Why aren't I losing weight?

Options
I've searched and searched, I can't figure out why I'm losing weight.

Before I started being serious about my diet, I was not exercising and eating like 1,800 calories... I was losing a little bit of weight. Like a pound or two a month. For this last month I decided to step my game out and I've been good on my diet and exercise. But now I've been consistently GAINING a pound a week.

For exercise on weekdays I'll do the treadmill/elliptical at the gym for 45 minutes to an hour, and then the 30 day shred in the evenings with my sister. I'm eating 1,200 calories a day, if I work out I'll eat back some of my exercise calories. Regardless if I eat back my exercise calories or not I'm still gaining weight.

What's going on? I don't know what to do anymore. I know I'm getting much more fit (I can run over a mile nonstop vs not being able to sprint for 30 seconds without feeling like dying) and I know I'm getting firmer. My legs feel rock solid and I thiink feel smaller. I took my measurements for the first time today to make sure.

What should I do? :( It's so discouraging. It's really hard to eat less and I'm trying to work my butt off. Should I eat more or less? Am I overworking myself??

Replies

  • KateK8LoseW8
    KateK8LoseW8 Posts: 824 Member
    Options
    Can you open your diary? It would help us identify any issues with your diet. To do so, click "settings" on the bar on your home page, go to "diary settings" and select "public."
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
    Options
    Do you weigh all of your intake on a digital scale?
  • cherbellisario
    Options
    Hey this might sound really weird but i think it's called “mis-counting” calories because most foods that aren't packaged (which we are suppose to eat as they are least-processed) what I meant is raw foods like fish, meat, veges, nuts are harder to measure sometimes we tend to mis-count and over eat. Take for example nuts, a cup of almond nuts is already 530 calories and it isn't impossible to think hey nuts healthy one cup won't kill but it kinda will. Same goes to pasta or whole wheat pasta if that's what u use, most serving at restaurants are equivalent to 3-4 servings and of you're used to the portions in a restaurant then maybe you should finely and strictly measure your food next time. Andone type of foods people always over apply on their cooking is oil. 3 tablespoon is a lot and some people don't even measure it on spoon they just pour the whole damn thing into the pot that equivalents to 3 Big Macs. So hope I helped
  • mssgeni
    mssgeni Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    K, it's open now, thank you! :) Just a disclaimer... sometimes I forget to log my exercise and some foods. But you might get the jist of it.

    I weigh myself on the wiifit scale we have at home. I think it's pretty accurate, it's the same weight that the scale at my work and those big machines at grocery stores...

    Edit: cherbellisari, that might be it! Most of the time I'm not really sure how many calories the food I make has so I just guesstimate comparing it to other similar foods I find in my fitnesspal... usually chosing a higher medium of whatever I find.
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
    Options
    Here is a hint.... "I've been eating 1800 with no exercise and was losing a half pound a week"

    We all have a sweet spot for a loss and yours is closer to 1800 than it is to 1200. Less isn't always better :wink:
  • mssgeni
    mssgeni Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    That's what I was afraid of... I'm scared of eating more and getting bigger. :x If I overeat some days (which I have) I'll feel bigger not too long later. Should I gradually eat more calories or something? Aaand should that much be my net calories or pre-workout calories?
  • edlovrich
    Options
    Just started with a fitness trainer who did a metabolic test. One of the interesting things she said was that if caloric intake was TOO low, your body would go into "starvatoin mode" that is, it would recognize that caloric intake was not enough to sustain current weight and your metabolism would slow down to conserve. It is possible that this is occuring.
  • Sierra_christine89
    Sierra_christine89 Posts: 156 Member
    Options
    Oh girl...
    Okay first of all if you're working out you need to be fueling your body with the right foods.
    You can't be working out, and then eating junk. You need to have a healthy diet PLUS a good workout.
    Also, 1200 is hardly enough for your body to function correctly to help you lose weight. I hit a plateau after eating 1200 for a few weeks, and then I upped it to 1500 calories and started losing weight again, and crazy inches off of my body. Then once that stopped, I upped it to 1800 calories and started losing weight rapidly.
    less isn't always better. And for Gods sake do not eat less than 1200. 1200 is low enough as it is. When people are in comas in the hosipital they don't even feed them that low. They at least give them 1500 which is about as low as most of everybody's bodies can go without hurting themselves. Up your calories and see if that works. And remember just because you have more calories to eat does not mean you should eat bad quality food with higher calories just to meet your goal (From experience)
  • shapefitter
    shapefitter Posts: 900 Member
    Options
    You where doing fine on 1800 or more a day. You just have to step up your excersice routine, as you have to work a bit more to burn kcal the lesser you weigh. The fitter you get, the more excercise.
  • KateK8LoseW8
    KateK8LoseW8 Posts: 824 Member
    Options
    Okay, first thing - yes, a calorie is a calorie. That said, you're going to be able to work out more effectively and therefore burn more calories if you are properly fueling your body. Yes, ice cream, Starbucks cakes, and frosting are okay sometimes, but if you're sacrificing room in your diet for more nutritionally sound choices to make room for lots of treats, you are just robbing yourself of good fuel. Increase your protein and healthy fat, decrease the amount of empty carbohydrates. I'm not saying carbohydrates are bad, but you need to find balance. This may or may not have anything to do with your weight loss, but it needs to be said. Out of love, of course. :)

    Second, yes, you need to get a food scale and weigh your portions and everything you are putting into your recipes. If you're just picking something out of the database you could be WAY off. Here's what I do: Use the recipe tool, and weigh each ingredient as you add it to your recipe. After cooking, weigh all of the food. Divide that weight by however many servings you intend it to be. Weigh out one portion. There you go, accurate. It takes a little bit more time, but you could be eating 300 calories without realizing it, which adds up quick. And when you have that recipe again, you know how much a serving is, and all you have to do is weigh one out.

    Third, are you weighing things like your cheerios and strawberries? For packaged foods, there is usually a weight in grams that is one serving on the nutritional facts. For generic things like fruit and nuts, you can search "[Food Item] USDA" and select "100g" from the serving size drop-down list and use the weight in grams of your food there. It might not add up to much difference for your fruit, but if you're going by measure for things like almonds or peanut butter, that can be a huge source of hidden calories.

    Finally, you may just not be eating enough. I went through a period where I was chronically under-eating along with overexercising, and while I lost weight, it was very sporadic. I would stall for weeks at a time before dropping any weight. Now that I have increased my calories, I am losing at the same overall pace, but much more consistently. 0.2 lb here, 0.6 lb there, etc instead of dropping a pound and a half every once in a sweet while. And I feel much better. If you were losing weight successfully at a higher intake, why did you drop it?
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Options
    Eat 1800 calories for a month and do not eat back you exercise calories.

    Use MFP and a food scale to stop half assing your calories intake. If you are still gaining weight after a month, lower to 1500 calories.

    If you are gaining fat, you are eating too much.
  • zensugi
    zensugi Posts: 76
    Options
    Also measure yourself and check if you are getting smaller, not only lighter.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    Options
    Just started with a fitness trainer who did a metabolic test. One of the interesting things she said was that if caloric intake was TOO low, your body would go into "starvatoin mode" that is, it would recognize that caloric intake was not enough to sustain current weight and your metabolism would slow down to conserve. It is possible that this is occuring.

    hmm ... http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode
    K, it's open now, thank you! :) Just a disclaimer... sometimes I forget to log my exercise and some foods. But you might get the jist of it.

    I weigh myself on the wiifit scale we have at home. I think it's pretty accurate, it's the same weight that the scale at my work and those big machines at grocery stores...

    Edit: cherbellisari, that might be it! Most of the time I'm not really sure how many calories the food I make has so I just guesstimate comparing it to other similar foods I find in my fitnesspal... usually chosing a higher medium of whatever I find.

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

    perhaps log everything that goes into your mouth (weighing all things, just measure the liquids) for a few weeks and see how much you are actually taking in and then adjust as necessary. When I used to measure my food and occasionally estimate I was always around 1100 calories a day, then I started weighing and it turned out to be 1350 to 1450. Not an issue for me, I lost weight anyways, but if you are not losing, it doesn't hurt to double check.
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
    Options
    Your protein and fiber seem low. Have you calculated your macro targets? If not, go here, this thread covers that... and more:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    Otherwise, please don't feel you have to cut out foods you love to succeed. You just need to find the correct balance. This is also an excellent article:

    http://impruvism.com/flexible-dieting-basics/
  • mssgeni
    mssgeni Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    You guys are amazing. Thank you so much for all your help! Tehee. You got me there about the carbs. I kind of assumed that as long as I was under my calories, it really didn't matter what kind of calories it was. I have a weakness for delicious carbs!! As far as protein and fiber... I just take protein shakes to fill me up and I need to force myself to eat veggies. I eat like a finicky picky 5 year old... I am ashamed. :C

    About weighing food... I never do that. Didn't even think of it. =/ I just have this big measuring cup for like cereals and stuff, I try to use whatever portion the box tells me to have, like 3/4 cups or something. For fruits I really don't even think about that. :x Thank you so much for suggesting this to me, I really didn't think about that at all.

    So I'm definitively upping my calorie intake then. A little bit though... I'll feel like a whale if I suddenly go back to eating what I ate before.

    Time to read articles and get informed!!! :) Thank you so much again!
  • aetzkorn14
    aetzkorn14 Posts: 169 Member
    Options
    I always gain weight when I initially start working out and in the past it has always deterred me and I would stop all together. I agree with what several people have said about it possibly being not enough food. Keep in mind when you workout,, especially weights, your body will retain some water and you will gain "weight" from new muscle mass. Key word is weight not fat. I would switch to measuring rather than weighing as well. the scale can be so depressing and inaccurate at times.
  • mssgeni
    mssgeni Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    You're exactly right aetz, it's very depressing... each week since I started working out I think I have to lose weight because I work out and it's like a slap in the face when I just see the number get bigger. -_- Maybe I should switch to lighter weights or something, or just wait until my muscles max out because of the working out... I think I'll start drinking more water too in case I'm retaining it!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Options
    You've lost quite a bit of weight so you have been doing something right. Why did you lower your calories when you started exercising? That doesn't make sense to me. :ohwell:

    If you are gaining weight, then perhaps you are eating more than you think and/or underestimating calories consumed.

    I suspect you are overestimating your exercise calories too. Do you use a HRM or do you use the MFP database, or some other method of calculating?
  • mssgeni
    mssgeni Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    I'm a horrible binge eater and when I start eating sweets and other bad stuff I'll just keep eating. That's really what got me at this weight, I would eat much more in snacks than my meals. It's like I have no self control! So I started changing my ways but it was kind of counter productive. I use a polar ft4 heart rate monitor to track how many calories I'm burning. The calories it says I burn does seem a little high though =/
  • septembergrrl
    septembergrrl Posts: 168 Member
    Options
    I haven't read all the replies, but my guess from looking at your journal is that maybe you aren't logging everything? E.g., you counted a pack of Lean Cuisine salad stuff, but not the lettuce/veggies or the salad dressing. Pancake mix, but not butter or syrup. Try logging absolutely everything, down to that five calories of lettuce, and see if it makes a difference.