Getting started with exercise - does it really take this long to see results?

Options
2»

Replies

  • dolliesdaughter
    dolliesdaughter Posts: 544 Member
    Options
    Gaining muscle is not easy, check bodybuilding discussion boards. You need a food scale.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Options
    1200 calories is too low if you are active. Developing strength takes more time to see results than cardio, and burns less calories in a workout.

    I weigh myself every other week. I lose by going up and down daily. It took a year to lose 30lb but I never gained it back. It took another year to lose two more sizes at goal and to show good muscular definition.

    Enjoy your life. Stop making the focus what, how much, when, where, why you eat.
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    Options
    Renzi27 wrote: »
    Thanks for the feedback - looks like I need a food scale. Since I'm just starting a new round of 21 day fix I should see if weighing this time provides any different results. I'm thinking I'm way overestimating how much volume I'm eating.

    BTW I stay away from the pre-packaged stuff like NutriSystem or Lean Cuisine frozen meals. Ick! I made small changes to things like going to coconut oil, natural PB, fat free milk, etc. that my whole family loves so that helps too.

    Patience is a virtue, as mom always said. Guess I need more of it. Not quitting this time!

    You are on the right track! Calories in / calories out. Don't worry about all this 'don't eat pre-packaged' 'don't eat x/y/z' stuff unless YOU want to, it won't make a substantial difference to the math.

    Take measurements.

    If you just starting working out, it's highly likely you're having some water retention issues. It's possible your 1200 calorie days are more like 1400 or 1500 if you aren't measuring well (or are going over some days). So you might have lost 3-4 lbs but the scale isn't going to show it if your body is hanging on to water. Keep at it, you have a great attitude. Hopefully you FEEL better from the workouts, and sometimes those are the kinds of goals you need to have. As ladies the scale does not always cooperate.

  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
    Options
    To be short, yes you are worrying too much about the scale. If you're logging as accurately as possible the fat will come off, exercise or none.
  • edack72
    edack72 Posts: 173 Member
    Options
    The formula is simple calories in calories out fuel your body don't starve it get your 1200 hundred calories pack in the protein limit the carbs banish alcohol and artificial sweeteners and you will see the scale go down
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
    edited January 2016
    Options
    I've been on 1200 calories for 6 months. I eat back my exercise calories, but I never trust MFP and use a heart rate monitor which is pretty accurate for steady state cardio. I lose 3# a month.

    Before I tightened up my logging I didn't weigh my food. I also forgot to count milk for my coffee, ketchup, Sriracha, vitamins, calcium, etc. That stuff really adds up (100 calories for those) and made the difference between me not losing weight, and losing weight. The other thing I did was cut my wine consumption by 80%. Once I did that, even though I thought I'd fit it into my calorie count, I starting losing weigh with no major plateaus.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    Options
    Any time you make a change, you should give it 4-6 weeks for everything to adjust so you see the full effects. (So not seeing a change in 3 weeks is normal). Once you get your food scale, you'll be much more confident about your intake. Give it 4-6 weeks with your food scale, and try to be consistent.

    After that, if you're still not seeing as much downward movement on the scale as you'd like, I would consider eating back only 50%-75% of your exercise calories, because MFP can over-estimate them. That's only after you've fully adjusted to using your food scale and netting 1200 every day, though. Weight loss is basically a science experiment (I change X and see Y effect; what would I need to do to see Z effect?), so if you change too many variables at once it's hard to tell what was effective and what wasn't.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    Options
    One more quick note: unless you're using the Recipe Builder tool and entering your own recipes, be very careful about using any entries in the MFP database that are labeled "homemade." They're based on someone else's recipe, so those totals will be wrong for you.
  • thehoss316
    thehoss316 Posts: 125 Member
    Options
    @Renzi27 Not familiar with 21 Day Fix, but I am familiar with several of the Beachbody workouts. I find I need more calories than what they recommend. Stick with the workout, try around 1500 calories, and see what happens. I feel Beachbody underestimates calorie needs for the workout programs - think about it, most of their business is driven on shocking workouts that deliver "quick" results, not a long term marathon strategy.

Categories