HELP!! Why am I not losing weight? I'm about to go back to

nlc6899
nlc6899 Posts: 9
edited September 25 in Motivation and Support
I am starting to get very discouraged. I have been at this eating right/working out thing since January, and I'm only down about 15 pounds. I am looking for someone to check out what I have been eating and see if they can discover any clues.

I have not been tracking my workouts on myfitnesspal because I wanted to stick to the 1,200 calories regardless of what workout I've been doing. I've been diligently doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred 6 days a week, the last 2 weeks at Level 2, and I have been (mostly) keeping up. I also do a 20 minute interval run after Jillian or an hour of Zumba.

I know that there are some days missing, but 98% of the time I am eating "right", following Dr. Oz's Mediterranean You: On a Diet plan.

When I think back at what I was eating last year (lots of chips, a dozen cookies a week, half of a large delivered pizza for dinner a couple of times a week, candy most weekends) and I think about what I have been eating, especially the past month, I don't understand why the scale is not being more friendly. It's starting to drive me nuts. Yes, I have made progress, and I am very proud of that. But I am going to the Domincan Republic the first week of June and I really really really wanted to hit my goal by then.

So any advice you can give me would be most greatly appreciated. Otherwise the cookies might make a comeback. I made my diary public (nlc6899). I don't know if you need more than that to check it out. If you do, let me know. I would dearly love to get to the bottom of this dilemma.

Replies

  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
    my guess is you're eating too few calories if you're at 1200 no mater what you do for a workout. :) Up the cals ..
  • sociable15
    sociable15 Posts: 98
    Looking at it, you're given 1200 and you're not eating all of them. You're in starvation mode. Up your calories and include your workouts and you'll start to lose again.
  • atombud
    atombud Posts: 38 Member
    What are you drinking? You do not have any drinks or water intake listed?
  • seasonalvoodoo
    seasonalvoodoo Posts: 380 Member
    I second the above poster. If you work out that hard, you are definitely not eating enough. You should NET 1200 not eat 1200 no matter what.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    well there is your problem right there.....not what you are eating but how much. I can almost guarantee if you ate more you'd lose more!!
  • doramouse
    doramouse Posts: 160
    5 lbs per month is great! Especially if you want to keep it off long term.
    I would guess that 1200 is too little if you are exercising a lot.
    Try eating a couple hundred more per day...........?
  • road2peachtree
    road2peachtree Posts: 294 Member
    I would agree with everyone on the cal situation but I also noticed the water intake at 0. I strongly recommend drinking up because your body needs it. I bet it will help with the loss. The less water you drink, the more your body holds on to it--the more you drink the more it releases it. Just a thought.
  • MarciRenee74
    MarciRenee74 Posts: 22 Member
    Contrary to the whole diet "mentality" I think you aren't eating ENOUGH. You have to give your body enough calories and food so that it will allow you to drop weight. If you are working out that much you should probably add in some more food. You have to eat to lose weight - funky think I know. But if you aren't giving your body enough of what it thinks it needs - it will hold on to every single ounce.

    Try shaking things up by having a high fat/calorie day. I don't really agree with the whole low/no fat idea of thinking/eating - but that's just me. If you think about it - they are replacing that fat with something. And it is usually sugar of some sort or the other. So I think you are better off having a small portion of the full fat verison than the low/no fat version.


    Good luck.

    And is it possible that your goal weight - whatever it is - is TOO small for you? You can only bend your body to your will so far and then it is truly up to your body. Just a question you need to ask yourself. Not everyone on this planet is going to or should be a normal BMI. The BMI scale, in my thoughts, is far too small for the average person.
  • khk2010
    khk2010 Posts: 451 Member
    Have to say that losing 15 pounds in 3 months is really not bad…
  • ccguck
    ccguck Posts: 1 Member
    Ditto the above posts. You are usually under your calorie goal and if you are exercising, you are way under. You need to eat more.
    It tells you right at the bottom that you are in starvation mode if you don't hit the calorie goal, so you need to input your exercise, too, and then eat the calories it suggests.
  • LovelySnugs
    LovelySnugs Posts: 389
    www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

    there should be some good information there explaining why it's a better idea to log your exercise and eat those calories back. it's hard, but it works.



    and this:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/206045-busted-my-3-month-plateau-here-s-how

    is just some helpful encouragement that i think we all need from time to time.

    good luck!
  • nlc6899
    nlc6899 Posts: 9
    Sorry, I haven't been very diligent about tracking water intake. But I generally drink a Brita pitcher a day, which is 48oz.

    I know that sometimes it says I'm not eating my 1,200, but I don't necessarily input every Tablespoon of oil. So I guess I was thinking I was staying within my 1,200. Should I keep track of every T of oil?

    On the days that I do increase my calories (generally the days I don't input everything into myfitnesspal) I gain weight the next day, and definitely don't lose for the week.

    Do I still increase calories?
  • StaceyZombie
    StaceyZombie Posts: 69 Member
    5 lbs per month is great! Especially if you want to keep it off long term.
    I would guess that 1200 is too little if you are exercising a lot.
    Try eating a couple hundred more per day...........?

    Hey there!! Agree with not eating enough. And I also wanted to point out that an average of 5 lbs/month is AWESOME! Life is not like the tv, unless you are stuck on a ranch for 6 months doing NOTHING but working out and having chefs prepare your every meal, you are not going to lose 30 lbs/month. I lost over 70 lbs total and it took me about a year and a half. Don't give up!! Log everything that enters your mouth and make sure you are eating all of your allotted calories!? You can do this!! Message me if you need to but don't throw in the towel.
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
    Here are my observations looking back the past 5 days or so.

    First of all - Kudos - in general - you appear to be eating pretty clean.

    Here's the PROBLEM. It appears you've hit starvation mode. You mention you're not tracking your exercise calories and yet, even WITHOUT exercise logged on most days you do NOT hit the 1200 calorie minimum. Your body is now desperately hanging onto each and every calorie you feed it.

    You need to eat at LEAST 1200 calories a day before exercise and then EAT MORE when you do exercise. Here is a link to a very interesting thread about someone's client who couldn't lose eating 700 calories a day and it explains why:

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

    Please take a look at the link as I think this is your problem. Also, consider changing up your macronutrient profile to eat more protein in your diet to help build lean muscle (you have to lift heavy weights too 2-3x a week). And I'm a big advocate for fiber! Since you aren't tracking fiber I don't know how much you're getting but try to get 25-30 grams/day.

    Hope this helps!
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
    Need to eat more. I exercise hard and I make sure I net my 1200 calories so that means I eat my exercise cslories. Some days, like today, I eat 2300 calories. I still consistently lose.

    Also, how much do you have to lose? The closer you bet to goal, the slower the loss. I've been working on the last 30 since November. Its been the hardest part but I am 4 lbs away from goal.

    By the way, if you give in frustrationnot only will you never lose another ounce, youu'll gain back what you lost and probably more. The choice is yours.... what do you want? Slow progress or no progress?
  • irasonrisita
    irasonrisita Posts: 101
    You're exercising way too much! When I first started, I exercised every day, constantly, and GAINED weight. I ate right and everything, about 1100 calories a day. After I lowered my exercise regimen to about 3-4 times a week, I started losing weight! Your body needs time to rest.
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    Firstly I would say log your exercises...even if you don't intend to eat them back it gives you an at a glance view and you will be able to see patterns forming

    next, how long did it take you to gain 15lbs...personally I think 15lbs isn't too shabby at all, in fact its pretty darn good, the less you have to lose the slower it will come off so all in all you have done really well.

    Finally...i'd suggest eating some of your calories back, the less you eat the slower your metabolism gets and so slows weight loss.

    I know eating them back is a controversial subject but there is truth and science in it. If you feel the calorie burns are too high then experiment with eating 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 back....the bigger the burn the higher you should eat back. An hour of zumba really burns those calories and on days where youve eaten very little you may even find yourself in negative numbers and that is bad news.

    Giving up will get you nowhere, if you lose 1lb a week from now til your holiday you will be so much closer than you would be if you give up.
  • Coco_Puff
    Coco_Puff Posts: 823 Member
    First of all that is a great weight loss for 3 months. It will stay off if you lose at about a 1lb. per week, so you're on the right track. Please look at all the positives happening to your body. Are you dropping inches, building muscle, and are you picking up better eating habits that inturn will improve your health? The scale isn't always going be your friend, so watch for all the other improvements.
  • isabelk
    isabelk Posts: 153 Member
    You know what you're doing is not working.

    Up your cals for a month. You might see a gain at first but give it a chance. Eat your exercise cals for a month to see what happens and come back and tell us about it.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    log every single bite of anything you put into you mouth. if it has calories it counts!!

    some people suggest drinking half your weight in oz of water. (if you are 200 lbs drink 100 oz if you are 150lbs drink 75oz etc)
  • CallejaFairey
    CallejaFairey Posts: 391 Member
    Sorry, I haven't been very diligent about tracking water intake. But I generally drink a Brita pitcher a day, which is 48oz.

    I know that sometimes it says I'm not eating my 1,200, but I don't necessarily input every Tablespoon of oil. So I guess I was thinking I was staying within my 1,200. Should I keep track of every T of oil?

    On the days that I do increase my calories (generally the days I don't input everything into myfitnesspal) I gain weight the next day, and definitely don't lose for the week.

    Do I still increase calories?

    yup, because you have been eating so little, your body will try to hold on to the extra food you start eating when you increase your cals. but that wont last for long, you will just have to live with a few pounds being gained to start losing again.

    you don't have a huge amount to lose in total, so unfortunetly, it's going to be harder and slower for you to show significant loss. just remember when you start to get discouraged, that you are doing it the smart and healthy way, which in the end will lead to a bigger likely hood of that weight staying off. you can do it :)
  • road2peachtree
    road2peachtree Posts: 294 Member
    Sorry, I haven't been very diligent about tracking water intake. But I generally drink a Brita pitcher a day, which is 48oz.

    I know that sometimes it says I'm not eating my 1,200, but I don't necessarily input every Tablespoon of oil. So I guess I was thinking I was staying within my 1,200. Should I keep track of every T of oil?

    On the days that I do increase my calories (generally the days I don't input everything into myfitnesspal) I gain weight the next day, and definitely don't lose for the week.

    Do I still increase calories?

    I would suggest logging EVERYTHING you put in your mouth because that's the only way you are going to see what's not agreeing with your body. How will you know if you've had too much sodium or sugar or cals or not enough of something? And 48oz of water is great, but perhaps you need more? Good luck :) And 15lbs is fab!
  • LarryPGH
    LarryPGH Posts: 349 Member
    You're exercising way too much! When I first started, I exercised every day, constantly, and GAINED weight. I ate right and everything, about 1100 calories a day. After I lowered my exercise regimen to about 3-4 times a week, I started losing weight! Your body needs time to rest.

    Well... unless somebody's spending all their time exercising, and hurting themself (or their life balance) by doing so, I don't know that it's possible to say flat out "too much exercise". However, there's a good point in here -- it has to do with eating enough *for the amount of exercise you're getting*!!! There are two ways to correct that imbalance: either you eat more (for the amount you're currently exercising) or you exercise less (for the amount you're currently eating)! Either way, it'll balance out nicely...!
  • amccrazgrl
    amccrazgrl Posts: 315 Member
    I have only lost 12lbs in 5 months. I don't feel bad at all for your amount loss. You don't gain the weight overnight and your definitely not going to lose it that way either. 5lbs a month I would take it. If I lost that I'd be at my goal weight already.
  • nlc6899
    nlc6899 Posts: 9
    OK, you're right, what I have been doing has not been working. And I don't want to throw in the towel, slow progress is still progress.

    But I will try logging work outs and eating more calories to see if that revs things up again. I will also try the suggestions from the forum link that was posted in one of the replies.

    I have 20 pounds still to go, so I wasn't thinking it was a plateau because I was close to my goal. And my goal weight is not a ridiculously low weight, it's the weight I was when I was working out consistently and was very muscular.

    Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. If I increase calories, can I go back to having my glass of wine a day? Or should the calories all be "healthy" food options?
  • melzteach
    melzteach Posts: 550 Member
    This is pretty much the same thing everyone else has said but you're eating too few calories! I'm 31, 165lbs and am doing P90X. On my intense cardio days I eat around 1800 calories and on strength training days I'll eat around 1700 calories. On average I'll eat 350-400 calories per meal, including an afternoon snack. I have to have my blood sugar stabilized otherwise I can tell a huge difference in my mood, mental clarity, and energy level. Sometimes it carries into the next day!
    Feel free to friend me and take a look at my food diary to get and idea of what I'm talking about. That's an open invitation to anyone who's interested. Good luck to you!
  • CallejaFairey
    CallejaFairey Posts: 391 Member
    as long as all the other stuff you have is better for you, one glass of wine shouldn't cause any harm. but then i am of the mind that nothing is bad as long as it is in moderation. the second it's more than a treat, time to find something else lol.
  • sociable15
    sociable15 Posts: 98
    Yes you should still increase your calories because your body is going to take time to adjust to the fact that you're giving it all it needs. It'll take more than a day or even a week to come out of starvation mode.
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