Why am I not losing more weight?

lilsweetie2043

Okay so I started the body by vi shakes...so 2 shake to replace a meal and then a meal plus snack. I usually do shake-meal-shake with snacks in between because I do get hungry. I exercised everyday this month minus 5 days. My average net calories are 1447 but my average calorie consumed is about 1683. My goal is 1200 calories.

My start weight is 222.....got down to 215 two weeks into it then I am now 217. I'm frustrated because this is the best month i've ever done with any diets as far as logging calories plus working out at the same time but i only lost 5-7lb the first month!!! It's very dissapointing. So should I really eat 1200 calories a day and work out and just not eat my calories worked out to see results? People say you need them for fuel but that has not been my case! My average net carb is 125....so I know I should at least do under 100 carbs a day if not extremly low like 50? My average fat intake is 77 a day. So i don't know what is wrong! Eating these smaller meals just make me more hungry so I dont kno if I should just eat two 600 calorie meals a day plus work out then a shake since a heavier caloric meal will offset my stomach. Because litteraly I am hungry like half an hour later every majority of the days after i eat! sure ill have some good days were my stomach is finally not growling and some of those days are when say i eat something i consider bad...ugh i need help and those these" shakes" would def help but idk what to do right now!!!



my workouts consist of just cardio not because i want to just lose this fat instead of doing weights so i dont bulk up..or should i do weights? i usually do 30-60 minutes on ellipitcal and then 30-60 light cycling.

Guamybear

I am not doing the body by Vii but our weights are very similar and thought with being this big on 1200 calories plus exercise (and eating back calories) I thought they weight would come off faster.

ubermensch13

I'll repeat this for the 1000th time:

1. Eat at a calorie deficit. Eat, at the very LEAST, at a 1200 calorie NET. Meaning, if you exercise, eat back your exercise calories!
2. Exercise, or move more. Cardio, lifting weights, DVD's, whatever.
3. Weight loss is not a linear process. Just because you come in at 1200 calories a day doesn't mean you'll see weight loss every single week all the time. Over the long haul, you will lose weight, but from day to day or week to week, it won't always be consistent.
4. Your weight will fluctuate a few pounds from day to day, because of water retention and other factors, but it isn't fat if you are eating at a deficit.
5. If you are always hungry, you should up your calories! Figure out your TDEE(googe it), and eat 20% below that, or if you are still hungry, eat at 15% below it.
6. Eat foods high in protein to stay more full. These shakes might not fill you up enough.

Hellbent_Heidi

my workouts consist of just cardio not because i want to just lose this fat instead of doing weights so i dont bulk up..or should i do weights? i usually do 30-60 minutes on ellipitcal and then 30-60 light cycling.

This is a complete MYTH...you WILL NOT 'bulk up' from doing weights.

If you open your diary up for public to see, more people will be likely to help you with the food aspect...

alpine1994

Personally I would ditch the shakes and eat real food. Do you think you can live this way for the rest of your life? I base ALL of my healthy eating decisions around that question. If I know I can't sustain it, eventually I will fail and all my efforts will go out the window. You have to slowwwly start changing your habits. I used to eat 2 donuts every morning. (yeah...) I started with just getting one donut every day, then one every other day, then one just on fridays, then every other week. I haven't had a donut now in a couple of months, but I know that if I wanted one, I could get one and not fall back into my old ways. I knew that if I gave them up cold turkey, I would last about 3 days and then freak out and eat 10. The weight will come off slow and steady as long as your healthy eating habits are slow and steady. I used to get frustrated too when I wasn't seeing huge losses, but I'd rather be happy and satisfied and see a 3-5 pound loss per month (and know that I can keep it off) than starving and miserable and see a 10 pound loss and looking forward to some excuse to binge.

lilsweetie2043

okay i will! yeah i have had some bad days especially with thanksgiving but i try to pick myself back up the next day. I also limited my drinking to once a week and i use to do 2-3+ days a week. I know alcohol is really bad when trying to lose weight. I have done diets before , all kinds,.....lost 30lbs not logging but watching what i ate and exersizing. i still drank and had bad days. lose 20lbs in 3 months from working out 3x a week and having a so called nutrition tell me what i should eat but also did a weight loss capsule/body wrap every week....so I'm up again since my highest weight was 230 and i usually buck back up when i hit 200:( And my goal is 150lb-175lb...

krickeyuu

Personally I would ditch the shakes and eat real food. Do you think you can live this way for the rest of your life? I base ALL of my healthy eating decisions around that question. If I know I can't sustain it, eventually I will fail and all my efforts will go out the window. You have to slowwwly start changing your habits. I used to eat 2 donuts every morning. (yeah...) I started with just getting one donut every day, then one every other day, then one just on fridays, then every other week. I haven't had a donut now in a couple of months, but I know that if I wanted one, I could get one and not fall back into my old ways. I knew that if I gave them up cold turkey, I would last about 3 days and then freak out and eat 10. The weight will come off slow and steady as long as your healthy eating habits are slow and steady. I used to get frustrated too when I wasn't seeing huge losses, but I'd rather be happy and satisfied and see a 3-5 pound loss per month (and know that I can keep it off) than starving and miserable and see a 10 pound loss and looking forward to some excuse to binge.

^this^

lilsweetie2043

thanks! yes i think thats my downfall...when i fell like im putting in lot of effort and see slow results, i lose faith and go back up again. So this time I NEED to understand that a 5lb weightloss a month IS better then a 5lb weight gain in a month! And I need to take it SLOW ...its just easier said then done!:) Also a little more background is that i've always been heavier set so I don't know how it is to be slim. I averaged 185 in highschool but still felt like i did now. lowest ever i got was when i was 15years old and hit 169lb but up again at 185+ during highschool. Now I'm 25 and I want to be healthy ! height is 5"6

maricash

5 pounds in a month is a perfectly reasonable loss. You didn't gain weight overnight and you won't lose it overnight either. I started at an even heavier weight than you are at now, and many of my weight loss attempts failed because I was impatient. When things didn't happen fast, I thought, "why do all this for these results", gave up and gained back the weight plus more.

My number one bit of advice is patience. Even if you lost it all overnight you'd have to work hard to maintain for the rest of your life. So why rush? Also, diet shakes never worked for me. I felt deprived all the time and that made slower losses even more frustrating. If you like them, fine, but if you don't, why not just try eating regular food in smaller portions.

Also, ubermensch13 gives some great advice. There's also some great advice in this post:

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

Thomasm198

Okay so I started the body by vi shakes...

You answered your own question with these few words.

lilsweetie2043

me too! I've lost more doing crazy fad diets in a month but truth be told is that I don't feel ****ty like I didnt get headaches or anything. only negative part is stomach hungry pains but mentally these shakes make me feel good too but i would wish to see a greater result! my friend who started with me is 5"10..starting 207lbs and now after a month is 195 doing one shake a day with no exersize

lilsweetie2043

Thank you! Yes i need more patience ! I am motivating my friends with this diet and am their mentor but I really need help myself the most so I appreciate the advice from you all on mfp!

vmekash

You would not believe how much weight lifting and time doing it that it would take for you to bulk up. It would have to be virtually the only thing going on in your life. Lift weights, do cardio, and don't worry about bulking up. Believe me, it is a non-issue.
Good luck.

AyaKara

Eat real, healthy food; eat net calories >1400 but <1600; strength train 3x a week with cardio 2x; & track your MEASUREMENTS, not your weight. I guarantee that things will only keep getting better!

maricash

me too! I've lost more doing crazy fad diets in a month but truth be told is that I don't feel ****ty like I didnt get headaches or anything. only negative part is stomach hungry pains but mentally these shakes make me feel good too but i would wish to see a greater result! my friend who started with me is 5"10..starting 207lbs and now after a month is 195 doing one shake a day with no exersize

Try not to compare yourself to others. I have had friends who lived on french fries and grilled cheese, didn't exercise, and never went above a size 6. But I am not them and they are not me.

Also, do you want to lose weight fast and gain it all back? Or do you want to lose weight permanently? If the latter, developing healthy habits that you can sustain for a lifetime is the way to go, not quick "fixes". Whatever you do (food you eat, form of exercise you choose) ask yourself if you can keep it up for life. If the answer is no, then find a system that will work for life.

testease

I see you eat out a lot, so there is also a good chance you are overeating a lot without even knowing it. Its tough to gauge a half order of chicken wings, especially since you have no idea how they were prepared. Maybe the cook added 2 tbsp of oil instead of 1, thats and added 140 calories right there.

i wouldnt doubt on days where you are 1800-1900 calories you are probably closer to 2300-2400 maybe higher.

tropaze

I do weight lifting and I have yet to bulk up, in fact the ladies who teach our muscle pump and RIP classes are decidedly un-bulky. They do have very nice shapes though, I push myself and do it along with cardio because I love me some Zumba. It takes a while to find the right amount of everything or even just exercise programs that work for you. Keep trying and be patient (it sucks, but that's how it is).

lilsweetie2043

yeah my first two week were better then these last two. overall i have saved money from not eating out as often because i use to eat out 2x a day! Thanksgiving came and the taste of real food made me forget how good it tasted so I had a bad 3 days plus a bad hung over monday. I should probably stop alcohol all together or cut back to once every two weeks? I think i'm more upset about these shakes and the results i "heard" lol

lilsweetie2043

i guess the word bulk up wasnt right lol because when i use to go to the gym i would do a half hour cardio and then do either legs or arms weight lifting(switch every other day) but i thought maybe i would get better results just doing cardio to drop fat faster and then start adding in weights after doing just cardio awhile.....but i guess not? i just didnt want to thicken up any of my muscles because my legs are pretty muscular asi did try to be active growing up but i will try adding in the weight lifting like i use too!

Gramps251

A lot of your food is processed and contains a ton of salt, not to mention fat. If you can stop eating processed foods you'll drop weight.

testease

A lot of your food is processed and contains a ton of salt, not to mention fat. If you can stop eating processed foods you'll drop weight.

not true, i eat quite a fair bit of processed food with high sodium. She just needs to learn how to track her intake better. Takes a bit of trial and error, but when i dine out, ill usually add 25% more calories, do cover my *kitten*.

rebeccap13

yeah my first two week were better then these last two. overall i have saved money from not eating out as often because i use to eat out 2x a day! Thanksgiving came and the taste of real food made me forget how good it tasted so I had a bad 3 days plus a bad hung over monday. I should probably stop alcohol all together or cut back to once every two weeks? I think i'm more upset about these shakes and the results i "heard" lol

If you think you can't eat "real" food and still lose weight then you're doing it wrong.

I eat plenty of real food, ice cream and beer even. Look into TDEE. Also like others have said, chances are your underestimating what you eat and overestimating what you burn. Its a harsh reality but one that I would say 95% on MFP have had to come to terms with.

bethanytowell

My suggestion is that you get a HRM to really know how many calories you are burning. Take any calorie burn that MFP or any machine gives you and cut it in half. I only burn 300 calories MAX in the gym for over an hour. Inaccurate calorie burns hurt many peoples success, i learned the hard way

samantha1242

I see you eat out a lot, so there is also a good chance you are overeating a lot without even knowing it. Its tough to gauge a half order of chicken wings, especially since you have no idea how they were prepared. Maybe the cook added 2 tbsp of oil instead of 1, thats and added 140 calories right there.

i wouldnt doubt on days where you are 1800-1900 calories you are probably closer to 2300-2400 maybe higher.

Agreed. Without knowing how its prepared it can be difficult to get the correct calories. I always over-estimate if I eat out.

mistyladidah

It sounds to me (no expert) like your body is losing plenty! 7 pounds in a months is great! My thoughts are:

Of course you're hungry! You need things that are denser than liquid so it takes longer to digest, and thus it'll take longer for you to get hungry. I personally would eat meals instead of drink a shake. I have a protein shake that I use to replenish in the morning or after workouts as a snack, but no way is that a meal. Plus, budget-wise, are you going to drink 2 shakes a day forever instead of eat? Can you really afford that? I cant, plus I'd get SO frikin bored of the same thing 2x a day. Veggies and meat on the other hand, can be very interesting and versatile. Please be nice to yourself about eating too. Thanksgiving is a feast, but it's sort of wholesome food... at least you aren't surviving on twinkies!

In terms of exercise, Cardio is great for heart health, but I found that by first building muscles, I lost fat faster since there was something working under there. Even when I took a long break from logging and exercising (still tried to mind what I ate, but drank TONS) I lost ok since my metabolism was happy. Strength training or circuit training might help you a lot. It did me.

Drinking can slow you down. It doesn't have to though, plenty of people on here drink. However, keep in mind that the body will burn off booze cal. first, before fat. (At least, that's how I understand it.)

Keep it up, you are doing it!!!! Feel free to add me if you want...

lilsweetie2043

I did look into tdee and it says 2613. 20 percent is 2091 calories which i net for sure below that ! guess i don't understand the tdee

Akimajuktuq

A lot of your food is processed and contains a ton of salt, not to mention fat. If you can stop eating processed foods you'll drop weight.

There's the fat myth again. Processed foods, yes a concern. Healthy fats, no. But yes, dropping processed foods has health benefits, and one of them is weight loss as long as you are still remaining in a calorie deficit.

I eat lots of fat and salt (but not processed table salt) but very little processed foods and it's definitely giving me outstanding results. In fact, my results are mostly because of my fat intake imo.

Gramps251

A lot of your food is processed and contains a ton of salt, not to mention fat. If you can stop eating processed foods you'll drop weight.

not true, i eat quite a fair bit of processed food with high sodium. She just needs to learn how to track her intake better. Takes a bit of trial and error, but when i dine out, ill usually add 25% more calories, do cover my *kitten*.

My statement might not be complete but there is nothing "not true" about it. I'm aware of the concept of as long as you're in calorie deficit you'll loose weight. You can eat nothing but snickers bar and ice cream and loose weight as long as you have a calorie deficit.

My sugestion was for her to eat less processed food. The advantages are; 1. She can eat more food, and stay fuller while losing weight; 2.) She will give her body more of the nutrition (not just fuel) to make her healthier and 3.) She will be making a lifestyle change that will help her stay healthier. (I also mentioned sodium. Water weight isn't fat but it does change ones weight and looks and I've never met anyone who's going for that bloated, puffy look)

Anything, as long as it fits my macros is true but I don't think anyone will argue that one is better off eating food that is nutritionally questionable. (maybe you'll argue it though) ;-)