Not losing, why?

B_Town154

If I were underestimating my activity level, then wouldn't I be losing for sure? I do over an hour of cardio a day because I have the time and burn 600, but other than that the rest of my day is computer work, reading, cooking, ie - pretty sedentary. Oh, for those looking at my fitness diary, I was sick twice and missed almost a week of exercise, but I still mostly only ate 1200 calories that day.

You need to eat more. Bump up your calorie intake to like 1600 and keep exercising. It's ok to take a day but if you don't eat enough your metabolism will completely shut down. Focus on small meals stretched throughout the day to prevent a meal binge late at night.

If you can, stack your carbs in the morning.... try not to have any (or very little amounts) after lunch if you can help it.

ryry_

I have my net calorie limit on MFP set to 1200 which will let me lose 1.2lb a week. My setting is on Sedentary: Spend most of the day sitting, and when I figure my TDEE on http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ says it is 1909 (which I think is high). That does not include exercise. I have not been working a full time job (I want to, I just can't find one in my field) so I have the time to work out. I run 6 days a week for 45 minutes and burn around 400-450 calories and I do the 30 day shred thing 7 days a week and burn 220. Well, that is what my heart rate monitor says. So I typically burn about 600 cals from working out almost every day of the week except the day I skip the run. I also do weights, using dumbbells like bicep and triceps and some back lifting. Nothing major, every other day and it takes about 10 minutes for that whole routine. I do not add those cals into my total. My motivation for working out everyday is that I would have a hard time eating only 1200 cals, but when I eat back the exercise cals I can eat 1800, sometimes even more. So I have been doing this for 8 weeks and haven't really lost any weight. Actually I started working out 4 months ago, but only started counting calories 8 weeks ago. MFP says I have lost 10 pounds but I have really only lost 3, because when I first weighed myself I was 160 then the next day I was suddenly 155, so really I started at 155. Now I am 152ish. I try not to go by the scale, but my measurements haven't changed much either. And the tight pants I use as a test have not really gotten any larger.

Does anyone know what I am doing wrong? Should I only eat back like half the exercise calories? Also, please don't say I need to take days off working out, because then I will over eat and I want to get my resting heart rate down to 60, and I think mentally I need to. Even though I do pretty much despise it! Also, I don't eat super healthy but I get a lot of protein and I do watch the cal intake very closely and if I eat high calorie food I eat less that day. I don't binge but I do eat pizza and whatnot. Don't know if it matters but I am 5'9" and 30 years old. Any advice would be rad! thanks! Also, sorry this was so long and probably everyone asks these same questions and goes through this exact same thing. I guess I am just wondering if I shouldn't eat back the exercise calories.

This is most likely what you're doing wrong:

http://youtu.be/JVjWPclrWVY

http://youtu.be/HGunZpKLb5o

Awesome post

whamann1

My, we ARE on a journey, aren't we? I used to be able to just start exercising or cut back on eating and lose a bit of weight. Now those tactics aren't working and I am constantly in the learning mode. Exercising 4-5 days a week and staying faithfully under my calorie goal has produced zero weight loss! That's a lot of work with little reward (I do see changes in fitness, heart rate, energy, etc) Then again, I have never been in a 48-year-old body before and I need to be patient with myself as I figure it exactly what it needs. It has recently been pointed out to me that I was not eating enough. This made no sense to me!!! but as I kept thinking, praying and reading I realized this must be true even though it does not make sense to my brain! So I am trusting the advise and upping my calorie goal form 1350 to 1650. (1350 would not support me even if all I did was sleep!) 1650 might still be a little low but I am finding it challenging to meet especially when you add a few hundred exercise calories! I am also upping my water intake. I hope to see some improvement on the scale. If not then I will keep tweaking it. My biggest mental obstacle is that I am not patient with myself. This journey is changing me on the inside first!

trudijoy

If it's not working for you anymore then obviously you might want to change something. Although if you're starting to look thin, fit and toned then I'd say just keep doing what you're doing.

thanks...yeah i've changed shape a LOT in the past couple weeks.

I'm going through the same thing right now. No pounds lost but I am losing inches. I have not lost any pounds since February 24th but I have lost 5 inches in the past two weeks alone. I'm learning that the pounds don't matter - my size does. What does it matter how much I weigh as long as I get to the size I want to wear and am shaped the way I want to be shaped?

i love this. thank you x

tiggerhammon

Focus on strengthening, conditioning, lung capacity, etc ... Start trying to fine tune your body and stop focusing so much on the weight number. If I were you I would start measuring your progress in measurements and not weight.