Calories vs exercises I'm confused

shyness85
shyness85 Posts: 6 Member
edited November 17 in Health and Weight Loss
So I'm 5'2 and 166lbs. I've been doing T25 (I'm on week 5 day 4 of the Alpha round) personally I didn't think I needed to lose much weight but du to a umbilical hernia I'm getting removed the surgeon said I needed to get to a healthy weight in 3 months (which I'm assuming is according to my bmi). I started of at 177, I've lost 11lbs but now it seems to be a standstill. My calorie intake is 1200 so I'm wondering if I'm not eating enough for the amount of exercise I do? I don't eat meat or dairy either. I have 30 lbs to lose ( according to my bmi) I'm so frustrated

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    How long has it been since you've lost weight?
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  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    shyness85 wrote: »
    So I'm 5'2 and 166lbs. I've been doing T25 (I'm on week 5 day 4 of the Alpha round) personally I didn't think I needed to lose much weight but du to a umbilical hernia I'm getting removed the surgeon said I needed to get to a healthy weight in 3 months (which I'm assuming is according to my bmi). I started of at 177, I've lost 11lbs but now it seems to be a standstill. My calorie intake is 1200 so I'm wondering if I'm not eating enough for the amount of exercise I do? I don't eat meat or dairy either. I have 30 lbs to lose ( according to my bmi) I'm so frustrated

    If it hasn't been too long (a week or two) try upping your water intake because salt can cause water retention and also water helps to rebuild muscles after exercise. Try taking a break from exercise for a couple days and then weigh yourself. *Sometimes* when I do that my weight falls right off. Adding new exercise can cause your weight to stall sometimes and you need a break. Then it might all fall off at once (I've had 5lbs just come off within a couple days because I was retaining so much water).
  • martyn4314
    martyn4314 Posts: 8 Member
    BMI is a load of bollocks !!
    According to the BMI scale I'm morbidly obese....I'm 6"1 and 217lbs . I'm a fireman and am extremely fit and strong. If you read into it you'll know it's all crap
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited April 2017
    martyn4314 wrote: »
    BMI is a load of bollocks !!
    According to the BMI scale I'm morbidly obese....I'm 6"1 and 217lbs . I'm a fireman and am extremely fit and strong. If you read into it you'll know it's all crap

    On the BMI chart, you would be "overweight," not "mobidly obese."

    BMI being misleading in a small percentage of very muscular people doesn't mean that -- on a general population level -- it can't help indicate when someone might have an issue. Do you really think OP's doctor wants her to lose weight due to muscle weight?
  • shyness85
    shyness85 Posts: 6 Member
    martyn4314 wrote: »
    BMI is a load of bollocks !!
    According to the BMI scale I'm morbidly obese....I'm 6"1 and 217lbs . I'm a fireman and am extremely fit and strong. If you read into it you'll know it's all crap

    yes mine says im obese too, im trying to figure out where......ive been so emotional about it
  • shyness85
    shyness85 Posts: 6 Member
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    shyness85 wrote: »
    So I'm 5'2 and 166lbs. I've been doing T25 (I'm on week 5 day 4 of the Alpha round) personally I didn't think I needed to lose much weight but du to a umbilical hernia I'm getting removed the surgeon said I needed to get to a healthy weight in 3 months (which I'm assuming is according to my bmi). I started of at 177, I've lost 11lbs but now it seems to be a standstill. My calorie intake is 1200 so I'm wondering if I'm not eating enough for the amount of exercise I do? I don't eat meat or dairy either. I have 30 lbs to lose ( according to my bmi) I'm so frustrated

    If it hasn't been too long (a week or two) try upping your water intake because salt can cause water retention and also water helps to rebuild muscles after exercise. Try taking a break from exercise for a couple days and then weigh yourself. *Sometimes* when I do that my weight falls right off. Adding new exercise can cause your weight to stall sometimes and you need a break. Then it might all fall off at once (I've had 5lbs just come off within a couple days because I was retaining so much water).

    Ill try that thank you, the program is 25 minutes of working out mon-thu and double workout (50 min) on fridays, maybe thats too much? not enough rest in between?
  • RosieS_1980
    RosieS_1980 Posts: 61 Member
    I had an appointment with my heart specialist this week and the nurse told me my bmi was too high and I need to lose weight - the doctor told her off and pointed out that I was clearly very lean and it was muscle weight. They really need to change the use of bmi for medical practices. While it can be a marker it's hardly reliable, especially when a lot of nurses don't seem to have any common sense.

    If you're having 2 rest days over the weekend that's plenty, I wouldn't say you're doing too much :)
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,749 Member
    If you are eating back your exercise calories, you may be eating more than you are actually burning. Are you weighing/measuring every single thing you eat? It's easy to forget things like oil for cooking when logging your intake.
  • shyness85
    shyness85 Posts: 6 Member
    If you are eating back your exercise calories, you may be eating more than you are actually burning. Are you weighing/measuring every single thing you eat? It's easy to forget things like oil for cooking when logging your intake.

    i dont eat back my exercice calories. Im entering everything i eat in the app. i think i just need to relax a bit, me loosing as much weight as requested will put me at an unhappy weight. Shes just going to have to deal with it and remove the hernia (which isnt bothersome) or refuse to do it. Also i should add that i do have 3 kids and a distasis Recti (idk if that changes anything however)
  • shyness85
    shyness85 Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks for all the tips :smiley::blush:
  • Blitzia
    Blitzia Posts: 205 Member
    It sounds like you're doing everything right - there's no such thing as starvation mode, so too few calories or not enough rest in your exercise routine wouldn't make your weight loss stall. (There are of course other reasons to make sure you're eating enough and not over exercising, but weight loss stalls shouldn't be related to either of these issues.)

    How long has been since your weight has decreased? As other posters have said, fluctuations and changes in water weight can make it seem like your weight loss has stalled. It should just be temporary, and over a longer period of time it should even out. Time of the month is another factor that can mask your weight loss. In general, if you've already lost 11 pounds in 5 weeks, that is fantastic progress and indicative that you're doing this right. I think you should speak with your doctor again because it sounds like his comments have caused a lot of stress for you. Ask him for a specific goal weight or number of pounds to lose and how quickly he expects you to lose the weight. I think you're making great progress so it's a shame that you're stressed out due to (what sounds like) vague doctor recommendations.
  • TheCupcakeCounter
    TheCupcakeCounter Posts: 606 Member
    Keep doing what you are doing, maybe up your water intake as suggested, and relax. If you lose the right way through good diet and exercise you will be fine. They do surgery all the time on people without healthy BMI all the time so I doubt they will refuse but losing some weight will help reduce certain risks associated with surgery.
    In no way would I clarify you as obese and 30 lbs is a lot to lose.
    At 5'2" getting under 150 isn't a bad idea but I don't think 130-135 is critical for you to be at for surgery or to live a good life and be happy and healthy. A good dozen+ years ago I went to see my lady doctor and got her NP. Without even looking up from the chart she told me I needed to lose weight as I was significantly overweight and approaching obese. At the time I was about 21, 5'9" and under 150lbs with lots of muscle. I literally wore a bathing suit every day and worked out for a living teaching swimming, aqua fitness, and aerobics classes in addition to my required workouts for employment (free health insurance through the hospital we worked for it we logged 4 workouts a week plus I needed to swim a certain number of laps each week as part of our continuing ed and recert). I told her to look at me before she started talking and she had better apologize or I would report her to the hospital. All I got was "I guess you are kind of fit but you should still lose some weight because BMI blah blah blah". I reported her and she was let go since I was not the only complaint. Your surgeon must be old school since they don't really use BMI all that much anymore. At my last physical, when I actually was quite overweight, my doctor got all pissed off and went on a rant because the insurance form wanted her to put down BMI and she thinks it is a load of bunk.
  • shyness85
    shyness85 Posts: 6 Member
    Blitzia wrote: »
    It sounds like you're doing everything right - there's no such thing as starvation mode, so too few calories or not enough rest in your exercise routine wouldn't make your weight loss stall. (There are of course other reasons to make sure you're eating enough and not over exercising, but weight loss stalls shouldn't be related to either of these issues.)

    How long has been since your weight has decreased? As other posters have said, fluctuations and changes in water weight can make it seem like your weight loss has stalled. It should just be temporary, and over a longer period of time it should even out. Time of the month is another factor that can mask your weight loss. In general, if you've already lost 11 pounds in 5 weeks, that is fantastic progress and indicative that you're doing this right. I think you should speak with your doctor again because it sounds like his comments have caused a lot of stress for you. Ask him for a specific goal weight or number of pounds to lose and how quickly he expects you to lose the weight. I think you're making great progress so it's a shame that you're stressed out due to (what sounds like) vague doctor recommendations.

    Thank you, i will go see my family doctor. I also have PCOS, so time of the month is 1-2 a year, maybe that also plays a factor
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