Why is this not working...
ashleymashley02
Posts: 107
So eventhough you burn/eat less than 3500 cals a week why am I not losing a lb or anything? You can look at my food journal.. I believe I am making the right choices and sometimes my workouts dont show as much as I do on here because I don't know how to log them.. I need a HRM I know but... geesh!
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The only thing I can see on your diary is that your not eating back your exercise calories - perhaps try giving your body more fuel - the Body, in its self-defensive mode, tends to hang onto everything if it doesn't get enough fuel.
I'm a very active person and trying to survive on 1200 calories a day was the worse thing I could have ever done. After some advice I now eat between 1500 and 2000 depening on my exercise levels and not only am I loosing a little, but i just generally feel better - alot more energy etc, So may be worth giving it a go also!0 -
I tried that too but I felt fat and not wanting to exercise.. I am already eating more than I used to trying to go between 1300-1500.. idk0
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^^^ Oh yeah, hun...I just looked at your food diary too and you are just not eating enough at all. If you have your calories set to 1200 (which I do not recommend to ANYONE), you absolutely HAVE to eat back your exercise calories. But I think you should even be NETTING about 1600 to start out, meaning that if you exercised off 400 one day, you should be eating 2000 that day!
Plus, the past couple of days, you haven't eaten much of anything with substance. I bet you're STARVING, aren't you?? (I ask people this a lot.) I liked what I saw a few days ago, on Tuesday. You had some eggs and bacon for breakfast and a good lunch. You had some PROTEIN that day! Some real meals. You need to make sure you get protein and MUFAs in. MUFAs are healthy fats that are in things like nuts, seeds, olive oil, olives, avocados, and dark chocolate. Not only do these foods target belly fat, they help you feel good!
Losing weight should not feel uncomfortable and miserable. It's not about depriving yourself; it's just about replacing the things you eat with better things that help your body be its best. I still eat LOTS of snacks just about every day; I just watch my portions better and I eat lots more protein and MUFAs and lots less bread and packaged food.
Also, you don't really have to exercise so much. A lot of people think so, but actually, the more you exercise, the more you need to eat and if it's difficult to eat that much protein and healthy fats, then why exercise more? The amount of food you're eating, you shouldn't be exercising at ALL. So lighten up on the workouts and eat MORE. I know it doesn't make sense or go along with everything you hear, but you've taken things to the extreme in the other direction from what got you here in the first place, and really, no extreme is ever good.
Good luck!
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I tried that too but I felt fat and not wanting to exercise.. I am already eating more than I used to trying to go between 1300-1500.. idk
Try getting the extra calories in with a protein shake made with a quality Whey protein powder. I highly recommend Optimum Nutrition Vanilla Milk Shake...Yum!0 -
Hi Ashley, congrats on losing 32 lbs already! My weight gets stuck too, very frustrating to be good and still not have the scale budge. I've gotten some great information from people on here and am happy to try to pass some ideas onto you. Not sure if you take a Vitamin D supplement but I take 1000 mgs of D3 every day, its been helping with my energy levels and I believe helping me lose weight. In looking at your food log, see if you can take in less carbs each day and perhaps up your protein (I don't agree with the amounts set up by myfitnessplan). I have eggs for breakfast everyday (one full egg and two egg whites) to start the day off with protein and it seems to get me going and keep me full longer than a high carb breakfast.0
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Yeah I am not hungry that is for sure.. if anything I am forcing myself to eat lol!0
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I am 5' 9" and weighed 262 - see my fat pic on my profile...
I have lost over 60lbs and am still losing with little effort, eating between 2500 and 3000 calories daily.
Starving yourself shuts down your metabolism. Our physiology has not evolved much in 20,000 years; however, the human race has. Our bodies still function as they did when we were swinging by our tails in the wild, hunting and gathering.
We are built to hold onto fat during times of famine. The key is tricking your body into burning fat while holding muscle, and that's accomplished by eating the right foods - lean protein, whole grains and raw fruits and veggies.
You need to try something different. Maybe we can help you and vice versa.0 -
Do you have any disease or metabolic syndrome?0
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People keep saying to eat my exercise calories back.. but most of the time I am within like 200 cals.. so really eating another subway sandwich (for example) I don't feel like is going to help.. but I guess I will try that idea.. I will give anyhting a try, but like i said I already have to force myself to eat as many calories as I am eating .. never thought I would say that lol. I am just doing on Monday's I do body combat, tues I do my own thing.. run or elliptical, weds I do an hour with personal trainer, thurs my own thing and fri will start doing an hour with personal trainer soon.. then take sat off and sunday will walk or something.. so its not a lot of exercising I don't think.. I LOVE going to workouts with my personal trainer so..0
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Id love the help! Please!I am 5' 9" and weighed 262 - see my fat pic on my profile...
I have lost over 60lbs and am still losing with little effort, eating between 2500 and 3000 calories daily.
Starving yourself shuts down your metabolism. Our physiology has not evolved much in 20,000 years; however, the human race has. Our bodies still function as they did when we were swinging by our tails in the wild, hunting and gathering.
We are built to hold onto fat during times of famine. The key is tricking your body into burning fat while holding muscle, and that's accomplished by eating the right foods - lean protein, whole grains and raw fruits and veggies.
You need to try something different. Maybe we can help you and vice versa. 0 -
Nope been tested I have PCOS (poly systic ovarian syndrome) but I don't think that has anything to do with weight lossDo you have any disease or metabolic syndrome?0 -
Youre eating 1400-1500 a day..and looks ok....but are you tracking sodium? I track mine...and you have to flush that stuff. Me..I eat 1200 cals a day..and on run days..I eat back half of my earned calories. Everyone is different though. Maybe try zig zagging and watch the sodium.0
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Go back and look at your diary. That is not true. You are more like 400 calories under every day.People keep saying to eat my exercise calories back.. but most of the time I am within like 200 cals..0 -
Yeah I am not hungry that is for sure.. if anything I am forcing myself to eat lol!
You are not hungry because you metabolism has slowed down, I felt like this while I was eating 1200 or less. Once I upped my calories and worked on eating my exercise calories things have changed. I have lost more weight, now I cant imagine eating 1200 or less . When I started eating more I saw a weight gain of two pounds but quickly dropped.
I f you eat a apple add some peanut butter
olive oil
avocados
almonds
sun flower seeds
salmon
steak
whole eggs
These are all high in calories which should help0 -
I have been were you are now and I was on a plateau. To break the plateau I had to make a change. Well, my choices were to eat more, eat less, exercise more...or do nothing and wait it out. I ended up getting really angry at a dietician that I spoke to. I told her I was eating healthy foods and taking in about 1200 calories a day, and sometimes less. I was drinking protein shakes which took up about 500 of those calories. Frustrated in about a two week span my weight didn't move. Well, after talking to the dietician I got super mad because she told me that I was ....are you ready for this? EATING TOO MUCH and that I should drop my calories down to 900 a day. I was furious. So furious in fact it made me binge that entire weekend!!! Okay, it was the wrong thing to do (emotional eating) but on Monday I didn't have the guts to weigh in...but by the time Wedn. rolled by I decided to take my punishment and see how much I gained. It ended up being a "Thank You Jesus" moment LOL when I lost 4 pounds!!!! So, I guess that was how I broke the plateau! I am still mad she told me to drop back my food to only 900 a day...OMG!! I have lost almost 40 pounds in 2 months doing it my way at 1200 (which I don't think is very many calories a day anyhow!).0
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Well way to go on losing over 30lbs! Something is working! Maybe its just a plateu?0
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I too have PCOS. It does make it harder to lose weight. The good news is that after you lose the weight, it helps reduce the symptoms.0
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I too have PCOS. It does make it harder to lose weight. The good news is that after you lose the weight, it helps reduce the symptoms.0
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Hello There!
I recently got off a plateau from doing something a trainer at my gym recommended me to do. She told me to continue eating healthy, but cut my workouts down to no more than half the intensity they were for a week. I was terrified becuase I am used to going all out at the gym and I was afraid that I would go back to my old habits, but I was consistent with the moderate exercise for a week and when i started up on my usual schedule the following week, I got through my plateau and lost 5 lbs in that week.
Don't give up! You should be SOOO proud of yourself for working so hard and the weight loss you have had. It gets much harder after 30 pounds are off (trust me, I've lost 100 this year by diet and exercise), but you are worth the hard work and dedication to a healthy lifestyle. Just be patient.
-HealthyJenn07120 -
I also have PCOS. I had a heart-to-heart with my endocrinologist and she explained how PCOS and Insulin Resistance go hand-in-hand. She suggested that I follow a low glycemic index (GI) diet lifestyle, and not only do I feel better, the weight has been melting off. Congrats on your weight loss thus far. You should be very proud of yourself.
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Looking at your diary it looks as if you are not eating enough. I would suggest less off the little snacks you have listed (even though they are healthy) and MORE complete well balanced meals. You may not feel hungry because you're eating little snacks here and there.
Also....have you invested in a food scale to assure that you are measuring everything and I mean everything done to a tic tac correctly. I lot of people (including myself when I first started MFP) have a tendency to under estimate calorie intake and over estimate calories burned.
Also, as you have said, invest in a HRM so you know exactly what you are burning.
Start tracking your sodium if you haven't already done so.
And, as always check with your doctor to see if there is an underlying medical condition causing your plateau.
But you have already lost 32 pounds and that is awesome! Plateaus do happen....trying changing up diet and the exercises you do too.0 -
So eventhough you burn/eat less than 3500 cals a week why am I not losing a lb or anything? You can look at my food journal.. I believe I am making the right choices and sometimes my workouts dont show as much as I do on here because I don't know how to log them.. I need a HRM I know but... geesh!So eventhough you burn/eat less than 3500 cals a week why am I not losing a lb or anything? You can look at my food journal.. I believe I am making the right choices and sometimes my workouts dont show as much as I do on here because I don't know how to log them.. I need a HRM I know but... geesh!
I looked at your diary. A few things, your calories could be fine. Especially if your not extremely active. 1200-1300 calories has and does work regularly for alot of people. The misconception comes in when people try to justify that within themselves that it becomes misleading. Those people likely burn 500 calories a day which case your defeceit could easily become 1500! Heres the fact. Depending on how much your losing, the more weight the more stringent you can be.
If you need to lose 100 lbs. You could eat 1200 calories and work out few times week moderate intensity like walking fast pace and lose weight steadily. Someone who's 20 lbs this wouldnt work. The contestants on the biggest loser were on 800 cal diets and burning 500-1000 day! if not more. So starvation mode isn't a black white <1200 cal min.
Heres the thing I notice off the bat. The quality of foods your eating. EX: Yoplait/Dannon yogurt. Highly processed foods. Why not try Greek Gods, or another organic not heavily processed food with high probiotics. This will not only help with digestion but it restores the healthy bacteria necessary for hormones and for digestive tract. It also can help you gain the essential nutrients from the foods you do eat while your reducing calories. And since your really not eating alot, you NEED to get all the nutrients you can from the foods you do!
Go whole grain. And I don't mean wheat at subways. Any wheat bread you buy from a store, or get from any restaurant is not true wheat. Its processed 75/25 at best. 75 WHITE! and 25 wheat full of artificial ingredients. True wheat should have <6 ingredients. Usually a local bread and its heavy too! 2lbs loafs. Don't even bother getting wheat at Subways, it's just about the same as white. SERIOUS. If you have a Great Harvest in your area, you can see what I mean. But usually any local bakery offers these.
Greens are free. Don't count green veggies, unless you eat 2 huge bags a day. It's really not cal dense, but nutrient rich!
I would re-evaluate your shopping list. Your cutting cals, and making healthier choices. But your still buying processed foods. Which is faux foods. You need to be buying everything from the periphery of the grocer. This is hard, cause people don't like to prepare meals. But the fact is the more basic you go, the more tighter your machine will run.
Just try this for a week. See how not only you feel but how you deal with hunger. Kellogs/processed don't care what the marketing says. Motts/processed again, Subway is healthier than McDs but again processed and full sodium nitrate. Soups are Okay, but they should NEVER be a meal replacement unless it's dinner.
Pay close attention to protein. And not just days your working out. Protein is needed for so many body functions that it's too important to pass up. You need your machine at it's best!
If your cutting cals, you need to be eating the best QUALITY foods possible. Black beans, spinach, fruits, veggies, nuts, probiotic foods, lean or fatty meats, as long as they are no hormone, no antibiotic. <--- this is tricky, (all natural isnt the same thing) It needs to say no hormones, antibiotics! Walmart does offer this. You need to change your mindset and your relationship with food. Your halfway there!
Eat to live, and since this is the mantra, make every precaution that what your eating is the best there is! You'll notice your metabolism shoot through the roof, you'll gain energy, passion and be the best version of yourself you can be. And this is all before you exercise!0 -
But you are MALE and she is FEMALE, and losing weight for men isn't the same as losing weight for women. Men and women can encourage each other, but advice from a man isn't going to work for a woman.0
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And is shouldn't be about size. It should be about health.0
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Based on looking at your diary, I would suggest lowering your carbs and upping the protein and healthy fats. Several people have listed good sources of healthy fats already, so I won't go in-depth, but switching to full-fat dairy and cutting out processed carbs would give you more energy and also lead to weight-loss as your body holds onto fat reserves when there's not enough (healthy) fats coming in.
I follow the Primal/Paleo lifestyle, and have lost over 30 lbs in a month, plus I have dramatically increased energy and have cut my prescription meds in half. I rarely eat more than 1,000 calories a day, but I have boundless energy! I don't want to sound like an advertisement, but I feel so great, that I just want to share with everyone else so they can feel great, too My daily food intake includes eggs, unprocessed meat, tons of veggies, some fruit, and yummy full-fat dairy like butter and cream. The pounds are just falling off!
Anyway, if you interested in learning more about Primal/Paleo, check out www.marksdailyapple.com and feel free to friend/message me.
You are doing great work, so don't give up on yourself!
Jill0 -
People keep saying to eat my exercise calories back.. but most of the time I am within like 200 cals.. so really eating another subway sandwich (for example) I don't feel like is going to help.. but I guess I will try that idea..
If you're not that hungry, don't eat another Subway sandwich. Do like @SmallerBecky said: Eat some nuts or other healthy proteins/fats. It doesn't take very many Almonds, which are awesome for you, to hit 200 calories. Or an avocado. You can consume 200 healthful calories without any effort at all if you look in the right places, and you don't have to feel extra full to do it.0 -
Hi Ashley,
Wow you are busy with the little ones! Congratulations on losing the 32 pounds! You have lost a lot of weight so you are certainly doing something right. Your body has likely hit a plateau. As for the heart rate monitor save yourself the money and periodically check your pulse while timing it against the second hand on your watch.
I took a look at your food diary and it looks like you are eating well but it looks like you snack a lot. Even though it is healthy food the habit of snacking is a hard one to break. One thing I noticed is you are always under your calories. This in fact could be working against you. Your body needs a minimum amount of calories to function properly. When your body is not getting enough energy (calories) it goes into survival mode and actually burns muscle before it burns fat. It thinks you are starving; this is how the human body is programmed. So you may think you are doing great by being under your goal by as much as 500 calories you are actually hurting yourself. You are burning a lot of calories according to your exercise journal so under eating and the high exertion could be doing more harm than good. The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn even sitting still. One pound of muscle take up the same amount of space as 5 pounds of fat so don’t just look at the scale but also how your clothes are fitting.
Secondly is water. It doesn't look like you are drinking the 8 glasses per day. What are you drinking? I didn't see any beverages recorded. Many people don't think about this. I knew of a woman who was having the same problem, upon talking with her nutritionist it turned out she was drinking 8 mountain dews a day! That’s about 1000 calories per day. If you are drinking diet soda or diet anything stop. Diet drinks actually make you MORE thirsty and hungry. Generally speaking soda is bad for you. I get sick of drinking water too, I purchase sparkling water my favorite is Pellegrino. To change things up get some drink mixes to add flavor. There are many out there that actually have some nutrition to them. If you have trouble drinking the 64 ounces of water a day here's my trick - I keep a 1 liter bottle of water with me all the time and refill it. Drinking 2 a day is the water you need. By always having the water at hand you will sip it all day. This also helps with hunger and cutting back on snacking.
I also noticed you eat a lot of pre-packed, processed, or prepared meals as opposed to home made. I cannot imagine how hard it is to take care of your kids and make healthy meals. The problem with pre-packaged food is the sodium is usually super high. This retains water and added to not drinking enough water will result in no reduction in your waistline. It’s hard to cook and take care of a family. There are many quick, less than 30 minutes to prep, and easy, no more than 5 ingredients, recipes out there. Get in the habit of making your own food. It’s cheaper and healthier. Then you also have leftovers – I bring mine to work for lunch. Cooking Light is great, they have recipes for special occasions too.
Lastly, the weight didn’t come on over night so it’s not going to go away over night. Slow, steady weight loss will last a life time, it’s also better for your body overall. Shows like the Biggest Loser are a bad representation of weight loss, it is an extreme. More than half of the contestants gain the weight back within 1 year. Remember, slow and steady wins the race
If you don’t subscribe to magazines I suggest Woman’s Health and Shape. They are filled with great advice, information, questions, and diet and exercise suggestions.
Dr. Oz is a big fad right now but it is only because he is preaching what has been known by the medical and nutrition communities for years. Oprah just brought it to pop culture, which is great. He had an article in Time about a month ago, it was the cover story and covered food. You can likely find it on their website.
And my last piece of advice, limit dairy to 3 servings per day, for example, 1 yogurt, one serving of milk, and one serving of cheese. If you put milk in your pb smoothie that counts, the cheese on your sub is another and the cottage cheese is the third. I highly recommend coconut water, such as Vita Coco or Zico, they taste the best. Coconut water is low in calories but has more potassium than a banana AND is a great way to get the needed liquid you need for a smoothie without the calories of juice.
Amy0 -
I started reading these posts after I responded. Eveyone is giving REALLY good advice. I recommend finding you BMR, Base Metaboli Rate. This is how many calories your boday needs to survive even if you stayed in bed all day (to avoid starvation mode) Here is a link www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator
Enter the info - age, weight, activity level, and it calculates the BMR. From that number subtract 500 calories, this equates to losing one pound per week with out excercise. If you excercise you will be able to eat more while still losing weight. the safe and healthy way to lose weight is 1 to 2 pounds per week. As I mentioned in my other post slow and steady wins the race 0 -
Just to throw this out there, it could not be tied to food at all (which was the case with me). My body was not absorbing enough oxygen and my metabolic threshold was a little lower than most on account of allergies. I have to do specific HRM workouts gears to my threshold to lose weight. I had watched my calories, ate back what I worked off, and only lost 2lbs in a matter of 3 months. I was doing intense cardio and felt in shape, but no weight/size change.
I did metabolic and VO2 testing and that's when they saw what was going on. I had to drop down to just like walks instead of intense cardio (BOOORING), but, I dropped 15lbs in a month and a half and knew it was working. Might be a possibility for you to look at also.0 -
Nope been tested I have PCOS (poly systic ovarian syndrome) but I don't think that has anything to do with weight lossDo you have any disease or metabolic syndrome?
Actually, PCOS has LOTS to do with weight loss! PCOS makes it much harder to lose weight. You should really eat much like a diabetic would (whole grains, low-carb, no sugar). You might also want to talk to your doctor about putting you on Metformin (or Glucophage--same drug, but Metformin is the generic). It helps with the insulin resistance and can help you lose weight more effectively.
Search the groups for PCOS. There is a group over there (I think they call themselves Soul Cysters); they can probably answer MANY questions for you. My PCOS is mild, so I'm not having major trouble losing, but if you are, your PCOS may very well have a lot to do with it. Your doctor should have explained that to you; if he/she didn't, you may want to seek a second opinion.0
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