Been working out for over 7 weeks and I barely see progress

susyseq

My husband and I have been working out for 7+ weeks 4x-5x a week for at least one hour. I usually do 30-45 minutes on the elliptical and then do a little of weight lifting for my legs and do some abs.
I have been following the calorie intake and don't go over my 1200 during the week I may go over on the weekends but not more than 200 cal.

When I started MFP I started at 138lbs then I started working out and it went up to 145lbs now I am at 143lbs, I find it hard to believe it could be muscle weight in such a short period of time then what gives?
I am starting to feel frustrated and so is my hubby. We go up and down the scale it doesn't seem to be a consistent weight I will be glad to lose 1-2 lbs a week. I am not gaining weight anymore, but I don't see it going away either.
And we do watch our sodium intake, drink lots of water, and eat nothing but chicken, rice and vegetables. what's the problem? : /

infosynth

Rice is high-carbohydrate. Are you balancing it with fat and protein? (Your diary is private, so we can't see what your intake looks like.)

Tinan76

Do you have befor pics to compare to? If not you should take some.

PinUpMommy

1200 calories isn't enough. You need to be eating back all of your exercise calories. You also need to watch your sodium intake. And you workout should be half cardio, half weights. Not mostly cardio, and some weights. Half and half is how you will lose the most weight.

susyseq

Only have about a cup each time and not everyday. It's multigrain rice

MissAnjy

make sure your NET calories are 1200.

marigoldcity

Are your clothes fitting better. Weight is relative in my opinion. If your clothes fit better, you have more energy and are generally feeling better, then you are accomplishing something great. DON'T look at the scale. You are probably putting on muscle weight.:happy:

susyseq

Do you have befor pics to compare to? If not you should take some.

I don't know how to post pics but I am still a size 6 I'm only 5'3

teanabean

You should take pics, that way you can compare yourself. Sometimes you lose weight a little bit in different places so you may not drop a size but you may lose an inch around your waist. Try not to get discouraged.

susyseq

I don't see much difference on my clothes yet. Some jeans are still a bit snug on me

Dootzy1

"I don't care what you weigh......what can you do now that you couldn't do before?"

Something to think about, that I saw posed as a question from some wise MFP member that stuck in my head a few days ago. It has made the scale less important.

SassyStef

are you eating back you exercise calories, 1200 might not be enough. I would also start looking at your diet, make sure you are getting lean proteins, cutting out starches and processed foods. Get plenty of fruits and veggies and keep your sugar in check.

Oh and measuring is such a better way to gauge your progress.

funkyspunky871

In this case, you're probably not eating enough. Try eating back your exercise calories or at least bumping your intake to 1500-1600. There's no harm in experimenting a bit if you're not losing weight anyways, you know?

ZebraHead

measure your self, biceps, chest, waist, thighs, etc...

Note: You can't gain muscle mass when your body is in a calorie deficit.

Check your foods, get away from processed foods, grains, etc.. Clean up your menu and cook lean foods.

Check into why you are not eating back your exercise calories (at least some of them).

aneisiena

The best fitness tips I learned were the two I's: Intervals and Intensity. Is your 45 minute elliptical workout constant? Try doing bursts of intensity for 30s every 5min. Or you can go all out with the interval setting and...yes I actually read this...it'll be like you did 90min!

susyseq

I don't eat my exercise calories, I'm pretty much done when I hit 1200 I feel full most of the time

ZebraHead

I don't eat my exercise calories, I'm pretty much done when I hit 1200 I feel full most of the time

This could be a issue for you going forward... IMHO

KaylaShianne

try adding high intensity interval training to your cardio. do 20 min of intervals then 10+ min of steady state cardio. This really boosts calorie and fat burning and gives you an HGH flush if you push yourself durning intervals. check out fitnessblackbook.com (i absolutely love his site). It really opened my eyes and now i actually spend less time working out but burn just as much (or more) and am starting to notice a difference in my strength and endurance!

susyseq

I thought eating the exercise calories will only make it harder to lose weight

MissAnjy

I don't eat my exercise calories, I'm pretty much done when I hit 1200 I feel full most of the time

that's your problem right there. enough said.
1200 calories is already a deficit. If you're not eating your calories back (from exercise) your body is hoarding what you do eat to keep itself fuelled. If you want to lose, eat more.

misscfe

You may need to eat more calories. I did the testing to find out what my caloric intake should be and it said 1000. My body was so hungry it was storing all the fat cause it thought I was starving myself. I wasn't trying to starve myself but the metabolic testing I did said that is what I should be taking in. I wasn't losing anything. So I increased my intake and have been doing better. I am not losing as much as I would like but I can tell a huge difference in my physic. Plus, it isn't necessarily the amount of calories you are eating. It is more what you are eating.

MissAnjy

I thought eating the exercise calories will only make it harder to lose weight

NOT eating your exercise calories will make it harder to lose weight. In the beginning, your body will lose because of the higher deficit. However, in a short time, your body will start working AGAINST you and you will plateau. Trust me, I did this .... I was plateaued for over 6 months. I started eating back my exercise calories, and started losing again shortly thereafter. You need to eat more. 1200 is the absolute MINIMUM when it comes to healthy eating. 1200 NET that is.

thurberj

The rice. My trainer advised me to target 25% carbs, 30%fats, and 45% protein. Eggs, peanut butter, soybeans are some of the things that are high in protein besides meat and fish, although with the amount of exercise you do you can have a larger portion of the meat and fish to bump up the protein grams. Whole grain brown rice is fine once in a while, but not every night.

ZebraHead

I thought eating the exercise calories will only make it harder to lose weight

You need a minimum of 1200 net everyday (around there in general terms)

If MFP has you at 1200 that is your base setting with weight loss figured in.

If you workout 500 calories and don't eat any back: 1200 - 500 leaves your body with only 700 calories to work with for the day.

If you are at 1200 calories and you burn 500 then you must eat 500 to get back to the 1200 calories net per day.

Consistently eating under 1200 net per day has a negative affect over the long haul and may be one reason why you are not seeing a consistent weight loss over time.

♥♥♥

jdavis193

1200 maybe enough. I lost all of my weight with eating 1200 to 1260 not eating my cals back. It depends on the person and the body type. You need to make sure that you are measuring everything exact and not doing to much nibbling bc that adds up. I do cardio with weights I usually do weights and then 30 secs of something and weights.. I mix it. You can try that. Just sit down and review what you are eating. After a year of doing 1200 I did bump my calories up to 1400 or 1500.. I still some days eat 1200-1300... You have to find out what works for you. What works for one may not work for the other.

susyseq

1200 maybe enough. I lost all of my weight with eating 1200 to 1260 not eating my cals back. It depends on the person and the body type. You need to make sure that you are measuring everything exact and not doing to much nibbling bc that adds up. I do cardio with weights I usually do weights and then 30 secs of something and weights.. I mix it. You can try that. Just sit down and review what you are eating. After a year of doing 1200 I did bump my calories up to 1400 or 1500.. I still some days eat 1200-1300... You have to find out what works for you. What works for one may not work for the other.

True thank you

jdavis193

1200 maybe enough. I lost all of my weight with eating 1200 to 1260 not eating my cals back. It depends on the person and the body type. You need to make sure that you are measuring everything exact and not doing to much nibbling bc that adds up. I do cardio with weights I usually do weights and then 30 secs of something and weights.. I mix it. You can try that. Just sit down and review what you are eating. After a year of doing 1200 I did bump my calories up to 1400 or 1500.. I still some days eat 1200-1300... You have to find out what works for you. What works for one may not work for the other.

True thank you

Your Welcome if you have any questions or need ideas for food. Let me know. I am always here to help.. I have almost cut out a lot of processed foods now. I still eat them here and there. But let me know.

susyseq

Thanks, we usually go for lean meats, fish etc, sometimes I may cook those tuna helper cause it's late and that's the only option we have but only like once a week and not every week. Didn't think it was that bad considering all the calories earned after working out

brandiuntz

I'll also add it depends on how close you are to a healthy weight. If you set MFP so your goal is to lose over a 1 pound a week, that might be too much to lose a week, if your BMI is already close to healthy.

I had to drop my goal to .5 lbs a week loss, to start seeing results. It works out to the same issue...you may not be getting enough calories.

susyseq

According to my BMI I only need to lose 3lbs to be at a healthy weight. That's crazy 3lbs will not make me happy

jdavis193

According to my BMI I only need to lose 3lbs to be at a healthy weight. That's crazy 3lbs will not make me happy

Hang in there. After having my baby I weight 130 I am 5'2 and I was dropping 1-2 lbs a week and my prepregnancy weight was 127.. I was still losing a 1lb a week until I reach 112. I am trying to tone now.