Have been using MFP only lost 2 lbs:(

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Kdunoo
Kdunoo Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello! I have been using MFP for about 16 days now. I am trying to lose 1 1//2 lbs each week. That puts me at about 1550 calories a day. I also work out 5 days a week and when I do I burn anywhere from 500-700 calories a workout session. I usually eat most of my workout calories back(I usually don't eat two hundred of them) I guess in the end I'm only complaining about a lb put I really want to stay on my weight loss schedule. I have one cheat meal on Sundays but I dont go overboard and I usually eat pretty light for the rest of the day. Should I eat less of my workout calories? Is only one else in the same boat? Has anyone been in this situation and broke though it. Im pretty devote in my calorie counting as well. Im 28, 218 and 6'0..thanks guys!!

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  • DeeJayTJ
    DeeJayTJ Posts: 355 Member
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    just keep at it, it will eventually just melt right off!

    it takes some time but eventually you will notice a great change! (as long as you keep on eating healthy and working out)
  • bluuea
    bluuea Posts: 13
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    That is exactly why I don't log in my workout until the end of the day. I know that if I look at my calorie count and I have them left over, that I will eat more. Try not putting your workout in until bedtime and see if that does not help you reach better results. Good luck!
  • brocksmom
    brocksmom Posts: 103 Member
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    I thought I was going to loose more then I did... but I tried on some clothes that were a bit tight last week and they fit so much better, and I have had more energy in the last week or so.
    When I don't get the numbers I think I should have I think of all the other things eating healthy (I have eaten more veggies in the last weeks then i have in the last 40 years) exercising.

    Good luck, Karen
  • jrpollack
    jrpollack Posts: 2
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    I've found that it goes faster if I DON'T eat back my workout calories and just stick to the original number before exercise.
  • ladybug91254
    ladybug91254 Posts: 232 Member
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    Personally I can't do a "cheat" day and still lose...doesn't seem to matter how careful I am the rest of the day or week...but that may be just me. So I stay with my calories every day if I plan to lose. I've been doing this almost a year and I would have to look but pretty sure I have had less than 5 days total of ever going over my calories. I just know I have to be that careful. Of course I also have many years on you:smile:
  • alliegator89
    alliegator89 Posts: 42 Member
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    If you only recently started exercising that much and if it is including things like weight training you could be losing fat but gaining muscle. A scale obviously doesn't know the difference. A pound of muscle takes up less room than a pound of fat so measuring your waist, chest, biceps, etc or just looking in the mirror for any differences can be a good judge. When I started working out more I gained 2 pounds but then my pants started falling off. I had lost the fat but made it up in muscle and that is a good thing. The more muscle mass you have the more calories you burn just on a resting metabolic rate basis. Don't get discouraged yet!
  • PediNurse67
    PediNurse67 Posts: 66 Member
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    It's important that you eat your workout calories so that you reach your daily goal. You really do have to eat to lose weight. Keep in mind that you may be building muscle which is of course heavier that fat. While the number on the scale is what we all look forward to seeing go down, make sure you also focus on your measurments. Keep up the good work :-)
  • erikblock
    erikblock Posts: 230 Member
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    Keep in mind that all of the data that is being used on this site (or anywhere) is approximate. To expect that you'll lose exactly 1.5 pounds each week by following your plan isn't really realistic, because the number of calories you're burning and the number of calories you're consuming are estimates. They are as accurate as they can be, but they're far from perfect. Just keep at it; any weight loss is good weight loss, and if you continue to make smart decisions about your diet and exercise, you'll continue to see improvement.

    Good luck!
  • eileeeneileen
    eileeeneileen Posts: 5
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    A couple of thouhts:

    2 lbs in two weeks isn't all that surprising -- especially if you've significanlty kicked up your exercise during those 2 weeks. You may have lost inches which wouldn't necessarily show up as "weight loss"on the scale The body is pretty fickle when it comes to the scale...sodium intake, water intake, menstrual cycle, etc...so many things influence the number on the scale. And even if the scale said you lost 3 lbs you wouldn't know if it was purely water loss, or muscle loss or fat loss or a combination of the three -- so don't get too freaked out 16 days into this. Regardless of what the scale says I assume your goal is to systematically drop in clothes size (loss of inches) and be healthier. Sounds like you are doing good things so keep on keeping on!

    That said, are you using a heart rate monitor to calculate calories burned through exercise or the machine's reading? I ask because I use to use the machine's reading and was also eating back a good number of exercise calories. Once I got a heart rate monitor I saw that the machines were saying I burned over a 100 calories more than what I actually was burning. That wasn't good since for months I was eating back calories based on over inflated numbers. This probably wouldn't be enough of a problem to entirely account for your slower weight loss but if you are relying on machine's reading it's good to keep in mind.

    Good luck!
  • california_peach
    california_peach Posts: 1,858 Member
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    2lbs in 2 weeks is great! It really is. Keep at it. Exercise, track your intake (even the cheat day) and you'll be fine. Don't give up.

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