Why am I not losing weight?

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Finalatomicbuster
Finalatomicbuster Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm starting to get really frustrated. I started my goal to lose around 40 pounds back in January and I started off great. I joined the gym and started doing cardio exercises in hopes of reaching my goal of 150 pounds. From January to April, I lost about 11 pounds and it gave me the motivation to just keep going at it. In the first few weeks of May, though, this is when I basically hit a brick wall. I've been sticking to the same routine as I've been and eating around that 1500 calorie mark, but there hasn't seem to be any progress. As a matter of fact, I actually gained 2 pounds instead. There hasn't been any progress in over a month and I'm beginning to get frustrated with myself.

I don't know what to do anymore. I've been thinking about changing my calorie goal to 1200 pounds, but looking at the stories of people trying to do something similar, I'm a little hesitant about it. Any advices would be helpful

PS: You may notice in the last month that I haven't completed some of my food diaries. Rest assured, I have been eating the 1500 calorie mark.

Replies

  • ItsJordanNicole
    ItsJordanNicole Posts: 110 Member
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    Your body may just be too used to what you're doing. You may want to change your workout routine or the way that you're eating.
  • MagnumBurrito
    MagnumBurrito Posts: 1,070 Member
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    Do resistance instead of cardio.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
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    Sorry you're having this problem.

    First, two pounds is nothing. Weight loss is not linear. It will fluctuate by 5 pounds or more per day, depending on a number of different factors like how hydrated you are, how much sodium you've eaten, and hormonal fluctuations caused by the time of month/day/year.

    Second, if you truly aren't losing weight, then you aren't creating the appropriate calorie deficit. Something is being miscalculated. Either you're overestimating the calories you're burning, or you're underestimating the calories you're eating. To take out the guesswork, try to get exact with as many things as you can: digital scale for all food, heart rate monitor for cardio, fitness tracker for regular daily activity.
  • Oi_Sunshine
    Oi_Sunshine Posts: 819 Member
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    Hi there, i looked at your profile to get some more info in order to help you. So you're a 20 year old male, who has recently lost about 50lb. What are your height and current weight? My initial reaction is you are eating too little for your body's basic needs.
  • robertf57
    robertf57 Posts: 560 Member
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    Weight loss is not a linear event. You will have ups and downs in the short term. BUt, if you are not losing over time there is only one possibility. You are eating calories more than you are using. Period.

    1) MEASURE (weigh) and RECORD EVERYTHING!!!! No estimates or guesses
    2) Get better estimates of your energy consumption. Consider having your RMR measured, use a high quailty HR monitor to betetr approximate your energy consumption during exercise.
  • suzique33
    suzique33 Posts: 16 Member
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    You need strength training too not just cardio and you need to change it up every few weeks your body gets used to what your doing and it isn't as effective!
  • mnfgrl1417
    mnfgrl1417 Posts: 2 Member
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    Hi there, i looked at your profile to get some more info in order to help you. So you're a 20 year old male, who has recently lost about 50lb. What are your height and current weight? My initial reaction is you are eating too little for your body's basic needs.

    YOU could be right! So many times I hear people say things like "eat less" as the answer to weight loss plateaus. Not losing weight over a long period of time could be inaccurate measurements of foods' calories or portion sizes but it could be your body going in to a state of starvation and storing up as much fat as it can because it doesn't know when/if more will come. It may also be that someone has gained muscle mass while losing fat, a scale will only show that you've gained/not lost weight. The more lean muscle you have the more calories you burn doing everything, so strength training (whether with weights OR bodyweight exercises) is a great thing to add to workouts. Switch up the workouts and really pay attention to portions for food and be less concerned about the scale number and just think and be healthy. Goodluck!

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