HWR = Major Fail

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jteammom
jteammom Posts: 173
in Health and Weight Loss
About a year and a half ago my dr told me to lose 2 pants sizes. Said he did not care what I weigh, it is the hip-to-waist ratio that he is concerned about. I decided that instead of going on a quick weight loss program I would basically try to change my lifestyle. I went down 1 pants size in about 6 months. One year later, those pants are a little loose, but I am certainly not ready to go down another size. I am not losing weight, and not losing much off my waist, yet I continue to lose off my hips. I stay under my calories most days, exercise 4-5 days a week and try to drink my water. What the heck am I doing wrong? I have heard "Make sure you eat all your calories." but then I also hear "Don't eat all your exercise calories!" Help!!!

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  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    You should eat at least most of your exercise calories. MFP gives you a caloric deficit to meet your goal, if you don't eat your exercise cals you increase that deficit and can make it too large where it negatively affects weight loss.
  • peadarorodaigh
    peadarorodaigh Posts: 7
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    Doesnt sound like youve done anything wrong, really....

    The body is weird when it comes to weight loss - more often than not, it wont come off at a regular pace, and it wont come off all places evenly. For example, for women, the last place weight tends to come off is the thighs, while for men its the gut and lower back.

    If youve been on the same routine for the past year, you may have plateaued. Try knocking down your daily calorie goal by 100 - 200 cals and try increasing / changing your type / rate of exercise (for example, change from 30 mins steady-pace walking to 20 mins fast-pace walking).

    Important thing is to stick at it and record your results, so that when you'll know when to change things up when you need to.
  • Juliebean_1027
    Juliebean_1027 Posts: 713 Member
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    I usually eat a majority of my exercise calories. It's one of the reasons I exercise as often as I do! Are you doing cardio or strength training, or both? You might want to look into the 30 day shred that Jillian Michaels has. I didn't lose weight but lost several inches when I was doing that. It gave me the push I needed to get into the next size smaller.
  • tawny7
    tawny7 Posts: 276 Member
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    Congrats on the weight loss!!! That's great!!

    I don't eat all of the exercise calories because I worry I don't have the correct number of calories from exercise but an estimate. But I do eat most of them; however some days I go over and some I'm under. I try to change things around and keep my body guessing.

    The last couple of weeks I've been snacking a lot more than normal...now snacking on healthy things but still eating more than I normally would. I also changed my exercise routine a little. I was shocked when I lost 4 pounds this week!! This tells me to keep changing things around.

    You can do this!!!! Just make sure to log in everything your eat and your exercise!!
  • Aeriel
    Aeriel Posts: 864 Member
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    Here are some basics for you, things I have learned in the last 9 months. Since I can't see your diary, I am putting all of this on here. If it doesn't apply, please ignore! :smile: I've also posted a link to a great article.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    - Your weight loss will stall if you are eating less than 1200 calories, or even less that your recommended allowance on a regular basis

    - the amount MFP tells you to eat is a TARGET, not a MAXIMUM. Eat as close to that level as you can. A little over or under isn't a problem, but significantly lower can hamper weight loss.

    -the target MFP gives you is what you need before exercise. If you exercise you need to eat more, if you feel you need to. If you never eat any exercise calories, it will effectively drop you too far below your base metabolism and you will likely stall out your weight loss.

    - too many processed foods = higher sodium and water retention. Monitor your sodium levels.

    - Your weight loss may stall if you do the same exercise all the time. Change it up, add different exercises, up the intensity and/or duration.

    - Your weight loss may stall out if you eat the same foods all the time. Change up your diet, keeps you from getting bored and your body from getting used to the same foods/nutrients.

    - Your weight loss may stall out if you are trying to lose weight too fast. 2 lbs a week is reasonable if you have a large amount of weight to lose, but if you are trying for a lower amount, it my be too much for your body. Reduce the rate of weight loss back by 0.5 or 1 pound a week, which increases your calories, and gives your body fuel to lose weight and exercise.

    - drink your water. Helps flush out your body and keep your organs happy.

    - take your measurements. You may not be losing "weight" but you can be losing inches, which are just as important.

    - be truthful and honest in your diary. You hurt no one but yourself if you don't record accurately.

    - make sure you measure your foods/liquids until you get used to everything. What our eyes think is a cup may be drastically different from an actual cup. I was amazed at how small 30g or 1.5 oz of cheese was!

    Hope some of that helps you!
  • nevilles
    nevilles Posts: 11 Member
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    Although your physician asked you to lose two pant sizes, the work you are doing is still very beneficial. When you next go back, ask him/her to see if your cholesterol levels have improved. We get as tired of saying "lose weight" as patients get of hearing it. It doesn't really matter whether your pant size changes, the important thing is that you are getting fitter and losing weight! Keep up the good work! (Yes, I am a physician. No, this isn't official medical advice of any kind.)
  • Aeriel
    Aeriel Posts: 864 Member
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    Try knocking down your daily calorie goal by 100 - 200 cals and try increasing / changing your type / rate of exercise (for example, change from 30 mins steady-pace walking to 20 mins fast-pace walking).

    When I hit a weight loss plateau, I actually had to increase calories. It was my body telling me I needed more calories. I reduced my rate of weight loss back by 0.5 pounds a week and started losing within a week again. I also eat as much fresh, unprocessed foods as I can. stay as close to my recommended target as I can and eat some of my exercise calories.

    I also vary my exercises, and change things up every few weeks, so that I don't get bored, and my body keeps being forced to adapt.
  • chiarunner
    chiarunner Posts: 24
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    I often say that the library has been my best weight loss tool... second only to the gym. Your unique tastes and body structure are likely to be vastly different than that of my own, so I'd like to suggest that you schedule a date night with the library :-).

    You are unique and complex and sometimes the cookie cutter solutions for those inches around your middle don't work. To reach your goals, it's going to take a little trial and error sometimes. The internet is a great tool, yes... but I find it off-putting that every health related website out there is completely plastered with adverts. It's distracting and insulting to those of us that just want to eat right and exercise.

    Two of my favorites right now are Eat to Live by Dr Fuhrman and Female Body Breakthrough by Rachel Cosgrove. But I recommend just grabbing whatever is on the shelf that looks interesting to you.

    Best wishes!!
  • jteammom
    jteammom Posts: 173
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    Thanks for all the suggestions. I suspect that it everyone is correct that it is time to change up my workout, probably to add some strength training. Also, I had not thought about the sodium thing. I will admit that when my husband is not here for dinner I am lazy - I don't cook and just warm up a Lean Cuisine or have a couple of 100 calorie packs and call it a day. Both choices high in sodium. You can't see me but I am slapping my own wrist for that.

    chiarunner - just had a sample of Female Body Breakthrough sent to my Kindle. Looks like that could be the kick I need. Thanks for the suggestion!

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