week three - still no progress?

lizzieliladunst

When I started I only did cardio every day. I don't eat back my exercise calories but a lot of people do. That is up to you. I have lost consistently doing this. I have since moved on to Zumba, 30DS and now I'm doing Insanity. I have not done weights, not yet, I want to lose more fat first before that.

The less you have to lose, the harder it is. You aren't "overweight" so you won't see instant results like those of us who started out overweight or even obese. Keep in mind that you are definitely being healthier.

Someone mentioned weighing food. I do that also. I do not always eat good but I weigh and portion out accordingly. I just got an HRM from heartratemonitors.com. I feel that I am more accurately getting my calories burned that way...MFP and other sites seem to overestimate burned calories. If you are overestimating and then eating back those calories it could be why you aren't seeing the results you want.

Good Luck to you. Your profile pic is adorable!

i've thought about just doing cardio, but i kinda wanted to get in the habit of this stuff, so i decided to do it all. haha.
as far as eating goes, i tend to eat what i want just within the calorie limit that was given me, just to keep me from binging on my favorite things.

heart monitors seem to be so expensive, but i think i might have found one at walmart for about 30 dollars, which doesn't seem too bad. so if i can save up some money i'll be investing in it.

and thanks so much!

Don't waste your money on cheap HRM for the purpose of calorie burn. It won't be anywhere near accurate as possible anyway.
And lack of features will probably aggravate you anyway.

I AM FINALLY GETTING SOME HELPFUL ADVICE!

thank you guys so much, because this has been so stressful.

maybe once i get back to college and can try to get a job, i can save up for a better quality HRM, thanks for warning me about that.

anitsyrk

Muscle mass is key, no you dont need to get bulky but you need to incorporate some resistance training with your cardio, start out withlight like 3-5lbs hand weights or use therabands ( yellow or green to start)

remember physical activity recommendations (CANADA) 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity in bouts of 10minutes or more with 2 days of resistance /wk

EmpathyBot

I think it might also have something to do with the quality of what you are eating. It looks like you eat out/order in a fair bit, as well as eat a lot of pre-packaged foods. Those can pack a lot of bad fats, excess sodium, and unwanted chemicals. Maybe try to eat a bit more "clean". You might see a bit more of a difference there.

barney50501Missy

When I started I only did cardio every day. I don't eat back my exercise calories but a lot of people do. That is up to you. I have lost consistently doing this. I have since moved on to Zumba, 30DS and now I'm doing Insanity. I have not done weights, not yet, I want to lose more fat first before that.

The less you have to lose, the harder it is. You aren't "overweight" so you won't see instant results like those of us who started out overweight or even obese. Keep in mind that you are definitely being healthier.

Someone mentioned weighing food. I do that also. I do not always eat good but I weigh and portion out accordingly. I just got an HRM from heartratemonitors.com. I feel that I am more accurately getting my calories burned that way...MFP and other sites seem to overestimate burned calories. If you are overestimating and then eating back those calories it could be why you aren't seeing the results you want.

Good Luck to you. Your profile pic is adorable!

i've thought about just doing cardio, but i kinda wanted to get in the habit of this stuff, so i decided to do it all. haha.
as far as eating goes, i tend to eat what i want just within the calorie limit that was given me, just to keep me from binging on my favorite things.

heart monitors seem to be so expensive, but i think i might have found one at walmart for about 30 dollars, which doesn't seem too bad. so if i can save up some money i'll be investing in it.

and thanks so much!

Don't waste your money on cheap HRM for the purpose of calorie burn. It won't be anywhere near accurate as possible anyway.
And lack of features will probably aggravate you anyway.

I AM FINALLY GETTING SOME HELPFUL ADVICE!

thank you guys so much, because this has been so stressful.

maybe once i get back to college and can try to get a job, i can save up for a better quality HRM, thanks for warning me about that.

Very good point!! I have a Polar FT7...and I love it!! it cost me $75 but it was well worth it. I have heard the same about the cheaper models. Less features, not as reliable...plus you really want one with a chest strap (I don't believe the cheaper models have them).

TadaGanIarracht

Your body might be telling you "NO MORE!". It may be time to stop focusing on weight loss and focus on toning.

Just a suggestion.

lizzieliladunst

I think it might also have something to do with the quality of what you are eating. It looks like you eat out/order in a fair bit, as well as eat a lot of pre-packaged foods. Those can pack a lot of bad fats, excess sodium, and unwanted chemicals. Maybe try to eat a bit more "clean". You might see a bit more of a difference there.

i have been making an effort at eating clean, however, as i said before, my mom isn't only cooking for me and has to satisfy my brother and dad. another thing is i just try to find the product on MFP that as closely fits what i'm having as possible. i have noticed that a lot of things in my diary have some brand names at the side, however all the veggies (for example) i eat are home grown. my schedule has been off a bit lately, as well. i don't usually eat out more than once a month.

once i get back to school, this should be a bit easier, as i do my own grocery shopping and can get more fitting things.

so jelly that you have the train insane tank!

NearlyThere2011

I agree with EmpathyBot - I've learned the tough way (after stalling with 10lbs to lose for about a year!), that 100 calories of junk is STILL JUNK!! I'm trying so hard not to put unhealthy fats in my body, and also I never ever ever DRINK CALORIES!! Your tummy needs to feel the bulk in calories to recognise you getting full, so to spend 150 calories on a can of soda when there are 0 calorie sodas out there, for me, is crazy! But then I'm a Diet Coke freak.

Healthy cereals and 1% or 0.1% milk for breakfast, along with fresh fruit, thick vegetable soups or measured pastas for lunch (or fish), and protein/carb balanced dinners help me sustain my workouts (I do a lot of cycling, at least 1hr every day - indoor if the weather's horrible, outdoor and indoor if the weather's dry as I'll cycle to my spinning class - Love spinning!!)

Overestimating exercise calories and underestimating consumption is very common. In my experience, 1hr of hard high intensity cardio will burn between 400 - 500 calories. 1hr of body pump (lifting weights) will burn appx 200 - 250 calories, and 1 hr of pilates will burn less than 200 calories.. For me, it's all about the cardio, as i've gone from being totally sedentary to extremely active and I love it.

Good luck with your journey - any of us old timers on MFP will know exactly the frustration you're feeling right now, but run with it - when you get the measurements of your food and calories right, the scale and tape measure will have no option but to reduce.

:flowerforyou:

lizzieliladunst

I agree with EmpathyBot - I've learned the tough way (after stalling with 10lbs to lose for about a year!), that 100 calories of junk is STILL JUNK!! I'm trying so hard not to put unhealthy fats in my body, and also I never ever ever DRINK CALORIES!! Your tummy needs to feel the bulk in calories to recognise you getting full, so to spend 150 calories on a can of soda when there are 0 calorie sodas out there, for me, is crazy! But then I'm a Diet Coke freak.

Healthy cereals and 1% or 0.1% milk for breakfast, along with fresh fruit, thick vegetable soups or measured pastas for lunch (or fish), and protein/carb balanced dinners help me sustain my workouts (I do a lot of cycling, at least 1hr every day - indoor if the weather's horrible, outdoor and indoor if the weather's dry as I'll cycle to my spinning class - Love spinning!!)

Overestimating exercise calories and underestimating consumption is very common. In my experience, 1hr of hard high intensity cardio will burn between 400 - 500 calories. 1hr of body pump (lifting weights) will burn appx 200 - 250 calories, and 1 hr of pilates will burn less than 200 calories.. For me, it's all about the cardio, as i've gone from being totally sedentary to extremely active and I love it.

Good luck with your journey - any of us old timers on MFP will know exactly the frustration you're feeling right now, but run with it - when you get the measurements of your food and calories right, the scale and tape measure will have no option but to reduce.

:flowerforyou:

i've always enjoyed diet drinks much more than regular, they taste sweeter to me. lol. but i have mostly just switched to only drinking water and skim milk. also, whenever i eat bread (which is not often due to this) i only 100% wheat bread (which i hate). i also try to monitor what kind of fats are in foods, i know trans fats and saturated fats are the bad ones. i wish MFP would try to get the calorie thing right, but i guess nothing can be perfect. lol

thanks!

elenakristine

Muscle weighs significantly more than fat. So chances are you're losing the "fat weight" and replacing it with muscle wieght. Its not about the number on the scale when you're trying to tone your body. If you feel stronger and are happier with what you look like in the mirror, the number is just a fact. So in reality you're getting there on your goal, your scale just doesn't show it.

Really? You're on MFP and you still think muscle weighs "significantly" more than fat. Based on what?

1 lbs muscle and 1 lbs fat weighs the same. The VOLUME is different though. You should read about this before you try teaching it out to people who are desperate to see change. Telling people they're not losing weight because muscle is somehow "heavier" than fat tells me you need to read up on this

OP, as other people said, what you eat really matters even if your calories are low. If I eat 60% carbs (or just plain junk) even if I stay within my calorie goals, I won't lose weight for a loooong time. I retain water and it won't go off until I quit the carbs for a while. I think you should stay at a level of calories where you feel full, don't want to eat junk, and still stay at your calorie goal. Weight lifting is awesome btw, if you get the opportunity to do it at some point, it will do so much for you:)

kris4chloe

Just now coming back to this.

Looking at your exercise and food log here are my observations.

IS the calisthenics your logging for the pilates you do? If so I feel that the calorie burn is way over estimated. I do pilates and yoga at the gym with a pretty tough trainer and i have used my HRM to get a more accurate burn and around what MFP says it is about 175-200 calories in one hour.

As for your food, although you are not tracking sodium alot of the foods in your log I know are VERY high in sodium, work on getting your sodium down to about 1500 mg a day which would mean you need to cut out any of the convenience foods and try to get in more veggies.

lizzieliladunst

Just now coming back to this.

Looking at your exercise and food log here are my observations.

IS the calisthenics your logging for the pilates you do? If so I feel that the calorie burn is way over estimated. I do pilates and yoga at the gym with a pretty tough trainer and i have used my HRM to get a more accurate burn and around what MFP says it is about 175-200 calories in one hour.

As for your food, although you are not tracking sodium alot of the foods in your log I know are VERY high in sodium, work on getting your sodium down to about 1500 mg a day which would mean you need to cut out any of the convenience foods and try to get in more veggies.

the calisthenics IS the pilates, but the reason i put it as that is because of the answer to the FAQ page on the blogilates site:

"How many calories do I burn when doing your workouts?

I advise going to sites such as MyFitnessPal.com, LoseIt.com, or MyNetDiary.com to track your calorie burn. Enter your age, gender, intensity level, and type of activity exercised. You can choose "calisthenics" or "advanced Pilates" for POP Pilates and "circuit" for any HIIT videos. You can equate my cardio videos to "aerobics". The reason why I cannot give you exact calorie counts is because everyone is different and will burn calories differently."

so i used that as a guide to what to put the exercise as. and since the "heavy calisthenics" examples were pushups and sit ups, i assumed the pop pilates would be in that catergory, seeing as i do pushups and what i guess are variations of sit ups.

as for the food issue, as i've mentioned before, i don't do the grocery shopping because i'm home for the summer, my mom does. and she isn't only buying for me. i can try to talk to her about the kind of food she purchases; but we have a really tight budget, no real "markets" around here, only the kinds of stores that sell this type of food, and all the veggies i eat (which are usually more plentiful than they have been lately, we've had a weird schedule recently) are all home grown. we usually have at least one veggie with every dinner. when it comes to lunches, i'm on my own and i don't really know how to cook. so i tend to just make due with what we have.

lizzieliladunst

"eating clean" as described by Cassey Ho:

What does “Eat Clean” mean?

Eating clean means to eat whole, nutritious, unprocessed foods that are good for your body. This means cutting out anything fried and sugary. Also cut out any refined carbs like white breads, regular pasta and white rice. Stay AWAY from soda and be careful with fruit juices. They contain a lot of sugar. Instead opt for steamed veggies, whole grains, lean meats like chicken breast, and lots of water. You can find what clean foods I recommend eating under Cassey's Corner in "My Grocery Shopping List".

so, i don't eat fried stuff (usually we grill EVERYthing, though we have been eating out WAY more than usual due to some weird schedule we've had lately, however that is about to regulate again).

i've been trying to stay away from sugary, when i want something to satisfy my sweet tooth, i go to Simply Jiff creamy peanut butter.

i quit eating white breads, almost bread altogether because i HATE wheat bread, my mom has always cooked with wheat pasta and brown rice.

i drink water and skim milk, and very rarely a diet soda. period.

we always have some sort of veggie with our dinners, mostly homegrown, and my mom has been buying the leanest meats she can find, trying to help me out.

and as i stated before, when it comes to lunch i'm on my own and i can't cook, so when we HAVE it, i try to eat healthier things like soup or cereal (honey nut cheerios). but when it comes to the end of the week, pickings are slim and i have to make due with what we have (usually frozen pizza and easy mac).

now when we visit with my grandmother, it is a COMPLETELY different story, we all know how grandmothers can be with their cooking. and if i don't eat what she makes, i don't get to eat and i also have to hear about it for the rest of the trip.

as one more note, when i enter my meals, i can't always find the exact thing i've had, so i just try to find the closest thing possible.


if there is any advice or recommendations anyone would like to give me, i'm open to it.

Anayalata

"eating clean" as described by Cassey Ho:

What does “Eat Clean” mean?

...

if there is any advice or recommendations anyone would like to give me, i'm open to it.

No offense or anything but it's already been proven in various studies that a diet made up of "clean" foods as opposed to a diet made up of mixed "clean" and "dirty" foods is essentially the same for the body.

You just have to focus on the nutrients. I'm not saying that equal amounts of Whole Barley and a Donut are equivalent, I'm just saying that you don't have to deprive yourself of anything.

Eat mostly "clean" foods and treat yourself with some snacks. Just make sure it fits your macros.

michellekicks

Based on the scooby calculator, and using 3-5 hours of moderate activity per week, I come up with:

BMR: 1518
TDEE: 2353
Cut 20%: 1882

So you should be able to eat 1882 calories every day (workout days and non workout days, just don't eat back any exercise calories - they're already factored in) and lose about 4 lbs/month.

So unless you're eating 600+ exercise calories on top of your 1200/day I'd say you're not eating enough.

lizzieliladunst

"eating clean" as described by Cassey Ho:

What does “Eat Clean” mean?

...

if there is any advice or recommendations anyone would like to give me, i'm open to it.

No offense or anything but it's already been proven in various studies that a diet made up of "clean" foods as opposed to a diet made up of mixed "clean" and "dirty" foods is essentially the same for the body.

You just have to focus on the nutrients. I'm not saying that equal amounts of Whole Barley and a Donut are equivalent, I'm just saying that you don't have to deprive yourself of anything.

Eat mostly "clean" foods and treat yourself with some snacks. Just make sure it fits your macros.

i do feel like this is a beneficial way of looking at it, because you're not going to binge on the things you crave. which i, personally, am very prone to do when on an actual "diet."

lizzieliladunst

Based on the scooby calculator, and using 3-5 hours of moderate activity per week, I come up with:

BMR: 1518
TDEE: 2353
Cut 20%: 1882

So you should be able to eat 1882 calories every day (workout days and non workout days, just don't eat back any exercise calories - they're already factored in) and lose about 4 lbs/month.

So unless you're eating 600+ exercise calories on top of your 1200/day I'd say you're not eating enough.

thanks for this!

heybales

Based on the scooby calculator, and using 3-5 hours of moderate activity per week, I come up with:

BMR: 1518
TDEE: 2353
Cut 20%: 1882

So you should be able to eat 1882 calories every day (workout days and non workout days, just don't eat back any exercise calories - they're already factored in) and lose about 4 lbs/month.

So unless you're eating 600+ exercise calories on top of your 1200/day I'd say you're not eating enough.

thanks for this!

And for a place to log your stats (and get them and see them), since they will change and therefore that goal will change, try the spreadsheet referenced in this topic.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/620206-spreadsheet-for-bmr-tdee-deficit-calcs-mfp-tweaks-hrm