What am I doing wrong???
Billy4269
Posts: 5
Ok, so before I explain my situation i'm going to give a bunch of background information...
About a year and 2 months ago, I weighed about 275 pounds (5ft 9 by the way) , was constantly eating fast food, drinking tons of soda, sitting around all day doing nothing.
I went for a physical and my doctor said I needed to start exercising because if I kept it up my current habits I would run into a lot of health problems. So I started to go to the gym August 2013. When I first started going, I really had no idea what I was doing, I would work out different muscle groups different days obviously but had no workout plan or anything. I also would do like 10-15 minutes of cardio. I went back to the doctors office for a checkup in either October or early November of 2013 and I weighed 247lbs. I eventually over time started doing a lot more cardio (45-60 minutes a day) and around January and February of 2014 I was around 230lbs.
Throughout the entire time period that I lost 45lbs, I was still eating fast food 2x a week. This was only because the place I work at buys lunch for everybody and 2 days a week they would go to Wendys or Taco Bell instead of the deli like on the other days.
Since winter, I have barely lost any weight at all. In the beginning of the summer, I was getting really frustrated and pissed off about the whole situation, and I started to change my workouts and stuff. I started to also do some running instead of either walking or using the elliptical for cardio.
This kid at the gym told me something about intermittent fasting so I decided to research it and tried it out. I started this towards the end of July and within a couple weeks I had lost around 5 pounds. September came along and I was just really burnt out from going to the gym, so I decided to take a week off....1 week turned into 2....2 turned into 3....3 turned into 4, and after pretty much a full month of eating not so healthy and not working out, I decided to go back.
I weighed myself on Friday and I was 229lbs, after my first week back. I ate pretty unhealthy this weekend and I apparently weigh 236 now, which doesnt sound right, probably just water weight.
Now the main point of this whole post....Why am I not losing any weight anymore? As of today im starting to intermittent fast again.
My current workout plan is
M : 15 mins of warmup cardio, Chest/Tris/Shoulders 30 Mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
T : 15 mins of warmup cardio, Back/Bis , 30 Mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
W : 15 mins of warmup cardio, Legs/Abs, 30 Mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
T : 15 mins of warmup cardio, Chest/Tris/Shoulders, 30 Mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
F : 15 mins of warmup cardio, Back/Bis, 30 Mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
S : 15 mins of warmup cardio, Legs/Abs, 30 Mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
S : 45 mins - 60 mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
As for supplements go I usually drink a whey protein shake after working out and I also take : Fish oil pills, Garcinia Cambogia, CLA, Optimen Vitamins, and BCAA pills.
I eat around 1800-2000 calories a day, don't eat fast food anymore, and pretty much only drink water.
Why have I barely lost any weight at all since the winter when a few months prior to that I was rapidly losing weight while still eating pretty unhealthy??
Thanks
-Billy
About a year and 2 months ago, I weighed about 275 pounds (5ft 9 by the way) , was constantly eating fast food, drinking tons of soda, sitting around all day doing nothing.
I went for a physical and my doctor said I needed to start exercising because if I kept it up my current habits I would run into a lot of health problems. So I started to go to the gym August 2013. When I first started going, I really had no idea what I was doing, I would work out different muscle groups different days obviously but had no workout plan or anything. I also would do like 10-15 minutes of cardio. I went back to the doctors office for a checkup in either October or early November of 2013 and I weighed 247lbs. I eventually over time started doing a lot more cardio (45-60 minutes a day) and around January and February of 2014 I was around 230lbs.
Throughout the entire time period that I lost 45lbs, I was still eating fast food 2x a week. This was only because the place I work at buys lunch for everybody and 2 days a week they would go to Wendys or Taco Bell instead of the deli like on the other days.
Since winter, I have barely lost any weight at all. In the beginning of the summer, I was getting really frustrated and pissed off about the whole situation, and I started to change my workouts and stuff. I started to also do some running instead of either walking or using the elliptical for cardio.
This kid at the gym told me something about intermittent fasting so I decided to research it and tried it out. I started this towards the end of July and within a couple weeks I had lost around 5 pounds. September came along and I was just really burnt out from going to the gym, so I decided to take a week off....1 week turned into 2....2 turned into 3....3 turned into 4, and after pretty much a full month of eating not so healthy and not working out, I decided to go back.
I weighed myself on Friday and I was 229lbs, after my first week back. I ate pretty unhealthy this weekend and I apparently weigh 236 now, which doesnt sound right, probably just water weight.
Now the main point of this whole post....Why am I not losing any weight anymore? As of today im starting to intermittent fast again.
My current workout plan is
M : 15 mins of warmup cardio, Chest/Tris/Shoulders 30 Mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
T : 15 mins of warmup cardio, Back/Bis , 30 Mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
W : 15 mins of warmup cardio, Legs/Abs, 30 Mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
T : 15 mins of warmup cardio, Chest/Tris/Shoulders, 30 Mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
F : 15 mins of warmup cardio, Back/Bis, 30 Mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
S : 15 mins of warmup cardio, Legs/Abs, 30 Mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
S : 45 mins - 60 mins of assorted cardio (running,bike,elliptical etc..)
As for supplements go I usually drink a whey protein shake after working out and I also take : Fish oil pills, Garcinia Cambogia, CLA, Optimen Vitamins, and BCAA pills.
I eat around 1800-2000 calories a day, don't eat fast food anymore, and pretty much only drink water.
Why have I barely lost any weight at all since the winter when a few months prior to that I was rapidly losing weight while still eating pretty unhealthy??
Thanks
-Billy
0
Replies
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For starters, while exercise is good for fitness and toning, weight loss is 80% what you stick in your mouth. Work out how many calories you SHOULD be consuming, record your food accurately for a month (every single thing you eat, including weighing quantities) and then see if it's "not working".0
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Do you track your food/weigh every item you eat? You're probably eating more than you think.0
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Do you track your food/weigh every item you eat? You're probably eating more than you think.
^^ This. Also, you can drop every one of the supplements you're taking except for the multivitamin.0 -
Do you track your food/weigh every item you eat? You're probably eating more than you think.
During that whole month I was intermittent fasting yes I was counting calories and during that month I lost 5ish pounds.
I just started counting calories again also..
But I just don't get how I ate unhealthy not counting calories at all while only doing 10-15 minutes of cardio a day and dropped 45 pounds but now that I don't eat unhealthy and do count calories and do triple the amount of cardio and can barely lose weight..0 -
Do you track your food/weigh every item you eat? You're probably eating more than you think.
During that whole month I was intermittent fasting yes I was counting calories and during that month I lost 5ish pounds.
I just started counting calories again also..
But I just don't get how I ate unhealthy not counting calories at all while only doing 10-15 minutes of cardio a day and dropped 45 pounds but now that I don't eat unhealthy and do count calories and do triple the amount of cardio and can barely lose weight..
Because it all boils down to calories in / calories out. It doesn't matter where those calories come from.0 -
Weights bro! Lift heavy! Also should take you at least 45 min to do so properly. Cardio is a warm up. Eat clean. See what happens (uh... Gains in MUSCLE).0
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Do you track your food/weigh every item you eat? You're probably eating more than you think.
During that whole month I was intermittent fasting yes I was counting calories and during that month I lost 5ish pounds.
I just started counting calories again also..
But I just don't get how I ate unhealthy not counting calories at all while only doing 10-15 minutes of cardio a day and dropped 45 pounds but now that I don't eat unhealthy and do count calories and do triple the amount of cardio and can barely lose weight..
Because it all boils down to calories in / calories out. It doesn't matter where those calories come from.
I'm obviously not a fitness expert and i'm not trying to be argumentative but using that logic that "it doesn't matter where those calories come from." that means that you would be able to eat fast food, junk food, drink soda etc... for your entire calorie intake per day and still be able to lose weight..0 -
You never take any days off. I don't know but that sounds like a lot to put your body through. Maybe you need a little rest so your body can do its thing.
I'm new to all of this, though. So I could be wrong. I've just heard our bodies need rest days.0 -
Weights bro! Lift heavy! Also should take you at least 45 min to do so properly. Cardio is a warm up. Eat clean. See what happens (uh... Gains in MUSCLE).
Thats about how long it takes me to do a complete workout (not including cardio obviously). Usually 45 mins - 1 hour of strength training.0 -
Do you track your food/weigh every item you eat? You're probably eating more than you think.
During that whole month I was intermittent fasting yes I was counting calories and during that month I lost 5ish pounds.
I just started counting calories again also..
But I just don't get how I ate unhealthy not counting calories at all while only doing 10-15 minutes of cardio a day and dropped 45 pounds but now that I don't eat unhealthy and do count calories and do triple the amount of cardio and can barely lose weight..
How do you determine the amount of calories you're eating? As you've seen, you can still eat fast food and lose weight as long as you're in a calorie deficit. If you're eating too many calories, exercise won't help you out.0 -
Do you track your food/weigh every item you eat? You're probably eating more than you think.
During that whole month I was intermittent fasting yes I was counting calories and during that month I lost 5ish pounds.
I just started counting calories again also..
But I just don't get how I ate unhealthy not counting calories at all while only doing 10-15 minutes of cardio a day and dropped 45 pounds but now that I don't eat unhealthy and do count calories and do triple the amount of cardio and can barely lose weight..
Because it all boils down to calories in / calories out. It doesn't matter where those calories come from.
I'm obviously not a fitness expert and i'm not trying to be argumentative but using that logic that "it doesn't matter where those calories come from." that means that you would be able to eat fast food, junk food, drink soda etc... for your entire calorie intake per day and still be able to lose weight..
Correct0 -
Do you track your food/weigh every item you eat? You're probably eating more than you think.
During that whole month I was intermittent fasting yes I was counting calories and during that month I lost 5ish pounds.
I just started counting calories again also..
But I just don't get how I ate unhealthy not counting calories at all while only doing 10-15 minutes of cardio a day and dropped 45 pounds but now that I don't eat unhealthy and do count calories and do triple the amount of cardio and can barely lose weight..
Because it all boils down to calories in / calories out. It doesn't matter where those calories come from.
I'm obviously not a fitness expert and i'm not trying to be argumentative but using that logic that "it doesn't matter where those calories come from." that means that you would be able to eat fast food, junk food, drink soda etc... for your entire calorie intake per day and still be able to lose weight..
From strictly a weight loss point of view, yes that is correct. It is a law of physics all humans are bound to. Expend more calories than you consume = weight loss.0 -
You need to weigh and measure everything so you know exactly how many calories you're eating. Once in a caloric deficit, you will lose. WTG on the 45!0
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Do you track your food/weigh every item you eat? You're probably eating more than you think.
During that whole month I was intermittent fasting yes I was counting calories and during that month I lost 5ish pounds.
I just started counting calories again also..
But I just don't get how I ate unhealthy not counting calories at all while only doing 10-15 minutes of cardio a day and dropped 45 pounds but now that I don't eat unhealthy and do count calories and do triple the amount of cardio and can barely lose weight..
Because it all boils down to calories in / calories out. It doesn't matter where those calories come from.
I'm obviously not a fitness expert and i'm not trying to be argumentative but using that logic that "it doesn't matter where those calories come from." that means that you would be able to eat fast food, junk food, drink soda etc... for your entire calorie intake per day and still be able to lose weight..
From strictly a weight loss point of view, yes that is correct. It is a law of physics all humans are bound to. Expend more calories than you consume = weight loss.
Thermodynamics for the win!0 -
Do you track your food/weigh every item you eat? You're probably eating more than you think.
During that whole month I was intermittent fasting yes I was counting calories and during that month I lost 5ish pounds.
I just started counting calories again also..
But I just don't get how I ate unhealthy not counting calories at all while only doing 10-15 minutes of cardio a day and dropped 45 pounds but now that I don't eat unhealthy and do count calories and do triple the amount of cardio and can barely lose weight..
Because it all boils down to calories in / calories out. It doesn't matter where those calories come from.
I'm obviously not a fitness expert and i'm not trying to be argumentative but using that logic that "it doesn't matter where those calories come from." that means that you would be able to eat fast food, junk food, drink soda etc... for your entire calorie intake per day and still be able to lose weight..
Correct
That just doesn't make sense to me...So if i'm working out and doing cardio every day and need to consume 2000 calories a day to lose 1.5 pounds a week that means that i'd still be able to lose that weight at the same rate if all 2000 of those calories came from big macs and taco bell burritos?0 -
For weight loss, calories in, calories out is all that matters.
For health and fitness, what you eat and exercise matters.
If you eat too many calories of "healthy" food, you will gain weight.
Figure out how many calories you should be eating, log accurately, and give it a month to see if you get back to losing.
And congrats on the weight you already lost!0 -
you realize also that the more you weigh the more calories you burn? So i run a lot and now that i lost a decent amount of weight i burn so much less per mile. You need to weigh/measure everything you consume. if you don't your really not aware of your calories.0
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Do you track your food/weigh every item you eat? You're probably eating more than you think.
During that whole month I was intermittent fasting yes I was counting calories and during that month I lost 5ish pounds.
I just started counting calories again also..
But I just don't get how I ate unhealthy not counting calories at all while only doing 10-15 minutes of cardio a day and dropped 45 pounds but now that I don't eat unhealthy and do count calories and do triple the amount of cardio and can barely lose weight..
Because it all boils down to calories in / calories out. It doesn't matter where those calories come from.
I'm obviously not a fitness expert and i'm not trying to be argumentative but using that logic that "it doesn't matter where those calories come from." that means that you would be able to eat fast food, junk food, drink soda etc... for your entire calorie intake per day and still be able to lose weight..
Correct
That just doesn't make sense to me...So if i'm working out and doing cardio every day and need to consume 2000 calories a day to lose 1.5 pounds a week that means that i'd still be able to lose that weight at the same rate if all 2000 of those calories came from big macs and taco bell burritos?
Yep. You would probably be missing out on some key micronutrients and your sodium would be skyhigh, but...well, I won't say a calorie is a calorie because that's a huge debate on these forums, but you would still be eating less than you burn and would lose weight.0 -
How about paying attention to your carbs, fat and sodium intake as well as calories? I found that once I cut my carb intake to a reasonable 50 carbs a day and fat below 40 grams my weight loss was much faster. Along with doing HIIT for 30 minutes 5 days a week, it has changed my metabolism entirely! Google HIIT for some sample workouts, it's great. I've lost 35 pounds in the last 12 weeks. Most of all keep working!0
-
Do you track your food/weigh every item you eat? You're probably eating more than you think.
During that whole month I was intermittent fasting yes I was counting calories and during that month I lost 5ish pounds.
I just started counting calories again also..
But I just don't get how I ate unhealthy not counting calories at all while only doing 10-15 minutes of cardio a day and dropped 45 pounds but now that I don't eat unhealthy and do count calories and do triple the amount of cardio and can barely lose weight..
Because it all boils down to calories in / calories out. It doesn't matter where those calories come from.
I'm obviously not a fitness expert and i'm not trying to be argumentative but using that logic that "it doesn't matter where those calories come from." that means that you would be able to eat fast food, junk food, drink soda etc... for your entire calorie intake per day and still be able to lose weight..
Correct
That just doesn't make sense to me...So if i'm working out and doing cardio every day and need to consume 2000 calories a day to lose 1.5 pounds a week that means that i'd still be able to lose that weight at the same rate if all 2000 of those calories came from big macs and taco bell burritos?
Sorry if that doesn't make sense, or it's not intuitive, but it's science. The beautiful thing about science is that whether you believe it or not, it's still true.0 -
How about paying attention to your carbs, fat and sodium intake as well as calories? I found that once I cut my carb intake to a reasonable 50 carbs a day and fat below 40 grams my weight loss was much faster. Along with doing HIIT for 30 minutes 5 days a week, it has changed my metabolism entirely! Google HIIT for some sample workouts, it's great. I've lost 35 pounds in the last 12 weeks. Most of all keep working!
Your weight loss was fast because you lost water weight due to glycogen depletion. It's also not healthy to limit fat calories to a low number. Dietary fat is very important for your health. In terms of body composition (fat loss) all that matters is calorie deficit. Most people say they want to lose weight, but really they want to lose fat. Low carb diets aren't any better for fat loss than a balanced diet with a calorie deficit.0 -
funny, because I lost 4% body fat and before I paid attention to my micronutrients I lost about a pound a week, now it's at least 3. I didn't lose 35 pounds of water.0
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funny, because I lost 4% body fat and before I paid attention to my micronutrients I lost about a pound a week, now it's at least 3. I don't carry 35 pounds of water.
You're consuming less than 50g of carbs a day, I guarantee you're depleting glycogen stores. Every gram of glycogen binds to 3 grams of water so when you deplete glycogen there is a relatively large amount of weight lost through water. I'm not saying you're not also losing fat as well as muscle, cause you are, but to claim that you tripled your rate of fat loss with the same calorie intake by adjusting macronutrients is absurd...0 -
funny, because I lost 4% body fat and before I paid attention to my micronutrients I lost about a pound a week, now it's at least 3. I don't carry 35 pounds of water.
You're consuming less than 50g of carbs a day, I guarantee you're depleting glycogen stores. Every gram of glycogen binds to 3 grams of water so when you deplete glycogen there is a relatively large amount of weight lost through water. I'm not saying you're not also losing fat as well as muscle, cause you are, but to claim that you tripled your rate of fat loss with the same calorie intake by adjusting macronutrients is absurd...
What he said. Losing three pounds a week is not healthy and probably not sustainable.0 -
Weigh and measure everything you consume. Log it accurately.
As far as weight loss goes, it makes no difference what you eat. It comes down to calories in verse calories out. Eat at a reasonable yet responsible deficit, and you'll lose weight.
You can drop the diet pill your taking, your wasting your time and money with garcinia cambogia or whatever.0 -
I read the whole post (except the dily details, which I skimmed), but lost track of where you stopped losing. No matter. If you aren't losing, you have to eat less and/or move more. All the talk on all the websites of all the fitness gurus will always, always, ALWAYS boil down to that: eat less and/or move more.
As I've now lost the amount of weight Oprah had when she wheeled her Wagon O Fat on stage, I've been thinking a lot about how people lose and gain it back and how to not become one of those people. Also about how all the money in the world won't help. It'll buy you the best doctors, full-time personal trainers to work you and chefs to make you the yummiest healthy food. It'll buy you your own gym with all the latest, high-tech, most awesome machines. And it'll buy you workout clothes (and bras! Dear Oprah, please get someone to design us better damn bras!) that fit well and absorb sweat, a gorgeous pool, trips to the fat farm, etc. But the money cannot make you thin. It cannot stop you from sucking the creamy lard off the Oreo, scooping out the Ben & Jerry's or sucking down yummy cream pies. And it can't make you get off your *kitten* and work your body.
Eat less and/or move more. That's the trick. And unless you have a physical problem, anyone can do it. That means me and you.
Eat less! Either weigh and measure all the food to get a fairly accurate calorie estimate or just keep dropping your calorie goal until you lose. Do the intermittent fasting if you want. I think bunches of small amounts of food are the way to go because you never feel hungry, but that might just be me. Whatever works for you! But keep the calories down. And try to eat healthy food as much as possible. You've done enough harm to your poor body.
Move more! Do what you like, but switch it up!!! Don't keep doing the same thing because you'll be bored and stop. Every week, do something you haven't done. I vote for swimming because you get cardio and resistance, clear your mind (you just cannot think while you swim!) and it's easy.
I'm assuming here that your doctor looked into possible physical causes (e.g. ran a FULL thyroid panel) - if that didn't happen, ask him to look into them at your next appointment.
The more you lose, the harder it gets!!! Don't expect the same rate of loss you began with. Remember that the smaller you get, the fewer calories you need.
Good luck!! 0 -
Here are some helpful posts:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read
Goal setting, including weight, calories, and macros
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-667045
Eat about half your calories for breakfast (see the last half of this post for the studies)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-10-some-studies-about-weight-loss-6678180 -
Yes.
I'm obviously not a fitness expert and i'm not trying to be argumentative but using that logic that "it doesn't matter where those calories come from." that means that you would be able to eat fast food, junk food, drink soda etc... for your entire calorie intake per day and still be able to lose weight...it all boils down to calories in / calories out. It doesn't matter where those calories come from.
if i'm working out and doing cardio every day and need to consume 2000 calories a day to lose 1.5 pounds a week that means that i'd still be able to lose that weight at the same rate if all 2000 of those calories came from big macs and taco bell burritos?
You would be missing important nutrients and not eating much food, but a calorie is a calorie. 2000 = 2000.
You're going to get a lot more food & a lot more nutrients by eating less processed food, less junk food, and more whole, real, natural food.
To make an extreme example...
According to the MFP database, a big mac is 530 calories (27g fat).
44 oz (2.75 lb) of carrots is 511 calories (2g fat).
(Or 6.5 lb of romaine lettuce, 520 calories.)
To make your 2000 cal day, you could have almost 11 lb of carrots, or 3.8 big macs.
Which one is going to fill you up more, keep you full longer? Which one is lower fat?
Heck, are you even going to be able to eat 11 lb of carrots or 26 lb of lettuce? :sick:
Yes, they are.Low carb diets aren't any better for fat loss than a balanced diet with a calorie deficit.
Eating higher protein & lower carbs leads to more weight loss. Links to studies in this blog post.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-08-09-high-protein-diet-685553
Try 45% carbs, 20% fat, 35% protein
As you lose weight, you use fewer calories simply living.
Drop your calories by 50, give it a couple weeks. If there's no change, drop another 50.
Also, are you sure 2000 (200 lb) is a healthy goal for you?
My doctor says I'm 5' 9.5" and I'm aiming for a maximum healthy goal weight of 165, so I'm eating no more than 1650 calories & ignoring what I burn in exercise (other than thinking it's kinda neat when I get MFP to think I've burned 1000).
By BMI, the top of a healthy weight range is about 170.0 -
A calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of distilled water 1 degree C.I won't say a calorie is a calorie because that's a huge debate on these forums
A Calorie (a dietary calorie, or kilocalorie) is the amount of energy needed to raise 1 kg of water 1 degree.
It doesn't matter if the energy comes from a walnut (healthy) or an oreo (unhealthy, but oh, so tasty!).
"Calorie" is a definition.
There is no debate about it, at least among people who understand basic science.0 -
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