Little to no results and beyond frustrated
dawnhopkinsdelaney
Posts: 6
So I have been at this since January 1st (yes, my New Year's resolution). I have been religiously tracking my calories, always very close to the 1,200 but never over, and work out 6 out of 7 days per week. I drink fruit smoothies daily with added protein, I sleep at least 8-9 hours per night and I have very little stress in my life at this time. I just can't figure out why the scale is not moving.... When I work out, I work out for an hour every day. I was working out to the point where my heart rate was up to 174 BPM I have sinced lessened the intensity to bring my heart rate down to the fat burning level and increased the incline on the treadmill to make my muscles work harder therefore burning fat.I also do strenght training as part of my workout routine. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. Why am I not seeing results? I weigh myself in the morning and I am 148 lbs. By the evening I am back up to 150.4 lbs. If anyone could give me some input I would greatly appreciate it. Anyone else having this issue? The scale has not moved in THREE MONTHS. I am beyond frustrated.
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Replies
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Perhaps open your diary so we can review that...but at first glance at the data you provided, you are not eating nearly enough and *possibly* over exercising. Also, no need to weigh yourself daily, let alone twice daily. Your body weight will fluctuate dramatically from day to day...You and I appear to be in same age group, not sure about height. I have lost a total of 55 pounds in about 14 months. Workout 5-6 times/week, 30-40 minutes/session, eating about 1400-1800 calories/day. I am 5'9".0
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Check this group out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less0
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Are you netting 1200? That's the minimum you should net. If that's the amount before exercise you definitely need to eat more.
Also weigh weekly - not twice a day - of course you weigh more at night, if you eat or drink during the day your body has food, waste, etc. inside that adds to the scale.0 -
how tall are you? maybe your body is resistant to weight loss because it likes being at 145 -150. Also with that much exercise, I would say you should be eating like 1400 at the very least. Your body doesn't have the fuel to do that much exercise so it is likely holding on to fat to keep a valuable source of fuel.0
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How many total calories are you eating per day, excluding exercise calories? I find that the more I eat, the more energy I have and the more weight I lose.0
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90% of the responses you are going to get will say that you are not eating enough. If you were not eating enough, you would be losing too much weight.
Either you are not weighing and measuring and tracking everything and your calories are much higher than you think or you have a thyroid or other medical issue.
Are you "netting" or grossing 1200? Do you eat back your exercise calories? If you do, you may want to eat less of them.
You may also want to up your calories as everyone else will recommend but without measuring/weighing and logging everything, it won't help.
Your diary isn't open so it's really hard to say other than that.0 -
Not eating enough. Forget that MFP recommends 1200, figure your BMR and TDEE and make an informed decision on how many calories to eat.0
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I'm guessing you need to eat more! Add around 300 cals a day and see what that does. If you eat too little your metabolism slows down and you can loose none or actually gain. Good luck! Friend me if you'd like, I'm on here all the time!0
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90% of the responses you are going to get will say that you are not eating enough. If you were not eating enough, you would be losing too much weight.
I disagree with that statement. It is possible to not eat enough so your body doesn't have fuel that wouldn't result in weight loss. Especially with exercising 6 days a week.0 -
you need to eat more than 1200, your body won't let go of weight when it feels it needs to conserve it because of lack of fuel. also if you are weighing yourself more than once a day or even on a daily basis you will see fluctuations like that simply from food and water weight. it is best to weigh yourself weekly at the same time each day under the same circumstances. good luck!0
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You are not eating enough. And you always way more in the evening than in the mornings. Start eating your exercise calories! You need to fuel those workouts!
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/core_march_8.htm0 -
90% of the responses you are going to get will say that you are not eating enough. If you were not eating enough, you would be losing too much weight.
Either you are not weighing and measuring and tracking everything and your calories are much higher than you think or you have a thyroid or other medical issue.
Are you "netting" or grossing 1200? Do you eat back your exercise calories? If you do, you may want to eat less of them.
You may also want to up your calories as everyone else will recommend but without measuring/weighing and logging everything, it won't help.
Your diary isn't open so it's really hard to say other than that.
I believe she has indicated in her post, that she is 'religiously' tracking her intake. So, yes, of course most responses will indicate she is not eating enough. To say that she is either not tracking correctly or has a medical problem is a rather unfounded conclusion to come to.0 -
So I have been at this since January 1st (yes, my New Year's resolution). I have been religiously tracking my calories, always very close to the 1,200 but never over, and work out 6 out of 7 days per week. I drink fruit smoothies daily with added protein, I sleep at least 8-9 hours per night and I have very little stress in my life at this time. I just can't figure out why the scale is not moving.... When I work out, I work out for an hour every day. I was working out to the point where my heart rate was up to 174 BPM I have sinced lessened the intensity to bring my heart rate down to the fat burning level and increased the incline on the treadmill to make my muscles work harder therefore burning fat.I also do strenght training as part of my workout routine. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. Why am I not seeing results? I weigh myself in the morning and I am 148 lbs. By the evening I am back up to 150.4 lbs. If anyone could give me some input I would greatly appreciate it. Anyone else having this issue? The scale has not moved in THREE MONTHS. I am beyond frustrated.
It's probably a market/kitchen problem, not an exercise problem. Open the diary, and you shall be set free!0 -
90% of the responses you are going to get will say that you are not eating enough. If you were not eating enough, you would be losing too much weight.
I disagree with that statement. It is possible to not eat enough so your body doesn't have fuel that wouldn't result in weight loss. Especially with exercising 6 days a week.
This.
'If you were not eating enough, you would be losing too much weight.' < Incorrect and very scary to read that on these forums.0 -
How tall are you?
I'm 5'2"...
At 148lbs I had set my goal to lose 1lb a week which gave me 1400 or so calories to eat before exercise so you may not be eating enough, especially if you're really hammering out the work outs.
Make sure you log everything religiously for a week or two, making sure you correctly log, down to any oils you use in cooking to a splash of milk in a cup of tea. Everything adds up!
I'd maybe tone down the workouts to 5 days a week, taking two days off to rest. And make sure you're keeping well hydrated!
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I'm going to be nice and assume this is not a troll thread:
There's a reason why MFP says weigh yourself at the same time every time. Our bodies fluctuate during the day naturally.
I can only assume you're not eating your exercise calories back and are not netting 1200. Pay attention to the number at the front of the home page where it will tell you what you have NET'd. Some people will tell you that 1200 is too low. It's not, if you eat your exercise calories back. I've done this for 45 days and lost just over 10lbs.0 -
How many carbs do you eat per day? I eat 120g. If i eat much over that my weight loss stalls, so that could be an issue. I would alsowat maybe 1500. In my experiene in most cases carbs are the issue.
It is a great idea to go to home, goals, set goals, custom...
Maybe look at 1500.
Carbs 35%
Fat 35%
Protein 30%
I have had many people switch to this, who weren't losing and it did the trick. Sounds like you have nothing to lose trying it.
Zara x0 -
You've gotten plenty of responses in regards to the amount of food you are eating. However, I didn't notice anyone point out that there is no point in weighing yourself in the morning and evening on the same day. I have weighed up to 8 pounds more later in the day than in the morning. In the morning you aren't full of food and liquids, etc. Of course you weigh more in the evening unless you poop every couple of hours.0
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90% of the responses you are going to get will say that you are not eating enough. If you were not eating enough, you would be losing too much weight.
Either you are not weighing and measuring and tracking everything and your calories are much higher than you think or you have a thyroid or other medical issue.
Are you "netting" or grossing 1200? Do you eat back your exercise calories? If you do, you may want to eat less of them.
You may also want to up your calories as everyone else will recommend but without measuring/weighing and logging everything, it won't help.
Your diary isn't open so it's really hard to say other than that.
I believe she has indicated in her post, that she is 'religiously' tracking her intake. So, yes, of course most responses will indicate she is not eating enough. To say that she is either not tracking correctly or has a medical problem is a rather unfounded conclusion to come to.
It is scientifically accurate though. There isn't one study that shows that eating too little results in NO weight loss. Metabolic adaptation does happen but even in the Minnesota Starvation Experiment the already lean individuals continued losing weight even while literally starving. At some point that was muscle and other things but NO loss points to either tracking that is inaccurate or medical issues. Studies done in individuals who claimed to be resistant to weight loss even at 1200 calories showed that when hospitalized and fed 1200 calories per day, the individuals lost weight.
Like I said, she may very well want to up her calories and there is nothing wrong with that (although if she is eating back exercise calories, they are probably already about at the same level anyway) but if a person is not losing weight at 1200 calories, an increase in calories isn't going to help unless it resolves the initial issue (cheating, not weighing food etc). There is no scientific evidence that says otherwise.0 -
the whole "fat burning heart rate zone" is a myth. there is no zone where your body switches from burning fat. your body burns muscles as well as fat, but it's easier for it to burn muscle. it's also an evolutionary thing. human beings lived in caves and in trees, without any clothes on. so to stay warm the body held on to fat. it still does that.
instead of high incline cardio, try doing HIIT runs. go outside for it please. jog for 8-10 minutes to warm up, and then do a 30 second sprint, followed by a 1 minute jog. repeat 6-8 times. cool down by jogging home.0 -
the whole "fat burning heart rate zone" is a myth. there is no zone where your body switches from burning fat. your body burns muscles as well as fat, but it's easier for it to burn muscle. it's also an evolutionary thing. human beings lived in caves and in trees, without any clothes on. so to stay warm the body held on to fat. it still does that.
instead of high incline cardio, try doing HIIT runs. go outside for it please. jog for 8-10 minutes to warm up, and then do a 30 second sprint, followed by a 1 minute jog. repeat 6-8 times. cool down by jogging home.
And also lift weights.0 -
Thank you everyone for your responses. I should have mentioned I am only 5'2". I guess it is unanimous that I need to increase my calories. I find this very difficult as I am just not hungry.0
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Thank you everyone for your responses. I should have mentioned I am only 5'2". I guess it is unanimous that I need to increase my calories. I find this very difficult as I am just not hungry.
You can increase calories without increasing volume, just by little switches - use full fat foods instead of diet versions, add some milk or fruit juice, sprinkle some cheese on your salads, add some oil/butter to your cooking - it'll soon add up.
and you may find this interesting
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html0 -
This content has been removed.
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90% of the responses you are going to get will say that you are not eating enough. If you were not eating enough, you would be losing too much weight.
Either you are not weighing and measuring and tracking everything and your calories are much higher than you think or you have a thyroid or other medical issue.
Are you "netting" or grossing 1200? Do you eat back your exercise calories? If you do, you may want to eat less of them.
You may also want to up your calories as everyone else will recommend but without measuring/weighing and logging everything, it won't help.
Your diary isn't open so it's really hard to say other than that.
I believe she has indicated in her post, that she is 'religiously' tracking her intake. So, yes, of course most responses will indicate she is not eating enough. To say that she is either not tracking correctly or has a medical problem is a rather unfounded conclusion to come to.
It is scientifically accurate though. There isn't one study that shows that eating too little results in NO weight loss. Metabolic adaptation does happen but even in the Minnesota Starvation Experiment the already lean individuals continued losing weight even while literally starving. At some point that was muscle and other things but NO loss points to either tracking that is inaccurate or medical issues. Studies done in individuals who claimed to be resistant to weight loss even at 1200 calories showed that when hospitalized and fed 1200 calories per day, the individuals lost weight.
Like I said, she may very well want to up her calories and there is nothing wrong with that (although if she is eating back exercise calories, they are probably already about at the same level anyway) but if a person is not losing weight at 1200 calories, an increase in calories isn't going to help unless it resolves the initial issue (cheating, not weighing food etc). There is no scientific evidence that says otherwise.
You're going to say that you have read every scientific/medical study/peer reviewed journal? Doubtful. I have had to up my calories TWICE because of weight stalling, and ONLY upped my calories (no new exercise, same amount of water, etc), and guess what? WEIGHT LOSS. BAM. I've seen it multiple times on here, as well. When your body does not get enough to eat it holds on to FAT, which is denser than muscle and can stall weight loss. And that "at some point" muscle loss was probably immediate. Did the study include exercise? There is just so much wrong there, I don't even.
As we lose weight, we are supposed to be eating MORE, and closer to whatever your caloric needs for maintenance are, OP. You should be reevaluating your calorie needs as you lose to make sure you are giving your body what it needs. You give it what it needs, it will more often than not give you what you want (weight loss).0 -
Eat more. It will help play around with calories for a while...find your niche.
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When your body does not get enough to eat it holds on to FAT, which is denser than muscle and can stall weight loss.
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Think you got that part backwards...Fat is not denser than muscle...quite the contrary. The concept that eating below BMR results in no weight loss violates the laws of physiology and physics. Can it cause plateaus, yes. Can it cause metabolic issues that slow down weight loss, yes. Can it cause body composition that makes it very easy to regain weight, yes. Can it allow the body to run basically without fuel and permit a virtual perpetual motion machine...well, no, it can't do that. If you consistently eat below your BMR you will lose weight...you will destroy your health, but you will lose weight.0 -
When your body does not get enough to eat it holds on to FAT, which is denser than muscle and can stall weight loss.
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Think you got that part backwards...Fat is not denser than muscle...quite the contrary. The concept that eating below BMR results in no weight loss violates the laws of physiology and physics. Can it cause plateaus, yes. Can it cause metabolic issues that slow down weight loss, yes. Can it cause body composition that makes it very easy to regain weight, yes. Can it allow the body to run basically without fuel and permit a virtual perpetual motion machine...well, no, it can't do that. If you consistently eat below your BMR you will lose weight...you will destroy your health, but you will lose weight.
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Yes. Derp. MUSCLE is denser than fat. Blehh. I probably haven't eaten my BMR today...0 -
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Thank you. That was a very helpful suggestion.0
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