Won't lose weight

Doulos24x7
Doulos24x7 Posts: 37 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
20 weeks tomorrow commuting to work completely via bicycle, running errands and appointments too.

I have racked up over 1,500 miles. I ride between 6 and 8 miles on the way to work AND on the way home.

I lost a bit of weight at first...absolutely plateaued and actually started gaining back again. Frustrating as crap. Food intake is certainly no worse and consistently better than before I started commuting. What the freak?

Replies

  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    Check out this post.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    If you're a nerd (like me) you'll understand.
  • elsmain
    elsmain Posts: 1
    I had the exact same thing happen. I started exercising and watching what I ate. Kept it up as best I could for 6 months! Dec - May. I might lose a pound or two over the week and then ONE meal on the weekend would put it all back on. As you said - What the freak!!! Then my wife was diagnosed with some serious health issues and that was the end of that....

    I'm trying it again only now I am stepping up the exercise. My office just installed a few walking work stations and I'm using them an hour a day. Also trying to hit the gym 3 times per week using an eliptical machine. I'm also increasing my intensity of cardio. Just started this again after a summer break. Still the same weight as I started the year.... :-( So much for this year's New Years resolution!

    All I know is that if I give up nothing good will happen. If I keep trying and change up my plan, them maybe something can happen. I gotta go for whatever hope I can.

    Eric
  • norrisski
    norrisski Posts: 1,217 Member
    If you are serious about losing weight and keeping off, exercise must be incoroprated into your life daily. 3 days a week will help you maintain but the experts say to lose it has to be 60 minutes a day every day. I have been doing 120 minutes at least 6 days a week and am proud to say I am 3 pounds from goal as of this morning. I will not be stopping the exercise or the diet. It is with me for life now. I may just need to increase my portions a little to keep my weight stable. I will not stop documenting my weight daily and i am going to continue posting my exercise and food here daily as well. It is your decisions and choices to make, good or bad.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    Weight loss is simply burning more calories than you take in. You don't need to exercise to do that and many people who lose wieght don't. On the other hand exercise will let you eat more and is good for you so, why not do it.

    To the OP, read the link I provided and work out your numbers then record everything you eat so you really know what is happening. You can lose wieght.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    From what I can see, you are not logging your intake so, the logical conclusion is that your intake is likely higher than your burn. Just because you get some exercise doesn't mean you are automatically in calorie deficit. You can't out exercise a poor diet.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    From what I can see, you are not logging your intake so, the logical conclusion is that your intake is likely higher than your burn. Just because you get some exercise doesn't mean you are automatically in calorie deficit. You can't out exercise a poor diet.

    Even if they were logging their calories the same conclusion has to be drawn. It's all about calorie deficit.
  • sunshinesquared
    sunshinesquared Posts: 2,733 Member
    Bump
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Jogging on a treadmill for almost an hour knocks off about 1 snickers bar for me. To save time, I simply don't eat the snickers bar.

    Diet is SIGNIFICANTLY more important than exercise for weight loss. Exercise has a host of health benefits and can allow you to eat a little more in the day, but it will never be enough by itself to make one lose weight.

    If you are not tracking your calories, there is no meaningful or significant advice anyone here can offer. Well, except for: track your calories.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    20 weeks tomorrow commuting to work completely via bicycle, running errands and appointments too.

    I have racked up over 1,500 miles. I ride between 6 and 8 miles on the way to work AND on the way home.

    I lost a bit of weight at first...absolutely plateaued and actually started gaining back again. Frustrating as crap. Food intake is certainly no worse and consistently better than before I started commuting. What the freak?

    Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. I don't see you logging in your food diary very often. How do you know if you're staying in your calorie goal? Exercise is awesome....of course. But if you're still eating too much you won't lose weight.
  • Barbellerella
    Barbellerella Posts: 1,838 Member
    You're not logging everyday, and the days that you are, you are eating 1300-1500 calories???!!! I am half your size, don't work out nearly as much as you do, and thats how much I eat for weight loss!!!! I have a feeling if you start properly fueling yourself, especially for those high burns, the weight will start falling off you.

    I like this site to calculate what you should REALLY be eating for weight loss..
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
  • cedarghost
    cedarghost Posts: 621 Member
    From what I can see, you are not logging your intake so, the logical conclusion is that your intake is likely higher than your burn. Just because you get some exercise doesn't mean you are automatically in calorie deficit. You can't out exercise a poor diet.
    I second this. Before you ask for help, you need to get serious about this. Log every day. Set a goal and stick to it. Follow that link to the In Place of a Roadmap post and read.....
  • micheleld73
    micheleld73 Posts: 914 Member
    Check out this post.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    If you're a nerd (like me) you'll understand.

    Thank you so much for this link....It made understanding how to set my goals and how I think about my daily diet/activity SO much easier. I tried to follow other posted advice, but was constantly getting turned 'round and 'round. :smile:
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    Check out this post.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    If you're a nerd (like me) you'll understand.

    Thank you so much for this link....It made understanding how to set my goals and how I think about my daily diet/activity SO much easier. I tried to follow other posted advice, but was constantly getting turned 'round and 'round. :smile:

    This really is a great thread. Removes lots of the mumbo jumbo and concentrates on the numbers and science.

    BTW, I think the OP has just started a thread and then lost interest. Probably peddling around town.
  • msshiraz
    msshiraz Posts: 327 Member
    Its almost always the food- what we eat. Consume more than expended, you gain- or maybe you just stay in one place. Change the diet- and change your routine too- your body adjusts to the workouts- need to continue to change it up :)
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    From what I can see, you are not logging your intake so, the logical conclusion is that your intake is likely higher than your burn. Just because you get some exercise doesn't mean you are automatically in calorie deficit. You can't out exercise a poor diet.
    Agreed...most of the time when I thought I was eating pretty good, it wasn't nearly as good as I thought. Log EVERYTHING for a week at least and then do a serious evaluation.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    From what I can see, you are not logging your intake so, the logical conclusion is that your intake is likely higher than your burn. Just because you get some exercise doesn't mean you are automatically in calorie deficit. You can't out exercise a poor diet.
    Agreed...most of the time when I thought I was eating pretty good, it wasn't nearly as good as I thought. Log EVERYTHING for a week at least and then do a serious evaluation.

    +1 log your food.

    The short answer to why you're not losing weight is that you're not eating at a caloric deficit. You can be eating really well (in terms of quality of food) and still gain weight.

    If you don't have one already invest in a heart rate monitor to get a handle on your caloric burn during your rides too.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    OH, and if you're using the MFP calculations to eat back exercise calories, know that they tend to be very high for a lot of people. Depending on the intensity of your biking, you might not be burning nearly as much as you may think....
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    20 weeks tomorrow commuting to work completely via bicycle, running errands and appointments too.

    I have racked up over 1,500 miles. I ride between 6 and 8 miles on the way to work AND on the way home.

    I lost a bit of weight at first...absolutely plateaued and actually started gaining back again. Frustrating as crap. Food intake is certainly no worse and consistently better than before I started commuting. What the freak?

    I hate to keep beating this drum over and over on these forums but you are probably magnesium-deficient (vigorous exercise exacerbates magnesium deficiency). We all tend to be magnesium deficient because of all the processed and refined food that we eat. If your magnesium stores are too low, you will not properly absorb potassium and that leaves you wide open for a sodium buildup and sodium-related water retention (plus you will be feeling lousy). Oral magnesium supplements aren't that great an idea because they often will cause diarrhea and deplete your body of other important nutrients. Instead, Epsom salts BATHS are the safe alternative. The more magnesium deficient you are, the more you will absorb through your skin. Aim for two 15-minute baths per week (follow the package directions on how much Epsom salts to use per volume of bath water). You should make the water as hot as you can stand it. It will make your muscles feel GREAT!
  • catpow2
    catpow2 Posts: 206 Member
    Jogging on a treadmill for almost an hour knocks off about 1 snickers bar for me. To save time, I simply don't eat the snickers bar.

    ^^This. Hahahaha. What do you eat?!! Seriously though, it's a pretty safe bet that your diet needs some work; It's hard to know without seeing what you eat over the course of at least a week or two.
  • Molly_Maguire
    Molly_Maguire Posts: 1,103 Member
    You say your food intake is no worse, but are you really sure? Are you consistently (and ACCURATELY) logging everything (and I do mean everything)? Stay at or under you calorie goals consistently, with little to NO cheat meals. Invest in a kitchen scale, measure everything. A lot of people mistakenly overestimate what a serving size of meat or pasta looks like. Leave no room for errors. Avoid excess sodium, and learn what foods may have more sodium than you might have thought! (Special K cereal is a great example). Only weigh yourself once a week to avoid frustrations with fluctuations, POUND THAT WATER, and reassess in 6-8 weeks. If you still see no results by then, maybe a talk with a Dr. is in order. But it probably won't come to that.
  • mercymarque
    mercymarque Posts: 450
    You have nothing in ur diary. Keep track of ur food, anything you put in your mouth is very helfpul. Start tracking your food and stay as close to your calories without going too much over and try not to go below and drink plenty of water. Do not waste ur calories on other beverages if you can. Start there. Also try switching up your routine, add some jogging, or some other form of cardio and add strengh training. Good luck on ur weight loss journey.
  • Doulos24x7
    Doulos24x7 Posts: 37 Member
    Original Poster here. I'm not getting emails with responses to forum threads. Didn't realize there were any responses here until I looked. Thank you for the input, seriously. I will read through every word as I have time this weekend.

    I have not been tracking food in my diary, only workouts (it's easy, I use Endomondo to track my workouts and it automagically posts them to MyFitnessPal). I will start tomorrow morning keeping meticulous track of intake. I know Endomondo estimates a little on the high side for calories burned, so I reduced my daily calorie allowance (through goals).

    Someone mentioned about working out at least 30 minutes a day three times a week. I ride a bicycle everywhere I go. That means a minimum of a 30 minute workout/easy ride to work in the morning and then a good hard 30 minute to 2 hour ride home depending on schedule, weather, etc. I even get out and train on the weekends too. At a minimum I am doing a full hour a day Monday through Friday plus 2 or more hours on weekends from time to time.
  • sarahharmintx
    sarahharmintx Posts: 868 Member
    From what I can see, you are not logging your intake so, the logical conclusion is that your intake is likely higher than your burn. Just because you get some exercise doesn't mean you are automatically in calorie deficit. You can't out exercise a poor diet.
    Yep. Why is your diary blank?
  • kairisika
    kairisika Posts: 131 Member
    Keep in mind that the more you do a cardio exercise, especially an endurance-based one like cycle commuting, the more efficient your body gets at it. ie. you burn fewer calories.
    In addition to the important diet care, you should really be doing something different, and preferably more intense. Lifting weights is ideal, but any kind of sprints would help too. You may need to get your body to do something different that it doesn't already have so well refined.
  • juliabrancato
    juliabrancato Posts: 3
    You're probably still consuming more than you're burning and thats why your weight isn't moving. Lower your calorie intake and up your workout intensity.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    From what I can see, you are not logging your intake so, the logical conclusion is that your intake is likely higher than your burn. Just because you get some exercise doesn't mean you are automatically in calorie deficit. You can't out exercise a poor diet.
    Agreed. The math is off.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    I have found Endomondo very high on the burns for biking. Bean, I think you explained why to me once before but I can't remember. I use a HRM for biking but Endomondo during the ride for milage data. The burns Endomondo shows are 2x my HRM. Just something to be aware of. Glad you will be logging intake. Between that and accurate burns, you can start to make progress.
  • Doulos24x7
    Doulos24x7 Posts: 37 Member
    Starting from scratch this morning. Huzzah!

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