Worked hard for 30 days, barely one lb down

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lysslapier
lysslapier Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 18, and weight 165 pounds. I had a calorie goal of 1300 and worked out every day for a month. I only had about 2 cheat days, neither were over the top. I'm tired of how my body looks, I just wish I could look as good as I feel. I burned about 500 calories everyday but is that not enough? Do you have to burn as much calories as you eat?
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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Do you weigh everything going you eat? Are you due to get your period?
  • lysslapier
    lysslapier Posts: 7 Member
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    No i do not have a scale, but if it works better than measuring food in cups and tablespoons then I'll definitely try to buy one soon. Also I have a very complicated period schedule, i was supposed to get it last month, does that have a big impact? Thank you for helping
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    lysslapier wrote: »
    No i do not have a scale, but if it works better than measuring food in cups and tablespoons then I'll definitely try to buy one soon. Also I have a very complicated period schedule, i was supposed to get it last month, does that have a big impact? Thank you for helping

    You're eating more than you think then, and possibly retaining water.
  • lysslapier
    lysslapier Posts: 7 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    lysslapier wrote: »
    No i do not have a scale, but if it works better than measuring food in cups and tablespoons then I'll definitely try to buy one soon. Also I have a very complicated period schedule, i was supposed to get it last month, does that have a big impact? Thank you for helping

    You're eating more than you think then, and possibly retaining water.

    So I guess a scale would help, huh. And I'll look up ways to get rid of excess water, thanks!
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
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    Well the problem isn't that you're lazy since you worked hard, but you worked 'wrong'. Get a food scale and be more accurate, you didn't create the deficit you thought you were creating.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    lysslapier wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    lysslapier wrote: »
    No i do not have a scale, but if it works better than measuring food in cups and tablespoons then I'll definitely try to buy one soon. Also I have a very complicated period schedule, i was supposed to get it last month, does that have a big impact? Thank you for helping

    You're eating more than you think then, and possibly retaining water.

    So I guess a scale would help, huh. And I'll look up ways to get rid of excess water, thanks!

    drink more water...

    If the exercise is new it can take up to 6 weeks for weight to go due to water and glycogen stores in the muscles.

    But yes get a food scale...much more accurate...
  • lysslapier
    lysslapier Posts: 7 Member
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    fascha wrote: »
    Well the problem isn't that you're lazy since you worked hard, but you worked 'wrong'. Get a food scale and be more accurate, you didn't create the deficit you thought you were creating.

    I'm looking at food scales to buy, do you eat as much as you burn? I've researched and I've found like 4 different answers.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
    edited March 2017
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    whoops - read the question wrong...
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
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    lysslapier wrote: »
    fascha wrote: »
    Well the problem isn't that you're lazy since you worked hard, but you worked 'wrong'. Get a food scale and be more accurate, you didn't create the deficit you thought you were creating.

    I'm looking at food scales to buy, do you eat as much as you burn? I've researched and I've found like 4 different answers.

    I personally don't eat back exercise calories as I factored that into my TDEE when I chose my cut calories. I don't really recommend eating back calories vs just eating a steady similar daily goal that takes into account your activity. Reason being is that you will (over time) get your own data. Your observed TDEE will be more accurate than any app or gizmo.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited March 2017
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    lysslapier wrote: »
    fascha wrote: »
    Well the problem isn't that you're lazy since you worked hard, but you worked 'wrong'. Get a food scale and be more accurate, you didn't create the deficit you thought you were creating.

    I'm looking at food scales to buy, do you eat as much as you burn? I've researched and I've found like 4 different answers.

    Your body is burning calories all the time, even when you're sleeping. When you're losing weight, you want to eat less than your total burn. So if it takes 1,900 calories to maintain your weight (this is an example), eating 1,300 calories a day will allow you to have a deficit of 500 calories a day. That will generally result in a pound a week of weight loss.

    If you enter your current weight and goals into MFP, it will generate a calorie goal for you. That calorie goal doesn't include exercise, so if you exercise you could eat even more than that. So if your goal is 1,300 calories a day to lose weight and you burn 200 calories in a workout, you could then eat 1,500 calories and still lose that pound a week.

    With this method, it's important to accurately track the calories you eat (which is why many people recommend a food scale) and understand the calories you're burning (which is why many people recommend that you begin by eating back just a portion of your exercise calories so you don't over-estimate how much you're burning).
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    Aside from tom and exercise, eating a meal that's high in salt content can also make you temporarily retain water that will mask any weight drop attributed to fat loss. The added weight from these sources can easily be 5 lbs or more, but should dissipate within a couple of days.

    I heartily recommend getting a food scale, too. If you have a means of being more accurate as to the calories you are actually consuming in a day, fluctuations in weight from water retention tends to become irrelevant 'noise' after a while. As long as you see your weight trending downwards over time, you'll be doing it right.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    lysslapier wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    lysslapier wrote: »
    No i do not have a scale, but if it works better than measuring food in cups and tablespoons then I'll definitely try to buy one soon. Also I have a very complicated period schedule, i was supposed to get it last month, does that have a big impact? Thank you for helping

    You're eating more than you think then, and possibly retaining water.

    So I guess a scale would help, huh. And I'll look up ways to get rid of excess water, thanks!

    Drink more water!
  • NikkiiBaby68
    NikkiiBaby68 Posts: 55 Member
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    also many dont realize barometric pressure can affect how a scale weighs by up to 10 lbs.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
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    NikkiiBaby68 wrote: »
    also many dont realize barometric pressure can affect how a scale weighs by up to 10 lbs.

    I'm going to go out on a limb here and say if she's been eating back exercise cals and not weighing her food the problem isn't barometric pressure lol
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,871 Member
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    lysslapier wrote: »
    fascha wrote: »
    Well the problem isn't that you're lazy since you worked hard, but you worked 'wrong'. Get a food scale and be more accurate, you didn't create the deficit you thought you were creating.

    I'm looking at food scales to buy, do you eat as much as you burn? I've researched and I've found like 4 different answers.

    No...your body "burns" calories 24/7...you burn a crap ton of calories just existing...you burn more calories going about your day to day...generally, unless you're an athlete and/or training like one, exercise expenditure is relatively pale in comparison to your basal calories and the calories you burn in your day to day.

    The bigger issue with this tends to be that people underestimate how much they're eating.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    NikkiiBaby68 wrote: »
    also many dont realize barometric pressure can affect how a scale weighs by up to 10 lbs.

    Curious. I need more information.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    No...your body "burns" calories 24/7...you burn a crap ton of calories just existing...you burn more calories going about your day to day...generally, unless you're an athlete and/or training like one, exercise expenditure is relatively pale in comparison to your basal calories and the calories you burn in your day to day.

    This is SO true. Should be a sticky somewhere....
  • chergarr73
    chergarr73 Posts: 59 Member
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    I generally gain 3-5lbs the week BEFORE I start my period...it's usually gone the first or second day of my period...I assume it's water weight. Also, I always gain a few lbs before I start losing anytime I start a new exercise routine.
  • samuelgina91
    samuelgina91 Posts: 158 Member
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    Quick questions how tall are you, or/and what is your target weight? Secondly if you have a tape measure, just measure yourself from a fixed points on your body. Like your waist (at the smallest point), and calf 10 cm from the knee, and thigh 10 cm above the knee bone. Places that you can easily replicated the same spot you measured previously, and record it by date then exercise and continue to weigh yourself to your preference but compare month to month with the number measurements. Or measure using one outfit that is snug on you now and take a picture and repeat same outfit and conditions and do that the next month and compare. Firstly, if you are working out you may be building muscle which weighs more than fat, and that may be why you aren't seeing any changes on the scale. Also it could be water weight, and weight due to inflammation from muscle tears. And it also depends on when you are measuring yourself. Try in the morning after your morning routines but before you eat or drink anything, with or without clothing and use that as a guide and be consistent. Don't get consumed in the numbers. There are also non scale victories like heart rate, how much more you can lift/run/stamina, blood pressure, mood, how well you sleep, skin, and even how toned you may start looking which are all great benefits. So keep at it. If you would like feel free to add me.
  • samuelgina91
    samuelgina91 Posts: 158 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Also if you have access to microsoft excel they have a calorie aromatization template. Try that it calculates BMR, goals, timelines, and adequate calories based on your height and level of activity. It is a great way to see the "math" behind weight loss. And for eating as much as you burn, if you have a diet of 1300 calories, then exercise on top of that then you should eat back a portion of what you have expended on exercise. But machines, monitors, and everything can only give you an estimate of numbers of calories you burned, they notoriously overestimate what you burned. Maybe you should look at giving yourself a few rest days in between workouts. Say on day one if you are doing 30 minutes of weight lifting and another 30 minutes of cardio then make sure you eat at least half those calories back, and on the rest day stick to a lower calorie day like the 1300, and your body will have time to repair from the workout. Honestly nutrition plays a far more important role in weight loss than exercise, and you will be getting hungrier if you exercise as your body releases more grehlin, focus on making those changes in what you are consuming.

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