I don't know what I m doing wrong

arzuash93
arzuash93 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I started to use the app 50 days ago. I am 5' 5, 195 lbs. I want to lose 50 lbs for a healthy BMI level. Since I started, i didn't exceed the calori amount of 1600. I exercise 4-5 times a week. Burn at least 300-600 calories each time. I lost only 10 lbs since and that was the first week of the diet and stopped. I keep telling myself fat is turning to muscles and it is heavier then fat but it scares me soon I will give up if I don't see any changes on the weight. Anybody experiencing similar? Any ideas or suggestions?

Replies

  • kissedbythesunshine
    kissedbythesunshine Posts: 416 Member
    Are you using a food scale to be sure of your calories? If not you could be overestimating. Do you eat you exercise calories?
  • sapphirewind
    sapphirewind Posts: 55 Member
    arzuash93 wrote: »
    I keep telling myself fat is turning to muscles and it is heavier then fat but it scares me soon I will give up if I don't see any changes on the weight. Anybody experiencing similar? Any ideas or suggestions?

    Sorry to burst any lingering bubble, but that is mostly a myth. Did you try taking more accurate measaurements? You can lose inches without losing weight.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Unless you're brand new to lifting, you aren't gaining muscle. It sounds like you're eating at maintenance. How are you determining your calorie intake? How are you determining your calories burned and how much, if any, of them do you eat back.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    OP, this is a great read for your situation. You are not alone, this infographic exists because many many MFP users have experienced what you're going through right now.

    0b2yxz5t0u5m.jpg
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

    Do please give these a once-over also. Going as long as you have been, you should have lost weight by now. The most common problem with calorie-counting weight loss is under-estimation of intake or over-estimation of burns (exercise). In your case, based on the calorie burns you're listing, my guess is it's a little of both.

    Consider making your food diary public. It's not about letting people show up and shame your food choices. The point is to give others insight into the type of logs you're using from the database so we can steer you to the ones that are more accurate and get you past this. No one should put in this much effort and not be allowed to reap the rewards.
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    arzuash93 wrote: »
    I started to use the app 50 days ago. I am 5' 5, 195 lbs. I want to lose 50 lbs for a healthy BMI level. Since I started, i didn't exceed the calori amount of 1600. I exercise 4-5 times a week. Burn at least 300-600 calories each time. I lost only 10 lbs since and that was the first week of the diet and stopped. I keep telling myself fat is turning to muscles and it is heavier then fat but it scares me soon I will give up if I don't see any changes on the weight. Anybody experiencing similar? Any ideas or suggestions?

    so much wrong in what you said...first, fat never turns to muscle (and as others pointed out, its unlikely you are gaining muscle). also, how are you calculating the 300-600 calories burned through exercise??? and are you eating that back?? And finally, what will giving up accomplish?
  • Mirasaki
    Mirasaki Posts: 27 Member
    Wow we have the same numbers! I'm your exact height and weight! I'm a newbie but your calorie goal stands out to me. I live happily on 1,400 calories a day, so maybe lowering your calories a little will help :) and depending on what you're doing, you may be over estimating your calories :)

    I really hope you start losing more weight soon :)
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    Although 10 pounds in 7 weeks is a good loss, if you lost that in the first week and have maintained your weight since then it sounds like you created a large deficit the first week and have been eating at maintenance since then.

    The only thing absolutely required for weight loss to occur is a calorie deficit. If you are not losing weight you are not in a deficit. It's really as simple as that. You just have to figure out why. It will come down to either eating more than you think or burning less than you think, or a combination of the two. Either way, a deficit is not present if you are not losing weight.

    And as someone else said, fat is not turning in to muscle. Gaining muscle is one of the hardest things you will ever ask your body to do, and will not happen without lifting progressively heavier weights and a calorie surplus. Gaining muscle is not something that is just going to happen without a very concerted, conscious effort.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    jeffpettis wrote: »
    Although 10 pounds in 7 weeks is a good loss, if you lost that in the first week and have maintained your weight since then it sounds like you created a large deficit the first week and have been eating at maintenance since then.

    More likely, the initial weight loss was mostly water and that the caloric intake ever since has put the OP at maintenance. :)
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    jeffpettis wrote: »
    Although 10 pounds in 7 weeks is a good loss, if you lost that in the first week and have maintained your weight since then it sounds like you created a large deficit the first week and have been eating at maintenance since then.

    More likely, the initial weight loss was mostly water and that the caloric intake ever since has put the OP at maintenance. :)

    Which is basically the same thing...
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    @arzuash93 ; @CoffeeNCardio hit it with her links http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

    At the Top of most Message Boards you will see an Announcement Forum.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/general-diet-and-weight-loss-help

    If you open the Announcement you will see a big list of Links to posts that are a great source of information.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10260537/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest

    One I add is a 4 part Blog about the power of habits.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-power-of-habit-part-1-why-habits-matter-688130
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    jeffpettis wrote: »
    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    jeffpettis wrote: »
    Although 10 pounds in 7 weeks is a good loss, if you lost that in the first week and have maintained your weight since then it sounds like you created a large deficit the first week and have been eating at maintenance since then.

    More likely, the initial weight loss was mostly water and that the caloric intake ever since has put the OP at maintenance. :)

    Which is basically the same thing...

    Not really. Unless the OP was morbidly obese, she would not have lost ten pounds of fat in one week with caloric reduction alone. If a change in diet triggered the water weight loss, the OP may not have had a large caloric deficit initially as you indicated. It could merely have been a reduction in sodium intake or, since she's female, loss of retained water weight due to her t.o.m.

    Regardless, she's clearly not in a deficit or the weight loss would have been continuing after the initial loss was realized. :)
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat.

    Also, 10 lbs in 50 days (7 weeks) is a good, healthy rate of loss.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    Are you using a food scale to measure your food? How do you know you burn that much at the gym? Are you eating all your exercise calories back?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    arzuash93 wrote: »
    I started to use the app 50 days ago. I am 5' 5, 195 lbs. I want to lose 50 lbs for a healthy BMI level. Since I started, i didn't exceed the calori amount of 1600. I exercise 4-5 times a week. Burn at least 300-600 calories each time. I lost only 10 lbs since and that was the first week of the diet and stopped. I keep telling myself fat is turning to muscles and it is heavier then fat but it scares me soon I will give up if I don't see any changes on the weight. Anybody experiencing similar? Any ideas or suggestions?

    your fat is not turning into muscle, that is a myth.

    you have lost ten pounds in about three months which is one pound per week loss…I don't see what the problem is..

    I would suggest getting a food scale though….
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    arzuash93 wrote: »
    I started to use the app 50 days ago. I am 5' 5, 195 lbs. I want to lose 50 lbs for a healthy BMI level. Since I started, i didn't exceed the calori amount of 1600. I exercise 4-5 times a week. Burn at least 300-600 calories each time. I lost only 10 lbs since and that was the first week of the diet and stopped. I keep telling myself fat is turning to muscles and it is heavier then fat but it scares me soon I will give up if I don't see any changes on the weight. Anybody experiencing similar? Any ideas or suggestions?

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat, it is just denser and takes up less space. You gain muscle by lifting heavy weights and eating at maintenance or a surplus, and it takes a long time.

    It sounds to me like you are eating too much. Do you use a food scale? Log everything you eat? Log cardio calorie burns? Where do you get those calorie burn numbers from?
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    arzuash93 wrote: »
    I started to use the app 50 days ago. I am 5' 5, 195 lbs. I want to lose 50 lbs for a healthy BMI level. Since I started, i didn't exceed the calori amount of 1600. I exercise 4-5 times a week. Burn at least 300-600 calories each time. I lost only 10 lbs since and that was the first week of the diet and stopped. I keep telling myself fat is turning to muscles and it is heavier then fat but it scares me soon I will give up if I don't see any changes on the weight. Anybody experiencing similar? Any ideas or suggestions?

    your fat is not turning into muscle, that is a myth.

    you have lost ten pounds in about three months which is one pound per week loss…I don't see what the problem is..

    I would suggest getting a food scale though….

    This. Slow weight loss is good.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    arzuash93 wrote: »
    I started to use the app 50 days ago. I am 5' 5, 195 lbs. I want to lose 50 lbs for a healthy BMI level. Since I started, i didn't exceed the calori amount of 1600. I exercise 4-5 times a week. Burn at least 300-600 calories each time. I lost only 10 lbs since and that was the first week of the diet and stopped. I keep telling myself fat is turning to muscles and it is heavier then fat but it scares me soon I will give up if I don't see any changes on the weight. Anybody experiencing similar? Any ideas or suggestions?

    your fat is not turning into muscle, that is a myth.

    you have lost ten pounds in about three months which is one pound per week loss…I don't see what the problem is..

    I would suggest getting a food scale though….

    i would revise my statement that if you only lose ten pounds of water weight then you should look at a food scale, making sure you only eat back half of exercise calories, and log everything accurately.
  • Misspinklift
    Misspinklift Posts: 384 Member
    Are you measuring your food and eating within your calories

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