I need some serious help!!

I have been working so hard on my clean eating and exercise since feb and haven't seen any change at all!! I only have time to exercise 20 minutes a day due to my job, but an hour on a sat then Sunday is a rest day! Sometimes I've gone a bit off the beaten track but its only a bad day never a bad week. I'm 5ft 8 and 156 lbs. I'm not to fussed about the weight as I know muscle weights more then fat, but I'm just not seeing any change!! I need help!!!

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Opening your diary would probably give people more information to help you. What are your goals? How many calories are you eating? Are you measuring/weighing your food? What kind of exercise are you doing?
  • missshyeviolett
    missshyeviolett Posts: 310 Member
    Eating clean =/= calorie deficit. Are you eating at a deficit?
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    At 5'8 and 156 you are not technically over-weight. I have a medium build and I look best at the upper end of my BMI range (5'6, 150). Contrary to what many MFP members will say, there's more to health and fat storage than "just" calories. Our body is a complex system.

    That 20 minutes a day would be adequate for a great weight training program, which would give you results if you stick with it. Body weight training can be as simple or difficult as you like and a bare minimum of props are required.

    Are you eating lots of healthy fat and protein (yes, I mean animals)?
  • stephwedge
    stephwedge Posts: 17
    Thanks for all your responses! I don't have a food diary on here I only signed up to ask this question!! My daily diet is mainly this, oatmeal with cinnamon and peanut butter and a banana, snack a spinach smoothie, lunch pasta salad with pesto and wholemeal pasta rice cakes and an apple, snack is a handful of mixed unsalted nuts and a rice cake, dinner varies between, turkey, fish and mince meat with rice and veg, if I have a bit if a chocolate craving I have a square of dark chocolate but that's rarely.

    My exercise is strength, minimal cardio and abs!
  • mamosh81
    mamosh81 Posts: 409 Member
    if you not measuring your food you most likely over estimating like many of us did before getting a food scale
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Thanks for all your responses! I don't have a food diary on here I only signed up to ask this question!! My daily diet is mainly this, oatmeal with cinnamon and peanut butter and a banana, snack a spinach smoothie, lunch pasta salad with pesto and wholemeal pasta rice cakes and an apple, snack is a handful of mixed unsalted nuts and a rice cake, dinner varies between, turkey, fish and mince meat with rice and veg, if I have a bit if a chocolate craving I have a square of dark chocolate but that's rarely.

    My exercise is strength, minimal cardio and abs!

    i would try logging for a week and see how many calories you actually eat, then you can see if you have a deficit or not, and work from there.
  • I agree for your 5'8" and 156 Lbs. your in the Normal range for BMI and some of us are working to get in that range.

    My question would be "What kind of changes are you expecting?" Increased endurance? Body shape to change? Your answer to that question really opens up WHAT you need to do to accomplish it.
  • stephwedge
    stephwedge Posts: 17
    No deficit my callorie intake is just a little over 1200 which is perfect! I want my body to change! I want to be toned not squishy!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    No deficit my callorie intake is just a little over 1200 which is perfect! I want my body to change! I want to be toned not squishy!

    if you eat just over 1200 cals, thats actually a pretty BIG deficit from your TDEE....
  • stephwedge
    stephwedge Posts: 17
    What's TDEE?
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
    If you're exercising 20 minutes per day, you don't need a rest day. You are well below the recommended minimum for exercise for basic health let alone the kind or amount of exercise that will contribute to weight loss or fitness. Also, your diet is super high carb and low protein.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    No deficit my callorie intake is just a little over 1200 which is perfect! I want my body to change! I want to be toned not squishy!

    You need to eat a lot of food (above your TDEE which is your maintain weight calories) along with lifting heavy weights to gain muscle to become "toned". Eating so little will actually increase muscle loss leading to a higher body fat %
  • stephwedge
    stephwedge Posts: 17
    Can anyone give me a good diet plan? I don't eat pork or lamb and only minced beef, and i only like white fish!
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    What's TDEE?

    TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. it's the number of calories your body burns in a day. It's also the number of calories you would need to eat to maintain your current weight. There are a lot of calculators online to figure yours, like this one: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/