1200 calories + exercise... no results.
Replies
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Not worthy, I hang my head in shame. lol1
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kelleemayling wrote: »Thanks everyone. I am logging EVERYTHING. Even my coffee grounds and gum lol
I just want to make sure my workouts aren't making it harder to lose weight by not eating back any of the calories.
Logging your food is not the same as weighing and measuring the food you are logging. Buy a food scale and familiarize yourself with the most accurate way of determining intake. If you are not losing weight and doing all that exercise, inaccurate logging (or an underlying health issue) is the most common explanation. If you are logging correctly you should eat back some of your exercise calories, that's how this program is designed. Most of all, be patient. You didn't gain this weight over a short period of time, you shouldn't expect to lose it any faster.6 -
paperpudding wrote: »joannalouise92 wrote: »Hi there.. I'm in the exact same boat as you. I'm net 1200 and do three hour cardio sessions a week that I don't log or eat back and the scales (or my measurements) won't budge. I weigh everything, I easily drink over a gallon of water a day... it's pretty frustrating. If you find something that works, let me know!
I'm putting mine down to the fact I haven't been able to poop properly for a couple weeks (despite eating 25g fibre on average per day) and that I skippped a period so maybe it's my hormones playing up.. who knows!! I guess I'm gonna have to wait and see
an obvious alternative occurs to me.......
You know, you can skip a period with birth control right? I skip mine every so often. That is what I took from her statement.1 -
Maxematics wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »joannalouise92 wrote: »Hi there.. I'm in the exact same boat as you. I'm net 1200 and do three hour cardio sessions a week that I don't log or eat back and the scales (or my measurements) won't budge. I weigh everything, I easily drink over a gallon of water a day... it's pretty frustrating. If you find something that works, let me know!
I'm putting mine down to the fact I haven't been able to poop properly for a couple weeks (despite eating 25g fibre on average per day) and that I skippped a period so maybe it's my hormones playing up.. who knows!! I guess I'm gonna have to wait and see
an obvious alternative occurs to me.......
LOL. I would hope that most people have enough brains to take a pregnancy test if they miss a period before declaring it due to hormones. Ever since I lost weight and got below 25% BF I've had times where I missed a period completely or had it come extremely early or late. I damn well knew pregnancy couldn't be a possibility.
Nope. Just saw a post about a week ago asking for advice because she was vomiting for 3 days. Turns out she was preggers...
OP - open your diary. Are you weighing your entries with a digital scale?0 -
kelleemayling wrote: »4'11 Starting weight 175. Goal weight 115.
I have been sticking to a 1200 calorie per day diet. I workout on the elliptical 45 minutes 5-6 times a week. In the beginning I lost some weight, but for almost a week now the scale won't budge. I do not ever eat back my workout calories (around 500). Is my body going into starvation mode from only netting 700 calories per day? I read on here most people don't eat back their workout calories. When I finish my MFP diary for the day it says what I'm doing is how to lose the most weight in 5 weeks. If I delete the exercise or add more hypothetical calories then end my diary for the day it says I'll lose over 5 pounds LESS every 5 weeks. I'm getting frustrated because Im putting in so much effort with no results and my friend who is not exercising is losing tons of weight. (20 lbs in a month)
Please help! Should I keep doing what I'm doing and be patient or quit working out? I don't think I want to consume more calories just to be able to work out.
No you are not going into "starvation mode". Please remove that term from your brain.
Make certain that you are being honest with your logging. That is by far the biggest reason that people don't lose. And give it more time. A week is nothing really. Also, are you consuming a lot of salty snacks? That will cause you to retain water like crazy. It's my worst failing.
And 500 calories for 45 min on the eliptical is probably twice what you are actually burning.1 -
johnnylloyd0618 wrote: »this may be more simple than you think, and I apologize if someone has already mentioned it...two thoughts, one you aren't eating enough and your body is hoarding every calorie it can, basically you have gone into starvation mode. Secondly, you may be dropping weight in terms of fat but adding muscle, so its a wash (this week). Try taking measurements so see if you are losing inches...
Please no.3 -
Get off the elliptical and spend more time in the squat rack and with a barbell (not pink dumbells!) or you will lose muscle mass and end up at a higher body fat percentage once you inevitably start to put the weight back on due to homeostasis.
Then you will be complaining "I can't keep the weight off..." Sound familiar?
The less muscle you have, the lower your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).
Weight lifting will also help to prevent osteoporosis and increase bone density which is a frequent problem with women.
Don't start with the misinformed excuses about getting bulky.
When your body pushes towards homeostasis the extra muscle will continue to help you burn more calories and keep the weight off; muscle increases your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).
Cardio does not do this; quite the opposite in fact.
Make sure you are getting at least 80 grams of protein per day to offset the muscle catabolizing from all of your cardio.
You probably aren't getting much more than 1/2 of that.
About 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight would be better once you start training properly.
Cardio should be after weight training or on days that you do not lift, for now.
Look into Thinner, Leaner, Stronger or StrongLifts5x5 if you don't know where to begin with weight training.
Log your food more accurately and open up your food diary if you want help.6 -
Definitely add some strength training in, and try mixing up your workouts in general. Your body can somewhat get used to doing the same exercise over and over and eventually it needs more to see the same results you saw in the beginning. In general, though, strength training is needed to help maintain weight loss in the long run, and helps you burn more calories while at rest.
And like someone else said, don't judge solely by the scale; weight is fluid and mine has been known to change by 4 pounds in one day, just due to water retention and the like. Track your measurements and go by how your clothes feel; you might actually be getting good results that are just not reflected in your weight.0 -
The science and trends behind weight loss are so tricky -- eat this time...eat that time...small meals...calories are all that matters. AHH. It makes my head hurt honestly.
So I won't give you all that. I will give you what worked for me. I was stuck at a certain weight for a long time, and I was doing Zumba and Spin 3-4 times a week.
What made the scale start moving again was weight training. I kept my cardio, but added 2 sessions with a personal trainer a week. It took about a month after I started to make the change, but it definitely started going down at the rate MFP said it would.
What's even better is that the shape of my body improved. I lost INCHES moreso than pounds, which made my clothes fit better. You might want to start measuring inches too, I heard it's easier to see results that way.
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Oh and if you look at my page, it only says 3 lbs lost -- I put on some holiday weight (I still workout, but I also have a bingeing problem) -- I lost around 9 lbs just from adding weight training, and more importantly I went down a whole dress size -- 12 to 10.0
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corgidogchu wrote: »I use the elliptical for 30 mins a day and burn around 250-280cal for 30 minutes so I don't thi k you are burning 500cals for 45mins.
when is your last meal? if I were you I would stop eating after 7. If you already are, I'd eat smaller portions than you are more frequently throughout the day and try doing some sit ups and other strength workouts to tighten your stomach so it feels like your stomach is very tight vs being filled with food.
Why would you stop eating after 7 and eat more frequently??
I do intermittent fasting and only eat 2-10pm with one primary meal around 7. It has improved my results. Meal timing is about individual preference and not weight loss.2 -
Just stay with it! Be careful about what self-made 'experts' on here advise. Everyone gets a bit of a plateau now and then, it's not an exact science. Carry on, it sounds like you are doing the right things. You will progress
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It has nothing to do with my period because I don't get periods. I haven't had one in 3 years. I do eat and workout late at night because I work nights. I get home around midnight, workout for 45 minutes then have a snack and go to bed. I save part of my 1200 calories for my post workout snack.
I would like to add strength training but I cannot afford a gym membership so I plan to buy a set of weights when I get paid next. Any suggestions on which size weights to get and what types of excersize I should do with them? I have NEVER used weights in my life so I'm clueless.
Thanks0 -
kelleemayling wrote: »It has nothing to do with my period because I don't get periods. I haven't had one in 3 years. I do eat and workout late at night because I work nights. I get home around midnight, workout for 45 minutes then have a snack and go to bed. I save part of my 1200 calories for my post workout snack.
I would like to add strength training but I cannot afford a gym membership so I plan to buy a set of weights when I get paid next. Any suggestions on which size weights to get and what types of excersize I should do with them? I have NEVER used weights in my life so I'm clueless.
Thanks
Look into bodyweight training. Very beneficial if you can't afford a gym (home or membership) at this time. A good resource is You Are Your Own Gym.
Also check out WOSS or TRX bands.1 -
kelleemayling wrote: »I would like to add strength training but I cannot afford a gym membership so I plan to buy a set of weights when I get paid next. Any suggestions on which size weights to get and what types of excersize I should do with them? I have NEVER used weights in my life so I'm clueless.
Thanks
The problem is that "a set of weights" is probably going to cost you a lot more than a gym membership up front.
Serviceable equipment for a proper home gym will pay for itself in a year or two, depending on what you get but the total cost is still pretty intimidating if you don't look at the big picture.
You will probably need to buy things a bit at a time, here and there when you can afford it.
I used my income tax refund to buy my power rack, for instance.
This site explains what you need to do and have access to: https://stronglifts.com/5x5/
There is a lot of information there, including exercises, equipment, etc. so you have a bit of a time investment to get yourself educated.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
For what it is worth, the book Thinner Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Female Body will teach you more about effective training, nutrition and diet than most GymBros and Keyboard Warriors will ever know.3 -
kelleemayling wrote: »I would like to add strength training but I cannot afford a gym membership so I plan to buy a set of weights when I get paid next. Any suggestions on which size weights to get and what types of excersize I should do with them? I have NEVER used weights in my life so I'm clueless.
Thanks
The problem is that a "set of weights" is probably going to cost you a lot more than a gym membership up front.
They will pay for themselves in a year or two, depending on what you get but...
This site explains what you need to do and have access to: https://stronglifts.com/5x5/
There is a lot of information there, including exercises, equipment, etc. so you have a bit of time to get yourself educated.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Love SL 5x5.
The weights were a great investment for me. I did it in my garage before or after work.
** Lifting changed my body more than simply losing LBs ever did.2 -
Maxematics wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »joannalouise92 wrote: »Hi there.. I'm in the exact same boat as you. I'm net 1200 and do three hour cardio sessions a week that I don't log or eat back and the scales (or my measurements) won't budge. I weigh everything, I easily drink over a gallon of water a day... it's pretty frustrating. If you find something that works, let me know!
I'm putting mine down to the fact I haven't been able to poop properly for a couple weeks (despite eating 25g fibre on average per day) and that I skippped a period so maybe it's my hormones playing up.. who knows!! I guess I'm gonna have to wait and see
an obvious alternative occurs to me.......
LOL. I would hope that most people have enough brains to take a pregnancy test if they miss a period before declaring it due to hormones. Ever since I lost weight and got below 25% BF I've had times where I missed a period completely or had it come extremely early or late. I damn well knew pregnancy couldn't be a possibility.
You overestimate society at large...2 -
It's just water weight fluctuations especially if you're exercising your muscles will retain water, give it time, weight loss is never linear as we are complicated bags of meat.1
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Same here been eating under 1350 calories weight about 185 5'2 for 1-1/2 weeks I need to LOSE weight I'm eating healthy LOGGING everything only walk 20 min exercise per day plus regular walking DONT weigh myself I hate it don't want Colesterol problems. Nor diet pills what do u recommend? I can't lose weight I'm 62 yrs old
THANK U FOR YOUR SUPPORT
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Same here been eating under 1350 calories weight about 185 5'2 for 1-1/2 weeks I need to LOSE weight I'm eating healthy LOGGING everything only walk 20 min exercise per day plus regular walking DONT weigh myself I hate it don't want Colesterol problems. Nor diet pills what do u recommend? I can't lose weight I'm 62 yrs old
THANK U FOR YOUR SUPPORT
If you've been doing this for 1 1/2 weeks and aren't weighing yourself, how have you concluded that you can't lose weight?
It's been less than two weeks and you have no data to use as a reference point.7 -
melaninmonro wrote: »You could be losing weight but gaining muscle.
Not in a week. A woman eating in a deficit will find it very difficult to build muscle. Building muscle generally requires a caloric surplus. Note: gaining strength and building muscle are two different things.1 -
Same here been eating under 1350 calories weight about 185 5'2 for 1-1/2 weeks I need to LOSE weight I'm eating healthy LOGGING everything only walk 20 min exercise per day plus regular walking DONT weigh myself I hate it don't want Colesterol problems. Nor diet pills what do u recommend? I can't lose weight I'm 62 yrs old
THANK U FOR YOUR SUPPORT
You may have some of the same issues, but etiquette-wise, it's really better to start your own thread instead of posting something which shifts someone else's thread into one about you. 3 -
Don't rule out cortisol. Extreme calorie cutting puts stress on the body and raises cortisol levels. Long bouts of cardio exercise do the same thing, so you're hitting your stress levels with a one-two punch and then stressing about your weight on top of that.
Do some reading about cortisol and its effect on weight loss. Most people will do fine with either low cal diets or long cardio sessions but not both. Plus as others have said, a week is not a plateau. Breathe, do some mindfulness meditation, and get that stress level down. Also get plenty of sleep.1 -
Same here been eating under 1350 calories weight about 185 5'2 for 1-1/2 weeks I need to LOSE weight I'm eating healthy LOGGING everything only walk 20 min exercise per day plus regular walking DONT weigh myself I hate it don't want Colesterol problems. Nor diet pills what do u recommend? I can't lose weight I'm 62 yrs old
THANK U FOR YOUR SUPPORT
You can lose weight at 62. I am 64 and I am losing about 1 1/2 lbs a week.
If you start your own thread then people will be able to help you a little better.3 -
It's just a week. If you go a month and see no difference then you can question. Weight loss fluctuates.3
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WinoGelato wrote: »corgidogchu wrote: »I use the elliptical for 30 mins a day and burn around 250-280cal for 30 minutes so I don't thi k you are burning 500cals for 45mins.
when is your last meal? if I were you I would stop eating after 7. If you already are, I'd eat smaller portions than you are more frequently throughout the day and try doing some sit ups and other strength workouts to tighten your stomach so it feels like your stomach is very tight vs being filled with food.
No to everything in the second paragraph. Meal timing is irrelevant for weight loss, as is meal size. Both of those are a matter of personal preference and won't influence weight loss. And do sit ups so your stomach is tight and won't be filled with food? I don't even know what that means...
meal timing does influence weight loss (maybe not for you) but it definitely has helped in my own diet. Especially when eating at night, then going to sleep without being active, my stomach has a hard time digesting the food from lack of movement.
for me, eating smaller dishes frequently helps me maintain energy and helps with my digestions. unlike when I use to eat bigger portions and feel sluggish or having a food coma from feeling so full afterwards. so just because it doesn't work for you, doesn't mean it won't work for others
and to the ending comment, maybe I wasn't clear enough with my words or including the "verses" is what confused you. when i used to eat a big meal, my stomach would feel full and bloat, especially a night time. other days when I haven't eaten big meals or after I work out my stomach feels nice a tight. so what im saying is dont eat late meals, do some stomach exercises before you go to sleep so your stomach won't feel stuffed with food.
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WinoGelato wrote: »johnnylloyd0618 wrote: »this may be more simple than you think, and I apologize if someone has already mentioned it...two thoughts, one you aren't eating enough and your body is hoarding every calorie it can, basically you have gone into starvation mode. Secondly, you may be dropping weight in terms of fat but adding muscle, so its a wash (this week). Try taking measurements so see if you are losing inches...
Starvation mode isn't real and she isn't adding muscle netting below 1200 calories...
also i would like to suggest, instead of trying to shut down everyones comment that you dont agree with, simply write your own answer and leave it at that.0 -
Have you had your labs done? Thyroid okay? Estrogen high? Cortisol High? Too much stress in your life? Measure your waist instead of your weight. PS I only tend to get better waist reduction when I lift weights. Cardio is good at improving my cholesterol and my heart rate recovery but I only lose inches when I include weight bearing exercise. Lift for Life! I only count macros; 40-30-30 as someone else mentioned; not calories. And try to get 40 grams of fiber in you DAILY. I have been overweight my entire adult life, but never on any program able to lose weight until I addressed a chronic health problem that was keeping me from losing weight. Fixing the problem made everything work correctly again. Now when I exercise and eat right, the weight comes off. Check if there is another health issue preventing weight loss.0
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corgidogchu wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »corgidogchu wrote: »I use the elliptical for 30 mins a day and burn around 250-280cal for 30 minutes so I don't thi k you are burning 500cals for 45mins.
when is your last meal? if I were you I would stop eating after 7. If you already are, I'd eat smaller portions than you are more frequently throughout the day and try doing some sit ups and other strength workouts to tighten your stomach so it feels like your stomach is very tight vs being filled with food.
No to everything in the second paragraph. Meal timing is irrelevant for weight loss, as is meal size. Both of those are a matter of personal preference and won't influence weight loss. And do sit ups so your stomach is tight and won't be filled with food? I don't even know what that means...
meal timing does influence weight loss (maybe not for you) but it definitely has helped in my own diet. Especially when eating at night, then going to sleep without being active, my stomach has a hard time digesting the food from lack of movement.
for me, eating smaller dishes frequently helps me maintain energy and helps with my digestions. unlike when I use to eat bigger portions and feel sluggish or having a food coma from feeling so full afterwards. so just because it doesn't work for you, doesn't mean it won't work for others
and to the ending comment, maybe I wasn't clear enough with my words or including the "verses" is what confused you. when i used to eat a big meal, my stomach would feel full and bloat, especially a night time. other days when I haven't eaten big meals or after I work out my stomach feels nice a tight. so what im saying is dont eat late meals, do some stomach exercises before you go to sleep so your stomach won't feel stuffed with food.
There is no scientific impact on weight loss related to meal timing. As I said in my comment, it is a matter of personal preference. If eating more often and ending your eating time earlier works well for you - that's great - but again, will have no direct impact on weight loss for OP.
I still don't understand how doing sit ups before bed would help your stomach not feel stuffed with food. This again sounds like something that you enjoy doing and gives you a good feeling - but from a scientific, weight loss, or fitness perspective - there is just no logic to support this.
Her original post is filled with misinformation presupposed from a number of weight loss myths - and posters throughout this thread, including you, are validating those myths.9 -
I did have my thyroid tested at a recent physical with my doctor. Waiting to hear back the results still. Thyroid issues do run in my family.
Also I already lost 70 pounds 2 years ago with MFP and in 2016 I gained ALL the weight back in an 8 month period. I assumed it was because I switched to an office job where I sit at a desk all day but it doesn't hurt to have my thyroid tested to make sure that didn't contribute.
I appreciate everyone's opions.0
This discussion has been closed.
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