Exercise + calorie count but no weight loss, suggestions?

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xina86
xina86 Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,

I have been counting calories and doing exercise for about a month now, going from eating loads not counting cals and doing absolutely no exercise, to doing exercise 3-5 times a week and trying to stay at 1,200 per day. I have gone over my 1,200 a day a few times but considering i was having probably near to 3,000 before and staying at the same weight i thought i would have lost something by now. On friday my scales said i'd gone down 2lbs but now they've gone up to start point again.

I've read possible explanations - dehydrated and drinking more will help lose weight quicker (?), Insulin resistance, thyroid problem and not eating enough cals. Looking at my diary, do any of these seem right? Any suggestions how i can start the weight loss. Im getting very frustrated and discouraged.

Thanks
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Replies

  • GeminiBridget
    GeminiBridget Posts: 99 Member
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    Hi! Do you use a heart rate monitor? If not, invest in one, they're a few good ones that aren't expensive. Calculating your THR (Target Heart Rate) and staying within that range is the best thing for losing weight more efficiently.
  • xina86
    xina86 Posts: 12 Member
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    Hmm, i dont have one. How do you know what your target heart rate is?
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    Your diary is closed right now.
  • LaurenLouG
    LaurenLouG Posts: 65 Member
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    Are you weighing your food? Tracking absolutely EVERYTHING? Milk in your tea & coffee? Oils used for cooking?

    It's basically scientifically impossible to eat at a deficit and not lose weight.
  • Just_Scott
    Just_Scott Posts: 1,766 Member
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    Target heart rate--220 minus age take this answer times 60% and 80% this is your target heart range.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    Do you own a food scale?
  • mryak750
    mryak750 Posts: 198 Member
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    instead of dropping cals so low you should have just started counting, restricted your cals to say 2500 and introduce exercise into your schedule...I'm sure the weight will start to come off but once it stops eating at 1200 cals were do you go from there. Starting at 2500 would help with any plateaus....once you hit a wall your able to reduce your cals over a longer period of time
  • sexymuffintop
    sexymuffintop Posts: 636
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    It's hard to tell when your diary is closed?
  • xina86
    xina86 Posts: 12 Member
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    My diary is now available to see, didn't realise it wasn't public. I do have food scales and weigh everything. Have fry light instead of oil and dont drink tea/coffee.

    I have been counting chocolate, maybe i should eat more savoury food to fill those cals instead?
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    In my experience, it doesn't really matter what you eat as long as you're eating at a deficit. Fruit and veggies will be more filling than chocolate so if you can substitute some lean protein, fruit, and veggies for some of the candy/cookies you'll stay fuller.
  • GeminiBridget
    GeminiBridget Posts: 99 Member
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    This will help you figure out your THR ~> http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Your-Target-Heart-Rate .

    Also, make sure when you're eating less that you don't under eat and cause your body to go into 'starvation mode'. Also, it's best to workout before you've eaten, that way your body burns the stored fat instead of using the food you just ate for fuel during your workout.
  • GeminiBridget
    GeminiBridget Posts: 99 Member
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    Also, looking at your food diary, you may want to cut back on the sugar intake! Even though you're under calories, the overage in your sugar intake can still cause you to retain weight!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    Since you've only recently began exercising there's a good chance that you're just retaining fluid. I would revisit this in a couple more weeks.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    This will help you figure out your THR ~> http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Your-Target-Heart-Rate .

    Also, make sure when you're eating less that you don't under eat and cause your body to go into 'starvation mode'. Also, it's best to workout before you've eaten, that way your body burns the stored fat instead of using the food you just ate for fuel during your workout.

    Substrate utilization during the training bout is really not important. She can eat when she wants provided total intake is appropriate and performance needs are met.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    Are you sure on the Tae Bo burn? Have you tested it with a heart-rate monitor? I would suspect that it's a combination of a mildly overstated burn on that exercise + some fluid retention from beginning new exercise.
  • amandaj1966
    amandaj1966 Posts: 342 Member
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    Hi, I've just looked at your food diary, do you ever eat breakfast? If not I suggest you eat breakfast and try and cut dwn in the sweets.
    A lot of my calories are made up of sweet things which is probably why I haven't lost weight for 6 weeks so let's cut out the sweets together and watch our weight disappear. :smile:
  • bobf279
    bobf279 Posts: 342 Member
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    If you use MFP and log your exercise then you need to eat 1200 + exercise calories, you have probably dropped your food intake too low.
  • sluttin
    sluttin Posts: 1
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    Well you really aren't eating healthy.
    1) You aren't eating breakfast. Eat some fruit, eggs, or at least drink some milk.
    2) You're eating chips and fried food. NO! No wonder you aren't losing weight. You should be eating fruits,veggies, lean meats (turkey, fish, chicken.) And no not fry, broil, or grill. and stay away from sweets and junk.
  • PJP19
    PJP19 Posts: 16 Member
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    There is a saying that rings very true...you can't out-exercise poor nutrition. Not all calories are equal, so a few things to keep in mind:

    1. Have a protein at each meal (while losing weight limit the red meat)
    2. Drink at least 80oz of water each day. Rule of thumb: Pee pale :o) You'll feel like you live in the bathroom for a while, but then your body adjusts to it and actually craves it. By the time you are thirsty, you are already behind the game...c'mon! Drink up!
    3. Log EVERYTHING - you would be surprised how many useless calories you can add to your daily routine...gum, cough drops, a handful of this or that...
    4. Pre-plan your meals for the week... HUGE to success - if you have a plan, you won't be tempted to eat something on the fly.
    5. For me, I make my lunch my heaviest meal...that way I have plenty of time to burn off extra calories by the time I go to bed...and I don't eat after 8:00p.m.

    Keep blogging and let us know how you are doing! Hope this helps! :o) Cheering you on!
    PJ
  • kotten13
    kotten13 Posts: 1
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    I notice 3 eating tendancies that if changed could help.
    1 - eat a more balanced diet. For you that appears to mean more protein & less sugar. Read about glycemic index & the difference between your high glycemic value foods & a low glycemic diet.
    2 - don't skip breakfast. This may seem counter intuitive, but waking up your metabolism in the morning starts the day burning calories. Your body is probably staying in a "starvation mode" where it is trying to conserve the few calories you are giving it. This too is something you can google to find info on.
    3 - drink more water. I don't know if you just aren't listing it in your journal or not, but this too is a topic you may want to read up on.

    You may also find one other tip helpful...
    4 - try interval eating. This last idea is the quirkiest & not something I've personally tried but I know some who swear by it. , It is a variation of the starvation mode mentioned in #2 above. It involves keeping your same caloric intake for the week, (i.e. 1200 x 7 for you), but changing the timing for eating them. To do this on 2 approximately equally spaced days reduce your calorie intake to @ 500, but on the other 5 days increase it to 1480 which would be the offsetting balance. The theory is that if spaced out over the 3 meals the 500 cal intake is still enough to keep your body from going into starvation mode, while it is acclimated to burning your normal 1480 which causes the weight loss on those 2 days.

    Best wishes & God bless.

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