Frustrated....

NaomiLyn15
NaomiLyn15 Posts: 388 Member
edited September 30 in Health and Weight Loss
I have been tracking my calories and working out at the gym for a couple of weeks now. The first week I lost 4 lbs, which I assume was water weight. I also lost 1" around my hips. But, then I gained two pounds back. I have lost .5 inches from my thighs, but that is all. My scale won't budge though. What could I be doing wrong? Am I getting frustrated too early (since it has only been two weeks)?

- I eat at least 1260 calories a day (that is what MFP says to eat)
- I work out at the gym two days on, one off
- 30-45 min on elliptical at 5.5-7.0 speed
- 25 min strength training (upper body one day, lower the next)
- 20 min sit ups (hitting all muscle groups in the mid section, including lower back)
- On the days that I work out, I usually eat about 50% of my excersice calories back
- I eat mostly fruits and veggies with a bit of protein at each meal
- I have PCOS, so I stay away from most processed carbs/sugars
- I drink between 8-12 glasses of water a day

What am I doing wrong? Please help. I am so discouraged today.

Replies

  • erisfreenici
    erisfreenici Posts: 277 Member
    Are you logging your elliptical workouts as cardio in the system? When you work out, you get to eat extra calories and you want your NET calories to end up at 1260. Also, when you start a new exercise program your body retains water to help you heal after the workout -- that's probably what's going on.

    Are you trying to lose 1 pound a week??
  • NaomiLyn15
    NaomiLyn15 Posts: 388 Member
    I do log all my workout calories and eat about 50% of them back. I am not hungry enough to eat all of them. I am trying to lose 1.5 lbs a week, but I have never hit that goal. Last year I lost 30 lbs on here, I just want to lose the last little bit, but it just won't budge.
  • changeisgood55
    changeisgood55 Posts: 274
    A couple things come to mind. First, is it possible that your body is now used to this routine? You may have to mix things up a bit and shake your body up a bit to get it back on track again. Our bodies get used to the same thing and than we stop losing weight. The other thing is that you may be getting more muscle. Muscle is denser than fat so it may show a higher number on the scale but if inches are coming off than you are ok. The pounds will follow eventually. Just some things to keep in mind.
  • loricord
    loricord Posts: 4
    I started with a personal trainer 3 months ago and they told me NOT to log my exercise because you are just going to eat all those extra calories and then you are not going to lose weight. I don't log my exercise and lose about 1-2 lbs per week.

    Try not logging your exercise and eat just the amount of calories you are allowed. They also have me watching my sugar intake.

    Good luck and keep your head up!
  • meli_medina
    meli_medina Posts: 594 Member
    PCOS makes you a bit resistant to weight loss because your hormones do a whack job on your body. Just keep plugging away and you'll have a breakthrough. My younger sister has severe PCOS and she has been counting her calories and exercising like a mad woman and only loses about a pound a month. Not that that will happen to you... her PCOS is very severe (as in, her ovaries are so scarred that there is little-to-no chance that she will ever be able to conceive a child, she has a very, very deep voice for a woman, she grows very dark hair all over her body like a man, and she has head-hair loss issues). Good luck and just keep doing what you're doing!
  • aj_rock
    aj_rock Posts: 390 Member
    If you're already close to your ideal weight/at a decent weight for your build/height, the last few pounds are going to be difficult to shed.

    I would say cut back to 1/2 - 1 pound loss a week, and eat back your exercise calories. Progress will be slow, but steady.

    Keep it up!
  • MrsPike07
    MrsPike07 Posts: 160
    I am the same way, lose a pound or two then go weeks with no loss at all. I know how discouraging it can get for sure. Maybe you need to change things up a bit? I know sometimes your body hits a plateau and needs that little kick to jump start the weight loss again. Best of luck!
  • jayb0ne
    jayb0ne Posts: 644 Member
    Yeah, I only eat about half my calories back (when I do exercise) as I find the calories burned estimates on here are a bit high.

    If you only have a little bit left to lose, you should probably aim for 1lb a week or even 0.5lb per week. That's a guess though as I can't see much else wrong with your regime. Maybe it's just a case of being patient and waiting for the good work to pay off.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    For women that are having trouble losing weight and have PCOS, I recommend reading this:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334192/ - Low carb, ketogenic diets
  • bj27
    bj27 Posts: 7 Member
    the only way you will see loss is if you DO NOT eat any of those exercise calories... you should only be eating your set amount...the exercise calories are the weight loss and to lose a pound of weight that number added up over a week MUST be over 3500 calories... 3500 cal = 1 pound
    otherwise check your heart rate when you exercise.. you need to hit your target HR ( 220- your age= THR) for at least 3/4 of your workout or you're not working hard enough... the calories that they show in the amounts on here are if you are doing that... it's kind of a false positive to just put on eliptical for 30 min at level 5 if level 5 doesn't get your HR pumping you need to turn up the resistance/level etc...

    good luck !! you will plateau as well adn perhaps gain if you don't have alot of muscle mass.. muscle weighs more than fat !!!
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