Need help understanding lack of weight loss

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powercatbergie
powercatbergie Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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I'm 46. I have been 235-239 pounds for years while being fairly inactive, working desk job, drinking very little water, and eating poorly. For 5 plus weeks I have been working out 5-6 times per week at 500-550 calories per session, eliminated diet Pepsi, consuming 80 ounces water daily and decreasing my calorie intake. Just weighed and still at 235 pounds. Want to know if hydration and muscle gain are offsetting fat loss and when or how will I see results?
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  • choppie70
    choppie70 Posts: 544 Member
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    How are you making sure that you are in a calorie deficit?

    You will hear it a lot, but do you weigh your food on a food scale? I thought I was in a calorie deficit, but when I started weighing my food (even pre measured, packaged food!) I found that indeed I was eating way more than I thought.

    Also, how are you getting your calorie burn? The calorie burn for fitness machines and MFP are notorious for overestimating calorie burn. You may not be burning as many calories as you think.
  • jswigart
    jswigart Posts: 167 Member
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    How many calories are you eating per day? If you haven't already, start weighing your food and tracking every bite you eat for its caloric content. If your female keep your calories down to 1200 ish if male don't go below 1500.
    The one epiphany that I have gotten is its all about the balance between calories in and calories out. Don't be discouraged. Must keep on trying. J
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
    edited February 2016
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    in order to lose weight, you have to eat fewer calories than you burn. How are you working towards that? How many calories are you eating per day? How many calories does MFP say you should be eating per day? How do you measure your food: on a scale or with measuring cups? Are you logging everything?
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    edited February 2016
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    Hey OP. I'm 45. Started at 210 this time around, but I spent many years in the 240 -260 range. Desk job too.

    Quitting the diet soda is good. Getting water in is good for hydration. Exercise is a healthy habit.

    But you won't lose if you are eating more than you are burning.

    FWIW I would set your activity to "sedentary" and your goal to 2 pounds a week as you can safely lose 2 pounds a week and not lose more than 1% of your total body weight.

    Focus on your food intake above other factors. If doing a lot of exercise makes you too hungry to keep your deficit, then cut back the exercise. Walking is very good for this. I generally don't eat back my exercise calories because without a heart rate monitor (and for some exercise even with one) the calories burned are a guess. Some people eat back half their burned exercise calories and do well with that.

    You have to be honest with yourself and use a food scale even though it is a PITA. Tare is a beautiful thing. I'm not as vigilant as many here, and maybe I will need to be more careful with it later, but I use measuring cups for liquids and (naughty) some solids...mostly veggies.

    My diary is open if you want to look at it. I started Dec. 7 w/1200 calories a day and I've upped my total daily calories some since then.
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
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    diet pepsi has 0 calories...how did you think eliminating that would help with your weight loss??
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
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    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    diet pepsi has 0 calories...how did you think eliminating that would help with your weight loss??

    Thank you! I was thinking this as well.
  • powercatbergie
    powercatbergie Posts: 8 Member
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    Because it was almost the only thing I was drinking. Needed to drink more healthy therefore I have focused on my water consumption.
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
    edited February 2016
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    But that has nothing to do with weight loss. For weight loss purposes, a calorie is a calorie. So 0 calorie water is the same as 0 calorie diet soda. 50 calories worth of candy is the same as 50 calories worth of vegetables.

    Before people get all up in arms, note that I said "for weight loss". For health/nutrition, obviously a different story.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
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    booksandchocolate12 wrote: »
    But that has nothing to do with weight loss. For weight loss purposes, a calorie is a calorie. So 0 calorie water is the same as 0 calorie diet soda. 50 calories worth of candy is the same as 50 calories worth of vegetables.

    Before people get all up in arms, note that I said "for weight loss". For health/nutrition, obviously a different story.

    Qft

  • powercatbergie
    powercatbergie Posts: 8 Member
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    Appreciate your feedback. If water is also zero calories then this discussion is focused on the wrong issue. Looking for solutions for my weight loss.
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
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    powercatbergie wrote: »
    Appreciate your feedback. If water is also zero calories then this discussion is focused on the wrong issue. Looking for solutions for my weight loss.

    OK, now that we've cleared that up, back to my original questions:
    booksandchocolate12 wrote: »
    in order to lose weight, you have to eat fewer calories than you burn. How are you working towards that? How many calories are you eating per day? How many calories does MFP say you should be eating per day? How do you measure your food: on a scale or with measuring cups? Are you logging everything?

  • faramelee
    faramelee Posts: 163 Member
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    Forget the muscle gain option, there is no way (from what you are describing) that you could have gained enough muscle yet to hugely affect your weight. I would also be surprised if it was due to the water you are drinking as your body would have acclimatised to the amount you're drinking by now, that is unless you drink half a gallon immediately prior to weighing. I would also suggest that you weigh everything you ingest to ensure that you are in fact eating the calories that you presume you are. Even the nutritional values on pre packaged foodstuffs can be out by approximately 20% (I was shocked when I learnt this). I also agree that you may not be burning off as many calories as you think. Are you logging religiously? It's great that you have ditched the diet soda for water but yeah, 0 calorie is 0 calorie! Lastly, have you measured yourself? It may be that your body is changing but it isn't obvious on the scale as yet. Make sure you weigh at the same time i.e. first thing in the morning ater using the toilet seems most common.

    Best of luck to you! :)
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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  • powercatbergie
    powercatbergie Posts: 8 Member
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    Not currently logging but I guarantee you my calorie intake is less than previous due to my daily habit changes. Point is: eating less, drinking water and exercising more is getting same result as no exercise and poor eating habits. There has to be physiology reasons such as muscle gain and water intake but I must be wrong. Will try logging my calories more.
  • elaineamj
    elaineamj Posts: 347 Member
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    I did something similar several years back, working out quite intensively. I didnt lose a pound. Yes, I was still eating healthier - but it still added up to way more calories than I burned. Those bananas, choc milk, high protein bars, and the larger (albeit healthier) meals packed on a lot of extra calories. And of course, the big plate of pasta to fuel a big event the next day, etc etc all didn't help.

    This time I am counting calories with mild workout (will step that up soon as my body gets stronger - have to train for a race in June) and the pounds are dropping faster than I could ever have imagined. Easier too.

    I do like that the math makes sense so I try to be very accurate in my logging.
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
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    powercatbergie wrote: »
    Not currently logging but I guarantee you my calorie intake is less than previous due to my daily habit changes. Point is: eating less, drinking water and exercising more is getting same result as no exercise and poor eating habits. There has to be physiology reasons such as muscle gain and water intake but I must be wrong. Will try logging my calories more.

    If you're not weighing/measuring/logging your food, there's no way you can guarantee that. Give it a try.
  • powercatbergie
    powercatbergie Posts: 8 Member
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    elaineamj wrote: »
    I did something similar several years back, working out quite intensively. I didnt lose a pound. Yes, I was still eating healthier - but it still added up to way more calories than I burned. Those bananas, choc milk, high protein bars, and the larger (albeit healthier) meals packed on a lot of extra calories. And of course, the big plate of pasta to fuel a big event the next day, etc etc all didn't help.

    This time I am counting calories with mild workout (will step that up soon as my body gets stronger - have to train for a race in June) and the pounds are dropping faster than I could ever have imagined. Easier too.

    I do like that the math makes sense so I try to be very accurate in my logging.

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    powercatbergie wrote: »
    Not currently logging but I guarantee you my calorie intake is less than previous due to my daily habit changes. Point is: eating less, drinking water and exercising more is getting same result as no exercise and poor eating habits. There has to be physiology reasons such as muscle gain and water intake but I must be wrong. Will try logging my calories more.

    you are eating more than you think you are. you are not gaining muscle while being in any kind of a deficit, or even maintenance.

    but don't listen to those of us who know what we are talking about .....
  • powercatbergie
    powercatbergie Posts: 8 Member
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    I appreciate all the feedback
  • powercatbergie
    powercatbergie Posts: 8 Member
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    but don't listen to those of us who know what we are talking about .....

    Alright then. I appreciate your help.

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