why have i stopped losing weight

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kuggsy24
kuggsy24 Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
any thoughts appreciated, i swim 3 to 4 miles a week i also do app 3 hours in the gym a week in addition i cycle about 80 to 120 miles a week. ive stopped smokin recently. i eat fairly healthy. i drink twice a month but i have stopped losing weight ant lost 1 pound in about 4 mnths a friend said my body is slowing down to conserve energy what do you think please advise

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  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    How much do you eat, you should open your diary so people can see what you are eating
  • mmmpink
    mmmpink Posts: 25
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    It's possible you're not eating enough for all the activity you do. You could also try amping up the intensity of your workouts.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    Are you tracking your calories? You may be eating too many, or not enough calories. Do you drink enough water? Do you watch your sodium intake? You say you eat "fairly heathy" - but what does this mean? I found that when I avoided as much processed foods and added sugars as possible, that helped my weight loss. I eat mostly lean protein, vegetables, fruits, eggs, nuts/seeds, whole grains like quinoa and oatmeal, and healthy oils like olive oil.

    There are many things that could be affecting your weight loss - you can exercise a ton, but unless all the other pieces are in place, you may not be seeing the weight loss you want.
  • SaraTN
    SaraTN Posts: 536 Member
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    Have you taken your measurements? It may be that you are losing inches instead of pounds.
  • kuggsy24
    kuggsy24 Posts: 7
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    here is a days entry i would also like to add i work 12 hour shiofts no excuse but its a factor in what i eat.
    super hi fibre muesli with skimmed milk
    cherry biopot yoghurt 125g
    cheese and ham sandwich with oats and seed bread (2 slices)
    chicken and bacon layered pasta salad
    60 mins cycling
    40 mins swimming breastbstroke
    60 mins gym
    i know i could drink more water but this is a typical day for me
  • AllisonMO
    AllisonMO Posts: 68 Member
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    How are you still moving at all? It would seem you are not getting sufficient calories to operate your body at this level of intensity.
  • kuggsy24
    kuggsy24 Posts: 7
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    thanks for the replies guys i am losing inches my SHAPE has changed considerably but i fought i would lose a few more pound i was 220 pound am now 185 i still av a slight jelly belly from a big beer belly so thats where the dissappointment lies
  • amyfly
    amyfly Posts: 137
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    Muscle weighs more than fat - if you're seeing positive changes in your shape still, I wouldn't worry about the scale too much .
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    here is a days entry i would also like to add i work 12 hour shiofts no excuse but its a factor in what i eat.
    super hi fibre muesli with skimmed milk
    cherry biopot yoghurt 125g
    cheese and ham sandwich with oats and seed bread (2 slices)
    chicken and bacon layered pasta salad
    60 mins cycling
    40 mins swimming breastbstroke
    60 mins gym
    i know i could drink more water but this is a typical day for me

    I would recommend you start tracking everything you eat on MFP if you don't already - make sure you're tracking sodium. Cheese and ham both tend to be high in sodium. Make sure you're eating close to what MFP gives you as a goal each day. If you work out alot, it's important that you drink enough water throughout the day, not just before/after workouts. Also, I don't see any fresh fruit for veggies in there - those are essential to a truely healthy diet. Try adding more veggies in slowly, starting with the ones that are easy/convenient (like baby carrots - naturally sweet!). Commit to eating one serving a day for a week, then two... etc. It helps to eat a variety of veggies - that made a big difference for me. I make sure I try something new every few weeks, if I can.
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
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    Yeah, start tracking everything. Especially calories, because you're crazy active. I have days where I need to eat an additional 5-700 calories just because of how active I was that day, and I ain't riding anything no 100 miles. You could easily be burning 1,000-1,500 extra calories with that much activity. If you aren't giving your body enough calories your metablism will slow down so taht you can still get the energy you need. Crank that metabolism back up and you'll start to see thw scale move.
  • kuggsy24
    kuggsy24 Posts: 7
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    cheers i think the answer which ive sort of known is to fuel the fire so to speak and DRINK more water
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
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    I just looked it up in the database, and a 185 lb man doing 60 min of cycling, 40 min of swimming and 60 min of strength training would burn around 1500 calories JUST FOR EXERCISE. If your BMR is around 1500 (just a guess) and you do anything else throughout the day your number for maintanence calories could be well over 3,500, so you could theoretically eat around 2,500 calories/day and STILL lose 2 lbs. a week once you get your metabisom reved back up.
  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
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    Here's my thought...

    You work a 12 hour shift, and unless it's from home, you have commute time. Then you workout for 2 hours and 40 minutes according to your example. Now unless this is done from home, there is commute time. There is 14 hours and 40 minutes a day just between work and exercise, not including commute.

    My guess would be you don't sleep enough, are putting entirely too much stress on your body between the high level of exercise, long shift at work and a caloric deficit. You need sleep or your body goes into survival mode and stores fat for what it thinks might be a long stressful situation.

    If my guess is right, you should try to focus on getting more sleep. If that means cutting some exercise time out, then so be it. Sleep is important.
  • kuggsy24
    kuggsy24 Posts: 7
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    thanks for that i work a "continental" shift pattern 2 days 2 nights 12 hours then 4 days off although it sounds good it is quite exhausting and my body clocks spring is probably over wound i need to find an happy medium between work rest and play we all know sleep is a precious commodity but certain things can take over you life excerise has sort of become an obsession with me (wow airing my feelings on a forum) on top of what i said in my diary my commute to work is 2.5 miles which i cycle lol after this weekend (taking wife away) i will start and fill my diary every day then hopefully i will get MORE good advice thanks to all so far i feel a lot of positivity coming my way:happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy:

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