I need help!!!

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ashlynn1024
ashlynn1024 Posts: 17
in Health and Weight Loss
I am not really sure what is going on with me!!! for the last 3 to 4 weeks i have been doing between 45-60 mins on the eliptical 4 to 5 days a week. Have stopped drinking pop and only drink water and have cut my calorie intake down to 1200 per day and have not lost any weight! I actually gained a little! I have not noticed any results in my clothes fitting better ect... Does anyone have any suggestions??? This is getting really frustrating!!! I am getting married May 21st of 2011 and already bought my dress like 5 months ago! When I bought it, it fit perfectly and i have gained weight since. I have my fitting at the end of January and have to lose as much weight as i can by then but i want to do it the correct way. Thanks for any help!

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  • IbettR
    IbettR Posts: 139 Member
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    Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!!! :drinker:

    May I suggest making an appt with your doctor (to run some tests on you), but in the meantime, you could take an over-the-counter "water pill" :wink: If you're retaining water, you're not eliminating it and toxins when you could be :happy: I take one and feel that it helps me. Best of luck to you, and hope everything works out 100%!!!!!!!!! :heart:
  • Bamacraft
    Bamacraft Posts: 175 Member
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    Why did you cut down to 1200 per day? We need more info to get close (HT, WT, Age). So, you burn 400-500 on the eliptical and still only eat 1200 per day? If so, there's your problem. 1200 MAY be ok on non-workout days. When you burn 400-500 calories on the eliptical you should eat those extra 400-500 calories that day. Yes, meaning eat 1600-1700 on those long cardio days! First thing though is to make sure 1200 isn't too low on non-workout days.
  • focusqueen
    focusqueen Posts: 6
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    ur body needs a shock....1 wk cardio for hr around a level 5.......next wk 20 min of intense up & down like example on the treadmill stay between a 5-8mph up and down WHOLE time...

    make sure ur eating a balance of carbs, fat, & protein, carbs store fat for example, not good "just" to eat a lean cuisuine... make sense? try balancing ur ratio out... look at my eating past 3 days for example of meals and jus tweak urs a little, k :) that will help soooo much...of SHOCKING ur body...throwing n 1 cheat meal a wk SHOCKS it too...kicks ur metabolism up wondering what i do with this..she NEVER feeds me so im storing fat....so that 1 high calorie meal, ACTUALLY helps u..i know it all sounds messed up, BUT IT works :P lol good luck :*
  • Chenoachem
    Chenoachem Posts: 1,758 Member
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    If you are eating 1200 calories only and working out that much without eating exercise calories you may not be eating enough. Try eating most if not all of your exercise calories and see if that helps.

    Congratulations and good luck.
  • Desiree219
    Desiree219 Posts: 28
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    just out of curiosity, what is your sodium intake? If it's too high, you may be retaining water...also if you're working out hard, your muscles may retain water as well...

    I had something similar happen the last couple of weeks...I gained four pounds in a week or so, which was ridiculous because I was exercising and staying under my calories...so I really limited my sodium and skipped exercising for a few days to give my muscles a chance to heal...Now I've lost not only the weight I put back on, but another pound in addition to that.

    Don't give up! We all have those crazy times where the scale doesn't reflect the effort we put in...

    Good Luck, and Congratulations for your wedding!
  • Sharonbed4d
    Sharonbed4d Posts: 163
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    Make sure you are eating enough calories. If you burn 400 from exercise and only eat 1200, it's actually 800 calories you've eaten. I see so many people who are exercising hard, not get the proper fuel for their bodies. I also recommend wearing a HRM to get the most accurate calories. Gym equipment is often not accurate and MFP can either over or under estimate.
  • osram34
    osram34 Posts: 54
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    Intervals.... long cardio sessions are not as helpfull as intervalsss go at 100% from 30 sec to a minute then rest a minute then do it again and again and again... ull see that will burn more fat than u have never imagined... also i might have to change it up and start doing some weights (multi joint exercies only) look them up :) KEEP ON TRUKING.

    Weight loss is a marathon not a raceee.... look beyond your weeding and before u know it ull see a difference on the day of your wedding congrats..
  • debkin
    debkin Posts: 14
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    You are definitely not eating enough and your body has gone into "starvation mode". Good for you for cutting out the pop and switching to water! Keep it up. I can't see your food, but as long as you are making smart choices (clean food) and staying away from processed foods, the weight will start to fall off. Good luck!
  • focusqueen
    focusqueen Posts: 6
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    totally agree with sbedford! heart rate vERY important, if u not n the range ur not in total fat burning mode :)
  • sjoy711
    sjoy711 Posts: 40 Member
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    Don't fret too much. Take your time. Weight isn't going to just magically disappear just because you've decided to eat better or exercise. It sounds to me like your body is freaking out (thinking that you are in starvation mode) that you are trying to lose weight so quickly and is storing fat instead of losing it. It is self sabatoge and your body needs fat and calories in order to burn fat and calories.
    1. Never eat LESS than 1200. In fact, the best thing for you to do is go to the tools tab on MFP. Click on BMR and enter your information. This will show you how many calories your body needs even if you just stayed in bed all day. If you are more active your body needs more calories. Never eat LESS than the recommended BMR!
    2. That's great that you are working out so hard! It shows that you are committed and dedicated. However, your body adapts to workouts after time. I would recommend that you change it up. Go for a 45 min walk or do circuits (1 min elliptical as fast as you can push yourself, then 2 min slow, then 1 min fast, then 2 min slow).
    3. Make sure you are drinking your water. You have to drink at least 8 glasses a day to help flush your system out.
    4. Cut back on your sugar and processed foods. Your liver was designed to burn fat. However, when it is too busy trying to rid your body of bad chemical foods and excess sugar it doesn't have time to burn fat. Stay away from pre-packaged foods, juices, foods labeled "low-fat", white bread, and cereals.
    5. Eat all the fruits and veggies that you want. Eat anything natural - eggs, butter, bacon (in moderation), chicken, fish, steak, sweet potatoes. All of these foods have the vitamins, minerals, fat, and calories that you need to lose weight.

    Check out the video on www.thedietsolution.com. This talks about healthy eating. If you eat right, and eat the calories that your body needs you WILL lose weight, and you will lose it relatively quickly. ;) Keep your chin up, chickie. You are on the right track.
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
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    I agree with eating some of your exercise cals - not all though. Check your sodium levels - cut back on it. Worked for me. Also - don't maintain the same cals everyday - go up and down with them - fool the body. Change up your exercise routine too. Good luck!
  • qbana721
    qbana721 Posts: 1
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    You need to make sure you are eating something every few hours. If you go hours without a snack your metabolism slows down and stops burning calories at a fast rate.
  • firedragon064
    firedragon064 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    Google HIIT and crossfit. They will still burn more fat after couple hours of the workout.
    Use myfitnesspal seach for Eat Stop Eat thread to see if you want to try that diet. It works for me. Check out youtube on that topic also.
    If you still did not lose weight or inches in another month, you need to see your doctor for thyroid or if you are on some kind of medication that may cause your to gain weight?
  • ashlynn1024
    ashlynn1024 Posts: 17
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    How do i adjust my page to not make it look like i am over my calorie intake....i am around 5'7" and weigh 188.4....how many calories should i be eating????
  • Bamacraft
    Bamacraft Posts: 175 Member
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    You need ~1600 / day nor counting any exertion at all. Eat those cals and use your exercise cals so that you burn a total of 3500 / week. Example: Eat ~1600 per day. Exercise 45-60 minutes for ~5 times per week. This assumes you burn 700 calories per workout. 1600 * 7 = 11,200 which maintains current weight but subtract the 3500 from exercise. Your net for the week is 7700. This would result (assuming sodium, water retention etc etc is not playing games in weight) a 1lb loss. This is not exact since there are many variables that vary from person to person but its close.

    Patience! "Stressing about it" is probably worse than the water retention, sodium etc..

    I would suggest that you begin at the low end of the spectrum when considering HR. I went and was cleared by a cardiologist prior to getting real serious. Plus, now after 6 months or so, even when i get my HR at 100% for a certain amount of time i am good. Work your way up. Get a HR monitor and conduct a workout at your current exertion rate. see where you are and use that as a baseline to work your way up. While i agree with pushing it hard, now is when you are most prone to injury. Set a goal, work up to it, set a new goal. It can be time, distance, pace etc.. change it up. Just be honest to yourself when it comes to workout vs cruise'n. you can burn (example) 700 calories per hour on an eliptical or you can do it in 30 minutes. Either way its 700 calories however, there are truths to "shocking it" as stated earlier. Thats why sometimes a shorter more vigorous day is better than a long slow day. It has to do with your VO2, endurance, lactic acid threshold etc.. Probably TMI but hope this helps.

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