I'm obviously doing something wrong here

BeSophisticate

First, your goals are similar to mine, pound wise, that I'm guessing your stats are close, as well (I'm 5'3").

I would like to add one more vote to the heart rate monitor suggestion. I consider mine the best investement I've made (in addition to my gym membership) for my fitness. Your burn seems a bit on the high side, though close enough that may not be it. I burn about 300 in 30 minutes on the elliptical, but I'm keeping my heart rate at target nearly the entire time (147 bpm for me).

Also, as somebody else mentioned, your calorie estimates seem a bit high in some places. Of course, everything is an estimate, but If you're estimating even slightly high on enough things, that can really add up.

Finally, you are making progress! That's fantastic! This isn't a race to the finish line, after all. It's not a good idea to lose weight doing things you can't or aren't likely to continue every week for the rest of your life because as soon as you stop doing those things, you'll gain everything back anyway (and possibly you'll gain more than you lost). I would be frustrated too, if I was working out so much. I'm exhausted just looking at that schedule. If you work out too much, you inhibit your body's ability to recover and will actually make slower progress than if you worked out less. I don't claim to know where the line is, though, and I'm sure everybody's different. I started with just two days per week and worked my way up. I think you just have to find what works for you.

varitys

First off - Congratulations on making progress!! Every pound lost is a small victory so feel good that you are still marching forward. After a very quick review of your food journal, based on what I've learned via dieticians, personal trainers, nutritional specialists - etc, maybe try to lower your fat intake to under 30 grams a day, lower your sugar intake to under 25 grams a day, increase your fiber intake, and make sure that whatever you eat doesn't have more than 30 calories from fat per serving. Your carbs seem a little high, but you're exercising a lot so you need the carbs. Are you getting enough protein? You should have 1 gram of protein for every pound of lean body mass. Maybe your gym can scan you and tell you what your lean body mass is, if you don't already know. Hope these suggestions help & Good luck!!

ShellyShuey

If you want to eat back your exercise, set your activity level to "sedentary." The math works correctly that way.

Make sure you eat enough, considering the amount you're exercising. Eat every 3 hours.

Every meal/snack should contain some form of protein.

Drink buckets of water. The colder the better. Lemon wedge a bonus.

Get good sleep each night (yes, it matters re: weight loss).

The rate you're losing is a maintainable, safe rate. Slow & steady. Don't give up...

orishp

I think you have gotten good advice here, and yes, you have lost 7 lbs, not small feat and exercising lots and eating mostly healthy stuff, so you should pat yourself in the back, you are probably healthier than a lot of skinny people out there.

My two cents, stick with it, even though its hard, even though the scale sometimes doesn't cooperate, stick with it, and in the long run you'll see the results.

Cutting carbs and dairy has also helped me tremendously, particularly your carbs seem high. Counting calories alone doesn't work for me, I need to do something else.

I would consider dropping 100 calories and see if you see some change, maybe that account for possibly over estimating your workouts or under estimating your caloric intake.

Good luck! keep at it, even 0.5 lbs/week is better than nothing

GanjaBall

Thanks for posting your dilemma, but, mostly thanks for everyone who has posted. A lot of good stuff in this thread.
I think you would do well with experimenting until u hit the stride you desire. Weight loss does take time and part of that time is in finding what works for you. So, don't give up. If you keep an open mind and try new things when what u are doing isn't working you are bound to find what works for you.

Merithyn

Thanks for posting your dilemma, but, mostly thanks for everyone who has posted. A lot of good stuff in this thread.
I think you would do well with experimenting until u hit the stride you desire. Weight loss does take time and part of that time is in finding what works for you. So, don't give up. If you keep an open mind and try new things when what u are doing isn't working you are bound to find what works for you.

This is the most important thing that I've learned from this thread, I think. There is a lot of conflicting information out there, and the only way to know which one works for you is to try it. On top of that, you really have to give each change a little time to work.

The experts here on MFP are brilliant, and I appreciate each and every one of them. Again, I'm sorry if I seemed almost belligerent in the beginning, it was born of frustration. Thank you all for your suggestions, advice, and understanding. It means a lot to me.

januadiaboli

I'm going to agree with GanjaBall ... there's a lot of great information in this thread, and I think that tweaking things until they work for you is the way to go. I've been where you are--managed not to lose a pound for six months despite lots of work--and I can totally understand the frustration. All I can say is that the weight didn't get there over night, so it's going to take a while to come off. Keep at it, as from what I can see, you're doing a great job!