Eating well, Exercising Regularly and no weight loss

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megmarie10
megmarie10 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone! I need some input and possibly personal experiences from other who have been there. I'm 5'2" and currently 140 lbs. I'm currently eating 1200 calories/day, balanced between carbs, protein and fats and workout out 5-6 times a week for at least 30 min. each time (usually circuts, HIIT or running). I've been doing this for about 6 weeks not and have not seen ANY weight loss. My husband says that he's noticed toning and tightening and I definitely feel like my overall fitness has improved. I know that muscle weighs more than fat so that could definitely be a part of it but I still have quite a bit of weight I would like to lose. Has anyone had this experience? Any ideas are appreciated.

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  • tonyrocks922
    tonyrocks922 Posts: 172 Member
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    Eat less
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    You have to be precise when calculating calories. Do you use a food scale? How do you calculate your calorie burns?
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
    edited January 2015
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    If you're eating a deficit, you aren't gaining muscle. It's not possible (unless you are lifting heavy and a newbie to lifting, even then the possible gain is minimal).

    Are you measuring all liquids and weighing all solids? If you aren't losing, you aren't in a deficit. If you aren't measuring liquids and weighing solids, you could be overeating and underlogging, which would make it appear as if you're eating 1200 when you really aren't.
  • megmarie10
    megmarie10 Posts: 2
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    I don't drink my calories (no sodas, juices, etc.) and I am very careful about tracking calories. I often err on the side of tracking extra calories to make sure I'm not cheating myself. I make most of my food at home which means I'm able to measure everything. As far as calorie burns, I track basic amounts using MFP and again, err on the conservative side.
  • StephBendo
    StephBendo Posts: 8 Member
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    queenliz99 wrote: »
    You have to be precise when calculating calories. Do you use a food scale? How do you calculate your calorie burns?

    This! I know when I started out I wasn't counting the oils and whatnot I used in prep and other little things, 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil or grape seed oil is like 120cal, so it adds up fast, I'm also the type that looks more toned but looses little weight, I'm 5'2" and 157, but muscular, and do HIT workouts, I too was getting discouraged, I suggest going by inches instead of weight, I would lose 1 pound, but 2 inches off my obliques, 1 off my waist, so that measurement was more encouraging. Its more about how good you feel, and less about the number, don't obsess about the number, if look in the mirror and think you're more toned or I feel slim or my jeans fit better today, you're on the right track.
  • booner40
    booner40 Posts: 1
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    I am having the same problem. I work out 1 to 2 hours 5 to 6 days a week and feel I eat a well rounded amount of calories closer to 1300. I weight train fairly heavily and run and walk. I do count my adult beverage of choice at night. To.:-) I am 5'00 and weigh about 112. I want to lose only 5 pound to see if I can look for lean. I am 44 years old.
  • katya_be
    katya_be Posts: 227 Member
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    I agree about the calorie inaccuracy.. either that or you are blowing everything off during the weekend.
  • GreenValli
    GreenValli Posts: 1,054 Member
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    MegMarie:

    I seem to have hit a plateau, too. That is just on the scale. I have noticed my clothes are looser. But I have gotten into a rut of eating the same things for breakfast and lunch because they are easy and available. So I decided today to change up what I have been eating. I don't know if that will make any difference or not, but it may make a difference on the scale and maybe I need some variety to stay motivated to wait it out longer.

    Maybe you need to try something different, too. But I don't think you need to eat less calories.

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  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
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    What is your BMR?
    What is your average daily activity level like?
    How vigorous is your exercise?
    Do you use a food scale to weigh all, if not most, of the food you consume?
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I've had this problem over the past week or so, at first I was losing (5.5 lbs in the first 2 weeks) and I was eating between 1100-1300 calories plus working out daily for between 40 mins and 1 hour and a half.

    Then I had a few meals out last week, though I did double workouts on those days and was careful to stick to my calorie and macro limits, though I did have 3 glasses of wine during the week.

    Over the course of last week my weight went from 142 up to 143.5 and then up again until it got to 148 which is more than I was when I started!

    The last couple of days it's started to go down again but I put it down to an increase in Carbs as I was eating up to 150g on those days and I normally have around 100 or less and also the alcohol.

    Why not try changing your macros and also experimenting with eating at different times. I always find that if I spent a lot in the evening it really affects my weight loss. Some people here have also told me that an increase in carbs and also foods high in sodium can lead to water retention and would therefore hide any weight loss until you lose the excess water.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    megmarie10 wrote: »
    I don't drink my calories (no sodas, juices, etc.) and I am very careful about tracking calories. I often err on the side of tracking extra calories to make sure I'm not cheating myself. I make most of my food at home which means I'm able to measure everything. As far as calorie burns, I track basic amounts using MFP and again, err on the conservative side.

    I see you said measure. Do you weigh? The difference between a serving in cups and grams can be astronomical.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
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    You're not eating 1200 no matter how convinced you think you are.
  • Docmahi
    Docmahi Posts: 1,603 Member
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    I dont think you are actually eating 1200 - you may think you are but you need more accurate calorie counting
  • bbateman123
    bbateman123 Posts: 67 Member
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    If you are eating 1200 a day, how many calories are you burning? Working out that much I am willing to bet that you are not eating enough calories to keep your body working normally. Muscle is more dense than fat, did you measure yourself before started weight loss? You might be losing inches right now instead of actual weight
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    SergeantSausage wrote: »
    You're not eating 1200 no matter how convinced you think you are.


    I have to agree with this.

    Do you use other people's recipes in the database? Generic entries? Eyeball portion sizes? You'd be losing at 1200. I'd suggest reading through this thread: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

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