What am I doing wrong??

6 weeks ago now, I was sick of how I looked so I made changes. Since then, I have been doing Zumba 2-3 times a week (and really sweating it out here in Far North Queensland) and swim training once a week. I've been keeping to my 1200 calories a day and making changes to what I eat to include more fruit & veg, breakfast (I normally didn't eat) and cutting down the alcohol and cutting out white bread etc. So far I have only lost approx 4kg's. Previously I wasn't exercising at all and had really poor eating habits. With such a big change in my lifestyle, I was expecting to lose more weight that what I have. So, do I have too-higher expectations or is there something I'm not doing correctly? Any ideas would be great. Thanks.

Replies

  • hhayes06
    hhayes06 Posts: 189 Member
    Have you taken measurements? While you may not see movement in the scale you can see a loss in inches. It's also possible that eating only 1200 a day and exercising that you aren't eating enough. Do you eat back your exercise calories? Maybe try eating at least half and see what happens. Good luck to you!
  • Alcohol was a huge thing for me. Once I cut it completely out I dropped 20 lbs w/o even trying! Mind you, I drank everyday, so that was a lot of excess calories. Walk. It's the easiest thing to do and after putting in some time, you will see results. I try and walk at least 45 minutes a day and if I'm on a treadmill, I use the incline. Also, if you're going to eat fats, make sure they're the good kind. Avacado's are great for curbing hunger and the good fat in them helps you burn bad fat. :) Good luck!
  • OH! And drink more water! And metamucil. That has helped me tons!:smile:
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    4kgs in 6 weeks is about spot on! Keep on with your good work.
  • Mokosh
    Mokosh Posts: 23 Member
    Do you feel better then before? Do you have more energy?
    Just keep it up, you'll get there. 4 kg in 6 weeks is great, that's the real stuff, not like those yo-yo diets we all tried before.
    Imagine this - by this rate in 6 months you'll look amazing!
    Keep food diary for couple of days, maybe then people here will know more and be of more help to you.
    Good luck!
  • Cynthiaslattery
    Cynthiaslattery Posts: 2 Member
    No, I haven't taken measurements yet ... I'll do that tomorrow. I have noticed some change in clothes. Normally I try to eat the 1200 calories I'm allowed and let the exercise be a bonus as such. As I normally don't have breakfast, I'm having one of the meal replacement shakes. Am thinking I might look at that at lunch, with snacks for morning & afternoon tea ... then a healthy dinner. And when the weather cools a little here, I'm going to look at bike rides on my non-zumba/swimming days. Maybe it's just that my body is in shock from the changes and is having a hard time processing it all!? LOL!!!
  • mudmonkeyonwheels
    mudmonkeyonwheels Posts: 426 Member
    Agree with the measurement idea above. Also, 4kg in 6 weeks isn't too bad. It is probably a healthy sustainable speed to lose weight. Just curious are you logging your alcohol calories?
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    Read this, It will tell you all you need to know. Listen to someone who has lost, 1200 will never do it and you are burning most of them. You need information
  • roiLEI1554
    roiLEI1554 Posts: 143
    yeah, you definitely need more than 1200 calories :huh:
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    Well, I don't know your stats but I think you're undereating by a LOT. Zumba is a high intensity workout and so is swimming. I would try and set a reasonable amount of calories for yourself.

    Check this link out
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    Feel free to join that particular group and ask any question you wish. Its a rather educated and science backed group and you can ask for prove of anything you like and the moderators of the group would gladly show you the links :)

    PS. Congrats on the 4 kgs loss! Its not bad actually. Thats almost a kg a week. Not bad at all I'd say. This is a very healthy range of weight loss
  • megleo818
    megleo818 Posts: 595 Member
    Here's what I've found works:

    1) Log EVERY thing that goes into your mouth. Gum, gin, lettuce, bacon, water, clotted cream -- whatever it is -- if you put it in your mouth, you need to measure it first and then log it.

    2) Exercise daily, even if it's only for 10 minutes. Log those minutes and eat back any additional calories they gained you. This works to teach you how moving your body allows you to eat more (or, adversely, how being sedentary forces you to eat less).

    3) Drink the effing water, idiot! This is the easiest thing to do. Drink water. Then drink some more. Stop complaining and just hoist the bottle. Drink. Thank you.

    4) Avoid restaurant food and pre-packaged (frozen, canned or "ready-to-eat") meals. They are full of sodium and hidden sugars that will ruin all of your best intentions. It's not that hard to cook a chicken breast on your own -- just sprinkle a little salt and pepper on each side and put it into a hot pan with a bit of olive oil -- pretty straightforward. Google stuff. Cooking is not difficult.

    5) Remember that YOU are responsible for how YOU look and feel, both of which are direct results of what YOU do. It's up to no one else, Buddy. Get going. You can do it!!!
  • chooriyah
    chooriyah Posts: 469 Member
    4kg in 6 weeks is awesome! That's 1.5lb per week! I have been averaging about 0.5lb/week for the past six months. You are headed in the right direction, just keep it up. The only thing you seem to be doing wrong is losing motivation too soon! (and perhaps eating too little, but that's another discussion)
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    4kgs in 6 weeks is about spot on! Keep on with your good work.

    Exactly! This is good progress. It's not a race. You don't want the quick, dramatic loss of a crash diet! When you lose in a slow, healthy manner it's more sustainable long term. You are doing just fine. Be patient and keep up the good work! :drinker:

    P.S. If you're really set on eating 1200 cals, make sure you're getting your 1200 PLUS exercise calories. Otherwise, you won't be getting the nutrition your body needs and you'll be undermining your progress.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Well done on your losses so far. :flowerforyou:

    In terms of weight loss, shows like "the biggest loser" give people unrealistic expectations of how quickly people can lose weight. For a start, a "week" on the show is not a week in reality, plus they do things like dehydrating themselves before weigh ins, to make the numbers look more impressive.

    Fat is gained slowly, and lost slowly. It's extremely difficult to burn more than 2lb/1kg of fat in a week. There are some exceptions to this, e.g. people who are extremely obese, or people who run marathons, but as a general rule, you can't burn fat very quickly. Big drops in scale weight in a short time are usually water weight losses, and also in some circumstances scale weight loss can include lean tissue like muscle and bone density, which is not good for health. It's important to switch from thinking "I want to lose as much weight as I can as quickly as I can" - to "I want to lose pure fat, and do it sustainably, so when it's gone, it's gone forever" - i.e. look more towards long term success and health, than towards short term, impressive looking scale weight drops.

    are you eating back exercise calories? (it's not clear from your post if you are or not) That amount of activity on just 1200 calories a day (i.e. not eating exercise calories as well) for a prolonged period of time is not a good idea for a whole bunch of reasons. There's a thread on here called "in place of a road map" that explains the problems caused by too few calories, and also gives you step by step instructions for how many calories you should eat for healthy, sustainable fat loss. Please read it, it's an excellent thread that has helped many, many people. There are also numerous threads that explain the reasons why, if you use the MFP default calories rather than the method in the road map thread, it's better to eat back exercise calories.

    Don't be discouraged, you're off to a good start, 4kg is not a small amount of weight, and as you've lost it at a rate of about 1.3lb a week, then there's a good chance it was all fat that you lost, and as much as you may feel disappointed, it's actually a really good rate of fat loss, and excellent progress.
  • Anamika703
    Anamika703 Posts: 202 Member
    Thanks!
  • Anamika703
    Anamika703 Posts: 202 Member
    Here's what I've found works:

    1) Log EVERY thing that goes into your mouth. Gum, gin, lettuce, bacon, water, clotted cream -- whatever it is -- if you put it in your mouth, you need to measure it first and then log it.

    2) Exercise daily, even if it's only for 10 minutes. Log those minutes and eat back any additional calories they gained you. This works to teach you how moving your body allows you to eat more (or, adversely, how being sedentary forces you to eat less).

    3) Drink the effing water, idiot! This is the easiest thing to do. Drink water. Then drink some more. Stop complaining and just hoist the bottle. Drink. Thank you.

    4) Avoid restaurant food and pre-packaged (frozen, canned or "ready-to-eat") meals. They are full of sodium and hidden sugars that will ruin all of your best intentions. It's not that hard to cook a chicken breast on your own -- just sprinkle a little salt and pepper on each side and put it into a hot pan with a bit of olive oil -- pretty straightforward. Google stuff. Cooking is not difficult.

    5) Remember that YOU are responsible for how YOU look and feel, both of which are direct results of what YOU do. It's up to no one else, Buddy. Get going. You can do it!!!

    Thanks megleo818
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Replacement shakes aren't a great idea, you're better with "real" food. It's not compulsory to eat breakfast, as long as skipping it doesn't mean you binge eat later in the day.
  • ashleab37
    ashleab37 Posts: 575 Member
    That's 0.7kg a week average, what's the issue??
  • VickyO1977
    VickyO1977 Posts: 156 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    I started at 1200 calories and was losing but I am now using the above tools seriously have a look, it's much more doable. Also your loss so far is great be proud of that. There is loads of great advice from the others on here who have replied take what you can on board and remember if it comes off slowly it stays off! Keep doing what your doing and by the summer that will be a minimum of 12kg loss how great will that feel plus with the exercise you will be nicely toned too. Sometimes when we start a journey we can be impatient but its about the long term changes and goal that you will reach that will make it all worth it. Good luck.
  • plateauwoman
    plateauwoman Posts: 3 Member
    you are doing really well, keep up the good work! My weight has not changed very much either, but my measurements have.
  • diver71_au
    diver71_au Posts: 424 Member
    You didnt put all the weight on in a month - why expect to lose it in that time.

    Keep going slow and steady.
  • cainie19
    cainie19 Posts: 126
    4kgs in 6 weeks is about spot on! Keep on with your good work.
    this! :flowerforyou:
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    You need to eat more..if you are doing that much exercise you need to support your body and feed it.

    Patience.
  • Ummm.. you've lost 4kgs in a month, that's fantastic! But I have to say 1200 cals is very little, i did this awhile ago and suffered, almost fainting in classes at the gym, hair falling out in copious amounts, moodiness, dizziness, extreme exhaustion just to name a few.
    Go to http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ this will give you a better number to eat at. This is a change that needs to be sustainable for life not just until we lose the weight.
    Goodluck.
  • disawell
    disawell Posts: 102 Member
    You need to eat more..if you are doing that much exercise you need to support your body and feed it.

    Patience.

    THIS.

    I'm still falling off the wagon repeatedly, your loss so far is great (Hi up there in Far NQ - I'm in Sydney) I have not worked out all the numbers referred to here, but don't let them scare you off. I go with the MFP guidelines - set to sedentary and 2lb (1kg) a week and then log all my exercise, and eat it back if I'm hungry. If you have a smartphone, i highly recommend the app, I think I would be lost without it. I also use runtastic pedometer which can be sync'd with your MFP account and log your exercise for you. Feel free to add me if you'd like to. Not only CAN you do this: You already are! Keep it up!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Well done on your losses so far. :flowerforyou:

    In terms of weight loss, shows like "the biggest loser" give people unrealistic expectations of how quickly people can lose weight. For a start, a "week" on the show is not a week in reality, plus they do things like dehydrating themselves before weigh ins, to make the numbers look more impressive.

    Fat is gained slowly, and lost slowly. It's extremely difficult to burn more than 2lb/1kg of fat in a week. There are some exceptions to this, e.g. people who are extremely obese, or people who run marathons, but as a general rule, you can't burn fat very quickly. Big drops in scale weight in a short time are usually water weight losses, and also in some circumstances scale weight loss can include lean tissue like muscle and bone density, which is not good for health. It's important to switch from thinking "I want to lose as much weight as I can as quickly as I can" - to "I want to lose pure fat, and do it sustainably, so when it's gone, it's gone forever" - i.e. look more towards long term success and health, than towards short term, impressive looking scale weight drops.

    are you eating back exercise calories? (it's not clear from your post if you are or not) That amount of activity on just 1200 calories a day (i.e. not eating exercise calories as well) for a prolonged period of time is not a good idea for a whole bunch of reasons. There's a thread on here called "in place of a road map" that explains the problems caused by too few calories, and also gives you step by step instructions for how many calories you should eat for healthy, sustainable fat loss. Please read it, it's an excellent thread that has helped many, many people. There are also numerous threads that explain the reasons why, if you use the MFP default calories rather than the method in the road map thread, it's better to eat back exercise calories.

    Don't be discouraged, you're off to a good start, 4kg is not a small amount of weight, and as you've lost it at a rate of about 1.3lb a week, then there's a good chance it was all fat that you lost, and as much as you may feel disappointed, it's actually a really good rate of fat loss, and excellent progress.

    All of this.

    My best advice OP is to be patient and adjust your expectations. You're in a healthy range for rate of loss, which is great. It sounds like you may be creating too large of a deficit, which can hinder your progress:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    Set reasonable expectations for yourself and eat at a reasonable deficit. Log everything. Weigh your food, only measure free-pouring liquids. Good luck.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    You didn't gain it in 6 weeks, so expecting to lose it all in 6 weeks is unrealistic. Sounds like you're making progress -- and if you push it and cut back too far in order to speed things up you'll probably not get the results you want.