What am I doing wrong?

dabears6352

I have always struggled with my weight and have tried just about every diet known to man. I recently decided it was time to just eat less and exercise more. (I know, what a novel concept...LOL)

I have been doing 90 minutes of Zumba 3 times a week and a 2 hour Boot Camp class once a week for 7 weeks now. I'm eating no more than 1200 calories per day, even on my workpout days. I was really hoping to see at least a small difference, but so far I have only lost 8 pounds, which I'm sure is mostly water weight. I haven't lost any inches and I'm starting to feel discouraged. I have another 40 pounds to go and at this rate I may never reach my goal.

I don't have unrealistic expectations, as I know I didn't gain all this weight overnight and will not lose it overnight either. But I do feel that it's taking much more work and time than I thought it would.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

AlyRoseNYC

I rarely say this, but you probably need to eat more.

freckles465

8 lbs in 7 weeks is how much you should be losing. That's a little more than a pound a week. You're definitely doing great

dabears6352

Shouldn't I be seeing inches come off as well? My clothes look and feel the same as well. I just don't get it. I realize I'm building muscle, which weights more than fat, but I would think my pants would fit differently.

Gwoman2012

You either didn't log for 4 days last week or you didn't eat...both would be an issue.

Gwoman2012

Muscle takes up less space than fat, so yes, if you were gaining muscle and losing fat your pants would be looser.

hanna6774

You should eat more with the amount exercise you are doing.

dabears6352

That's what I thought. No change in how my clothes fit. I knew it would be a slow process, but if it takes months to see a small change, I will be discouraged soon.

jplucheck

With the amount of exercise you are doing you need more than 1200 calories, the more you work out the more you should eat to refuel your body. Your muscles need the added calories to repair. Common sense wants to tell you that eating more would defeat the purpose of weight loss really it should speed up the process right? Think of this way if you only consume 1200 calories a day but your body needs 1450 (guess) just to stay alive even if you laid in bed all day then you burned an additional 500, you body doesn't have enough fuel.

dabears6352

It sure seems that if I eat more on the days I workout, I will never lose. How many calories should I be eating on an exercise day? Any ideas?

Gwoman2012

Are the days where it shows like 300-700 calories on your log accurate or did you stop inputting your food that day at some point?

sarahdee2007

With the amount of exercise you are doing you need more than 1200 calories, the more you work out the more you should eat to refuel your body. Your muscles need the added calories to repair. Common sense wants to tell you that eating more would defeat the purpose of weight loss really it should speed up the process right? Think of this way if you only consume 1200 calories a day but your body needs 1450 (guess) just to stay alive even if you laid in bed all day then you burned an additional 500, you body doesn't have enough fuel.

I never understood this, but I listened to what everyone said and ate back most of my exercise calories and it really has worked for me. Make sure you are NETTING 1200

dabears6352

Those days are accurate. I don't eat more than 1200 per day, so if I burn a lot of calories during exercise, I don't eat more. It seems I will never lose if I do that.

dabears6352

That seems like so much food!! I may give it a try though. Seems odd that it would work like that, but you look great and have taken just a few months to lose it. Congrats!

Thanks for the advice.

JesterMFP

MFP calculates a calorie deficit for you even if you never exercise. If you exercise, and eat back those calories you've burned, you'll still have the same deficit MFP calculated for you, and you will still lose! Keep eating until at the bottom of your diary, where it says "Remaining" the number is 0, or very close. On your home page, at the end of the day, it should say net=1200.

If you don't like the idea of eating back exercise calories (a lot of people feel like it's cheating somehow) then you can work out a higher calorie goal based on your BMR and TDEE, and not log your extra exercise. If you want to do something like that, reading http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map would be a start.

ghsamia

You are on target with your weight loss. Losing about a pound per week is the healthiest way to go. You do not want to restrict your calories below 1200. Is 1200 what MFP recommended? Without knowing your whole story, it is even possible that you are not eating enough.

Mgrogers09

its not the amount of food your taking in...its pure science that if you eat more your going to lose weight even slower...even with metabolism relativity and all that junk. I do 800- 1000 calorie work outs 5 times a week and eat around 1200 and I am losing weight pretty consistantly. I think you need to give your body some time to adapt to the new input and it'll come off.

KathyChampi

Hey congrats on the 8 lb lost. Are you eating back the calories that your allotted from exercising. If you are, that will cause weight loss to be at a slower pace. I try not to go above 1,200. It can be fustrating not to see the scale go down as quickly as we like, but hang in there. Don't give up.

dabears6352

Yes, 1200 is what MFP reommended. Maybe it will take a little more time. I know it's harder as you get older, and I'm not a young kid anymore.....I'm 40.

jplucheck

Those days are accurate. I don't eat more than 1200 per day, so if I burn a lot of calories during exercise, I don't eat more. It seems I will never lose if I do that.

I know you feel like this doesn't make sense but what could it hurt to try, you obviously are looking for advice. I didn't believe these suggestions either but thought it was worth a try. Usually takes a few weeks to make a difference but you will feel better as body starts getting the proper fuel it needs. If after a month you don't feel better and your still not losing weight and/or inches try something else.

rides4sanity

The MFP diary is a tool, use it to help acheive a healthy diet. Set a goal calorie and try to acheive it with nutrious foods, and if you exercise eat a bit more, preferrable with some protien and healthy fats in it. You say you feel like you eat more on exercise days, but that is because you eat soooo little on non-exercise days that its scary. I'm not a big you MUST EAT A NET OF 1200 calories kind of girl (see my diary), but I can't believe you feel good on days where you eat less that 1200 total and exercise. Being so restrictive totally sabotages your effort, it is not sustainable or healthy. Less is more only works to a point, then it back fires. I suggest consulting with a nutritionist and setting up a plan that is sustainable. Good Luck.

kalynn06

Muscle takes up less space than fat, so yes, if you were gaining muscle and losing fat your pants would be looser.

Plus it's highly unlikely that you could build muscle eating so little with that workout schedule, let alone enough to make a difference on a scale. You body can't create the muscle out of air.

You are eating so little that, of course you will lose weight, but not necessarily as quickly as you want, in a very healthy manner or in a way that is conducive to keeping it off. I know it is tempting to just keep cutting calories and working out more, because this is the general formula for weight loss, but at some point it becomes unhealthy. It also may not give you the aesthetic outcome you want. To look leaner, you probably need to up calories and up the resistance training. Try http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/ to get a rough idea of what an average person of your height, weight age and goals should be eating for healthy fat loss.

I wish you the best of the luck. It's just so hard to be patient. Sometimes with weight loss my inner Veruca Salt comes out, whining "I want it now!" but I'm trying to be patient and work to a lifestyle change, but it's a work in progress.

jplucheck

its not the amount of food your taking in...its pure science that if you eat more your going to lose weight even slower...even with metabolism relativity and all that junk. I do 800- 1000 calorie work outs 5 times a week and eat around 1200 and I am losing weight pretty consistantly. I think you need to give your body some time to adapt to the new input and it'll come off.

800-1000 calories a day, I am surprised you don't feel hungry or fatigued through your work outs. What do you think is going to happen once you have reached your goal and want to start eating normal again? You will not be able to maintain but only gain unless you continue to only eat 800-1000 calories a day, sometimes that’s just my breakfast alone.

To each their own do what works for you, but ask yourself one question how do you feel on a normal basis, hungry? Tired? *****ey?

I feel fantastic and never starved or deprived!

dabears6352

You have a good point, I'm not sure what I'll do when/if I reach my weight loss goal. If I ever eat more than 1200 calories per day, I will gain again. And I really don't want that. I may try to eat a bit more, but I really don't feel hungry or tired. I want to lose this fat and I'm willing to try any suggestions.

Thanks so much

Cocochickdeleted

I had the same issue. At first, I wasn't seeing a difference in the way my clothes fit, either. It started happening all at once. Don't get discouraged. The change will come. My husband and I walk at least 3 1/2 miles every day and I never eat back my exercise calories. I consistently eat no more than 1200 calories and have been doing that since January. I never plateaued, and I am now 2 pounds away from my goal weight, and I have lost 28 pounds since November. I personally do not believe in starvation mode (and I will probably get flamed for saying that). However, I do believe that eating a well balanced diet that gives your body all the nutrients it needs is vital to success. I am a vegetarian and I try to stay away from processed foods as much as possible. I rarely don't meet my MFP nutritional goals.

The key for me this time around was my attitude. I decided up front that I was not going to be in a huge hurry to drop the weight, and I was not going to let myself get discouraged. It didn't go on overnight, and it certainly wasn't coming off overnight. I figured that every day I was successful was one day closer to my goal. The day you hit your goal will come. Yes, we all want instant results, but that's unrealistic. Just be patient, keep doing what seems logical, and you will get to where you want to be. There were days when I felt impatient and I would whine to my husband, but they were few and far between, and the time got behind me. Now, I am almost where I want to be.

One final note; if you eat your 1200 calories and still feel hungry (and know it's REAL hunger and not just boredom or thirst or a craving), then eat more. Going hungry will eventually cause you to overindulge, which will sabotage your efforts. Good luck!