Why am I not losing weight???

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holkeo
holkeo Posts: 34
in Motivation and Support
Hey all

I posted recently about how I have not lost yet. I had advice from people saying 'well because you ate freely over xmas ans NY you wont have lost any weight' which I get now as even though I was working out really hard, I was eating the calories back so I just stayed the same.

Since 1st January I have completely transformed my diet. It's a complete change of lifestyle. Eating and glasses of wine was what I enjoyed doing and now I have replaced that with health and fitness. So it's frustrating me that I haven't lost anything yet.

Gym - 5 / 6 times a week doing high impact exercise like spinning, step, boxercise etc
Diet- 1200 calories an no more every day. High protein and low fat.

WHY HAVE I NOT SEEN ANYTHING YET? I'm maybe less 'puffy' from the alcohol but not particular changes!

I used to work in fitness when I was at college so I kind of get it... But every time I've done this in the past, the results have been very obvious within the first 2 weeks.

ANY TIPS ON HOW TO GET THIS KICK STARTED? As to be honest, I'm starting to not put my all in working out because of how disheartened I am!!

H

Replies

  • mkspriggs
    mkspriggs Posts: 26 Member
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    Are you going by just weight or are you actually measuring yourself. You have to remember muscle weighs more then fat as you tone and burn fat you build muscle so all experts actually say dont worry about weight worry about measurements. also you said you cals are 1200 and no more, are you actually eating all 1200 or are you eating less sometimes.
  • holkeo
    holkeo Posts: 34
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    Hey

    I quite often eat less but making an effort now and yesterday i even went over by 34 cals.

    I know about the measuring thing and I haven't done it.. but I'm going by clothes and they don't feel any different really. As I say I just feel less puffy around my face and tummy because I've cut out bread and pasta and salt etc.

    What do you reckon?
  • cupcakelover103
    cupcakelover103 Posts: 197 Member
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    My first guess would be overestimating exercise calories (sometimes mfp is not accurate, and i generally minus 10 mintues of my exercise to counteract this) and my second would be underestimating food calories. Are you measuring your quantaties and being precise? Are you counting all liquids, sauces oils etc?
  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    just a thought..

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    maybe if you made your diary public you would get better advice

    good luck
  • sabell82
    sabell82 Posts: 43
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    I would be careful too to not eat much less than 1200 because your body could go into "starvation mode" and that definitely won't help weight loss.
  • magretton
    magretton Posts: 5 Member
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    Not sure why you are not losing weight. The only thing I can think of is that you are not eating enough. With all the exercise and muscle building you are doing you maybe burning too much. This has happened to a friend of mine. Are you plugging in your workouts with the correct calories that you've burned? Are you eating to the full calorie amount you are being told? When you don't eat enough your body starts protecting itself. Hope this helps!
  • klitza
    klitza Posts: 4
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    Maybe the high protein mixed with tons of working out is causing it. You may just be gaining muscle in the place of all the fat, thats what protein does after all. Also, what do your calories include? You might be retaining water. I did some research on the subject when I was having the same problem and having a potassium rich diet is great for kick starting anyone's weight loss. Check out http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/nutrition/potassium.html That will show you tons of things high in potassium and you can also look up negative calorie foods, on that though, its basically fruits and veggies. With the potassium, there was a bunch of stuff on there that I wouldn't have guessed. For example, a baked potato has 1081 mg of Potassium. It suggests that each adult person should get about 4900 mg a day in order to be healthy.
  • sarahkorry
    sarahkorry Posts: 31
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    First of all - well done for all the hard work you've put in recently! By the sounds of it you've been working really hard and putting your all into everything - please dont be disheartened!!! It normally takes a few weeks for your body to realise the change and I'm 100% sure if you carry on the way you're going you will be sure to see results soon - keep at it!

    You have to think to yourself - you can either carry on workign extra hard, eating well and exercising and seeing your results soon

    OR

    You can go back to the way you were - eating what you wanted, when you wanted, doing hardly any exercise and feelign completely awful about yourself and not seeing any results ever - probably even gaining weight!

    At least you're doing something about it - keep it up - you're doing brilliantly!!!
  • holkeo
    holkeo Posts: 34
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    My first guess would be overestimating exercise calories (sometimes mfp is not accurate, and i generally minus 10 mintues of my exercise to counteract this) and my second would be underestimating food calories. Are you measuring your quantaties and being precise? Are you counting all liquids, sauces oils etc?

    I did notice the overestimating thing with working out, but I did go from 0 exercise to 5-6 times a week and I'm really going for it like I did when I was really fit a few years ago so I know I'm working hard and would have thought I'd see some change.

    With food, I'm eating so much salad and veg and chicken breat and fish and so I know exactly what and how much is going into what I eat really. I haven't been weighing though so I guess that could help. If a packet says 250g and I'm putting half the pack in, I just work out calories like that

    H
  • holkeo
    holkeo Posts: 34
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    First of all - well done for all the hard work you've put in recently! By the sounds of it you've been working really hard and putting your all into everything - please dont be disheartened!!! It normally takes a few weeks for your body to realise the change and I'm 100% sure if you carry on the way you're going you will be sure to see results soon - keep at it!

    You have to think to yourself - you can either carry on workign extra hard, eating well and exercising and seeing your results soon

    OR

    You can go back to the way you were - eating what you wanted, when you wanted, doing hardly any exercise and feelign completely awful about yourself and not seeing any results ever - probably even gaining weight!

    At least you're doing something about it - keep it up - you're doing brilliantly!!!

    Thank you so much. That really did make me feel better and you're right. I guess I want it so badly that I want to see it quicker. I will definitely stick it out because the working really hard at the gym thing far out weighs how awful I feel about my body right now and I need to change that. I can't remember the last time I felt amazing when I left the house and that's purely because of my weight and not being able to wear what I want because of it. Time to feel sexy I think!!!

    H
  • holkeo
    holkeo Posts: 34
    Options
    Maybe the high protein mixed with tons of working out is causing it. You may just be gaining muscle in the place of all the fat, thats what protein does after all. Also, what do your calories include? You might be retaining water. I did some research on the subject when I was having the same problem and having a potassium rich diet is great for kick starting anyone's weight loss. Check out http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/nutrition/potassium.html That will show you tons of things high in potassium and you can also look up negative calorie foods, on that though, its basically fruits and veggies. With the potassium, there was a bunch of stuff on there that I wouldn't have guessed. For example, a baked potato has 1081 mg of Potassium. It suggests that each adult person should get about 4900 mg a day in order to be healthy.

    Thanks for your reply. That's really interesting and will look into it. I don't drink the recommended water a day. I wonder if that would do anything? I do struggle to do it. I'm a teacher and so can't afford to drink too much as can't leave the classroom so go to the toilet... also not able to drink in class (I've got a free right now by the way I'm not just abondoning the kids to talk about myself!!!!!!!!!)

    Thank you
  • scratchless
    scratchless Posts: 30 Member
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    First of all - well done for all the hard work you've put in recently! By the sounds of it you've been working really hard and putting your all into everything - please dont be disheartened!!! It normally takes a few weeks for your body to realise the change and I'm 100% sure if you carry on the way you're going you will be sure to see results soon - keep at it!

    You have to think to yourself - you can either carry on workign extra hard, eating well and exercising and seeing your results soon

    OR

    You can go back to the way you were - eating what you wanted, when you wanted, doing hardly any exercise and feelign completely awful about yourself and not seeing any results ever - probably even gaining weight!

    At least you're doing something about it - keep it up - you're doing brilliantly!!!

    Thank you so much. That really did make me feel better and you're right. I guess I want it so badly that I want to see it quicker. I will definitely stick it out because the working really hard at the gym thing far out weighs how awful I feel about my body right now and I need to change that. I can't remember the last time I felt amazing when I left the house and that's purely because of my weight and not being able to wear what I want because of it. Time to feel sexy I think!!!

    H

    Just one thing from my side,

    I know you want it off quick and my god we all do, me included, but remember the faster you loose it the quicker its comes back on bad days and weeks.

    So just that keep that in mind, take your time, it will come, and when it does it will stay off.

    But other than that your amazingly comited more than most and you will get the results.

    Take care

    Rob x
  • katbass
    katbass Posts: 351 Member
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    Your body requires a certain number of calories in order for you to simply exist. In order for you eyes to blink, your heart to keep beating, your hair to keep growing, your organs to keep functioning, you have to feed it a certain number of calories. This number is called your BMR. (Use the tool on this site to check your BMR...) For example, my BMR is about 1490 calories. So say I lay in bed allllll day, motionless. I would require 1490 calories just to keep my body alive in a coma-like state.
    The second I get out of bed, walk across the room, open the door to the bathroom, brush my teeth, pee, weigh myself, turn on the hot water,and hop in the shower...I have burned calories. Minimal...but still enough to start cutting into the 1490 my body needs in order to fuel its most basic functions.

    So if I eat my BMR of 1490 a day, I am only giving my body enough to do its basic functions.

    MFP gave me 1200 calories based on my desire to lose 2 lbs a week. At my height and current weight, losing 2 lbs per week is not reasonable, but I wanted to lose FAST. And the lowest MFP will set someone's calories is 1200 (For many good reasons). 1200 is sort of an arbitrary number at this point but no one should really eat LESS than 1200, and there are likely very few people who could eat 1200 calories for the rest of their lives and maintain weight or stay satisfied. (opinion...sorry) I lost 20+ lbs eating 1200 cals a day. Wahoo! Yeah me!! Right? WRONG. The second I started eating "normal" again, I gained all 20+ lbs back, PLUS MORE. It might "work" in the short term, but for many here, 1200 calories isnt the lifestyle change needed to STAY healthy and thin.

    OK, back to the exercise thing. If I eat my 1500 (1490) cals today, my body will already be at a deficit for weight loss since I got out of bed, functioned, walked, lifted my toddler countless times, etc. So if I were to workout and burn 500 calories this afternoon, my body would be at an even greater deficit, and risk pushing my body to panic. Once your body panics and your metabolism worries that you are not feeding it enough, you will start to store fat at a faster rate. Your body and metabolism will try to hang onto any extra store of fat in preparation for an upcoming "famine".

    Another way to look at it: If you eat 1200 calories and then exercise 500 calories away, you are only holding onto 700 calories for your body to draw from for energy, organ function, eye blinking, etc etc. Its just not enough for your body to exist on without causing longterm troubles.

    It took me a looooong time to "get" this. I still have to consciously remind myself to eat my calories in order to lose weight. It seems counter-intuitive...but it WORKS. When I eat my BMR and at LEAST half my exercise calories, I lose weight. When I only eat 1200 calories, I am miserable, hungry, and i might lose some weight initially...but i gain it alllll back with a few extra for fluffiness.

    Bottom line: eat more, keep moving, lose more, keep it off
    BMR + exercise calories = longterm success



    Hope that helped!

    Also, if yuo put your goal as "lose 2 lbs per week" then MFP will set your calorie goal accordingly. That is why it gave you 1200 cals rather than your BMR.
  • holkeo
    holkeo Posts: 34
    Options
    Your body requires a certain number of calories in order for you to simply exist. In order for you eyes to blink, your heart to keep beating, your hair to keep growing, your organs to keep functioning, you have to feed it a certain number of calories. This number is called your BMR. (Use the tool on this site to check your BMR...) For example, my BMR is about 1490 calories. So say I lay in bed allllll day, motionless. I would require 1490 calories just to keep my body alive in a coma-like state.
    The second I get out of bed, walk across the room, open the door to the bathroom, brush my teeth, pee, weigh myself, turn on the hot water,and hop in the shower...I have burned calories. Minimal...but still enough to start cutting into the 1490 my body needs in order to fuel its most basic functions.

    So if I eat my BMR of 1490 a day, I am only giving my body enough to do its basic functions.

    MFP gave me 1200 calories based on my desire to lose 2 lbs a week. At my height and current weight, losing 2 lbs per week is not reasonable, but I wanted to lose FAST. And the lowest MFP will set someone's calories is 1200 (For many good reasons). 1200 is sort of an arbitrary number at this point but no one should really eat LESS than 1200, and there are likely very few people who could eat 1200 calories for the rest of their lives and maintain weight or stay satisfied. (opinion...sorry) I lost 20+ lbs eating 1200 cals a day. Wahoo! Yeah me!! Right? WRONG. The second I started eating "normal" again, I gained all 20+ lbs back, PLUS MORE. It might "work" in the short term, but for many here, 1200 calories isnt the lifestyle change needed to STAY healthy and thin.

    OK, back to the exercise thing. If I eat my 1500 (1490) cals today, my body will already be at a deficit for weight loss since I got out of bed, functioned, walked, lifted my toddler countless times, etc. So if I were to workout and burn 500 calories this afternoon, my body would be at an even greater deficit, and risk pushing my body to panic. Once your body panics and your metabolism worries that you are not feeding it enough, you will start to store fat at a faster rate. Your body and metabolism will try to hang onto any extra store of fat in preparation for an upcoming "famine".

    Another way to look at it: If you eat 1200 calories and then exercise 500 calories away, you are only holding onto 700 calories for your body to draw from for energy, organ function, eye blinking, etc etc. Its just not enough for your body to exist on without causing longterm troubles.

    It took me a looooong time to "get" this. I still have to consciously remind myself to eat my calories in order to lose weight. It seems counter-intuitive...but it WORKS. When I eat my BMR and at LEAST half my exercise calories, I lose weight. When I only eat 1200 calories, I am miserable, hungry, and i might lose some weight initially...but i gain it alllll back with a few extra for fluffiness.

    Bottom line: eat more, keep moving, lose more, keep it off
    BMR + exercise calories = longterm success



    Hope that helped!

    Also, if yuo put your goal as "lose 2 lbs per week" then MFP will set your calorie goal accordingly. That is why it gave you 1200 cals rather than your BMR.








    THANK YOU SO MUCH KAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    That really all made sense to me all of a sudden. Thank you.

    I'll try my hardest to do it right and hopefully I'll start seeing some changes soon!

    Holly

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