No Weight Loss :(

sgcadola
sgcadola Posts: 35 Member
I've been working out everyday, eating 1200 or below calories a day, drinking nothing but water and I still have yet to lose any weight. I am becoming seriously frustrated. It's now going on 3 weeks and NOTHING. I have an Advocare shake for breakfast, a snack then another shake for lunch. followed by an afternoon snack of either an apple or mixed unsalted nutes. Then a healthy dinner. I need some ideas or something... Please Help!!

Replies

  • BluthLover
    BluthLover Posts: 301 Member
    What's your current weight and goal weight? My current is 135 and goal is 125 and height is 5'3. I felt horrible eating 1200 calories and so i upped it to 1550. I feel better but have gained a bit. I'm really hoping to lose. All i know is that at 1200 I felt horrible and wasn't losing a thing. So I thought maybe I was eating too few calories. How do you feel energy wise? Do you workout?
  • MrsSnelly
    MrsSnelly Posts: 30 Member
    I'm in the same boat; I find that I do tend to eat back most of my exercise calories, but I have no idea if that helps or hinders. Everyone keeps telling me to go off how my clothes fit, or take measurements rather than just look at the scale. I understand all that, but it's still frustrating to see those numbers going nowhere. :grumble: I'm curious to see what advice you get from others too.
  • MrsSnelly
    MrsSnelly Posts: 30 Member
    OK, I just found another discussion on this group board that says to eat back about half of your exercise calories, otherwise you are at risk of your body going into "starvation mode" and holding onto everything. Check it out, it's explained pretty well there by people who seem to know what they are talking about. The discussion is called "Exercise burns cals...do I need to replace them by eating?" :smile:
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    Do you track your sugar? I know that too much sugar can hinder weightloss and I've been shocked some days where my sugars are way over the recommended 25 grams and I haven't even eaten anything I think is 'sugary". Do your shakes have lots of sugar? I'd maybe try to eat at least 1300 calories and more food (not 2 shakes a day, maybe you need to try another meal in there? salad or sandwich?)
  • trainerjulie09
    trainerjulie09 Posts: 4 Member
    Hi all! I posted this a little while ago under another heading and thought I should repost it... Message me or friend me if you have any questions! :)

    "Hey girls, I am reading these posts with a little bit of concern, and I will explain why! Eating 1200 calories a day is the absolute LOWEST you should consume. If you're active, you definitely need to be eating more - otherwise, your body starts to hoard all the calories you ARE consuming because it thinks you're going into starvation mode.

    They have a BMR calculator on here - it's a quick way to check your baseline metabolic rate. When I entered my information, I got 1263, but on another website, I got 1363. That is only a baseline measurement. It doesn't account for the activity level you have, so you should probably be eating a little more.

    Weight training is very important. You want to be building muscle in order to keep your metabolism fired up. When your lean body mass increases (like when you gain muscle) your metabolism will increase as well. Cardio is good for your heart (also a muscle!) but you really want to be doing strength training - it also helps keep your bones healthy!

    Hope this helps!
    Julie

    P.S. Just so you know, I have a degree in exercise science and health and I work as a personal trainer and health coach. Message me if you have any questions!"
  • jlohcook
    jlohcook Posts: 228 Member
    I'm 5'3 and started out probably at 125, and is at 117-118 now. If you look at my diary, I usually eat between 1200-1600, sometimes higher when there's night out, averaging 1200 or slightly above or below, with exercise 6 days a week burning 200-500 kcal. I'm still hoping to lose a couple of pounds, especially the tummy fats. But I'm already losing inches on the waist, bum and no more flabby arms. My legs are slimmer too ever since I started running.

    I understand that it'll get harder as I'm nearing my ideal weight,but I'm still patiently working out, eating right - not depriving myself of any type of food, and most importantly staying healthy as I grow older.

    So, You may need to cycle your calories instead of eating 1200 flat, there are also some super foods that you should not be cutting out, some fats are actually good. Even for exercises, i try to do a variety of actvities, low to high impact in a week such that the body is not getting used to specific avtivity. These are just some of the thing that I do.
  • sgcadola
    sgcadola Posts: 35 Member
    Thank you for the advice. I am finding it hard to maintain an appeitite. I know I'm supposed to eat 5 small meals a day, but finding the right foods to eat is what I have the most difficult time with, and exactly what I should be eating. I don't eat a lot of sugar, dairy, or breads.. So some help would be awesome.. Thank you
  • sgcadola
    sgcadola Posts: 35 Member
    I am 5'2'' and weigh 127lbs. I want to get back down to the 115 range. I have been going to the gym and eating the right foods but nothing is happening. I am beginning to get so frustrated with it all.
  • aarilynn
    aarilynn Posts: 74 Member
    It took me 3 months to lose the last pound i lost last month...and I was netting below 1200, which I'm trying not to do anymore now that i finally understand it. I need more fuel to support my workouts. I'm now doing a lot more strength training and eating more trying to net above 1200 (1360), aiming to lose .5, rather than a pound a week. No weight changes, but my body looks a bit different and I feel better.
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
    When you are smaller to begin with it's going to be harder to get the scale to start moving. I worked out and watched what I ate for about 3 months on MFP before I saw real progress. Be patient and don't give up. Play around with the types of foods that you are eating to see if it makes a difference (work with your protein/carb/fat ratio). Also when you go to the gym make sure you mix it up, doing different exercises to challenge yourself.

    Also you don't *have* to eat 5 small meals a day. I actually lose weight slower when I do that. I'm a lot more successful with 2 larger meals a day and sometimes one small snack. Read up on Intermittent Fasting if you aren't familiar with it. Some people use it as a way to jump start their diet/weight loss.
  • NewAngel35
    NewAngel35 Posts: 182 Member
    I sometimes find when the amount to loose is less than a stone our body fights it. also the first month is the hardest.I read lots of internet articles that say women can be loosing fat in the first few weekd but our body mimics the weight lloss by holding water!!this should ease away after 3-4 weeks... also i find my body likes to be ten pounds over what i want it too be...we all have our own ideal weight(a weight we settle at if eating correctly not to loose)this just doesnt always coincide with OUR ideal weight...frustrating...so we do have to work extra hard to loose those so called vanity pounds!!!...If your figure is changing a tape measure may be beter than the scales as they dont show that you have more than likely loast fat but gained lean tissue(muscle)...hope this helps.
  • xiamjackie
    xiamjackie Posts: 611 Member
    Do you track your sugar? I know that too much sugar can hinder weightloss and I've been shocked some days where my sugars are way over the recommended 25 grams and I haven't even eaten anything I think is 'sugary". Do your shakes have lots of sugar? I'd maybe try to eat at least 1300 calories and more food (not 2 shakes a day, maybe you need to try another meal in there? salad or sandwich?)

    I've noticed this exact same thing! I'm over almost every day in my sugars when I have absolutely no candy, sweets, sugary drinks (all I drink every day is water), etc. I noticed that a lot came from yogurt, so watch the type of yogurt you buy. I resorted to Dannon Light and Fit Greek because it has the least amount of sugar added. I also noticed that a TON of sugar is added by fruits so I limited my fruit intake to only one fruit per day. I know that's not the daily recommendation, but I think that eating a ton of sugary fruits would inhibit my weight loss.
  • Thanks for the advise about the sugar, im just starting out tracking the calories and it never occured to me to watch sugar as well.
  • NewAngel35
    NewAngel35 Posts: 182 Member
    I have decided the scales can stay away. I ain't lost much and I been exercising and eating correctly. That number just annoys me. I know my body changing.So I no longer wish to disappoint myself..I am more than a number. I am healthier fitter.leaner,stronger and feeling great till I get on scales. Anyway (sorry guys) but the monthly monster is around the corner so gain is the norm..Bloating etc. So no progress will be measured in ANY way till four days after!!!!.I don't work my but off to let a number frustrate the hell out of me!!!
    Needed to rant.I am not getting at anyone..Just my own cranky side :)

    Have a fab day
    Angel
  • Xeldadog
    Xeldadog Posts: 15 Member
    I'm 39 years old, 5'4 and weight 156. When I was 32, I lost weight and got down to 135, still a size 10. I'm a baggy size 14 now, but a tight size 12, tight enough where I don't feel comfortable.

    I've been gaining and losing the same 3 pounds for about 10 weeks. It's been very difficult for me to drop below 155, just struggling to lose one pound.

    In response I have shifted my focus to concentrate on accomplishing non-weight based goals:
    ** drink my water
    ** exercise 3 times per week
    ** eat my exercise calories
    ** drink less alcohol (4 drinks a week adds up!)

    With that in mind, I'm just concentrating on strength training (like Julie said), to rev up my metabolism. I now attend 3x a week a body works class at L.A. fitness. I feel stronger and have more energy, but yet no visible results yet. I do notice a big difference from my early 30's to 39. It takes a lot more effort to drop weight.

    I'm also just concentrating on dropping a pant size versus losing some pounds. I need and want to visibly see some changes, but its excruciatingly slow progress. Everything I've read indicates that strengthening exercises drops inches. And at the end of the day, I just want to be stronger, so when I'm 70, I'll still be active and mobile.

    If I don't stick with it, I'll never reach my goal. Those thoughts keep me going because if I do nothing, I won't get anywhere I want to be.

    Stick with your plan. You'll see small successes eventually. You can do this!