Haven't lost an ounce....

k10diver
k10diver Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I started working out diligently and watching my calories and using MFP on 10/14/13. It has been 36 days. I have worked out for 30-50 minutes on 30 of those days. On two of those 30, I ended up working out twice because I stuck to my routine in the morning, but then a friend wanted to work out in the afternoon so I went. I never used to exercise and I never really paid muich attention to my calories before, but I know I ate WAY too much. Now, in the last 36 days of watching my food, counting every single calorie (even in breath mints) and exercising diligently, I have not lost any weight... What the heck? Its not that I am losing fat and gaining muscle either because my clothes are even tighter than ever... Anyone have any advice????

Replies

  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    What sort of exercising are you doing?

    It -may- be water retention and glycogen srorage due to your increased activity, so I would continue on for another month and reassess. Make sure you are weighing your food and logging as such instead of eyeballing.

    If your weight hasn't started trending downward then you may need to adjust your calorie goal downward.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    So, I started working out diligently and watching my calories and using MFP on 10/14/13. It has been 36 days. I have worked out for 30-50 minutes on 30 of those days. On two of those 30, I ended up working out twice because I stuck to my routine in the morning, but then a friend wanted to work out in the afternoon so I went. I never used to exercise and I never really paid muich attention to my calories before, but I know I ate WAY too much. Now, in the last 36 days of watching my food, counting every single calorie (even in breath mints) and exercising diligently, I have not lost any weight... What the heck? Its not that I am losing fat and gaining muscle either because my clothes are even tighter than ever... Anyone have any advice????

    Funny, you're not mentioning some key things, but you're sure talking a lot about "working out" as if that's the key to weight loss. Spoiler alert: It isn't. Exercise can help you lose weight, but it's not the key to losing weight.

    What you didn't mention is your stats: Your current weight, your height, your age, and your gender, and your overall activity level. You haven't mentioned the most important thing either—your daily calorie goal. Because the reason you aren't losing weight is tied up in that number; whatever number you think you're attaining is not the number you're actually attaining, or if it is, it's not low enough for you to actually lose weight. So, if you're counting calories as accurately as you say, but you're relying on estimates of the calories you're burning through exercise, and then "eating back" those estimated calories, it would be easy to wipe out the calorie deficit you need to lose weight. Math errors will get you every time. So yeah, "work out" all you want, but if you aren't careful with the math, it won't do you any good, if your goal is to lose weight.
  • k10diver
    k10diver Posts: 2
    What sort of exercising are you doing?

    It -may- be water retention and glycogen srorage due to your increased activity, so I would continue on for another month and reassess. Make sure you are weighing your food and logging as such instead of eyeballing.

    If your weight hasn't started trending downward then you may need to adjust your calorie goal downward.

    When I go to the gym, I do Elliptical and/or Treadmill (30-40 min) followed by my own workouts in the Cardio room- various combinations of walking lunges, squats, crunches, jumprope, pushups, free weight tricep and bicep reps (not all of them each day)....When I don't go to the gym, I am walking hills. There is a particularly steep hill in my neighborhood, and I am trying to increase my stamina, and decrease my time and amount of times I have to stop to catch my breath. I am also trying to challenge my body by walking different paths of uphill/flats/down hill and various distances- usually between 2.5- 3.5 miles each workout....I am using Mapmywalk to keep track of the grade/incline, distances, times, elevation and approximate calories burned.

    My calorie goal according to MFP is 1200 which is crazy low for my body. I am 5'8 and muscular and strong. At 217lbs., I don't have a big belly hanging over my pants like some of the Biggest Loser contestants, but I have a bit of extra weight all over which translates to a lot of extra weight total. Every other website I have checked out has told me to eat more than that... so I try to keep it between 1400-1700, especially now that I am doing more exercise...

    I am definitely planning on continuing on as I love the feel of knowing I got up before work to get in some exercise, but I just wish I could make it more worthwhile....
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Are you weighing your food on a food scale or guesstimating portions? People who are eyeballing their foods or even using measuring cups tend to be eating more than they think.

    Are you logging your exercise and eating back the earned calories? MFP expects you to. Other sites build it into your calorie goal. That's why you're getting different numbers.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    1200 is low for your weight. But we are mainly talking about sustainability when we talk about huge deficits.

    Are you weighing your food and logging it that way?
  • Ten10
    Ten10 Posts: 223 Member
    I am in that club but I lose and gain it right back.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    I am in that club but I lose and gain it right back.

    You need to view this as a permanent change in the way you approach food. And make no mistake, food is the reason you gain weight, and food is the reason you lose weight. Exercise is a variable in the equation, but it is not the key variable. All too often people view weight loss as a task that they complete when they reach their goal weight. But losing the weight is really only the first phase of the process. After you're at your goal weight, you shouldn't think that you can suddenly "eat normally"—that is, eat the same way you ate before you started to lose weight. That way of eating put you in the position of having to lose weight in the first place, so clearly there is a new way of eating that you need to commit to, unless you just really like gaining and losing the same weight all the time. So you'll have one calorie limit that you'll need to follow to get down to your goal weight, and then you'll need to follow a slight higher calorie limit to maintain that weight. You will not be able to just 'wing it' after you're at your goal weight, you'll still need to keep track of all your calories.

    This is the reason I committed to calorie counting, but did not commit to exercise or "healthy eating" when I decided to lose weight. I know myself, and I know that one lifestyle change is easier to commit to than three at the same time. And calorie counting is the only factor that is really critical for losing weight--exercise and eating certain foods aren't necessary for weight loss. Of course they have other benefits, but for me, the goal was simply to lose weight. I can always commit to those other lifestyle changes later, if I feel like it. I like the way my body is looking as I'm getting closer to my goal, so if I do commit to some kind of exercise at some point, it won't be terribly drastic.
  • foxynannyjenny
    foxynannyjenny Posts: 3 Member
    It's very depressing when you are trying so hard and have no results, don't beat yourself up but just be truthful about what you are eating because 1200 calories a day should DEFINITELY lose you weight,even without excercise!!

    Try not to be obsessed about weight loss, stop thinking about food - it's all in the mind!

    Try the 5.2 diet - it's marvellous.
  • adetienne
    adetienne Posts: 2 Member
    Are you eating enough, and drinking enough water. I wasn't then I went to my doctor and he told me I was dehydrated. So I thought well OK, so i started adding 2 liters a day for a week to see what happened. I lost 10 lbs water weight, didn't change my food intake just added water. Also if your working out to much and not getting enough calories you body will slow down because it's not getting enough fuel.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Hard to tell anything without seeing the diary.

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