I can't loose any weight, HELP

Natfacestuff

I have been doing this for just over a month. I had lost 3 lbs in the first week but now I have gained it all back. I work out 3-4 times a week. Usually cardio but with a small amount of weight as I don't want to bulk up. I hadn't done any exercise in years as I injured my knee and it now has a tendency to rip again. Because of this I am trying to target my knees with squats and lunges.

I have always eaten fairly ok, lot of fresh vegetables. But I am a PhD student, in England with a low income so cannot afford much meat. I have a sweet tooth and really do struggle with portion sizes, but am trying to ensure I have more vegetables than anything else on my plate for my mains. What am I doing wrong?

DeeC01

Could you open up ur diary to give an idea of what you are eating?

Natfacestuff

I have opened it up. I didn't realise it was private. Hope you can get a good idea from it.

vorgas

Don't want to bulk up, huh? Please read this post about women bulking
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/987513-lifting-is-the-most-horrible-thing-to-a-woman-since-twiggy.

cherryd69

Im still new to this myself, iv looked an only gone back a few pages on your diary but your over eating quite a few times.... think i went back 5/6 days an you have over eaten your calories by varying amounts, on of them being by over 400.


Plus theres things in there that i dont personally associate with weight loss (cocopops, alpen, strawberry sunday)

Id save the sundays and eating out for a 'cheat day' but... then again tonight will be my first cheat day in over a month and i have no urges to eat a sunday.. instead ill just be watching what im eating whilst im out (bt not watching the amount of booze.... booze is my treat haha)

Also, silly question maybe..but are you weighing your portions or is it a rough idea?


People who have been here longer could probably point out more.

Natfacestuff

Yes the coco pops I bought them before I decided to loose weight, so I feel I have to finish them, once again student budget. Yeah my calories are set to 1200, which I find ridiculously low, but I never eat over 2000, which is what women are supposed to eat. I thought alpen was good though, oops!

I have started weighing my food, but sometimes I have no idea as my partner cooked it. I normally choose the highest calorie option if he cooked!

See I have a real sweet tooth so am trying to choose healthier sweet treats, but I just crave really badly if I don't eat something sweet. I quit smoking recently as well, which I think has left me hungrier.

cherryd69

i dont rate alpen or special k or any of that stuff tbh... i just have porridge, or toast an peanut butter.. but thats just me, everyone is different.
I skip lunch most days due to being at work, being a smoker id prefer to go outside for a smoke an a coffee rather than sit an eat.

Im not struggling with the 1200 and i used to eat well over what im supposed to eat lol. You do have the option of eating back exercise calories too, there's is different thoughts about that on her... some say yes, some say only half.. some say no full stop.

I try to eat back what iv burned off, today iv already burned off over 200, i plan on doing some more shortly so ill have extra calories for the wine tonight.

Natfacestuff

I love the saving calories for wine! I must do some exercise today so I can go to my friends birthday party, which I am dreading due to the calorie holes! Yeah my friend reccomended toast and peanut butter, so I have started trying that. Shame about the alpen!

Yes when I smoked I remember how much more alluring a cigarette was. But I used to eat and smoke if i could! May I look at your diary to get some hints? I have always felt very hungry, So what you are eating might be more filling. Thank you for the advice!

Flab2fitfi

Also have you tried Aldi or Lidl for cheaper cuts of meat and veg. They usually have very good deals on.

Again as other posters have said you will NOT bulk up by using more weights.

Aslo make sure you are drinking plenty of water.

257_Lag

If you post your weight and height people would be glad to help zero you in on a good number. 1200-2000 is WAY to wide a range to be guessing at. Feel free to PM me if you don't want to post them here and I will run them for you if you like.

stestut

You won't "bulk up" with weight training, if you are doing it correctly. You need to build muscle to burn fat!! When you're doing your cardio, are you reaching and maintaining your target heart rate zone, your max fat burning zone?

Natfacestuff

There aren't any anywhere near me, the joys of living in a very affluent area!! I do drink loads of water, but I drink by the bottle, and normally loads of it! so I don't know what to put down.

See this is crazy I always heard weights created bulked muscles, lots to learn!

Natfacestuff

I have no idea if I am reaching my target heart rate, but by the end of an hour class I am drenched in sweat, and looking really rather disgusting! This makes me feel confident that I have burnt loads of calories, I hope.

I am 5'2 and 145 lbs which means I have crept into the overweight category. my mum is obese, and I would like to tackle my weight now before I end up like her, as she is miserable. I try to get her to exercise with me when I see her, but she says she won't be able to keep up

PinkyMouse

for me I can eat the averaged 1200 cal per day but if I do not excercice I will loose a peanut.... Excercice is the key, diet only is not enough (the reverse is also true).
You can lift weights (not super heavy weughts, a reasonnable weight that you can make your routine with), you won't become overmuscular ! there is a certain maximum amount of muscle your body can make, usely the overmuscular people "help" their body to gain volume. Lifting weights will reshape your body and burn fat

Lupercalia

Guessing at home cooked food can be pretty iffy. It's sweet that your partner cooks for you, but you need some way of getting handle on what those calories actually are. "Small bowl" or "half a plate" isn't gonna cut it, unfortunately.

So with something like spaghetti bolognese, I would enter the recipe for the sauce as I made it into the recipe calculator here on MFP with the accurate weights according to how I prepared the recipe, including EVERYTHING-- oils and all. I don't worry too much about spices, but oils and all other ingredients are a must. I write this stuff down on a bit of paper as I'm cooking if I'm not going by a recipe. After the sauce was done, I could do one of two things to determine the serving size. I could either weigh the sauce and use 1 gram as the serving size, or I could divide it evenly amongst however many portions I wanted to have and say it served 4 or whatever.

Then you just need to weigh your portion of pasta.

Your sugar cravings are being exacerbated by the sugary foods you're eating--it can be really hard to control sugars if you keep eating them at each meal. Sweetened yogurt (basically anything with the fruit, jam or whatever added), sweetened cereal, sweeteners added to tea or coffee, etc. are all feeding your sweet tooth, unfortunately....so it's not a surprise that you're struggling with that.

The best way to cut those cravings is to just cut off all sugar period, cold turkey. None of that "weaning" yourself off it--that just prolongs the cravings and is totally frustrating. Fruit, and in particular the very sweet sorts (bananas, melon, mangos, etc) may need to be really limited for a week or two until you can get control of things. Berries seem to be ok and will satisfy the sweet tooth without sending one off on a sugar binge (for me, anyway).

1200 calories is indeed really low--are you eating back most or all of your exercise calories? MFP is intended to be used that way--and it's not meant to be "optional". I've never needed to eat so few calories to lose weight--I've been eating anywhere from 1600-2200 to lose. Sometimes a caloric deficit that is too great can cause our bodies to hold on to whatever we're giving it foodwise. You don't want that.

The things I'd emphasise are consistency with your diet and exercise, accuracy with measuring, and exercising patience. Fat loss often doesn't happen as regularly or as smoothly as we think it should. There are weeks we lose, weeks we seem "stuck", weeks the scale goes up (especially for women due to water fluctuations). But if you're consistently working towards change and can be patient, things will indeed change for you.

257_Lag

I would recommend about 1500 based on those stats. And at 1500 I would log your exercise and eat at least a portion of the extra calories it gives you. At LEAST half of them and even all of them if you are hungry.

cherryd69

I love the saving calories for wine! I must do some exercise today so I can go to my friends birthday party, which I am dreading due to the calorie holes! Yeah my friend reccomended toast and peanut butter, so I have started trying that. Shame about the alpen!

Yes when I smoked I remember how much more alluring a cigarette was. But I used to eat and smoke if i could! May I look at your diary to get some hints? I have always felt very hungry, So what you are eating might be more filling. Thank you for the advice!

Of course.


We use a local butchers outlet for our meat... 16-18 chicken fillets (huge ones) for £20... and other billiant offers, ours is called Wayne Walkers. Meat is so overly priced, but then again so is fresh fruit an bloomin veg!

Tonight im doing chicken and chorizo jambalaya to take to a friends house

icemaiden17_uk

There aren't any anywhere near me, the joys of living in a very affluent area!! I do drink loads of water, but I drink by the bottle, and normally loads of it! so I don't know what to put down.

See this is crazy I always heard weights created bulked muscles, lots to learn!

I think you hit the nail on the head with this! There is so much to learn! Try and learn about BMR and TDEE and figure out what yours are. Are you truly as active or as sedentary as you think you are? Are you setting yourself to lose too much a week? All things you need to think about. With the food it is all baby steps. Just keep working on the sweet tooth and soon enough it will sort itself out.

I drink about 2l of water a day and use a converter to sort it into cups. It's just easier when you are brit and use metric measures! Lol!

You should also look into things like 'You are your own gym' and the like. I strength train and have not bulked up and many other women will agree. It has helped a lot with my hyper-mobility as well!! Yay! Also do not over look eggs! I have a spinach omelette for my breakfast and it keeps me going fantastically! And they are protein rich and cheep! you can buy 18 free range for £3.09 in tesco!

Good luck with your journey! Just keep plugging away and you will get there! Determination is key!

dalekirk1

Like everyone has said incorporate more weight lifting into your routine, don't worry about "bulking up".. I think woman who lift look good!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/girls-get-your-guns-why-women-should-lift-weights.html

Capt_Apollo

it's been a month???


gee, i wonder what happens to women ONCE A MONTH that might cause bloating, water retention, loss or excessive appetite...

cherryd69

it's been a month???


gee, i wonder what happens to women ONCE A MONTH that might cause bloating, water retention, loss or excessive appetite...

Santa comes?

HeidiHoMom

I eat 1800-2000 calories a day and am losing weight. I also eat junk food just about every day, but in moderation (most of the time). I generally have one treat like a 1/4 cup of chocolate covered blueberries, I totally understand the sweet tooth thing because I have one too.

What has helped me was upping my calories to a more appropriate level, lifting heavy weight and not worrying about what the scale says but instead I take my measurements and go by how my clothes feel. I have been at this for 18 months and have lost over 45 lbs and put on 12 lbs of muscle. Putting on muscle helps to raise your BMR/TDEE (google those terms if you don't know what they are) which means I get to eat more and still lost weight.

The other thing that has helped me was raising changing my macronutrient goals on here. Instead of the very small amount of protein MFP recommends I eat between 100-150 grams per day. Eating more protein keeps me feeling satisfied and less bingey.

HeidiHoMom

And you definitely will not bulk up from weights. Weights are a woman's best friend, especially heavy weights.

ladylu11

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/docs/2011/jamies-approved-food-list-4.pdf

Here is a list of good and clean foods that you might want to try. Vegetables are considered a "free" food and you usually don't even have to count those calories.

brandismama

Yes the coco pops I bought them before I decided to loose weight, so I feel I have to finish them, once again student budget. Yeah my calories are set to 1200, which I find ridiculously low, but I never eat over 2000, which is what women are supposed to eat.

most women need between 1200-1500 cals depending on activity level. only eat 2000 if u are really active and thats still just to maintain, gotta cut to the 1200 if you wanna lose. cardio is also ur best friend. . .:)

Natfacestuff

it's been a month???


gee, i wonder what happens to women ONCE A MONTH that might cause bloating, water retention, loss or excessive appetite...

Santa comes?

Love this!!

Natfacestuff

I have to say thank you to everyone, I will look up these terms, and reconsider my work outs, or add to them a bit more. Hopefully next month, when santa comes :P , I will see some good results!

cherryd69

I have to say thank you to everyone, I will look up these terms, and reconsider my work outs, or add to them a bit more. Hopefully next month, when santa comes :P , I will see some good results!

sexymuffintop

It still amazes me that people believe the myth that if, as a woman you lift weights you will 'bulk up'. Women do not produce enough testosterone to bulk up. You need to get it from artificial sources (i.e steroids) to 'bulk up' as a female, unless you are a genetic freak that is. Sure you can add muscle and lose fat naturally but that will only make you look better not bulky at all.

OP 1200 is horribly low. I couldn't stick to that. I did try when I first joined MFP for a few weeks, wasn't for me at all. I would suggest you do a bit of research and find out your BMI and make sure you never eat below this amount. Eat more when you exercise. A lot of processed sweet carby food will leave you craving more an hour or so after eating. I had to ditch things like that for that very reason. Eat more protein, less processed food, loads of water and make sure you eat some healthy fats, that may help with your cravings and sweet tooth.

GFielding_56

It's all about balance... intake vs output - If you eat too many calories for your height/weight you'll put on weight if you stay under your 'calorie' goal and increase your exercise you should lose weight. It may take you a little bit to get there but you can.

To lose 1lb in weight you need to lose 3500 calories roughly 500 calories per day - you can do this by restricting what you eat or by increasing your exercise.

I started my 'campaign' in December, started watching what I ate/drank logging everything and trying to stay under my recommended 1800 per day. I've also started walking every lunchtime for around 40-50 mins and again sometimes in the evening.

To date I've lost over 2 stones - feel great on it - hoping to lose a bit more before going on an all inclusive holiday.

Good luck - message me if you want more details of what I've been doing - I'd recommend porridge for breakfast - cuts out the need for a mid morning snack - I also usually put a banana in it - total calories 313.

htecm

Portions are a very important part of it. nuts & seeds come to 1 oz and cheese also. cooked pastas come to 1 oz regardless what the package says. weigh your meats to just 3 oz. and 1/2 cup fruits 1/2 cup veggies. All this is just a serving size. If you ovr do it, over do it on non starchy veggies. Make a big 3 Cup salad (already mixed at walmart), and add a cup of frozen peas (they thaw quickly while your eating the lettuce), an apple (1), and measure out 2.74 oz sweet onions. Then add 3-4 Tbs of your fav dressing. I choose ranch. They also have spritzers (spray bottles of dressing) for much less cals. This salad will fill you up to the brim./ Also drink much water. Find a small container to keep baby carrots in (2 cups) and use these in between meals they will keep you going when you get a craving to munch. I hope this helps you. But yeah, measure, measure, measure, portions portions portions. VERY IMPORTANT. Wishing you much luck! Toodles.