What am I doing wrong?

crys30
crys30 Posts: 43
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay I'm not very satisfied with my weight loss, I think I should be weighing in less because I have started working out every day. I've started P90 and I get so sore, but it's a pretty awesome feeling at the same time. I drink at least 4 bottles of water a day sometimes more. I gave up all soda completely. I'm always under my calories. I'm doing 1200, and if I go over I do exercises to get it under again. The last 3 days I've burnt over 1000 calories by jogging/walking and P90. Why am I not dropping the weight?

I know I'm not suppose to lose alot all at once, but I feel like I'm not losing it. I've been weighing in at the same weight sometimes a week and a half. I've lost 11 pounds so far and soo happy about that. But can I be doing something else? Am I doing something wrong? I would love any insight or advice.

Thanks alot guys and gals :)
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Replies

  • jjjuuunnniiieee
    jjjuuunnniiieee Posts: 31
    If you're also doing P90, you could be gaining weight in muscle as well. Are you taking measurements? The inches will speak for themselves better than the actual weight loss will.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    You need to eat more, much much more. That is probably why you are not losing the weight, your body thinks it is starving and hoarding calories as fat. The P90X diet guide suggests the minimum you need is 1800 calories, no reason to go under this, unless you are 5'2" 125 lbs or so, as you burn so many calories from the exercise.
  • jaybaileys
    jaybaileys Posts: 317
    Are you doing P90X or Power 90? IF you are doing P90X 1200 calories is way low, I think the minimum is 1800. If you are not eating enough food and busting your workouts, your body is probably holding on to everything it has thinking it is starving. Also what are you eating. Are you following the diet plan with the workout program or are you doing your own thing? Are you eating every 3 hours or so. 11 pounds in what amount of time. Thats a great start! Alos the scale is not your friend. I lost 25 pounds the first time i did P90X. But the majority of my weight didnt come off until the last 30 days. But I lost inches around my waist after about 3 weeks in. I think you are on the right track, but if you are doing the X that is not enough food.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    If you're also doing P90, you could be gaining weight in muscle as well. Are you taking measurements? The inches will speak for themselves better than the actual weight loss will.

    There is no way she would be gaining muscle on such a calorie restricted diet. Muscle takes a surplus of calories have any measurable build.
  • helthymom6
    helthymom6 Posts: 77
    :angry: I am in the same boat!: I don't know what I am doing wrong. Maybe not eating back enough of my exercise calories? I don't really know:smile: If you find any answers i'd love to know!
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    If you are doing P90 then you need to be eating more to fuel your body. You want 1200 PLUS any calories you burn during exercise. So if you eat 1200 then burn 350 you are only netting 850 calories that day. Your body can't function on that. So your body adjusts by slowing down the metabolism, hanging onto the fat, storing everything you eat and digging into your lean muscle mass for fuel.

    Yes it sounds weird but you need to eat to lose. Food is the fuel that keeps our body, organs and systems running at optimum.

    Check out the posts in my signature. there is a lot of information there regarding starvation mode and eating your exercise calories (not the relatively light looking to get leaner but the other ones)
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    MEASURE YOUR SELF! and throw your scale out! its nothing but bad news and it doesn't tell you much.

    Also, are you eating atleast 1200 net. this means even after working out? its good to be under but you need to eat enough to make sure you are helping your body repair itself. Eat your 1200 calories, and then almost all of your work out calories back. then you will start to see progress.

    and again I say, PICK up that MEASURING TAPE. So many people are obsessed with weight, everyone needs to change thier mind frame.
  • dhutt2011
    dhutt2011 Posts: 77 Member
    Start taking pictures and measurements. I bet you are losing inches and sculpting yourself. I know because I am experiencing the same thing and decided last month to take a picture and record my measurements. I know that I have lost in inches because I am down a size in shirts and my work pants are gapping out at the waist and thighs. I bet that is what is happening to you! Because of all the exercising you are doing you should at least stay at your 1200 calories a day for intake. You need the food to fuel your excercise and to help your metabolism.

    Now I am not an expert, this is just an opinion.

    Best of luck!
  • juliengabby
    juliengabby Posts: 1
    I know from experience that when you don't eat enough your body won't allow you to loose weight as it goes into starvation mode. The day you exercised and burned 1000 calories did you only eat 1200 calories? If you have too many days like that you won't loose weight as your body is protecting itself from starving. Be sure you eat enough, as crazy as that sounds that really is the key to loosing weight, make healthy food choices and take in enough calories to sustain your body. Good luck and great job loosing 11 pounds already!!
  • lisa_lotte
    lisa_lotte Posts: 216
    I used to only eat my 1200 calories and would never touch my exercise calories, and I was stuck at the same weight for ages. After reading advice on here I started eating back most of what I burnt from exercise, so my net calorie was as close to 1200 as possible - and I lost 5lb in 2 weeks!! It seems strange that you could lose weight from eating MORE, but it worked for me :-)
  • OLP76
    OLP76 Posts: 768 Member
    I'm Day 80 with Power90 as of today...

    I have found the weight came off fast in the beginnin' - but that was mostly water etc. I seem to have hit a hard mark about my 157, 147 range.

    I just changed up my meal plan. I started doin' double workouts as of Feb 2011. Circuit 3&4 in am & 1&2 in the afternoon.

    How is your Sodium intake? Do you eat alot of processed/packaged foods?

    Sodium is my weakness...I watch it like a hawk.

    I just celebrated 20lbs loss with Power90 yesterday...It was a hard long journey but I did it. See what you can change up..don't focus on weight so much...Inches are good :)
  • 2bfitforever
    2bfitforever Posts: 87 Member
    I also started my healthier (not saying diet) eating at the same time I started P90. I lost 5 lbs the first week but really have stayed right there -- sometimes up .5 lb and sometimes down .5 lb. I am 5 ft/142 lbs as of today so considered overweight. I am also on 1200 calories and eat back some of my exercise calories. I have tried in the last week to eat most if not all the calories and even go over alittle to see if anything happens. I lost 1 lb (.6 of the lb I gained back and .4 of new loss). Today it is back. My scheduled time for measurements is on Monday (1 month) so I will see if anything has changed. I know it is frustrating but I have to believe this will work after seeing sooooo many people being successful on this site. Hang in there.
  • crys30
    crys30 Posts: 43
    If you're also doing P90, you could be gaining weight in muscle as well. Are you taking measurements? The inches will speak for themselves better than the actual weight loss will.

    The only measurements I've done is my waist.. and it hasn't changed any. My clothes feel different though.
  • foxyforce
    foxyforce Posts: 3,078 Member
    my honest advice is this: abandon the scale for a while. some people like to check in, so maybe you can check in once a week. I want to check in once a month because I don't have a lot to lose, I too work out every day, and I don't lose. But keep at it, the good you are doing for your body is amazing
  • crackerjack345
    crackerjack345 Posts: 129 Member
    Are you eating 1200 calories NET? Meaning that you are eating all your workout cals plus 1200? If not, you are probably in starvation mode and your body may be burning muscle instead of fat to preserve it's "stores" for leaner times. I know it's hard to understand how eating more can actually help you lose weight, but it's really true.

    A friend shared this forum post by one of the founders that I thought was very informative and may help you to understand.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    If you're eating 1200 cals total and burning 1000 working out then your net calories is only at 200.
  • mkraemer91
    mkraemer91 Posts: 28 Member
    Hey Crys!
    I had the same problem when I started trying to lose weight. A couple things that really helped me is not weighing daily or even weekly. I weigh in once every two weeks and sometimes once every month. Seeing a larger drop on the scale is so worth it! Weighing yourself daily is discouraging sometimes because the changes aren't as obvious when you see only a small difference from day to day.
    I also started measuring myself. Some weeks I was literally working my butt off at the gym, and wouldn't see a drop in my weight. But when I started measuring myself I realized even when I wasn't dropping weight I was loosing inches.
    And finally... I experimented with my calories. What MFP suggests you eat isn't always what works with you, especially when you're working out. Eating 1200 calories I wasn't losing much, but when I bumped it up to 1500-1700 calories the weight started coming off much quicker. Find out what works for you! Maybe alternate your intakes. When I feel like my body gets in a slump I'll alternate between days of eating 1200cals and days of eating 1700cals. That always seems to give me the boost I need to start burning again. & sorry for the novel I just wrote. Haha but I hope it helps! :) Just stay motivated!
  • crys30
    crys30 Posts: 43
    I did take pictures before I started any exercise at all. And I can notice in the pictures that my body is different. But I havent lost any inches since I've measured which was in the last 2 weeks.

    Orrgarde- No I'm not eating my exercise calories. I eat 1200 and then the last 3 days I've burnt 1000 so I should be eating those again?
  • kegofstout
    kegofstout Posts: 74 Member
    Remember that muscle weighs more than fat! I started working out in December and have only lost 3 lbs but over 2 inches in my stomach! Dont obsess about the scale, its all about your clothes fitting differently :)
  • crys30
    crys30 Posts: 43
    Hey Crys!
    I had the same problem when I started trying to lose weight. A couple things that really helped me is not weighing daily or even weekly. I weigh in once every two weeks and sometimes once every month. Seeing a larger drop on the scale is so worth it! Weighing yourself daily is discouraging sometimes because the changes aren't as obvious when you see only a small difference from day to day.
    I also started measuring myself. Some weeks I was literally working my butt off at the gym, and wouldn't see a drop in my weight. But when I started measuring myself I realized even when I wasn't dropping weight I was loosing inches.
    And finally... I experimented with my calories. What MFP suggests you eat isn't always what works with you, especially when you're working out. Eating 1200 calories I wasn't losing much, but when I bumped it up to 1500-1700 calories the weight started coming off much quicker. Find out what works for you! Maybe alternate your intakes. When I feel like my body gets in a slump I'll alternate between days of eating 1200cals and days of eating 1700cals. That always seems to give me the boost I need to start burning again. & sorry for the novel I just wrote. Haha but I hope it helps! :) Just stay motivated!

    No I appreciate the novel.. I'm so new at losing weight, I really dont know what to do. Any advice helps and I appreciate it. I work in an office and we have a scale so everyday I weigh in because I walk by it and its so hard not to get on after working out to see if I've lost any weight.
  • jaybaileys
    jaybaileys Posts: 317
    Ladies are you doing P90X or Power 90? 1200 on P90X is way too low. Its pretty simple the nutrition guide says the minimum to eat is 1800. I dont have Power 90 so I dont know what it recommends for food. But I know this, Ive done P90X 3 times, Ive followed the workouts and diet plan to T as it is designed and am thrilled with my results. You cant judge it after 3 weeks or a week. Its a 90 day program. If you follow the diet and the workouts you will succeed.
  • crys30
    crys30 Posts: 43
    Ladies are you doing P90X or Power 90? 1200 on P90X is way too low. Its pretty simple the nutrition guide says the minimum to eat is 1800. I dont have Power 90 so I dont know what it recommends for food. But I know this, Ive done P90X 3 times, Ive followed the workouts and diet plan to T as it is designed and am thrilled with my results. You cant judge it after 3 weeks or a week. Its a 90 day program. If you follow the diet and the workouts you will succeed.

    I'm doing P90 and I'm not following their diet plan. I dont eat alot of processed or packaged foods either.
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    I did take pictures before I started any exercise at all. And I can notice in the pictures that my body is different. But I havent lost any inches since I've measured which was in the last 2 weeks.

    Orrgarde- No I'm not eating my exercise calories. I eat 1200 and then the last 3 days I've burnt 1000 so I should be eating those again?


    That would be why you are not losing weight,.

    Ask yourself this if all you ate was 200 calories a day do you think you could survive? because this is basically what you are requireing of your body when you eat 1200 calories and then burn 1000 calories, its really only like you ate those 200 calories all day! this is not good for your system, and so your body will start burning that muscle instead of the fat, this is why you aren't seeing a movement in inches is because you still have the fat on your body and not that muscle.

    When you lose muscle you will find that you cant lose weight as quickly because muscle is what burns that fat.

    so eat your calories, so your muscle can burn the fat, so that you will lose inches and weight.

    DEFINATELY eat those exercise calories.
  • jrt9999
    jrt9999 Posts: 114
    Both my wife and I set our goals to 1 pound loss per week so we get 1500 calories per day. We both exercise daily and eat back all exercise calories. I also eat 500 to 1000 over my goals one day a week. I have averaged 1.5 to 2 pounds per week since joining November 22. You can look at my food log if you want.

    So what helped me is:

    Exercise
    Eat back those calories
    Stay at your daily goals for most days
    Spread out your meals to every three hours or so each day
    Drink plenty of water
    Enjoy a weekly splurge meal

    Good luck to you and I hope you find what works for you.
  • crys30
    crys30 Posts: 43
    I did take pictures before I started any exercise at all. And I can notice in the pictures that my body is different. But I havent lost any inches since I've measured which was in the last 2 weeks.

    Orrgarde- No I'm not eating my exercise calories. I eat 1200 and then the last 3 days I've burnt 1000 so I should be eating those again?


    That would be why you are not losing weight,. If you didn't work out do you think you could survive off of 200 calories a day? because this is basically what you are requireing of your body. DEFINATELY eat those exercise calories.

    No I know I couldnt last on 200 calories a day, but I'm not hungry at all during the day, and then I exercise after I get home from work and I'm not hungry after that either but I drink 2 bottles of water during it all. I'm going to have to try to eat those calories back even though that seems strange to me, I'll try it.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    I know how frustrating it is...I even went and got my metabolism tested. As of Jan 4th, I started back up counting and exercisin and now I'm finally losing. What was wrong?

    1) If there was any fudging to do on calories, I always went with the lower number in my logging. Now, I do the opposite. I overestimate if I am forced to estimate (someone brought cookies to work, and I ate one. Instead of finding the choco chip cookie with the least calories and logging it, I logged the one with the most calories from the database).

    2) I use a Fitbit to monitor my actual expenditure and I burn a LOT less during fitness exercise than I thought and a lot more during normal daily living. Example: I used to log 400+ calories for an afternoon of strenuous yardwork, now I know that's barely 200 in addition to my regular burn. MFP calculates my normal living at 1710, but I normally burn 1950 but as high as 2100. I track it all on a spreadsheet and my average deficit since 01/04/11 is exactly 500 calories.

    3) I don't cheat, I do occasionally eat up to maintenance, but I log every single bite. Having a free-for-all cheat meal or day or weekend is self-sabotoge and I am working on this too hard to kill it for a couple bites of something.

    4) And I fuel my body. My average calories are 1439 calories per day (without workouts). I make sure it's healthy food (no junk) and in adequate portions. I get plenty of protein and healthy fats. No deprivation for me!
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    I did take pictures before I started any exercise at all. And I can notice in the pictures that my body is different. But I havent lost any inches since I've measured which was in the last 2 weeks.

    Orrgarde- No I'm not eating my exercise calories. I eat 1200 and then the last 3 days I've burnt 1000 so I should be eating those again?


    That would be why you are not losing weight,. If you didn't work out do you think you could survive off of 200 calories a day? because this is basically what you are requireing of your body. DEFINATELY eat those exercise calories.

    No I know I couldnt last on 200 calories a day, but I'm not hungry at all during the day, and then I exercise after I get home from work and I'm not hungry after that either but I drink 2 bottles of water during it all. I'm going to have to try to eat those calories back even though that seems strange to me, I'll try it.

    It will feel strange because society has trained us to think that eating less will make us lose weight but that is soo not true. try eating more calorie High foods if you cant eat very much food. Like high calorie protein bars, or 2% milk over skim milk. try peanutbutter its higher in calorie, avacados are higher in calorie but arent very big.. try that. Those calories are sooo key to losing weight. So aim for higher calorie food. The reason you cant eat very much is because your stomach has shrunk so tiny, which is a good thing. Feeling full is AWESOME! but definately try to get those calories in, you don't wanna lose that muscle.
  • crackerjack345
    crackerjack345 Posts: 129 Member
    No I know I couldnt last on 200 calories a day, but I'm not hungry at all during the day, and then I exercise after I get home from work and I'm not hungry after that either but I drink 2 bottles of water during it all. I'm going to have to try to eat those calories back even though that seems strange to me, I'll try it.

    Instense workouts and all that water serves to decrease appetite. Don't feed your stomach, feed your body.
  • 2bfitforever
    2bfitforever Posts: 87 Member
    I know how frustrating it is...I even went and got my metabolism tested. As of Jan 4th, I started back up counting and exercisin and now I'm finally losing. What was wrong?

    Where did you get your metabolism tested? How did you find the place?
  • lisa_lotte
    lisa_lotte Posts: 216
    I did take pictures before I started any exercise at all. And I can notice in the pictures that my body is different. But I havent lost any inches since I've measured which was in the last 2 weeks.

    Orrgarde- No I'm not eating my exercise calories. I eat 1200 and then the last 3 days I've burnt 1000 so I should be eating those again?

    I always eat back most of my exercise calories. I have a heart rate monitor though which tells me how many calories I have burnt during an exercise. Be careful if your only using the information that is on here - What MFP tells says you have burnt isnt accurate as it will be different for everyone depending on age/sex/height weight etc, and of course how hard you have worked! Let us know how you get on :-)
  • crys30
    crys30 Posts: 43
    I did take pictures before I started any exercise at all. And I can notice in the pictures that my body is different. But I havent lost any inches since I've measured which was in the last 2 weeks.

    Orrgarde- No I'm not eating my exercise calories. I eat 1200 and then the last 3 days I've burnt 1000 so I should be eating those again?

    I always eat back most of my exercise calories. I have a heart rate monitor though which tells me how many calories I have burnt during an exercise. Be careful if your only using the information that is on here - What MFP tells says you have burnt isnt accurate as it will be different for everyone depending on age/sex/height weight etc, and of course how hard you have worked! Let us know how you get on :-)

    I use a hrm so I know how many calories that I've burnt.

    So if I eat my exercise calories back whats the point in exercising if you just eat those back and start back to where you were to begin with? Thats the part I'm not getting. I'll try it, but I dont get it.
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