Not lossing weight

Options
I am 5'11 and weigh 203 pounds after having my baby in May I have been working on losing weight for two months now and am seeing little results. I am sticking to 1350-1450 calories a day and also working out 60 minutes a day nearly everyday. I burn 500-600 calories from working out. Am I eating too little for me to lose weight or what am I doing wrong. I am eating extremely healthy and doing the Body by Vi challenge. I really only want to lose this last 20-30 pounds but I am stumped as to why I can't shed this weight when I am working so hard. I also drink about 100 ounces of water a day.

Thanks,

Lisa

Replies

  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    Options
    Don't overexercise or do the same thing over and over, you should be taking rest days and mixing up your workouts. IME most people cannot work out intensively more often than about four times a week, the harder you work the better the afterburn, training too often you risk injury or burning off your muscle tissue.

    That is also insufficient calories for that activity level height and weight, your net should not be under your basal metabolic rate. Your BMR is perhaps 1700 cals a day and you are claiming a net closer to 900 calories! You need to be ensuring your body gets enough nutrients for health and this is significantly increased with regular vigorous exercise, you can't achieve that at such a low net so I would not say you are eating extremely healthy at all.

    How are you measuring your calorie burn? Do you know your bodyfat percentage? What do you class as little results?
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    Options
    Try adding some calories from lean protein :)
  • ladyshills
    Options
    You are not eating enough! Burning 500-600 calories in a workout & eating only 1400 calories has made your body think it's starving. Eat your exercise calories!
  • Bobby__Clerici
    Bobby__Clerici Posts: 741 Member
    Options
    You are not eating enough! Burning 500-600 calories in a workout & eating only 1400 calories has made your body think it's starving. Eat your exercise calories!
    ^^^^^^^
    THIS
    With the best of intentions, we excel at self-sabotage.
    I do not shame you but me.
    Many of us must learn this lesson the hard way.
    EAT!
  • BrofessorPHD
    BrofessorPHD Posts: 42 Member
    Options
    I would highly recommend lifting weights to burn the fat off and supplement with cardio on off days.

    you need to figure out how many calories YOU need to maintain your body weight. Once you figure out that number, subtract 500 from it.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Options
    You have not been dieting long enough or/and at a sever enough caloric deficit to make a significant impact to your metabolism (or what people often associate with the term 'starvation mode').

    I would however suggest that you eat what you are 'told to' be MFP - ie eat most of your exercise calories back otherwise you will be at too large of a deficit which will run the risk of hormonal imbalances, suppressed metabolism, decreased energy and possible loss of LBM above that which would be expected on a more reasonable deficit.

    How much have you lost and how long has it been since you have seen a loss?
  • blepchenske
    Options
    >>>>>> deleted <<<<<<<<<
  • drkrouse1
    Options
    are you nursing? that also impacts the amount calories you should be taking in. How old are you and what is your activity level without working out? Also are you sleeping or just power napping? You seem healthy and your body is probably trying to maintain a certain status since for 40 weeks it was preparing to support another life, your baby, it takes months for the hormones and everything else to even out. You may be too hard on yourself. Up your good healthy calories, fiber, water, even more than you have been drinking, not much more. but because your body needs extra liquid right now, nursing or not to heal and stabilize. get rest and take it slow. Ill bet the weight will begin to seriously drop off after your 3rd 4th month. You just had a baby and your body is taking care of that baby and you to make sure you both survive and stay healthy!! congratulations and best wishes......please make sure you take in enough calories.
  • erinn1977
    erinn1977 Posts: 8 Member
    Options
    Yes I agree your body is in starvation mode. Eat back some of your exercise calories and see if it makes a difference.
  • AngieRich811
    Options
    I'm having the same exact problem. I've just been told by one of my athletic instructors that you need to eat the calories that you've burned during exercise in order to get your body moving. This might be a BIG problem for me because I see the calories 'gone' from my body and think, "Oh hey, I'll lose that weight faster!". It hasn't worked thus far so I'm going to try to eat the exercise calories and see what happens.

    Mark Twain may have been the smartest man ever when he said. "Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results". Here's to sanity.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Options
    I am 5'11 and weigh 203 pounds after having my baby in May I have been working on losing weight for two months now and am seeing little results. I am sticking to 1350-1450 calories a day and also working out 60 minutes a day nearly everyday. I burn 500-600 calories from working out. Am I eating too little for me to lose weight or what am I doing wrong. I am eating extremely healthy and doing the Body by Vi challenge. I really only want to lose this last 20-30 pounds but I am stumped as to why I can't shed this weight when I am working so hard. I also drink about 100 ounces of water a day.

    Thanks,

    Lisa

    Reason 1 million and one not to do body by vi. A lot of people don't consider eating a processed synthetic soy shakes 'extremely healthy', despite what the cult that sells it says. I recommend looking up info (that's not from sellers) about the shakes...I recommend against the shakes, there is no need for them weight loss wise, they're not magic. Especially if you have any metabolic problems or intolerance to soy, then they're black magic.

    This is how the science in weight loss works. If you know what you maintain on, eating less then that makes you lose, and it's a lot higher then people often expect. Figure out your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE, there are equations for it, and calculators online). That's what you maintain on, eating less then that and you should lose. The slimmer you are the harder it is to lose, and the smaller cut you should take as to keep a fair amount of calories to provide nutrition and nourishment. The RDI (what nutritional info on boxes are from) recommends a healthy female to eat about 2000 calories a day to maintain health.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Options
    Food is fuel - if you're gonna exercise hard and put those demands on your body, you gotta fuel it. Don't give it a reason to store fat!

    This topic was a huge help to me (and a bunch of other MFPers) for setting calorie goals and getting the most out of diet and exercise for FAT loss. Give it a read through: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12