doing loads of exercise but not losing weight :(

bumblebee
bumblebee Posts: 53 Member
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
OK, so here is my problem! I am 5'7" tall and age 36. I have always been between 133lbs and 143lbs. However, I have been around the 143lb mark for about 2 years now and am desperate to get back to 133lbs or hopefully less.

I go to the gym 5 times per week and here is my routine:-

30 minutes on cross trainer or running machine
10 minutes on bike.
Machine weights for arms 3 sets of 12 reps on pull down bar, bench press and free weights with 4 and 6lb dum bells.
100 sit ups and 100 calf raises.
Swimming breast stroke without stopping for 30 mins.

I have gone from 138lbs to 143lbs in the last 2 weeks.

My usual diet would be cereal in morning, salad, or sandwich and a cup of soup for lunch, fruit and then a 'normal' meal in the evening. Approx 3 nights per week I have a glass of red wine. We do not eat puddings.

Why do I feel like a bloated, fat disgusting mess? Why aren't I losing weight? Am I doing enough?

Replies

  • llstrength
    llstrength Posts: 44 Member
    How many calories are you eating? With a lot of exercise, your NET calories should be at least 1200. That means the more you exercise, the more you have to eat. Last August I lost 15 pounds just counting calories. I was using a different website that suggested staying under 1200 calories so I did. Then I started exercising and still ate under 1200 calories. I stopped losing weight despite all the exercise. I start using MFP at the end of January and just followed the amount of calories they told me to eat and have lost .5-1lb for the last 4 weeks. I don't think I was eating enough before. Maybe you're having the same problem?
  • Seesaa
    Seesaa Posts: 451
    well i feel you might want to look into your sodium intake. Depending the cereal, the bread, and the canned soup...you could be taking in alot before you have a regular supper.

    Sodium is the sneakiest thing in a diet. I cut mine down alot this week and lost 2.2 lbs in 4 days. i had been fighting with sodium this whole 180+ days i've been on this site, but got stricter this week and it seems to have worked. anything canned...frozen, pre packaged...has TONS of sodium. from lunch meat to the milk you have you gotta pay attention and the amount you go over the more likely you are retaining water weight. Sodium is not a kind thing when you have to much.

    if you are doing any strength training then muscle can naturally retain water as well, also muscle weighs more then fat and all that...so...just be patient you'll figure it out.
  • seseymj1
    seseymj1 Posts: 17
    You have to east all your exercise calories...and watch your carbs. I plateaued a couple of weeks ago and this is what I did:

    lowered my carb allowance
    Changed some of my exercise to mix it up a bit
    Ate all of my allowance most days

    Lost 7lb in last 2 weeks and 2 inches.

    Good luck x
  • dengarrett
    dengarrett Posts: 367
    The equation is simple - burn 3500 more calories than you eat and you lose a pound of fat. However, with exercise you also gain muscle which adds weight. These are good pounds as muscle increases your metabolism, which in turns burns more calories. All tracking programs such as MyFitnessPal work by helping you determine how many calories you burn or add a day taking your BMR (base metabaolic rate) which is the calories you burn just by being alive, adding the calories you eat (based on what you tell it you eat) and subtracting the calories you burn (again, based on what you tell it you do). All three of these things need to be accurate to determine the extra calories you are burning. If you carefully track your meal calories and your exercise, then it may be that your BMR is not "average". MyFitnessPal (and all other programs) work by calculating your BMR based on averages of the human population. If yours is lower, then you have to tell MyFitnessPal through the settings so that the rest of the equation is accurate.

    BTW - FWIW - I have used several of these programs (some paid for and some free) and have come back to MyFitnessPal because it is by far the best I have found for entering your everyday meals. Most of the time, I find the food I am looking for immediately just by entering a few words. With other programs, you have to try again and again to find the right foods to match what you are looking for.

    Another point regarding plateaus - they happen because your body (an amazing machine in itself!) adjusts to the fuel you give it (meals) and the load you place on it (exercise) by adjusting it's metabolism to maintain the status quo (meaning, your current weight). You have to "trick" it by changing the variables it uses to make these adjustments which is why things like adjusting exercise, types of calories (carbs, fats, protiecn), etc. work to break the plateau.
  • M_lifts
    M_lifts Posts: 2,218 Member
    Lots of good suggestions already. Have u tried increasing your water intake? I try and have atleast 10 cups/ day. I joined mfp in mid jan, id lost 17lbs beforehand but very very slowly. I have lost 10lbs since then jan all by sticking to my cals, exercise and water. Ive also started to zigzag my cals to keep my body guessing.

    Good luck :)
  • hotmooglelove
    hotmooglelove Posts: 84
    Sorry if I'm getting off topic, but are you a girl? Lats and delts are considered to be the most defeminizing muscles. The former increases the perceived size of your ribcage, and the latter broadens your shoulders. Keep in mind that unless that is the look you want, I wouldn't make pullup exercises part of your daily routine.

    The others posted some good advice. Perhaps check your "Goal" settings in MFP. I've accidentally set my lifestyle to "Very Active" because I was going to the gym every day, only to track my exercise too, thus doubling up on cals.
  • PaulC9554
    PaulC9554 Posts: 117 Member
    Would you make your diaries public so folks could assess what you're eating as well as how you're exercising?
This discussion has been closed.

Categories