Why Wont this weight go away.
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You have to eat according to your needs. How did you come up with 1200 calories? That's way too little for an active young woman. If all you do is cardio, and starve yourself (not intake enough calories to keep your body functioning efficiently) - you will not loose weight. Look at it as the equivalent of being a hamster in a wheel. I was stuck in this cycle for almost two years, before I realized that I was going nowhere. You need to set a goal, calculate what your BMR is with your activity level and what you need to maintain your current weight. Then reduce that 5-15% and eat well balanced meals of carbs/proteins/fats. Start lifting weights to make your body more efficient. Straight cardio will keep you at the same weight, but your body fat % is either going to stay the same, or you'll slowly gain more, especially if you're eating some arbitrary number of calories with no rhyme or reason.
I have a desk job, would adding calories still apply if my activity level during the day is just sitting at the computer?
i understand fully what your telling me, I 'm just scared to be honest. I wold like to add calories, just wasn't sure that was right. I got 1200 from wanting to lose weight, and having a low activity level during the day. according to MFP.,.,
Oh i know that, I'm talking about the Settings area where you put your activity level in.
MFP doesn't count your exercise though. If you accurately add exercise to MFP, your daily calories allowed would increase.0 -
Have you tried cutting out refined sugar and wheat?
Also remember muscle weighs more than fat. You could of put on some muscle from all the exercising, so a little of the extra weight you are carrying could be muscle you put on.0 -
Try getting a body fat % reading in addition to your weight. That will give you a truer picture of your overall fitness level. My gym has one, but you have to get a trainer to get on it.
Change your MFP settings to lose 1 lb/week. Make sure you're eating [mostly] the right things and measuring/counting everything.
Good luck!0 -
Have you tried cutting out refined sugar and wheat?
Not quite, I tried sugar, but I eat apples and fruits that contain sugar a lot. Wheat might be hard for me.. I eat a lot of oat bran/oatmeal..0 -
Thank you very much, I will look into that. Adding some calories would be nice lol. 1200 seems so low.
No problem. If you notice that you're hungry/craving things all the time. It's totally because you don't eat enough. I was the same way. Eat a banana- gain a pound. Nothing changed, and kept upping the cardio thinking I wasn't doing enough. I stayed at the same weight, yes, but it would fluctuate up and down a couple of pounds. It would go down when I would reduce calories (arbitrary number) and then as soon as I ate extra it would go right back up and sometimes more. Proper nutrition takes a bit of time and effort to figure out, but there are tons of resources/calculators online to get you started. Don't be afraid to eat more. And definitely don't be afraid of weights-you will see amazing results and wonder why you didn't do this sooner. I can attest to that
Once you started to add more calories did you notice a change in weight? How did it turn out for you?
Your very helpful lol.
Yes! Once I upped my calories, and spread it into even meals. I dropped 2 lbs in just a few days. I want to lose slowly, because I'm not focused on my weight since size is not an issue for me. I'm focused on getting rid of fat and building muscle. And this was the best part. 1/2 inch of my belly (by biggest part because of pregnancy) in 1 month. I damn nearly fainted in surprise! I couldn't believe that after stuffing myself with food every day. I make sure to spread my meals into 4-5 meals per day. I pre-cook all the grains like brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, steelcut oatmeal, etc. I pre-cook lean meats and legumes. I try to steam veggies for each meal, but I have that luxury because I work from home, you can precook them daily if you want, or eat raw. Measure out your amounts based on your carb/protein/fat ratio, and stick to it. These meals will make you feel very full, too full at times, and you will feel like you're overeating, but believe me - you will not be reaching into your cupboard for that afternoon carb craving like a junkie. I also stopped crashing in the afternoon or post workouts. I stopped treating weekends like a free for all - you know, the "I work out so I can eat whatever I want mentality." But, I do make sure to indulge a little here and there. I drink, but I limit the number of drinks to a couple, and try to keep it to one day a week. Remember that your body is a very efficient and highly adaptable machine and if it does the same thing over and over again, it gets used to it. Change things up, eat different meal combinations, try new foods. Change up your exercise routine regularly. And you will see results.0 -
I would also suggest making your food diary public, hard to make suggestions when we can't see what you are eating. However, my guess is you are not eating enough, if you are under 1200-that is not even enough calories if you do no additional exercise. I would also reccomend incorporating strength training into your workouts and not doing strictly cardio, muscle burns fat. Too much cardio burns muscle. P.S. try to find ways to drink more water....0
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Also muscle does not weigh more than fat, a lb of fat is a lb. of muscle, however, a lb of muscle in your body takes up much less space than a lb. of fat.0
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It's not happening because you don't have a specific program you're sticking to. The numbers have to add up right and consistency matters.
Be specific about your goal. Now figure out how to reasonably get there (say a 1/2 a week). Then write a plan specifically on how you're going to do it: what you eat, how many calories you'll burn, etc. Then stick to the plan. Any deviation will derail the progress.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
I am the same way. And on top of it all, I drink a lot of water ( I am addicted to hot water
) by the end of the day.
So I stopped concentrating on how much I weigh....and changed my thinking a bit. I now focus more on my power. Can I lift more weights? Can I run longer? Jump higher? Can I do more push Ups/Pull Ups as the days go by? Can I dance longer at Zumba? Am I getting more definition on my arms, legs, etc? And so forth...All this is coming together very well thus far
I figure that if I continue doing what I am doing now, while fuelling my body right, the rest will come in. So I fret not about weight scale 0 -
The sugar in fruit is perfectly fine for you. It is the refined sugar you buy in packets in the shop that is bad for you.
My honest opinion, you don't need to loose weight, 130 pounds is 58.967kg.
You don' have a weight problem.0 -
So you started Couch to 5K a few weeks back and you lost 3 lbs? And you're upset about this?! I think the problem is that you are expecting too much too fast. Weight loss takes a long time, especially if you don't have much left to lose. I lost an average of 3.5lbs in 10 months, and have been maintaining my goal weight for over 6 months. It was many weeks of up and down, up and down, but the trend was downward. I almost gave up so many times because of the crazy fluctuations and plateaus but what kept me going is the fact that my overall health kept improving with each pound lost. I had insomnia when I was overweight and that's gone now. I don't feel sluggish all the time. Eating healthy food makes me feel great, not gross. I get excited about exercising (most of the time haha). Monitor your results over the long term too, not just the short term. Take measurements once a month and keep them in an excel file or something. Looking at the downward trend month after month was really motivating, and it made me so proud of myself.
Also, use and abuse MFP! Brag to us about your workouts and healthy eating days! Any extra support helps. Feel free to add me as I'm still here every day and love giving and receiving support.
You can do this!0 -
Avicini You don't have a weight problem. You don't need to loose any weight.0
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Good morning,
i understand your frustration. Sometimes your body gets used to your scheduled routine and it may be as simple as changing it up and adding some circuit training. Build your muscles decreases fat. Stop looking so much at the number on the scale and look at the size in your clothing and how you feel in them.I can definitely tell you that you do not eat enough. You need to fuel your body just like you would fuel your car. it cant run on empty. 1200 calories is boarder line starving your self. The biggest meals you should have is in the morning. limit your fruits, try and eliminate the sugars, increase your vegetables. Decrease your refined grains and carbs and switch to quinoa, brown rice and seeds, nuts. Hopefully this will help. Dont give up, remember this is a lifestyle not a diet. it took me many years of trying and changing my habits to realize this. Ive lost over 116lbs and 10 dress sizes and I did it with eating and exercise!! now i am a trainer and lifestyle coach.... good luck!
Andrea
Life Style Coach
Personal trainer0 -
Do you have your goals set to lose 2 pounds a week? If so, that is probably where the 1200 calories came from. Even with a sedentary job, someone of your size should be eating more. And because you only need to lose about 15 more pounds, it is going to take much longer than someone like me that needs to lose a lot more. I would advise setting your goals to 1 pound a week. That should change up your macros a little. Try it out for a week or two and see how you feel. This is a learning game, sometimes you have to play with the settings to see what works best for you. I would also advise taking measurements. As someone said before you might be gaining muscle so the scale won't go down, but you will see that you are actually "shrinking". LOL
You are def. right. thank you so much for your time and help!!!!0 -
So you started Couch to 5K a few weeks back and you lost 3 lbs? And you're upset about this?! I think the problem is that you are expecting too much too fast. Weight loss takes a long time, especially if you don't have much left to lose. I lost an average of 3.5lbs in 10 months, and have been maintaining my goal weight for over 6 months. It was many weeks of up and down, up and down, but the trend was downward. I almost gave up so many times because of the crazy fluctuations and plateaus but what kept me going is the fact that my overall health kept improving with each pound lost. I had insomnia when I was overweight and that's gone now. I don't feel sluggish all the time. Eating healthy food makes me feel great, not gross. I get excited about exercising (most of the time haha). Monitor your results over the long term too, not just the short term. Take measurements once a month and keep them in an excel file or something. Looking at the downward trend month after month was really motivating, and it made me so proud of myself.
Also, use and abuse MFP! Brag to us about your workouts and healthy eating days! Any extra support helps. Feel free to add me as I'm still here every day and love giving and receiving support.
You can do this!
Yes, I totally agree. Expectations have to be realistic. Measurements are more efficient than a scale. Determine your goal, make a plan to go with it, and stick to it. You have to think long-term both in terms of results and lifestyle. What will you do once you reach that goal?0 -
Good morning,
i understand your frustration. Sometimes your body gets used to your scheduled routine and it may be as simple as changing it up and adding some circuit training. Build your muscles decreases fat. Stop looking so much at the number on the scale and look at the size in your clothing and how you feel in them.I can definitely tell you that you do not eat enough. You need to fuel your body just like you would fuel your car. it cant run on empty. 1200 calories is boarder line starving your self. The biggest meals you should have is in the morning. limit your fruits, try and eliminate the sugars, increase your vegetables. Decrease your refined grains and carbs and switch to quinoa, brown rice and seeds, nuts. Hopefully this will help. Dont give up, remember this is a lifestyle not a diet. it took me many years of trying and changing my habits to realize this. Ive lost over 116lbs and 10 dress sizes and I did it with eating and exercise!! now i am a trainer and lifestyle coach.... good luck!
Andrea
Life Style Coach
Personal trainer
Thank you!!! I really appreciate your responsee!0 -
Thank you very much, I will look into that. Adding some calories would be nice lol. 1200 seems so low.
No problem. If you notice that you're hungry/craving things all the time. It's totally because you don't eat enough. I was the same way. Eat a banana- gain a pound. Nothing changed, and kept upping the cardio thinking I wasn't doing enough. I stayed at the same weight, yes, but it would fluctuate up and down a couple of pounds. It would go down when I would reduce calories (arbitrary number) and then as soon as I ate extra it would go right back up and sometimes more. Proper nutrition takes a bit of time and effort to figure out, but there are tons of resources/calculators online to get you started. Don't be afraid to eat more. And definitely don't be afraid of weights-you will see amazing results and wonder why you didn't do this sooner. I can attest to that
Once you started to add more calories did you notice a change in weight? How did it turn out for you?
Your very helpful lol.
Yes! Once I upped my calories, and spread it into even meals. I dropped 2 lbs in just a few days. I want to lose slowly, because I'm not focused on my weight since size is not an issue for me. I'm focused on getting rid of fat and building muscle. And this was the best part. 1/2 inch of my belly (by biggest part because of pregnancy) in 1 month. I damn nearly fainted in surprise! I couldn't believe that after stuffing myself with food every day. I make sure to spread my meals into 4-5 meals per day. I pre-cook all the grains like brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, steelcut oatmeal, etc. I pre-cook lean meats and legumes. I try to steam veggies for each meal, but I have that luxury because I work from home, you can precook them daily if you want, or eat raw. Measure out your amounts based on your carb/protein/fat ratio, and stick to it. These meals will make you feel very full, too full at times, and you will feel like you're overeating, but believe me - you will not be reaching into your cupboard for that afternoon carb craving like a junkie. I also stopped crashing in the afternoon or post workouts. I stopped treating weekends like a free for all - you know, the "I work out so I can eat whatever I want mentality." But, I do make sure to indulge a little here and there. I drink, but I limit the number of drinks to a couple, and try to keep it to one day a week. Remember that your body is a very efficient and highly adaptable machine and if it does the same thing over and over again, it gets used to it. Change things up, eat different meal combinations, try new foods. Change up your exercise routine regularly. And you will see results.
Thank you !!! I def have some changing to do hahah0 -
I've noticed my muscles retain water the day after a good workout/run. I would suggest weighing yourself after a rest day or two, if you only weigh after a hard run that could be screwing up your numbers.0
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A few things... The thing with beer is that it will dehydrate you. And it sounds like you're dehydrated already. When you're dehydrated your body will hold on to all the water you give it. I don't care if you don't like water, find a way that you can drink it. Its no different than other healthy changes in your diet. I agree your calorie intake is too low. I know 115 isn't low, but there is one thing I want to say about it. Where did you get that number? Is it what you weighed in high school? It may be a healthy bmi for your height but depending on how much muscle you have it may be on the low side. From 18 to 21 your body is still changing shape and you may need to watch how you look at the weights to make sure you still look healthy. People like you (I did this too) have goal weights at the bottom end of their bmi to lose to when they don't have much to lose, but it doesn't mean it's healthy for them. If I tried to weigh what I did in high school (120 5'7), I would actually be under weight when I consider how much muscle I have. So my goal for now is 135, when I reach that I'm going to reevaluate and see if I should continue to lose a little more. Having a goal weight is great, but don't let the number blind you and be willing to always reevaluate. I haven't looked at your pictures so it may be fine, just keep it in mind. Try changing the kind or cardio you do, your body may be too accustomed to running, try the elliptical for 30-45 minutes instead. Its also good to set goals besides weight, like inches. One of my goals is to be able to do a rope climb without using my feet, run a mile in 9 minutes, get a muscle up, etc. The more goals you have the more you'll be able to see improvement and say, "hey, I couldn't do that before!" It always ties in to not getting wrapped up in a number.0
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Avicini,
FYI....sent you a PM 0
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