Exercising and no weight loss

TheoSilva

1,200 calories is NOT ENOUGH! Eat more!

Your metabolism will slow down when you deprive it of nutrients. Your body will begin to eat away at your muscle instead of the your fat.

Increase your calories. Eat at least at your BMR which is going to be a lot higher than 1200. You'll than see weight begin to come off.

You know what?! I think you may be absolutely right....I have been achey and sore muscles for weeks.

Today starts a new day and a new plan! I had breakfast before work today!

Thank you so much.

TheoSilva

Well, exercise is a means to assist weight loss with proper diet and nutrition. Not as a means exclusively to lose weight with a low cal diet.

It's a balance. People tend to think, if I just eat the minimum, then work out a ton! I will lose that much faster. Not the case.

In your example: you have 1200 c your eating. Your burning lets say 600c. So your net in is 600. WAY too low, to not only support any muscles you could have gained, but your decreasing your performance. Your compromising energy to your body functions. As a result your metabolism lowers to try to eliminate unnecessary (relative term) functions to meet this new energy expenditure demand. Your body is thinking short term. While your thinking long term. Eventually you'll lose. (not weight)

This is where the "eat back your exercise cals" comes from. If your eating back the 600, plus the 1200 your set to already. Your eating 1800c a day when working out. This is extremely average. You will lose weight this way, you will also increase athletic performance and giving you all the benefits of exercise properly.

Make sure, that the cals you do eat, are good choices. Nutritious foods, high in fibers, nutrition, proteins. Things like whole foods, while avoiding empty cals like hot pockets and boxed meals. You need the most bang for your buck with this routine. Your mind, body, weight loss success will thank you in the long run.

Thank you so much! After reading your post....something clicked in my head! Thank you for taking the time to explain this in such great detail.

raevynn

Also, if I could add, I think you need a second rest day per week. Try working out three days, take a day off, work two, take a day off...

Lather, rinse, repeat.

And, yes... eat more. I try to net (that's calories listed over at the right side, after the exercise is subtracted) between 1700 - 1800 per day.

minime2b

Have u tried cutting back or even eliminating starchy carbs. ie breads, rice, pasta? Any time I stall I adjust mine and I start loosing again. Most of us take in quite a bit more than we need w/o realizing.

graysmom2005

I think you should eat more! For sure. But I personally...and this is just me personally...I'd skip the weight machines for now. They don't have your body do functional moves, and there is usually a lot of dilly dallying going on from machine to machine. I see many members at the gym kind of moving through the machines and they aren't burning much at all...but are spending "an hour in the gym". I'd focus more on cardio, but with weights do dumbbells or body weight..or even better....intervals. HIT training...so it keeps the heart rate up and you continue to burn calories.

Skeemer118

Also, the P90X Lean routine might be worth considering. It really jacks your metabolism and provides a great calorie burn by using all different large muscle groups without overdoing it on any. Sometimes when you do the same thing over and over your body gets used to it and you become surprisingly efficient, wheras P90lean mixes it up and seems to just keep the calories burning.

^This. Although your exercise plan is very active, I would actually get involved in a proven & created routine exercise plan. I was hitting the gym for weeks with very little results. When I started the Body for Life program I started losing weight again. I'd recommend checking into a program for an actual gym routine or a program like P90X like the poster above me said.

Edited to add: Don't skip the weights. Lifting weights builds muscle which eats fat. It's a common mistake to believe cardio only will shed the lbs. It can of course help you lose weight but building muscle burns fat off. I agree that free weights are much better than machines. The HIT training another poster talked about is really awesome. It is similar to what Body for Life does.

TheoSilva

I think you should eat more! For sure. But I personally...and this is just me personally...I'd skip the weight machines for now. They don't have your body do functional moves, and there is usually a lot of dilly dallying going on from machine to machine. I see many members at the gym kind of moving through the machines and they aren't burning much at all...but are spending "an hour in the gym". I'd focus more on cardio, but with weights do dumbbells or body weight..or even better....intervals. HIT training...so it keeps the heart rate up and you continue to burn calories.

Thank you! I see the dilly dallying at the gym too. Usually its the younger people, exercise, text someone, exercise, text...

TheoSilva

Also, the P90X Lean routine might be worth considering. It really jacks your metabolism and provides a great calorie burn by using all different large muscle groups without overdoing it on any. Sometimes when you do the same thing over and over your body gets used to it and you become surprisingly efficient, wheras P90lean mixes it up and seems to just keep the calories burning.

^This. Although your exercise plan is very active, I would actually get involved in a proven & created routine exercise plan. I was hitting the gym for weeks with very little results. When I started the Body for Life program I started losing weight again. I'd recommend checking into a program for an actual gym routine or a program like P90X like the poster above me said.

Edited to add: Don't skip the weights. Lifting weights builds muscle which eats fat. It's a common mistake to believe cardio only will shed the lbs. It can of course help you lose weight but building muscle burns fat off. I agree that free weights are much better than machines. The HIT training another poster talked about is really awesome. It is similar to what Body for Life does.

My daughter just bought P90X....I'll join her for a workout. I have arthritis in my neck and have to be low impact. I'm not sure what's involved with P90 but I'll give it a whirl! Thanks