5 weeks dieting and exercising, no weight lost. HELP!
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I weighed a tbs of almond butter once and was shocked at how easily I could be off by 20 calories. I also think with only 30# to lose you might lose a pound or two a month. Finally, what is your activity level set to in mfp? If sedentary, then something is off. If active, then that might be giving you the calories that you aren’t recording in your exercising. Hang in there. This is a process, with a big learning curve. I’ll be interested to see how things work out for you.0
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I'm 5'1 and I do a similar training schedule that you are doing. Because of my height my calorie allowance is at 1200 but appart from that our settings seem pretty much the same. I found that when I try to be too good and create too much of a deficit by exercising too much and not eating back, my body goes into "survival mode". And it takes everything I eat and drink and keeps it. That means that despite being in deficit I'm not losing weight, my metabolism slows down and I can get mild constipation. When I go back to eating more yet within my allowance, my body shrugs off its cave woman instincts and goes back to normal speed. Maybe that's what is happening to you too.13
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I'm 5'1 and I do a similar training schedule that you are doing. Because of my height my calorie allowance is at 1200 but appart from that our settings seem pretty much the same. I found that when I try to be too good and create too much of a deficit by exercising too much and not eating back, my body goes into "survival mode". And it takes everything I eat and drink and keeps it. That means that despite being in deficit I'm not losing weight, my metabolism slows down and I can get mild constipation. When I go back to eating more yet within my allowance, my body shrugs off its cave woman instincts and goes back to normal speed. Maybe that's what is happening to you too.
your body doesnt do that in a deficit no matter what. the constipation is what is making the scale not budge. your body does not go into survival mode. if that were the case anorexics and those in third world starving countries would not lose weight and their body would fight to keep everything. there is a thing called adaptive thermogenesis where if you eat too little for too long your body will try to reserve energy and so on,but you wont stop losing weight, or else starvation would not exist.
but you would still continue to lose weight as if you dont get enough calories your body will start using fat,muscle and whatever else it can. too much exercise can cause stress on the body,couple that with too little calories for a period of time and that can cause water retention,and an increase in leptin(stress hormone).5 -
annietalken wrote: »Hello, Here are a few things you can do when you get stuck in a rut, if you have not tried them already:
1) Include high intensity interval training during your cardio session. For example: 1 min sprint on level 7 on the treadmill/2 min jog at a 5.5 (use speeds that work for you this is just an example!). The key here is to really get your heart rate up on that one minute sprint. It's not something you could hold for longer than a minute. Repeat for a total of 25 minutes. You can duplicate this type of workout on any cardio machine, on a trail or at a track. Stick with this style of training from now on. Steady state exercise is not very effective when you are trying cut fat.
2) Track the amount of weight you are lifting so you can properly progress your weight. One of the keys to losing fat is progressively increasing the amount of weight you lift. Key exercises like barbell squat, barbell deadlift, barbell chest press are great additions to your workouts. These may sound intimidating but you can always youtube them and try them with just a bar and no weight. I know that Kayla uses weight in her workouts so track that as well. Challenge yourself to increase the weight by 5lbs every time an exercise starts to get too east. 10 lbs if it's a barbell.
Include work outs that are heavier weight than you are used to(but can control) and do fewer reps. 8 to 10
3) If all else fails, try eating about 500 calories more than you would for one day, spread them throughout the day. Eat healthy carbs like brown rice, sweet potato etc. Especially before a cardio session! Carbs fuel our workouts especially, endurance exercise. Only do this for one day and then go back to eating your regular diet.
4)I'm taking a sports nutrition class with the head registered dietician at Kaiser, and I can promise you carbs are not your enemy. You need healthy carbs to fuel exercise. Not processed refined carbs like what you find in muffins, cookies and cakes. You need the whole foods mentioned above, brown rice, legumes, sweet potatoes and so on. It looks like your diet is a bit low in that. If you want to really bring the intensity up in your workouts to make them more effective don't cut the carbs!
5) Obviously check with your Dr. Always good to get labs done, and see if you can learn more. If you are healthy I would try out the above and really stick to it for four weeks. You will see progress as long as your calories are correct and you are really pushing yourself in your workouts.
6) Two great resources are: Sport Nutrition Guidebook by Nancy Clark and Thinner Leaner Stronger by Micheal Matthews These are based on solid academic research and are most trusted books when it comes to nutrition and weight issues.
Best of luck,
A
Hi, thank you for the advice!
1. The reason I do just straight cardio, walking or jogging is because that is what the routine I'm doing recommends. The three workout days are HIIT and then you're supposed to do two days of lower intensity workouts
. I will consider switching up those days to include some HIIT as well, but I like having those days as "recovery days" but still getting some exercise.
2. That's a great idea! Right now I've been lifting usually 8 pounds each arm depending on the number of reps I'm doing and what kind of lifting. My arms are kind of weak right now. I'm trying to strengthen them and get 12 pounds to be my new normal, and then move up to 15. I don't currently have a regular gym membership, though I just started Orange Theory yesterday, I'll have to look up bars and see if they're inexpensive to buy.
3. Another great idea, I'll try that!
4. Okay, I'm glad to hear that because I was feeling a little attacked for eating veggie/fruit/rice carbs. I never (at least not in the last two months) buy refined carbs or processed foods. I was thinking I was eating a good amount of them because I have sweet potato, rice, etc every day but maybe for those 500 extra calories I'll incorporate some more healthy carbs and see if anything changes.
5/6: Thank you! I actually think I have the Sport Nutrition Guidebook that I borrowed from a friend and never got around to reading. I'll have to see if I still have it. I'm really anxious to see some changes so I'm going to try and follow all of your advice! Thanks again!
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CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »measuring cups can be off by a lot. so can 2 pieces of meat,cheese,fruit,.etc the same size. two apples the same size can be different in weight and calories. I learned the hard way by not weighing everything. I started gaining weight I lost back. I was using measuring cups. and rice is high in calories so rice should be weighed dry.. a cup of something dry tends to be more than a cup weight wise.even packaged food can be off by up to 20%. it is easy to eat more than you think without even trying.
I'm not measuring everything in cups. I measure 2-3 things out of my entire diet using cups and I'm 100% certain it is not enough off to cause weight stall. I don't eat packaged food or cheese either. I know I'm probably seeming belligerent about this, but it's because I refuse to believe that not weighing a few things out of my entire diet is causing weight stall to this degree. At most the deviance is less than 100 calories. Those things I measure rather than weigh, I don't even fill the measuring cups up to the top.2 -
fiddletime wrote: »I weighed a tbs of almond butter once and was shocked at how easily I could be off by 20 calories. I also think with only 30# to lose you might lose a pound or two a month. Finally, what is your activity level set to in mfp? If sedentary, then something is off. If active, then that might be giving you the calories that you aren’t recording in your exercising. Hang in there. This is a process, with a big learning curve. I’ll be interested to see how things work out for you.
But here's the thing. The only things I don't weigh are the almond butter, rice (but I measure it), carrots (I eat 10 of them), almonds (I eat 7 of them), salt, and lime juice (squeezed from 1/8th of a lime). At MOST I find it hard to believe that I'm off by more than 75 calories. Even with the almond butter and rice, I measure slightly less than the recorded amounts. When I have 1/2 cup rice, I don't fill the measuring cup up fully and the same for the almond butter.
I don't know if I've set my activity level, I have to check. I work out 5 days a week.
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »In your opening post you have numbers after the foods. Are those supposed to be the calories you count from those foods? If so, I want to address the "banana 25".
If you look in my food diary for today, Tuesday, you'll see that for lunch I had 19 calories of banana from 21 grams of banana. That little slice of banana was about 1 inch long. This morning in my smoothie I had a whole banana, which was about 7 or 8 inches long, and it weight 113 grams and it gave me close to 100 calories.
My point is, I'm the only who I know that eats a tiny piece of banana and gets anywhere close to 25 calories for it.
If you are eating a whole banana, you are very likely getting 100 calories from it.
Besides, there are numerous other things in your opening post that make me think you have no idea what calories you are consuming.
Get a scale. Use it. Find the USDA food database. Use it. Take care of yourself. That dizzy stuff is a problem you need to fix.
You might want to address where I say banana (WEIGHED). I'm not eating a whole banana. I eat 29-30 grams banana (it's usually about 1/4 of the banana or close) that equals 25 calories. I cut it up and use it as a topping for my yogurt and save the rest for later. I clearly stated that I weigh it. It's pretty presumptuous to assume you're the only one that easts 19 calories of banana.
I'm a little annoyed that you feel I don't have any idea how many calories I'm eating when I've looked up every single item of food in my diet. NUMEROUS other things? Like what? I HAVE a food scale and use it. I also said I only get dizzy IF I eat less than I'm currently eating.7 -
What is the intensity of the current exercise you are doing? On a scale of 1-10, how hard is it?
Also, I’d strongly recommend including more resistance training in your programme. Rely less on the weighing scales and more on body measurements such as hips/waist. Sometimes it’s just a case of fine tuning things that you’re doing already, so don’t feel demotivated, keep on going!0 -
... Are you weighing using grams? Don't trust measuring cups.
I'm wary on the calories listed for half a cup of rice. That seems to be waaaayyy too low. (Note: 1/4th cup/45g of my rice is 155 calories)
Edit that doesn't have to do with my bad spelling:
The error on that item alone would move me from a deficit to maintenance, so I'm wanting to make sure. Rice should be measured dry, uncooked, by the gram.2 -
jumpsquats wrote: »What is the intensity of the current exercise you are doing? On a scale of 1-10, how hard is it?
Also, I’d strongly recommend including more resistance training in your programme. Rely less on the weighing scales and more on body measurements such as hips/waist. Sometimes it’s just a case of fine tuning things that you’re doing already, so don’t feel demotivated, keep on going!
1-10, usually 6 or higher for the Kayla Itsines program I'm doing and 4-5 for my low intensity recovery days. And I just started Orange Theory fitness and that was an 8 or higher in intensity. Both Kayla and Orange Theory include weights and resistance training, should I still incorporate more? Do you have any good recommendations for how to incorporate more resistance training at home? I don't have a regular gym membership, so I only have access to my dumbbells and kettlebell at home. Thanks for the suggestions!
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fiddletime wrote: »I weighed a tbs of almond butter once and was shocked at how easily I could be off by 20 calories. I also think with only 30# to lose you might lose a pound or two a month. Finally, what is your activity level set to in mfp? If sedentary, then something is off. If active, then that might be giving you the calories that you aren’t recording in your exercising. Hang in there. This is a process, with a big learning curve. I’ll be interested to see how things work out for you.
But here's the thing. The only things I don't weigh are the almond butter, rice (but I measure it), carrots (I eat 10 of them), almonds (I eat 7 of them), salt, and lime juice (squeezed from 1/8th of a lime). At MOST I find it hard to believe that I'm off by more than 75 calories. Even with the almond butter and rice, I measure slightly less than the recorded amounts. When I have 1/2 cup rice, I don't fill the measuring cup up fully and the same for the almond butter.
I don't know if I've set my activity level, I have to check. I work out 5 days a week.
not weighing rice and using a measuring cup, not weighing almond butter can add up to 75 calories or more if you are off. your 2 tbsp of almond butter can be more like 3 or more. the rice can be a LOT more if you arent weighing it and are only using measuring cups. trust me on that note it can make a big difference. why dont you try weighing these things for a short time and see how close you are compared to using a measuring cup/eyeballing portions just to get an idea. a serving of almonds if its 7 and you weigh them out could mean 5 or 6 is a serving. sure that may not be a lot of calories ,but since the almond butter and rice are higher in calories then yes it could mean you are way off.
not to mention making sure you have correct entries for these foods. some of the entries on mfp are way off so that could have an impact. activity level is just for your daily activities such as your job. activity level doesnt include exercise.The more exercise you do the more water you will retain as well which can mask weight loss.4 -
Maybe your scale is broken? Is it a digital or just a regular one? My regular scale broke and stopped being accurate so I bought a digital scale that measures by two-tenths.0
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I know it sounds ridiculous but try weighing out your rice and almond butter every day. I found my 2tbsp of peanut butter was always about 50-100 calories over and I didn't overfill the measuring thing. I also found cereal when I measured it (1/2c) and then weighed to compare, it was actually about 50-75 calories over. Might be similar for rice especially because rice can vary greatly depending on how packed it is in the measuring cup. I've found baby carrots are usually more than 4 calories per carrot. 10 for me is usually around 50-60.
If you are off by a few hundred calories it could easily cause this stall since you are sill losing albeit at a slow pace. It makes sense that you are just losing slowly if you are eating a few hundred more than expected. It sounds like you are doing great but you are just losing very slowly right? I know how frustrating it must be but I really think if you weigh out all your food for awhile you can figure out if you are a bit over and if not, then eliminate that as a possibility you know.
This is a very eye opening thread http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10543923/why-should-i-use-a-food-scale/p11 -
Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »I know it sounds ridiculous but try weighing out your rice and almond butter every day. I found my 2tbsp of peanut butter was always about 50-100 calories over and I didn't overfill the measuring thing. I also found cereal when I measured it (1/2c) and then weighed to compare, it was actually about 50-75 calories over. Might be similar for rice especially because rice can vary greatly depending on how packed it is in the measuring cup. I've found baby carrots are usually more than 4 calories per carrot. 10 for me is usually around 50-60.
If you are off by a few hundred calories it could easily cause this stall since you are sill losing albeit at a slow pace. It makes sense that you are just losing slowly if you are eating a few hundred more than expected. It sounds like you are doing great but you are just losing very slowly right? I know how frustrating it must be but I really think if you weigh out all your food for awhile you can figure out if you are a bit over and if not, then eliminate that as a possibility you know.
This is a very eye opening thread http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10543923/why-should-i-use-a-food-scale/p1
I’m being belligerent about the whole while weighing thing because I’ve done this exact same diet before (except I ONLY measured foods) and had a lower level of activity where I worked out 2-3 and lost weight at a rate of 1-1.5 lbs per week. For me, I work 7 days a week and even though I prep most foods at home, I have to prepare or measure some of my food on the go, so it’s much more feasible for me to bring a measuring cup rather than a scale and start weighing out foods while I’m at work.
I’m getting frustrated because I’m more precise than I was before. Yeah, okay okay I’ll weigh the stupid rice and freaking almond butter if people really think that’s the problem, but I’m having Hard time believing it’s the reason I’m not losing. I actually gained back that 1.2 lbs so I’m a little grumpy.8 -
Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »I know it sounds ridiculous but try weighing out your rice and almond butter every day. I found my 2tbsp of peanut butter was always about 50-100 calories over and I didn't overfill the measuring thing. I also found cereal when I measured it (1/2c) and then weighed to compare, it was actually about 50-75 calories over. Might be similar for rice especially because rice can vary greatly depending on how packed it is in the measuring cup. I've found baby carrots are usually more than 4 calories per carrot. 10 for me is usually around 50-60.
If you are off by a few hundred calories it could easily cause this stall since you are sill losing albeit at a slow pace. It makes sense that you are just losing slowly if you are eating a few hundred more than expected. It sounds like you are doing great but you are just losing very slowly right? I know how frustrating it must be but I really think if you weigh out all your food for awhile you can figure out if you are a bit over and if not, then eliminate that as a possibility you know.
This is a very eye opening thread http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10543923/why-should-i-use-a-food-scale/p1
I’m being belligerent about the whole while weighing thing because I’ve done this exact same diet before (except I ONLY measured foods) and had a lower level of activity where I worked out 2-3 and lost weight at a rate of 1-1.5 lbs per week. For me, I work 7 days a week and even though I prep most foods at home, I have to prepare or measure some of my food on the go, so it’s much more feasible for me to bring a measuring cup rather than a scale and start weighing out foods while I’m at work.
I’m getting frustrated because I’m more precise than I was before. Yeah, okay okay I’ll weigh the stupid rice and freaking almond butter if people really think that’s the problem, but I’m having Hard time believing it’s the reason I’m not losing. I actually gained back that 1.2 lbs so I’m a little grumpy.
weight loss is also not linear so if you lose one day and are up 1.2 lbs it could be water retention or waste retention or a fluctuation from that time of the month.some weeks you will lose,some you may gain and some the scale wont budge at all. as you get older your body changes so what might have worked before may not work now,you may have to be more accurate.
I lost weight using measuring cups at first and moving more. but then after several months I started gaining the weight back,couldnt understand why. I was eating the same amount of calories for a higher weight and eating more calories than I needed. once I came here and entered my info and started using a food scale the weight started coming off. its really easy to be off on food and eat more than you think,I have been there and done that.2 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »I know it sounds ridiculous but try weighing out your rice and almond butter every day. I found my 2tbsp of peanut butter was always about 50-100 calories over and I didn't overfill the measuring thing. I also found cereal when I measured it (1/2c) and then weighed to compare, it was actually about 50-75 calories over. Might be similar for rice especially because rice can vary greatly depending on how packed it is in the measuring cup. I've found baby carrots are usually more than 4 calories per carrot. 10 for me is usually around 50-60.
If you are off by a few hundred calories it could easily cause this stall since you are sill losing albeit at a slow pace. It makes sense that you are just losing slowly if you are eating a few hundred more than expected. It sounds like you are doing great but you are just losing very slowly right? I know how frustrating it must be but I really think if you weigh out all your food for awhile you can figure out if you are a bit over and if not, then eliminate that as a possibility you know.
This is a very eye opening thread http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10543923/why-should-i-use-a-food-scale/p1
I’m being belligerent about the whole while weighing thing because I’ve done this exact same diet before (except I ONLY measured foods) and had a lower level of activity where I worked out 2-3 and lost weight at a rate of 1-1.5 lbs per week. For me, I work 7 days a week and even though I prep most foods at home, I have to prepare or measure some of my food on the go, so it’s much more feasible for me to bring a measuring cup rather than a scale and start weighing out foods while I’m at work.
I’m getting frustrated because I’m more precise than I was before. Yeah, okay okay I’ll weigh the stupid rice and freaking almond butter if people really think that’s the problem, but I’m having Hard time believing it’s the reason I’m not losing. I actually gained back that 1.2 lbs so I’m a little grumpy.
weight loss is also not linear so if you lose one day and are up 1.2 lbs it could be water retention or waste retention or a fluctuation from that time of the month.some weeks you will lose,some you may gain and some the scale wont budge at all. as you get older your body changes so what might have worked before may not work now,you may have to be more accurate.
I lost weight using measuring cups at first and moving more. but then after several months I started gaining the weight back,couldnt understand why. I was eating the same amount of calories for a higher weight and eating more calories than I needed. once I came here and entered my info and started using a food scale the weight started coming off. its really easy to be off on food and eat more than you think,I have been there and done that.
Fair point, but even if I’m off by 500 calories, which I don’t think I am, I should still be at a deficit. And I understand weight loss isn’t linear, but that 1.2 pound weight gain put me right back where I started meaning I haven’t lost any weight at all in nearly two months. I’m only 29 and this diet worked for me last year, not a decade ago or something like that. I simply have a hard time believing that weighing rather than measuring two things is going to magically make the weight start to fall off. I’ve also stated earlier that when I miss a snack I feel dizzy so if I am somehow underestimating my calories, I don’t see how I can possibly cut any out. I’m hungry half the day as it is.
Someone also suggested eating my exercise calories back since my activity levels have gone up but I don’t really know much about that and with my body not shedding any weight, I’m concerned I’ll just gain weight.
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Anyway, I know I’m seeming grumpy and not open to suggestions, but I really am. I’m just concerned that if if weighing the rice and almond butter results in eating even less, I’m going to feel sick. I’m just discouraged.4
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I don't know if this helps but I've started the Wild Diet by Abel James. It's similar to paleo but not as restrictive. Under this eating plan, I don't have to count calories. However, I've been counting them lately just to get an idea of how many I'm taking in. According to Abel, counting calories doesn't work. This fits what I'm trying to do. Might not work for everyone but I encourage you to take a look at it.20
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Anyway, I know I’m seeming grumpy and not open to suggestions, but I really am. I’m just concerned that if if weighing the rice and almond butter results in eating even less, I’m going to feel sick. I’m just discouraged.
I am sorry you're feeling so discouraged. I have similar stats to you, except I started a bit lighter and my goal is a bit lower, and I am a whole heck of a lot older
I hope you can see that what people are trying to offer here is the only help that we, distant from you on the internet, can offer. If you eat at a deficit, patiently and consistently, you will lose weight. That's how our bodies work.
Good luck and whatever you do, don't give up. You are the only one who can figure this one out, and I encourage you to experiment until you do. What have you got to lose? <<-- see what I did there1 -
GrayRider61 wrote: »I don't know if this helps but I've started the Wild Diet by Abel James. It's similar to paleo but not as restrictive. Under this eating plan, I don't have to count calories. However, I've been counting them lately just to get an idea of how many I'm taking in. According to Abel, counting calories doesn't work. This fits what I'm trying to do. Might not work for everyone but I encourage you to take a look at it.
counting calories does work though. and it doesnt matter if you count them or not your body does. so if you arent in a deficit you wont lose weight. its that simple. even with a health issue you will still lose weight in a deficit. if you arent counting and you are losing then you are in a deficit.7
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