Looking for answers

javadazed

Hi,

I needed to lose weight so I started a new lifestyle that included working out 2 hrs a day at least 5x a week. I logged all my daily food to count calories. I stopped eating fast food, sodas and most snack foods at home. I drink 64 to 96 ounces of water a day.
I have been trying to lose weight now for over 90 days and only lost 15 lbs, most of it in the first 30 days...with that said I am open to suggestions about calorie intake and do you touch your exercise calories?

I have looked through the other threads and replies on this subject, which then confused me more.

Currently I workout 2 hours a day in the pool (walk, jog, aerobics and swimming) and calories are between 1600 to 1800. I am thinking about scaling my workouts back to 90 minutes a day but don't know what calorie range to use...I don't want to give up but it is so frustrating not to see results. Think I will also start using weight machines 2x a week to add variety.

I have starting drinking "green smoothies" to up my intake of leafy greens and use muscle milk occasionally.

My stats are:
CW: 322
GW: 130
Ht: 5'5"
age: 46

Any advice or suggestions is greatly appreciated and hope I don't sound like a crybaby,,,just looking for some answers from those of you that are being successful in this journey.

Thanks so much....

amy_p

I looked thru a few days of your diary, and you are making really good choices as far as the types and varieties of foods you are eating.

I'm not an expert, and everyone is different... but I'll tell you what I have been doing.

*I eat my exercise calories.. at least some of them.. every day. When I tried not eating them back, I didnt' lose an ounce. I started eating them back again, and weight dropped off.

*I work out 6 days a week, for 30-60 minutes. depends on what I'm doing

*I started with my MFP goals set to lose 2lbs per week, and kept it there for a full year. I followed the calorie range given to me and ate back most the exercise calories. I just recently changed my settings to lose 1.5lbs per week, because at 2lbs per week I was allowed only 1230 cals per day (pre-exercise). I was having trouble with being lethargic and moody, so I upped my pre-exercise cals and I feel a TON better. After a year, I am confident in listening to my body and knowing what it needs.

*The exercises I have done for the past year: elliptical machine, xbox kinect fitness games, walking, biking. I have just started jogging and using weight machines.

Most of all, just keep plugging away at it. You will learn what works for you. That's the beauty of MFP. It gives you some structure, but also a lot of freedom. Make sure what you're doing is sustainable for the long-haul. Don't do too much in the beginning and then burn out 6 or 8 months in.

Hope that helps :-)

iHEARTcardiacnurses

You might be hitting the gym TOO hard! As you work out, your body retains water for muscle repair but I think you might be hitting the gym a little too hard for that calorie requirement. What's your daily calorie deficit? You might have shocked your body based on how quickly you hit the gym, now the body thinks you'll be burning that much and probably hangs onto everything you put in it...

BrandyRelaxing

I experienced a similar thing as you. Last July, I thought that it was important to try to lose more than 2 pounds per week, so I started working out every day for 45 minutes at least and I found that I actually gained weight. For me, I eat somewhere between 1,600 to 2,000 calories a day and I work out 3-4 times a week for somewher between 30-60 minutes - mostly cardio. It's kept me losing 2 pounds per week easy at the beginning (339-300) and a solid 2 pounds per week after, and sometimes a bit less. I'm in this to change my lifestyle and be healthy for life.

The other thought is whether you have noticed you're losing inches. With so much time at the gym, you may be building muscle faster than you are losing fat - but I'm no expert in the area!