why am i not losing weight

Gmaschmeier
Gmaschmeier Posts: 3
edited September 23 in Introduce Yourself
I have a really hard time understanding why I am not losing weight. I workout twice a day, cardio for an hour in the morning and weight lifting in the afternoon. MFP says I should eat 2800 calories a day. With my workouts it shows that I should eat more. At the end of the day I am showing 2200, 2400, 2000 calories eaten for the day. I have gained 7 pounds since my last weigh in. I am confused and need help.

Replies

  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    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.
  • mark4180
    mark4180 Posts: 1 Member
    Basically muscle weighs more than fat, so if your lifting weights, then that is why your staying the same, need to either stop the weights, or eat less calories.
  • DPruneda17
    DPruneda17 Posts: 124 Member
    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?
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
    There could be a bunch of factors in play here:
    -are you getting in a lot of water
    -what kind of calories are you eating, how "clean" is you food plan
    -what times of the day do you eat
    -how long have you been following your "program"

    My husband has a VERY physical job and he is only allowed about 2200 calories so this does seem a bit high.
  • sabrinafaith
    sabrinafaith Posts: 607 Member
    Are you using a heart rate monitor when you workout???
  • nlewis22
    nlewis22 Posts: 107 Member
    It does seem that your base allowance is high, I weight 292 and MFP gives me 2120 cals for the day, more when I exercise. It sounds silly, but could you have typed something in wrong??? Maybe you should try not eating the added exercise calories. Best of luck to you and I hope your effort is met with better rewards!
  • fouchou09
    fouchou09 Posts: 154 Member
    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.
  • It really depends of what you are eating, I too was walking on my lunch hour about 2 miles and at a brisk walk even up a couple of hills and I did a 30 minute work out in the morning and still did not loose weight and even did gain a couple of pounds, after looking back I see now that I was not eating properly. If you want to loose I think you need to reduce your calorie intake and really watch what you are eating. Since I joined myfitnesspal have lost six pounds :) have another 25 to go. But keep up the good work on working out.
  • Thats just it I am not eating the extra exercise calories. I lost a total of 31 pounds the first month and a half. I have gained 7 pounds back in just one week. I have done nothing different but increase my workouts. This is really frustrating.
  • it is possible that you typed in something wrong, I know that when I put in my weight here, it was wrong the first time because the scale at the gym was off, so I had to go back and correct it.

    Also, if you could open your food journal, that would help. And as a rule of thumb, At the end of your work outs, if you are hungry then try a snack like carrots with some dressing. Carrots are low calories (35 calories for 14 peices) and the dressing just to give you a little more fuel. If your not hungry, dont eat the extra calories. Thats what I do and usually have somewhere around 300+ cals left over by the time I close out my days entry.

    Also, remember that the time of day is a factor. If you are eating an hour before sleeping, thats not going to help you. While you sleep your body slows down. I try not to eat anymore 3-4 hours before I go to bed, unless I worked out late and am really hungry when I get home. It gives my body time to digest. And if you really want a snack close to your bed time, have something light like fruits or veggies.

    One more thing to remember, as someone stated above, you have to watch how you are taking in those calories. If you can eat 2000 calories a day, that does not mean that you can eat 2000 worth in junk. Thats not good for you. You need to have the calories in something that isnt so bad for you. Not saying that you can NEVER have any junkfood for some of your calories (When I want a treat and not feeling the healthy stuff, I like to have a Snack Pack. It's 100 calories of goodness and doesnt make me feel like I cheated too badly lol).

    Hope some of this helps!
  • lisawest
    lisawest Posts: 798 Member
    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!
  • lisawest
    lisawest Posts: 798 Member
    snip. . .
    Also, remember that the time of day is a factor. If you are eating an hour before sleeping, thats not going to help you. While you sleep your body slows down. I try not to eat anymore 3-4 hours before I go to bed, unless I worked out late and am really hungry when I get home. It gives my body time to digest. And if you really want a snack close to your bed time, have something light like fruits or veggies.
    . . . snip

    Actually, everything I've read on this (and I admit I could be wrong) indicates that time does not matter as much as the total number of calories. The only thing time really affects is how you feel. If you eat at bed time, and then get heartburn, don't eat at bed time again! If eating right before bed keeps you awake, don't do it. But if you can eat right before bed and suffer no heartburn or insomnia, then go for it! (Just stay within your calorie goal!) Your body burns calories while you sleep. You are still respirating, your heart is still beating, and your muscles are repairing. Among other body functions that continue thru the night. All of these require calories. The key is to include anything you eat right before bed in your daily calories.
  • ^_^ 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 :D
  • crystal_sapphire
    crystal_sapphire Posts: 1,205 Member
    Basically muscle weighs more than fat, so if your lifting weights, then that is why your staying the same, need to either stop the weights, or eat less calories.

    um don't do that. weight lifting is amazing. it helps you maintain the muscle you already have and if yu have a calorie deficit you will be burning more fat.

    i am baffled why you get 2800 without any exercise. did you enter everything into the settings correctly? what did you put for lifestyle? because you need to make sure you're not counting your workouts twice. Like if you put very active and do your workouts but aren't active in other areas of your life then you don't have anything accurate
  • Nicolekp
    Nicolekp Posts: 11 Member
    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.
  • hey Gmaschmeier,

    you're in that transition phase where your body isn't quite sure what's going on. keep doing what you've been doing and all of a sudden your weight will catch up with you.

    do not stop lifting weights. muscle burns fat. the more muscle you gain, the more fat you burn. don't think i've heard someone say, "man, that guy looks horrible with all that lean muscle".

    make sure your settings are set to where they should be. since you've lost 30+ pounds, if you had your weight loss set at the beginning to 2 lbs per day for example, go back and change it to something else, then BACK to 2 lbs... Why you ask?

    Your daily calorie count will update with the weight you've lost, not where you started. I found that out myself =)

    Also, do you sit at a desk all day? Make sure that setting is correct too!
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