Have 15 more lbs- toning or fix calories ...?

I have been struggling for a month now to lose the last 15 lbs. I recently increased my calories intake slowly from 1200 calories to around 1700 calories/day. I was told next week to go on a low carb diet for 4 weeks and eat more veggies and protein. I have been using Turbo Jam for awhile now and recently started doing Turbo Sculpt to help with the toning. I can sort of feel a difference, but neither the scale or tape measure shows the difference!!! It's like I've been at a stall for to long now, and I'm so confused as to what I am doing wrong. I went to that message board "in a place of a road map" and fixed my calorie intake through that. Then, nothing just gained a couple lbs back and I started exercising a little more... I workout like 4-5 times week for the past 4 months. I try to eat back every calorie as much as I can, because if I don't then I end up binging & eating way more than I was suppose to! I'm fluctuating between 148-152 lbs this week, and last week I was 146 lbs! It would be much appreciated if someone could please explain to me what is wrong that I am doing. I know I don't eat the best, and that's why I workout more! I'm going food shopping next week- been on a tight budget of $50-90/month.

Replies

  • Stephanie_Autry
    Stephanie_Autry Posts: 228 Member
    I guess not...lol
  • rbn_held
    rbn_held Posts: 690 Member
    Bump. I am curious on this too as i also have 15 more lbs to go. which would be better, upping strength training or more cardio?
  • Stephanie_Autry
    Stephanie_Autry Posts: 228 Member
    I've found this is a problem for most people on my friends list as well. I wonder why no one will help us with it though? lol :p
  • kpsharp
    kpsharp Posts: 4
    You won't lose weight from just upping your exercise. You might lose fat and gain muscle which translates into inches, but to be really successful you need to cut calories. This is a new formula for figuring out how much you need to cut to get to your desired weight.
    http://www.pbrc.edu/research-and-faculty/calculators/weight-loss-predictor/
    Also, if you exercise first thing in the morning before you eat, you will burn more fat. Plus you should then eat some serious protein within a half hour of finishing your exercise.
    As painful as it is, cutting calories is the answer, although there are many benefits to exercise. And you look trimmer after you've been exercising for a while.
    I'm 64 and have dropped 26 pounds and built muscle mass. I am in better shape than I was when I was in my 40s and doing aerobics 3 times a week.
  • Nikkilynn32710
    Nikkilynn32710 Posts: 256 Member
    I have been trying to lose 10lbs for over 18 months now. I have upped my calories to 1700 for a couple of months...then lowered them all the way to 1200. I didn't eat back exercise calories for two months, then I did for two months. I I burned 500 cal/day 5 days a week for two months and some days burning more and still didn't budge anything :/. So now I'm going to try my hand at serious weight lifting to see if i can drop some major inches and tone up and not be squishy.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    You need to get to the high intensity resistance training. I mean working with heavy weights.
  • kdelost630
    kdelost630 Posts: 196 Member
    Honestly, I was stalled at the last 15 lbs for 6 months. I was given the advice to just reset my metabolism. I stopped counting calories for two months and just exercised normally. I put a few pounds back on, but now I'm back to losing again. Maybe something to think about?
  • sel254
    sel254 Posts: 273 Member
    bump!
  • YogaNikki
    YogaNikki Posts: 284 Member
    I've been working to get the last 15 off as well. I just started lifting again, which I think may help shred at least 10 of the 15 and make me loved the toning that will come with it. Best of luck to you!
  • Stephanie_Autry
    Stephanie_Autry Posts: 228 Member
    You need to get to the high intensity resistance training. I mean working with heavy weights.

    There is only so much I can with only so little money. I'm home alone no car or nothing and no road to run on... My yard is small & the only thing I own is Turbo Jam and 3 lbs weights. I thought if I did more Turbo Jam it would work. Tomorrow I'm going back to eating clean, but even when I was eating clean nothing happened. I bumped my calories up because it was so low everyone told me I was eating enough. Now I'm eating at between my BMR and TDEE. Doesn't make any sense that I'm not losing weight if I've been trying to. I only started really eating sort of bad in the last 3 days. (not even a big deal) My pants are once again tight, and I do intense workouts in my mind- because I can barely talk when I'm doing them. I'm trying to do at least 60 minutes of mixed cardio and strength training a day... Someone told me to eat low carbs, but then others tell me it won't work... I'm so confused as to what to do. All of you are giving mixed feedback. I'm gaining weight when I upped my calories, and I don't even want to eat that much. It's beginning to hurt when I eat.
  • Stephanie_Autry
    Stephanie_Autry Posts: 228 Member
    Honestly, I was stalled at the last 15 lbs for 6 months. I was given the advice to just reset my metabolism. I stopped counting calories for two months and just exercised normally. I put a few pounds back on, but now I'm back to losing again. Maybe something to think about?

    I've sort of been doing that for the past month and I've gained a lot of weight back. :/
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    It's normal to gain water weight as you return to near maintenance once done with a weight cut. However, it takes time for your hormones which affect metabolic function to move back to optimal levels. It could take days, weeks months or even years if people were naive enough to maintain a deficit for way too long. In that case, a person's resting metabolic rate is still in a depressed state so raising too fast can actually result in a surplus.
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    What about doing things like push-ups, squats, and lunges to build/tone muscle? :)
  • Stephanie_Autry
    Stephanie_Autry Posts: 228 Member
    I have been doing squats and things like that lunges... Turbo Sculpt is all of that plus lifting some dumbells while in a squat position... I thought I was doing great- I sweat so much during my workouts. I guess I'm not doing so great after all!
  • MargaretWalks
    MargaretWalks Posts: 38 Member
    As an older weight loser I'm not sure I'm qualified to give you advice. I've been seriously working on losing weight for almost 4 years. I had one year where I lost over 40 pounds but the other years have been about 10 pounds a year. Yes, that does get frustrating. I walk, go to a gym, count calories, eat my exercise calories, etc. Everything that is recommended by MFP, Weight Watchers and Calorie King. Continue eating healthy food and keep up with the exercise. Eventually you will see a difference.