Should i see some sort of good outcome from the gym?

what923

1) Lowering your food intake when increasing your activity is not a great idea. You need to fuel those activities and make sure you're getting plenty of nutrients to keep going! Make sure you're netting AT LEAST 1200, maybe more. MFP is already giving you a calorie deficit based on your diet profile - making it larger by not eating back some of those calories earned may slow or stall your weight loss efforts. Eat more protein

2) When you start working out or increase the intensity of your activity, your muscles will retain water as part of the natural healing process. It's not unusual for your weight loss to stall for the first week or two befroe you body adjusts. Keep drinking that water - in fact, increase your water intake a little on those days you're active. Many folks will tell you that you're building muscle - this is not possible in such a short period of time, especially for women. Don't be fooled by the myths! It's just water weight...

3) Patience! Any time you change your routine, either diet or exercise, the body does not immediately respond. Here's an example... I went out to dinner with my husband Sunday night and went over my calories by 700, not to mention the massive amounts of sodium that was in that restaurant food. I was only up about half a pound the next day but I've been over about a pound all the rest of the week. Hoping by the end of the weekend that I'll get my fluids back on balance and that water weight will be gone.

4) Where are you getting those calorie counts from? If you're not using a heart rate monitor with a chest strap, you should knwo that most cardio machines over estimate up to 30% more than you're actually burning. And the numbers MFP gives us also tend to be overblown. To be safe when you start eating back some of those earned calories, take the number the machine or MFP gives you and multiply it 60% then use that lower number instead...so say the machine tells you you burned 500 calories in 40 minutes - instead of logging it as 500, click in the box that shows that # and change it to 300.
Also, it's good to know that it's rare for most people to burn more than 10 calories per minute - you would have to be rather obese or doing something really intense (like HIIT, running fast, etc). If any machine or MFP gives you more than 10 calories per minute, it's pretty safe to say that's an overestimate.

Best of luck!

AMEN- you said everything I was thinking and saved me the time of typing it.
++ I have monitored my calorie burn with HR monitor and did some calculations so I can average for other workouts and I believe your 10 cal a minute rule. Of course- like everything- everyone is individual but based on HR and weight I think we all burn at a similar level and unless I'm running at near 90% max hr- it won't go over 10 per minute. ++ Great observation!

chelltune

You need to look at your diet. You might not have eaten a great deal of calories (too few really) but you've not eaten good calories. It appears to be processed food full of sugar and salt.

Wow, you're right... I didn't even think to look at her diary.

I'm sorry to put it this way OP, but you need to overhaul your diet. Junk food isn't the worst thing as an occasional indulgence, but from your food diary, it is all day-every day.

And this ^^ - wow...I took a peek and I saw one vegetable in like a month's worth of logging. Plus, there were several days with no logging. But, as much as it sucks, Edy's ice cream and Starbucks all day long doesn't make for very nutritious meals. If you're serious about getting healthy, some revamping of your diet is mandatory. Otherwise, it won't matter how much weight you lose, your body will not be healthy.

I DO EAT veggies i just don't feel the need to log them as most of them are under 10 calories. Yes my diet isn't great and i do hold myself accountable i work and have 2 kids and just have been on the lazy train when it comes to cooking. I don't want to cook anything that takes more than 5 minutes... which is the reason for all the processed foods. I am NOT expecting results in 2 days of gym activity i have been cutting my calories for well over 2 weeks again.. and not seeing any movement on the scale at all... if anything i see a gain.. which is where i was trying to get to.

Unless you change your attitude to food and cooking then you will struggle to lose weight.

Nicola0000

3500 cal deficit is 1lb. When youve been weight training, muscles can look swollen, but this is only temporary. A safe weight loss is 2lb a week, this will ensure you arent losing muscle.

mes1119

you cannot expect to see results in 2 days.

savlov30

"Earn It" It takes four weeks for you to notice your body changing, 8 weeks for your friend to notice, and twelve weeks for the rest of the world to notice. Give it12 weeks. Don't Quit!!!" :)

thefuzz1290

It took years to do what we do to our bodies, its impossible to take days to fix it.

lovinmamaxo

I've been at the dieting for a year now. The gym is new to me so that is what i am asking about.. i don't expect me to lose over 20lbs in 2 days but i've been following calories for over 2 weeks and working out too so i would think i should expect to see some loss. I did before.

PhotographerOfNature

Sore muscles retain water. Hang in there! :happy:

ShadowSoldier23

I've been at the dieting for a year now. The gym is new to me so that is what i am asking about.. i don't expect me to lose over 20lbs in 2 days but i've been following calories for over 2 weeks and working out too so i would think i should expect to see some loss. I did before.

All I have to say is have patience because it takes time. I have started going to the gym and although I am excited to see myself drop a few pounds, its getting into the routine and sticking with it that is worth it. That means I am more likely to stay with it in the future. And your food choices do matter, the more sodium you eat the more water you will retain so that makes a difference. It is hard to get the diet in line but you just have to do it slowly and find things that are easy to make. The recipes section on the boards are great for that.

Other than pounds, take measurements. You might see more inches come off than pounds at times.

jbakerak

Don't get discouraged! I too have been gaining weight. Partly due to a higher water intake I'm sure, also, I have been lifting weights and you can visibly tell that my muscles are getting bigger (which takes more than a couple of days ,but you should visibly be able to see some results from 1-4 weeks). Muscle is more dense than fat so it affects your weight, make sure you are also taking measurements. Just ask yourself how you want to look when you get to where you want to be. If I just want to be the size I want, I weigh about 115, but if I want to be in shape with muscle and more shape, I am the same size I would be at 115 but weigh about 136. I choose 136 with nice muscle tone and body shape over 115 and thin but flabby!

determinedbutlazy

It has taken me nearly 3 months of gym and diet to shift 8lb, because I have been learning to run and lifting weights. I've been building muscle and losing inches all over... I stand taller, feel stronger, and if I can haul *kitten* on a treadmill for 20 minutes at 210lb, SOMETHING is going right.
I lost the bulk of my weight by diet alone, I had my cals set to 1500 which I stuck to. I walked as much as I could and lost 20lb ish in around 4 months.

Don't go every day, you WILL burn out. Try three times a week and maybe a home DVD if you're desperate to exercise another day. Your body needs time to rest and repair itself.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Brandongood

Like everyone else has said, its not only your exercise, its your nutrition!

You will spend 10% of your time in the gym, the other 90% of your time is what youre eating.