Not losing weight...

kathheen
kathheen Posts: 108 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so heres the deal i started training for a half marathon in January and completed my mission last Sunday, im in no way a natural runner and it was really hard work i run around 15 miles a week 3 x week and do kettlebells 2 x week and have lost nothing.

Going from doing nothing to doing this every week for months i expected to lose something, granted i havent changed my eating habits and i do have a sweet tooth but still eat fairly well. Not sure i understand this?

Anyway im now going to actually go on a diet and thought perhaps i should eat 1200 calories a day does this sound right? Im 5ft 2in and weigh 156lbs and im 40 in 7wks ideally i would like to lose around 10lbs before my holiday in 7 weeks..

Any thoughts on if this is too much/little calories, i will still be jogging and kettlebells every week?

Sorry if i sound clueless about diet and exercise :)

Replies

  • mizzsmith123
    mizzsmith123 Posts: 12
    I have the same problem hunni so you are not alone!!! I run about 10 miles a week and also do hour and half weights a week and two and half pure cardio a week and i haven't lost much weight. I think its building muscle, obviosuly muscle weighs more than fat. Dieting in its self just confuses me lol
  • abbylg1983
    abbylg1983 Posts: 177 Member
    I don't think 1200 calories sounds like enough if you're going to continue with that much cardio. I think it's a good idea to log everything- if you weren't before it's possible you were eating lots of deceptively high calorie 'healthy' foods which impeded your weight loss efforts. But 1200 seems low. I'd say between 1400-1500.
  • kathheen
    kathheen Posts: 108 Member
    Thank goodness! I wouldnt actually be that bothered but i am overweight so i would love to lose a stone going to start on my food diary again tomorrow and stick with it i guess i need to get rid of the boiled sweeties i eat too :). I have stopped smoking too im on day 39 and not put on weight so i should be glad for that really.
    Good luck to you though hun xx
  • annoz
    annoz Posts: 68 Member
    I'm almost the same stats as you and my weight isn't budging. I have a fitbit and log everything I eat. I have increased my activity and gross between 1350-1650 calories a day. UGH!!!!!
  • kathheen
    kathheen Posts: 108 Member
    ok so maybe i need to eat more then im so confused!
  • 92_sweetheart
    92_sweetheart Posts: 131 Member
    You probably have slowed your metabolism down by only eating 1200 calories. Increase your calorie intake to 1500-1800. Remember the more you work out the more calories you need!

    Too add: You body need 500 calories a day to function. So suppose you burning 900 calories in one day than your body has no energy or way to function.
  • knowwhentoshutup
    knowwhentoshutup Posts: 318 Member
    Search the boards for some posts about finding your BMR and TDEE, then figure out what your body needs.

    Here is a good one to start with: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    You should always net above your BMR (base metabolic rate), which is what your body needs to function if you were to do nothing but lay in bed. Again, net means calories consumed minus calories expended during exercise.

    Try this calculator to help you find your BMR: http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
    or search for others on google.
  • basillowe66
    basillowe66 Posts: 432 Member
    If you eat less and excersize more, you have to lose weight. It's really that simple, if you aren't losing and you are running, than you are eating more than you burn when running!! You either have to run more or eat less. I had your problem. This past May I realized I don't overeat, but I eat too much of what I shouldn't. I wanted to lose 30 to 40 lbs, so I can't have cookies, ice cream, donuts, potato chips in the house. I am an addict when it comes to that stuff. I have lost 30 and now want to lose another 25.

    Best of luck,

    Basil
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    ok so maybe i need to eat more then im so confused!


    Oh goodness dear, you certainly do need to eat more calories, WAY more calories. But good whole food calories, not junk food calories. And you should be eating your exercise calories back as well, or most of them at least.

    I promise you that you will not gain weight if you eat more. I have lost so much by eating more that I need to gain 2 lbs at this point. I have been raising my calorie goal by 100 calories a week and am at 1800 (5"3) to see if I stop.

    Good luck, try going to a min of 1400 and keep going if you see a gain. I bet you will need between 1500 and 1600 to be honest.
  • macantrell
    macantrell Posts: 112 Member
    I try not to put too much attention on the scale, have you measured key points you want to shrink? I have lost inches without the scale showing a loss. I measure everywhere, neck, calves, lower & upper thigh, forearm, bicep, breast, under breats, waist & hips.
    I notice my clothes fitting better and my overall body feeling better. That is is a victory for me. Good luck!
  • suej20
    suej20 Posts: 21 Member
    Use a tape measure. You could be losing inches instead of weight.
  • annoz
    annoz Posts: 68 Member
    The posted link says to lose weight I should eat 1616 calories a day. Right now I net much less than that. I know I am eating healthy and working out healthy...if only I could purchase patience along with new running shoes!!!
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
    The posted link says to lose weight I should eat 1616 calories a day. Right now I net much less than that. I know I am eating healthy and working out healthy...if only I could purchase patience along with new running shoes!!!

    ^^This. So many times I've ditched my exercise efforts because I don't want to wait 30+ days to see results. All about the patience, and I have none of that.


    To the OP, the majority of us (extra petite women excluded) need a bare minimum of 1200 calories a day just to keep blood pumping. Like another poster said, figure out your BMR and TDEE (MFP has the tools to find those numbers out) and that will tell you how much you need to eat. Common sense tells us that in order to lose weight we need to eat less, but when it comes to losing weight, common sense can many times be wrong. I finally pushed past my plateau when I increased my activity level AND consumed more healthy, nutritious calories. I net about 1600-1800 calories a day, and I'm finally seeing progress after two years of sticking at the same weight.

    Everyone is different though, so you need to find out what is right for you. But based on your measurements and activity level, I can guarantee 1200 is not enough.
  • Mellie289
    Mellie289 Posts: 1,191 Member
    Please share what a boiled sweetie is! That's the second time I've seen it here and never heard of them before.

    I would bet that you are eating way more calories than you think. The best thing to do is to diligently log everything and to be very, very careful that you are accurate with your portion sizes. I see in your log 10 g of granola - are you weighing it or guessing? I also see 1 tbsp of peanut butter using a database figure for calories that seems low to me - is that correct for the actual peanut butter you have (I googled quickly and found one that is about 30 calories more/tbsp). Is that a heaping tbsp or level?

    I lost almost 25 pounds without dieting and by increasing my cardio, although I haven't gotten up to a half marathon yet (good for you!!!). I cut out starchy foods that pack a wallop in the calorie department like potatoes, rice and things with flour. I miss my bread, but I don't miss the weight. I eat lots of veggies and fruit instead. If you want to keep some of these things, you need to use them in moderation, and I think measuring carefully and logging in your food diary faithfully with be important since you've burned so many calories for so long and haven't seen the scale budge.
  • dailyguy
    dailyguy Posts: 11 Member
    Viewing the result mainly by looking at the scale could be really deceiving. You should track you body measurements. You could be loosing fat, but not weight because of muscle gain.

    A scale that can measure fat, although most are not that accurate they tend to be consistent, is another good tool to use to check you body fat.

    But measuring yourself weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly (what ever rocks your boat) is the key for true progress observation.
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
    1200 is NOT enough - not if you are running that distance.

    nothing wrong with a sweet tooth, but you do have to choose the right foods to feed your body right. period. it's not as simple as calories in vs calories out. Also there's different times of day you should indulge your sweet tooth. After you run for example is fine because you are still burning more calories then anyways.
  • rollieorial
    rollieorial Posts: 11 Member
    Sorry to butt in and i have to preface this that I am not an expert, but when you were training and not losing weight, were you losing inches? If you were, then you were probably losing fat and gaining muscle.

    Now when you start your diet, you should start seeing some weight loss to assuming you are in some kind of calorie deficit mode which means you are eating less calories than what your body needs based on your activity.

    In short, I suggest you continue for exercise and diet. It might not hurt to look into intermittent fasting too to boost your fat loss...

    Just my two cents...Good luck!
  • larnsperger
    larnsperger Posts: 161 Member
    I agree logging is key to especially in the beginning. I was not an over eater either. However I ate the wrong things, and once you get to be a certain age losing weight is a bit more challenging.

    I began this journey June 6, 2012 I adhere to 1200 calories per day, and I try to make sure I walk, bike or elliptical 5 days per week for 30 minutes. I've lost 18.2 lbs. I gave up all sweets, high carb snacks, diet coke. I limit bread ( i will have bread or crackers whole grain only) intake.

    Weight loss is simply burning more calories than you consume. I can tell you from personal experience that the kind of food you eat matters greatly. I worked for WW for years and people were always upset because they stayed in their points range and weren't losing. However when you examined their diaries they were eating 100 calorie snack packs, low fat cookies, ice-cream etc. Your body just burns decent protein, vegetables and fruit more efficiently and it makes the journey easier.

    I would say that 1200 may be too low for the amount of running you are doing you may need a minimum of 1500 calories per day, but you can always adjust as needed. Water is another very helpful tool. I find that sometimes when I think I am hungry and especially if I've eaten recently I am really just thirsty.

    Try to stick to chicken, fish, veggies and fruits, nuts, water, and see if that doesn't jump start your journey.

    Great job on quitting smoking!!! I did that 26 years ago and gained 20 lbs in 6 weeks! I wasn't much of a neater while smoking! Much easier to deal with weight loss than the side effects of cigarettes.
    The running you are doing is an also an amazing accomplishment!

    If you need some ideas look at other member's journals and get some ideas of food options.

    Wishing you the best!
  • llangstraat
    llangstraat Posts: 130 Member
    ok so maybe i need to eat more then im so confused!


    Oh goodness dear, you certainly do need to eat more calories, WAY more calories. But good whole food calories, not junk food calories. And you should be eating your exercise calories back as well, or most of them at least.

    I promise you that you will not gain weight if you eat more. I have lost so much by eating more that I need to gain 2 lbs at this point. I have been raising my calorie goal by 100 calories a week and am at 1800 (5"3) to see if I stop.

    Good luck, try going to a min of 1400 and keep going if you see a gain. I bet you will need between 1500 and 1600 to be honest.

    This ^^^^ I to was having the same problem and about 2 weeks later after upping my calories, I started losing at a steady rate. I would gradually add a 100 calories a week and get to about 1400-1500 calories and see what happens.
  • dmtodd58
    dmtodd58 Posts: 6 Member
    I've been trying to lose weight for 12 years. I've steadily gained every year for 12 years. I refuse to give up though. I tried the 1200 calories plus agressive workouts like circuit training. I burned out and ended up gaining even more weight. Here is what I'm doing now and it's working! I've lost 10 pounds in the last 3 weeks.

    * I have set my weight loss goals to 5 pounds a month. I'm in this for the long haul and I have 100 pounds to lose, so I'm not going to burn out again!

    * I'm only doing Cardio right now. I'm dong a walking program called 4 Fast Miles (Leslie Sansone) and I alternate with The Video Step Reebok w/Gin Miller. I don't use the step right now, because it would overwhelm me. Like I said, I'm taking it slow this time.

    * I alternate the tapes each week. This week I'm doing the Step Reebok tape. It's 45 minutes that keeps my heart rate in the target zone for 35 minutes. Just when I'm starting to get sick of one, I can switch to the other. When I get sick of these 2 I've got plenty others I can choose from!

    * I work out 6 days a week Mon-Sat and I rest on Sunday.

    * I'm letting MyFitnessPal recommend my calories: 1640 based on my workout schedule and weight loss goal. I am striving to get back to 150 pounds. I started out at 250; lost 12, gained 2 back last week (ate a whole cherry pie) and am now at 10 pounds lost.

    * I'm drinking smoothies for breakfast, or having bran muffins. having my biggest meal at noon if possible and a light supper. Cutting out simple carbs as much as possible.

    This is the first time in 12 years I've seen these kinds of results. It's the consistency of working out every day for 45 -50 minutes at a vigorous pace AND staying within a healthy calorie range. Usually, I'd try circuit training, weight training, walking/running and not see results.

    If you have been working out this hard with no weight loss, you need to incorporate an eating plan you can live with the rest of your life. not a diet. Diet and exercise go hand in hand in determining how big or small you are. I would not recommend 1200 calories...it's too low if you are going to exercise...
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
    If you eat less and excersize more, you have to lose weight. It's really that simple, if you aren't losing and you are running, than you are eating more than you burn when running!! You either have to run more or eat less. I had your problem. This past May I realized I don't overeat, but I eat too much of what I shouldn't. I wanted to lose 30 to 40 lbs, so I can't have cookies, ice cream, donuts, potato chips in the house. I am an addict when it comes to that stuff. I have lost 30 and now want to lose another 25.

    Best of luck,

    Basil

    I does not work this way when you under eat, your metabolism slows and then you eat even less and less and soon you are always tired and not losing even at a net of 300. You need to eat for energy then you can lose but there is a baseline close to your BMR that if you go below weight-loss does not work as much as if slightly above.
  • hdjjones
    hdjjones Posts: 130 Member
    Put in your numbers on this site and let MFP calculate it all out for you. End to the confusion.:smile:
  • hdjjones
    hdjjones Posts: 130 Member
    You ate a whole cherry pie? What's with that?

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