Heeeelp! Why ain't I losing weight?

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angie13xx
angie13xx Posts: 29 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
It has now been 2 months since I been here, and I'm pretty much where I started now.
I have lost 4 pounds in less than 10 days to start with and then the weight came back.
I went thru my diary and added all the calories beggining with 5th January when i started.
So far i got this:

January -Sedentary to Light Activity

Total calories in: 34065/ 27 days=>> 1261 calories per day(average)
Total calories out: 5097/ 27 days=>> 188 calories burned per day
Net calories :1261-188 =>> 1073 average

February- Light to Moderate activity

Total calories in: 41028/28 days =>> 1465 per day
Total calories out : 7935/28 days =>> 283 per day
Net calories: 1465-283 =>> 1182 calories per day.

As I said earlier I did lose 4 pounds but might have as well been water retention, I was also on diet pills back in January and didn't make a difference to the scales.
Since February 13th I joined the gym, doing cardio and weights and I'm eating more than in January and I've gained almost 2 pounds since then.
I feel like giving up but I know I can't, I need help to understand how this works cus so far is not working what ever I'm doing.
I am 25 yo, 4''11 and I weigh 56 kg( 123 pounds I think it is)

Replies

  • Cariñosita
    Cariñosita Posts: 184 Member
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    I just finished reading this post and it helped me understand. Maybe it will help you also??

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/865024-1200-and-why-it-won-t-work

    Good luck.
  • angie13xx
    angie13xx Posts: 29 Member
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    I just finished reading this post and it helped me understand. Maybe it will help you also??

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/865024-1200-and-why-it-won-t-work

    Good luck.

    Funny enough I just read that one too, it was very informative, but in my case I need to lose 12-15 pounds, not over 150 like his example, so maybe it wont work for me!
    I think the slimmer you are, less calories your body needs to survive, but then again I could be wrong :(
    Any info/ advice would be so much appreciated.
    Thank you
  • renitawalker9
    renitawalker9 Posts: 108
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
  • fstender
    fstender Posts: 165 Member
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    Throw the scale away....seriously! Eat clean and work out like your doing, cut out your sugar and stachy carbs,(breads, rice/pastas, potatoes act) . I struggles with this...i lost 8#'s right away then gained 3 back...but i've been going to the gym often and keeping my intake low...no weight loss. AS you i became very frustrated....my husband then told me to look at the pictures from chirstmas (right before i joined the gym)....then take some now....I was floored...i couldn't believe the changes physically! I have lost more inche than weight and turned fat into lean muscle....so i gave up the scale...don't need it! It will kick you off the horse faster then actually riding one down a highway! Keep encouraged!
  • nnylee
    nnylee Posts: 814 Member
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    Read this and figure out exactly how many calories your body needs. You're not eating enough for the amount that you're exercising.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
  • healthilybeautiful
    healthilybeautiful Posts: 8 Member
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    Im in the same boat but you may not be losing weight because you're gaining muscle(from weight lifting). Don't beat yourself up and stick to the 1200 calories. Even though I have not seen as much weight loss as I expected (lost 25 pounds on MFP before) I have come to the conclusion that my body is changing fat to muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. Also the first round when I lost the weight I wasnt doing my bootcamp class I was only doing cardio so i'm pretty sure that's the reason. Instead of looking at the number of the scale, look at the changes in your body frame and how your clothes fit. Good Luck!
  • angie13xx
    angie13xx Posts: 29 Member
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    Thank you all for writing back.
    I have done the calculations and based on my exercises levels( 3-5 times a week) I can eat up to 1972 calories a day!
    Now im getting confused again
    If i go to the gym and lets say I burn 500 calories do I need to eat 1972+ 500 i just burned? Sorry if this sounds stupid, i seen alot of posts here where people say you can eat your calories back. Will I gain weight if i do eat the calories back?
    Also healthilybeautiful said to stick to 1200...again do i have to eat 1200 +500 or if i dont eat the calories burned will that be 700 calories net and my body will go in the starvation mode?!
    Im sorry if this seem to be going on and on but im really frustrated and sad and depressed and all negative when i see i dont lose anything and yeah probably i need to stop weighing so often but still!!! i need to get rid of this weight cus its making me misserable grrr :(
  • summergirl212
    summergirl212 Posts: 91 Member
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    if you did the calculations and added in that you are active then you don't need to worry about the calories that you burned at the gym. You can just stick with the number that you were given which is 1972. Since you don't have as much to lose it is generally better to eat more so that you lose the weight slowly and therefore are less likely to gain it back.

    In theory if you wanted to eat 1200 (which we all know doesn't actually work that well) then you would probably want to add back your 500 from exercise. Your body is working hard in those workouts and 1200 usually isn't enough to keep it fueled.

    i'm no expert but I think this is similar advice other people would give you. good luck!
  • louiselebeau
    louiselebeau Posts: 220 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    ^^^this^^^^
  • erinsueburns
    erinsueburns Posts: 865 Member
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    Based in what you put in your profile, it sounds like weight isn't the issue, so much as body fat percentage.

    The must efficient way to manage this is to eat for weight maintenance, throw away the scale, measure with a tape measure, and exercise with progressively heavier weights/resistance training.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    It sounds like you have issues similar to mine. I'm fairly petite, and the number of calories I need to maintain my weight isn't all that far above the magic number 1200. I lost 5 pounds last year, and it took a good 8 months to do it, even with regular exercise.
  • healthilybeautiful
    healthilybeautiful Posts: 8 Member
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    I usually burna about 500 calories on average and i never eat them all back unless i want to divulge in whatever that day! i'll post an example of one of my normal days below:

    Goal 1200 cals
    Food intake +1358
    Exercise burn -579
    Total Calories for the day: 1358
    Net 779 calories

    I try to never eat more than 200 calories back. Sometimes during the week i'll not eat my calories back Monday-Wednesday and Thursday and Friday I eat most of them back because i do boot camp and when you do weight lifting or anything of that sort you need to eat more.

    1900 calories seems a bit extreme for if you want to lose weight faster. Stick in the 1200-1500 calorie range. 1900 seems more of what you should be eating to maintain your current weight and it might even be why you gained 2 pounds!
    Alternate between 1200-1500 and see whhich one works best. I also heard that if your body feels that you are in a normal weight, it can be harder to lose pounds. Whatever you do just make sure you eat atleast 1200 calories in food, I rarely look at my net because it gives a false sense. Just make sure you eat atleast 1200 and not under.

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