Not Losing Weight
unckate7
Posts: 22 Member
I'm really frustrated, and could use some advice. I feel like nothing I'm doing is working.
So about 2.5 months ago, I started going to a gym, and have been working out a lot, and consistently (like probably harder than I ever have). I take a boxing class three times a week for 1.5 hours, plus kickboxing once a week for an hour, and occasionally will add in another 45 minute HIIT class. So that's about 5.5-6 hours a week of (hard) exercise.
When I first started, I didn't really lose weight on the scale, which I attributed to an increase in exercise and retaining water, so I stopped weighing myself for a while. I decided to measure myself. So the first month I lost about an inch in my waist, and half an inch in each arm. Great, right? Well the second month comes around and I don't lose any more inches by the end of the month. I step on the scale again, and I'm the same weight as I was when I started (and by this time the water retention and slight increase because of exercise should have worn off, right?). That's really discouraging, so I decide it's time to start counting calories.
I figure out my TDEE, which on the various sites I found, came out to somewhere around 1750-1850 (29, 5'0", 147 pounds, I put in 3-5 hours per week of exercise). So I'm trying to stick with 1700 calories, just to be safe. I'm measuring 90% of my foods (ok, so I don't exactly measure the celery that goes in my wrap at lunch, but most everything else I do). I've been calorie counting for almost 2 weeks now, and haven't really seen any progress. I thought I was down a pound last weekend, but today I'm right back up. I know that weight can fluctuate and it'll take more than a week or two, but am I doing this right? I feel like I've been at this for 2.5 months now, but I also feel like I wasted that time working out since I didn't lose any weight.
So about 2.5 months ago, I started going to a gym, and have been working out a lot, and consistently (like probably harder than I ever have). I take a boxing class three times a week for 1.5 hours, plus kickboxing once a week for an hour, and occasionally will add in another 45 minute HIIT class. So that's about 5.5-6 hours a week of (hard) exercise.
When I first started, I didn't really lose weight on the scale, which I attributed to an increase in exercise and retaining water, so I stopped weighing myself for a while. I decided to measure myself. So the first month I lost about an inch in my waist, and half an inch in each arm. Great, right? Well the second month comes around and I don't lose any more inches by the end of the month. I step on the scale again, and I'm the same weight as I was when I started (and by this time the water retention and slight increase because of exercise should have worn off, right?). That's really discouraging, so I decide it's time to start counting calories.
I figure out my TDEE, which on the various sites I found, came out to somewhere around 1750-1850 (29, 5'0", 147 pounds, I put in 3-5 hours per week of exercise). So I'm trying to stick with 1700 calories, just to be safe. I'm measuring 90% of my foods (ok, so I don't exactly measure the celery that goes in my wrap at lunch, but most everything else I do). I've been calorie counting for almost 2 weeks now, and haven't really seen any progress. I thought I was down a pound last weekend, but today I'm right back up. I know that weight can fluctuate and it'll take more than a week or two, but am I doing this right? I feel like I've been at this for 2.5 months now, but I also feel like I wasted that time working out since I didn't lose any weight.
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Replies
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Don't bother with weight, go by measurement.
It's not just water retention. You can be heavy but be well defined, because muscle is more dense than fat.
Think of it this way, imagine 10 lbs of cotton candy vs a 10 lb bag of sugar. They weigh the same, but the amount of space the cotton candy takes up is a lot more. Fat is like cotton candy, while muscle is like the bag of sugar.0 -
Thanks for the reply! I know muscle is denser than fat, but I'm just not sure how much muscle I could have put on so far, especially if I didn't lose any inches the second month. Plus, if I'm trying to eat at a deficit, can I really put on muscle? I didn't think I could. (Also, if I'm eating an amount to lose .5-1 pound a week, even if I put on some muscle, I think I still should have lost a little weight).0
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Thanks for the reply! I know muscle is denser than fat, but I'm just not sure how much muscle I could have put on so far, especially if I didn't lose any inches the second month. Plus, if I'm trying to eat at a deficit, can I really put on muscle? I didn't think I could. (Also, if I'm eating an amount to lose .5-1 pound a week, even if I put on some muscle, I think I still should have lost a little weight).
For what I've read no you cannot build muscle on a deficit. You need to eat at surplus to build muscle. You said you've been calorie counting for 2 weeks, thats still to little time to see a change give 2 more weeks.0 -
((hugs)) make your goal to be healthy. Do you know your fat percentage? like from a calibrator, not just figuring it out from your height and weight. If you're stocky with quite a bit of muscle you won't lose weight and working as hard as you are muscle could be building up which means you won't see any changes in other measurements either. Perhaps it's time to measure things like: How am I sleeping? What are my moods like? How is my energy? How is my confidence? How does my body feel? etc... Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed. The healthier we are the more we can enjoy it but if we're stressing ourselves out about numbers it will take away that joy. Eat healthy, enjoy your workouts, and smile as often as you can. Find joy.0
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If your TDEE is truly about 1800, and you are eating 1700.... even if you measured perfectly it would take 35 days to lose one pound (3500 calorie deficit). Thats a pound a month... And chances are that you are not measuring perfectly (plus labels are allowed to be up to 20% off), and if you cheat even once you can easily wipe that out.
So essentially you are eating at maintenance right ow... Its possible you are gaining a small amount of muscle slowly given that and newbie stuff.
To lose 0.5 pounds a week, you need a deficit of 250 calories per day... Maybe try 1500-1600? I would try 1500 to allow for inaccuracy getting you to 1600. Still need to wait about 2 weeks to see it though with fluctuations. Keep up with measuring, and if you have access to something like a BodPod or DEXA scan to get an accurate body fat estimate, that is the way to go instead of watching your weight.
Good luck!0 -
I'm really frustrated, and could use some advice. I feel like nothing I'm doing is working.
So about 2.5 months ago, I started going to a gym, and have been working out a lot, and consistently (like probably harder than I ever have). I take a boxing class three times a week for 1.5 hours, plus kickboxing once a week for an hour, and occasionally will add in another 45 minute HIIT class. So that's about 5.5-6 hours a week of (hard) exercise.
When I first started, I didn't really lose weight on the scale, which I attributed to an increase in exercise and retaining water, so I stopped weighing myself for a while. I decided to measure myself. So the first month I lost about an inch in my waist, and half an inch in each arm. Great, right? Well the second month comes around and I don't lose any more inches by the end of the month. I step on the scale again, and I'm the same weight as I was when I started (and by this time the water retention and slight increase because of exercise should have worn off, right?). That's really discouraging, so I decide it's time to start counting calories.
I figure out my TDEE, which on the various sites I found, came out to somewhere around 1750-1850 (29, 5'0", 147 pounds, I put in 3-5 hours per week of exercise). So I'm trying to stick with 1700 calories, just to be safe. I'm measuring 90% of my foods (ok, so I don't exactly measure the celery that goes in my wrap at lunch, but most everything else I do). I've been calorie counting for almost 2 weeks now, and haven't really seen any progress. I thought I was down a pound last weekend, but today I'm right back up. I know that weight can fluctuate and it'll take more than a week or two, but am I doing this right? I feel like I've been at this for 2.5 months now, but I also feel like I wasted that time working out since I didn't lose any weight.
If your TDEE is 1750, why are you eating 1700? That's a 50 calorie deficit a day - so it would take you almost a month lose a pound. When you figure your TDEE, the goal is to then figure your deficit, and subtract that from your TDEE and eat that - so you lose weight. I used this site: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ and it told me that your TDEE is 1820. With a 20% reduction, you should be eating around 1450 calories a day. That would set you up to lose just under a pound a week, which is a good rate of loss.
When you say measuring, are you using a food scale? Or cups?0 -
Yeah, I have to concur with the others who say your deficit isn't quite deep enough to show any significant fat loss in a two week period.
If your maintenance level is 1750-1850 calories per day and you are aiming at 1700, you can easily go over by forgetting to measure a tablespoon of olive oil.0 -
Oh sorry! When I said I figured out my TDEE I meant that the calorie amount it told me to eat to lose weight was about 1750-1850. I used http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/, which said that for maintenance I need 2223, and to lose weight I need to eat 1778. This (http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html) website gave me the same. For the iifym website you gave me, it said my TDEE to maintain is 2038, when I put in 5x per week intense exercise.
With that noted, do you think I should still cut my calories more?0 -
try getting a scale that measures body fat/water/muscle percentage. I have the same problem and i bought one and it was the best thing. i could see the body fat go down and the muscle and water go up. (if your body fat is high it takes from the other two groups. (think of a pie chart {mmm pie})0
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I think you should cut your calories, I'm a 5 foot 8 190 pound guy and I eat about as many calories as you...but I'm losing about 2 to 3 pounds per week0
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I'm not losing weight either and I'm SUPER frustrated. I was losing weight and its just stopped. I put all my stats into MFP, am lightly active wanting to lose 2 lbs per week, and it says I should eat 1350 calories per day. I did change the macro percentages based on my workout regimen. I usually eat 40c/35p/25f. I try to go over my protein allotment but stay under carbs and fat (unless I am doing a LDR or race for my marathon training).
I weigh all my food (bought a food scale), log everything (my diary is open), and lately have been GAINING weight. I'm not losing inches either. During 4th of July weekend I ate like crap so I understand that mess up but that was almost 2 weeks ago and I lost all the weight I gained during that weekend. Now I'm back being stuck again. Any advice? I lift 3-4 days per week, yoga once a week, and run 3-4 days a week. I don't always log my exercise because I have a written journal for that but always log my food. I am starting to think this is a load of crap and maybe my body just wants to be bigger. In 2012 I was 30 pounds less than I am now...0 -
I concur with Coco! Knowing that you are losing body fat and tracking your body measurements helps to not get discouraged.
Also the type of food you are eating also helps not just the calorie count...plenty of fresh and unprocessed foods. I have only lost 1 lbs in the last 3 weeks but my body fat percentage and inches have decreased and that keeps me not wanting to kill my scale.
Good luck :-)0 -
Ok, so in the two weeks I've been counting calories, I've apparently lost exactly 2 pounds. Which is just what I'm aiming for. So I feel a little better.
I think I always second guess my numbers, and the fluctuations really throw me off. I started at 148.6 the first day, but then the rest of the week I was in the 147's range, which made me think that the first day was artificially inflated or something. And then it's been so hard to get out of the 147's. But today I weighed 146.6. So I'm just going to say that the first day was correct and go from there. I also think it's really hard to tell at the beginning whether it is working - I've never been the type to have a massive loss the first week like some do. So if I keep fluctuating between 1-2 pounds, it's hard to tell whether there's actually weight loss. I think once I get to around the 5 pound mark it'll be more believable.
I am using a couple of apps to chart my weight too, which smooths out the fluctuations. Once I get farther into this, it'll help to see the graph going down. I just need to keep reminding myself that fluctuations aren't always true, and to just keep doing what I'm doing.0 -
I'm not losing weight either and I'm SUPER frustrated. I was losing weight and its just stopped. I put all my stats into MFP, am lightly active wanting to lose 2 lbs per week, and it says I should eat 1350 calories per day. I did change the macro percentages based on my workout regimen. I usually eat 40c/35p/25f. I try to go over my protein allotment but stay under carbs and fat (unless I am doing a LDR or race for my marathon training).
I weigh all my food (bought a food scale), log everything (my diary is open), and lately have been GAINING weight. I'm not losing inches either. During 4th of July weekend I ate like crap so I understand that mess up but that was almost 2 weeks ago and I lost all the weight I gained during that weekend. Now I'm back being stuck again. Any advice? I lift 3-4 days per week, yoga once a week, and run 3-4 days a week. I don't always log my exercise because I have a written journal for that but always log my food. I am starting to think this is a load of crap and maybe my body just wants to be bigger. In 2012 I was 30 pounds less than I am now...
@dbienz Are you eating all of your exercise calories too? That's the only thing I'd be careful about, because MFP isn't always reliable on what you're actually burning. I try to just eat about 200 extra calories on most of my workout days, except when I'm working out + Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which I then eat about 800 more. If you're at a month of stalling with no progress, then you should reevaluate your food/exercise. But before then, this will happen, and then you'll get a sudden drop.0 -
I'm not losing weight either and I'm SUPER frustrated. I was losing weight and its just stopped. I put all my stats into MFP, am lightly active wanting to lose 2 lbs per week, and it says I should eat 1350 calories per day. I did change the macro percentages based on my workout regimen. I usually eat 40c/35p/25f. I try to go over my protein allotment but stay under carbs and fat (unless I am doing a LDR or race for my marathon training).
I weigh all my food (bought a food scale), log everything (my diary is open), and lately have been GAINING weight. I'm not losing inches either. During 4th of July weekend I ate like crap so I understand that mess up but that was almost 2 weeks ago and I lost all the weight I gained during that weekend. Now I'm back being stuck again. Any advice? I lift 3-4 days per week, yoga once a week, and run 3-4 days a week. I don't always log my exercise because I have a written journal for that but always log my food. I am starting to think this is a load of crap and maybe my body just wants to be bigger. In 2012 I was 30 pounds less than I am now...
You may be at a plateau. Sometimes a plateau can last for months, but then the weight starts coming off again. Don't give up. Keep doing what you're doing.0 -
Ok, so in the two weeks I've been counting calories, I've apparently lost exactly 2 pounds. Which is just what I'm aiming for. So I feel a little better.
I think I always second guess my numbers, and the fluctuations really throw me off. I started at 148.6 the first day, but then the rest of the week I was in the 147's range, which made me think that the first day was artificially inflated or something. And then it's been so hard to get out of the 147's. But today I weighed 146.6. So I'm just going to say that the first day was correct and go from there. I also think it's really hard to tell at the beginning whether it is working - I've never been the type to have a massive loss the first week like some do. So if I keep fluctuating between 1-2 pounds, it's hard to tell whether there's actually weight loss. I think once I get to around the 5 pound mark it'll be more believable.
I am using a couple of apps to chart my weight too, which smooths out the fluctuations. Once I get farther into this, it'll help to see the graph going down. I just need to keep reminding myself that fluctuations aren't always true, and to just keep doing what I'm doing.
Good, I'm glad you're losing at the rate you're aiming for. That means you're doing it right. I would recommend that you get a food scale though.
I weigh daily, but track monthly, so even if there's a bump up in the scale, I don't sweat it, because it's not my "official" weight for the month. Maybe try something like that.0 -
Now that I'm almost a month in, I'm able to sort of overlook fluctuations and tell that I really am losing weight. In 4 weeks, I've lost 3.6 pounds, so just under a pound a week. I'm happy with that - I mean it would be great to lose at least a pound or more per week, but I think this is a healthy, sustainable rate. I don't really think I can eat much less with the amount I'm working out now. So I'll take it.
By tracking my weight, I've figured out that Sundays are always my low weight day (my week starts on Monday, so that's great). Usually it's the same low weight on Sunday and Monday, then I fluctuate up a bit during the week (probably because I eat supper a lot later during the week after I work out), and then by Sunday I drop to a new, low weight. I just really hope this keeps up. I'm going out of town this weekend for 4 days, which means I'll have a little less control over food, and I won't have my scale, which makes me a little nervous. Since I won't be working out, I'll probably try to drop my calories 100-200 from my normal 1700, to give me a little extra breathing room. I'm really happy with the 3.6 pounds I've lost, but it's still small enough to where I feel I could gain that back really easily and be right back where I started. If I had already lost 20 pounds, I wouldn't be as worried. So fingers crossed this goes well.0 -
I'm not losing weight either and I'm SUPER frustrated. I was losing weight and its just stopped. I put all my stats into MFP, am lightly active wanting to lose 2 lbs per week, and it says I should eat 1350 calories per day. I did change the macro percentages based on my workout regimen. I usually eat 40c/35p/25f. I try to go over my protein allotment but stay under carbs and fat (unless I am doing a LDR or race for my marathon training).
I weigh all my food (bought a food scale), log everything (my diary is open), and lately have been GAINING weight. I'm not losing inches either. During 4th of July weekend I ate like crap so I understand that mess up but that was almost 2 weeks ago and I lost all the weight I gained during that weekend. Now I'm back being stuck again. Any advice? I lift 3-4 days per week, yoga once a week, and run 3-4 days a week. I don't always log my exercise because I have a written journal for that but always log my food. I am starting to think this is a load of crap and maybe my body just wants to be bigger. In 2012 I was 30 pounds less than I am now...
@dbienz Are you eating all of your exercise calories too? That's the only thing I'd be careful about, because MFP isn't always reliable on what you're actually burning. I try to just eat about 200 extra calories on most of my workout days, except when I'm working out + Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which I then eat about 800 more. If you're at a month of stalling with no progress, then you should reevaluate your food/exercise. But before then, this will happen, and then you'll get a sudden drop.
I don't eat back my exercise calories UNLESS I do an extended run, bike ride, or hike. For example, after my half marathon I ate about 400 calories more than my 1350 allotment. I was just so hungry!
I think @LuanaBean is right and I'm at a horrible plateau. I'm going to keep trucking along and see what happens! 0 -
I can totally relate.. I've been @ a 12 month plateau. Working out 6 days a week and eating at a deficit. Weighing an measuring and consistency with nutrition are still things I struggle with but I think re-defining some of your goals are an important part of this journey. Do you feel better? Do your clothes fit better? How's your stress? things like that.. I went and had blood work done because I thought there was no way I could dedicate a year of my life and literally lose 4 lbs. I've fallen off and got back on so many times but it's WORTH it. Sadly, abs are made in the kitchen and by trial and error in your eating, you will figure out what works best for you. Switch things up, try eating more for a couple weeks and.. keep on keepin on girl, you got this!0
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