Busting my *kitten* and not losing anything. Help!

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  • korygilliam
    korygilliam Posts: 594 Member
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    I don't have time to read/research your stuff (although it appears your diary is locked anyways), but I wanted to add that I was doing about 70-95 minutes a day, 6 days a week and was on a plateau the whole time. When I came down to 3-4 days of 45 minutes of intervals/high intensity, I started losing again. I don't know if it was because my HRM wasn't accurate enough or my body just couldn't handle the stress, or what, but it made a huge difference on my weight loss as well as my stress/weight loss satisfaction. (Kinda frustrating that I did many months of that torture, but am glad to have realized that I didn't have to go thru that!).

    (Was doing 45-60 minutes of cardio 3-4 days a week and 45-90 minutes of elliptical intervals...was typically around 90 mintues a day)

    Hope this helps!
  • awenske1
    awenske1 Posts: 7 Member
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    I'm having pretty much the exact same problem. The thing is I haven't been eating enough. I thought that if I worked my butt off 6x a week 90 min a day minimum & ate a lot less that would make me lose weight faster - false! It made my metabolism slower & I've barely lost any weight. The thing you really need to do is MEASURE yourself! It doesn't matter how many lbs you lose, especially when you first start working out it can be difficult one month losing 5-7 lbs, then the next losing nothing. But by the sounds of it you're getting toner & stronger which is more important than weighting 100 lbs. You need to eat healthier & more that's the bottom line. I had this exact same problem & I'm working to try & fix my metabolism again so you're not alone trust me.
  • absolament
    absolament Posts: 278 Member
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    You can get results by doing less. My trainers have always stressed that 30 minutes of moderate cardio 5 days a week and 2 to 3 days of strength training (pilates included) is adequate. Just make sure you are keeping the number close for calories in/out. And also, everyone is built differently. You can't expect to look like Jillian Michaels unless you are Jillian Michaels. Take a look at your family members. That will help set the tone for what is normal with the genes you've been dealt.
  • shutterbabe
    shutterbabe Posts: 125 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your all your advice! I appreciate it very much.

    After reading all of your posts and reading the links some of you provided (which helped so much, thanks!) I realized that I guess I AM eating too little and working out too much. :ohwell: I'm still learning how to do all of this right. I guess I figured that if I worked out more and didnt eat as much it'd help me lose faster. Obviously thats not the case and I'm ruining my body by not fueling it properly.

    I decided to cut down to working out 3 times a week (cardio and my circuit strength training) and up-ing my calories to 1400. I'll try 1400 to 1500 for awhile and see how it goes. I'm still keeping my pilates 2 to 4 days a week, because I love it and its not intense calorie burning or anything. I'm a little worried I might have a hard time eating enough. Sometimes I'm just not hungry. I'll just have to force myself to eat more or bring on the avocados and nuts I guess! I cant always afford food, but knowing I CAN eat more makes me happy! That's another obstacle with this whole eating more thing; I dont always eat enough because I dont have a real choice a lot of the time. I drink a lot of water though. :ohwell:

    Thank you again for all of your advice and information you provided! :happy:
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
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    It's being written about in many different sources that aerobic is not the best way to burn fat, but weight training is. You can look into this just by googling aerobic vs anaerobic in building muscle and burning fat. I read about testing 2 groups, one strictly aerobic workouts, the other, weight-training. The aerobic lost no fat in X amount of time and the weight trainers lost, go figure. But, the more I read and study this, it makes perfect sense. Here is a link I got in the new group "Hooya" Give Me More, which I started for those that wanted to do bodyweight training. Please feel welcome there anytime, we'd love to have you.

    More important to me though is researching, finding out about what all this "losing fat/weight" entails. It is way more indepth than many of us ever dreamed. And the more I learn, the easier I realize it is to actually follow the right way rather than waste time on fads, gimmicks even gym equipment. I am not knocking anyone that like to lift using freeweights or machines. Do what makes you happy and also, do what you feel is best for you.

    Nothing wrong with working hard but who wants to hit highspeeds in your car only to find your wheels are spinning but you are high centered so not going anywhere?

    denise:drinker: :drinker:
    I am feeling the same way. Myfitnesspal says I am not getting enough calories,but I am not loosing. I walk 21/2 miles a day plus my other work, so I am not sitting on my duff.
  • lhergenr
    lhergenr Posts: 242 Member
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    How tall are you? Are you sure 125 is a reasonable goal for your height? Also, instead of having long cardio workouts with a consistent pace, try High Intensity Interval Training. It burns more calories. Google it and you will find several workouts. I'll get on the elliptical for 15 minutes. Warm up for the first five, then give it my all for 30 seconds, recover for 60 seconds, give it hell for another 30, repeat until I hit 15 minutes. This has really helped me.
  • pr33mi3mom
    pr33mi3mom Posts: 9 Member
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    Are you logging everything you eat? I mean, everything? Creamer in your coffee, condiments on a sandwich, etc... Those little calories and sugar creep in. If you start logging every tiny little thing, even if it's just for a few days, you'll see where it's going wrong.

    Also, make sure you eat all 3 meals, plus snack, and that you're consuming enough calories.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    You're not losing because you're not doing it right. You have to track every freaking thing. EVERYTHING. Not just when it's easy, or when you know you are doing good. Every god damn thing you put in your mouth. Weekends, vacations, period or no period. Everything. Until you do that, you will continue to get the same lousy results. Sorry to be hard, but it's difficult reading you saying you only log sometimes, do what you want other times, and can't figure this out. it's kind of obvious what's going on. LOG IT. ALL OF IT. You'll probably see. And, a couple of times a month drinking. You mean, like every weekend?
  • ChappyEight
    ChappyEight Posts: 163 Member
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    Are you logging everything you eat? I mean, everything? Creamer in your coffee, condiments on a sandwich, etc... Those little calories and sugar creep in. If you start logging every tiny little thing, even if it's just for a few days, you'll see where it's going wrong... and that you're consuming enough calories.

    Sound advice.
    Also, make sure you eat all 3 meals, plus snack...

    Not so much.
  • shutterbabe
    shutterbabe Posts: 125 Member
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    You're not losing because you're not doing it right. You have to track every freaking thing. EVERYTHING. Not just when it's easy, or when you know you are doing good. Every god damn thing you put in your mouth. Weekends, vacations, period or no period. Everything. Until you do that, you will continue to get the same lousy results. Sorry to be hard, but it's difficult reading you saying you only log sometimes, do what you want other times, and can't figure this out. it's kind of obvious what's going on. LOG IT. ALL OF IT. You'll probably see. And, a couple of times a month drinking. You mean, like every weekend?

    Yes, you guys are right, I should be logging EVERY SINGLE THING I eat. I will definitely work on that. But you guys are making it sound like I'm missing too much logging; going through my past logs, I probably miss maybe 4 or 5 days a month of logging. I know its not a perfect 30/31 days but its not terrible in my opinion. :indifferent: I'm usually pretty good about it. Sorry if I exaggerated it at first.

    And how in the world do you get every weekend out of me saying I may drink a couple times a month?? A couple times is like two evenings. If that. I'm not a big partyer. And the most I've ever drunk on a night out is like 4 cocktails. I also monitor what kind of cocktails I have when I do drink. Like Vodka tonics with a splash of cran or small bloody mary's.

    I figured out that I'm not losing because I'm not eating enough and working out too much. So I cut my strength training (and it's weight lifting and body weight strength training and circuit training - NOT aerobics) and cardio to 3 days a week. And I raised my cals to 1400-1500.
  • shutterbabe
    shutterbabe Posts: 125 Member
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    Are you logging everything you eat? I mean, everything? Creamer in your coffee, condiments on a sandwich, etc... Those little calories and sugar creep in. If you start logging every tiny little thing, even if it's just for a few days, you'll see where it's going wrong.

    And yes, I log condiments and creamer and every single thing I put in my salads, etc.
  • ChappyEight
    ChappyEight Posts: 163 Member
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    I figured out that I'm not losing because I'm not eating enough and working out too much. So I cut my strength training (and it's weight lifting and body weight strength training and circuit training - NOT aerobics) and cardio to 3 days a week. And I raised my cals to 1400-1500.

    This.

    You've got the right idea. Give it a month and check your progress.
  • Jxnsmma
    Jxnsmma Posts: 919 Member
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    Interesting tho that you still wont make your diary public for a bit so we can see. Makes me feel like youre not being entirely truthful... TBH...
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    You look great...very fit!! Is your goal weight realistic? How tall are you?

    IMO you're the classic case of overkill - exercising a lot and not eating enough. Eating below your BMR can cause plateaus. Up your calories, ease up on the exercise, and take time to appreciate the fact that you look great!!! Relax:flowerforyou:
  • SanMcK70
    SanMcK70 Posts: 19 Member
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    Stop your current routine, take a 3 day break from any exercise except light walking, then change your routine and do something completely different. I had the same problem and I talked to a personal trainer who said that our bodies need to be challenged with new types of exercise and intensity so we don't adapt, or our weight loss will halt for a looong time. I'd highly recommend taking up a strength training class and do that 3-4x a week every other day, and add in a NEW form of cardio (dancing, elliptical, stair treadmill, anything), then do that for maybe...2 weeks. Then take another couple rest days and reevaluate from there.

    The trainer I know is super smart and after I started taking his advice I've lost weight and inches already. It's so important to change it up! :)
    I agree with this, but there is something else here. MFP not only tracks calories, but also protein and carbs...for a reason. You should look at what TYPES of food you're eating, not just how much of it or how many calories. I have a friend who cannot lose weight, no matter how much she exercises, if she consumes too many carbs. I, on the other hand, am not like that at all. We are all very different in how we metabolize. But definitely cut out the monotonous routine you've been in and really track what you're putting in your mouth. You are probably also replacing fat with pounds of muscle, which will keep the scale from letting you feel like you've lost weight, and your clothes won't fit any better because of the mass. Just my two (or three) cents, since you started this post and asked. Keep your chin up and don't quit...you'll figure it all out eventually. :flowerforyou:

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