Need advice

andie2013

Well, I'm a little concerned with my progress... in the last two weeks, I have gained over 4lbs -but fine, let's ignore this right now- and that's not really the problem. My problem is that I'm not losing inches or dropping my body fat; I have only lost 1.8% in 2months despite the fact that I have raised my calorie intake to 1400 and I go to the gym 4-5x/week for at least an hour... so what else can I do to compliment what I'm doing now to lose inches and body fat? also my goals are 45%carbs 40%protein and the rest is fat and more often than not I exceed my protein. Suggestions?

EDIT for my gym I weight train 3X/week and do cardio everytime I go.

filletminyon

Do you take vitamins daily? That is a crucial addition to losing weight and staying in shape. Also what are your eating habits?
I have a few dieting secrets that may help you.

AlphamaleBAMF

What are you doing at the gym? What sort of calorie deficit are you running, if any?

channa007

1400 is still way too low. You're not eating enough.

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

nxd10

Weight loss is mostly diet. Exercise keeps you healthy, makes you look great, and slows muscle loss while you're working out.

Look at your diary for what you're eating. You can't build a beautiful body with all that exercise if you're eating junk. Check your sodium levels for water retention. Depending on what else you're eating you can get bloating and retention that will mess up inches as well as weight.

If you feel stuck for a little while, try a very simple diet for a week or two and see if it helps. Things like chicken, bananas, greens, etc. Healthy stuff your body knows how to use and are easy to digest. Check your chicken for sodium levels - some have sodium injected or use salt in the process. Tastes good. Not great for you.

Are you hungry? If so, you aren't eating enough. You might add some nuts and make sure you eat some every time you feel hungry.

andie2013

Yes, I do take a multivitamin daily.
I drink a protein shake after a weight lifting workout.

I usually burn around 700-800 cals when I go to the gym.

When I do cardio, I usually hit the elliptical, treadmill and rowing... and even sometimes the bike.

I do try to keep my sodium intake below the allowed daily dose...

My diet follows the carb, protein and fat goal set here in MFP (45%, 35% and 20%)...

Pedal_Pusher

I'm no expert but I know a little bit. Which heart rate zones are you mostly in during your workout? If you're in high 3 or up, you're mostly burning sugar. Stay in the lower zones, ideally mid zone 2 to low zone 3 and you'll burn fat a lot more efficiently.

andie2013

I have an HRM and the average is 160... I'm trying high intensity interval training at the moment (as my cardio) where I try to reach 177 and excercise there from 30-45secs then recover to around 133 and then without a break go up to 177 again and keep repeating that as much as I can.

staceybrewer

When I read this comment, I immediately thought - cut the shake after your workouts. It might be too much. When I had that issue and was running half marathons, I switched from a full-blown shake to just a glass of milk, or chocolate milk. Not everyone needs a full shake after a workout. Worth a shot... But, I am no expert!

andie2013

When I read this comment, I immediately thought - cut the shake after your workouts. It might be too much. When I had that issue and was running half marathons, I switched from a full-blown shake to just a glass of milk, or chocolate milk. Not everyone needs a full shake after a workout. Worth a shot... But, I am no expert!

But the protein shake actually helps me get to that day's protein daily goal... otherwise I'll be way under the goal.

andie2013

1400 is still way too low. You're not eating enough.

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

Thanks for the link to that post...I'll have to read it carefully when I'm home.