HELP!!! Working out and losing no weight.

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Replies

  • rose228822
    rose228822 Posts: 186 Member
    Hello,
    I would say it has to do with what you are eating. I used to workout daily (still do) and could not understand why I would not lose weight...I finally (just recently) admitted to myself that even though I workout often I would not lose any weight if I didn't take some control over what I was eating. Once I started writing down what I was eating, portion control I started losing. I didn't realize just how much I was eating until I started writing down every single thing. For me tracking is not tedious and it's helpful but I think just eating smaller portions did the trick!
    Good luck and please don't be frustrated, posting for support and help is a very good step in the right direction.
    p.s. if you are working out with weights instead of cardio it may be harder to see weight drop down but you will feel it in how your clothes fit you.
  • rose228822
    rose228822 Posts: 186 Member
    I just saw where you stated you were not eating over 1200 calories, in that case you are not eating enough and need to if you are working out.
  • IIISpartacusIII
    IIISpartacusIII Posts: 252 Member
    Don't give up. Some times when you're working out really hard you don't see the weight coming off on the scale because you're turnign the fat into muscles, and muscle is heavier than fat. Trust me I used to get wicked discouraged until someone explained that to me because I was looking at myself in the mirror, seeing th change, but the scale was staying the same or even, to my horror, going UP. Try doing measurments like neck and things like that, see if those change over time, and if you're seeing a difference than it's working, don't be discouraged!

    Fat doesn't turn into muscle; this is physiologically impossible. Much like wood isn't going to turn into gold. Two different tissues. The OP didn't mention anything about her diet and typically that's the problem. You can't out exercise a bad diet. Bad diet = one without any strategy to get you where you want to go.
  • Jewles1285
    Jewles1285 Posts: 119
    A pound of fat weights the same as a pound of muscle

    it takes more muscle to fill in the same area because muscle is lean and more dense hence giving the saying "muscle weighs more than fat'; its a huge argument amungst many people on here and apparently a very touchy subject as i've gotten myself reemed for it!

    on another note, i would seriously re-evaluate your diet and as others have suggested to invest in a good HRM (heart rate monitor). I have one and i depend on it everytime i do ANY type of exercise so i know exactly what to log. I also look at the nutritional info for EVERYTHING i eat, EVEN at my son's "Muffins with Mom" breakfast at his school! I didnt care they thought i was crazy!!

    Dont give up. Listen and apply the advice that people have given you here, and im sure you will be successful! Good luck!

    Friend me if you'd like my support on a more frequent basis.
  • lillady93
    lillady93 Posts: 18
    Bad diet = one without any strategy to get you where you want to go.
    [/quote]


    To be honest with you...my strategy is to stay under 1200 calories. but I guess that's not working for me.
  • LoveCR22
    LoveCR22 Posts: 75 Member
    Losing weight is 80% diet, it would help if your diary was public.
    My diary is public now!

    it's also empty aside from one day...
  • Alta2000
    Alta2000 Posts: 655 Member
    Losing weight is 80% diet, it would help if your diary was public.
    My diary is public now!

    it's also empty aside from one day...

    Exactly!. If you do not have time to cook, just buy a bag of pre-packaged salad blend and add olive oil or a can of tuna and have for dinner. Try to eat salad with protein for dinner and add a fruit as well. You definitely need to up your calories. Eat a tb of peanut butter to reach your calories. Eat baby carrots with hummus for lunch or dinner, instead of the oatmeal. Drink sparkling water instead of soda, diet or not.
  • rajendra82
    rajendra82 Posts: 20
    But an ounce of fat weighs less than an ounce of muscle...if you are talking about fluid ounces.

    Really, You don't say? :huh:

    Please explain how one ounce of anything can weight more or less than an ounce of something else, I think I missed that lesson during my schooling days...

    A unit of volume follows the same rules of a unit of mass.
    One ounce/pound can't weight more than it's unit, regardless of what it is made of.

    1 fluid ounce of anything x specific gravity of that thing = weight of that thing in ounces.

    Water has a specific gravity of close to 1, so one fluid ounce of water (29.6 ml) weighs 1 ounce (28.3 gm).

    Fat has a specific gravity of less than water, which is why 1 fluid ounce (29.6 ml) of fat weighs less than 1 ounce (28.3 gm). This is why a fat person can easily float on water, even after explelling all air in their lungs. Same thing happens with a butter. Put it in a bowl while cooking rice, and it will float on top.

    Muscle has a specific gravity of greater than water. So 1 fluid ounce (29.6 ml) of muscle weighs more than 1 ounce in (28.3 gm). A skinny person with no air in their lungs will sink in water, just like the grains of rice do.

    Due to the quirkyness of the imperial system of measurements, where there is only one pound, but there two king of ounces, a pound of fat does weigh the same as a pound of muscle, but an ounce fat does not need to weigh the same as an ounce of muscle, and neither of them weighs an ounce.
  • AngieM76
    AngieM76 Posts: 622 Member
    A pound of fat weights the same as a pound of muscle


    Thank you
  • AngieM76
    AngieM76 Posts: 622 Member
    Bad diet = one without any strategy to get you where you want to go.


    To be honest with you...my strategy is to stay under 1200 calories. but I guess that's not working for me.
    [/quote]

    That strategy wont work. You arent eating enough. Try bumping that up to like 1500 calories and see what happens.
  • MrsPong
    MrsPong Posts: 580 Member
    You have not logged anything in days.... how do you know HOW much you are really eating>?
    Also...the one day you did log (I didn't go back months...) was under 1000. You won't lose with that type of diet.
    Eat more. Move more. = Lose.
  • Inittolozeit
    Inittolozeit Posts: 116 Member
    It's about your diet! Eat more! Make better food choices... Cut back on processed food and definitely soda!! You don't need it!
  • timbrom
    timbrom Posts: 303 Member
    This is exactly what happened to me from October-March. I got a little skinnier (not much), got stronger and in better cardiovascular shape but lost no weight. March 2nd I started watching my diet, and eating a proper amount of food for my height/weight (see http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0) and have lost almost 20 lbs since, and still going.
  • lillady93
    lillady93 Posts: 18
    You have not logged anything in days.... how do you know HOW much you are really eating>?
    Also...the one day you did log (I didn't go back months...) was under 1000. You won't lose with that type of diet.
    Eat more. Move more. = Lose.

    I was keeping track on my phone not here. :( sorry. But most of my days would look really similar to that one.
  • lillady93
    lillady93 Posts: 18
    It's about your diet! Eat more! Make better food choices... Cut back on processed food and definitely soda!! You don't need it!
    Agreed. I'm done with soda.
  • peaceissues
    peaceissues Posts: 77 Member
    You can exercise all you want, but if you dont watch what you eat you wont lose weight.
  • mk9562
    mk9562 Posts: 186 Member
    It's your diet. What you have logged isn't the best. You mentioned soda and that's a really bad choice too.
    If you were actually eating 1200 at a clean healthy diet it would be different. Definitely need more food. Food is fuel.
  • TXBecki
    TXBecki Posts: 40
    As many others said, you are definitely not eating enough calories to fuel your body. Additionally, it will help if you start eating more fruits, veggies, and proteins. Your diary appears to contain a majority of processed carbs that do nothing but help maintain body fat. I did not see much in terms of items with high protein content which helps build muscle as well - consider adding meats, eggs, beans, or high protein seeds like quinoa to your diet. I had a similar experience when I first started, and was reluctant to give up those easy and fast foods that can be purchased from the center aisles of the grocery store, but it wasn't until I started to follow a more paleo style diet (about 85% of my intake is paleo) that the weight really started to come off. The bonus of getting rid of all those processed carbs, is that you actually get to eat MORE food for the same amount of total calories because things like vegetables are so low in calories. If it is fast and quick you need - try a protein shake, piece of fruit, handful of nuts, etc.
  • LauraW1219
    LauraW1219 Posts: 71 Member
    People will tell you don't eat less then 1200 calories and bump it up to atleast 2000. I eat 1200, I eat 4 meals every 4 hours. I work out everyday except Sunday. Plateaus happen and aren't any fun. What times are you eating? Are you eating within minutes of waking up? It will eventually break and you will lose again. I have no gall bladder and Hashimoto's disease. NOT EVERYONE IS THE SAME. All these people might lose one way, but some of us have to fight harder for it. It's a life change. If I can give up Pepsi then you can quit soda. I wish you the best of luck.
  • I am only trying to help - but I think you must not be tracking correctly. Even if you are only eating a bagel, cereal, and I forgot what else you said, if it's a large bagel with cream cheese, a large bowl of cereal or 2, whatever else you eat, and soda....you are likely eating more than 1200 calories.

    I am and always have been pretty health conscious and aware of what I'm eating, but it wasn't until I started weighing my food with a digital scale that I really saw progress. Not saying that is for everyone - but I tend to think that if you're working out consistently and not losing any weight, the simple answer is that you are eating more than you think.

    It's true that you can damage/slow down your metabolism by eating too little, but that doesn't mean that you wouldn't lose weight in the very beginning by eating 1200 calories or less - especially if the weight is there to lose. Metabolic slowdown takes time. Obviously everyone is different. But I wouldn't overcomplicate it.
  • darwinwoodka
    darwinwoodka Posts: 322 Member
    More protein, more veggies, less carbs. Give your body some really good fuel to burn! Exercise -- walk, do some body weight exercises, squats, modified pushups, join a zumba or yoga class. Do some strength training. Read the boards here and pick something that sounds fun.

    Eat better and get moving!