Grrrrr....what the heck! HELP!!

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tara3103
tara3103 Posts: 107
in Motivation and Support
I have worked out everyday for the past 2 1/2 weeks, except for last Friday, and I have only lost half a pound! I do 60 min cardio and then some circuit training. Sometime, I also add in 30 day shred or Just Dance on the wii. I don't know what's going on! Last summer I did way less exercise and ate a little worse than now and managed to lose 20 lbs in 2 months. I am eating between 1250-1350 calories a day and have not been cheating. The only difference from now to last summer is the weight training. Do I need to take a few days break or cut out the weights? I have continued to stick with it and just keep thinking that I will show a large loss soon, but I am to the point where I am very frustrated and want to quit. Please add any advise possible! I need all the motivation and support I can get! Sorry to ramble!
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Replies

  • TrainerRobin
    TrainerRobin Posts: 509 Member
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    If your calorie are under control, you're eating clean (not processed junk food) and you're REALLY working out, it's likely that you're losing actual body fat and gaining lean muscle mass -- which is highly desirable.

    Start measuring your body fat percentage instead of your body weight. That will likely reveal your progress and is a much better indicator of your progress than a simple scale. There are scales out there that will measure your body fat and they're not too expensive. There are also hand held body fat measuring devices that are pretty good. That approach will help you see that your good efforts are paying off in a meaningful way! The scale doesn't always do this, especially when folks are really working out hard.

    Chances are that last summer, your loss was higher because you were losing lean (which helps one ultimately gain the weight back ... and more). If you were losing more than your calorie deficit predicted (3500 calories = a pound of fat) then you were losing lean muscle (600 cals = 1 pound).
  • BigBoneSista
    BigBoneSista Posts: 2,389 Member
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    So when the going gets rough you want to quit?? Not a good sign. Stalls happen. I've seen people stall for 3 to 4 weeks, but when it breaks it breaks.

    Maybe your sodium is too high. Maybe you aren't eating enough calories. Maybe its hormones. Maybe its just your time to stall.

    But if you are serious about being a new you giving up should never be an option. Continue to push towards your goal no matter what the setbacks are.
  • amymt10
    amymt10 Posts: 271 Member
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    Muscle weigh more than fat. Its good to take at least one day off from exercising a week, gives your body time to rest. Keep it up, it will work!!!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Eat most of your exercise calories that should make the difference.
  • dspearsb
    dspearsb Posts: 186
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    Don't have much advice for you. But a good friend of mine is really buff and always reminds me that muscle weighs more than fat. So if you're weight training you may be gaining muscle mass...that may contribute to you not losing much weight. Keep doing what you're doing. you'll see change again soon!
  • mbtroyak
    mbtroyak Posts: 1
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    I'm having the same problem and am being told by the exercise nuts I work with. You have to blow up before you lose when you add in weight training. I have been killing myself doing 30 minutes on the stair climber, sit ups and weight training and the other day my pants were tighter in the waist (no joke) and talk about discouraging. So that is what I was told, I was told be patient and the weight loss will follow. When that will happen I have no idea. I am hoping soon! Hoping the same for you as well. Stick with it!
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    You need strength training to help tone your muscles, increase your strength and keep your metabolism going. When you lift weights your muscles hold on to water to help them recover. You might try drinking a protein shake immediately after your workouts so your muscles get protein fast to help repair your muscles. Protein shakes are also a great way to fill up those exercise calories.
  • K33pingFaith
    K33pingFaith Posts: 19
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    When I work out as much as you did, I don’t depend on the scale. It might be Muscle weight, which is good. But your fat lost will not show on your scale which I find frustrating as well. I try to work out 2 weeks straight, 4 times a week for about 90min and then I take a week off. This way I see my weight lost and my body gets to rest as well. Instead of using a scale tire using measurements. Maybe someone who is an expert in this can give you a better answer then I can but this is what works for me. don’t give up exercising always pays off.
  • dianakayshaw
    dianakayshaw Posts: 2
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    Stick with it!! When I started my food plan last May (small portions, frequent meals) it took me 5 weeks to lose a pound, I've lost 23 lbs now and I love the way I eat, and what I eat. And I have a very good workout routine that makes me feel great! Just stick with it. Listen to the advice from the trainers that responded. Make it a life style choice, not a punishment or regime. It will pay off!!:smile:
  • caroseamelia
    caroseamelia Posts: 1 Member
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    That's BS! All that work for 1/2 lb, I'd be disappointed too. Does it help to say, "At at least you didn't gain anything!"? No, that never helps me either. I have to say that watching what I eat makes all the difference the older I get. I'm 34 and it doesn't seem to come off as quickly as I'd like. I've had GREAT success switching my workouts though. I used to be a runner (treadmill and outdoors when I could) but it just hurts my body -- my achilles particularly. Zumba kills me too. So, I took up swimming - yes, the public humiliation of getting in a pool in front of others is painful. But, SO worth it!! Swimming uses up more calories than running and is MUCH easier on my body. I notice that an hour of swimming (basic sidestroke laps) can help me lose about 1 1/2 lbs a day!!! But, that's if I am really careful about what I eat. After just two weeks I can feel my whole body toning up. It's exciting and actually pretty peaceful. I'm feeling better and have lost 11 lbs so far. Give it a try if you can. And good luck to you!!!
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
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    Eat most of your exercise calories that should make the difference.

    This.

    I hate to be the bubble burster, but if you're only eating 1250-1350 a day and working out like you say you are, you're operating at such an extreme calorie deficit (eating well below a net of 1200 per day) that its unlikely you're building muscle.

    More likely your metabolism is dropping like a rock because you have no been eating enough. When you log your exercise, MFP gives you those calories back - you should aim to eat them.
  • katschi
    katschi Posts: 689 Member
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    My doctor told me during her weight loss that sometimes she'd plateau anywhere from days to a month before the scale started moving again.
    Your body is just making adjustments, that's all.
    Try hard not to let this get you down and focus not on the success of the scale but the success of you working out, eating right and working to change yourself.
    Your measurements are probably showing results.
    Stick with it! You aren't doing anything "wrong".
    You are doing everything right and you WILL see the results.
  • thedeegan4
    thedeegan4 Posts: 422 Member
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    Just try and be patient with your body. We didn't put this weight on overnight and it's not going to come back off overnight. I know that when I get on the scale and it hasn't moved, it's very discouraging but we will get over the hump. If you are weight training, you are more than likely adding lean muscle mass which is taking place of the fat. You should also take your measurements. You will probably notice a big difference in the inches more than the pounds right now and some weeks will be vice versa. Stick with it. You can do it!!!
  • msbanana
    msbanana Posts: 793 Member
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    DO NOT STOP STRENGTH TRAINING!!!
    Have faith.

    First, What you're doing now is better than what you were doing before. DO NOT GIVE UP

    Second, believe it or not you may not be eating enough. You'll have to evaluate BUT if you're doing an hour of cardio you're burning up your energy reserves and you need to replenish that. I, for most of my journey had a really hard time getting that through my thick head but once I did, and started making sure my net consumed was closer to 1200 (opposed to less than 100) the weight really started falling off.

    Third, You've worked out EVERYDAY for the past 2.5 weeks. Take a break. Your body will store fluid for muscle repair and if you've lost a few pounds (which is likely) you may not be seeing it due to that fluid retention. Take a day off, let your body heal and weigh the following morning.

    Lastly, MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE!!! Take your measurements, pay attention to how your clothes fit you may be losing inches and just not seeing the scale move. PLEASE remember the scale isn't the end all be all. As you start a new exercise routine and diet it can take WEEKS and WEEKS before the scale shows the results.

    Just keep going and know that what you're doing is getting fit and healthier. It's far better to eat healthy and move your *kitten* than sit on the couch and eat ice cream and feel sorry for yourself.

    Focus forward- and eff the scale.
    :flowerforyou:
  • CombatVet_Armywife
    CombatVet_Armywife Posts: 300 Member
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    I've been stuck at a plateau for 2 months now, even gaining a few lbs back....but I know to stick with what I know is right & keep pushing myself....eventually my body WILL cooperate! I'm 3 weeks into a new program (P90X) and increased my calorie intake....hoping this is the change I needed to get out of this plateau!

    My advice is to HANG in there and keep pushing!! Awhile back I had posted an article that mentioned how often people run into a wall, get frustrated, and give up....not realizing they were just about to break through that wall and see results. That thought always keeps me going. If I quit, then it's an absolute way of NOT getting those results.

    Taking your measurements every couple of weeks is also a great way to 'measure' your body's progress, I typically measure myself every 2 weeks and keep a record of them. I also agree with Robin, I have a scale at home that measures my water percentage and body fat percentage.

    Even while the lbs would NOT budge and even INCREASED....my body fat percentage was continuously going down, so I knew my body was still reacting to all my hard work! They don't cost much, I got mine for around $35-$40...I know typical scales are much cheaper, but it IS an advantage to have one that measures your body fat as well. A great investment! I hope you're able to find what works.......good luck!! :)
  • grouch201
    grouch201 Posts: 404 Member
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    I'm going to say you're not eating enough. If you're working out for 60+ minutes every day, I"m wagering you burn at least 500 calories in that time. This being the case, you should be eating more around 1,700 calories a day. I know it might seem crazy to say that you have to eat MORE to lose weight, but your body is an interesting machine. It requires so much fuel (calories) to keep itself going doing the simple stuff like pumping your heart, keeping your lungs breathing, and your metabolism going. You should have at least a 1,200 calorie NET consumption every day. This means that if you're working out and burning 500 calories, you're only giving your body 700 calories net a day to work on which just isn't sufficient to be efficient. It takes energy (calories) to burn fat and if you're not eating enough, the body is not going to have enough fuel to keep the fat-burning fires stoked and could actually result in a weight gain.

    And bottom line, this shouldn't be as much of a weight loss program as it is a fat burning program. Fat is the enemy, not weight. Here's an interesting post that I saw just yesterday: http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=3926473&SPShared=TRUE

    So measure other aspects of your change besides weight and keep working. Eat more. Drink plenty of water. Don't give up just because the scale isn't moving. As long as you're eating well and burning fat, you're becoming healthier.
  • canoekayak
    canoekayak Posts: 29
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    Bump what these folks have said :

    TrainerRobin
    and amymt10
    and NoAdditives
    and

    whip out the body tape measure and measure weekly.
  • bigcurt61
    bigcurt61 Posts: 51 Member
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    Stay the course, you probably need to add 300-500 more calories if you’re working out that hard. Remember it's a marathon not a sprint. Remain diligent and you'll see a new you in the future. With exercising period whether cardio or weight training it's an internal transformation first then external. Be encouraged and remember you have all of us right here in the same boat with you!
  • tara3103
    tara3103 Posts: 107
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    Thanks for the tips and support! I find it hard to consume all my calories, I try to be so good all day and then by 8pm, I have like 60 left over! I will make a better effort to eat more of my excercise calories back. Also, I hate water, so I guess I should drink more of that. I feel bloated and puffy alot, could this be caused by water retention since I have begun some weight training? Maybe this is why I can't seem to lose any. Thanks again!
  • msbanana
    msbanana Posts: 793 Member
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    Thanks for the tips and support! I find it hard to consume all my calories, I try to be so good all day and then by 8pm, I have like 60 left over! I will make a better effort to eat more of my excercise calories back. Also, I hate water, so I guess I should drink more of that. I feel bloated and puffy alot, could this be caused by water retention since I have begun some weight training? Maybe this is why I can't seem to lose any. Thanks again!

    Puffy and bloated? How's your sodium intake? If you're not drinking enough water and your sodium intake's high that could have a lot to do with it too. I can gain 6 pounds over night if I go crazy with the salt and don't counter it with water.
    :drinker:

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