How long do i need in the gym

I am a little confused - You state that you have been going to the gym almost daily for the past 6 weeks, but you only mention your weight loss for the last 12 days. What has been your total weight loss for the past 6 weeks?

First, 12 days is not long enough to get an accurate picture of your weight loss. Our weight fluctuates based on water retention, among other things. For women, the time of the month, is a factor.

Having said that, I agree with the above poster that 2 pounds lost in 12 days is a good rate. I do not think that your goal of losing 46 pounds in 15 weeks is appropriate. That is about 3 pounds a week. You should be aiming for about 1% of your weight per week. What do you have as your weekly weight loss goal set for in MFP?

Once you have set a reasonable weight loss goal, then you need to be sure you are tracking your calories accurately. Many people will tell you that you need a food scale to accurately measure what you are eating.

I agree with the above poster - weight loss is all about calories in/calories out - it can be done without exercise, although exercise does provide many benefits.

You don't need more time in the gym. I imagine you have a life you want to live as well. The rate you are losing at is a healthy rate, I wouldn't change anything there. Your work out needs help tho. I think you first need to define your goals. Then you will get better advice. Are you looking to get stronger, reshape your body, or simply lose weight. Once you know what you would like to accomplish. I would check this thread for an appropriate lifting program that matches your goals, then work your cardio around that on the off days. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you#latest
Trying to do a little of everything everyday and doing the same lifts everyday is not a very effective or efficient use of time.

You will be gaining muscle, so the actual weight loss will not tell the whole picture. Take a photo of yourself and compare yourself in a month, if you keep up whats seems to be a very retrictive diet with the amount of excersize you are doing, you will see a great improvement.

LyndsayFalconer wrote: »

At the moment i am not seeing a big improvement in my weight loss. So roughly 2 lbs in 12 days however i seen an update in weight during this period. Am i doing something wrong?

You've got a bunch of varied advice so far. I honestly don't think you're doing anything specifically wrong other than (maybe) not eating enough. You never said how tall you were or your age, so none of us know if 1200 calories is a correct amount for you or not. But assuming it is correct MFP doesn't take into account exercise. Anything additional you do you need to add to those calories. Problem is that if you are not weighing everything with a food scale, it's likely you're underestimating the food you're eating anyway, and probably eating more than 1200 calories a day which is fine if you're exercising the way you describe.

The only real way to be sure, is to get the scale, weigh everything. Add in exercise, and when you do, make sure what is added in is accurate. Use your best judgment by comparing what MFP gives you for specific exercises with other calculators freely available online. Even then I usually still don't eat all those calories back, maybe 50-70% of them. The gym time is a great thing to keep up. Do more if you want, but make sure that if you do you're eating more.

Keep one last thing in mind. Maximum loss rate should be about 2lbs per week. The very overweight or very obese person can maybe lose a bit more at first, but in general 2lbs per week on average is/should be a maximum goal and that's at a very high deficit. You're better off if you can exercise a bit more patience, to set yourself at a goal of 1lb per week. Since you're hitting the gym routinely a loss rate of 1lb per week would help you to keep any muscle mass you already have without sacrificing it to lose at a faster rate. You won't gain much muscle while dieting, but you can strive to keep what you have. 2lbs in 12 days is probably exactly where you want to be, that's about an average of 1lb per week. So either keep on doing what you're doing, or get super accurate with calorie tracking with a food scale and dial in what you want. But honestly, you're where you should be now at that rate.

I managed to lose at an average of 2lbs per week my first year here. It was hell. I ended up injured more than once, fatigued, and it was hard as hell on my body. I don't recommend it. Since then I have dialed things back and am much happier. Granted, I'm now maintaining or doing bulk/cut cycles, but I keep it to no more than 1lb per week loss (or gain for that matter when that's what I want). My fitness is better, so is performance at the things I like to do.

One last thing. Water weight. Women have a harder time with it than men do, but men still experience it. I've gained 5lbs overnight before just by eating a *kitten* ton of salty foods the day before. I've also lost 5lbs overnight by drinking tons of water to flush it all out of my system. So when you see small upticks don't worry it may not mean anything other than whatever you ate the day before was extra tasty (likely because it had extra salt).

Food for thought.