HELP! I can't seem to lose weight when I add exercise!

cwise6
cwise6 Posts: 3
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I have lost quite a bit of weight simply eating right and counting Weight Watcher points and/or calories. I didn't add any exercise because I have ALWAYS stopped losing weight as soon as I add it to my routine. I know it sounds crazy, but it is true. I have been tracking all of my calories and exercise for 2 months and I continue to go up and down the same 2-3 pounds. It is very frusterating. :)
I love to exercise but my problem has always been that I simply maintain that current weight. My question always is am I eating too many calories or am I eating too little when I add in exercise. Do you eat more calories when you exercise if so how many more? For example if I am suppose to eat 1200 calories to lose 1 and a half pounds a week and then say burn 500 calories a day in exercise should I eat an additional 500 calories? Does that make sense?? I just need some help understanding all of this or just even a couple of tips or suggestions to be able to continue to lose weight and still exercise.
Thank you!!!!!!!!!:smile:

Replies

  • GrayJohn
    GrayJohn Posts: 74
    How much weight are you wanting to lose?






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  • cwise6
    cwise6 Posts: 3
    I really want to lose about 10-15 more pounds. That would bring my total loss to 55-60 lbs.
  • sdiedrich
    sdiedrich Posts: 2
    You should always eat a little more when you're exercising. You don't have to eat the full amount of calories you burn but if you don't eat a little more calories while exercising your body will go into starvation mode and you will start to gain weight. Why? Starvation mode means that your body stores the fat that you have so that it can survive. My rule of thumb is no more than 200 cal negative with exercise added in. Another thing, depending on what kind of exercise you're doing, you may be gaining muscle weight. Even though your weight isn't going down, is the size of your waist in inches going down? that's another thing that you'll need to watch for. I hope this helps.
  • KiriKiriKiri
    KiriKiriKiri Posts: 227 Member
    Great question! As far as the calories "burned" during exercise... I never eat mine, or rarely, anyway. Are you drinking an abundance of water? When I was pregnant with my son, my OB/GYN said that new guidelines say to drink (for pregnant women) 1/2 ounce of water per pound you weigh. So for example, if I weighed 100 lbs, that would mean 50 oz of water per day. I have carried that through after pregnancy and it has worked with my weight loss...

    What about vitamins? Do you take a multi? B complex? D? That can affect or hinder weight loss...


    I hope that helps. I know I didn't really answer your question ;) Good luck!!!!
  • baggins706
    baggins706 Posts: 310
    I'm no expert at this but I eat my exercise calories 2% of the time, I pretty much stick to my 1200 calorie diet, eating 6 small meals a day to keep me from getting hungry throughout the day.

    Here a few things to look into:

    1- Are you drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day
    2- Pay close attention to your salt/sodium intake I would say stay at 1500 but 2400 is the max
    3- If and when you do exercise be sure to switch it up every 3-4 weeks and be sure to do the same for your foods


    I hope this will help you in some way good luck!
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
    I used to have the same problem. When I came to MFP it encouraged me to eat more with exercise. I did and it worked. This is the first time I've been able to actually exercise and lose weight. I will tell you that I weigh 10 pounds more than I did when I was this size last time, but I have muscle and I never have before. I honestly had to stop looking at the scale so much and go by my size and measurements.
  • gambitsgal45
    gambitsgal45 Posts: 9
    For the last 10 - 15 pounds, try Jillian Michaels' book Making the Cut. It's all about losing those last 10-15. I haven't gotten to that point yet, so I can't really advise you, but I do know that the last 10-15 is a totally different animal than when you're trying to lose 50+... I would almost bet money that your problem is that you're approaching the last 10 the same way you did the first! Hope it helps!
  • MusicalMe
    MusicalMe Posts: 64 Member
    In short, yes, you need to eat more calories. If you are burning 500 calories a day from organized activity and only consuming 1200, that leaves your body only 700 calories to sustain you for the rest of the day. That does not include your normal calorie burn for every day activity. 700 calories will send your body into starvation mode very quickly. When this happens, your body doesn't know when or how it will be nourished next. It will start attacking your muscle mass and your organ tissue first in order to survive. You cannot gain those back once they are gone. You need to fuel your body to fire up your metabolism to burn higher and faster. The only way to do this when you are working out to burn 500 calories is to eat more. And when I say "eat more", I mean eat more healthy food, not junk.

    Hope that helps!
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