Not losing weight-- what am I doing wrong?

If your net calories are minus or only up to 500, you need to eat more. Then you won't feel rubbish. Don't overexercise either, it won't help.

^^^^^^^ Agree - you need to eat enough to keep up your energy. My net calories are never below 1000 (unless I'm sick or something) - I've lost over 81 lbs in a year. Make this a lifestyle that you can continue. I've done the diets that I could never stick to for the rest of my life because I end up weak, disgusted, and frustrated causing me to gain it all back.

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One thing that stuck out to me in this thread is how you said you feel hungry and light headed all of the time. That makes me think you're not getting proper nutrition. It has nothing to do with fat burning, but eating foods higher in protein and fat will keep you fuller, which in turn allows you to eat less food. That could be crucial to decreasing your calories enough for a reasonable defecit. Otherwise, your diary is locked so we can't evaluate how accurate your logging is, but if you want the help you came here for, I'd start there. (The exercise burn overestimation has been beaten into the ground already, and while it's probably true I won't bother elaborating as others already have.)

For the past month and a week, I've been working out 5-6 days per week. I do various exercises each time but I usually start with a 30-40 minute 12% incline, 3.8mph treadmill walk OR a 30-40 minute intense crossfit workout. Then I always do 10-15 minutes of moderately intense to intense row machine work. After this I'll spend another 20-30 minutes doing various weights, abdominal exercises, etc etc (I have a personal trainer and I mostly utilize the various exercises she has shown me). At the end of the day I usually end up burning anywhere between 1200-1800 calories from workouts, depending on how intense the workouts were and how much I walked that day (usually 30min-2 hours of walking daily).

My daily calorie intake is around 1200-1850 calories (1850 would be the bad days, usually 1 a week). I have a food scale and religiously weigh and record everything.

Problem is.... not only have I not lost weight since I started working out again, but I've gained 2 pounds. This isn't the first time I've tried to lose weight. In the fall I lost around 15 pounds in a month and I wasn't being nearly as good with my workouts (3-4 a week).

I figured that maybe I had a thyroid issue so I asked one of my nurse friends. She says that was good thinking, but considering I was just recently losing weight, chances are the thyroid problems wouldn't kick in so quickly and perhaps the complete lack of weight loss is due to hormonal issues due to stress (ironically I'm the MOST stressed out about not losing weight....very helpful).

Has anyone else had any issues such as this before or have any insight or advice that could point me in the right direction?

So you are aiming to net zero calories? (1200-1800 exercise burn with only 1200-1800 calorie intake?). That would make your deficit HUGE and that cannot be healthy.

Couple things. The workout you described is about 75-90 minutes long so there is no way you are burning that many calories. An 1800 calorie burn for someone your size would be running a marathon. You are probably burning closer to 600 calories (not 1200). My guess would be that you are putting your body under a lot of stress coupled by the mental stress of wanting desperately to lose weight but not doing so. Elevated stress plus physical exercise will up your water retention by a lot which can offset any fat loss on the scale.

My recommendation would be to eat more than you are eating if you are going to workout that regularly (1800 every day not just sometimes). Try to not kill yourself here.

If you eat 1800 and burn 600 and you weigh 200 pounds you will shed weight rather quickly. There is no reason at all to try to net zero calories.

Oh and my net calories range from -310 to around 500.

This is your problem.

Your net should be at least 1200 calories.

Instead of actual weight loss in pounds, have you, or are you measuring yourself with a tape measure? It could very well be that you are building muscle.

ok. i'm a dumbass. please stop replying so i can bury my head in the sand now.

Honestly I think you should take your 3-4 hour workouts down to 1 hour.

Agreed. Working out 3-4 hours a day is going to wear you out very quickly. You are overtraining. There's absolutely NO reason to be working out for 3-4 hours a day.

I'm not just walking 2-3 hours. I'm doing that in addition to being at the gym for an hour or 2. In an average day I'm up and moving around 4 hours.

But like everyone seems to be saying, I guess I'm eating too much. I already feel like I'm starving and light-headed all day so Idk how eating even less is supposed to make me healthy... but apparently I need to.

Please don't tell me I'm making "excuses". I'm trying VERY VERY VERY hard. It's all I think about and all I've been focusing energy on. I'm not making excuses. I'm very frustrated, hurt, and confused. No sass is necessary. I'll just see my doctor.

How much of your workout, exercise calories are you eating back? I saw in a previous post that your net calories could be anywhere from -300 to 500 and if that is the case you may not be eating enough if your spending so much time moving and being active. If your not eating enough calories to fuel your workouts your body will start to go into starvation mode and will hold onto everything to protect itself. I personally find that if my net calories fall below consistently fall below 1200, I stop losing weight. I'm also finding that if I work out too hard too many days in a row, I also stop losing no matter how much I eat or don't eat.

As my youngest son recently commented, this whole dieting and eating healthy this is really hard. Especially knowing what you should be eating and how much you should be working out. It's a delicate balance, and there is no formula that works for every single person out there. Hang in there! Even if the scale isn't moving in the direction you want, you're out there exercising and making better food choices and doing good things for yourself. If your health plan allows and your still frustrated, maybe meeting with a nutritionist could help as well, they could look at what you're logging and your work outs and provide insight.

MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT. If I see that one more time I'm going to lose my mind!

1lb of muscle = 1lb of fat ... because ONE POUND EQUALS ONE POUND

That being said, one pound of muscle may be leaner than one pound of fat. So, rather than seeing a change on your scale you may see a change in your body shape (although you mentioned an inch off of your waist and a half an inch off of your hips - if I am quoting you correctly, apologies if those numbers are off) so that doesn't seem to be what's going on.

I hope you find a schedule for working out and a mindset that make you happy and less stressed! best of luck with the rest of your journey!

You don't gain muscle at the same rate that you lose water/fat, so noob muscle gain for the OP wouldn't stall the scale.

Increased water retention due to exercise however....

Pretty sure OP left a while ago due to frustration with the answers she recieved. I only hope she decides to stop beating herself up so much and relax. Workout far less, stop treating food like the enemy.

Hello,

I know exactly how you feel-- I started around 260 and I am about your size now and I hit a plateu not long ago. It occured to me that you could be over-excersing, and you could also be eating the right about of calories but the wrong stuff. I was going to the gym everyday and killing myself until my trainer friend pointed out to me that my wourk outs, in terms of efficency, were suffering because I was tired, stressed, and my muscles were maxed out. At that point it does more harm than good. Also, I was eating within my calorie range but I wasn't eating enough of the right kind of stuff that my body needed to function well and drop the fat. You need to max out your calories with things like lean meats, fish, and fiborous veggies. As well as fruit and limited amounts of healthy fats. If you're anything like me, stop munching on protien bars/granola bars etc. and trying to fit things that are bad for you into your diet. Better to have a big healthy serving of a combo of all the good stuff than a small piece of pizza. I know a "calorie is a calorie" but if you aren't getting all the nutrients your body needs to function efficently, it will never respond the way you want it to. Similarly, re-vamp your workouts and focus on efficency and incorporate meaningful rest days. 2+ days should be recovery, so do some yoga, some walking, or even swimming on those days. On the others, focus on high intensity interval training (for cardio) and lifts that use multiple body parts. A shorter workout means less stress on the body, and HITT is one of the best ways to burn calories efficently. Definietly talk to a trainer about your concerns and find one that can help you organize a good routine.

Perhaps sharing my experience might help? I have a stressful job and I've been compensating for what's going on at work with more and more exercise. But I was slowly gaining weight even though I was trying to be careful with my eating (but I was eating out almost every meal) AND I kept increasing my exercise. A friend of mine recommended an Exercise coach so I met with him and he did the following:

#1- he greatly reduced the amount of my exercise. Said I was over stressing my body and probably throwing my hormones out of whack and in effect was working against myself.

#2 - He completely changed up my diet and asked me to cook at home 90% or more where I could control all the additives (salt, sauces, sugar, etc.) AND that I weigh every piece of my meals. He also moved me to 6 meals a day with lots of protein at each meal and only low glycemic carbs (some brown rice, more quinoa and lots and lots of green veges).

#3 - Asked me to get more SLEEP! Said that was key and to be sure I was drinking enough water. I wasn't.

So I started this 3 months or so ago and now down 20 lbs but at the same time I'm stronger and my muscles are more prominent (due to less fat but with the reduction in cardio and getting more rest I think I've put on some muscle gains).

Waist and hips are down 4" but chest and arms are the same though they appear more muscular.

So take a look at your meals and weigh everything and at the same time make sure your getting enough rest. The human body is a complex machine so it's not just calories in and calories out. The types of food we eat and the rest we get directly impacts our metabolism and that can really improve how many calories you are burning.

I am a firm believer in that I can't out exercise my mouth. So finding a balance between exercise, rest and good food seems to do the trick at least for me.

Hope this helps!

I'm 5'7 and weigh 203 lbs. I'm considered obese by my doctor. I dunno if that means I'd burn more or not.

We are almost exactly the same size - and I've had weeks where I'm not losing but my clothes fit better.

I've had success with the fitbit - and even with walking 10,000 steps a day, I don't burn more than 450.

it does sound like you are actually not eating enough hun. I've lost nearly 2 stones in the last 8 weeks and don't weigh everything in fact I weigh out almost nothing. I spoke to my practice nurse who said your body needs a certain ammount of calories just to function roughly 1000 to 1500 for a woman, dependant on size. You need to burn 3500 calories to lose 1 pound. If you are exercising and not eating enough then your body is reacting and goes into starvation mode for self preservation. I fill in the food diary and exercise diary on here and its is showing that I eat between 1000 to 1500 and any extra calories earned by exercise are what I am burning off. I filled in all my details and it says I can eat about 2500 and still lose, this will change as I lose more weight.That is without what it gives me back for any exercise I do. I also am a member of a slimming club and get great advice from them and my gp practice. As I said I've already lost a lot, roughly 3 lbs per week and I have plans for even more. It will be a long journey and worth every step. Hope this helps quote]

I'm not just walking 2-3 hours. I'm doing that in addition to being at the gym for an hour or 2. In an average day I'm up and moving around 4 hours.

But like everyone seems to be saying, I guess I'm eating too much. I already feel like I'm starving and light-headed all day so Idk how eating even less is supposed to make me healthy... but apparently I need to.

Please don't tell me I'm making "excuses". I'm trying VERY VERY VERY hard. It's all I think about and all I've been focusing energy on. I'm not making excuses. I'm very frustrated, hurt, and confused. No sass is necessary. I'll just see my doctor.

How much of your workout, exercise calories are you eating back? I saw in a previous post that your net calories could be anywhere from -300 to 500 and if that is the case you may not be eating enough if your spending so much time moving and being active. If your not eating enough calories to fuel your workouts your body will start to go into starvation mode and will hold onto everything to protect itself. I personally find that if my net calories fall below consistently fall below 1200, I stop losing weight. I'm also finding that if I work out too hard too many days in a row, I also stop losing no matter how much I eat or don't eat.

As my youngest son recently commented, this whole dieting and eating healthy this is really hard. Especially knowing what you should be eating and how much you should be working out. It's a delicate balance, and there is no formula that works for every single person out there. Hang in there! Even if the scale isn't moving in the direction you want, you're out there exercising and making better food choices and doing good things for yourself. If your health plan allows and your still frustrated, maybe meeting with a nutritionist could help as well, they could look at what you're logging and your work outs and provide insight.
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I'm 200+ lbs at the moment. I also have hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) which I take meds daily for along with anti depressants. Since Oct 2013 I've lost a total of 60 lbs. It's not the fastest rate in the world but I just wanted to post to let people know it can be done.

I do have occasions where I'll stop losing weight. If I have a few weeks with zero movement on the scale and zero loss of inches, then I take a hard look at my calories. I'm one of those people who lets calories creep up on them so if I stop losing for a few weeks then I know it's due to me eating more than I think I am. Especially since I'm an emotional eater.

I don't beat myself up about it. I just get more strict about weighing, counting, measuring my food. That's why I ended up here on MFP. I had gone nearly two months with no weight loss (no gain either which I took as a positive). So I started looking for a way I could track my food better. Since joining here I've lost 15 lbs and 4 inches around my hips and waist.

I know people always assume it's the thyroid and while it may not be easy, it is entirely possible to lose weight while having thyroid issues.

I'm not saying the OP has thyroid issues but "IF" it ended up being that, it's not the end of the world. And even though I have thyroid issues, if I'm not losing I don't automatically assume it's due to my thyroid.