I don't know what I am doing wrong (well I kind of do)

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Jajanda
Jajanda Posts: 7
in Motivation and Support
Update, after spending some time figuring out this site, I think I opened my food diary. In veiwing it (more than just the day to day), I think the issue I'm having is some days I eat way to little, and some days I eat too much. I guess on days I eat too much, I try to make up for it by eating too little the next day. Though the former bulimic/anorexic side of me wants to eat very little, and exercise a lot, I know this is bad both for keeping weight off, and for staying healthy. I have lost inches, and while the scale is my worst enemy, my clothes do fit much better. I guess I need to start tracking my food diary better rather than looking at the day to day logs. Thank you for your replies!
Hi all, I need some guidance (forgive me for such a long post, but I want everyone to see the full facts). I have been on a fitness routine for about 2 months. I started slow (doing a stationary bike), but after about 2 weeks of that, I started up on Chalean Extreme. I did Chalean extreme for about 2 weeks, and I was noticing results, but I decided to go a step further, stopped doing Chalean, and started going to the gym. I was doing about 30 minutes of weight training, 15 minutes of abs, and 15 minutes on the elliptical. I did this for about 2 weeks, but then moved to an apartment with a gym. At the apartment gym, I started doing the elliptical for 30-40 minutes, and about 10-15 minutes of weight training (I burn about 275 calories doing this according to my heart rate monitor). Long story short, for the last 2 weeks (the length of time I have been doing the apartment's gym), I have not only stopped losing weight altogether, but have actually gained 2 lbs. Now on to what I eat. For breakfast, I drink a GNC women's vitamin shake. It is a 100 cal. meal replacement that contains all the vitamins I need. For a snack mid morning I eat a piece of string cheese (low cal/low fat), which is 60-80 calories depending on the brand, or a 90 cal yogurt. For lunch I have a GNC lean shake which is about 200 calories. My mid day snack is 1 cup cottage cheese (140 calories), and for dinner I eat whatever I want (usually around 600-900 calories depending on what I eat). Even if I eat a high calorie dinner, I still am at around 1400-1500 calories (some days it's less, and if I go out to eat sometimes it's around 1600 calories). This is my calorie count not counting calories from a workout, which is between 200-300 calories. I cut out junk food, and I have had a total of maybe 4 sodas the whole time I have been doing this. Recently, within the last 2 weeks I cut out all drinks other than Mio water, or occasionally I drink crystal light. Everything I was doing was working for me until about 2 weeks ago, when the weight completely stopped coming off. I only have about 15 lbs to lose now, but I don't know what I am doing wrong. I don't eat any different, and the only thing that has changed is the way I exercise (I still exercise just as much, just a different routine). What am I doing wrong (the only thing I can think of is eating a lot of calories for dinner, instead of spreading it out during the day, though up until 2 weeks ago this wasn't an issue). Can anyone give me some guidance as to what I am doing wrong. I very recently did start running (like 2 days ago), and I am hoping this helps. All your advice is greatly appreciated.

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  • postrockandcats
    postrockandcats Posts: 1,145 Member
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    Are you loosing inches?
  • Discogirl15
    Discogirl15 Posts: 102
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    Unfortunitly, I have the same problem. I lost 25 pounds in about 4 months, but now I have stopped at 136 pounds. I do a brisk 30 minute walk almost every day and have started weight training about a week or two ago. My diary is open for people who want to look. Not to detract attention to the OP, I just would like some opinions as well. Also, good luck to the OP.:wink:
  • charl2712
    charl2712 Posts: 38 Member
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    I'm probably no help but I've just recently experienced the same thing. Was doing well for my first 2 weeks, lost around 10lbs then in the last week, it's just slowed and I've actually put on 2lbs now, even though I was sticking to a healthy diet, not drinking fizzy drinks or alcohol and avoiding anything fatty! It's depressing but after a few similar posts on here, it maybe due to our bodies getting use to our workouts, so need to try and change it up and also maybe the amount of calories we're consuming aren't the right amount for our bodies.

    A few years ago when I went to a differnet gym and they did a one on one session with me, I was told that for me to loose weight I should eat approx 1300 to 1500 calories, where as on here it's told me to only consume 1200 calories.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Open up your food diary and people will be able to give better advice based on what you're eating.
  • natwen
    natwen Posts: 81
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    Interesting. I'd like to know what people think too. I am afraid this will happen to me soon and want to be prepared! :P
  • gaylynn35
    gaylynn35 Posts: 854 Member
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    You are probably gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat. Check your measurements or the way your clothes fit. With only 15 pounds to go it is gonna take awhile, the last bit of weight is the hardest to get off.

    Like the others said, you might want to change up your exercise routine.
  • MemphisKitten
    MemphisKitten Posts: 878 Member
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    You need to flip your dinner and breakfast. You should eat a large breakfast, then eat small snacks of 200-300 cals every 3 hours to boost your metabolism. Also, you should mix up your workouts; our bodies adapt very quickly to the same workouts. The key here is to never do the same workout twice in one week and to include both cardio and strength training. Also, interval cardio is the best, where you work out hard for one minute (or more), then moderate for 30 seconds. Your total calorie count is good if you are a woman of average size. Calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and eat around 20% below that to lose weight at a regular and safe pace without feeling deprived. Good luck to you! :wink:
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
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    There is insufficient information here. Everything is pure speculation.

    If you are logging everything, honestly, then you need to open your diary. From there, we can assist. Otherwise, it is all speculation.
  • pjstar31
    pjstar31 Posts: 26
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    Just simply changing a couple things you're eating can make the difference. If you have a routine of eating the same things a lot, try mixing it up and switching out one thing with something else that you're not currently eating. For instance, the same thing happened to me and one of the things I was eating with my lunch was celery sticks with peanut butter on them. It was a small amount of peanut butter and I was staying within my numbers so no big deal. When I hit my first plateau I decided to switch out my celery/peanut butter with my lunch and instead started eating an apple or 1 cup of broccoli with my lunch. Both are negative calorie food items and broccoli is the best vegetable you can possibly eat. Give something like that a try... change something in your eating routine, make sure it's a healthy choice, and see if that doesn't help you start losing weight again.
  • jennadiane_
    jennadiane_ Posts: 36 Member
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    Are you loosing inches?

    ^^ This

    You're probably losing inches and gaining muscle.
  • PrincessRuto
    PrincessRuto Posts: 10
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    I'm sure it's just muscle gain. Buy measuring tape! Or better yet, get a body fat percentage calculator. The scale will lie to you about your true fat loss. Pay more attention to how your old clothes fit. Try to get into those once super-tight jeans. THAT is what will let you know if you're truly losing weight. Good luck!

    Also, be sure to mix up your workouts AND your calorie intake/foods. Your body has memory and will condition itself to the kind of workouts you do and the foods you eat along with your calorie intake. So don't eat the same amount of calories every day. Be creative!
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    Yea... open diary.
  • dbevisjr
    dbevisjr Posts: 183
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    Don't depend on the scales to tell you the whole story. How do your clothes fit? Take measurements to see if your body is getting smaller but weight is staying the same or possibly increasing. Five pounds is five pounds but 5 pounds of feathers is a much larger physical size than 5 pounds of lead. The same is true for fat and muscle. Five pounds of fat takes up a lot more room than 5 pounds of muscle. So if you are losing fat and gaining lean muscle tissue, the muscle takes up les space. Weigh the same, fit into smaller jeans. That's healthy. Also muscle is a living, breathing organism. It requires calories to live. So as you increase your lean body mass your BMR/TDEE will increase slightly. Check your measurements and keep doing what your post says you're doing and you will see results that will make you smile. Also it comes off much slower as you get smaller.
  • Lisa_Rhodes
    Lisa_Rhodes Posts: 263 Member
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    Not sure. You may need to distribute your calories better throughout the day and you may be gaining muscle, depending on your weight training. Purely speculation by what you're describing. I know with me, I don't increase my weights I just increase the reps. But like some others have said, may need to see your diary :)
  • agonzalesjoy
    agonzalesjoy Posts: 21
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    You need to lower your calorie intake. The less weight you are the lower calories you need try 1200
  • rcharlee
    rcharlee Posts: 182 Member
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    I'm curious as to why you stopped doing Chalean Extreme if you were seeing results. I've seen a lot of people on here mentioning switching your workout routine when you're not seeing results, but not while you are progressing.

    Also a lot of people recommend lifting heavy. I'm currently losing at the pace I would like, and have decided to take people's advice on lifting more. So far it's working for me, but everybody is different so I hope you find what works well for you.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
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    Sometimes we hit a "plateau" and get stuck. My personal trainer would always make me lift heavier and work out harder for a session or two to break the "stuckness" That is what always worked for me but I don't know if it would work for anyone else so please ask a professional trainer for advise too.
  • Jajanda
    Jajanda Posts: 7
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    I stopped doing Chalene Extreme because I thought I needed more cardio. My muscle definition is great (I can lift like my husband, who is in top physical condition)
  • rcharlee
    rcharlee Posts: 182 Member
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    I stopped doing Chalene Extreme because I thought I needed more cardio. My muscle definition is great (I can lift like my husband, who is in top physical condition)

    Well maybe Chalean Extreme plus a little extra cardio could help you. I'm doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred 5 times a week, and will usually add extra cardio like my treadclimber, stationary bike, or weighted hula hooping 3 days a week.

    Also have you used a TDEE calculator? You may not be fueling your body appropriately. It's always great to have professionals (nutritionist, fitness instructors, ect.) help.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Track your sodium. You eat a lot of processed foods, so you're probably getting way more sodium than you should. That will cause water retention. You should also be eating more real foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables rather than instant mashed potatoes. Whole grain breads instead of white breads. Meet your calorie goal every day, which means eating your exercise calories. Drink plenty of water (log it if you're drinking it).

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