Have not lost a pound in a month WTH?

NorwegianMango
NorwegianMango Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm new to this site, and really need some help.

I am a 40 year old female 5'9" weigh 155. My goal is to be 130

I have been going to the gym for a little over a month. I had a meeting with a personal trainer asking what my goals are. He set me up on a plan for 4-6 weeks to help get my cardio up. I do 15 minutes on the Arc trainer, 15 on the bike, 15 on the elliptical. Then I do 40 lifts on the leg extension machine at 15lbs. I do the leg extension to build up my knees. I have a bad left knee from a sports injury.
He said after 6 weeks to see him after I have lost a bunch of weight which he guaranteed I would with this workout, and then he would also include weight training to tone up.

I do this workout religiously 6 days a week and am burning about 500-525 calories on average with it per workout.

My diet is healthy, Always has been. Here's what my average day is:

BREAKFAST
fruit and nut bar


MORNING SNACK
package of seaweed or about 2 handfuls of carrots.
Zero calorie daily vitamin drink from Costco

LUNCH
Homemade fruit smoothie usually, berries, kale and orange juice

DINNER
Grilled chicken, fish or pork, with veggies. I do not eat carbs at dinner.eat red meat 1-2x a month.

EVENING SNACK
usually popcorn with olive oil and salt.

I also have one quad Espresso with milk from Starbucks everyday.
Morning coffee I use fat free half and half.

I do not eat fast food. And what I am eating above is just about average for my day. I'm not really sure how many calories it is, but it can't be a lot.

I work as a Kindergarten teacher, so I am on my feet all day.
I am also active outside of the gym. My husband, daughter and myself will ride our bikes on the weekends sometimes 20+ miles.

So, I've been doing that workout for a month and go have lost NOTHING. WTH?? I weigh myself every morning and I am consistently 155.7. One morning I was 152.4, but the next day 155.7. I was really beginning to think it was my scale, so I went to the store and weighed myself 155.7!!

What am I doing wrong??

Replies

  • mikeberthold
    mikeberthold Posts: 24 Member
    Your body fat percentage is probably going down, at least. Maybe you're placing body fat with muscle.

    Are you losing inches/sizes at all?

    You're eating like a rabbit, so I'd say you're not sabotaging yourself that way. Some will say you eat too little and there's probably some truth to the fact that varying your intake a bit more will let your body lose weight a bit faster.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    Assuming you've been logging your meals elsewhere(just joined this month), you aren't eating enough.

    Healthy and low calorie are not interchangeable words
  • ChaoticMiNd
    ChaoticMiNd Posts: 247 Member
    I'm no expert but my best guess would be muscle. You are also very close to your goal weight which makes it harder to lose. I'm the same height and same age and I would kill to be 155 again...heck I would be ecstatic at 170 lol.
  • CarmenSRT
    CarmenSRT Posts: 843 Member
    Without accurately tracking your calories taken in you are missing half the equation. From your results though, you seem to be eating enough calories to maintain your present weight. I'd suggest you begin tracking your calories.
  • HealthyLeeLee
    HealthyLeeLee Posts: 97 Member
    And take your measurements!! Sometimes the victory doesn't show on the scale, but you will still be losing inches ;)
  • TonyStark30
    TonyStark30 Posts: 497 Member
    Got to track calories, depending on the portions it could be over your maintenance, the smoothie could be a lot too, and it only takes a little oil for something to be high calorie out of no where.
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    We need more data to be able to figure this out.


    You need: a food scale, measuring cups, accurate estimates of the caloric value of your food items.

    To lose weight you need to run a caloric deficit. My guess is, you aren't.
  • JeffseekingV
    JeffseekingV Posts: 3,165 Member
    Without accurately tracking your calories taken in you are missing half the equation. From your results though, you seem to be eating enough calories to maintain your present weight. I'd suggest you begin tracking your calories.

    Track calories as said. And do it honestly. And try to accurately track your calorie expenditures also. You will see where you stand.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    For the posters who are saying it's muscle gain... that is impossible without the poster lifting heavy and eating enough. OP, you are eating no where near enough to be building muscle.

    You need to be eating more. Track your calories. If you aren't tracking you aren't doing this right. You would be surprised at the calorie counts of things. Start tracking your food and exercise and see where it all falls.

    For breakfast, try to switch out the very processed fruit and nut bar for something like eggs, toast, oatmeal, etc. For lunch, I would suggest something better than a smoothie. It doesn't look like you are getting enough calories or protein in your current diet.
  • wwwdotcr
    wwwdotcr Posts: 128 Member
    Yeah, get a good scale and track accurately. You can't reasonably gain more then 1 - 2 lb of muscle a month. Especially when you are cutting, so its the diet.
  • DrMonhattan
    DrMonhattan Posts: 16
    Hate to say it but you're probably lying about something. You're going over your diet somewhere.

    Also, your diet looks terrible. a fruit and nut bar for breakfast, what is that 140 cals? A smoothie for lunch?

    Just adding it up in my head your maybe at 1k cals and your macros are awful.

    Fruits
    Nuts
    Oats
    Meat

    The real stuff, not pre packaged, high in saturated fats, sitting on the shelf and it never goes bad.

    Carbs
    Fats
    Protein


    Figure it out and log it. Asking for help when you're not even logging it, on the "myfitness pal" website gets you zero sympathy.

    Log it, come back and tell us the data.
  • eileen0515
    eileen0515 Posts: 408 Member
    Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Track your food. Your goal is pretty low for your height, unless you have a tiny frame.
  • joleenl
    joleenl Posts: 739 Member
    First as everyone else says log it. Secondly you are not gaining mucle if you are eating at calorie deficit. You need to eat at a deficit to lose weight - period.

    What would I do:

    1. Find out how much I should be eating (TDEE at http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/)
    2. Log and be sure to be at a deficit. Don't go under 1200 calories. I would use TDEE - 10 or 15% because you are close to your goal.

    On a side note: I think your trainer gave you bad advice. You should incorporate more strength along side your cardio. Maintaining and strengthing your muscles will make your body look better on top of all the health benefits.
  • NorwegianMango
    NorwegianMango Posts: 2 Member
    I have been keeping a log in my iPhone notes for the past month of what I eat daily. As I said, I'm new to this site, so did t know about it and being able to log what I eat. Also been keeping a log of calories burned on my iPhone, so I will try to input all of that info tonight so you all can see.


    BryanGibbons. Nope, not lying, I have always eaten like that. I wasn't asking for sympathy, I was asking for help, but, whatever.
  • dreamweavers4
    dreamweavers4 Posts: 42
    I agree, I would say take your measurments, I am no expert, but 130 seems like a really low weight for someone 5'9", I am 5'3" and my goal is 125, that is what I was in highschool and I was not a rail, but I was pretty thin, I also looked good at 130, it seems that you would look like a skeleton at that weight! Maybe you need to re-evaluate what a healthy weight for you hight is, and then worry more about your measurments etc than your weight.
  • libra2970
    libra2970 Posts: 3 Member
    I agree with the low goal weight.
  • joleenl
    joleenl Posts: 739 Member
    First as everyone else says log it. Secondly you are not gaining mucle if you are eating at calorie deficit. You need to eat at a deficit to lose weight - period.

    What would I do:

    1. Find out how much I should be eating (TDEE at http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/)
    2. Log and be sure to be at a deficit. Don't go under 1200 calories. I would use TDEE - 10 or 15% because you are close to your goal.

    On a side note: I think your trainer gave you bad advice. You should incorporate more strength along side your cardio. Maintaining and strengthing your muscles will make your body look better on top of all the health benefits.

    I'd just like to add that "most people" that want help on this site for not losing weight are because of logging discrepencies or errors. Discrepencies being a failure to log absolutely everything and errors being usaully associated with measuring (a scale is best). Aside from medical reasons, if you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. I know myself I have been struggling with losing for the past month or so.... but I have been eating out (making counting accurately difficult), eating junk food (salt), I am over my calories a few days a week, and I have not been measuring my food (eyeballing it instead) which all account for my lack of loss.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    Hate to say it but you're probably lying about something. You're going over your diet somewhere.

    Also, your diet looks terrible. a fruit and nut bar for breakfast, what is that 140 cals? A smoothie for lunch?

    Just adding it up in my head your maybe at 1k cals and your macros are awful.

    Fruits
    Nuts
    Oats
    Meat

    The real stuff, not pre packaged, high in saturated fats, sitting on the shelf and it never goes bad.

    Carbs
    Fats
    Protein


    Figure it out and log it. Asking for help when you're not even logging it, on the "myfitness pal" website gets you zero sympathy.

    Log it, come back and tell us the data.

    Always amazes me people asking for help, never logs their food, finds some excuse about logging or never opens their diary for honest opnions. I am with you on this.
  • joleenl
    joleenl Posts: 739 Member
    I agree, I would say take your measurments, I am no expert, but 130 seems like a really low weight for someone 5'9", I am 5'3" and my goal is 125, that is what I was in highschool and I was not a rail, but I was pretty thin, I also looked good at 130, it seems that you would look like a skeleton at that weight! Maybe you need to re-evaluate what a healthy weight for you hight is, and then worry more about your measurments etc than your weight.

    I understand this.

    Op - maybe you are skinny fat? So you think you need to lose weight because your body doesn't look the way you want it too? If these is the case you need to incorporate some strength training - like 3 to 4 times a week and reduce the cardio a bit.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    If you've been eating so little all your life, I honestly recommend you see a nutritionist. Your metabolism is probably all messed up and that's why losing weight is going to be really difficult.

    Strength training won't make any difference, there isn't anywhere enough protein or heck, food, in that diet to build any kind of muscle.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
    As many of the posters have already mentioned....burning 500 calories a workout and if what you wrote is your regular day, you aren't eating enough. You also need more protein. I agree that you might want to rethink your goal at your height or not worry about the scale, but take your measurments and start lifting. As someone else already said you may be skinny fat.....meaning your weight is ok, but you need more muscle, less fat which is where the lifting will make changes happen. Calculate your TDEE and BMI on the scooby website someone else posted to determine your daily calorie goal. There is such a thing as not eating enough.

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