Working out and dieting, but I am not loosing weight, please

What are you using to calculate the calories you burn in the gym? I feel like you should be burning significantly more that 200-300 cals in 45 minutes. I would suggest you beef up your cardio either by making it longer or more intense so you burn more cals.

i have 2 possible answers. the first (and most likely) answer is that you're losing fat & building muscle. muscle weighs more than fat. the 2nd is me answering your question with a question. are you eating healthy? or allowing yourself to eat junk because you're working out?

First, don't focus on weight especially for one who isn't used to diet and exercise. Your body needs to adjust first, and will do so by toning and building muscle. I really agree with taking your measurements, but recommend doing it every two-three weeks. After the first month, then check your weight once a week to once every two weeks.

2 weeks just isnt long enough ..you have to remember this is gonna take a long time hopefully its a lifestyle change for you and not a diet so just be patient and stay away from those processed foods and high sodium items...and keep working out..as long as your consistent your making progress ....measure success by staying focused NOT by pounds you lose.

yea, that cream can sneak up on you. The label usually says for one tablespoon, but I know my husband uses at least half a cup in his coffee. I still drink my coffee but I switched to the lowest carb milk I could find, that being Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. I measure it, too.

Also, wanted to mention that if this should continue, with the scale not moving, you may want to mention it to your doctor, as sometimes a thyroid condition could cause you to have difficulties losing weight. Just a thought.

I am on day 8 and very frustrated too but I lost 1 inch off my waist and .5 inch off my hips BEFORE the scale showed anything...truth be told the scale was showing higher than my starting weight on here which really had me mad! Take your measurements and use that for your motivation when the scale is not showing the results you hoped for! It sounds like you are doing wonderful and just need to (sorry in advance) be a little more patient? I must try to practice what I preach but this is what my new friends here are guiding me to do so trying to Learn it thenTeach it!

I highly doubt its muscle right now, that takes time to build up. Because you just started working out I would put money on it being water weight. Our muscles store water to help repair, etc. So if you are working out your muscles might be storing water. Also, are you drinking enough water and keeping sodium down?

Hi,

Good job with the committment to exercise and healthy eating! It's hard to get started but you sound like you are doing a good job!

If you have just started exercising you are probably building muscle. I have always been told that your body cannot build muscle and have a significant weight loss at the same time, you either build muscle or lose weight. By building muscle you are probably gaining a little weight as muscle weighs more than fat, but in the long run you are enabling your body to lose weight faster because muscle burns calories faster and more efficiently. I don't know how long you have been exercising but if you started both your diet and exercise plan at the same time it may just be because you are building muscle.

Taking your measurements is an excellent idea because you will see results faster than on the scale which helps to keep you committed.

Keep up the good work and good luck!

Are you drinking enough water? Not enough water is very often an issue. You need one ounce for every two pounds you weigh. Since you are around 180, you need at least 90 ounces a day. That's almost 3 quarts. If you don't like it plain, try some Crystal Light in there. Without drinking enough water, your body will not lose weight. Your body is like a machine, an engine that without the proper cooling and hydration will not run right. Try drinking that amount every day and eat some of those exercise calories back and see what happens. Drink an extra cup after your workouts, too. Good luck!!!

There's a bit of debate on this site about eating your exercise calories back, but generally it's probably a good idea that you do. The calorie deficit is built into your calorie intake, so if not eating them back takes you below 1200/day, I'd definitely eat at least up to 1200 net, if that makes sense.

I've done some research on this because I didn't know what to do about it. What I have found is exactly what you said. You must make it to 1200 calories. If that means you have to eat your calories to do so, then so be it. You don't have to eat them all, but you have to get to that point. Personally, my worst days are the days when my net calories are under 1200.

Just stick with it..give your body time to adjust to the workouts. Your diet and workouts are going to constantly need adjusting and changes will need to be made as you go along, but keep going..try to have fun with it..and do measure your body..good luck!

Same here friend!
First week I lost in teh sacale 5 lbs, but I only considered 3 lbs bc my weight flactuates a lot, no kidding, it does a lot! So that alone make hard for me to know if I am loosing or not.
This week I started 30 day shred and on top of that I did extra cardio monday, tuesday, I will do extra cardio thursday and friday. Thursday is my weigh in day, but I checked today and nada, not even one once. And yesterday it was up 2 lbs, but like I said it flactruates a lot. So my plan is: hide the scale! I am not weighting thursday. I will TRY to do it next thursday... I am not sure if I will be able to wait one more week. But I cannot let this discourage me. The main reason, the most important reason I decided to change my lifestyle is bc my cholesterol and triglicirides is extremily high. So I am sticking to it.
Now in the meanwhile I am trying different things. My diet is set for 1200. I do eat all 1200 and al least 1/2 of my excercise calories.
I am a very bad water drinker! I struggle to drink 64oz a day conuting the water I drink during exercise. So I am trying very very hard to drink more water. THe good thing for me is that I dont drink anything else other than water. Maybe one green tea or english tea evry other day. I really hope it is a water issue b/c then it is easier to fix it.
Please dont give up! I know exactly what you mean that this is teh first time you are really serious about it, same here! My diet is very very good. Everything I put in my mouth is whole grain, lean meats, fat free stuff. Pretty much all the fat in my diet come from very good fat.
Stick to it!

My Cal Target is set at 1200, and I have stayed close to it yes usually I have calories left over. (is that bad?)... drinking water more I am improving on actually just bought a huge package of waters to get me drinking more...,...

Actually, yeah that might be the problem. If you made too huge of a change too quickly, and you are eating BELOW 1200 cals (everyone on here will tell you to not do that consistently) you might have put your body into starvation mode, or you might soon if you don't start eating above that. Every person is different, but between you having your cals set SO low and not eating your exercise cals back, it will be hard on your body and your metabolism in the long run. It'd be better for you to shoot for a range above that...

I read most of the responses but thought I would add the following that my doctor has made me do when I had similar results. Look at the proportions of carbs to proteins. If you have too many carbs and not enough proteins but you are still in calorie range, you may not lose weight.

I also agree with everyone who mentioned water. However, keep your caffeine intake to 24 oz and drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. If you want more caffeine, you need to compensate with the same amount of water. Your workouts also will cause your muscles to want to store water because they use it to build/repair. Keep up the good work, you will get there!

ps, you may want to look into taking a VO2 test...many gyms offer them. Its basically a test that tells you what heartrate you burn your carbs and fats most efficiently. It is possible that you may be working too hard. I know it sounds weird but I actually had to scale back my exercise to lose weight. This isn't true for everyone but if its available, I highly recommend spending the money for the test. Mine cost about 75 dollars but a personal trainer also outlined a workout schedule to help me make the most of my exercise sessions. I don't work with him, so the test fee was all that I had to pay. Just a thought if you have the funds. If not, just keep working you are doing great!!! DON"T GET DISCOURAGED!!!!