I'm obviously doing something wrong here

Merithyn

I'm getting increasingly frustrated with this whole "get healthy" regimen I'm on. About three weeks ago, I joined a gym and started seriously working out in order to lose weight. (Yes, that is why I joined. Anything beyond that was meant to be a bonus.)

I've been tracking my food on MFP religiously, as well as putting in all of the exercise that I'm doing. I eat back my calories, and haven't gone over in calories for a weekly average since I started. I eat clean whenever possible, and even make my own yogurt. I rarely drink soda (as in once a month or so), and drink 8-10 glasses of water every single day.

My exercise regimen is as follows:

Monday - Run/Walk Interval for 30-45 minutes; Weight Training on legs & abs for 45-60 minutes
Tuesday - Elliptical for 30 minutes; Weight Training on upper body for 45 - 60 minutes
Wednesday - Repeat Monday
Thursday - Repeat Tuesday
Friday - Repeat Monday
Saturday - Repeat Tuesday
Sunday - Rest

On top of this, I generally walk 3-5 miles every day since I don't have a car and prefer to walk when possible.

With all of this, I'm still only losing 0.5 pounds a week. (My numbers look better than that because I dropped three pounds the first week from water weight.) On top of that, my measurements aren't moving at all, either. In the last week, I've lost zero inches anywhere, and only dropped 0.4 pounds.

My diary is open so that you can see my food choices (not always great, but I feel like I tend toward healthier choices rather than unhealthier ones) and my exercise diary. I am obviously doing something terribly wrong here to be exercising this much and seeing zero return on this investment. I'm tired of being fat, and I'm working my *kitten* off to change that, but it seems like I'm just spinning my wheels. Where am I going wrong??

dawnp1833

Could you be underestimating the calories of what you eat? Your diary has 2 eggs at 100 calories, but when I compute eggs they are always 70 cals for 1 egg. I'm interested to see what responses some of the more expert members post here. Your numbers look right and you're exercising but you get to eat way better than what I'm eating every day.

BerryH

Nothing wrong with 0.5lb a week, you don't have masses to lose and it's a sustainable rate.

I think your training regime looks pretty punishing. That's up to an hour and three quarters of cardio and resistance nearly every day PLUS an hour of walking. Some people have astonishing results with just 20 minutes a day doing something like the 30 Day Shred or HIIT training..

There's a law of diminishing returns on both your calorie burn and improved fitness if you do cardio and weight-training every day. I'd do them on alternate days and still have a full day of rest. Also remember what you eat is far more important than what you burn (abs are made in the kitchen and other homilies).

Do you enjoy what you're doing? Would you prefer a swim or some Zumba dancing every now and then? A gym circuit training class? Body pump? I'm a firm believer in only doing exercise you love.

If you're frustrated by the mindset of burn, burn, burn to lose weight, you might be better off eliminating it from the equation altogether. Try setting yourself at a set intake of TDEE -20% every day and not logging the exercise calories? (if you still want to track exercise, log it as only 1 calorie).

Try Helloitsdan's tried and tested hard sums here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Inches take far longer than pounds; if you have a 30" waist, a 1" loss is a 3.33% difference, whereas a pound off 160lbs is only 0.6%. You won't see inch loss week on week.

Finally chill out and look at the bigger picture. Rome wasn't built in a day and you've only been at it for three weeks No wonder you feel like you don't want to get out from under the duvet some days, you must be knackered! :flowerforyou:

SARgirl

Do you use a heart rate monitor to measure your calories burned? If you are using the numbers from the machine at the gym they may be inflated? Also do you measure your food? If not you may be adding more calories than you think by guesstimating. Just some thoughts:). Good luck!

deedah1216

I feel like I'm in the same boat. I log all of my food as honestly as I can, even on bad eating days. If I'm not sure of the calories I will defer to Calorie King. I've been running like a mad women training for a 5K and the scale has gone up, not down. I don't eat back the calories I burn as my doctor has stated that I should only do that if I want to maintain my weight. I keep hagning in there, trying not to be discouraged. I'm anxious to see what other have to say about this.

ilikejam33

First of all, good for you for getting onto the right path, knowing what to do can be hard, and you will recieve many different opinions, the improtant thing is to just do a little better each day and remember that it takes a long time to break old habits.

Idea 1: Looking at your diary your sugar seems high, also i noticed you dont track your sodium, i would, many of the items you have listed are very very high in sodium, whch would be casuing you to hold onto excess water.

Idea 2: Also do you measure/weigh your food many of your entires show very small postions (1 oz) if you are not weighing/measuring this each time you can be mising hundreds of calories.

Lastly, if you dont already use one, invest in a heart rate monitor (with chest strap) this is the only way to know how many calories you are actually buring, most people rely on the machines or on this website, both of which are huge over estimators.

Good luck to you

erickirb

I would suggest decreasing your workouts, and workout smarter, not harder.
For strength training focus on compound lifts (bench press, squats, deadlifts etc.) and avoid isolation exercises. I would also suggest alternating strength training and cardio days, doing both on the same day for as long as you are is too much.

If you want to do both on the same day I would do a maximum of 30-45 min of each.

ninerbuff

I'm getting increasingly frustrated with this whole "get healthy" regimen I'm on. About three weeks ago, I joined a gym and started seriously working out in order to lose weight. (Yes, that is why I joined. Anything beyond that was meant to be a bonus.)

I've been tracking my food on MFP religiously, as well as putting in all of the exercise that I'm doing. I eat back my calories, and haven't gone over in calories for a weekly average since I started. I eat clean whenever possible, and even make my own yogurt. I rarely drink soda (as in once a month or so), and drink 8-10 glasses of water every single day.

My exercise regimen is as follows:

Monday - Run/Walk Interval for 30-45 minutes; Weight Training on legs & abs for 45-60 minutes
Tuesday - Elliptical for 30 minutes; Weight Training on upper body for 45 - 60 minutes
Wednesday - Repeat Monday
Thursday - Repeat Tuesday
Friday - Repeat Monday
Saturday - Repeat Tuesday
Sunday - Rest

On top of this, I generally walk 3-5 miles every day since I don't have a car and prefer to walk when possible.

With all of this, I'm still only losing 0.5 pounds a week. (My numbers look better than that because I dropped three pounds the first week from water weight.) On top of that, my measurements aren't moving at all, either. In the last week, I've lost zero inches anywhere, and only dropped 0.4 pounds.

My diary is open so that you can see my food choices (not always great, but I feel like I tend toward healthier choices rather than unhealthier ones) and my exercise diary. I am obviously doing something terribly wrong here to be exercising this much and seeing zero return on this investment. I'm tired of being fat, and I'm working my *kitten* off to change that, but it seems like I'm just spinning my wheels. Where am I going wrong??

Not enough rest. There's really no reason that you should lift for the same body part 3 times a week. Personally myself I train each body part just ONCE a week, but hit it hard.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

vicki81868

You'll get a ton of opinions on this, so I'll just throw mine into the the mix. You're eating too much. Many on here will tell you, in light of your exercise level, your calorie intake is fine. I disagree. And so does your scale. Try either decreasing your daily goal and only eating back half your calories burned, or leave your daily goal and don't eat any of your calories burned. Also, if you are able, get a heart monitor. The calories burned number on here is very inaccurate. Also, again this is just my opinion and what has worked for me for the last 53 pounds, change the set percentages on the carbs/fats/proteins. They set the carbs really high. It wasn't until I upped the protein and cut the carbs back that I really started losing. I'm on the more "traditional" 40/30/30 (protein, carb, fat) diet. Try doing that, without going over on any of those numbers, and reducing your calories for a solid seven days, no cheating. I'm willing to bet you'll lose.

bossmodehan

How are you logging your exercise? Over estimating could result in eliminating your deficit, whereas underestimating could mean that you aren't eating enough to give your body the energy it needs to lose weight. I also noticed that a lot of the time your food measurements aren't the weight of the product, which could also cause over/underestimation. Finally, some would argue that with the amount of exercise you are doing, you could do with increasing your protein goals to help with recovery, and some find that it promotes fat loss too, whilsthelping to maintain muscle. The default levels on mfp are too low for most (unless you have a medical reason to restrict your protein).

Merithyn

First, let me say thank you so much for all of your suggestions and advice. I appreciate that you bothered to take the time to try to help. I'm incredibly frustrated right now, so I may seem ungrateful in some of my responses, but I'm really not. I'm just angry that my body isn't responding the way it used to. Ten years ago, all I had to do was change my diet and the weight melted off. Now, it seems that no matter what I do, my body wants to cling to the extra weight like a leech on an artery.

In answer to the questions asked:

Enjoy the gym - Yes, I enjoy my time in the gym. In fact, I really enjoy it quite a bit, which is why I've been able to keep up with it. I love the cardio, and the weight training isn't my favorite when I'm doing it, but I love the feeling when it's done. To be honest, those saying to cut back on gym time are probably wasting your breath because it is the one aspect of all of this that I find I truly like doing. I also don't see how one can overdo it in this regard so long as I'm not hurting myself and I'm allowing my muscle groups to rest for a day in between. It's how I was taught to train when I was in college, it worked then, and I can't see how it will not work now. Physiology hasn't changed that much in the last 20 years.

HRM - I can't afford one right now. Money is tight, and I just can't see spending $25-50 (or more) on something that is just a toy to measure how much I'm working. I keep track of my heart-rate when I exercise, and keep it where it's supposed to be for the exercise I'm doing. When my husband gets a job, I'll look into this, but for now, it's not an option.

Measuring food - I started measuring my food about 1.5-2 weeks ago. When you see 1 ounce, look at the amount. I'm usually putting in "1 ounce x 4" or something along those lines. Most of the time, I'm going directly off the packaging. If I guesstimate, I generally guesstimate up rather than down. (I guess a cup when in reality it's probably 3/4 of a cup.) I have a digital scale for my son's diabetes that I use, so I'm generally pretty spot on anymore, though. That being said, I am not 100% accurate, and I'm not sure how to be so in the real world. I can only do so much once I leave my house. It's also hard when you make most of your own foods to get a real and accurate accounting of the calories. I measure the ingredients, but how do you figure calories when you make your own yogurt?

Over-estimating calories burned - Yeah, I've noticed this quite a bit. I try to go off the machines, as they are far more accurate than the MFP database. When I do weight training, I generally skim about 10% off whatever the database shows. Without a HRM, it's the best I can do. This is also why I try very hard to be 200-300 under my calorie goal every day. Luckily, it's harder to get UP to that amount than it is to keep it DOWN.

Eat more/Eat less camps - Given that I've gotten so many conflicting suggestions on this, I've given up trying to figure out which is "right". I eat the calories MFP says to eat. Beyond that, I just don't care anymore. It seems that 90% of the people on here disagree on which is the "best" way to lose weight between these two, and I can't get my panties in a bunch over it. When you all come to a consensus, I may listen to one argument or another, but for now, it's just a lesson in frustration and I have enough of those, thank you.

Macros - Yes, I eat way too much sugar, but when I started this, I was told repeatedly that it didn't matter. Calories in vs Calories out. Now I'm being told something entirely different. You can't really have it both ways. Either it matters or it doesn't. I have tried to cut the amount of sugar that I eat, but it's hard when I'm trying to get enough fruits and veggies in and I don't generally like veggies. Most of the sugar that I eat is in "good" foods, like yogurt, fruit, etc, with just the occasional treat. It is something that I'm working hard on, though, and will continue to try to get it down. Sodium is tracked, and I am NEVER anywhere near my numbers on that. In fact, I'm generally 1000mg lower than the daily recommendation. (I have a condition that makes sodium intake an important number for me, so I've always been very good with it.) I will change my numbers to be closer to the 40/30/30 portions. I think that with all of the exercise I do, it makes more sense to have more protein than carbs, anyway. In addition, I'm post-menapausal, so I really don't need the extra carbs in general.

Did I mention thank you? Seriously, it means a lot that you're bothering to even read this, much less offer suggestions. I promise that I'm reading everything and filing it all away to take out and look at again later when I'm in a better frame of mind.

katejkelley

I think you're doing wonderfully! I am also losing about 0.5/week on average, but my clothes are all a lot looser (some are now too big!) and my energy level is up. I am the pot calling the kettle black here, but don't focus too much on the scale. My philosophy is if the weight comes off slowly, it's more likely to stay off because you're changing your lifestyle, not just getting the results of a temporary diet. I do understand your frustration - I've had many of those days, too. I'm so grateful for my MFP friends who keep encouraging me. I also love to go into the community pages and see other people's success pictures. A lot of people have a lot more weight to lose than I do, and they've had amazing results from sticking with the program. They are very inspiring!

Discoveri

About the not being able to afford a HRM right now, I am in the same boat. Could you ask the trainers at your gym if they have one you can borrow for a week? They allow that at my gym and I found it to be very helpful.

Merithyn

About the not being able to afford a HRM right now, I am in the same boat. Could you ask the trainers at your gym if they have one you can borrow for a week? They allow that at my gym and I found it to be very helpful.

They don't have any. I asked if they had recommendations - or any to try out - and the answer was no. They don't even have a way to measure body fat, so it's not all that surprising, really.

Oh, and as for the cake on my diary for the last few days, blame my kids and husband for that. We had their graduation party on Saturday, so there was cake to celebrate. It's gone now, though, so it's no longer an issue. :happy:

BerryH

HRMs are overrated for calories burn, and they give inaccurate readings for resistance training, intervals/HIIT and swimming. They're only really good for precision steady-state cardio training.

If you change just one thing, make it your workouts. Physiology may not have changed in 20 years, but sports science has and your body's response to training has. Don't take it from me, some of my MFP fitness heroes have replied to you here saying the same! If you don't want to cut back on times, just do one thing in each workout, or limit your cardio on weight days to a 15-minute warm-up. You cannot train your muscles to their best capacity when they are fatigued.

erickirb

First, let me say thank you so much for all of your suggestions and advice. I appreciate that you bothered to take the time to try to help. I'm incredibly frustrated right now, so I may seem ungrateful in some of my responses, but I'm really not. I'm just angry that my body isn't responding the way it used to. Ten years ago, all I had to do was change my diet and the weight melted off. Now, it seems that no matter what I do, my body wants to cling to the extra weight like a leech on an artery.

In answer to the questions asked:

Enjoy the gym - Yes, I enjoy my time in the gym. In fact, I really enjoy it quite a bit, which is why I've been able to keep up with it. I love the cardio, and the weight training isn't my favorite when I'm doing it, but I love the feeling when it's done. To be honest, those saying to cut back on gym time are probably wasting your breath because it is the one aspect of all of this that I find I truly like doing. I also don't see how one can overdo it in this regard so long as I'm not hurting myself and I'm allowing my muscle groups to rest for a day in between. It's how I was taught to train when I was in college, it worked then, and I can't see how it will not work now. Physiology hasn't changed that much in the last 20 years.

Your body is aged now, you require more recovery time than you did before. Doing this much without sufficient recovery will negatively impact fitness and possibly weight loss, as if you don't give your body enough recovery and then work it again you keep breaking the muscle down without ever giving it a chance to repair, so in the end you are causing damage, not gains.

BerryH

Your body is aged now, you require more recovery time than you did before. Doing this much without sufficient recovery will negatively impact fitness and possibly weight loss, as if you don't give your body enough recovery and then work it again you keep breaking the muscle down without ever giving it a chance to repair, so in the end you are causing damage, not gains.

:flowerforyou:

Merithyn

HRMs are overrated for calories burn, and they give inaccurate readings for resistance training, intervals/HIIT and swimming. They're only really good for precision steady-state cardio training.

If you change just one thing, make it your workouts. Physiology may not have changed in 20 years, but sports science has and your body's response to training has. Don't take it from me, some of my MFP fitness heroes have replied to you here saying the same! If you don't want to cut back on times, just do one thing in each workout, or limit your cardio on weight days to a 15-minute warm-up. You cannot train your muscles to their best capacity when they are fatigued.

Does that fact that I split my workouts into two different ones on the same day matter at all? (Serious question.) I generally do my cardio in the morning and the weight-training in the evening. (Long story short, I work out with a friend in the morning and my husband in the evening. I'm the only reason either of them go, so it's more for them than for me that I go twice a day. I have the time right now, it helps them, and I generally enjoy it, so I go.) So my workouts are 30-45 minutes in the morning and 45-60 minutes in the evening.

BerryH

Does that fact that I split my workouts into two different ones on the same day matter at all? (Serious question.) I generally do my cardio in the morning and the weight-training in the evening. (Long story short, I work out with a friend in the morning and my husband in the evening. I'm the only reason either of them go, so it's more for them than for me that I go twice a day. I have the time right now, it helps them, and I generally enjoy it, so I go.) So my workouts are 30-45 minutes in the morning and 45-60 minutes in the evening.

Your friend and husband shouldn't be doing the same workout every day either! :laugh: I'm sure they'll manage only seeing you on alternate days. Or get them both to whichever session you're doing that day.

Read what erickirb said, he talks sense about recovery and its impact on fitness and weight loss.

Here's a useful article:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/330887-how-much-time-of-rest-before-lifting-weights-again/

"You should complement a balanced weight-training program with aerobic exercise, which leads to improved muscular and cardiovascular endurance. It's fine to perform cardio on the days you rest from weight training. Although it's generally safe to perform your strength and cardio workouts on the same day, following one immediately with the other may cause fatigue and prevent you from working out at maximum capacity, the American Council on Exercise cautions. If your primary focus is gaining strength, save your aerobic exercise for rest days or do it after you lift weights."

From my experience, the opposite is also true. I had to seriously cut down my weight training to improve my running. Fatigued muscles made me run like a girl the next day, and not in a good way! When I was recovered enough, I knew for a fact I'd taken it too easy.

Google "cardio and weight training" for lots of other articles addressing the question.

You're looking to change something here, and consensus is your exercise routine looks like the main candidate. If you don't want to change it, think what else you can address.

Merithyn

"You should complement a balanced weight-training program with aerobic exercise, which leads to improved muscular and cardiovascular endurance. It's fine to perform cardio on the days you rest from weight training. Although it's generally safe to perform your strength and cardio workouts on the same day, following one immediately with the other may cause fatigue and prevent you from working out at maximum capacity, the American Council on Exercise cautions. If your primary focus is gaining strength, save your aerobic exercise for rest days or do it after you lift weights."

My primary focus is NOT gaining strength. It's to lose fat/gain better cardio. If this is the case, then I should cut back/out the strength training. I'm okay with this. I don't really like how bulky I'm already getting, so getting rid of this is fine so far as I'm concerned. (And before anyone says it, YES, I do get BULKY. Not weight-lifter cut, but definitely bulky. I don't really care if you believe me or not, but to say that women can't possibly get bulky is ignorant at best. I'm stocky on a good day - my weight notwithstanding - and lifting weights makes me more so.)

You're looking to change something here, and consensus is your exercise routine looks like the main candidate. If you don't want to change it, think what else you can address.

I think cutting carbs is really something to work on, too. In general, I feel like it's a good idea for me, but especially with the amount of workouts I do.

So, I'm going to make two major changes for the next month: Limit or eliminate weight training while increasing protein and lowering carbs. (And that will mean cutting back on the sugar, too.) I'll report back and let you know how it goes.

Again, thank you ALL for your suggestions, advice, cajoling, and for just reading. I know I'm being somewhat beligerent on all of this, and I apologize for it. I'd blame hormones but I don't really have that excuse anymore, so just blame it on the stresses of life, if you would.

kariebo

Reading over others responses Ill offer up my input too... keep in mind that with weights and strength training (lifting, etc) that you are building muscle. Often it takes longer to see the results.. or you may even see a gain sometimes... because you are adding muscle first.. which will in turn begin to work and burn fat (energy) to sustain it... maybe dont be too hard on yourself as you continue with your routines and possibly give your body a little bit more time to regroup and realize that your exercise routine isnt a temporary fad -- its the real deal.

I would not cut out the strength training -- women will not get bulky from lifting. They will tone. Losing weight is good, but helping to tone the muscles and skin along the way lead to a much more desirable result overall. Just my thoughts

carloubrew

We both are doing something wrong. I am at the point of giving up. I try to eat the allotted amount of calories that MFP calculated but I am so used to eating 2000 calories until I feel hungry all of the time and I keep a headache.

I have just recently started to get more physically active but I can only do five minutes of Jillian Michaels at one time. By the time I catch my breath and do 2 of the 5 minutes I am like "forget it". I need some help. One weigh in will be positive and the next one will be aweful.

What do I do?

3laine75

make sure you have your activity level as sedentary if you are eating back your calories.

3laine75

don't cut the strength training - its not making you bulky - fat is. strength training will cut your body fat % and improve cardio health. everyone is different, fiddle with your calories till you find what works - MFP uses averages and NOBODY is average

MerBear1985

I don't know if anyone has said this yet but you need to switch up your workouts. Not just alternating the same two things on the two days. Try a class, or a new machine, or do intervals or something. If you keep doing the same exercise your body gets used to it and it's no longer burning as many calories as it was.

Just a thought...even though 0.5lb per week is a very sustainable weightloss.

Merithyn

We both are doing something wrong. I am at the point of giving up. I try to eat the allotted amount of calories that MFP calculated but I am so used to eating 2000 calories until I feel hungry all of the time and I keep a headache.

I have just recently started to get more physically active but I can only do five minutes of Jillian Michaels at one time. By the time I catch my breath and do 2 of the 5 minutes I am like "forget it". I need some help. One weigh in will be positive and the next one will be aweful.

What do I do?

Walk. That's the best advice I can offer: walk. It's what got me moving in the first place, and it's the only reason I can do any other kind of activity right now. It kept me mentally sane, and helped me work a little more every day. I started walking 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon. Now, I walk 3-5 miles every day, plus hit the gym. Forget the Jillian crap, the hard-and-heavy workouts, etc, for now. Get to the point that you can walk 3 miles a day, THEN look into that other stuff.

Another suggestion is to make sure you try to focus on "filling foods" like fresh vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Protein also helps you stay full-feeling longer than carbs. Soup has been shown to make you feel fuller longer, too, so throw everything into a pot, add some fat-free veggie stock, heat and serve. Same calories but lasts longer.

I understand SO well the desire to just give it up, but I'm on the downhill side of middle age and I'm just not ready to give up on myself. I want to enjoy the last half of my life, and that means that I have to work hard now. It's only going to get harder as I get older. That's why I even posted this thread. I NEED to fix what's broken, one way or another.

slays1415

First, I think your food diary looks GREAT! I also wouldn't give up the strength training. That said, really try to mix it up - the classes at the gym that do weights plus cardio, bands, balls, strengthening using body weight, etc. are fantastic and will keep you from getting bored. I also find that kind of strength training to have no risk of causing bulky muscles. However, find good ones where you really feel like everything was worked when you're done (and it should include cardio bursts, in my opinion). I'm not a fan of eating back calories but rather eating the same every day, so I don't feel like I have to starve on days I don't work out. The most important thing is to keep tweaking things until something works - you've made it clear that you don't want to stay where you are!

jenngi620

I'd say if you are confident you are doing things as right as you care to, just be patient. My weight loss is never a steady slope. It took me 10 days to loose 6 lbs, gained it back, then 2 months to lose 10, then I zoomed down to 15 lost in one month, now bounced up a bit again. If you've improved your lifestyle and are a healthier person just roll with it. Or- you could quit and go back to being unhealthy and keep gaining weight like before. Steady state seems pretty good when you look at it that way, no?

kerchki

My non-expert thought... I'm 5'4" and currently weigh 173.5 (down 45 pounds) and when I entered that I want to lose 1-2 pounds a week and my lifestyle is inactive (not including my exercise that I track) MFP set my goal net calories to 1200. I noticed that yours is 1400. Perhaps, again just my non-expert opinion, that yours should be 1200 as well?

Merithyn

don't cut the strength training - its not making you bulky - fat is.

**SMH**

riverain

Have you been tracking your body fat percentage? That will tell you more about what is going on with your body. You mention that you feel like your muscles look too bulky. If you are losing fat at the same time as you are gaining muscle, your overall measurements are going to be the same, but the ratio of muscle:fat that creates those numbers are changing. HANG IN THERE! I know this is a hell of a lot easier for me to say than to actually do, and I have friends yelling this same thing at me because I struggle too... but you will reach that tipping point where you start losing faster because you have built up enough muscle for your body to burn more calories 24 hours a day. If you are concerned about looking bulky (I personally like the athletic look), look into pilates or ballet based methods which focus on low weights/high reps to strengthen without bulking.