Following diet plan and exercising, NOT losing weight

releathe
releathe Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a 39 year old woman and trying lose weight, I'm about 5' 8.5" and I weigh 157 pounds. I've been following my MFP calorie plan for the past 2 weeks (it suggests 1200 calories) and exercising 4 times a week, both cardio and strength and so far I've stayed the same. In the past I would have seen a small weight loss, I know I'm older but I'm not sure what to do. I feel really good about the exercise, I've been attending a boot camp for an hour three times a week, it is tough and I can feel myself getting in better shape. And I'm eating well, healthy, measured, balanced. I just can't understand why I'm not seeing it on the scale.

Replies

  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    Sometimes it takes longer than 2 weeks to see results on the scale when you start dieting, I've seen a lot of people on say it's taken a few weeks for them to see any weight loss. If you're doing exercise you weren't doing before, your body is likely retaining water weight for a bit, too. Also, how often do you weigh? We all fluctuate everyday, sometimes by a few pounds, so if you only weigh once a week you might be weighing on a day that you're fluctuating. I regularly have days where I'll reach a new lowest weight, then be 2lbs heavier the next day, then be down again the day after. So if you happen to weigh the day you've gone up, you won't know that you've lost weight. So with all that said, I'd say just stick with it for a bit longer and see what happens.

    That said, it's still worth making sure that you're weighing everything you're eating and not just guessing.
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    What is your calorie goal? Are you measuring your food, and logging everything?
  • releathe
    releathe Posts: 4
    I'd like to lose 15 pounds, I'm not in a rush but like I said it's never taken me this long to see a small decrease. I lost more than 25 pounds after having my son 3 years ago and after 2 weeks on that plan I'd lost at least 2 pounds. I'm definitely measuring my food out as best as I can.
  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
    I'm a 39 year old woman and trying lose weight, I'm about 5' 8.5" and I weigh 157 pounds. I've been following my MFP calorie plan for the past 2 weeks (it suggests 1200 calories) and exercising 4 times a week, both cardio and strength and so far I've stayed the same. In the past I would have seen a small weight loss, I know I'm older but I'm not sure what to do. I feel really good about the exercise, I've been attending a boot camp for an hour three times a week, it is tough and I can feel myself getting in better shape. And I'm eating well, healthy, measured, balanced. I just can't understand why I'm not seeing it on the scale.

    Thoughts:
    - It's only been 2 weeks.
    -Did you just recently start exercising? Jumping into a brand new routine - especially a bootcamp! can be destructive to your muscles. The material they use to repair themselves is bound in water, so you often see a slight gain of water weight following an intense workout or after adopting a new program.
    -You mention a well-balanced, measured diet. What are you using to measure?
  • krist3ng
    krist3ng Posts: 259 Member
    I'm a 39 year old woman and trying lose weight, I'm about 5' 8.5" and I weigh 157 pounds. I've been following my MFP calorie plan for the past 2 weeks (it suggests 1200 calories) and exercising 4 times a week, both cardio and strength and so far I've stayed the same. In the past I would have seen a small weight loss, I know I'm older but I'm not sure what to do. I feel really good about the exercise, I've been attending a boot camp for an hour three times a week, it is tough and I can feel myself getting in better shape. And I'm eating well, healthy, measured, balanced. I just can't understand why I'm not seeing it on the scale.

    For your height, you're at a good weight-- a 23.5 BMI. So losing weight is going to be a slow process. It will probably take you quite a few months to lose what you want, because you're already slender. You feel it in your body, but not on the scale? That's what's important. You know what everyone says-- muscle weighs more than fat. You might be losing fat and gaining muscle. Check out your measurements and see if they've changed. You should probably up your calories from 1200, just so your 'diet' is easier to maintain in the long run.
  • releathe
    releathe Posts: 4
    I use a scale and measuring cups to measure my food intake. I log everything and I do try to eat back the calories burned when I exercise. Maybe I should try to eat a little more than 1200 calories. I wasn't sedentary before but I've definitly increased my exercise a lot. I try to drink more water as well.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    It is not always about the # on the scale.
  • dawlschic007
    dawlschic007 Posts: 636 Member
    Since you only have a small amount to lose, you should look into changing your settings to losing 0.5 lbs per week instead of 2 pounds per week and also make sure you eat back your exercise calories.
  • scottYBRIDGEWATER
    scottYBRIDGEWATER Posts: 206
    I use a scale and measuring cups to measure my food intake. I log everything and I do try to eat back the calories burned when I exercise. Maybe I should try to eat a little more than 1200 calories. I wasn't sedentary before but I've definitly increased my exercise a lot. I try to drink more water as well.

    You have eaten back your exercise calories and not lost. Now try not eating back your exercise calories and see what happens for a week. The RMR, BMR, and activity factors are estimates and may be overstated which could be an issue. Its only a week, but see if the results on the scale change.
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    How long have you been doing the boot camp. New exercise programs can stall weight loss initially. I'd give it more time, and continue eating at least a portion of your exercise calories back.
  • releathe
    releathe Posts: 4
    I started the boot camp two weeks ago, I go 2 days a week, I do a cardio aerobics class one day a week and a lifting class another so I'm getting 4 days a week of pretty good exercise.
  • writergeek313
    writergeek313 Posts: 390 Member
    You have eaten back your exercise calories and not lost. Now try not eating back your exercise calories and see what happens for a week. The RMR, BMR, and activity factors are estimates and may be overstated which could be an issue. Its only a week, but see if the results on the scale change.

    If she's only eating 1200 calories a day and doesn't eat back her exercise calories, she could only be netting 600 or 700 a day. That's not safe, even temporarily, and it won't give her the energy she needs to exercise. This is bad advice.

    OP, you're the same height that I am. I still have quite a ways to go to get to where you are, but the other day I was checking to see how my calorie goal will change as I lose more weight. The estimate I saw was over 1400 (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/). You might try upping your calorie goal for a few weeks to see if that helps.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I use a scale and measuring cups to measure my food intake. I log everything and I do try to eat back the calories burned when I exercise. Maybe I should try to eat a little more than 1200 calories. I wasn't sedentary before but I've definitly increased my exercise a lot. I try to drink more water as well.

    Get rid of the cups. Just use the scale.

    Also, yes, you probably need to eat more than 1200 calories! You're supposed to eat most of your exercise calories back. Or use http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ for a better calorie goal, if you don't want to bother logging your exercise.

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