How am I not losing weight?

allanrjudge
allanrjudge Posts: 84 Member
edited May 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
I've yo-yo dieted since the age of 16, i've said this on nearly every topic i've made because I think it's important to mention in the context of the few topics i've made on here, because I don't know if the constant losing/gaining/losing/gaining is having a big impact on my weight.

I can go upto a year of being about 16 stone, then spend half a year losing 4 stone, then piling it back on. That's been the pattern since I was 16, i'm 30 now.

I've been doing Insanity Max 30... Some days I do an Insanity Max 30 workout and a Cize workout... Each workout I burn on average 500 calories (using a Polar HRM), I stuck to Insanity Max 30 calorie recommendation for someone in my weight range (1600 cals)... Lost literally nothing (weight or measurements).

I then cut my calories to 1500 cals a day, been on Insanity for about a month, missed a few workouts, not ate the best foods, but stuck to the weekly calorie goal. If I go over the 1500cals I add the foods to the following day so I eat less the next day.

It said on Monday i'd gone from 210lbs to 207lbs... Today it said 210lbs again. If i've lost any measurements it's literally about 0.1 of an inch!

I'm not indenial with what I eat, I track even the tiniest bit of olive oil. I also don't expect miracles and results overnight! But to lose no weight or measurements in the space of a month isn't right.

So tonight I went on a massive binge, and I don't even feel guilty like I normally would - if anything I hope I do put even 1lb on because it will show me my body is working in some way.

I feel like this fat is glued to me and feel suffocated by it. It just will not shift. Could it be my age? Peop,e day its harder to lose weight as you get older. Is there any truth in that?

Replies

  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member

    This is a good chart that might provide you with a few helpful tips.

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  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Looking at just the past few days of your diary, You're all over the place. MASSIVE surpluses some days, most days on target, and here and there under.

    It is very likely your exercise calories are being over estimated (My Fitbit for example over estimates. If I eat what it adds to MFP, I maintain despite MFP's built in deficit).

    It is very difficult to give any real concrete advice other than simply you're eating too much.
  • allanrjudge
    allanrjudge Posts: 84 Member
    Maybe I am in denial then lol.

    Is 1500 calories too few calories for someone of my age and weight who is quite sedentary outside of doing Insanity?
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    1. You might want to keep your weigh ins to once per week at the same time every time. You will go up and down on water weight, and you're freaking out over weights recorded over a period of days.

    2. What DanaDark says. Your diary doesn't agree with what you've stated here about intake. It's not what you're eating, it's how much.
  • allanrjudge
    allanrjudge Posts: 84 Member
    I thought that when I over eat one day I make up for it the following day either by exercising more or eating less.
    Thanks for pointing this out to me.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I then cut my calories to 1500 cals a day, been on Insanity for about a month, missed a few workouts, not ate the best foods, but stuck to the weekly calorie goal. If I go over the 1500cals I add the foods to the following day so I eat less the next day.

    I went back through your diary about a month. You have 5 days unlogged, what look like 4 partial days, and more than 15 days over your goal. Often by a lot. Your calories for just the last 7 days average out to 2468 calories/day.

    Some people don't see a lot of weight loss during the first month of Insanity because the workouts cause their bodies to retain some extra fluids to help cushion and repair their sore muscles, which can mask fat loss. But that should start to go away over the next week or so. It also sounds like you're weighing day-to-day and worrying over very normal and natural fluctuations. But first and foremost I would look to your calories and try to make sure you're sticking to the plan that you've set for yourself.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,241 Member
    allanrjudge wrote: »
    I thought that when I over eat one day I make up for it the following day either by exercising more or eating less.
    Thanks for pointing this out to me.

    In general you thought about right. Each day calories are not so important but rather the weekly average. In your case however, I can see from your diary you are almost always above your goals. And some days by quite a lot above. If you eat 3500 more one day you can't make up for it by burning 3500 the next day unless you are a long distance runner and spend all your day running. Also if you somehow manage to make up by exercise then you're not supposed to eat these calories back. You eat a lot, man :)
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    allanrjudge wrote: »
    I thought that when I over eat one day I make up for it the following day either by exercising more or eating less.
    Thanks for pointing this out to me.

    Going over close to 4000 cals one day and being short 400 the next, then going over 2500 another day is NOT overeating one day and making up for it the next.

    Be constant. Hit your goals more times than not, have a day of "whatever" every now and again to keep your sanity, track what you can and expect to be doing this for a long long time. There is no fly-by-night quick and easy magic formula. Stick with something long enough to see it working...that is going to be at least 6 months. If you're not seeing positive results...being honest with yourself of course...switch things up.
  • allanrjudge
    allanrjudge Posts: 84 Member
  • Destinydmm
    Destinydmm Posts: 2 Member
    Calorie over load is only done when you're at the heavy lifting or as Gebeziseva said you are running all day for long distances/times.

    If you eat a lot today but you also workout today that's good. You've given you body fuel and energy for the workout. You do not eat all the calories back the next day. Most likely you're not going to workout Friday (in this scenario) so you want a lot of water and to eat lean - if you really feel you want/crave eating a lot then it should be SOME fresh fruits and lots raw veggies - large salads with a lot of greens (spinach/kale), raw broccoli, peppers, onions, cucumbers, etc. It can be free meals with little to no calories.
    Also, keep in mind that if you are putting on muscle you weight will NOT go down much. Look at your BMI and the inches you're losing - that is the real measure of your gainz LOL.

    Best wishes to you! You can do it!
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    allanrjudge wrote: »
    Urgh it's horrible reading these comments because it makes me feel like i'm a secret eater or something, but I appreciate the honesty. It's made me feel better knowing where i'm going wrong.
    I normally eat A LOT better than this on previous weight loss plans.

    Thank you.

    I wouldn't worry about it. A lot of us have been there. I made a thread like this once upon a time and had to own up to the fact that I just wasn't as on track as I thought I was. As a species, human beings are crap at knowing how much we eat. But now you have an idea of what to watch going forward and hopefully the scale starts to move in the right direction for you soon. :drinker:
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    allanrjudge wrote: »
    Urgh it's horrible reading these comments because it makes me feel like i'm a secret eater or something, but I appreciate the honesty. It's made me feel better knowing where i'm going wrong.
    I normally eat A LOT better than this on previous weight loss plans.

    Thank you.

    Don't feel bad! Learning how to find the sweet spot where you are eating enough to be happy but low enough to lose weight is difficult, for many of us it takes trial and error. Try to look at this as a process, more than a race to a destination.

    While you can for sure bank calories on one day and use them on another, it can be helpful to start out trying to be as consistent as possible. This helps you find a style of eating that works for you.

    Good luck!
  • michelleregis
    michelleregis Posts: 76 Member
    Allen, drop ur sodium intake for a few days....I bet u will see a BIG difference! U r doing a great job working out and tracking....just try it.... ;)
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    allanrjudge wrote: »
    Urgh it's horrible reading these comments because it makes me feel like i'm a secret eater or something, but I appreciate the honesty. It's made me feel better knowing where i'm going wrong.
    I normally eat A LOT better than this on previous weight loss plans.

    Don't feel terrible. I am a 31 year old male that leads a sedentary lifestyle. I have to have very few calories normally to lose weight. It is rather tough but after a while, what looked like "too little food" is easily now "enough".

    I have my calories set very low (too low) at 1100 a day. My reasoning is 1. I know I under estimate my intake by a couple hundred calories a day easy, and I don't want to be too concerned about weighing EVERYTHING, and 2. I sync with FitBit, which seems to think I burn immense calories on my daily walks (I think its full of you know what, so I try to eat only half... try lol).

    Banking calories is something I was doing for a while, and worked wonderfully. Basically a 5-2 day IF split. So, 2 days a week (Not consecutive days) I eat under 400 calories. The other 5 days, I don't have to worry too much about a deficit.

    I found that that eating pattern was wonderful for me personally. Now if only I can get back to it... lol... too many social events.

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