why am i not losing weight

Wow. That seems like a lot of calories. When I do cardio I only burn about 300-400 calories according to my heart rate monitor. When I lift weights, I burn very few calories.

Would be nice to see your diary as well. Even though we are "allowed" that many calories, it really does not mean we should consume them in any way we want, so long as we don't go over. The real way to make a true lifestyle change is to change our eating habits completely. Making healthier choices, avoiding the fast foods joints, eating whole foods, watching sugar and carbs, and lots of lean protein.

Wow, it doesn't sound like you are on a weightloss plan. Sounds like a body-building plan. You need to be eating less calories if you want to loss weight. Try 1800 for a few weeks and see if that works?

Are you using a heart rate monitor when you workout???

One thing I have to work on is controlling my portion sizes. I have started weigh and measuring my food and it has made a huge difference. If you aren't already, check your portion sizes. Maybe you think you're eating half a cup of something, but it's really much more.... Like I said, that was a big problem for me and now that I have been monitoring that more closely, I have been much more successful.

Lots of good advice above, good luck! If you are still struggling after you make some more adjustments, maybe you should see a dietitian. They may have a better idea of exactly what you need.

I have several questions before I can really help you. Is the weight lifting a new thing? How long have you been at it? What are your maintenance calories? Are you traking sodium?

Now assuming some of the answer. When you start a new program your muscles retain water because it needs the water for repairs and to store extra glycogen (energy). Your muscles will start giving up that extra water after about 3 or 4 weeks (sometimes more depending). (This is the short answer for this portion. You can find out more about it by searching the forums.)

As far as calories, 3500 calories equal 1 lb of fat. You have to burn or eat that much to gain or lose 1 lb. If your goal is to lose 1 lb a week, then you need to eat 500 calories less than your maintenance each day for 7 days. If you have MFP set for a 1 lb/wk loss, it has already calculated this for you. When you exercise you are increasing that deficit. If your deficit is too large for an extended period of time, you body will start hoarding calories in fear that it won't have enough for necessary functions. This is why MFP recommends that you eat back your exercise calories. NOT because they are trying to sabotage your weight loss. They are just trying to make this a healthy journey for you! Be sure that your age, height, activity level (NOT including exercise) are all correct. If any of that is wrong, it will throw your calories way off.

(FYI- Your body HATES to build muscle, it is calorically expensive and makes the base amount of calories needed higher. Your body will NEVER create more muscle when you are in a calorie deficit. It WILL reactivate muscle that has been dormant.)

Remember when I mentioned your muscles retaining water? Well your blood will do the same thing if your sodium levels are too high. The sodium in our blood MUST be at a certain level in order for our bodies to function properly. When we eat too much sodium our body has to retain water in order to dilute that sodium and get it back with the acceptable range. This extra water can weigh a LOT! It also is what causes increased blood pressure (more fluid pressing against the walls of our arteries). Watch your sodium for a few weeks. If you go over, drink more water and eat more potassium rich foods. (Those foods do NOT come in a box!) The potassium attaches to the sodium and makes it easier for the water to flush it out.

Now, if none of my assumptions are correct (you've been at this exercise routine for several months, your calories are set correctly, you eat almost all of your exercise calories every day, and your sodium intake is well within the suggested levels), then I am at a loss! (And this has been known to happen!)

I hope this helps at least a little! And if you want more information about any of this, most of my knowledge has come from other people here at MFP. They have either posted the studies, or they have told me where to find them. The sodium thing actually came from the bio teacher where I work. If you need anything specific, just ask and hopefully I'll know where you can find the answer!

Good luck in figuring out the answer!

^_^ well, in my human anatomy and physiology class we are taught that it is not good to eat beofre you go to bed. Yes, your body is still working while you sleep, and calories are still burned. But, it is at a slower rate. So instead of burning all the calories that you are eating, you only burn some. The other that are not burned go to fat (not turned into fat, I cant think of the right way to put it). Thats why I said that if you are hungry before bed, it should be something light and not full of calories.

Hope this makes it a bit clearer

As you lose weight your caloric allowance will lower too. If you haven't changed your weight to incclude the weight you have lost it won't be accurate and instead of maintaining or losing you will gain. The lowest you should go on calories is 1200 but that includes the amount you would lose with exercise. If you are not seeing results the formula is 500 less calories a day to lose a pound a week and 1000 calories less a day to lose 2 lbs a week. Try the 500 calories less a day first and see if it makes a difference. Don't drastically lower you calories though because then your body will go into starvation mode and try to keep the caolories instead of lose them. My suggestion would be to go down to 2500 calories. for a week or two and see if you get any results. But seeing your diary and wieght information would be helpful to determine if maybe you missed something in reporting. Hope this helps.