not seeing the scale move-anyone else?

olive6683
olive6683 Posts: 6
edited September 28 in Motivation and Support
For the past month I have been following a stict 1200 calorie diet. I have been eating very healthy foods, lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. I eat 5-6 times a day, pretty much every 2 to 3 hrs to keep my metabolism up. I workout every single day, at least 30 mins but some days 45mins to 90 min. about 4 days a week I jog- always at least a mile. Some days I throw 5 miles on the bike in there and the days that I dont jog or jog/bike, I do yoga or pilates. I also do lunges and various ab workouts ( no machines involved) because I had a baby 13 mths ago and I need to tighten up the tummy.
In 1 mth I have only lost 3 lbs! I will say that my clothes are fitting better, but it isnt hanging off me or anything. I feel like for all the work i have been doing and how dedicated I have been to sticking to the diet even on days when I still feel hungry, I should be seeing better results! What am I doing wrong???? I am so disappointed and want to give up at this point!

Replies

  • Lets_Do_It
    Lets_Do_It Posts: 202
    Hmmm, how much do you weigh? Your body could be saying that you are at the weight you need to be at.

    What about sodas? Even if they are diet sodas, they still have carbonation which expands your tum-tum :)
  • emsibun
    emsibun Posts: 208
    It's disappointing that weight loss is so slow the healthy way. I tell myself that the weight didn't go on quickly so it shouldn't come off quickly either. Also I want a minimum amount of slack skin to remain once I'm a healthy weight and the slowly does it method is helping with that for sure.

    Do you have lots of weight to lose? It's much slower the less you have to lose.
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    3lbs is a month isnt bad thats like .5 lb per week ..totally reasonable especially if you have less than 60lbs to lose...not sure what amount u need to lose though and ..also make sure your tracking sodium
  • WWhitaker
    WWhitaker Posts: 309
    Don't give up! Whatever you do, don't do that! You're doing an amazing job! I've currently lost 7 lbs in my journey to a healthier life and seem to be plateauing already. I don't exercise to the degree you do, but I am. I have also found with myself that sometimes I won't lose any weight then the next time I weigh myself, I've lost a few pounds. It's like the fat is just waiting to burst and when it does, it's a lot. Also, it's not always the number on the scale. You said yourself that your clothes are fitting you better, and that's a great sign! I know as women we want to see the small number, but it's also about how you feel. If you're noticing physical differences, that's because whatever you're doing is working. Don't give up. Keep on trecking and you'll see the results. Best of luck to you!
  • littlemamajamie
    littlemamajamie Posts: 118 Member
    Sounds like your not eating enough to me. With all that exercise your body needs more fuel so try upping your calories to 1400 or even 1500......I know it seems counter productive but it really works.
  • kellytaylor13104
    kellytaylor13104 Posts: 11 Member
    Personally, I think you're not eating enough. I don't care how much a person weighs, 1200 calories is just not enough and your body knows it so its holding onto your weight. I'd challenge you to add a couple hundred healthy calories and see if the scale is more cooperative. It is especially important to consume more calories on your heavy workout days.
  • jessgallison
    jessgallison Posts: 26
    Well, if you are a relatively small person already you shouldnt expect large weight losses. I started at 138 and I lost about four pounds my first month and I was pretty happy with that. If you are pretty heavy then that probably wont apply, but I thought I would throw that out there.

    I would suggest you get a measuring tape and measure inches lost. That is what makes you actually look good. The goal is to be physically smaller, not just lighter. So if you are gaining muscle that is great.
  • olive6683
    olive6683 Posts: 6
    Im 5'2 and 142 lbs. Before baby I was always between120-125. I totally cut out soda and I am only drinking water now and 1 coffee per day. I used to get my coffee with cream and sugar and now I get it with skim milk and no sugar. I am just not understanding.
  • cweiler4
    cweiler4 Posts: 374 Member
    Don't get discouraged. I have been on this site since April 2011 and religiously working out (Insanity) some days I would have double workouts and counting/cutting calories and look at my ticker, I am only down 12lbs. Did you take any measurements or before pics? Go by how your clothes fit and not the scale right away. You may be losing inches and gaining muscle. Sounds like you are doing everything the right way. 3lbs is not bad, about one pound per week.

    Hang in there. Weight loss is not a fast process!! :bigsmile:
  • Shed4Wed
    Shed4Wed Posts: 25
    It doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong. You are likely building muscle (which will offset the weight loss) while burning fat. Give it time. If you are seeing a difference, keep it up! Eventually the muscle will start helping you burn more fat and you will see the weight come off.
  • brianna626
    brianna626 Posts: 156
    Are you gaining muscle? You may not be losing weight but maybe you are losing fat and gaining muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. That may be why the scale isn't moving. Have you been measing for inches, maybe you are losing inches?
  • jennro7781
    jennro7781 Posts: 208
    The same thing is happening to me! :( I have been calorie counting and hitting the gym just about everyday since the end of March and I've only lost 7lbs. (I actually lost 5, then gained 10 and lost the 10 again for a net of 7.) I am so discouraged! I do cardio everyday and strength train 3-4 times per week. I know muscle weighs more than fat but at this point that doesn't make me feel any better! I have consulted several trainers at my gym and they all say the same thing..."The weight will come off eventually...just stick to what you're doing and keep up the good work". Well, that doesn't make me feel any better either! lol

    Lately I haven't been eating all that cleanly, so I can blame it on that, but I am always with in 200 calories of my goal (+/-). I have tried eating my excercise cals back, I have tried not eating my exercise cals back. I have tried zig zagging. Nothing is working for me.

    I'd be interested to see what others have to say as well!
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
    Actually, that's almost a pound a week, which is a reasonable and healthy rate of weight loss. How tall are you? If you're on the shorter side, and you don't have a lot to lose, that's probably about right (I'm 5'0 and a good month for me is 2 pounds, doing almost exactly what you're doing). Don't get discouraged, just keep at it, and maybe try to set some non-scale goals revolving around noticing changes in your health and fitness. You mentioned running - have you thought about trying some races? Working towards those types of goals helps me when the scale doesn't show much.
  • ShrinkingNinja
    ShrinkingNinja Posts: 460 Member
    I do better not eating that often. If you read the Rosedale Diet by Ron Rosedale or Mastering Leptin by Byron Richards they strongly encourage to only eat 3 meals a day.... That snacking throughout the day is counter productive and doesn't give your body the time to actually get around to burning your fat because it is constantly burning food you are intaking.

    I tried this plan last year and lost most of my weight within a year. As soon as I started snacking I was gaining or just not seeing any progress. As soon as I went back to only 3 meals a day I was losing again.

    Just a thought... This is what works for me.

    on a side note.... I workout 6-7 days a week for at least a hour a day. I do p90x, karate and kickboxing.
  • stanvoodoo
    stanvoodoo Posts: 1,023 Member
    1200 calories may not be enough depending on how much you have to lose. Especially if you are not eating back your exercise calories. Try uping it for a few weeks or eating back your exercise calories and change up the exercise routine and see if that jogs it loose.

    You body can get to used to the same thing month after month so you have to change it up every once in a while.

    Make sure you are drink enough water and getting a good amount of protein and fiber so you are building lean muscle and burning fat.

    Let us know how you are doing!
  • olive6683
    olive6683 Posts: 6
    When i first started I didnt do any measurements or take any before and after pictures. I decided this past weekend to do that to see if maybe I could see a difference in a picture of measuring tape.
  • LyssaMarie13
    LyssaMarie13 Posts: 45
    Try doing some resistance training as well! Muscle burns calories and makes you have a faster metabolism! Trust me weight training makes a world of difference!
  • KillyKhan
    KillyKhan Posts: 12
    I've been living healthier to lose weight for the past 6 months and have only lost 20 pounds, most of it in the first few months. Over the past two months, I've only lost 8 pounds. However, my measurements have gone down as much as 4 inches in some places. Try taking your measurements. It sounds like you're replacing fat with muscle, especially with those lunges.

    Above all, don't give up! You really can't expect your body to just snap back to pre-baby normal after having a child. Also, what is giving up going to do for you? Just tone it down, don't stress out. Being mad will not do anything to change your weight loss. You're in this to be healthy! Think of all the good things you're achieving with all this healthy behavior! The scale is important, but not the end-all be-all.
  • Michelle1026Lynn
    Michelle1026Lynn Posts: 10
    A couple things come to mind. First, only eating 1200 calories a day for the amount of exercise you are expending is not enough to fuel your body. Try upping to around 1400 calories a day, making sure you have good proteins in there. And if you still feel REALLY hungry at the end of the day your body is probably letting you know you need something else for it to sustain it.

    Second, give your body a rest! Your muscles expand and hold water when you work out, so if you are working out everyday and your body has no time to rest and heal that can have an impact. I work out Monday - Thursday, sometimes Sunday depending on how my weekend is scheduled. My weigh ins are on Monday mornings. Even after the weekend, and checking my weight on Friday, I'm usually down an additional 2 pounds from my Friday weight and that's because my body has had time to rest. On the weekends I watch what and how much I eat, but I really don't even count my calories or keep track of it like I do everything that comes in and out during the week and still see results come Monday morning for weigh in.

    Listen to your body. Don't give up, you're definitely on the right track! I have a lot of weight to lose and started with a body fat percentage of 42%, but in 16 weeks I have lost 50 pounds. Eat more to lose! Good luck and keep pushing forward!
  • olive6683
    olive6683 Posts: 6
    Oh another thing I did not mention is I do eat a lot of protein and I keep my fiber high ( even higher then what the goal is on mfp) my sodium levels are very very low and the reason I do 1200 calories is because when I plugged in my information on mfp it suggested 1200 calories per day, so I just went with that. Maybe I am just expecting too much too fast. I guess I just thought that I would lose more in a mth. This is the first time I have really even taken a healthy approach to dieting. As a teen and in my very early 20's if I wanted to lose a few lbs I would try some fad diet or just skip meals ( I know this is a terrible way of losing weight, Im just being honest) but now I have a baby and a husband and I am 28 and I want to live a healthier life and set a good example. This is all new to me.
  • cantwaitk8
    cantwaitk8 Posts: 28 Member
    I am having the same problem. I did see significant weight loss to begin with then it has just stopped. I have not lost anything in almost 2 weeks. I am eating strick 1200 calories and working out almost 5-6 days of week 30+ intense minutes. I am going to try eating more calories. I am hoping that helps.
  • KPstartingover
    KPstartingover Posts: 268 Member
    One other thing you might try is zig-zagging your calories. I'm also 5'2" and mfp tells me 1200 calories to lose 2 lbs per week. I followed another thread here regarding zig-zagging (just search for zigzag). Now I try to eat 1200 (net) Sun, Mon, Tues... 1750 Wed...1200 Thurs, Fri... 1750 Sat. I weigh in on Mondays. I've been averaging a litle over 1 lb loss per week. I don't always get 1750 on Wed and Sat (who knew it would be hard to reach 1750 calories) - 1750 is what mfp says I need to maintain my current weight. I weigh about 8 lbs more than you right now, so your maintenance level might be a little less. It's worth a try!
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