Too much for too little?

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Alr080389
Alr080389 Posts: 38 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
:noway: Hello everyone,

I started working out last Monday (9/17/12). I work out every day and my daily calorie goal is 1200 calories. At the gym, I walk on the treadmill at 3.5-4.0 mph at a 10 or 15 incline. I am still doing that but I also added Jillian Michael's 30 day shred on Sunday.

My problem is that last week I lost 2.2 lbs and this week I weigh just as much as I started. How can this be if I'm not eating excess calories and woking out? Any advice?

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Well it takes your body time to adjust. Also, you really should not exercise everyday as your body needs to repair itself. Third, you need to eat more when you exercise. Combining all cardio with little calories will lead to a lot of muscle loss which leads to a slower metabolic rate and a flabby body. Weight training and a moderate deficit under tdee is the best approach for fat loss. And as i always say weight loss makes you look good in clothes but fat loss makes you look good naked.

    If you want to post your height weight and age (and body fat is you have it) then we can estimate your true calorie requirements.

    Btw, i can gaurentee you that your goal is too aggressive. With the amount of weight you want to lose, you can only aim for 1 lb per week or less.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Well it takes your body time to adjust. Also, you really should not exercise everyday as your body needs to repair itself. Third, you need to eat more when you exercise. Combining all cardio with little calories will lead to a lot of muscle loss which leads to a slower metabolic rate and a flabby body. Weight training and a moderate deficit under tdee is the best approach for fat loss. And as i always say weight loss makes you look good in clothes but fat loss makes you look good naked.

    If you want to post your height weight and age (and body fat is you have it) then we can estimate your true calorie requirements.

    Btw, i can gaurentee you that your goal is too aggressive. With the amount of weight you want to lose, you can only aim for 1 lb per week or less.

    all of this!!!!
  • Crystal_Pistol
    Crystal_Pistol Posts: 750 Member
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    Weight/calorie consumption is a trend over time. Your body doesn't know it's been exactly 7 days of you doing whatever so it needs to be exactly X pounds lighter. If you are chasing a number on a scale, you are setting yourself up for a lot of frustration and failure.
  • VenomousDuck
    VenomousDuck Posts: 206
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    Also, when you start exercising the newly used muscles are slightly damaged and retain water. (sore, stiff muscles) So, you have to take that into consideration as well.
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    It could be that you are holding water weight as a result of your new increased exercise routine. Stressed muscles hold water as they try to repair/recover from heavy work.

    The other possibility is that you are not eating enough to support both weight loss and your new exercise program.
    Check out the roadmap to see if you need to adjust your calorie target.
  • Alr080389
    Alr080389 Posts: 38 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I guess I'll post my info:

    Age: 23
    Height: 5' 5"
    Current weight: 150.0 even
    Goal: 135.0
    Exercise: 5 days/week for 30 mins-1hr
    Minimum calorie intake: 1200
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
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    From the roadmap
    Harris-Benedict Formula
    Based on this formula, your current BMR is 1505 calories.

    Activity Level Daily Calories/TDEE
    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1806
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2069
    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2333
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2596
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2860

    You should be eating more than your BMR and 20% less than you TDEE - from your workout description you are probably moderately active - so TDEE-20 = 1866
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    From the roadmap
    Harris-Benedict Formula
    Based on this formula, your current BMR is 1505 calories.

    Activity Level Daily Calories/TDEE
    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1806
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2069
    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2333
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2596
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2860

    You should be eating more than your BMR and 20% less than you TDEE - from your workout description you are probably moderately active - so TDEE-20 = 1866
    This. I would also adjusting macros to 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats. But more importantly drop some of the cardio for weight training. WT is much more effective at cutting fat.

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