Some Questions

ruggedshutter
ruggedshutter Posts: 389 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok I’m going to start this off by saying that this may be a long post. I’m going to give some background so you know where I’m coming from and where I’m at. BTW, I’m a 35 year old male if that helps anyone.

3 years ago, I weighed my heaviest at 240 pounds. I had been struggling for years (up to that point) to lose the weight. I tried gym memberships, which never worked because I would get sick about a month into it and get off of my 3-4 times a week routine and never go back. That happened 2-3 times.

I ended up getting a divorce and through the process I started eating less (mostly due to stress). I dropped 50 pounds in about 3-4 months. Nothing changed other than the stress and no appetite so I ate very little. I have gained back 10 pounds but have kept off the rest. I have been working out at a local gym to try and lose those 10 pounds but nothing seems to be working. My exercises consist mostly of HIIT for 30 minutes on the elliptical and then another 30 minutes at a high resistance, burning 400 calories in 30 minutes or if I do the full hour I’m usually around 800+ calories plus strength training 2-3 times a week.

I am pretty sure that most of it is nutrition at this point. I am exercising most weeks 3-4 days and average 2000-2500 calories burned in a week, just off of the elliptical machine readings. I also strength train with the machines that we have at the gym (and have been gradually increasing the weight and just started using the TRX rigs). I consume roughly 1000-1500 calories a day. I don’t eat a lot and rarely eat red meat (mostly chicken and turkey). I already drink at least a gallon of water a day and rarely drink soda, though a couple of pots of coffee on the weekends isn’t uncommon.

I’m kind of confused as to what I need to do. If I bump up my calorie intake I feel sluggish and horrible. I’m pretty sure that I need to eat more to increase my metabolism but I’m not sure. I’m looking for any help or suggestions.

Replies

  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    If you were really burning that amount of calories and eating between 1000-1500 calories, then you would most certainly be losing weight. Since you are not, there's an error in the calculations.

    My suggestions to you would be to purchase a kitchen scale and start weighing in all of your food, and logging it here on MFP. This will give you an accurate calorie count. Just eyeballing your food and saying "I don't eat much" is literally full of holes. You really don't know exactly how much you are eating unless you're weighing things. I'll tell you, my idea of a serving of cheese, or peanut butter, or chicken was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more than what it really is. Those calories add up, quick. Believe me.

    Secondly, think about purchasing a chest strap heart rate monitor to track your calorie burn during you workouts. To be honest, I think you're burning way less than you think you are. The machines at the gym are always way off for me, by a couple hundred calories.

    And third, log your food here on MFP every single damn day. Even if it's tedious, it becomes habit. Follow the guidelines/goal that MFP provides for you, which has a calorie deficit already built in for you, and log consistently and as accurately as possible.

    These are things I myself have done, and it works. Like I said, if you're not losing, there's an error in the math. If you're not losing, then you're not really in a deficit. You need to figure out exactly how much you're eating, and once you do that, it's like the heavenly "Ahhhhhhhhhhh" moment.
  • holly1283
    holly1283 Posts: 741 Member
    I'm sorry no one with real knowledge responded. I'm not sure you need to drink that amount of water. You really can overwork your kidneys. Try eating anything with nuts. They are calorie dense and hopefully a spoonful won't upset your system and it would increase your intake. With all that exercise it appears you don't have enough fuel(food) therefore your body will not utilize the little bit of food you are eating. Eventually you might lose weight but it will be muscle mass which you don't want to lose. Could it just be you are building more muscle than losing fat? Again I'm not sure I helped. Is their a trainer or nutritionist at your gym to talk to? I wish you well.
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
    You probably need to eat more calories, as you suspect. If you're feeling sick when you eat more, it may be your choices of food. I would talk to a dietician and see what their suggestions are after reviewing your current intake. At one point I had read someone post on here that this is truly just a calorie thing; that one could eat 1200 calories of Doritos and cookies and lose weight. And I would say in my 20s and early 30s that was true for me. But now there is no way I would lose weight eating that way. I'm going to assume it's age, but it might be something different. Each of us is unique and it can take some trial and error to figure out what works for you. Having a good foundation with sound nutrition information will go a long way to helping you be successful.
  • ruggedshutter
    ruggedshutter Posts: 389 Member
    Thanks everyone. I have been tracking my calories on this site for about a month and use a kitchen scale for most meals that aren't already measured out. We have a nutritionist at work that I'm going to seek out and get on his schedule. I was always under the same thought that if I was eating less and working out more that I should be losing weight.

    As for the machines, I know that they can be off. At this time, that's the only gauge that I have as to how many calories I'm burning during my workout. I am going to start to vary my workout more and see if that helps too.

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