to water when you first start an exercise program, so it could take even around a month to start dropping.

So it could just be that it's taking a while, if you really are doing everything else right. Sometimes for me, if I stick to the right calories and take a few days off from the gym, I'll drop a few pounds. That gives me the motivation to go back to the gym (because I know that the effects are beyond losing weight, it really is about health).

Good luck!

hypergrl

It took me 3 weeks to start losing. I hadnt done much exercise at all in the few years prior to that point.

In that 3 weeks, I lost no weight whatsoever, but I lost 5 inches on my waist, and 1 on my hips!

It may be that its muscle

I agree completely here...when you first start you MAY drop a lot of water weight. But I found that it took roughly three consecutive weeks of working out four/five/six days a week to see an actual drop on the scale...but the best is that I lost five inches on my waist and 2 inches on my hips and 1 inch in my chest. I posted my results last night...the thing is don't pay soooo much attention to the scale; especially in the beginning...it moves up and down so much depending on water intake and things like that. So give it three weeks to a month to weigh in and then see the results..also I recommend measuring your bust/hips/waist for comparison later too! You'll be sooo surprised to see how many Inches you've lost!

As for food...I don't eat my exercise calories back right now; I'm trying to create the deficit so I'll drop the fat. Best of luck!

rachrach66

Yes eat healthy and exercise. It helps if your calories are healthy and not junk. Some ppl lose faster than others. I would say keep it up and weight yourself again in a few weeks