why isn't this working?

mamakitty

I have been at this since August. I have stayed close to my calories, eaten my exercise calories, exercised 5-6 days a week and drank plenty of water. I have lost a few pounds then gained it back. I don't know what I am doing wrong. I change my workouts regularly, I have read all of Banks posts. I am so frustrated and feel like I will never get anywhere.
Any advice?

mamakitty

I have been at this since August. I have stayed close to my calories, eaten my exercise calories, exercised 5-6 days a week and drank plenty of water. I have lost a few pounds then gained it back. I don't know what I am doing wrong. I change my workouts regularly, I have read all of Banks posts. I am so frustrated and feel like I will never get anywhere.
Any advice?

arewethereyet

If nothing else, you are healthier, right? From my 47 year old point of view, that is the most important thing.

So do you measure? Are your clothes looser? Can you work out harder than before, with less sweat?

Sometimes (imho) our bodies are happy where they are. I lost weight down to 118 when I was 29 or 30 because I had to wear a bathing suit in front of my DH work crew. I was aroudn 138 and started 4 months before the event. I could NOT get below that 118...now I was 100 pounds before giving birth to my 3 kids, and of course getting 10 years older, so I had this goal of 105.

But I never could get below that durn 118. I look at the pix now and say...now WHY did I want to be smaller than 118?????

Mufasa0331

I have been at this since August. I have stayed close to my calories, eaten my exercise calories, exercised 5-6 days a week and drank plenty of water. I have lost a few pounds then gained it back. I don't know what I am doing wrong. I change my workouts regularly, I have read all of Banks posts. I am so frustrated and feel like I will never get anywhere.
Any advice?

I'm no expert but are you using a HRM to track calories burned? My theory on the eating ur exercise calories is unless you know specifically how many calories you are burning you really shouldnt be eating all of them. I work out 5-6 days a week doing whatever occurs to be to do and i rarely dip into my exercise calories only because I am using MFP educated guess calculation of how many I am burning. If you feel hungry I say eat some but listen to your body. Before you chow try drinking some water and if you're still feeling hunger then eat.

I say track your measurements and please don't get discouraged. Maybe your body is just in shock as to what is going on and resisting your attemtps to better it. All I can say is press on and vent any time you feel you need to.

Good luck sweetie.

kerrilucko

Have your measurements changed? Sometimes a measureing tape is more accurate :flowerforyou:

ChubbyBunny

You aren't too far from your goal....is your goal appropriate though?
I've had to cut way back on my workouts to actually lose weight.
Maybe you're worrying too much about the process.

NWCountryGal

I can't see your photo real well but you look very thin to me. Would you tell me what your weight is and what your goal is? It's none of my business and you sure don't need to tell me. I think I look really thin but, I have a lot of excess body fat. 25 lbs too much in fact, LOL:) I have read a lot and learned a lot on here. The one lady that said about being able to measure calories exactly, and burning, made sense to me as well. Sometimes I just pray that the figures that are calculated are right for me. But, I do listen to my body as well. The lady that mentioned working out too hard, that makes sense too. It's almost as if I defeat my whole purpose if I worry and fret instead of seeing what the benefits have been for me. I've only lost 2.8 lbs and one inch since Oct. 6 but my bod is really firmed up!! And I feel several years younger too! I surely want to fit back into normal clothing again(meaning my waist is almost non-existent, LOL!!) But since we are all unique, I don't know that my body will ever be shaped like it once was but one thing for sure, Im gonna feel better:)

I have been at this since August. I have stayed close to my calories, eaten my exercise calories, exercised 5-6 days a week and drank plenty of water. I have lost a few pounds then gained it back. I don't know what I am doing wrong. I change my workouts regularly, I have read all of Banks posts. I am so frustrated and feel like I will never get anywhere.
Any advice?

runnerdad

Just a few observations - judging by your photo, your are not really over weight. Those last few pounds are hard to lose compared to someone who has to lose 50 pounds.
Your weight will fluctuate through a normal day-to-day loss-gain cycle because of diet,hydration, hormones, etc., so limit your weigh-ins to once every week or two,and just look at the trends rather than get frustrated by the daily variation.
m
Monitor your body fat%. If you are working out that much, you may be losing more fat, but gaining more lean muscle mass than you realize. Check your measurements - are you getting smaller even though your weight is constant?
I get the impression that many people on MFP way over-estimate their exercise-earned calories, whether it be from heart rate moniotrs or the calorie counter on the elliptical at the gym, so Mufasa may be right - don't eat all your earned calories unless you really know how much you are burning.
Even if your calorie count is right, not all calories are created equal. My MFP calorie counter sets a very high carb goal for me. (Don't know if that holds true for everybody's) You will tend to maintain weight more on a high carb diet than on an equal-calorie, high protein diet. A ratio of 40:40:20 carb: protein: fat may be a better target if you are trying to lose weight, especially if you work out that much. Go for 'good' carbs too. High glycemic carbs make it harder to lose weight, even though they are equal in calories to low-glycemic carbs.
On the same line, if you are on a really low-fat diet, your body goes into stavation mode, holding onto those fat reserves, so don't get carried away avoiding fat. (Many dieticians will tell you the obesity epidemic in the US is in large part the result of the current fad for diet, low-fat foods).
Hope this helps.
Good luck.

mamakitty

Thank you everyone for your tips. I have a heart rate monitor that I use. I weigh 140lbs and would like to lose 12lbs. I do measure but have not seen any decrease and my clothes feel the same.

I think runnerdad had a good point. I do eat way too many carbs. So I think I will try to decrease my carbs and stick with good carbs. I am a big fruit eater, so this may be hard.

Thanks everyone!