So disappointed :(

ashleyeliz25

I am so-so about tracking my food and exercise everyday on MFP but I have been working out four times a week (for one hour, cardio and strength training) and eating super healthy (1,200 calories a day). I eat oatmeal with unsweetened soy milk and strawberries or one english muffin with either peanut butter or cream cheese for breakfast, salad with fat free dressing or carrots and broccoli or one quesadilla for lunch, and for dinner I eat either chicken soup with vegetables, shish kabobs with steak, green peppers, onions, and potatoes, or taco salad, or spaghetti with light tomato sauce and ground beef, or homemade turkey burgers. I feel like I am eating very healthy and I try and track my food everyday (I count calories). I am a college student so my budget and time are both limited. I do not drink soda often (two-three times a month at most), I never drink alcohol. The first thing people tell me when I say I am trying to lose weight is to stop drinking alcohol and soda and drink more water, but I already do that! I always have my 24 ounce water bottle with me and fill it up 3-5 times a day. I feel like I am doing everything I need to be doing but I have not lost any weight at all. It is very frustrating, especially when I see skinny girls on campus eating chick-fil-a sandwiches, fries, and drinking soda. I really, really want to just give up but I have already paid for 12 weeks of personal training and my best friend's wedding is in December (I am a bridesmaid). I really need some support. I have tried adding people on MFP for motivation purposes but I only have two friends Am I the only person having this problem? Does anyone have tips as to what could be wrong or what I could do to lose weight? I thought I would be seeing results by now. :ohwell:

Thanks for reading and replying!

mandy0688

add me if you want, first being in college is hard when you want to mantain your weight. I am gonna try the adipex pills but from your pics, you may not need to take them (you look like you may only need to lose a few lbs not alot like me) just remember muscle weighs more than fat. GOOD LUCK

Crochetluvr

Have you taken your measurements lately....are your clothes any looser?

3foldchord

I'm sorry it is taking longer to see results than you anticipated. Keep at i t, try logging everything, absolutelty every day- you may be surprised.
feel free to add me. I am far from getting it right but am trying.

CincinnatiDEIFan

Hi,

First I recommend opening up your food diary so we can see something you might be missing.

I know this is hard. I have been stuck at 160 for what seems like forever! Don't give up! WE CAN DO THIS!

Im long since removed from my college days...but feel free to add me if you think I could be of help!

spangey13

I think that if you diligently record your food (you said you are so - so)... it might make a diffrence. I am very surprised about the calorie content of some of the foods I thought are healthy. For example, I sprinkled some pumpkin seeds on my salad for a bit of texture, and suddenly 50 calories added to my lunch. Mayonnaise is a killer too. Even lite mayo is pretty packed with calories.

I'm pretty bad at guessing food weights too so I try and weigh my food and record it too.

Perhaps open your food diary so people can give you a bit more advice, but also be diligent about recording it.

I understand getting in shape for a wedding... mine is in February and I gotta get my dress altered, so I have to lose, and then maintain... sigh!

coondog721

Hi!
Oddly enough, you could be eating too little... (or just not the right combination). Your body needs fuel to do all of the exercising! Also, is your trainer switching up your routines? Just as you might get bored with the same routine, so do your muscles :-) I have recently joined a "boot camp" type class. I've been to 12 of them and they have all been different, and every day after a different part of my body hurts (the good kind of hurt!) Also, try eating 5-6 small meals/snacks (200-300cal each) throughout the day. This keeps your metabolism up and calories burning. Don't give up!!! Also, I might add... from your profile pic you don't seem to need to lose too much. Go easy on yourself. Those "skinny" girls' day will soon come... Chick Fil A can only stay off of your hips and thighs for so long. Good luck and don't give up!

A sample workout: Posted on my gym's facebook page... 4 sets of the following with 30seconds rest in between:
50 squats (no weights needed)
25 push ups
30 crunches
15 burpees (you can you tube how to do them, or just do planks)
15 superman

Doesn't seem like much, but I just did it and WOW! Plus I can reward myself with a healthy snack!

camy_chick

i agree with an above poster, you could be eating too little. but also if you aren't tracking regularly, you could be over eating on the days you don't track.

one thing that the tracking WILL help you with, some of the stuff you are eating could have MAJOR hidden sodium.....and that will make you keep your water weight on.

that being said, track EVERYTHING you eat for AT LEAST 1 week, and make sure you are watching the sodium, and even though it may seem like you are already drinking plenty of water, DRINK MORE! the more you drink, the more sodium you are flushing out.

kimothy38

Things like your hormones can stop you from losing weight. If you're stressed your cortisol levels could be elevated. You may not feel stressed but your body thinks otherwise. I've heard of women you cut back on cardio and increased yoga, tai chi, pilates etc and that relaxed their bodies so it released the weight. Are you getting enough sleep?

briannadunn

Hi!
Oddly enough, you could be eating too little... (or just not the right combination). Your body needs fuel to do all of the exercising! Also, is your trainer switching up your routines? Just as you might get bored with the same routine, so do your muscles :-) I have recently joined a "boot camp" type class. I've been to 12 of them and they have all been different, and every day after a different part of my body hurts (the good kind of hurt!) Also, try eating 5-6 small meals/snacks (200-300cal each) throughout the day. This keeps your metabolism up and calories burning. Don't give up!!! Also, I might add... from your profile pic you don't seem to need to lose too much. Go easy on yourself. Those "skinny" girls' day will soon come... Chick Fil A can only stay off of your hips and thighs for so long. Good luck and don't give up!

A sample workout: Posted on my gym's facebook page... 4 sets of the following with 30seconds rest in between:
50 squats (no weights needed)
25 push ups
30 crunches
15 burpees (you can you tube how to do them, or just do planks)
15 superman

Doesn't seem like much, but I just did it and WOW! Plus I can reward myself with a healthy snack!

I agree with this, you could be eating to little, you could be burning everything and you are plateauing because of it. Try going to freedieting.com and put in your information. It is a great tool and will help realistically aiming your goals. I have a horrible time losing weight even at my weight when I eat under 1200 calories.

IslandDreamer64

Grrrrrrrr!!!!! MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT!!! A pound of muscle takes up less space than fat. Sheesh.

Anyway, 1200 calories may not be enough, try eating more.

3foldchord

Grrrrrrrr!!!!! MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT!!! A pound of muscle takes up less space than fat. Sheesh.

Anyway, 1200 calories may not be enough, try eating more.

duh- a pound is a pound- people mean "for the same size"- a 1" cube of muscle weighs more than 1" cube of fat... If I said Bricks weigh more than feathers, people wouldn't assume I was crazy and sayin 1 pound of bricks weighs more than 1 pound of feathers- they'd know I meant 'per same size"- same thing with people saying it about muscles and fat.

rt7057

12 weeks with a personal trainer that will push you to work hard, should net you 12-16 pounds of weight lose. 12 with a trainer that watches you do little work will leave you mad for paying for nothing. If you can talk while you work out you need to go harder. I would make sure the majority of your 1 hour is spent doing cardio type work. Interval walking or running on a treadmill will work. If you raise the incline up high after a warm up and go until you think you are going to puke, then lower it and get your heart rate back down and raise it again. Rinse and repeat until you cant stand up.

Do weights the next day and before leaving the gym do 20 minutes walking on the treadmill to help recovery.

Day three back to the intervals.

You will see more results the more you work out. But I would do three a week minimum.

Remember,burn more calories that you take in. So knowing what you are taking in is the first big step.

Nana_Booboo

I have 2 personal friends. Both weigh 150 lbs. One is a runner and zumba instructor and she wears a size 2. The other does 3-5 times a week exercising but doesnt' watch what she eats and she's a size 10.

Point is, keep doing what you're doing and worry less about the number on the scale. I promise the dress will look great on you at the Wedding.

That_Girl

Eat more.

You are working out and only eating 1200 a day??

eat more to lose more.

LaurenAOK

Feel free to add me - I'm a college student too. I know how hard it can be to find time to work out, and to have enough money for healthy foods! College is definitely a tough time to be healthy, but we can do it!

I would really recommend you start using MFP diligently - that's the only way you can really see what may be going wrong with your calorie intake. I know this sounds crazy but you may need to eat MORE - if you're only eating 1200 calories and then you burn 500 with exercise, you're only giving your body 700 calories, which is probably only half or so of what it needs to run on!

Also as others mentioned, even though the scale doesn't move your body could still be changing. Take measurements and pictures! I've been around the same weight for the past few months but I keep losing inches all over. Good luck!!

plymouth2119

Eat clean, food with only one ingredient, ex: mornings quick oats, tsp. Of ground flax seed, add fruit, brown sugar, snack handle full of almonds, lunch fruit, protein = chicken, ground turkey add tomatoes and onions for flavor to your liking and your green salad. No milk cheese well anything other than one ingredient, etc.

ashleyeliz25

Thank you all so much for your support. I was so excited when I saw so many replies so quickly. I have not taken any measurements but I have been meaning to try and find an old bathing suit and measure myself that way. I have seen I fit a little better in medium sized t-shirts but they are still rather tight.

I made my food diary public, thanks for that advice. I didn't know that was an option. I hope it helps. I am not very good about figuring out meals, especially because I am a college student, so quick and cheap are best for me.

I am starting to think that I am not eating enough. A lot of people have told me that...but it's just crazy for me to believe that. I always feel like I am eating too much even when I am just 200 calories over my 1,200. I have no idea where to even begin. I feel like there are no foods are either in between, they are either healthy or unhealthy. I google healthy recipes every now and then but I only ever find meals to make for a family. I am just one person so I am looking for small, easy things.

Thank you guys so much for your replies, support, advice, and friend requests. I am going to try super hard to stay on top of tracking my food on MFP.

enchanted_daydream

Sometimes being a college student with all the exposure to the bad food makes it so difficult to stay healthy but you can do it!! Just remember that it is important to you and it isn't the number the scale reads that is important but instead that you are healthy!! Add me if you want a fellow college student as a friend

cgale8

as others have stated you may be eating too few calories to sustain your workouts and your body's daily needs. I know when you are trying to lose weight the thought of eating more to help you lose is a foreign concept. If you don't eat enough calories to sustain your needs then your body goes into survival mode and will hold onto the calories you take in. The general rule to lose a pound a week is to multiply your current weight by 7 and that will give your base calorie intake. If you want to be more aggressive and lose 2 pounds a week then you would multiply by 6.

This could explain your lack of pounds shedding because it looks like you are doing everything else correctly.

Julicat6

If you need easy, pretty inexpensive recipes that make just 1 or 2 servings, check out hungrygirl.com. Lots of single serve ideas, I work night shift and frequently use her meals for taking to work since the cafeteria is closed and the only places nearby are fast food. You can subscribe to her e-mails too and get updated recipes and product reviews. One thing though, you look pretty small in your picture, are you sure the problem isn't that you are already at an ideal weight for height?