Not sure what I am doing wrong :(

lisab_0105
lisab_0105 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there, so I am 5'10 and weigh in on average 238. For the last month I have been keeping track of everything I am eating, low fat, low carb, low sodium. I stay between 900-1100 calories a day. I use the ellipticle 5 days a week for 30 mins (2miles, 310 calories) and I do weights with heavy concentration on my arms , back and thighs. I also started hip hop abs. I can't lose a pound to save my life. Heck, sometimes if I go over 1150 calories, I weigh in 4lbs higher. All water, all day. Any guesses as to what I might be doing wrong?
«1

Replies

  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    My guess is input errors or thyroid issues.
  • kkclif
    kkclif Posts: 155 Member
    How is your sugar intake?
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    I don't think your body is liking you eating so little, and is holding onto water like crazy because of it.

    For comparison, I am 5'1'' and take two 30 minute walks a day. I eat 1300 a day, and I'm losing.
  • wanttolose62
    wanttolose62 Posts: 53
    Ok first off, you likely aren't eating enough. If you are working out 5 days a week for 30 minutes, you are not giving your body enough fuel to burn the way it should.

    Women shouldn't eat less than 1200 calories as a completely sedentary individual. You aren't sedentary according to your information.

    However, you may want to have some blood tests done to see if there are any unknown issues.

    Have you gone to any websites to calculate your appropriate caloric intake for your lifestyle? If not, research a few. One site that has multiple calculators is: www.fat2fit.com Someone else suggested this site just for the availability of the different calculators, not for advertisement.

    MFP gave me 1200 calories a day limit, but the other calculators said I should be eating closer to 1500. Now, I'm not certain my number is correct since I just started that level this week. But aside from being tired and hungry all the time at 1200 calories, I do want to see if the higher calories bumps my calorie burning for weight loss.

    Good luck.
  • lisab_0105
    lisab_0105 Posts: 5
    When I wasn't losing I had a whole work up done. Thyroid is perfect.
  • Blueyedtine
    Blueyedtine Posts: 52 Member
    I agree. Eat more, it sounds counterintuitive but when I upped my calories the weight came off so much easier.
  • elleloch
    elleloch Posts: 739 Member
    You need more food, dude.
  • lisab_0105
    lisab_0105 Posts: 5
    I use MFP tracker for everything.
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
    Eat more. Based on your weight, height, and activity, you should be eating in the neighborhood of 1800-2000 calories.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    The calorie objective is too low, but there's something significantly wrong beyond that. Something isn't getting tracked accurately.
  • Kai81109
    Kai81109 Posts: 52 Member
    you are eating to little you need to eat 1200 calories a day and space it out into 4-6 meals.... Check your measurements every week and write them down. Your doing some strength training so your building muscle while burning the fat and muscle weighs more than fat so the scale might not show your loss but your measurements should change... give it time
  • sirenical
    sirenical Posts: 46 Member
    Input your food and exercise and eat your exercise calories.
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
    First watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDANtU4LUkc
    Then watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QHHzie6XRGk

    And focus on a strength training program such as StrongLifts 5x5 or NROLFW
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
    Eat More. Get your thyroid checked. Talk to your doctor, maybe a dietitian too.
  • Elisirmon
    Elisirmon Posts: 273 Member
    I say for 3 weeks do the same amount of exercise but add 200 more calories to your diet and see if it make s a difference : )
  • danger_kitteh
    danger_kitteh Posts: 301 Member
    n/m
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Are you eating back your exercise calories? Do you log everything (including cooking oils, drinks, condiments, etc.)? What kind of weights routine are you doing?

    If you're not eating back your calories burned, read this as it might apply.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    . I stay between 900-1100 calories a day. Any guesses as to what I might be doing wrong?

    yes - quit starving yourself. You need to eat more - especially if you're working out a lot.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    You need more food, dude.
  • TheStephil
    TheStephil Posts: 858 Member
    I suggest eating more. It's very unhealthy to eat that low, especially for someone of your height and weight. EAT MORE! Eat back some of your exercise calories.

    Also, check with your doctor if you have any thyroid problems
  • saxmaniac
    saxmaniac Posts: 1,133 Member
    What's low-fat, low-carb, low-sodium? Nothing but chicken breasts?

    You're doing so much at once, that you have no idea what's working and what isn't. It sounds like you're starving yourself.

    Stop working so hard, and concentrate on one thing at first - eating properly. Get a food scale and measure everything by weight, and use the food labels. Don't trust the MFP food database.

    If you insist on activity, then take a nice stroll for 20 minutes a day, and don't eat back the calories.
  • monjacq1964
    monjacq1964 Posts: 291 Member
    what is your protein intake like? you need protein to maintain and/or build muscle (to stay healthy).
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I more and stop fretting over fad dieting (low this, low that). You'll see a 2 to 4 week fluctuation while your body adjusts, but then you should see benefits. I'm 5'4", 140#, 35, and consume 1700 calories on a low day. I need to stick to 1700 to get down to 125, and I am not a cardio bunny (although I do love teaching step and running, but I don't do either of those things every day). You're over doing it, or under doing it depending on your point of view.
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 928 Member
    Try more cardio. I didn't see any losses until I increased my cardio to 60 mins a day 3-4 days a week with a HRM. Give it a shot.
  • rayneface
    rayneface Posts: 219 Member
    5'11" here - I eat no less than 1700 calories (those days tend to be inactive couch potato days) I eat a lot more on exercise days (2300+) You should give yourself a few weeks at a higher calorie intake and see how your body adjusts. Try to avoid the scale until the end of your experiment. If you watch the fluctuations you might get deterred. I suspect after those couple weeks you'll have dropped weight :)
  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
    Eat more or stop the exercise. If you want to eat very low calorie, you cannot over train on top of it.
  • Kellihulst
    Kellihulst Posts: 140 Member
    I agree with many others that say to eat more!! And increase your lean protein. Are you getting enough water?
  • shannonespinoza
    shannonespinoza Posts: 18
    As someone who is similar (a bit shorter and heavier tho!) to your stats, you need to eat more. You calories likely need to be closer to 2000 a day. There are some great calculators from which you can get this information. I can never find the link, but there is a great article here on the message boards called In Place of A Road Map. It has excellent advice on which websites to go to in order to find your caloric needs and how to use the numbers you figure from them. Good luck!
  • AnnDM1
    AnnDM1 Posts: 3 Member
    There are three other tests you should look at having done. Even if your thyroid is normal.

    Get your doctor to check your vitamin D level. If it is not in the "normal" range it can impact your wt loss. Also too low of a vitamin D level can trigger your "fight or flight" response in your body. That produces to much cortisol which makes you gain more fat versus burning the calories.

    Which brings me to the other tests. DHEA and Cortisol. They are both hormones that impact your thyroid and other weight loss issues. If your ratio is "off" then you will convert calories into fat (mainly belly fat).

    This is what my doctor tells me.

    My doctor put me on a low dose of DHEA because my levels were on the low end of normal. I dropped 7 pounds in 4 weeks while on vacation and not tracking or watching what I ate. We are now trying to get my vitamin D level up.. I am new to using MFP (joined but never really tracked until about a week ago) but hope that all of this will help with my wt loss.
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
    are you drinking plenty of water? I just had the exact same complaint, started drinking loads of water and started losing straight away.

    It will be more than one issue probably. I find if you undereat you may be picking more, you must be very hungry at such low calorie. So your calorie intake may be higher than you think (ever watch Secret Eaters?)

Categories