What am I doing wrong?? PLEASE HELP

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mrdalton
mrdalton Posts: 97
in Health and Weight Loss
I need some advice please. I am working my tail off and not seeing any numbers budge on the scale.

I go to the gym 4-5 times a week.
I do 30 minutes of strength training - usually focused on abs and arms.
Then I do an hour on the elliptical - not too rigorous as I try to do the fat burning program and keep my heart rate around 130.
Then I go to a hour long spinning class. Just recently I have been able to do everything at a moderately difficult level. (yea!)

I log everything I eat on MFP and can very easily keep it right around 1200 calories a day.
I eat back a some of my exercise calories, but never all of them.
I drink about 3 glasses of water a day and about two diet pepsi.
(my diary is public)

Do you see anything that I should change to get better results????

5'5
230 lb
Goal: 130 lb
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Replies

  • kwing1970
    kwing1970 Posts: 1
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    What types of foods are you eating and how often do you eat?
  • jfleur87
    jfleur87 Posts: 8
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    Possibly you have reached a plateau. Might I suggest mixing in some interval training....I love doing it on the treadmill...walk for 2-4 minutes, than all out sprint for 1 minute...repeat 5-8 times. Supposedly has all the benefits of running for a long stretch of time and actually increases your endurance...

    This can also be done on a bike/elliptical..

    Hope this helps
  • seasonalvoodoo
    seasonalvoodoo Posts: 380 Member
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    Are you netting 1200? You may not be eating enough. You are working out a lot, so your body needs a lot of fuel!

    I am also 5"5' and started at 258 and am down to 215 and I eat more calories now than when I started. I NET between 1200 and 1660.
  • newmeat30
    newmeat30 Posts: 766 Member
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    First, what is your weight loss goal set to? 1/2 pound, 1 pound, 2 pounds. You may have it set too high and actually need to eat more calories. (Based on your current weight, 1200 calories seems kinda low). Secondly, I would say to eat back more of your exercise calories. Your minium NET calories should be 1200, if you are eating less than that, you run the risk on not giving your body enough fuel to burn up the fat you are trying to lose. Also, bump up the water...at least 8 a day (and try to limit the sodas or cut them out...I know it is hard, I was a Coke-junkie), and if you are not currently tracking your sodium intake you should. Too much sodium causes your body to retain water (drinking water helps you get rid of the excess water...funny how that works). I find that keeping my sodium level around 2000mg a day works wonders. One quick way to lower sodium levels, cut down on frozen meals and cut out canned soup (they may be low-cal but they are packed with sodium). Also, I'd invest in a good heart rate monitor to count calories burned while working out, it will also help you determine what heart rate level helps you burn calories the best (HR of 130 would be way too for me to be effective but it may be perfect for you).

    Best wishes!
  • mrdalton
    mrdalton Posts: 97
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    I am so confused. It seems against the grain to eat more, dont you think? Did you really find you lost more the more you ate? I know I am working out a lot and eating around 1200-1500 calories - you think I need to eat more??
  • Trista87Marie
    Trista87Marie Posts: 180 Member
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    think of your body as a car. the more you drive it the more gas you have to put in it. so while 1200 may be enough for you to maintain your body's functionality if you are using it more then it takes more to keep it running. Thats where eating more comes into effect. If you use it more you have to feed it more.
  • thumper44
    thumper44 Posts: 1,464 Member
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    Drink more water.

    Enjoy the reading.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

    At first I said you needed to eat mroe, but I just looked at your diary - There were some choices that could be better.
    But one thing I noticed that can be changed.

    Your having 3 meals and sometimes big meals of 600-1000 calories in that meal.
    People seem to have more success in having 5-6 smaller meals(400 cals) throughout the day.

    When you get that big meal, take a doggy bag, or split it up for later.
  • seasonalvoodoo
    seasonalvoodoo Posts: 380 Member
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    Well, it does depend on your goals. Are you set up for 2 lbs? I am guessing you are. I started out with that as my goal and did that for about a month, but my weight loss stalled. I set my goal to 1.5 and upped my goal to 1440 Net. I was still hungry and burning a lot of calories through exercise (it is also important to know how many cals you burn by using a heart rate monitor, as MFP and the machines overestimate) so now my goal is 1 pound per week at 1630 calories. I have been losing 2-3 lbs per week, which is more than I lost while eating less calories.
  • NAMsMommy
    NAMsMommy Posts: 132 Member
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    I net at least 1200 a day (that is the calories I eat minus the calories I burn)
    So, today I ate 1513 and burned 150 so my net was 1363.
    That is about average for me. I am slightly over today, but tomorrow is a new day.

    I know it sounds counter-productive, but try it. Or, try just upping your intake 100 calories and see if that makes a difference.
  • Flyntiggr
    Flyntiggr Posts: 898 Member
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    I just looked at your diary, and to be frank, it kinda sucked. You seem to eat a lot of fast/restaurant food and skip a lot of meals. Your daily calorie intake was all over the map. Some days you were over by 900 and others you were under by over 1000. Gotta work on consistency and less processed stuff. I know it's hard, but it will help.
  • kdao
    kdao Posts: 265
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    Drink more water.

    Enjoy the reading.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

    At first I said you needed to eat mroe, but I just looked at your diary - There were some choices that could be better.
    But one thing I noticed that can be changed.

    Your having 3 meals and sometimes big meals of 600-1000 calories in that meal.
    People seem to have more success in having 5-6 smaller meals(400 cals) throughout the day.

    When you get that big meal, take a doggy bag, or split it up for later.

    What he said. Cut down on the sugars, processed food, sodium and drink tons of water. You can do it!
  • karen80
    karen80 Posts: 1
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    You might be eating the wrong things.......Check your protein intake, protein is what will help you loose weight and you must stop drinking soda and you have to drink more water....I have struggle with weight lost for a long time and for the past 3 years I was working out like crazy but the weight wasn't going any where it didn't make sense to me until just 2 months ago I read book about nutrition and even though I was eating between 1200-1400 calories I was eating all the wrong things...Protein plays a big part of weight loss I highly recommend more protein
  • 12by311
    12by311 Posts: 1,716 Member
    Options
    I need some advice please. I am working my tail off and not seeing any numbers budge on the scale.

    I go to the gym 4-5 times a week.
    I do 30 minutes of strength training - usually focused on abs and arms.
    Then I do an hour on the elliptical - not too rigorous as I try to do the fat burning program and keep my heart rate around 130.
    Then I go to a hour long spinning class. Just recently I have been able to do everything at a moderately difficult level. (yea!)

    I log everything I eat on MFP and can very easily keep it right around 1200 calories a day.
    I eat back a some of my exercise calories, but never all of them.
    I drink about 3 glasses of water a day and about two diet pepsi.
    (my diary is public)

    Do you see anything that I should change to get better results????

    5'5
    230 lb
    Goal: 130 lb

    My honest to goodness opinion....Right now, I think your exercise is fine.

    I do think you definitely need to drink lots more water. I think drinking water is the key to weight loss, especially in beginning.

    I do think you need to work on healthy food options during the day. I went back a few days....you are eating lots of processed foods. One day you ate almost all of your calories at one meal, it looked like - maybe not, maybe that's just how you logged it.

    If you could start small, that may help. Start trying to get your water in during the day. Then maybe making sure you eat at least one serving of fruit and two servings of vegetables per day. Keep adding the "building blocks" to a healthy diet.
  • Mommyof3texans
    Mommyof3texans Posts: 347
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    I'll throw a little different spin since most have addressed the diet portion. I'd focus more on lower body when doing your strength part of the workout or at least alternate upper body/lower body on different days. The muscles in your legs and glutes are the biggest and in turn burn more fat when you work them.

    Also, instead of always doing an hour of steady pace cardio, look into some high intensity cardio workouts or interval. You'll spend less time but burn more. Another idea is to switch up how you're doing it...instead of the elliptical for example, try a stair climber or a stationary bike.
  • newmeat30
    newmeat30 Posts: 766 Member
    Options
    Drink more water.

    Enjoy the reading.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

    At first I said you needed to eat mroe, but I just looked at your diary - There were some choices that could be better.
    But one thing I noticed that can be changed.

    Your having 3 meals and sometimes big meals of 600-1000 calories in that meal.
    People seem to have more success in having 5-6 smaller meals(400 cals) throughout the day.

    When you get that big meal, take a doggy bag, or split it up for later.

    What he said. Cut down on the sugars, processed food, sodium and drink tons of water. You can do it!

    I can tell you from experience that eating small meals 5-7 times a day works out very well. You will find that eating every 2-3 hours keeps you feeling full longer and you are less likely to pig out later in the day (also you get used to eating a smaller amount of food and get full faster). And a good rule of thumb when eating out...never eat more than half of what's on your plate. Take the other half home and eat it the next day.
  • seasonalvoodoo
    seasonalvoodoo Posts: 380 Member
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    I couldn't see your diary when I replied, but now I took a look.

    I would try eating smaller meals throughout the day and do not skip any meals, especially breakfast.

    I try to eat every few hours and it seems to be working.
  • soccermom004
    soccermom004 Posts: 444 Member
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    You really are not eating well. Lots of fast food and premade foods that are both loaded with fat and calories. You are over calories many days. You need to focus on lean proteins, fruit and veggies and healthy carbs. Look at the food diaries of people who are losing and get some ideas. The exercise is great but I think you need to be honest with yourself about what you are eating. I do give you credit for logging accurately, that is the only way to learn. Good luck!
  • heatherfrancis
    heatherfrancis Posts: 100
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    My advice would be to eat every 2-3 hours that your awake, Balance each meal with carbs and protein and at atleast 2 meals add healthy fats and vegetables. Healthy fats are olive oil, canola oil, nuts, etc. I would also suggest upping your protein to. 5- 1 gram per body weight and lowering your processed carbs like your hersheys and pb cubs (im very guilty of my sweets too)
    Also know that even though your under your calories for the day, you can still gain or keep weight on your body. If you feed your body crap you will get crap for results even if your working your butt off everyday. You need to net atleast 1200 calories a day no matter what. You dont need to be perfect by any means but try to avoid the big meals at 1 sitting and spread it out . I would also invest in a good HR monitor to make sure your calorie burn is accurate.This is just my opinion. Good Luck you you!
  • Shluke206
    Shluke206 Posts: 22 Member
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    It doesn't look like you are regularly eating breakfast from what I can see. That can slow your metabolism down. You should really try to eat something every morning even if you're not a breakfast person. I never used to eat breakfast but over the past year or two I've made it more of a habit and I think it makes a huge difference.
  • theresa7576
    theresa7576 Posts: 46 Member
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    If you cannot "recreate" the item you are eating.. it should not go in your mouth. Chips, crackers fast food.. all taste good...but are HORRIBLE for you...If you can't make a dorito.. you shouldn't eat one. You should take your net calories and mentally divide them up over a day. 200 for breakfast, 300 lunch 400 dinner and three 100 calorie snacks for example. A veggies is always a better choice than a fruit, and lean protein (egg white, chicken breast, fish) are always smart choices for snacks and meals. You could have a Chicken breast and a HUGE pile of steamed brocolli and still come in under 200 calories! You get out what you put in... you can't build muscle by feeding your body crappy food and simple carbs. Eat your veggies, protein, GOOD dairy and as much unprocessed food as you can. Be realistic with how much you eat and make sure you are truly logging it correctly in terms of portions etc. Good lukc. You are putting forth effort and that is a good start.

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