What am I doing wrong?!

AshleyyyB
AshleyyyB Posts: 15
edited September 22 in Motivation and Support
:sad: So I've recently decided that I need to lose some weight. My goal is to lose about 30 lbs. I've been beating myself up at the gym for the past two weeks and I've really been limiting what I eat as well as making sure that I choose healthier options. I eat three meals a day and I barely snack at all. I drink plenty of water during the day and I am set on losing this weight before the summer. My problem is that I don't see any progress at all. I feel like I'm slowly getting a little smaller, but the numbers on the scale are not changing at all. It is so depressing. I go to the gym 5-6 days a week, and each time I'm there I do at least 45 minutes of cardio. I alternate lifting weights with my arms and legs every other day, and I try to do a little bit of an ab work out every time I go. I don't know where I am going wrong. I'm tired and getting discouraged by my lack of progress. It seems as if I am doing things right, but I'm sore all the time and I come home from the gym and I just want to go to sleep. I don't know what to do, I just want to lose the weight. What's the point of putting myself through the hell of dieting and working out like an olympian when I am not going to see any results different from sitting on the couch eating crap?

Replies

  • nikkicarter13
    nikkicarter13 Posts: 231 Member
    Are you eating enough? If you are working out that much and are still very tired, you might not be eating enough calories throughout the day for your body to function normally and take all the exercise you are doing.
  • lukybug
    lukybug Posts: 209
    How many calories are you consuming a day? Also, keep in mind, muscle retains water. You may be hanging onto water weight. I don't know how much water you are drinking already...Also, for myself anyway, I've found the scale seems to be more cooperative with me if I eat 5 small meals a day. Plus it keeps your metabolism going too. Good luck.
  • Your body could be gaining muscle while losing fat, therefore you are not seeing a change on the scale. If your feeling down maybe you should track your measurements for a while instead :) Then when you lose an inch you will feel accomplished even if the scale hasn't changed.
  • rstarks54
    rstarks54 Posts: 163
    I agree, your body sounds if it is going into starvation mode, hanging on to those calories...increase your caloric intake, have snacks using healthy choices, and most of all, don't be discouraged!!!
  • UneJolieFemme
    UneJolieFemme Posts: 86 Member
    Hi SkinnyMe !

    First, congrats on everything you did so far. You seem very motivated, that's excellent ! I read your post, and first thing that came to my mind is have you got your measurements taken before you started eating healthy and working out ? I often watch a show called ' The last 10 pounds ' on TV and some of the people do loose inches off their bodies yet barely loose weight on the scale.

    Its still a great beginning, loosing inches is as good - if not better - than loosing weight on the scale !
  • I've had similar problems for almost 2 years...and I've given up several times.
    My advice is ditch the scale! Seriously. It will drive you ape *kitten* bananas. I was so obsessed with the number on the scale, I couldn't think of anything else and I'd get depressed and say screw it.
    Also, make sure you're eating enough. It's hard because we're so prone to think that more food=more fat, but that's not true. Counting calories on here is really helpful.
    I've been counting calories for a little over a week on here and I think it seems to be helping me. I also have to keep in mind that the weight is gonna come off waaaaay slower than I put it on :grumble:
    Anyway, there's my two cents...best of luck to you!
  • You're probably losing fat weight, but replacing it with muscle weight. Muscle weighs more than fat, so even though you are losing fat you aren't seeing the results on the scales. Rather than obsess about the number on the scales, go by the size of your clothes and the complements you get as your size decreases!:smile:

    Keep going the way you are and don't worry about your weight, think about your size as measured by your clothes!!
  • xarrium
    xarrium Posts: 432 Member
    I agree with the previous posters--you need to make sure you're matching intake with output so you have the energy to work out like an Olympian!

    Make sure you're not overtraining, too--it's easy to go too hard at the start of a program, so don't go overboard. Keep the faith--slow and steady wins the race (which sucks to hear, I know, but it's true!).
  • Thanks so much for all your help guys-I guess I could be eating a little bit more. It's just kind of a weird concept that in order to lose weight you actually need to eat more often...
  • riccimua
    riccimua Posts: 30 Member
    Your body retains weight when you first start excercising. Also muscle weighs more than fat so if you are working out as much as you say you are, your gaining muscle so that will reflect on the scale. You may want to re- think your eating habits also. Try eating 5 small meals a day instead. Your body needs fuel especially if you are excercising alot. If it doesn't think it's getting enough fuel than it will go into starvation mode and store all of your calories instead of burning them. Lastly drink LOTS I mean LOTS of water to rid your body of salt that retains in the body.
    Hope this was helpful! Good luck!!
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    Trust me, just keep going...I was in the EXACT same boat as you, I started with the need to lose 55lbs...i was going to the gym doing the same thing you're doing...it took 3 months to start losing weight...ask my friends on here, i was so discouraged and upset that I almost quit...i tried EVERYTHING...but in the end it was my body that was confused. it took three months for my body to realize i wasn't trying to kill myself, I just wanted to lose some chub. You need to get use to your vigorous routine, your body needs to realize that you aren't abusing it, but loving it...it's only been two weeks...come to me in 2 months and if you're still in the same position then i'll apologize lol...the one thing that really worked for me was to stagger my calories..one day eat all your calories back, the next only eat half, etc...but never go below 1200...if you shock you body than it will realize you aren't starving it so it won't store (i hate talking about my body like it's a seperate entity but it's true, the damn thing has a mind of it's own)...I convince myself that water is a weighloss drink, and if i want to be skinny I better drink my eight cups...now it's no problem to get more than 9 cups of water in...stay strong, you're doing wonderful.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,420 Member
    Are you eating enough? If you are working out that much and are still very tired, you might not be eating enough calories throughout the day for your body to function normally and take all the exercise you are doing.

    yeahthat.gif
  • lastraw
    lastraw Posts: 32
    Thanks so much for all your help guys-I guess I could be eating a little bit more. It's just kind of a weird concept that in order to lose weight you actually need to eat more often...

    It sounds bizarre but is so true...keeping the workouts the same (six days per week) when I only eat 1200 calories a day the scale doesn't go down...when I eat in the 1400-1500 range (3 meals and two snacks a day) it drops! Our bodies need fuel to burn and if we don't eat enough in a day, it hangs on to what it gets (starvation mode). Enjoy the extra food just make sure it's clean!
  • dino_morgan
    dino_morgan Posts: 57 Member
    Hello Darling!

    I would recommend measuring yourself. The weeks that I didn't see anything change on the scale, I usually saw a decline in my measurements! :) If you're beating yourself up at the gym, chances are you're losing fat and gaining muscle. Plus, two weeks isn't really enough time to see how you're weight loss journey is doing. These things take time, and over a longer amount of dedicated work, you will see more results.

    Good luck! And know we are all here for you!
  • porcelain_doll
    porcelain_doll Posts: 1,005 Member
    I went through this and it can be very discouraging. I was working very hard just like you, and keeping my calorie intake to a minimum. I was eating damn near perfect - better than I ever had in my life, so you can imagine how frustrating it was when I not only stopped losing weight, but started gaining it back. Ohhhhhh, I was mad. I went to a local university and had my metabolism checked. Nothing wrong. Had my thyroid checked. Nothing wrong. The doctor asked me about what I was eating and I told him in detail everything, and he said right off the bat that I probably wasn't eating enough. My co-worker and friend from college, both who are big into fitness, said the exact same thing. Then my trainer at the time mentioned it. So I started eating more and it took a few weeks for my metabolism to "reset" or readjust, I guess, so I did gain a little, but I also started losing again and now I think things are good.

    Make sure you are eating your exercise calories. If you fall a little bit under, I think it's ok, but don't fall too far under. When I was doing it, my net calorie intake was only 600-800 cal/day. The body requires much more than that just to perform basic functions, so I did myself no favors doing that. I caused myself a lot of stress and almost quit completely because I felt like I'd run out of options. What more could I do besides eating near perfectly and exercising almost 7 days/week? I wanted to pound my head against a wall.

    I hope this helps.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,420 Member
    respect.gif
    The doctor asked me about what I was eating and I told him in detail everything, and he said right off the bat that I probably wasn't eating enough. My co-worker and friend from college, both who are big into fitness, said the exact same thing. Then my trainer at the time mentioned it. So I started eating more and it took a few weeks for my metabolism to "reset" or readjust, I guess, so I did gain a little, but I also started losing again and now I think things are good.

    Tell the story!!. :happy:
  • I had the same problem and still do. Don't let the scale become your enemy more than it already is. Try to stay away from it as much as you can, perhaps only weighing in once a month? If not, you'll get discouraged when the numbers aren't going down. I was upset that I'd lost 40lbs and hadn't seen a huge change in my body at times and I was told what many other people are saying, you're losing fat and gaining muscle or you're losing inches. So, instead of weighing myself, I decided to have my mom do my measurements (she's a seamstress) and I found that I had lost 12 inches all around, even though my pant size wasn't going down. That's a whole foot of person that was gone. If you focus on the numbers on the scale then pushing through the struggle will feel so much more difficult than it already is. You will see changes when you become more active, don't feel tired all the time and simple routines that used to take your breath out of you is no longer a challenge. Keep your head up and know that there is a whole community behind you supporting you! :flowerforyou:
  • I am going to go against the grain a bit here. I agree with making sure you are not eating to little. In fact, I would recommend taking the week off from exercise and just focusing on your intake. Do a little research and find a calorie goal that is livable and really focus on getting the right blend of nutrients (MFP suggestions are ok but I would bump up the protein a little and reduce the fat a little to support your exercise regimen). Check out the Mayo Clinic website for recommendations. You will start feeling better almost immediately and more than likely see good weight loss results because when you are heavier you are naturally burning more calories (higher BMR). Then I would jump back into the exercise but start slow and build out from there. I am also a firm believer in adding variety to your workouts. The number 1 thing to focus on is being consistent and sticking with it!
  • buskirk20
    buskirk20 Posts: 2 Member
    Did you add sodium to your food diary? I found that to help me a lot.
This discussion has been closed.