What am I doing wrong?? PLEASE HELP

mrdalton

I need some advice please. I am working my tail off and not seeing any numbers budge on the scale.

I go to the gym 4-5 times a week.
I do 30 minutes of strength training - usually focused on abs and arms.
Then I do an hour on the elliptical - not too rigorous as I try to do the fat burning program and keep my heart rate around 130.
Then I go to a hour long spinning class. Just recently I have been able to do everything at a moderately difficult level. (yea!)

I log everything I eat on MFP and can very easily keep it right around 1200 calories a day.
I eat back a some of my exercise calories, but never all of them.
I drink about 3 glasses of water a day and about two diet pepsi.
(my diary is public)

Do you see anything that I should change to get better results????

5'5
230 lb
Goal: 130 lb

kwing1970

What types of foods are you eating and how often do you eat?

jfleur87

Possibly you have reached a plateau. Might I suggest mixing in some interval training....I love doing it on the treadmill...walk for 2-4 minutes, than all out sprint for 1 minute...repeat 5-8 times. Supposedly has all the benefits of running for a long stretch of time and actually increases your endurance...

This can also be done on a bike/elliptical..

Hope this helps

seasonalvoodoo

Are you netting 1200? You may not be eating enough. You are working out a lot, so your body needs a lot of fuel!

I am also 5"5' and started at 258 and am down to 215 and I eat more calories now than when I started. I NET between 1200 and 1660.

newmeat30

First, what is your weight loss goal set to? 1/2 pound, 1 pound, 2 pounds. You may have it set too high and actually need to eat more calories. (Based on your current weight, 1200 calories seems kinda low). Secondly, I would say to eat back more of your exercise calories. Your minium NET calories should be 1200, if you are eating less than that, you run the risk on not giving your body enough fuel to burn up the fat you are trying to lose. Also, bump up the water...at least 8 a day (and try to limit the sodas or cut them out...I know it is hard, I was a Coke-junkie), and if you are not currently tracking your sodium intake you should. Too much sodium causes your body to retain water (drinking water helps you get rid of the excess water...funny how that works). I find that keeping my sodium level around 2000mg a day works wonders. One quick way to lower sodium levels, cut down on frozen meals and cut out canned soup (they may be low-cal but they are packed with sodium). Also, I'd invest in a good heart rate monitor to count calories burned while working out, it will also help you determine what heart rate level helps you burn calories the best (HR of 130 would be way too for me to be effective but it may be perfect for you).

Best wishes!

mrdalton

I am so confused. It seems against the grain to eat more, dont you think? Did you really find you lost more the more you ate? I know I am working out a lot and eating around 1200-1500 calories - you think I need to eat more??

Trista87Marie

think of your body as a car. the more you drive it the more gas you have to put in it. so while 1200 may be enough for you to maintain your body's functionality if you are using it more then it takes more to keep it running. Thats where eating more comes into effect. If you use it more you have to feed it more.

thumper44

Drink more water.

Enjoy the reading.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

At first I said you needed to eat mroe, but I just looked at your diary - There were some choices that could be better.
But one thing I noticed that can be changed.

Your having 3 meals and sometimes big meals of 600-1000 calories in that meal.
People seem to have more success in having 5-6 smaller meals(400 cals) throughout the day.

When you get that big meal, take a doggy bag, or split it up for later.

seasonalvoodoo

Well, it does depend on your goals. Are you set up for 2 lbs? I am guessing you are. I started out with that as my goal and did that for about a month, but my weight loss stalled. I set my goal to 1.5 and upped my goal to 1440 Net. I was still hungry and burning a lot of calories through exercise (it is also important to know how many cals you burn by using a heart rate monitor, as MFP and the machines overestimate) so now my goal is 1 pound per week at 1630 calories. I have been losing 2-3 lbs per week, which is more than I lost while eating less calories.

NAMsMommy

I net at least 1200 a day (that is the calories I eat minus the calories I burn)
So, today I ate 1513 and burned 150 so my net was 1363.
That is about average for me. I am slightly over today, but tomorrow is a new day.

I know it sounds counter-productive, but try it. Or, try just upping your intake 100 calories and see if that makes a difference.

Flyntiggr

I just looked at your diary, and to be frank, it kinda sucked. You seem to eat a lot of fast/restaurant food and skip a lot of meals. Your daily calorie intake was all over the map. Some days you were over by 900 and others you were under by over 1000. Gotta work on consistency and less processed stuff. I know it's hard, but it will help.

kdao

Drink more water.

Enjoy the reading.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

At first I said you needed to eat mroe, but I just looked at your diary - There were some choices that could be better.
But one thing I noticed that can be changed.

Your having 3 meals and sometimes big meals of 600-1000 calories in that meal.
People seem to have more success in having 5-6 smaller meals(400 cals) throughout the day.

When you get that big meal, take a doggy bag, or split it up for later.

What he said. Cut down on the sugars, processed food, sodium and drink tons of water. You can do it!

karen80

You might be eating the wrong things.......Check your protein intake, protein is what will help you loose weight and you must stop drinking soda and you have to drink more water....I have struggle with weight lost for a long time and for the past 3 years I was working out like crazy but the weight wasn't going any where it didn't make sense to me until just 2 months ago I read book about nutrition and even though I was eating between 1200-1400 calories I was eating all the wrong things...Protein plays a big part of weight loss I highly recommend more protein

12by311

I need some advice please. I am working my tail off and not seeing any numbers budge on the scale.

I go to the gym 4-5 times a week.
I do 30 minutes of strength training - usually focused on abs and arms.
Then I do an hour on the elliptical - not too rigorous as I try to do the fat burning program and keep my heart rate around 130.
Then I go to a hour long spinning class. Just recently I have been able to do everything at a moderately difficult level. (yea!)

I log everything I eat on MFP and can very easily keep it right around 1200 calories a day.
I eat back a some of my exercise calories, but never all of them.
I drink about 3 glasses of water a day and about two diet pepsi.
(my diary is public)

Do you see anything that I should change to get better results????

5'5
230 lb
Goal: 130 lb

My honest to goodness opinion....Right now, I think your exercise is fine.

I do think you definitely need to drink lots more water. I think drinking water is the key to weight loss, especially in beginning.

I do think you need to work on healthy food options during the day. I went back a few days....you are eating lots of processed foods. One day you ate almost all of your calories at one meal, it looked like - maybe not, maybe that's just how you logged it.

If you could start small, that may help. Start trying to get your water in during the day. Then maybe making sure you eat at least one serving of fruit and two servings of vegetables per day. Keep adding the "building blocks" to a healthy diet.

Mommyof3texans

I'll throw a little different spin since most have addressed the diet portion. I'd focus more on lower body when doing your strength part of the workout or at least alternate upper body/lower body on different days. The muscles in your legs and glutes are the biggest and in turn burn more fat when you work them.

Also, instead of always doing an hour of steady pace cardio, look into some high intensity cardio workouts or interval. You'll spend less time but burn more. Another idea is to switch up how you're doing it...instead of the elliptical for example, try a stair climber or a stationary bike.

newmeat30

Drink more water.

Enjoy the reading.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

At first I said you needed to eat mroe, but I just looked at your diary - There were some choices that could be better.
But one thing I noticed that can be changed.

Your having 3 meals and sometimes big meals of 600-1000 calories in that meal.
People seem to have more success in having 5-6 smaller meals(400 cals) throughout the day.

When you get that big meal, take a doggy bag, or split it up for later.

What he said. Cut down on the sugars, processed food, sodium and drink tons of water. You can do it!

I can tell you from experience that eating small meals 5-7 times a day works out very well. You will find that eating every 2-3 hours keeps you feeling full longer and you are less likely to pig out later in the day (also you get used to eating a smaller amount of food and get full faster). And a good rule of thumb when eating out...never eat more than half of what's on your plate. Take the other half home and eat it the next day.

seasonalvoodoo

I couldn't see your diary when I replied, but now I took a look.

I would try eating smaller meals throughout the day and do not skip any meals, especially breakfast.

I try to eat every few hours and it seems to be working.

soccermom004

You really are not eating well. Lots of fast food and premade foods that are both loaded with fat and calories. You are over calories many days. You need to focus on lean proteins, fruit and veggies and healthy carbs. Look at the food diaries of people who are losing and get some ideas. The exercise is great but I think you need to be honest with yourself about what you are eating. I do give you credit for logging accurately, that is the only way to learn. Good luck!

heatherfrancis

My advice would be to eat every 2-3 hours that your awake, Balance each meal with carbs and protein and at atleast 2 meals add healthy fats and vegetables. Healthy fats are olive oil, canola oil, nuts, etc. I would also suggest upping your protein to. 5- 1 gram per body weight and lowering your processed carbs like your hersheys and pb cubs (im very guilty of my sweets too)
Also know that even though your under your calories for the day, you can still gain or keep weight on your body. If you feed your body crap you will get crap for results even if your working your butt off everyday. You need to net atleast 1200 calories a day no matter what. You dont need to be perfect by any means but try to avoid the big meals at 1 sitting and spread it out . I would also invest in a good HR monitor to make sure your calorie burn is accurate.This is just my opinion. Good Luck you you!

Shluke206

It doesn't look like you are regularly eating breakfast from what I can see. That can slow your metabolism down. You should really try to eat something every morning even if you're not a breakfast person. I never used to eat breakfast but over the past year or two I've made it more of a habit and I think it makes a huge difference.

theresa7576

If you cannot "recreate" the item you are eating.. it should not go in your mouth. Chips, crackers fast food.. all taste good...but are HORRIBLE for you...If you can't make a dorito.. you shouldn't eat one. You should take your net calories and mentally divide them up over a day. 200 for breakfast, 300 lunch 400 dinner and three 100 calorie snacks for example. A veggies is always a better choice than a fruit, and lean protein (egg white, chicken breast, fish) are always smart choices for snacks and meals. You could have a Chicken breast and a HUGE pile of steamed brocolli and still come in under 200 calories! You get out what you put in... you can't build muscle by feeding your body crappy food and simple carbs. Eat your veggies, protein, GOOD dairy and as much unprocessed food as you can. Be realistic with how much you eat and make sure you are truly logging it correctly in terms of portions etc. Good lukc. You are putting forth effort and that is a good start.

Autumn1206

I am so confused. It seems against the grain to eat more, dont you think? Did you really find you lost more the more you ate? I know I am working out a lot and eating around 1200-1500 calories - you think I need to eat more??

I know it seems like the backward way to go, but eating more worked for me. I lost almost three pounds the first week that I increased my calorie intake, and all I did was add about 100-200 calories per day. You can do that just having a handful of peanuts. Now obviously 3 pounds is not the healthiest, but it was like my body was just kind of hanging on to it until it felt comfortable with the level of calories it was getting. I've found that a little advance planning has helped me to ensure that I make good choices throughout the day. Planning ahead those small details will help you to stress out less during the day about what you are putting into your body.

Lpfeifer419

I see a lot of beige, processed, junk foods. I don't see a lot of healthy veggies or lean proteins. I see way too little water.

You are doing all this amazing, hard work and not seeing results. We have to think about the foods we put into our mouths. It doesn't matter if you are coming in under your calories, if you are eating crap.

I bet a lot of the problem comes from your sodium intake. While you don't have it posted, it is probably 3-4 times where it should be. I have my sodium set for 2,000mg per day, but I rarely go over 1,500. Sodium will cause you to retain fluids and bloat up.

theresa7576

I'm sorry I have to add after I went back and viewed your diary that your choices are very poor........... WAY too much food is being purchased from fast food places and restaurants. A half rack of ribs? Those are very fatty... McDonalds ? You really need to try to shop the perimeter of the store, stay away from the sweets as a main source of nutrition and realize that 100-150 calories should be allowed for snack food. If you eat 1200 calories worth of donuts everyday.... what is your body supposed to do with that in terms of building a healthy body? Yogurt for breakfast, salad for lunch with maybe some bell pepper. tomatoes... some turkey or chicken cut up in it.. a dinner of something without breading or prepared by anyone wearing a hat.... tilapia, chicken breast, cod... salmon.. 96/4 ground beef even has only 150 calories and 4 grams of fat VS McDs 350 calories and 20 grams of fat... Look at every single item before you put it in your mouth and say, "is this the best choice I could be making for myself right now?" everyone deserves snack... but your main source of calories cannot be junk. You are doing this for YOU. I always tell myself... yes you can cheat.. but you are only cheating YOU. and while I can lie to MFP, my body will know differently.

marulm

Different plans work for each person, but one thing is for sure, if what you are doing isn't working, change it. At least try having lots of smaller, NUTRITIOUS meals. Sometimes we take it for granted that everyone knows what a nutritious meal is, and on this website there are a wide range of opinions on the subject, but I believe most would agree that high sugar and/or high fat is not a component of one. Drink a big glass of water in the morning. That's 2 cups down, only three more big glasses to go to make at least 8 cups. Eat some breakfast, yogurt and fruit, or peanut butter on toast with sugar-free jam (that what I eat every day), or an egg taco, or a high quality , low sugar cereal and milk (I make an iced coffee with almond milk and stevia for my beverage). It really is not complicated if you have your supplies ready, and do not have temptations in easy reach (ie., in the house). If there are situations where you need to eat fast-food, there are a few decent options. Carl's Jr. turkey burgers ( you can order them protein style) and bbq chicken, Panda Express string bean chicken breast with the veggies as the side (they have a few other good choices also). These are probably high in sodium, and of course cost a lot more than homemade, but occasionally.... I echo the post about not doing so much steady state cardio. Google HIIT to get more info. Less time spent, more effective. Feel free to check out my food diary, I eat a lot of food for the calories. I have to do this for the rest of my life, (eat well and exercise) so it has to not be a continual struggle. OK, I've rambled on long enough. I applaud your willingness to share your struggle and let us critique your food and exercise.

divamom0122

I feel just like you do! I do not eat out that often and I RARELY eat anything like fast food, but my calorie intake does run under 1200 at times and I do not get to exercise that much... health and time issues. I think you received some really great ideas, esp upping your water intake and improving the quality of your food choices. It is such a drastic change in one's lifestyle.. but I am convinced it is worth it! :flowerforyou:
Hang in there!!

DustinReiner

Well, you need to eat more than 1200 calories. 1200 is the minimum around that number and your body goes into conserve mode. So it does whatever it can to keep those 1200 calories. It will start to burn muscle.

Take your diet up to 1400-1500 calories a day. Also what are you eating matters a lot to. Cakes and candies fried food isn’t going to do it. At a low caloric intake you need a very nutritious diet. You need to eat baked or broiled meats, not processed. Boiled or streamed or raw vegetables. Salad with ONE tables spoon of dressing on it.

You need three or four small meals a day, of good food. No fast food, no cakes or candies, no pop, no fried food, no ice cream.

Be painstakingly honest in you MFP food diary listing. I weigh most of the meat and measure the amounts of food I eat. I’ve lost around 19 pounds so far.

Good luck!

Whoever wrote the car analogy is correct, if you want to frive 100 miles, you need 100 miles of gas in it.

dragonmaid78219

Also remember you will hit a plateau as far as losing pounds. I was once told when the pounds stop, start measuring your body. You may be losing inches and not realize it.

mrdalton

THANKS for all the advice everyone. I just looked back through my diary and I guess I see the problem. I thought it didnt matter what you ate, as long as you came in at 1200 calories for the day. Guess I was wrong - really wrong. I will try to make healthier choices - (but being on the road and not having a set schedule makes it really difficult.) But it has to be done if I expect to loose weight, I know. Thanks again and I'll keep you posted.

gp79

I wasn't able to look at your diary but by the looks of your last post, you seem to have figured out what your issue was.

Here are a couple of things I'd ensure you're getting...

Rest - your body needs to rebuild itself
Water - you need to stay hydrated, 3 cups of water and 2 diet pepsi's is not adequate enough.
Calories - 1200 calories with your described workout routine is not enough and is a recipe for fat GAIN!
Mindset - The toughest part, having the willpower to overcome and stare this beast in the face. Stop making excuses for why you cannot eat balanced, nutritious meals, even when traveling. I travel 180 days per year. This equates to a week at home and then a week on the road. The morning I depart, I have 80% of my food packed in my carryon for the day. As soon as I land, I check into the hotel and find the closest grocery store. The grocery store is your friend, there you control what you eat and will never be limited to what a restaurant has on its menu. Restaurants are BAD in almost all instances. You need to maximize what you get out of your calories. I eat very well while traveling and seldom hungry. In rare instances where there are forced business lunches on the fly, I make the smartest choice possible, regardless of where we're eating. If you have MFP on your phone, plug in the restaurant's name and see if it's in the database.

Think mindset....because it seems you have the exercise part down.

JohnnyNull

Skimming along, I didn't see anyone mention your workouts.

IMO, you should include far more leg work. Squats, that sort of thing.