No weight loss in 7.5 weeks!
kellykaczmarek354
Posts: 4 Member
I have been in the gym 5 days a week for 40 minutes a day for the last 7.5 weeks and have not lost a pound! In fact when I started I was 172 pounds and now I am 178 pounds! I am beyond frustrated by this. I do cardio no less than 3 miles either on the bike or elliptical almost every day. I also do squats with a ball between my legs everyday, side leg lifts and abdominals every day. 3 days a week I add weight training. I was 227 pound 3 years ago. My lowest weight was 152 pounds. Perfect for me. I'm 5'4 and 3/4 inches. All of my weight goes right to my legs and saddle bags. Since I haven't been losing any weight or inches it seems like, I started using MFP but only 3 days ago. MFP suggested 1200 cal day for a 1.5 pound a week weight loss goal. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong? I always eat protein first and I don't drink any of my calories.
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Replies
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Do you know how much you were eating before joining MFP?0
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Hi. I was eating 1500-1700 calories a day0
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Okay, that sounds like a more sustainable number for you than 1200 (especially if you're only looking to lose 20 pounds). How were you determining those calories: food scale, measuring cups, eyeballing portions?0
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Buy a food scale, weigh and log everything.
Do cardio if you want, and if you do, only eat back 50% of your calories. Lift weights and hit your protein goal to help maintain muscle mass while losing.
Cheat meals that take you over maintenance will sabotage your efforts. Log the cheat meals too (falls under the 'log everything' rule).
Eat anything you want in moderation, keeping in mind that your diet will be easier to stick with if you chose foods that make it easier to stay under your calories without feeling hungry.
Also it would be a good idea to read some of the stickies at the top of the various forums such as:
Calorie Counting 101
Logging Accuracy, Consistency, & You're Probably Eating More Than You Think
A Guide To Get You Started on Your Path To Sexy Pants0 -
A few things.
1- what are your macros like?
It's all good for you to be eating 1200 calories, but if you're eating 1200 calories of fats and no carbs/proteins, you won't lose weight.
2- do cardio twice a week and include a few heavy weight sessions during the week.
You might be over-training. Have a day of rest in between.
3- do abs twice a week and for no more than 5 minutes.
4- what are squats with a ball between your legs??! just load up your bar, and do 5 sets of 5, adding weight to the bar every week until you fail, then repeat the weight the following week until you can get 5x5..
5- get off the elliptical. look at the people using it.. there's a reason why fit, muscular people are often around the weights area and flabby people hang around the cardio equipment..
6- finally, make sure you're eating enough calories.
MFP is not extremely accurate when it comes to these things.
Depending on how old you are, you should be eating at least 1500 calories a day to lose a reckless amount of weight per week.
Out of these calories, have around 170 grams of carbs, 135 proteins, around 35 fats, and make sure you get around 40 grams of fibers.
You have nothing to lose but weight, really - I suggest you try the calories above for at least 2 weeks. You might gain a bit in the first few days, but if you follow the ideas above, you'll fall down to your desired weight in no time.0 -
IvanOcampo wrote: »A few things.
1- what are your macros like?
It's all good for you to be eating 1200 calories, but if you're eating 1200 calories of fats and no carbs/proteins, you won't lose weight.
2- do cardio twice a week and include a few heavy weight sessions during the week.
You might be over-training. Have a day of rest in between.
3- do abs twice a week and for no more than 5 minutes.
4- what are squats with a ball between your legs??! just load up your bar, and do 5 sets of 5, adding weight to the bar every week until you fail, then repeat the weight the following week until you can get 5x5..
5- get off the elliptical. look at the people using it.. there's a reason why fit, muscular people are often around the weights area and flabby people hang around the cardio equipment..
6- finally, make sure you're eating enough calories.
MFP is not extremely accurate when it comes to these things.
Depending on how old you are, you should be eating at least 1500 calories a day to lose a reckless amount of weight per week.
Out of these calories, have around 170 grams of carbs, 135 proteins, around 35 fats, and make sure you get around 40 grams of fibers.
You have nothing to lose but weight, really - I suggest you try the calories above for at least 2 weeks. You might gain a bit in the first few days, but if you follow the ideas above, you'll fall down to your desired weight in no time.
1. No. If she's in a deficit, she will lose.
2. Calorie deficit for weight loss, cardio for more calories to eat and for general heart health, weights to maintain muscle mass as you lose.
3. Not necessary.
5. Nothing wrong with the elliptical if you enjoy it.
6. Do you really know if she is accurate in her logging? Might be good to know before advising her to up her calories.
If she's not losing weight, she's not in a deficit.0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »Buy a food scale, weigh and log everything.
Do cardio if you want, and if you do, only eat back 50% of your calories. Lift weights and hit your protein goal to help maintain muscle mass while losing.
Cheat meals that take you over maintenance will sabotage your efforts. Log the cheat meals too (falls under the 'log everything' rule).
Eat anything you want in moderation, keeping in mind that your diet will be easier to stick with if you chose foods that make it easier to stay under your calories without feeling hungry.
Also it would be a good idea to read some of the stickies at the top of the various forums such as:
Calorie Counting 101
Logging Accuracy, Consistency, & You're Probably Eating More Than You Think
A Guide To Get You Started on Your Path To Sexy Pants
+10 -
As has been suggested make sure you're hitting your macros. I had previously been just counting calories and trying to eat "reasonable" before I knew that I wasn't making sure my protein, carb and fats were adequate. Since then, I have been amazed. I ate terrible one day last week and in the past I would have gained and kept the 2 lbs from those shenanigans. Lol. But in two days I was back down. Plus, I hardly focus on cardio anymore. Lifting is really changing my body and making my clothes fit looser even though my weight sometimes hardly budges.0
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blankiefinder wrote: »
1. No. If she's in a deficit, she will lose.
2. Calorie deficit for weight loss, cardio for more calories to eat and for general heart health, weights to maintain muscle mass as you lose.
3. Not necessary.
5. Nothing wrong with the elliptical if you enjoy it.
6. Do you really know if she is accurate in her logging? Might be good to know before advising her to up her calories.
If she's not losing weight, she's not in a deficit.
Given her height/body weight, she's not in a caloric deficit.
Calories in/calories out is a flawed idea. If you stop eating completely, there will come a point where your body will shut down and stop using up calories, and thus you'll stop losing weight regardless of what you do while still being in a caloric deficit.
Thinking of cardio as a way to eat more calories is similarly flawed. Cardio should be used as a tool to improve healthy and well being, not as an excuse to get more food in you.
you're right - abs are not necessary, but she's currently doing it daily, which is even less ideal.
Lastly, no. I don't know if she's accurate in her logging. But I'm assuming that she is by her saying that she's eating 1200 calories in a day.
1- she was losing weight eating 1500-1700 a day.
2- she stopped losing when she started eating 1200.
It's a fair assumption to say that her ideal range is higher than what she's currently on.-1 -
IvanOcampo wrote: »blankiefinder wrote: »
1. No. If she's in a deficit, she will lose.
2. Calorie deficit for weight loss, cardio for more calories to eat and for general heart health, weights to maintain muscle mass as you lose.
3. Not necessary.
5. Nothing wrong with the elliptical if you enjoy it.
6. Do you really know if she is accurate in her logging? Might be good to know before advising her to up her calories.
If she's not losing weight, she's not in a deficit.
Given her height/body weight, she's not in a caloric deficit.
Calories in/calories out is a flawed idea. If you stop eating completely, there will come a point where your body will shut down and stop using up calories, and thus you'll stop losing weight regardless of what you do while still being in a caloric deficit.
Thinking of cardio as a way to eat more calories is similarly flawed. Cardio should be used as a tool to improve healthy and well being, not as an excuse to get more food in you.
you're right - abs are not necessary, but she's currently doing it daily, which is even less ideal.
Lastly, no. I don't know if she's accurate in her logging. But I'm assuming that she is by her saying that she's eating 1200 calories in a day.
1- she was losing weight eating 1500-1700 a day.
2- she stopped losing when she started eating 1200.
It's a fair assumption to say that her ideal range is higher than what she's currently on.
The bold is wrong. That's like saying gravity is a flawed idea.
The italics is a personal preference thing. Yes, fitness is for health, but the way MFP is set up (NEAT), you're meant to eat your exercise calories back.
She didn't stop losing when she started eating 1200 (two days ago). She stopped losing prior to that and signed up here, where MFP told her to eat that much, because she set her goal way too high.
You shouldn't be trying to determine her macros when you have zero idea what her goals are, or if she has any medical conditions.
Logging accuracy is always #1.0 -
She thinks she was eating 1500-1700 but we don't know what that was based on. If not detailed logging (off site since she just came to MFP 3 days ago) with using a food scale, its a guess and could easily have been more. She got the recommendation to do 1200/day for 1.5 pounds/week loss 3 days ago.
If MFP is recommending 1200: this is the lowest it will recommend. It means based on stats & the activity level you selected, MFP thinks you are burning 1200 + 750 per day (or less) for daily activity before exercise. (750 per day is the deficit for 1.5 pounds a week.) Based on the exercise you mention, unless life outside of exercise is sedentary your TDEE is probably more than 1500-1700, so its likely that you've been eating more than you think.
Reset to a 1 pound per week loss rate. You may find it difficult to sustain your body on 1200 and this should give you more calories to eat. Then log everything, weighing solids and measuring liquids, for 4-8 weeks. Eat additional to fuel your workouts but be careful not to count calorie burns too high. Its easy to think we burn much more than we do.0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »Buy a food scale, weigh and log everything.
Do cardio if you want, and if you do, only eat back 50% of your calories. Lift weights and hit your protein goal to help maintain muscle mass while losing.
Cheat meals that take you over maintenance will sabotage your efforts. Log the cheat meals too (falls under the 'log everything' rule).
Eat anything you want in moderation, keeping in mind that your diet will be easier to stick with if you chose foods that make it easier to stay under your calories without feeling hungry.
Also it would be a good idea to read some of the stickies at the top of the various forums such as:
Calorie Counting 101
Logging Accuracy, Consistency, & You're Probably Eating More Than You Think
A Guide To Get You Started on Your Path To Sexy Pants
And my advice is to do what this post says.0 -
TheVirgoddess wrote: »IvanOcampo wrote: »blankiefinder wrote: »
1. No. If she's in a deficit, she will lose.
2. Calorie deficit for weight loss, cardio for more calories to eat and for general heart health, weights to maintain muscle mass as you lose.
3. Not necessary.
5. Nothing wrong with the elliptical if you enjoy it.
6. Do you really know if she is accurate in her logging? Might be good to know before advising her to up her calories.
If she's not losing weight, she's not in a deficit.
Given her height/body weight, she's not in a caloric deficit.
Calories in/calories out is a flawed idea. If you stop eating completely, there will come a point where your body will shut down and stop using up calories, and thus you'll stop losing weight regardless of what you do while still being in a caloric deficit.
Thinking of cardio as a way to eat more calories is similarly flawed. Cardio should be used as a tool to improve healthy and well being, not as an excuse to get more food in you.
you're right - abs are not necessary, but she's currently doing it daily, which is even less ideal.
Lastly, no. I don't know if she's accurate in her logging. But I'm assuming that she is by her saying that she's eating 1200 calories in a day.
1- she was losing weight eating 1500-1700 a day.
2- she stopped losing when she started eating 1200.
It's a fair assumption to say that her ideal range is higher than what she's currently on.
The bold is wrong. That's like saying gravity is a flawed idea.
The italics is a personal preference thing. Yes, fitness is for health, but the way MFP is set up (NEAT), you're meant to eat your exercise calories back.
She didn't stop losing when she started eating 1200 (two days ago). She stopped losing prior to that and signed up here, where MFP told her to eat that much, because she set her goal way too high.
You shouldn't be trying to determine her macros when you have zero idea what her goals are, or if she has any medical conditions.
Logging accuracy is always #1.
Excellent post!0 -
@TheVirgoddess I think we tied in posting
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Wrong.IvanOcampo wrote:1- what are your macros like?
It's all good for you to be eating 1200 calories, but if you're eating 1200 calories of fats and
no carbs/proteins, you won't lose weight.
Weight loss is all about burning more calories than you eat. Doesn't matter where they come from.
Diet composition has a HUGE effect on health.
.
Wrong, again.2- do cardio twice a week and include a few heavy weight sessions during the week.
The best recommendation, based on science, is that to _maintain_ weight we need to do at least 30
minutes of moderate cardio activity at least 5 days a week.
To lose weight might require twice that.
Weightlifting should be no more than every other day, better to be every 3rd day. (That is, if you work
all your muscles. If you do some sort of split, then yes, you're going to need to be lifting every day.
I prefer the KISS principle, so I work all my muscles every time I lift, which is generally twice a week.)
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Wrong, again.5- get off the elliptical. look at the people using it... there's a reason why fit, muscular
people are often around the weights area and flabby people hang around the cardio equipment.
All sorts of people use ellipticals, because all sorts of people want an efficient calorie burn.
It's one more thing to do to change up the routine so it doesn't get boring.
.
Yeah, it's called death.Calories in/calories out is a flawed idea. If you stop eating completely, there will come a point
where your body will shut down and stop using up calories, and thus you'll stop losing weight
regardless of what you do while still being in a caloric deficit.
But until then, your body will burn calories (energy) because it has to to stay alive.
If you're beating around the bush, suggesting "starvation mode", stop.
Go read this: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/
And ponder why people in concentration camps kept getting thinner, even when they didn't have
enough food, but by your idea they should have kept living without burning calories, and thereby
remained the same weight, not died.
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IvanOcampo wrote: »A few things.
1- what are your macros like?
It's all good for you to be eating 1200 calories, but if you're eating 1200 calories of fats and no carbs/proteins, you won't lose weight.
2- do cardio twice a week and include a few heavy weight sessions during the week.
You might be over-training. Have a day of rest in between.
3- do abs twice a week and for no more than 5 minutes.
4- what are squats with a ball between your legs??! just load up your bar, and do 5 sets of 5, adding weight to the bar every week until you fail, then repeat the weight the following week until you can get 5x5..
5- get off the elliptical. look at the people using it.. there's a reason why fit, muscular people are often around the weights area and flabby people hang around the cardio equipment..
6- finally, make sure you're eating enough calories.
MFP is not extremely accurate when it comes to these things.
Depending on how old you are, you should be eating at least 1500 calories a day to lose a reckless amount of weight per week.
Out of these calories, have around 170 grams of carbs, 135 proteins, around 35 fats, and make sure you get around 40 grams of fibers.
You have nothing to lose but weight, really - I suggest you try the calories above for at least 2 weeks. You might gain a bit in the first few days, but if you follow the ideas above, you'll fall down to your desired weight in no time.
Don't you DARE bash the elliptical! I've gotten some of my best cardio workouts from an elliptical and I have bad knees so I can't run or bike like I would love to. And I wear a heart rate monitor to prove my workout intensity.0 -
If the OP wasn't confused when she started this post, she sure is now!0
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Cardio is going to be personal preference. I have had problems with my knees since 6th grade basketball and yes, both of them. They bother me more using exercise bikes and ellipticals than they do on treadmills or walking/running outside. So, I prefer to walk and am slowly training to jog a 5k outside. I lift weights 3 days a week too. It may not be "cardio" but it's pretty fun to work up to a 200 lb deadlift. 0
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Furrycatpig wrote: »If the OP wasn't confused when she started this post, she sure is now!
Actually I think most of us said very similar things, with one exception. Part of the fun of MFP is learning to know what is bro-science. That's why it's important to learn, and a lot of that information is in the links I posted above.0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »Buy a food scale, weigh and log everything.
Do cardio if you want, and if you do, only eat back 50% of your calories. Lift weights and hit your protein goal to help maintain muscle mass while losing.
Cheat meals that take you over maintenance will sabotage your efforts. Log the cheat meals too (falls under the 'log everything' rule).
Eat anything you want in moderation, keeping in mind that your diet will be easier to stick with if you chose foods that make it easier to stay under your calories without feeling hungry.
Also it would be a good idea to read some of the stickies at the top of the various forums such as:
Calorie Counting 101
Logging Accuracy, Consistency, & You're Probably Eating More Than You Think
A Guide To Get You Started on Your Path To Sexy Pants
OP, don't make it too complicated. I will +2 or +3 or whatever we are up to for this post. Read the links, take a deep breath, start logging your food and see what happens. Diet is for weight loss, exercise is for health, so focus on getting your food log right first. Good luck!0 -
Sorry I was being flippant. No doubt there's a lot of great info on here. But I can imagine it's a little overwhelming to read through all the replies and summarise the best course.0
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IvanOcampo wrote: »blankiefinder wrote: »
1. No. If she's in a deficit, she will lose.
2. Calorie deficit for weight loss, cardio for more calories to eat and for general heart health, weights to maintain muscle mass as you lose.
3. Not necessary.
5. Nothing wrong with the elliptical if you enjoy it.
6. Do you really know if she is accurate in her logging? Might be good to know before advising her to up her calories.
If she's not losing weight, she's not in a deficit.
Given her height/body weight, she's not in a caloric deficit.
Calories in/calories out is a flawed idea. If you stop eating completely, there will come a point where your body will shut down and stop using up calories, and thus you'll stop losing weight regardless of what you do while still being in a caloric deficit.
Thinking of cardio as a way to eat more calories is similarly flawed. Cardio should be used as a tool to improve healthy and well being, not as an excuse to get more food in you.
you're right - abs are not necessary, but she's currently doing it daily, which is even less ideal.
Lastly, no. I don't know if she's accurate in her logging. But I'm assuming that she is by her saying that she's eating 1200 calories in a day.
1- she was losing weight eating 1500-1700 a day.
2- she stopped losing when she started eating 1200.
It's a fair assumption to say that her ideal range is higher than what she's currently on.
Huh??????0 -
When I was going to the gym and not losing anything for weeks...I simply switched my exercise routine up and hit the track instead for several weeks. You would be surprised at the simplicity of change and how quickly our bodies get used to the same exercise routines. (Jog/walk combinations gave my metabolism the boost it needed)0
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kellykaczmarek354 wrote: »Hi. I was eating 1500-1700 calories a day
how do you know what you were eating - were you weighing and accurately tracking all your food before 3 days ago
you lose fat through your diet
see how you go in the next 2 weeks, you should see movement on the scale if you're accurate with your logging0 -
IvanOcampo wrote: »A few things.
1- what are your macros like?
It's all good for you to be eating 1200 calories, but if you're eating 1200 calories of fats and no carbs/proteins, you won't lose weight.
wrong, so wrong .. her nutritional balance will be wrong but she will still lose
2- do cardio twice a week and include a few heavy weight sessions during the week.
You might be over-training. Have a day of rest in between.
3- do abs twice a week and for no more than 5 minutes.
what kind of advice is that? compound lifts should be adequate for good ab muscles, but if you want to target your abs go for it, time limit is spurious
4- what are squats with a ball between your legs??! just load up your bar, and do 5 sets of 5, adding weight to the bar every week until you fail, then repeat the weight the following week until you can get 5x5..
kettlebell squats have validity
5- get off the elliptical. look at the people using it.. there's a reason why fit, muscular people are often around the weights area and flabby people hang around the cardio equipment..
elliptical is a great piece of cardio machinery if you use it right - resistance settings, reverse and speed all work well ... I lift too but when I'm on the elliptical I still look fit and strong, because I am fit and strong
6- finally, make sure you're eating enough calories.
MFP is not extremely accurate when it comes to these things.
Depending on how old you are, you should be eating at least 1500 calories a day to lose a reckless amount of weight per week.
height and weight and activity level more relevant than age (which is only a factor)
Out of these calories, have around 170 grams of carbs, 135 proteins, around 35 fats, and make sure you get around 40 grams of fibers.
Your numbers I assume, irrelevant to other people, they should work out their own. Good guideline is 0.8-1g protein per lb of LBM, 0.35g fat per lb of bodyweight, the rest make up however you want with as many of them carbs as you want
You have nothing to lose but weight, really - I suggest you try the calories above for at least 2 weeks. You might gain a bit in the first few days, but if you follow the ideas above, you'll fall down to your desired weight in no time.
mind.. blown..0 -
I am logging absolutely everything that goes into my food and into my mouth. I always focus on protein first with a goal of 60g a day. To get to that goal I supplement with one pure protein shake (20g if protein) a day. I don't use the shake as a replacement meal, I use it in addition to my 3 meals. I was guessing at my calorie intake prior to tracking with MFP. My portion sizes are average.
Thanks for all the advice. I will keep working on it.0 -
I would suggest buying a food scale if you don't have one (you can get them for under $20) and using it to weigh out your foods. You'll be amazed at what is a serving size compared to what you think. Once you get your calories under wraps, then work on increasing your protein. 60 grams a day is pretty low...recommended intake is .8-1 gram per pound of lean mass.0
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kellykaczmarek354 wrote: »I am logging absolutely everything that goes into my food and into my mouth. I always focus on protein first with a goal of 60g a day. To get to that goal I supplement with one pure protein shake (20g if protein) a day. I don't use the shake as a replacement meal, I use it in addition to my 3 meals. I was guessing at my calorie intake prior to tracking with MFP. My portion sizes are average.
Thanks for all the advice. I will keep working on it.
You have to supplement with protein powder to get 60g a day? What are you eating in 3 meals to only get 40g protein?
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