weight loss not happening :-(

vinnysgirl

Hi All

I have set my weight loss programme at the recommended 1lb/week, 1200 calories, been sticking to the MFP recommended guidelines for a few weeks and I have only lost 1lb and can't seem to shift any more.

I take exercise 5 days a week, jogging 3 days a week a 2.3 mile circuit, and walk the same circuit the other 2 days, mainly in an evening at about 9pm, doing some floor exercises before and after.

Any ideas why I have hit this brick wall or what I can do to kick start the weight loss ? I am a 47 year old female if that makes a difference.

thanks for reading, any advice most appreciated :-)

jenniferlecaptain

I'd say you need to eat more. Do you eat back your exercise calories? If not, you might want to give that a try.

Gilbrod

Have you been measuring yourself? Do clothes fit looser? All victories on not on the scale. Remember that 1lb of muscle takes up less space than 1lb of fat.

profetik

You've most likely hit a plateau, meaning your body is now used to your exercise routine. I would try to shake things up a bit. maybe do different exercises for a few weeks or simply alter the way you do your currents exercise. It's a concept called muscle confusion, that i use with p90x. It changes your routine and the ordser in which you do exercises every couple of weeks so your body is thrown curveball every time it's used to the current workout.

shelld70

I agree w/Jennifer. Maybe add a couple hundred more calories a day. With all the work you are doing you need more food to give your metabolism a kick. Good luck to you!

mara232

Are you eating back your exercise calories? You need to eat a minimum of 1200 calories. Try calorie cycling - you eat 1200 one day and 1500 the next. Google 'calorie cycling". This helps me when I stop losing. Good luck!

therealangd

You only have 13 lbs to go. Those are the hardest lbs to lose. I would suspect that you are only going to lose .5 lb per week anyway. So I would suggest you set MFP for that. Make sure you eat back at least half your exercise calories. Also examine, and make sure, that you are not underestimating your food calories and overestimating your exercise calories.

enjoyinglife2012

I am the same way. no matter what I do it doesn't matter. I am so tired of people telling me I have lost weight when I haven't lost an ounce or shrunk an inch. my clothes still fit exactly the same tight and uncomfortable or just right depending on my day. I work my butt off i eat right and nothings happening.

yanicka

The last few pouds are really hard to lose. I lost 15 pounds in 7 months... and that is with a 5 pounds lost one month. Do not quit, use the mesuring tape.

ljbhill

When I first started the same thing was happening to me. You are doing the exercise so it must be the types of food your eating. Check the sugar and fat content as this can affect your weight loss as well as the calorie total.

I switched up the types of food I ate. I stopped eating heavy carbs at dinner except for once a week on the weekend (i.e. rice, pasta, potato etc) and the weight suddenly started to drop away. It was hard coming up with ideas and I missed the carbs at dinner time at first but after a while I got used to it. So used to in fact, that these days when I do have a carb dinner I feel bloated and terrible!

Try experimenting with the sugar/fat/carb and see what works for you. If you need any ideas for low carb dinners just ask, I'm a pro now

Good Luck!

vinnysgirl

Thank you all very much for your valued replies, much appreciated.

I do eat back my exercise calories, so always finish the day as close to 1200 calories as possible. I do tend to go over my protein allowance though so I don't know if that makes a difference ?

I will add different exercise routines to alternate between to see if that helps, and also look into the calorie cycling, thanks

My clothes do feel a tiny bit looser, so I guess my shape has altered slightly, but it is still a bit disheartening when the scales don't tell you what you want to hear :-)

My other downfall is I don't drink enough, I really have to force myself to drink, if it is in my hand then I am fine, but I kind of 'forget' to go and get a drink, if that makes sense. Does water play a big part in increasing the metabolism ?

Thanks again for the replies :-)

JollyMolly72

Wow congrats for being so motivated...it sounds like you are working hard!!! I agree with pretty much everything that's been said...that, as Jennifer stated, you need to make sure you are eating enough that your body isn't trying to store calories and as Gilbrod stated that all victories are not on the scale (apparently a pound of muscle burns 35 more calories a day than a pound of fat...just being there on your body!).

I was going to say the same thing as Profetik, your body may be used to your routine. I'm am definitely not an expert but I have been to many a weight watchers meeting. In addition to your muscles getting used to your workout routine your body also gets used to your caloric intake. I can't explain it scientifically because I'm just a person on a diet but I can give you a really long explanation of the moment that I first learned about the er... "stomach confusion" theory at a Weight Watchers meeting.

If you don't already know the WW program...they give you a certain number of points everyday in addition to a certain number of weekly points. The daily point value is the minimum amount of food you are advised to eat and the weekly points you can choose to use all, some or none.

At a meeting someone asked if they advised eating only your daily points, or if they advised dividing the weekly points evenly across the 7 days (so in both cases eating exactly the same calories everyday). The leader said she did not advise either because your body would get used to that caloric intake. She advised randomly fluctuating the points you eat to keep your body guessing...just as long as you stay within your weekly range.

Good luck, keep in touch!
Molly

vinnysgirl

Thanks Yanicka, glad i'm not on my own. I have never measured myself, so I think I will start to log that too as it will be a reflection of how my shape is changing or not as the case may be.

Cute cat by the way :-)

vinnysgirl

When I first started the same thing was happening to me. You are doing the exercise so it must be the types of food your eating. Check the sugar and fat content as this can affect your weight loss as well as the calorie total.

I switched up the types of food I ate. I stopped eating heavy carbs at dinner except for once a week on the weekend (i.e. rice, pasta, potato etc) and the weight suddenly started to drop away. It was hard coming up with ideas and I missed the carbs at dinner time at first but after a while I got used to it. So used to in fact, that these days when I do have a carb dinner I feel bloated and terrible!

Try experimenting with the sugar/fat/carb and see what works for you. If you need any ideas for low carb dinners just ask, I'm a pro now

You might have hit the nail on the head there :-). I generally eat salad at a lunchtime but evening meals, for a change, tend to include either potatoes, rice or pasta as I am at a loss of what else to have for a change.

Could do with your expertise on ideas for low carb dinners please :-)

Good Luck!

vinnysgirl

Thanks Molly

That all makes sense. Guess I need to restructure my diet/exercise routine.

Why is weight loss so complicated :-)

zenchild

Give it a few more weeks. I lost one pound the first month. It's really frustrating to follow the rules and the scale won't budge. A trainer friend said to just stick with it and she was right. I've dropped a pound and a half this week (and the week's not over!). It's like I had to convince my body that I'm serious. I eat all my calories for the day and most of my exercise calories (if I'm hungry, I'll eat them, if I'm not, I won't). I think I had to build a little bit of muscle to help increase my metabolism.
Give it a little longer.

luvgreen25

Thanks Molly

That all makes sense. Guess I need to restructure my diet/exercise routine.

Why is weight loss so complicated :-)

If it weren't, everyone would be skinny! :happy:

ljbhill

Yes! Water does play an important role as it helps to flush all the toxins out of your body to make it more efficient. Try filling a 1 litre bottle and keep it on your desk at work so you can 'track' how much you've drunk. Aim for 2 of these 1L bottle per day. You can add some fresh lemon to spice it up.