Should i up my calories and slow down on cardio?

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MyiahRose
MyiahRose Posts: 183 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Im 5'9 187 pounds.
Once i started exercising i gained 4 pounds and lost no weight since the end of January.
I do cardio 40 minutes 4 days a week and strenghth training for an hour 4 days a week,
Should i cut back on the cardio or what.
i eat 1500 calories a day, should i up to 1600 or 1700? I heard you should eat more to lose.
I weigh all my food and eat half my exercise calories back.
I have no idea what to do
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Replies

  • MyiahRose
    MyiahRose Posts: 183 Member
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    bump
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    If you're not losing, you're not eating at a deficit. You say you're weighing your food. Are you weighing everything? Are you logging everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly? Open your diary.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • MyiahRose
    MyiahRose Posts: 183 Member
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    If you're not losing, you're not eating at a deficit. You say you're weighing your food. Are you weighing everything? Are you logging everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly? Open your diary.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    Yes i stated that already.
    I obviously am eating at a deficit, i weigh everything that goes in my mouth.
    I drink nothing but water...
  • DrJenO
    DrJenO Posts: 404 Member
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    Would you consider opening your diary for a short time so that we can take a look at it? You could set it back to private afterwards if you wanted.
  • HerpDerp745
    HerpDerp745 Posts: 223 Member
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    I obviously am eating at a deficit

    Yes, obviously. That's why you're not losing weight.
  • Lizabelle1212
    Lizabelle1212 Posts: 252 Member
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    Do you use any other sources to gauge your progress, like measurements and photos? Since you're weight training, you may be able to see a difference in inches, even if it's not showing on the scale yet. Also, when your muscles are sore from weight training, they hold on to water, which can potentially reflect on the scale. This is all assuming that your calorie intake is fine - but I would recommend using multiple sources to track your progress rather than just relying on the scale. Also, watch your sodium intake - water retention can also reflect on the scale. Good luck!
  • hillarayray
    hillarayray Posts: 27
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    I once read in an article that for the first 30 minutes of cardio all you are solely burning are sugars, once you get past that 30 minute mark then your body starts burning fat....I don't know if that is 100% true, but I know I try to work out for at least 45 minutes to an hour if not more. That could be where your issue also lies, meaning maybe you aren't adding in ENOUGH cardio, since you said you're only doing 40 minutes. Try upping it 5-10 more minutes, if not 20 just to hit a full hour of cardio. You also should be mixing your cardio up and not doing the same things all the time. Good luck and I hope I helped a little!
  • Southernsass6885
    Southernsass6885 Posts: 100 Member
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    Okay, FYI, if you don't eat enough, it'll slow down your metabolism. Eating at a deficit doesn't ALWAYS lead to weight loss. This is just from my research and experience.

    Calculate your TDEE for yourself. Don't rely on the generalization MFP gives you. I also got a Fitbit so I can calculate exactly how much I burn during the course of the day.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    And then subtract 20%

    I ate about 1200 for awhile, without thinking about it. NOW, i'm eating 1800 and have started seeing the inches fall off, but not the pounds. And honestly, I say forget the scale. I'm happy losing inches and feeling 1000% better than worrying about every little pound :D

    Good luck!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    If you're not losing, you're not eating at a deficit. You say you're weighing your food. Are you weighing everything? Are you logging everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly? Open your diary.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    this and/or over esitmating calorie burns.

    Increasing calories does not lead to weight loss...esp if you aren't losing on the "deficet" you are in now.

    ETA if the OP isn't using the correct entires that also effects the deficet.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    Im 5'9 187 pounds.
    Once i started exercising i gained 4 pounds and lost no weight since the end of January.
    I do cardio 40 minutes 4 days a week and strenghth training for an hour 4 days a week,
    Should i cut back on the cardio or what.
    i eat 1500 calories a day, should i up to 1600 or 1700? I heard you should eat more to lose.
    I weigh all my food and eat half my exercise calories back.
    I have no idea what to do

    I almost had the exact same stats. I averaged 1700 calories and burned 2500 through twice weekly heavy lifting sessions (3x5), walking/hiking 15-25 miles per week, twice weekly hill sprint sessions and occasional hot yoga. I measure fastidiously with a food scale and used a body fit arm band for exercise/exertion (and double checked the numbers against calculators I could find for my activities -- they were on the conservative side). So, I felt pretty confident in my 800 calorie deficit and lost less than 3 lbs over 3 months (and at such a low number, who knows if there was any actual loss there or it was water fluctuation).

    So, if you're doing all that fastidiously, then there is likely an underlying problem for what's going on -- some reason for a lower metabolism (so your TDEE is off from the normal calculators) or nutrition issue. For me, it ended up being both a thyroid problem and insulin resistance. Once I got those on track, I lost like a "normal" person would with a 800 cal deficit.

    But, before rushing to the doctor, make sure you're doing all the food tracking and exercise calculations first, and over a longer time period (months versus weeks or days). And if you're really confident in that, talk to a doc that specializes in metabolism (it took me going through 2 primary care and 2 endos until I found one that could address metabolism -- and he found the insulin resistance which was a surprise to me [I suspected the thyroid given family history and other symptoms]).

    It could just be a temporary water retention issue as the body will retain water when repairing muscles (or from extra sodium or certain carbs).
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Realistically, there are the following scenarios:
    1) You have some illness that prevents you from losing weight. Whatever it is, it should have other symptoms too, but you could be missing them, so if you think this is the case, talk to your dr.
    2) You are eating back your calories, but you are greatly overestimating these calories.
    3) You are not logging everything.
    4) You are logging, but not correctly, like not measuring everything with a scale, or using database entries that are not accurate.
    5) A combination of the above.

    Open your dairy and it would help everyone figure out what is going on.
  • Midori_i
    Midori_i Posts: 91 Member
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    I once read in an article that for the first 30 minutes of cardio all you are solely burning are sugars, once you get past that 30 minute mark then your body starts burning fat....I don't know if that is 100% true, but I know I try to work out for at least 45 minutes to an hour if not more. That could be where your issue also lies, meaning maybe you aren't adding in ENOUGH cardio, since you said you're only doing 40 minutes. Try upping it 5-10 more minutes, if not 20 just to hit a full hour of cardio. You also should be mixing your cardio up and not doing the same things all the time. Good luck and I hope I helped a little!

    This is old theories from the eighties that are now proven not to be true. The way your body gets its energy through different processes varies over time, but all that matters at the end is how many calories you burn. 90 minute of slow cardio is NO more efficient than 45 minutes of intense cardio, if they burn the same amount of calories.

    You are definitely working out enough and not eating too much (that is if you're measuring and logging correctly). I'd also go see a doctor about your metabolism. And if there are no health issues there, up your calories for a while. Maybe you're actually not eating enough.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Upping your calories, will mean getting fatter. You are gaining where you are now, eat more, gain more.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    Okay, FYI, if you don't eat enough, it'll slow down your metabolism. Eating at a deficit doesn't ALWAYS lead to weight loss. This is just from my research and experience. ...

    Yes. Yes it does.
  • RMZ2014
    RMZ2014 Posts: 31 Member
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    If you are not changing up your exercise I would recommend you do that. Try High intensity interval training for starters. It does not burn any more calories during your work out as a moderate steady pace but does burn more fat and burns more fat for the 24-48 hours AFTER your workout. So basically it revs up your metabolism. 2-3 30 minute sessions per week are all that are needed.

    Also look at your diet and make sure you are eating the right things and not just looking at calories. I personally can count calories until the cows come home and not lose any wt with a higher carb diet vs. a lower (not no carb) carb diet focused on lean protein and veggies, 2 servings of fruit a day and 2 servings of low fat/cal yogurt a day. I have to log my calories to make sure I eat at least 1200 calories a day as to not slow my metabolism. (The 17 day diet) It is a really healthy way to eat and it works. I have several patients that have used it with great results as well as family and friends. It was not until I made some simple changes to my diet following this plan that I saw wt start to come off. It works for me every time, it just sticking to a lifestyle that is tough for me. I lose the same 15 pounds over and over.

    I can completely understand your frustration. In the past I have counted calories to 1200 cal a day and exercised 6 days a week and did not lose a pound until I started doing some things differently.

    When I added interval training I started to lose weight. Also make sure you are allowing 48 hours between your weight lifting sessions. Your body needs recovery time to repair itself. Good luck! I know it can be very frustrating.

    I love the quote "You cannot continue do things the same way and yet expect different results." source unknown.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    I personally can count calories until the cows come home and not lose any wt with a higher carb diet vs. a lower (not no carb) carb diet focused on lean protein and veggies, 2 servings of fruit a day and 2 servings of low fat/cal yogurt a day. I have to log my calories to make sure I eat at least 1200 calories a day as to not slow my metabolism. (The 17 day diet) It is a really healthy way to eat and it works. I have several patients that have used it with great results as well as family and friends. It was not until I made some simple changes to my diet following this plan that I saw wt start to come off. It works for me every time, it just sticking to a lifestyle that is tough for me. I lose the same 15 pounds over and over.
    This is called FAILING, not working.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    This is old theories from the eighties that are now proven not to be true. The way your body gets its energy through different processes varies over time, but all that matters at the end is how many calories you burn. 90 minute of slow cardio is NO more efficient than 45 minutes of intense cardio, if they burn the same amount of calories.

    You are definitely working out enough and not eating too much (that is if you're measuring and logging correctly). I'd also go see a doctor about your metabolism. And if there are no health issues there, up your calories for a while. Maybe you're actually not eating enough.

    That's actually not true. Different types of exercises make a difference in they type of weight you lose from your deficit (i.e. muscle vs. fat). Deficit will just be the cals -- but whether that 3500 calorie deficit turns into 1 lb of fat loss or 5+ lbs of muscle (yes, lb of muscle releases far less cals than fat -- somewhere between 600-1500 rather than 3500 in a lb of fat) loss makes a difference. Lower heart rate exercise (walking/hiking versus running) will catabolize a greater percentage of fat rather than muscle with in a deficit, but if done for the same amount of time, will be less overall calories. So, to burn the same amount of calories and benefit from the higher fat percentage catabolis, you'd have to walk for a much longer time than you'd do running.

    If you can reduce lean body mass loss (i.e. muscle) in a caloric deficit, you will lose a higher percentage of fat (though the scale numbers will go down slower). Two things that have been shown to do this are (1) heavy lifting and (2) sufficient protein intake (what that is seems to still be in debate, but I use 0.7 g protein per lb bodyweight).

    HIIT exercise (high intensity interval training) -- hill sprints are a good example -- have also been shown be great exercise for calorie burning and fat loss while maintaining/reducing the loss of lean body mass in a caloric deficit.

    So, the type of exercise can definitely make a difference. It's not only about calories -- the TYPE of calories you eat and the TYPE of calories you burn can make a HUGE difference. Otherwise, all food and all exercise would be the same.
  • Kimsoontobe
    Kimsoontobe Posts: 110 Member
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  • RMZ2014
    RMZ2014 Posts: 31 Member
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    RMZ2014 Posts: 31 Member
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