*HELP*

Options
WWhitaker
WWhitaker Posts: 309
in Health and Weight Loss
For the last 2 weeks, I've not been to the gym. Boo. I know. I've still been getting in exercise, just not consistenly and not "gym exercise". I still stay under my calories (even on the weekends when I'm eating more junk) and during the week, I make really healthy decisions; so it's not like I'm eating fast food but maintaining under my cals. I eat a lot of fruits, veggies, protein...blah, blah, blah. When I complete my entries, it always tells me that I should "weigh __ lbs in 5 weeks. I've stopped losing weight after an 8 lb loss. I've been at this since April and I feel like the only time the scale budges is when I'm in the gym. I know that makes sense, but I don't understand why staying in my caloric goal isn't helping on its own? What gives?

Replies

  • SimplyDeLish
    SimplyDeLish Posts: 539
    Options
    You may want to consider opening your diary. That might give us some information to help you get those lbs dropping again.

    Good luck!
  • Katebowerman
    Katebowerman Posts: 2
    Options
    I'm so sorry! How frustrating!

    Try to take a look at a couple of things:

    1. Accuracy of your calorie assessment. What about your serving/portion size? Are you measuring or estimating? In addition, make sure that you are eating your daily calorie allowance. If you consistently eat LESS than it is, your metabolic rate will shift in the negative direction ~~~ especially if you're not working out as hard.

    2. Accuracy of your acitivity assessment. If you don't go to the gym, what do you do? Have you taken your heartrate? Your exercising heartrate should be somewhere between 150-170 per min (check your personal "best zone" online) for weight loss. We tend to work out harder/better in an official gym than at home. However, my *BEST* exercise has been with music. If you pick an activity (my personal favorite is speed walking) and make a play list that keeps you moving at a level that will maintain your heart rate and activity for at least 45 minutes, you should get just as good of results at "home."

    Best wishes!!! Mix it up ~~~ you can "trick" your muscles/metabolic rate into a new pattern by changing foods and exercise! :-)
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
    Options
    Right. All calories are not created the same. A 100 calorie Twinkie and 100 portion serving of almonds will do different things to your body. (I am NOT suggesting you are having twinkies, just making a point!)

    I have also hit a bit of a plateau and I know it is because I am still eating sugar, processed foods, and other not so great items that say "low calorie" but are usually loaded with sugar or a sugar substitute. )

    Get moving more consistently and mind what kinds of foods you're eating... and double check your portion counts!
  • CodyD18
    CodyD18 Posts: 161 Member
    Options
    It would be easier if you would open up your diary so we can try to tell you what you're doing wrong.
  • korygilliam
    korygilliam Posts: 594 Member
    Options
    When I used this program last year, as soon as I quit exercising, I quit losing weight. I kept the weight off w/ my eating options, but nothing would cause more weight to go away. So I do believe exercise is the key.

    So, this round, I did pretty good, then the weight lost stopped totally regardless of exercise. I ended up reading up on some of the articles re: fat burning stages while exercising based on your heart rate, and so far it has actually worked! (only used for 1 week, but I actually lost weight since doing it). My heart rate during exercise was typically around 150-160...apparently this is cardiac training heart rate, not weight loss. When your heart rate is only 60-70% of your max target heart rate, that is when your body burns more of the fat calories, instead of food calories (or something like that). I ended up buying the Polar FT(?)60 watch and it automatically determines your heart rate goals based on what you enter as your primary goal (ie weight loss, cardiac improvement, etc).

    Also, remember that when it says that you will weight ___ in 5 weeks, your settings have you stating that you will work out so many times a week for a goal of so many calories burned. If you aren't going to exercise, might try changing that to zero to see if it affects anything.

    Hope this helps
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    Options
    read the link in my signature about how to bust through a plateau.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    Options
    Calories are so different! I may feel super satisfied if I eat 1200 calories worth of "good" food w/ fiber, protein, carbs, water. And feel crappy/hungry after eating 1800-2000calories worth of junk. So deff. monitor how much processed food is in your diet in comparison to whole foods like fruits/veggies/lean meats/nuts. big difference and maybe change your exercises. i don't necessarily dislike the gym, but i learned that to loose this weight and gain a healthy lifestyle, i couldn't rely on the gym for the rest of my life.i do at home dvd workouts like Jillian Michaels, turbofire, etc.i walk/run at my neighborhood park in addition to the once a week gym "date,"lol. i do strength training which allows you to build muscles which burns more fat, and makes you lean, not bulky(women generally don't have enough of the male hormone for that) good luck, gope this helps DRINK YOUR WATER! watch your sodium intake(makes you retain water)

Categories