Help?! I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

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24

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  • slappymcgee
    slappymcgee Posts: 50
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    as backwards as it sounds, you are not eating enough. Make sure you get your 1200 in at minimum. When you dont eat enough, your body will start to fight you and you wont lose anything.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/390145-should-i-eat-my-exercise-calories

    You should be eating more.
  • ekane23
    ekane23 Posts: 4
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    Is it possible that you aren't calculating the correct calories burned either? I found that based on my info I had entered, MFP, Edomondo and others like it would give me a crazy amount of calories for excercise. Then I purchased a Heart Rate Monitor and wow, there was a big difference! I was giving myself credit for TOO MANY calories burned.

    17389489.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
  • allywood90
    allywood90 Posts: 6 Member
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    If you eat below 1200 net calories, it will be very difficult for you to lose weight. Especially if you are not accounting for all of the calories you are burning during exercise. This is because when your body does not receive enough calories, it goes into starvation mode, your metabolism slows down, and it hangs on to the fat cells that are stored in your body instead of burning them off during exercise. Another thing is that because you are doing exercise like insanity, you are probably gaining muscle mass, which is why you are losing inches but not pounds. Muscle weighs more, but it has less mass than fat. Eat a few more hundred calories, and a lot of protein, and you will be good.
  • ErinBeth7
    ErinBeth7 Posts: 1,625 Member
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    Really, don't net below 1200. That seems like a lot.

    Thats not a lot. The minimum suggested for anyone is 1200. If you eat the right foods, even 1500 is not too much. You are losing inches and thats great. The number on the scale does not reflect all the hard work you've done and changes your body is going through. Its a very basic number and only measures one thing. I would go by measurements because you've had success there, its obviously working. Like everyone has been saying, you need to eat more. Try 1300-1400.
  • brandyla78
    brandyla78 Posts: 18
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    I can't go by the scale...I have a medium size frame and more muscle than lots of people my height...so I weigh more than someone who "looks" bigger than me. You need to think in terms of building muscle means losing fat; you may be losing a pound of fat but also gaining a pound of muscle...the muscle looks much better I PROMISE :) and in the long run the extra muscle will burn more calories. Give it some time and keep up with your measurements. If you are eating the RIGHT foods and working out you are on the right track!
  • RuthSweetTooth
    RuthSweetTooth Posts: 461 Member
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    Open your diary and we'll take a look.
  • mamamc03
    mamamc03 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    From your cal intake you described (1500-1800) you are fine!! You are working on fat loss and you NEED a deficit to lose. Once you get closer to maintenance, you can focus on that net. Unless you are burning 1000-1500 a day...i wouldn't stress.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/295395-how-many-calories-does-my-body-need-to-survive-at-rest/
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    You are gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat. It's normal to see no movement on the scale, or even see weight gain, during the first few weeks of starting intense exercise. The key is to continue to use the tape measure as well as the scale. If you are losing inches but not weight then you are doing it right. Eventually your muscle gains will slow and your weight will drop as you continue to burn fat.

    Muscle DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT!!!!!!

    It takes up less space then fat, but it doesnt 'weigh more'. A lb of feathers is the same as a lb of rocks.

    AND you are unlikely to gain muscle in a calorie deficit. Inches are a great loss, dont worry about the scale :)
  • RuthSweetTooth
    RuthSweetTooth Posts: 461 Member
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    I have a suspicion that you have gained more muscle, which weighs more. Be patient. Soon it will start coming off. Your metabolism will increase and turn you into a lean machine. Just stick with it!!!!
  • AmberMahfouz
    AmberMahfouz Posts: 316
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    I am set at 1200 calories and sometimes I go over and sometimes I don't. I definitely think its good to kind of "shock" your body.
  • capriciousmoon
    capriciousmoon Posts: 1,263 Member
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    I wonder if you're over/underestimating something. It could be that you're eating more or burning less than you think. Do you use a food scale?
  • MellyMelx23o
    MellyMelx23o Posts: 80
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    muscle weighs more than fat...just because the scale isn't moving doesnt mean your not losing inches & building muscle too!! Keep it up & I'm sure you'll see results.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Really, don't net below 1200. That seems like a lot.

    That really is a good, realistic goal from all accounts. And if that is you in the picture, you are thin to start with so it will be harder to lose weight.

    I've been reading a lot in How We Get Fat and Good Calories/Bad Calories, based on, among other things, the Harvard health studies. You might also think about the ratio of carbs in your diet. They suggest a good sustainable level for long term maintenance is 40% (http://garytaubes.com/works/books/why-we-get-fat/).

    I found lowering carbs just to 40% (which is hard enough for me) was also very helpful.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,279 Member
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    You don't have to eat an insanely low about of calories to lose weight. That is bunk. So, eat more to fuel your body.
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    muscle weighs more than fat...just because the scale isn't moving doesnt mean your not losing inches & building muscle too!! Keep it up & I'm sure you'll see results.

    No, just no.

    http://healthscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=549:does-muscle-weight-more-than-fat&catid=102:jeff-novicks-blog&Itemid=267
  • susie10
    susie10 Posts: 10
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    i was having the same problem changed my calories intake to 1400 a day started losing again. good luck:happy:
  • ixap
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
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    I wonder if you're over/underestimating something. It could be that you're eating more or burning less than you think. Do you use a food scale?
    I was wondering that too. You say you're netting 800 but eating 1800 - you are burning 1000 calories every day from exercise? That seems like a lot. I don't know how much you weight, but for someone weighing, say, 150 pounds, that would mean running at a 7-minute mile pace for an hour, or bicycling very fast for almost 2 hours.

    Also, are you weighing or measuring your food or using the serving sizes provided for premade food to make sure that your calorie count is accurate.
  • teekee2
    teekee2 Posts: 29 Member
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    Eat your 1200 and half of your exercise calories back, opening your diary will help us give better advice, for instance maybe your getting too much sodium. After a while you will know what you can eat so it won't be so hard to plan your food out for the day once you do this for a while

    ^THIS for sure! You should never eat below 1200 cals and you should eat your exercise calories back or at least half of them so your body doesn't hold onto the food thinking you are starving it!!
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Read this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    At least net above 1200. And don't worry - your metabolism isn't "frozen" and you aren't in a plateau. You just aren't eating enough. Listen to what everyone here has already said.

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