I finally found what worked!
Kristen22297
Posts: 2 Member
I started my weight loss journey on June 25th of this year, and for a whole month an a half, I worked out 4-6 times a week (cardio and weights) and cut down to 1200 calories, usually going over a bit on Saturdays. My starting weight was 187. But I didn't lose any weight! I actually went up even higher at first, to 192, and fluctuated from 192 to 188 for a month and a half. So starting Sunday I switched it up. I started paying attention to macros, upped my water intake even more (which I didn't think possible), only do cardio, and started only eating between 1pm and 6pm. It was hard at first, but it didn't give me the opportunity to snack, and I think that's what helped. I also get full a lot easier now. I had weighed myself on Sunday, 6 days ago, and I was 191 pounds. I'm now 183! And I'm still eating the same amount of calories. So basically this post is just to tell people to switch things up if they aren't working. I was getting really discouraged.
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Replies
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I found when I switched to Intermittent Fasting (like you, eating in a short window) I snacked less as well. I then realized that sometimes I snacked without logging or not logging accurately, so my real calorie intake went down. That's great you found a way to help you stick to it and start seeing some progress.
I also want to point out that when you stop lifting weights you lose water weight, since we retain water to repair muscles. Not trying to put a damper on your weight loss.17 -
1200 net or gross?
You would have been holding a bunch of water as mentioned due to all the sudden new exercise, it's not uncommon for people to gain and stay there for a few weeks when activity increased. The fact you had such a large whoosh shows that you were losing it was just masked. You don't lose 8lbs in a matter of days unless a good portion is water.
I'd encourage you to pick the weights back up, it's the way to minimise muscle loss. Cardio is great for heart and lung health and more to eat.14 -
I do Jillian Michaels beginner shred workout everyday, im on workout 2 now day 5, i also have been walking everyday, and I noticed my weight went up by 2 lbs ,the two lbs I'd lost last week , which bummed me out,could it really be due to the strength training exercises? I pretty much stick to the calories im suppose to eat,after doing my workout im a bit under. Will the water weight keep going up if i continue to do jillians workout?1
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Nykkismommy21 wrote: »I do Jillian Michaels beginner shred workout everyday, im on workout 2 now day 5, i also have been walking everyday, and I noticed my weight went up by 2 lbs ,the two lbs I'd lost last week , which bummed me out,could it really be due to the strength training exercises? I pretty much stick to the calories im suppose to eat,after doing my workout im a bit under. Will the water weight keep going up if i continue to do jillians workout?
Water weight from exercise doesn't keep going up and up. (If it did, super muscular people would have loads of water weight, right? And they don't.
).
You add water weight at first. If you're in a calorie deficit, your fat loss will outpace it soon enough.
I don't weight train in rowing season, but sometimes do in Winter. I followed this pattern while losing weight, at a time when my loss rate was very, very predictable. I gained about 2 otherwise-unexplained pounds when I started weight training in Fall, and lost about 2 otherwise-unexplained pounds when I stopped in Spring. (I also lost 10 pounds or so of well-explained fat in between. ) 9 -
Great job! Intermittent Fast is awesome for this exact reason. It keeps your calories in check because of the smaller eating window. Fasting for longer periods is supposed to do wonders for the body.16
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This is great, just be aware that weight loss comes from consistently eating fewer calories than you burn, not from when you eat them, so scheduling your eating just helps you stick to your calorie goal. If you didn't lose weight from June 25 to August 13, it was because you didn't eat 1200 calories. But you may have lost weight, you just couldn't see it because of water weight from exercise. You'd have to examine your food logging to find out.
I find great relief in knowing that weight management and nutrition follow the same laws as other natural phenomena. Understanding the process, and separating the necessary from the effective, was what really helped me enjoy the weight loss phase and almost effortlessly maintain a healthy weight afterwards.14 -
Kristen22297 wrote: »I started my weight loss journey on June 25th of this year, and for a whole month an a half, I worked out 4-6 times a week (cardio and weights) and cut down to 1200 calories, usually going over a bit on Saturdays. My starting weight was 187. But I didn't lose any weight! I actually went up even higher at first, to 192, and fluctuated from 192 to 188 for a month and a half. So starting Sunday I switched it up. I started paying attention to macros, upped my water intake even more (which I didn't think possible), only do cardio, and started only eating between 1pm and 6pm. It was hard at first, but it didn't give me the opportunity to snack, and I think that's what helped. I also get full a lot easier now. I had weighed myself on Sunday, 6 days ago, and I was 191 pounds. I'm now 183! And I'm still eating the same amount of calories. So basically this post is just to tell people to switch things up if they aren't working. I was getting really discouraged.
Good for you. That all sounds very complicated. I hope you can stick with it long enough to get to goal, and then keep it off.
I just ate whatever and whenever I felt like within my calorie limit and lost 80lbs, and have kept it off the same way for 16 months so far. I'm running my first marathon next Sunday, and have never felt better.
Read the stickies to learn how to count calories accurately.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads16 -
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WooHoo!!!!! I LOVE IF! I do 5:2 or 4:3 when I'm faithful to it. I always lose those weeks. This week I lost 2.4 lbs, ate really well and I didn't exercise at all this week which is unusual for me. Not only that but all my body systems work better when I do IF. Congratulations1
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WooHoo!!!!! I LOVE IF! I do 5:2 or 4:3 when I'm faithful to it. I always lose those weeks. This week I lost 2.4 lbs, ate really well and I didn't exercise at all this week which is unusual for me. Not only that but all my body systems work better when I do IF. Congratulations
Again, can you elaborate?3 -
I eat all day every day. From January 27th to current day I am down 72lbs.
For two weeks when I started lifting heavier (two weeks ago), my weight loss stalled. I was eating approx 1500 calories at the time and burning about 600 calories. I then upped it to between 1800-2000 calories and I lost 2lbs.
My point being, there is lots of variations we can try. So if IF works, then try that but is it sustainable? If you aren't losing weight, it could be you are eating too little (like me), so play around with calories.
Always always weigh your food too!
Well done on your progress OP.3 -
JoJosAnatomymfp wrote: »I eat all day every day. From January 27th to current day I am down 72lbs.
For two weeks when I started lifting heavier (two weeks ago), my weight loss stalled. I was eating approx 1500 calories at the time and burning about 600 calories. I then upped it to between 1800-2000 calories and I lost 2lbs
My point being, there is lots of variations we can try. So if IF works, then try that but is it sustainable? If you aren't losing weight, it could be you are eating too little (like me), so play around with calories.
Always always weigh your food too!
Well done on your progress OP.
It is very common to stall or even temporarily increase weight when starting a new or elevated exercise program because your body will retain water for muscle repair. So your correlation between eating more calories and a sudden decrease in weight is nothing more that a coincidence of timing. Eating more *never* results in weightloss.
Question for you: When you were eating approximately 1500 calories and burning about 600 through exercise, does that mean you were netting about 900 calories per day? Or were you eating back some or all of those 600 calories?6 -
That's not how it works. You may be retaining water from exercise, and fluctuations (and 2 pounds are well within normal fluctuations) can mask weight loss, but eating too little is not stalling weight loss.JoJosAnatomymfp wrote: »I eat all day every day. From January 27th to current day I am down 72lbs.
For two weeks when I started lifting heavier (two weeks ago), my weight loss stalled. I was eating approx 1500 calories at the time and burning about 600 calories. I then upped it to between 1800-2000 calories and I lost 2lbs.
My point being, there is lots of variations we can try. So if IF works, then try that but is it sustainable? If you aren't losing weight, it could be you are eating too little (like me), so play around with calories.
That's how it worksAlways always weigh your food
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snickerscharlie wrote: »
Why don't you read about it?. The effects of fasting on the body..10 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »
Why don't you read about it?. The effects of fasting on the body..
I can Google "the effects of apple cider vinegar on the body" and read a whole bunch of claims about what it does, that doesn't make those claims true. There has been in influx of IF threads here lately, I'm wondering if it's now become a weight loss fad where many people believe it has more effects than it actually does.15 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »
Why don't you read about it?. The effects of fasting on the body..
lol...YOU made the claim - then tell other people to go find evidence of your claim??11 -
Muscleflex79 wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »
Why don't you read about it?. The effects of fasting on the body..
lol...YOU made the claim - then tell other people to go find evidence of your claim??
^^This.
Anyone making a statement such as "Fasting for longer periods is supposed to do wonders for the body" should be prepared to:
1) Be more specific when asked about these "wonders"
2) Back up these claims with evidence when asked to.
Of course, Option 3 is simply not to make claims that you are unprepared or unwilling to support. That works, too.
Posting speculation or unsubstantiated opinion may be fine on Facebook, but just doesn't work out so well here on MFP.
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Thanks for the comments everyone! I only do IF because I find personally that it helps me plan my 2 meals around calories a lot easier. I eat 1200 calories and don't eat back my exercise calories. I've resumed weight training as well and we'll see how that goes with cardio too.2
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Kristen22297 wrote: »Thanks for the comments everyone! I only do IF because I find personally that it helps me plan my 2 meals around calories a lot easier. I eat 1200 calories and don't eat back my exercise calories. I've resumed weight training as well and we'll see how that goes with cardio too.
If you are certain your calorie tracking is bang on, 1200 calories without eating back any of your exercise calories will not provide you with enough nutrients to sustain yourself in a healthy way, I'm afraid.
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