Increased excercise stalled my weighloss!? Help
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laurasprogress wrote: »I weigh what needs to be weighted and scan in the rest. It is all logged here. I stick to between 1200 and 1300 calories a day. It seems like simple math of course but why isn't the scale moving? Am I retaining water? It's sure discouraging
Your stall has only been 2 weeks, and you have added exercise in that time. This makes it most likely that your muscles are retaining water. Your body will flush that extra water out naturally eventually. Stick to your plan, and have patience
I would also like to add: if you were experiencing a stall for longer, then it would be important to point out that everything needs to be weighed. Packaged foods are often 10-20% higher than their stated serving size (for example, you could be logging "1 serving" of something that is meant to be 50g, but the food is actually 60g. These little differences can easily add up over time, to erase some of your deficit accidentally. If your stall continues, try weighing these foods (especially bread, if you don't already).ulcaster555 wrote: »looks like your building muscle mass, i'm going through the same thing
A female eating around 1300 is not building muscle. A calorie surplus is required.CharleezAngel1 wrote: »A lot of times when you're eating so low calorie, your body will hang on to the weight, especially when you're exercising so much. I'd say increase your calories or look at cutting back on the activity. Personally, I'd go for the calorie increase. There's lots of data out there to support this if you do some digging.
This is false. Your body cannot hold on to fat without you supplying it with excess calories. Your body can, however, hold on to excess water because of a new exercise regime.
Who can still eat bread? Haha just kidding! Thank you for the encouragement! I appreciate it so much! Going to try drinking more water to get more out2 -
laurasprogress wrote: »I have lost 60 pounds since January 1st of this year. A few weeks ago I added running 3-4 times a week. 5 miles. Now don't get me wrong, I walk jog run walk jog run, but am getting better and love it. MFP has me set at 1200 calories to lose 2 pounds a week. Since I started the excercise... Nothing.. Not a pound. Help! I could cry and am feeling so discouraged when I thought I was doing a good thing for myself. I'm still heavy.. 205.. And am 5'7" so why is this happening?
Have you recalculated your TDEE? Your maintenance calories are going to be much lower now than it was 60 lbs ago (congrats!). As such, your deficit when eating at 1200 cal/day is going to be smaller than it was before. You have two options:
1) Continue at a 1000 calorie deficit and dip below 1200 calories (not recommended)
2) Adjust your weight loss goal to 1.0-1.5lbs/week.
I experienced this firsthand. 1200 calories now will yield 1.5lbs/week of weightloss - 35lbs ago, it was appropriate for 2lbs/week.
Also consider that several things can be going on. My understanding is that a new exercise regimen can encourage the body to hold onto water for muscle repair. If you're not tracking calories and weighing food, perhaps you're eating more than you think you are. Furthermore, consider if you've been eating more sodium or carbs - both things cause the body to hold onto water.2 -
An extremely important thing to remember is that muscle is very dense and weighs a lot more than fat. That means 5 pounds of muscle is a fraction of the size of 5 pounds of fat. 5 measly pounds of fat is literally bigger than a football. Fat is fluffy. You could be losing fat and gaining muscle and maintaining the same weight. You could even be gaining weight and getting thinner if you're building muscle. You should go by your size, measurements, how your clothes fit and how you look in the mirror more than the scale if you're exercising a lot.
Side note: Another great thing about muscle is that the more of it you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest.0 -
wandajnevills wrote: »An extremely important thing to remember is that muscle is very dense and weighs a lot more than fat. That means 5 pounds of muscle is a fraction of the size of 5 pounds of fat. 5 measly pounds of fat is literally bigger than a football. Fat is fluffy. You could be losing fat and gaining muscle and maintaining the same weight. You could even be gaining weight and getting thinner if you're building muscle. You should go by your size, measurements, how your clothes fit and how you look in the mirror more than the scale if you're exercising a lot.
Side note: Another great thing about muscle is that the more of it you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest.
As has already been pointed out in this thread, a female eating 1300 calories and doing only cardio will not be building muscle. It is extremely difficult for a woman to build appreciable muscle mass. In ideal conditions with a proper lifting program and calorie surplus, a woman can really only gain .5-1lb of lean mass per month.2 -
Do you measure your food intake using a food scale? tracking food in a diary here or elsewhere? Exercise is awesome, but if we're eating at maintenance calories or a surplus, we're not going to lose any weight.
True about eating less calories than we expend, but weighing food doesn't give us any idea of its caloric content. Green beans weigh a lot more than whipped cream, but it's the whipped cream that's going to pack in mass calories. In fact, the fattiest foods are the lightest by weight. Oils (fat) float to the surface of water because they're light. You'd have to eat 5 pounds of green beans to get the same amount of calories as virtually zero pounds of whipped cream.0 -
wandajnevills wrote: »An extremely important thing to remember is that muscle is very dense and weighs a lot more than fat. That means 5 pounds of muscle is a fraction of the size of 5 pounds of fat. 5 measly pounds of fat is literally bigger than a football. Fat is fluffy. You could be losing fat and gaining muscle and maintaining the same weight. You could even be gaining weight and getting thinner if you're building muscle. You should go by your size, measurements, how your clothes fit and how you look in the mirror more than the scale if you're exercising a lot.
Side note: Another great thing about muscle is that the more of it you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest.
As has already been pointed out in this thread, a female eating 1300 calories and doing only cardio will not be building muscle. It is extremely difficult for a woman to build appreciable muscle mass. In ideal conditions with a proper lifting program and calorie surplus, a woman can really only gain .5-1lb of lean mass per month.
I know when I was sick and stopped working out for three months i gained zero pounds in the first months but got noticeably fatter, and all l normally do is the elliptical. It is possible to build muscle doing "cardio" especially if you had very little muscle to begin with.0 -
wandajnevills wrote: »Do you measure your food intake using a food scale? tracking food in a diary here or elsewhere? Exercise is awesome, but if we're eating at maintenance calories or a surplus, we're not going to lose any weight.
True about eating less calories than we expend, but weighing food doesn't give us any idea of its caloric content. Green beans weigh a lot more than whipped cream, but it's the whipped cream that's going to pack in mass calories. In fact, the fattiest foods are the lightest by weight. Oils (fat) float to the surface of water because they're light. You'd have to eat 5 pounds of green beans to get the same amount of calories as virtually zero pounds of whipped cream.
What??? You weigh out 100g of green beans, you plug that into MFP, MFP tells you it's 31 calories. Weighing food is the most accurate way to know its caloric content.5 -
wandajnevills wrote: »Do you measure your food intake using a food scale? tracking food in a diary here or elsewhere? Exercise is awesome, but if we're eating at maintenance calories or a surplus, we're not going to lose any weight.
True about eating less calories than we expend, but weighing food doesn't give us any idea of its caloric content. Green beans weigh a lot more than whipped cream, but it's the whipped cream that's going to pack in mass calories. In fact, the fattiest foods are the lightest by weight. Oils (fat) float to the surface of water because they're light. You'd have to eat 5 pounds of green beans to get the same amount of calories as virtually zero pounds of whipped cream.
Weighing foods gives you a more accurate picture of your portion size when you log it. No one is suggesting choosing foods based on how light they are on the scale. I don't think you have any idea what you're talking about.12 -
wandajnevills wrote: »Do you measure your food intake using a food scale? tracking food in a diary here or elsewhere? Exercise is awesome, but if we're eating at maintenance calories or a surplus, we're not going to lose any weight.
True about eating less calories than we expend, but weighing food doesn't give us any idea of its caloric content. Green beans weigh a lot more than whipped cream, but it's the whipped cream that's going to pack in mass calories. In fact, the fattiest foods are the lightest by weight. Oils (fat) float to the surface of water because they're light. You'd have to eat 5 pounds of green beans to get the same amount of calories as virtually zero pounds of whipped cream.
What? Weighing your food and looking at accurate database entries is how you get accurate calorie contents. That is why weighing food is helpful--it gives you an easy way to be precise with your calories, especially with calorie-dense foods like oils.2 -
wandajnevills wrote: »Do you measure your food intake using a food scale? tracking food in a diary here or elsewhere? Exercise is awesome, but if we're eating at maintenance calories or a surplus, we're not going to lose any weight.
True about eating less calories than we expend, but weighing food doesn't give us any idea of its caloric content. Green beans weigh a lot more than whipped cream, but it's the whipped cream that's going to pack in mass calories. In fact, the fattiest foods are the lightest by weight. Oils (fat) float to the surface of water because they're light. You'd have to eat 5 pounds of green beans to get the same amount of calories as virtually zero pounds of whipped cream.
I think the person is suggesting weighing as a way to accurately measure food intake -- to be used in conjunction with the database on this website to understand how many calories are truly being consumed as opposed to using a less accurate form of measuring (like measuring cups).1 -
wandajnevills wrote: »An extremely important thing to remember is that muscle is very dense and weighs a lot more than fat. That means 5 pounds of muscle is a fraction of the size of 5 pounds of fat. 5 measly pounds of fat is literally bigger than a football. Fat is fluffy. You could be losing fat and gaining muscle and maintaining the same weight. You could even be gaining weight and getting thinner if you're building muscle. You should go by your size, measurements, how your clothes fit and how you look in the mirror more than the scale if you're exercising a lot.
Side note: Another great thing about muscle is that the more of it you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest.
A woman doing everything right (progressive lifting program and a surplus) is lucky to gain 1-2 pounds a month. The OP doesn't even fit into that category. Muscle gain is not happening fast enough to offset fat loss.9 -
wandajnevills wrote: »wandajnevills wrote: »An extremely important thing to remember is that muscle is very dense and weighs a lot more than fat. That means 5 pounds of muscle is a fraction of the size of 5 pounds of fat. 5 measly pounds of fat is literally bigger than a football. Fat is fluffy. You could be losing fat and gaining muscle and maintaining the same weight. You could even be gaining weight and getting thinner if you're building muscle. You should go by your size, measurements, how your clothes fit and how you look in the mirror more than the scale if you're exercising a lot.
Side note: Another great thing about muscle is that the more of it you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest.
As has already been pointed out in this thread, a female eating 1300 calories and doing only cardio will not be building muscle. It is extremely difficult for a woman to build appreciable muscle mass. In ideal conditions with a proper lifting program and calorie surplus, a woman can really only gain .5-1lb of lean mass per month.
I know when I was sick and stopped working out for three months i gained zero pounds in the first months but got noticeably fatter, and all l normally do is the elliptical. It is possible to build muscle doing "cardio" especially if you had very little muscle to begin with.
How did you measure your muscle loss and gain?2 -
I say stick with it for now, you've added a lot of exercise and new exercise means your muscles are working harder and having to repair and strengthen, which means they retain a lot of water. A LOT.
Usually people say water weight due to new exercise will go after a few days to a week, BUT something about the way you say "walk jog run" makes me think you are actually on a steep learning curve with this exercise and that as your fitness increases you are probably increasing the intensity without realising it - shorter walks, longer runs.
If that is the case, your muscles will still be adapting to new levels of intensity and will still be retaining water to repair and strengthen themselves. That can be a very considerable amount of water. I've personally seen 6-7lb gains from new exercise, I've seen others on here quote as much as 10lb in exercise related water weight. And if you're heavier, there will be more water retained. So EASILY enough to mask 2 weeks' weight loss.
So I say stick with it, I think what you're doing is amazing, and I'm betting on good results in time. For now, keep logging, keep working out, and keep the faith!3 -
Sounds normal, you just have a little water weight gain. Your muscles just have to adjust to the new level of training. Just make sure you eat more to fuel the activity and drink plenty of water, but don't eat all the calories back until you see how accurate the burn estimates are. Weight loss will eventually resume, probably with a whoosh.1
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wandajnevills wrote: »Do you measure your food intake using a food scale? tracking food in a diary here or elsewhere? Exercise is awesome, but if we're eating at maintenance calories or a surplus, we're not going to lose any weight.
True about eating less calories than we expend, but weighing food doesn't give us any idea of its caloric content. Green beans weigh a lot more than whipped cream, but it's the whipped cream that's going to pack in mass calories. In fact, the fattiest foods are the lightest by weight. Oils (fat) float to the surface of water because they're light. You'd have to eat 5 pounds of green beans to get the same amount of calories as virtually zero pounds of whipped cream.
I don't mean to sound rude when I ask this... but are you familiar with how nutrition labels work?
I'll explain in case you're not sure how and why we weigh food.
Food has a certain amount of calories in a serving. You are correct in saying that some foods weigh less than others, but what you've misunderstood is WHY we weigh it. If we know that, for example, Food A has 30 calories per 100 grams, it's simple math to figure out how much we're eating. 200 grams gives us 60 calores, 300 grams gives us 90 calories, and so forth. But we don't know the gram component (the servings) unless we weigh it.
We're weighing it because mass is the most accurate measurement we can use for solid foods. It's the same idea behind using measuring cups for liquids. We don't use measuring cups for solids because it's really not very accurate (although I am still guilty of using them sometimes).10 -
wandajnevills wrote: »wandajnevills wrote: »An extremely important thing to remember is that muscle is very dense and weighs a lot more than fat. That means 5 pounds of muscle is a fraction of the size of 5 pounds of fat. 5 measly pounds of fat is literally bigger than a football. Fat is fluffy. You could be losing fat and gaining muscle and maintaining the same weight. You could even be gaining weight and getting thinner if you're building muscle. You should go by your size, measurements, how your clothes fit and how you look in the mirror more than the scale if you're exercising a lot.
Side note: Another great thing about muscle is that the more of it you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest.
As has already been pointed out in this thread, a female eating 1300 calories and doing only cardio will not be building muscle. It is extremely difficult for a woman to build appreciable muscle mass. In ideal conditions with a proper lifting program and calorie surplus, a woman can really only gain .5-1lb of lean mass per month.
I know when I was sick and stopped working out for three months i gained zero pounds in the first months but got noticeably fatter, and all l normally do is the elliptical. It is possible to build muscle doing "cardio" especially if you had very little muscle to begin with.
highly doubtful..
how are you measuring these gains and losses in muscle?0 -
Wicked_Seraph wrote: »wandajnevills wrote: »Do you measure your food intake using a food scale? tracking food in a diary here or elsewhere? Exercise is awesome, but if we're eating at maintenance calories or a surplus, we're not going to lose any weight.
True about eating less calories than we expend, but weighing food doesn't give us any idea of its caloric content. Green beans weigh a lot more than whipped cream, but it's the whipped cream that's going to pack in mass calories. In fact, the fattiest foods are the lightest by weight. Oils (fat) float to the surface of water because they're light. You'd have to eat 5 pounds of green beans to get the same amount of calories as virtually zero pounds of whipped cream.
I don't mean to sound rude when I ask this... but are you familiar with how nutrition labels work?
I'll explain in case you're not sure how and why we weigh food.
Food has a certain amount of calories in a serving. You are correct in saying that some foods weigh less than others, but what you've misunderstood is WHY we weigh it. If we know that, for example, Food A has 30 calories per 100 grams, it's simple math to figure out how much we're eating. 200 grams gives us 60 calores, 300 grams gives us 90 calories, and so forth. But we don't know the gram component (the servings) unless we weigh it.
We're weighing it because mass is the most accurate measurement we can use for solid foods. It's the same idea behind using measuring cups for liquids. We don't use measuring cups for solids because it's really not very accurate (although I am still guilty of using them sometimes).
Yes actually weighing foid sounded ridiculous. I'm not familiar with labels that measure serving sizes by weight. I've never seen that. LOL. So thanks for helping it make sense. I've heard of people literally weighing everything they eat and weighing what comes out. Thank God that's not what's happening here.0 -
wandajnevills wrote: »Do you measure your food intake using a food scale? tracking food in a diary here or elsewhere? Exercise is awesome, but if we're eating at maintenance calories or a surplus, we're not going to lose any weight.
True about eating less calories than we expend, but weighing food doesn't give us any idea of its caloric content. Green beans weigh a lot more than whipped cream, but it's the whipped cream that's going to pack in mass calories. In fact, the fattiest foods are the lightest by weight. Oils (fat) float to the surface of water because they're light. You'd have to eat 5 pounds of green beans to get the same amount of calories as virtually zero pounds of whipped cream.
I can't even with this. Oil doesn't float, it separates because it doesn't mix with water. Weighing foods tells you how much of that food you are eating and calories are calculated for the weight associated with those calories.
What are they teaching in schools these days!?
2 weeks when you've added new exercise isn't the time to worry. Especially given your height and weight and calorie goal, you're probably eating a little too little to hit needed nutrition needs (this won't stall weight loss but is detrimental to overall health).5 -
the amount of horrible information in this thread is alarming...13
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wandajnevills wrote: »wandajnevills wrote: »An extremely important thing to remember is that muscle is very dense and weighs a lot more than fat. That means 5 pounds of muscle is a fraction of the size of 5 pounds of fat. 5 measly pounds of fat is literally bigger than a football. Fat is fluffy. You could be losing fat and gaining muscle and maintaining the same weight. You could even be gaining weight and getting thinner if you're building muscle. You should go by your size, measurements, how your clothes fit and how you look in the mirror more than the scale if you're exercising a lot.
Side note: Another great thing about muscle is that the more of it you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest.
As has already been pointed out in this thread, a female eating 1300 calories and doing only cardio will not be building muscle. It is extremely difficult for a woman to build appreciable muscle mass. In ideal conditions with a proper lifting program and calorie surplus, a woman can really only gain .5-1lb of lean mass per month.
I know when I was sick and stopped working out for three months i gained zero pounds in the first months but got noticeably fatter, and all l normally do is the elliptical. It is possible to build muscle doing "cardio" especially if you had very little muscle to begin with.
highly doubtful..
how are you measuring these gains and losses in muscle?
I'm not. I'm saying I was noticeably fatter and not gaining weight, clothesgot too tight... Elliptical, treadmills etc on high resistance can build muscle. If she's walking up hills she could be building muscle, especially if it's a 2 hour walk.0
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