What am I doing wrong

pangy1958
pangy1958 Posts: 151 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hello
For the last 6 weeks I have been 219.5lbs to 219lbs, I track my food everyday and have rarley been over my daily calories. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week and do cardio and weights, but I just can't get the weight to go down. My daily calorie allowance according to MFP should be 1480 before exercise, and I try to eat my exercise calories to.

When I started this over a year ago my body fat was 52% and the other week it is now down to 48%, my gym instructor says that although my weight isn't changing, my body shape is and the fat is being replaced by lean muscle. I have noticed the inches going down, but I wouls love to get the weight off too. Has anybody got any ideas I would be grateful. Thank you

Replies

  • jaynepickle
    jaynepickle Posts: 47 Member
    I am going through the exact same thing right now. I've been stuck at the same weight for weeks now, and I'm getting burnt out. Yes, my clothes are fitting better, but I want the stupid scale to move! I have around 40 lbs to lose too so it's not like I'm trying to get rid of that final 5. I exercise 6 days a week and eat back my calories. Maybe I shouldn't do that? Either way, I would love to hear more people comment on this.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Sometimes it comes down to the body just needing time to catch up. I went through a period where I only lost a few pounds but lose several inches. Progress, is progress, right?!

    Another thought is that maybe it's time to tighten up on accuracy of logging...

    For food - are you weighing and measuring everything or doing a lot of guesstimating and eyeballing? I never wanted to get into weighing as it felt a little obsessive but I finally broke down and bought a food scale because I felt that it might help me out. Can't say for sure as I haven't been great with staying in my calories lately but at least I know what I am logging is more accurate.

    For exercise - where are you getting your calorie burn numbers from? If you're using a good HRM with a chest strap, they're probably pretty accurate but it might not hurt to try "net" burns - meaning subtract about 10% to take away the calories you burn just being alive. If you're getting your calorie burn numbers from cardio machines or even the MFP exercise calorie database, they tend to be overestimates so try only eating back 50-75% of calories earned.

    Be patient and keep at it!

    ETA: FYI, it's against Community Guidelines to post the same topic twice...be careful about this.
  • Derpes
    Derpes Posts: 2,033 Member
    Something is missing......there are a few questions to consider just to have all bases covered:

    Do you measure and weigh food or do you eyeball it?

    Is it possible that you are logging something incorrectly (that you eat regularly)?


    Another possibility is overestimating how many calories you burn during exercise - this is a big one.......try comparing the data from a few workouts to data from a different source to see if there are any discrepancies...

    Here is one calculator:

    http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc
  • _caseyb
    _caseyb Posts: 51 Member
    I've been having the same problem. The entire last month I have been logging religiously and hitting the gym 5 times a week. The scale has pretty much bounced between the same 4 pounds the entire time but my BF % is down 5%. I'm at the top of that 4 pounds right now and it is not a fun place to be.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Here is the best starting point for you:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • pangy1958
    pangy1958 Posts: 151 Member
    Thank you all for you advice. I do weigh and measure everything that I eat and drink. It has become an obsession with me and my husband.

    Thank you all, I will take on board all that you have advised.
  • erzilie
    erzilie Posts: 8 Member
    muscle is denser than fat. as you exercise more, you're both losing fat and gaining muscle. if you're gaining muscle more quickly than you're losing fat, then you're going to experience the scale going up. if you're gaining muscle and losing fat at the same rate, you're going to notice a standstill. if you're losing fat faster than you're gaining muscle, then you're going to notice a drop, but not as drastic or as quickly as you feel like it should happen.

    you've lost 27 pounds so far--you don't get that far without altering your lifestyle in positive, healthy ways. you're going to the gym. you're exercising. you're eating fewer calories than you're burning. if you're doing anything wrong, it's being too affected by a number. weight is a number. it's has only the barest passing relevance to your life.

    just keep doing how you do and it'll be fine.
  • norain88yuki
    norain88yuki Posts: 9
    I have been there, last year i start my weight loss journey, my weight was 167.5lbs but now i'm 119lbs and still want to lose more..
    At my first 2 month i been working out eat clean, but my weight still the same, yes i lose a couple inches...

    Here what i do, i drink a lot of water and and green tea, green tea really help to reduce toxic in your body, and i follow jillian michael workout video, and eating apple every morning.. And the most important thing dont weight your self everyday, i done that and it can be really frustrating ....

    Hope this help just base on my experience, good luck, u can do it stay positive...

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