Can someone tell me if i'm doing something wrong?
jgodman1011
Posts: 16
I've been working out (kickboxing specifically) 3-4x per week and eating 1200 calories a day. The first 6 weeks or so i lost about 14 lbs, but recently....NOTHING! During the first 6 weeks i was also taking phentermine (dr. prescribed) but am not taking it as often now.
Why am i not losing any more weight? I know i have at least 20-25 lbs to go and i'm so frustrated!! Thanks
Jenn
Why am i not losing any more weight? I know i have at least 20-25 lbs to go and i'm so frustrated!! Thanks
Jenn
0
Replies
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I would have to say your not eating enough calories to support that much activity. Try adding in a cheat day once a week or every 2 weeks if you are comfortable w the 1200 a day.0
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The first thing I would look at is whether your logging is accurate. Are you logging absolutely everything? Do you weigh and measure your food?0
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Weight loss tends to start very fast and then slow down. You also don't have a whole lot to go, so a healthy fat loss for you is going to go fairly slow as well (.5 lbs per week). It surprises me that your Dr. put you on phentermine with so little to lose.0
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if you're not losing, you're not at a calorie deficit.
if you're not weighing your food / logging accurately, that's the problem.
I checked your diary, you're just not logging accurately.
food scale > cup measurements.
don't use generic food entries.0 -
Plateau? You need to be eating more.0
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14lb in 6 weeks is 2.3lb/week this is an unhealthy loss rate
a combination of unhealthy loss rates and phen and exercise >> you are probably eating too much
many people see a bounce back after phen don't stress it
if you're still under drs orders go seek their advice not ours
if you're no longer under drs orders then see a steady, healthy weightloss target which is sustainable
the guidance is *generally* based on bmi scale
2lb/week for obese and morbidly obese
1lb/week for overweight/obese
0.5 lb/week overweight/healthy
as you *only* have 20lb or so to go I would recommend that you re-do your numbers (as you should every 5lb lost anyway) based on losing 0.5 lb a week > you will get a target that is much bigger than 1200 cal/day
beware you are probably (almost definetly) not logging your food properly, there are lots of things you can do to improve this, it may supprise you
so on balance your're eating more than you think, but you should be eating more than you think, just maybe not as much as you are eating
Start being more accurate
good luck0 -
I am absolutely weighing my food, i can't see how you can do it wrong with a kitchen scale lol. I dont drink anything but water, or i scan the bar code on any packaging.
Anything else that could be preventing weight loss?
Im scared to eat more then gain weight LOL. 25 lbs is still a significant amount for me to lose, at this rate it will take forever!
Just feeling frustrated i guess.
THanks0 -
-I would have to say your not eating enough calories to support that much activity. Try adding in a cheat day once a week or every 2 weeks if you are comfortable w the 1200 a day.
I agree with this. I would up your calories by at least 200 or like the poster above says, have a cheat day and eat 1800-2000 calories one day a week to jump start your metabolism. You may only lose 1 pound a week by upping your calories, but one is better than none - and it is a healthy sustainable weight-loss. Good luck!0 -
You seem to have 700-800 calories left at the end of the day after exercise - is there a reason you're not eating those calories? You've earned them!!
I'd suggest your weight loss was probably accelerated by the phentamine at the beginning, so now that you're not taking it so often the weight loss has slowed. I wouldn't worry about this though - you don't have that much to lose so weight loss will naturally be much slower. As someone else said, I'm surprised you're even still taking it when you only have 20-25 lbs to go!0 -
I agree that you need to take another look at your calorie needs; 1200/day is more than likely too low. Nevertheless, I have no idea what you weigh or how many calories you are burning during your workouts. I would suggest that you check out the MFP groups Eat More to Weigh Less and Eat, Train, Progress for more information about nutrition and weight loss. I have also found this other article to be very helpful (got it from the Eat, Train, Progress group) http://evidencemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Guaranteed-Fat-Loss-.pdf0
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I am absolutely weighing my food, i can't see how you can do it wrong with a kitchen scale lol. I dont drink anything but water, or i scan the bar code on any packaging.
Anything else that could be preventing weight loss?
Im scared to eat more then gain weight LOL. 25 lbs is still a significant amount for me to lose, at this rate it will take forever!
Just feeling frustrated i guess.
THanks
how many grams does 2 cups of cantaloupe weigh? what about 1/8 cup of sauce?
what about the "Homemade - Broccoli-Quinoa Casserole, 3/4 cup cooked"
if you created the recipe, entered it into the database, even then.. if you didn't weigh the entire casserole and portion it out from there, there's no way you know exactly what you're eating.
same thing for the "Homemade - Grilled Turkey Burger, 111 grams" how much turkey is in that? what about the bun?
"Chipotle chicken burrito bowl - Chipotle, 0.66 bowl" .66 of the bowl?
"Generic - Sicilian Style Pizza, 2 slice" I doubt that's just 388 calories.
"Blueberry Oatmeal Bake, 1 serving(s)" how much is a serving? did you create this?
"Banana Nut Bread - Banana Nut Bread, 1 slice" how many oz/gram is the slice? again, is this your recipe?
you asked what you're doing wrong, I'm showing you one thing... but fighting about it?0 -
"only 25 lbs" seems like a huge amount to me
.....but i'm not taking it daily anymore. I didn't realize i should be eating my exercise calories, i just figured that i would lose more if i didn't eat them?
I'll try bumping the calories up a little, especially on days i'm working out, maybe that will help.
Thank you for giving some suggestions 0 -
I wasn't fighting, i tried putting LOL after it meaning it as lighthearted.....sorry you took it the wrong way.0
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"only 25 lbs" seems like a huge amount to me.....but i'm not taking it daily anymore. I didn't realize i should be eating my exercise calories, i just figured that i would lose more if i didn't eat them?
I'll try bumping the calories up a little, especially on days i'm working out, maybe that will help.
Thank you for giving some suggestions
25 lbs isn't a lot of weight to lose and you want to minimize your deficit. Large deficits are for those that are obese. I can tell you the average women that I know loses weight between 1700-2100 calories.
Also, how long have you been plateaued? Because if it's only a week or two, then you just need to wait longer.0 -
how many grams does 2 cups of cantaloupe weigh? what about 1/8 cup of sauce?
what about the "Homemade - Broccoli-Quinoa Casserole, 3/4 cup cooked"
Can someone tell me what this means? what is the difference in grams and cups? now i'm really confused about putting in my calories......thanks0 -
you're doing it wrong now by using cups. at best, you're getting a ballpark idea of how much you're entering.how many grams does 2 cups of cantaloupe weigh? what about 1/8 cup of sauce?
what about the "Homemade - Broccoli-Quinoa Casserole, 3/4 cup cooked"
Can someone tell me what this means? what is the difference in grams and cups? now i'm really confused about putting in my calories......thanks
They're different units of measurement.0 -
Also, how long have you been "plateaued"?
About 2 weeks now.0 -
Dang, I peeked at your diary and thought it looked great, but the criticism got me all worried about my measurements now too! I had two food scales but battery went bad on one and 3 year old went ninja on the other. Anyhow, I think you are doing pretty good on your logging, but whenever we hit a plateau, that seems to be the first thing everyone suggests, reevaluate your measurements.
However, I think it is you are getting closer to goal and you are coming off the diet drugs. Like others have said, I would bump it up to 1400 on your work out days at least. Hang in there. It's not going to come off as fast, for sure.0 -
I would suggest water retention due to a cortisol increase from the low calories and high level of activity. This can quickly mask weight loss.
Stress increases cortisol release, which influences water retention. The body is stressed by a calorie deficit and by physical activity. When the stress is reduced, the cortisol decreases and the water retention lessens, showing a loss. This can often be the reason people who have been on a high deficit and stall, increase calories and start losing again.
If you are certain that your logging is accurate, both with exercise and food, then you may want to consider eating a little more for a few weeks or decreasing the amount of exercise you are doing.
Here are some articles that discuss this. The first one is more formal, the second is a follow-up interview discussing the same concepts....a lot more casual and with more swearing. (Just letting you know)
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html#more-93130 -
Also, how long have you been "plateaued"?
About 2 weeks now.
Considering you just came off a medication and working out, there is a strong possibility it's just water retention, but there is still no reason to eat 1200 calories. Also consider TOM and natural fluctuations can effect weight loss.0 -
Invest in two things for accuracy in logging anything:I've been working out (kickboxing specifically) 3-4x per week and eating 1200 calories a day. The first 6 weeks or so i lost about 14 lbs, but recently....NOTHING! During the first 6 weeks i was also taking phentermine (dr. prescribed) but am not taking it as often now.
Why am i not losing any more weight? I know i have at least 20-25 lbs to go and i'm so frustrated!! Thanks
Jenn
1. Food scale. They have them for $18 at Walmart and its a nice, easy to use digital one, so no guess work.
2. Heart Rate monitor with a chest strap.
I got one on Amazon for $22 and its a Pyle Sports and the comparison I did with that and a Polar showed it to meet my personal needs. A lot of people favor Polar and its on my wish list for later on down the road, but the important thing is the chest strap. It will give you an accurate calorie burn. If you are using MFP, it could be over estimating your calorie burns.0 -
I am absolutely weighing my food, i can't see how you can do it wrong with a kitchen scale lol. I dont drink anything but water, or i scan the bar code on any packaging.
these are some of the items in your log from the last week which are likely to be *most* inaccurate:
- things and fractions of things (banana, waffles, taco shells, crackers, apple, cheese slices, mini cakes, bars, servings of fries, packages of jerky, packets of sugar, slices of pizza, chicken nuggets, tater tots, pieces of banana, links of sausage, california roll, muffins, flatbread)
-tbsp of viscous things (bbq sauce, taco sauce, nut butters, philadelphia cream cheese, cookie butter)
- cups and fractions of measuring cups (shredded cheese, dried fruit, oatmeal, beans, chicken salad, tortelini, pasta sauce, mashed potato)
-"homemade entries" if they are from the database rather than a recipe you entered manually into the recipe builder (noodle soup, Marinated Roasted Pork Tenderloin)
the first three should be weighed not recorded as things/cups/spoons
the last one you should use your own recipe not chose generic or homemade from the database
i didn't see any cooking fats (oils butter) or any alcohol did you use no cooking fats during the past week?0 -
I've been working out (kickboxing specifically) 3-4x per week and eating 1200 calories a day. The first 6 weeks or so i lost about 14 lbs, but recently....NOTHING! During the first 6 weeks i was also taking phentermine (dr. prescribed) but am not taking it as often now.
Why am i not losing any more weight? I know i have at least 20-25 lbs to go and i'm so frustrated!! Thanks
Jenn
Jen,
I have not read the other replies, so here goes:
Are you weighing all your solid food and measuring your liquids? Do you log everything you eat?
Are you logging your exercise calories and do you eat them back? Where do you get your exercise calorie estimations from?
How long have you been off the appetite suppressant?
Do you have any thyroid problems? if not, have you had it checked?
My guess is that the appetite suppressant acted as an amphetamine, getting your heart rate up enough to burn more calories than you would not taking them.
My advice is to ditch the pills completely, set your goals to lose between .5 and 1 pound a week, weigh all food, log all food and exercise, eat only about half of the exercise calories back because most internet sources way overestimate, including MFP, and eat more than 1200 calories while staying within you calorie goal. The reason I say to eat more than 1200 while staying within a deficit is to properly fuel your body, not because eating more helps you lose weight. If you properly fuel your body you have more energy to do what you need to do.
The best of luck to you. 0 -
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Unless you are doing steady state cardio, HRM are pretty much useless. If you eat the same amount of calories a day, monitor weight loss over a 6 + week time frame, you can come up with your TDEE or maintenance calories.
Invest in two things for accuracy in logging anything:I've been working out (kickboxing specifically) 3-4x per week and eating 1200 calories a day. The first 6 weeks or so i lost about 14 lbs, but recently....NOTHING! During the first 6 weeks i was also taking phentermine (dr. prescribed) but am not taking it as often now.
Why am i not losing any more weight? I know i have at least 20-25 lbs to go and i'm so frustrated!! Thanks
Jenn
1. Food scale. They have them for $18 at Walmart and its a nice, easy to use digital one, so no guess work.
2. Heart Rate monitor with a chest strap.
I got one on Amazon for $22 and its a Pyle Sports and the comparison I did with that and a Polar showed it to meet my personal needs. A lot of people favor Polar and its on my wish list for later on down the road, but the important thing is the chest strap. It will give you an accurate calorie burn. If you are using MFP, it could be over estimating your calorie burns.0 -
There could be a few things....
If you truly are eating at 1200 and working out that much - the science is there and you should be losing. So are you logging EVERYTHING that you eat? Do you weigh/measure your food? You may actually be eating more than you realize. Which brings me to......
You could be eating enough to sustain. Basically burning and eating just enough to keep your body fuctioning properly. Your body will want to hold on to the fuel you give it to make sure you have enough energy for your next workout.
Are you measuring yourself? You may not always lose weight but your measurements can go down.
Water retention. Working out that much will cause your muscles to retain water to repair themselves. May sound odd but... drink more water. Your body weight divide by 2 is the amount of water (in oz) that you should consume a day. More if you live in a hotter climate and/or during and after workouts!!
You may want to 1) start logging and measuring everything you eat and 2) up your calories a bit to make sure you have enough fuel for your workouts!0 -
My suggestion: Accept that this will take some time, and failing to lose weight for a couple of weeks is a normal part of the process. As others have said, 1200 calories is probably too low. I'm mostly sedentary and I still eat about 1350. Kickboxing is a tough workout, and you need food to fuel it.0
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how many grams does 2 cups of cantaloupe weigh? what about 1/8 cup of sauce?
what about the "Homemade - Broccoli-Quinoa Casserole, 3/4 cup cooked"
Can someone tell me what this means? what is the difference in grams and cups? now i'm really confused about putting in my calories......thanks
Cups are a volume measurement, and entirely dependent on the person doing the measuring. Your cup of cantaloupe will be different than my cup of cantaloupe...how small did you cut it? Did you pack it down? Etc...
Grams are a weight measurement, and absolute (unless you have a wacky scale, but let's not go there yet.). My 100 grams will weigh the same as your 100 grams. This is why food scales are important. When you log the cantaloupe, select the entry in the database that offers a gram measurement. There is a dropdown box you can select to show you if grams are an option for that entry (once you find the entry, it should stay in your most recent...the first time logging something always takes the longest). If you weight out your melon to 150 grams, and it gives your a "100 gram" option, you just had 1.5 servings of 100 grams of melon.0 -
Can someone tell me what this means? what is the difference in grams and cups? now i'm really confused about putting in my calories......thanks
cups are defined in the US, canada and australia, they are defined as volumes, the defintiaions are different in the US to australia and canada
for water 1kg=1lt, but for most viscous fluids this is not the case
measuring solids in a volume is just inaccurate for very many reasons, amongst which but not restricted to : pack density and grain size
grams are a unit of mass
for an example watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
then try it out at home0
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