What am I doing wrong?

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Apryl413
Apryl413 Posts: 2
in Introduce Yourself
I am 47, 5.8 and weigh 190 lbs.
In 2008 I weighed 210 pounds, I walked everyday outside during the nice months and treadmill in the winter. I lost 30 pounds. ( I think it took me a year or two )
Over the years I gained and last year weighed 196. Over the winter I took morning workout classes and didn't budge. In the spring I went back to walking and dropped down to 190.
I had a hysterectomy this fall and lost 5 pounds.
I started working out on the rowing machine 3-4 times a week January 1st. I weighed in at 188.
I started fitness pal January 11, and I now weigh 190.
I know it's important to take the weight off slowly, and I've done it before, but it gets so discouraging.
Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.
Apryl

Replies

  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
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    How many calories a day are you eating?
  • ItsMe0909
    ItsMe0909 Posts: 30
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    When on the rowing machine: are you using a heart rate monitor and a corresponding app that tells you how many calories *you* have burned?
  • Apryl413
    Apryl413 Posts: 2
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    I think I'm eating an average of 1,500 a day.
    I just plug my rowing time into fitness pal.
  • hfcl
    hfcl Posts: 13 Member
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    When I start working out again after stopping for a while I find I will gain a pound or two from building my muscles again. Muscle is heavier than fat. Just watch what your eating and keep up the exercise and it should all even out! Keep up the good work! And don't rely on the scale too much. I've switched to watching the inches more as every time I step on the scale it tells me something else....and I mean in a 5 minute time period.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Apryl413 wrote: »
    I think I'm eating an average of 1,500 a day.
    I just plug my rowing time into fitness pal.

    ^Let's start here. You *think* you're eating 1,500 calories a day or do you know that's what you eat? Are you logging your food? Including things like cooking oil, veggies, condiments, cheat days, etc? Are you careful to choose accurate entries in the database? Are you using a food scale, measuring cups/spoons, or eyeballing any of your portion sizes?

    You're going to get a lot of advise here, but the first thing that I would recommend is taking a look at your food logging to be sure you're actually eating what you think you're eating.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1290491/how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale/p1

  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    You need a profile picture to be taken seriously here.
  • My_Butt
    My_Butt Posts: 2,300 Member
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    MostlyWater wrote: »
    You need a profile picture to be taken seriously here.

    Why? Your shirt picture doesn't convince me any.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    MostlyWater wrote: »
    You need a profile picture to be taken seriously here.
    Seriously! !! This is second time you've posted this response! Maybe you should be on a different site? Or just grow up?

    OP 'think' you need to know how many calories not just guess. If you track accurately you will lose.
  • Christinaluvly
    Christinaluvly Posts: 116 Member
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    kojiro44705 wrote: »
    MostlyWater wrote: »
    You need a profile picture to be taken seriously here.

    Why? Your shirt picture doesn't convince me any.

    hahahaha..... sorry but that was funny
  • JayRuby84
    JayRuby84 Posts: 557 Member
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    I would make sure you are logging every last thing that you eat a day. Lots of people weigh their food and swear by it. I don't, so I guess I can't push that (although I'm sure it's wise). Anyway, you can do it, just be consistant. Keep up the working out.
  • pplastics
    pplastics Posts: 135 Member
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    Log what you eat consistently and as accurately as possible. Do not just trust the first item that pops up...do some research and find out what you are really eating.

    Do not trust all of the exercise calorie amounts given by MFP, as they can be too high. You can search the internet for calorie burn estimates or use a heart rate monitor. From my experience, MFP would give me 100-200 extra calories per workout compared to what my heart rate monitor showed.
  • DirrtyH
    DirrtyH Posts: 664 Member
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    Your post says a lot of about activities you are doing/have done in the past but says nothing about food. Are you watching what you eat at all? Diet (i.e. what you eat) has a much bigger impact on weight loss than exercise, although exercise is very helpful in getting you into the right calorie deficit among other benefits.

    But I would recommend focusing on what you're eating.
  • MathematicalOwl
    MathematicalOwl Posts: 10 Member
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    if you 'think' you're eating 1500 cals, then that means you're not logging carefully. Definitely don't get obsessive, because that will be even more discouraging, but at least feel fairly confident in what you're logging. Once you figure that out, you have to ask yourself this main question: Are you eating enough?

    If you're not eating enough, losing weight is going to be a true battle, because you need that energy to get through the day and build muscle. If you can't eat enough, your body isn't going to lose weight (or if it does, the moment you start eating normally again you'll gain it all back). If you're eating too much, then obviously you're not going to lose weight. You have to take both your activity and your nutrition into consideration. Make sure you're getting the proper amount of protein, carbs, and fats (should be provided if you filled out that survey at the beginning of this account). If you burn 100 calories by working out, you have to make sure your net calories isn't too low. If you're supposed to have a -net- of 1500 calories to lose weight, and then after working out you have a deficit of 1100, then you need to re-nourish your body, because it already used up some of the energy to get your through the work out. You have to provide enough for you body to function.

    Finally, mix up your workout routine! Do you like rowing? If not, try something else! If you do like rowing but only do that every day, are you sure that you're working at full potential? We have a tendency of slowing down or slugging on after doing the same workout over and over again. If you like rowing and your workouts are invigorating enough, then you're fine. But if you're bored or are just not seeing results, try mixing it up a bit. Incorporate some strength training or different types of cardio!

    In any case, good luck! I'm in the same discouragement boat as you, but just treat the process one day at time and you'll see results in no time.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    hfcl wrote: »
    When I start working out again after stopping for a while I find I will gain a pound or two from building my muscles again. Muscle is heavier than fat. Just watch what your eating and keep up the exercise and it should all even out! Keep up the good work! And don't rely on the scale too much. I've switched to watching the inches more as every time I step on the scale it tells me something else....and I mean in a 5 minute time period.
    muscle is not heavier than fat it just takes up less space but it weighs the same.building muscle takes time and you wont notice a 1-2 lb gain of muscle that quickly especially after not working out for awhile,it was most likely water weight from working out again (your body retains water to repair your muscles)

    I would log your calories and weigh your food to make sure you are eating 1500 calories,its possible you are overeating(doesnt take much to go over calories) also if your hormones are out of whack it can play a part in not losing the weight as well. keep exercising,make sure you are eating 1500 calories and go from there. then if you dont lose anything see a dr to make sure its not a health issue. good luck
  • hfcl
    hfcl Posts: 13 Member
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    I stand corrected! The scale still lies!
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Ok the others have raised the weighing and logging issue. That is big and the most likely cause of concern about your approach and being in control of whats happening. You are eating closer to maintenance than you realise. You also need to appreciate your body can fluctuate up to 4lbs in a day.

    Looking at your exercise and the rower, then you started on 1 Jan 3-4 times a week and just over a month later you are 2lbs heavier. Some questions about your workout on the rower.


    What are you doing as your workout? Just a distance or time steady state, intervals, hit?

    How long in minutes or distance and what pace are you going at or calories per hour as stated on the machine?

    Do you think you are pushing yourself? Are you worn out when you come off? building a high heart rate or serious sweat?

    Where are you getting the information for how much you have burned and how are you recording it on MFP? How are you deciding what category your row is at? Speed?

    Are you using a hrm? Are you adjusting your figure on the concept 2 site?

    If you give me some feedback I can then understand what you are doing and make an eductated guess whether yiou are using your time well and whether your recorded burns are likely to be accurate or flawed.

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