Only 1 pound lost in a month

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Gingerrcrockett
Gingerrcrockett Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been doing 1 - 1.5 hours of cardio 6 days a week getting my heart rate up to 120-160 on the treadmill, elyptical, and/or bike, plus lifting weights 2-3 days a week. Sometimes I even do Jillian micheals for 30 minutes to an hour in the afternoons after having gone to the gym that morning. I'm not trying to torture myself, I'm just REALLY liking doing all the work, it feels good! I also eat 1200 calories a day and rarely go over that. When I do it's only by 100-200. I do eat fast food sometimes when I have to but even then I'm still eating within my calorie range. With all of this work I have only lost one pound in the month that I've been doing this. Am I doing too much, not enough, not the right things? Or does the crap food that I've eaten really hurt that bad?

Replies

  • Snarkist
    Snarkist Posts: 37
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    If all the exercise is new for you, most likely your body is just retaining water for muscle repair. That should even out soon.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    Sounds like a combination of water retention (mentioned above) and building muscle. You should start measuring yourself, I bet you've dropped some inches!
  • Vampcitychick
    Vampcitychick Posts: 16
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    I'm going thru the same crap. Next thursday will be 3 months of my journey and my weight does not want to move, iblost 11 lbs my first month and 6 lbs my second now I'm stuck:sad:
  • LightersUp
    LightersUp Posts: 36 Member
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    Are you sore? If so, your body must be new to this exercise, so it has to be water retention and building muscle. Instead of weighing yourself, get a measuring tape and measure your waist instead of weight. The reason why is because you might have build muscle and muscle weighs more than fat.
  • meglizbo
    meglizbo Posts: 42
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    You may also not be eating enough. I know if I am working out that much I have to eat back some of my calories of the scale is a stubborn little thing and won't budge! Make sure you are netting (or nearly netting) your calories!
  • Nissi51
    Nissi51 Posts: 381 Member
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    Why the excessive cardio? It's probably not sustainable.

    Claw back on the cardio, put a focus on your weight training to build muscle and therefore improve your metabolic rate. Determine a correct calorie intake for yourself (find an online BMR calculator). Do some research on macronutrient intake, and adjust your diet. THEN the big one:

    PATIENCE young Jedi, patience... this takes time, sometimes longer for some.

    Congrats on your 1 lbs lost!
  • WhyLime113
    WhyLime113 Posts: 104 Member
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    Also, stress. There's different kinds of stress, but if this level of excercise is new, and if you aren't eating back your calories, you're probably causing a lot of physical distress on your body, and that makes it harder to lose weight. In fact, it can result in muscle loss, rather than fat loss.
    I'd say eat a lot more, especially if you work out that much. You'll lose weight faster if you eat more.
  • bkjk997
    bkjk997 Posts: 106 Member
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    I agree with the other responses so far. You might also want to double-check that you're really measuring/weighing your food accurately, though. If you're guessing or eye-balling it, that could be part of the problem.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
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    All good answers here.. my take is that you are doing too much too soon and not eating enough to fuel your body. Have an extra banana, glass of milk, something healthy and up your cals. The weight will come off again and I'm sure the water retention will subside.
  • Carmenbraun55
    Carmenbraun55 Posts: 50 Member
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    Had the same problem then found that
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

    Followed it and the scale moved again. :)
  • Munn0025
    Munn0025 Posts: 40 Member
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    i wonder if your body is going into starvation mode with all the excess movement and only 1200 calories?
  • Gingerrcrockett
    Gingerrcrockett Posts: 9
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    I'm doing this much cardio because I'm really enjoying moving again. Before I started having kids I was extremely active. But over the last six years my activity level decreased with each child. I am guessing it feels really good to do that much work because it was accustomed to it for 27 years. I'm not ever really sore from it, maybe a tad stiff the next day sometimes.
    Eat more you say? I can do that. That ones easy peasy! Lol. Ill see what happens with eating back some of my calories after workouts and start weighing my food more regularly. I do get lazy about that when I'm in a hurry.
  • Munn0025
    Munn0025 Posts: 40 Member
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    when i first started MFP i was afraid to go over the 1200 calories... and so i was working out and netting only 900 calolries. i thought the weight would fly off.. it didnt. i was so frustrated i stopped weighing myself. i took a break last september.. and im back on its been 3 weeks and ive lost about 10 pounds. im still excercising.. i do cardio 5 days a week... i go by what the machine tells me in terms of calories burned.. around 3-400 per day. the difference is, this time im allowing myself the extra calories to eat. so if i burned 400 doing cardio, i get 1200+400=1600 calories to eat. SO far, this is working for me, much better! and i dont feel deprived, and its an incentive to work out. Also... I'm only weighing myself once a week, every Monday. Good luck. Id love to know if it improves? Audrie
  • shapefitter
    shapefitter Posts: 900 Member
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    I wouldn't worry. You're building valuable muscle, and are probably in a better shape, now. I'll suggest you get the tapemeasure, and take notes. My overall measurements have decreased by two inches since Nov. No weightloss, as I yo yo depending on my activity levels. 1 pound, one week, is easily regained the next.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Not building muscle on 1200 cals and cardio - doesn't work that way. :wink:
    Had the same problem then found that
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

    Followed it and the scale moved again. :)
    I too have followed the info in this topic - started it a couple of years ago, not a single plateau, nothing but steady fat loss, and keeping it off - I don't even gain over the holidays. :drink:

    It's a great way to figure your numbers for sustainable fast loss and healthy habits.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Sounds like a combination of water retention (mentioned above) and building muscle. You should start measuring yourself, I bet you've dropped some inches!

    OP is not building muscle doing six days a week of cardio and eating 1200 calories….
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    i wonder if your body is going into starvation mode with all the excess movement and only 1200 calories?

    No..this is not possible…you can't consume food and be in starvation mode…starvation mode is eating nothing for a pro longed period of at least 72+ hours...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    OP - can you open your diary?

    do you own a food scale? weigh/measure everything?

    are you netting 1200 or just eating 1200?
  • Gingerrcrockett
    Gingerrcrockett Posts: 9
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    I opened my diary with a key on it. I hope it works like I think. I sent you a message with the key. Thank you!
  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
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    Eat more, and workout less, 1,5 hours cardio every day is not needed

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