What am I doing wrong?? I could use some input....

whatshesaid · August 2011

I've been doing this for about a month now. Here's what "THIS" is:

- Going to the gym average 4 days a week to do 30 min eliptical and 20 min treadmill (walking uphill, gonna work my way into jogging/running with C25K soon)
- 30 Day Shred average 3-4 days a week

On average per day I burn 500 calories (most days it's over 650

I've been logging my meals, and at first I had a hard time staying within my limit so I changed my weight loss goal to 1lb/week instead of 2 since that wasn't working anyway........ and so now if i'm over it's usually 50-100 which is still way less than I used to eat.

I always eat my exercise calories because I read so many posts telling why this is the best plan.

Just this last week I ramped everything up, i've done the shred every day (I'm on level 3 now), i've gone to the gym everyday during the work week except one day I wasn't feeling well so i still did the shred and went for a walk/jog with my dog at night... I've done better on staying under my calorie goals this week and have been trying to drink lots of water.

This isn't one of those "If i don't see results soon that's it, i quit!!" posts, because i intend this to be a lifestyle change and I do FEEL better, but the scale isn't budging. So far in total in the last month I lost about 3lbs. 2 of those being in the first week and a half and after that I'm lucky if i get 0.5lbs off a week. As of this morning I may have lost like 0.3 this week.

I am frustrated because I feel that i've never put this much of a concentrated effort in all areas before. Any other time I lost weight (not that i'm a professional yo-yoer but i've had my ups and downs), it always seemed to come much easier, just by going for a couple intense 45 min walks a day and trying to eat better but not counting calories.

Am I eating too many calories? Should i NOT eat the exercise calories? Should I stop the eliptical which raises my heartrate to around 150-160 and just walk at a quick pace instead, by that i mean, am i doing the anaerobic stuff instead of the good aerobic stuff that I should be doing?

I truly would love some input, i feel that i'm doing the best I can, not a day goes by that I don't sweat profusely for 30-45 min (possibly TWICE a day) and i'm literally logging everything. Here's a sample of yesterday, which was me on a "good" day - also, I should say that i don't believe in giving up EVERYTHING. I can't live on a carb-free, sugar-free, etc diet - so I still have little treats because if i abstain completely I will end up eating everything at once and regretting it tremendously. This method has worked for me in the past. I'm just concerned that MFP is allowing me too many calories, even with my 600 or so extra earned calories per day....

Yesterday: (I will just post calories and carbs and fat, in that order) ( I'm not comfortable having an open diary but this is a good example of an average day for me, give or take 50-150 calories, which i know isn't great but like I said, i'm trying harder to stay in my goal)

Breakfast:
Slimfast Chocolate PB Banana Smoothie, 1 serving(s)
397 50 19
Tassimo Nabob - Skinny Latte, 1 cup
35 3 0

Morning Snack
Natursouce - Tamari Almonds (1/4 Cup), 1/8 cup
95 3 8

Lunch
Generic - Pitted Kalamata Olives, 12 olives
70 2 6
Costco - Grape Tomatoes, 12 Tomatoes
35 0 0
Country Harvest - 100% Whole Grain (Bread), 1 Slice (45 g)
110 19 2
Egg - Hard Boiled Egg W/Yolk, 1 large
78 1 5
Compliments Balance (Canada) - Mayonnaise Style Dressing, 1.5 tbsp (15ml)
75 2 8

Afternoon Snack
Liberte - 0% Greek Yogurt (Canada) - Strawberry, 142 g
120 18 0

Supper
Compliments - Hot Italian Sausage , 200 g 1 sausage
340 12 20
Cavendish Farms - Rustic Reds Diced Potatoes, 30 pieces
200 33 8
Fresh - Cooked Green Beans, 1/2 cup
40 2 0
Braswell's Select - Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce, 2 tbsp
70 16 1
Bertolli - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 tsp.
80 0 9

Evening Snack
Kozy Shack - Sugar Tapioca Pudding Cup No Sugar Added, 1 container
70 11 1
Spitz - Cracked Pepper Sunflower Seeds, 0.5 oz hulled seeds (28g)
90 3 8

Totals:

calories carbs fat protein fibre sodium

1,905 175 95 90 31 3,658

Your Daily Goal

2,014 277 67 76 23 2,500

Remaining

109 102 - 28 -14 -8 -1,158

**i'm not always that much over with my fat, and usually i'm under with my sodium, not OVER. I'm not worried about protein and fibre, should I be?? I'm trying to limit my carbs but I still eat bread and pasta, just in moderation***

I would genuinely love to hear back on this. I know this place is full of smart, informed people, including "experts" and I am just totally boggled as to why this isn't working. I had better luck when i wasn't exercising and sick with the flu for 3 days, haha. I know i'm not perfect and my eating plans probably need work, i would appreciate positive criticism and suggestions all around, really. Am I not doing the right thing with exercise? I find it VERY hard to believe that i'm not losing weight because I'm gaining muscle.... i mean i doubt it would come on that fast? I feel like i don't have a clue as far as this is concerned, clearly my "best" isn't good enough....

Oh, also I am 5'3" and weigh 172.5lbs, I definitely have a lot to lose, it's not as though it's just the last 10lbs or anything, I'd love to lose 40lbs in a dream world or at least get down to my lowest that I was able to maintain which was about 145lbs (but this time i'll be toned, dammit!)

Nelski · August 2011

Question...are you using a heart rate monitor or are those calories burned based on MFP and/or the Eliptical's estimates? Also, what is the amount of calories that MFP is telling you to net?

jlewis2896 · August 2011

You know, I am definitely not an expert, but I am 5'1" and had the same starting weight as you.

Your workout and eating plan look great, and a 150-160 heart rate is not high enough to be anaerobic. The only thing I would throw at you is to maybe work more targeted strength training into your routine eventually.

I just wanted to tell you that when I started on this journey, it took me a good 7-8 weeks before I saw the scale move. And then when it moved, it freaking ran. I was dropping 2-3lbs. per week. Every body is different, I would say focus more on how you are feeling, and then the rest will just fall into place.

Definitely keep eating back your exercise calories!! Just make sure you are getting your calorie burns from a heart rate monitor. In my experience, the estimated calorie burns are a little high on MFP for us short peeps.

Good luck, and great job so far!!

shadykins · August 2011

I think you are doing all the right things.
Your calories are pretty high though, Im surprised thats what they suggested for you. I am only 5'1" and when I was 161 lbs I was only consuming 1200 calories. I am 143 lbs now and MFP suggested 1200 calories which is doable.
I know the lowest number of calories anybody should eat is 1200 but maybe check with your doctor.
Also dont forget exercise is great so you should keep it up as long as your enjoying it but muscle weighs more then fat so you are adding alot of muscle and wont see the weight loss as much as you would like.
I think your doing a great job...keep up the good work but maybe check with your doc regarding the calorie intake...it seems pretty high to me.
Im not an expert though.

I never took into account the fact that you get more calories depending on the exercise you do and you definitely do alot of exercise so the calories are probably good.

whatshesaid · August 2011

Thanks guys, my daily goal is 1350 calories and then with the exercise I do it brings me up to as much as around 2000 per day. That seems like a lot! The reason it's 1350 as a starting goal rather than 1200 is i found that when my goal was to lose 2lbs per week (HAHAHA, right?) i was having a hard time staying with the 1200 cals, so I changed my goal to 1lb per week and that upped my calories to 1350 as a base. which is much easier for me to do without starving all day!

For the calorie burn during exercise, I go by the machines at the gym, aside from walking/jogging and the 30 day shred which i log as circuit training and just use the MFP amounts.

I suppose a HRM would be a solid investment to give me the actual count!

Also I've been told I should do strength training but in the past it was cardio that made me drop lbs fast so I was kind of hoping that would happen first and then i would incorporate more strength training later... though the Shred does have some of that already!

Nelski · August 2011

I just wanted to tell you that when I started on this journey, it took me a good 7-8 weeks before I saw the scale move. And then when it moved, it freaking ran. I was dropping 2-3lbs. per week. Every body is different, I would say focus more on how you are feeling, and then the rest will just fall into place.

This is true too. This happened to me too a few years ago. When I 1st really started exercising and eating less it took a good 4-5 weeks before I saw the numbers on the scale fall.

SomersetJo · August 2011

Hi Hun
Sorry to hear your not losing as fast as you would like. I have only really started this lark in the last 3 weeks but have managed to lose 6lbs.
I dont eat all my exercise calories but then i have a daily allowance of 1490 per day so stay within or just under that. I also use a treadmill 30 mins per day slight incline and go to the local pool with my kids 3-4 times a week now too.
If you would like to have a look at my diary then i will send a friend request unless you want to send one. Anyhow good luck hun as i cant really suggest anything else apart from what i do and eat everyday.

melaniecheeks · August 2011

Is it high because of the exercise calories? Maybe try not eating them all back?

It's so frustrating when you're putting so much effort in not to see instant results - but this is a long game. Hang on in there!

Nelski · August 2011

Thanks guys, my daily goal is 1350 calories and then with the exercise I do it brings me up to as much as around 2000 per day. That seems like a lot!

For the calorie burn during exercise, I go by the machines at the gym, aside from walking/jogging and the 30 day shred which i log as circuit training and just use the MFP amounts.

I suppose a HRM would be a solid investment to give me the actual count!

Also I've been told I should do strength training but in the past it was cardio that made me drop lbs fast so I was kind of hoping that would happen first and then i would incorporate more strength training later... though the Shred does have some of that already!

It is possible you aren't really burning the 650 you think you are. I know when I did shred I usually only burned about 120-130 a workout. Strength training is important...muscle burns fat. Sometimes when you 1st start strength training you won't see the numbers come down because muscle is retaining water. I would keep doing what you are doing for a few more weeks and see what happens. You may want to consider a hear rate monitor cuz you could really be burning less than you think. Or just cut a couple hundred calories out a day to make room for that possible error. You just have to play around with it and see what ends up working for you. Keep at it!

whatshesaid · August 2011

Thank you, you are probably right. MFP may be inaccurate and I'm allowing myself more calories than I should be, I will look into getting a HRM!

It is possible you aren't really burning the 650 you think you are. I know when I did shred I usually only burned about 120-130 a workout. Strength training is important...muscle burns fat. Sometimes when you 1st start strength training you won't see the numbers come down because muscle is retaining water. I would keep doing what you are doing for a few more weeks and see what happens. You may want to consider a hear rate monitor cuz you could really be burning less than you think. Or just cut a couple hundred calories out a day to make room for that possible error. You just have to play around with it and see what ends up working for you. Keep at it!

Ash_76 · August 2011

forget the scales straight away, because you are training so intensively and eating right, you will be building muscle (which weighs more than fat), use the tape measure and measure stomach across belly button, waist ,hips,thighs and chest, keep track how you change in those areas

LinzLZ · August 2011

Are you taking any medications that my have the side effect of weight gain? I took Zoloft for for 6 months and gained...I was doing P90X 6 days a week and eating VERY healthy and after 30 days never lost an ounce...I was devestated...I had never worked so hard...and never weighed as much as I did. Someone asked me if I was taking any medication...I had my doctor change it and when it was out of my system the weight fell off and I went back to normal.
Good luck!! I admire your hard work and determination to not give up...I know first hand how hard it is!

sjthrash · August 2011

I am 5'2" and started my life style change last November (2010) at 184 lbs with Weight Watchers. To date I have lost right at 40 lbs. Something is wrong with the calories you have been alotted!! I can only have 1200 cals per day (not including exercise calories). I am usually a little under the 1200 cals. I think you need to eat more fruits/veggies! My typical food diary consists of:
Breakfast:
Bowl of cereal with 1/2 c 2% milk
Banana
1/2 Sandwich thins-toasted

Lunch:
Salad with 2 tbs "lite" dressing (Ken's Lite Creamy Ceasar is great!)

Supper:
Varies-Always have some kind of meat (chicken, pork, fish).
We eat before 6pm

Excercise: 3-4 times a week walking on treadmill and/or working out with kettlebell/aerobics.

Remember that muscle weighs more than fat so while you may not be losing weight, you are probably losing inches.

If you would like to add me as a friend, I would be glad to help any way I can. I know how frustrating it can be just getting your "mindset" working. Oh, I forgot one thing...every Saturday I CHEAT!!! I still record it but I go to the local hamburger joint & pig out LOL. It hasn't hurt me & I get that craving out of the way. I even have ice cream.

You can do this...don't give up!! Hugs,
Sandie Thrash

Articeluvsmemphis · August 2011

lol, a lot of people on here think they're "experts," lol. But anyway I hope I can help.

I can sympathize with you because I've been in a plateau and going up and down for the last month and a half-ish. I feel that it was easier when I wasn't counting calories and exercising a little.

So more exercise is not the problem for me or you it seems. You may be burning more/less calories than you think. If it's based off mfp estimates then it's probably going to be less, and then you don't need to eat all those calories.

Try zig-zagging your calories. I went back through my old diary entries and realized that when I was loosing weight, I would have really high days of over 2,000 and low days or 1,200-1,500 as well.

Rest days are important. The day I decided to have a rest day after exercising non-stop for a couple weeks, I lost about a pound during this plateau but put it back on

So yeah all of this is a little bit discouraging, I know, but I say all this just to say, keep it simple. Less seems like it is more.

I LOVE CARBS TOO! Nothing to feel bad about, and CONGRATS on your 3llbs. That's still great. If you stay at 1/2lb every week or 1 pound every week that would be 26-52lbs in a YEAR. when you think about it in the scope of things, makes it seem a lot more worth it

Hope this helps.

tangdalun · August 2011

Hi Whatshesaid,

I'm no expert, but here is what I have learned from my P90X experience and all the advice I received from my coach and others who have all had great success.

1. You must have a calorie deficit each day so start by knowing (roughly) your calories burned from normal daily activity.
2. Do not eat your exercise calories. Your calories consumed from food should be less than your calories burned from normal daily activity. This will start your daily calorie deficit. Not too much because you need food to fuel your exercise. I believe you stated that you are burning 600 calories per day from exercise, so if you consume the same amount that you burn from normal daily activity ( zero deficit), you would maintain your weight, but when you add the 600 calories burned from exercise, you would be at a 600 calorie per day deficit (if everything is perfectly accurate) to burn body fat, 500 calorie per day deficit = 3500 calories deficit per week (7x500=3500) that is 1 pound of body fat lost per week.
3. Since I can not be perfectly accurate about my calories burned from normal daily activity, I took the best research and chose the lower number, for me 1800 calories per day. I consume, right now, 1600 per day. That equals a 200 calories per day deficit before any exercise. So in order to lose 1 pound per week, I would simply need to burn an additional 300 calories per day giving me a total daily deficit of 500 calories.
4. The advice I have been given and try to follow also states that the calories consumed need to come from the right places. Right now, since I am beginning the FAT SHREDDER phase again and exercising very hard, my calories are 50% from protein, 30% from carbs, and 20% from fat. These numbers can of course be tweaked to make you happy in your situation. In my example, the high protein is to allow my body to repair itself, because P90X is hard work, the 20% fat is because in fat shredder, the main goal is to get rid of that adipose tissue that we all hate so much.
5. Just remember to pay attention to your body. If you feel you have no energy to complete your exercises etc., add calories to your daily intake. Eating too little will not help you.

I hope this helps some and wasn't confusing. Do not eat your exercise calories, that defeats the purpose of the exercise. If I burn 1000 calories per day from exercise, I can eat like a pig and not gain an ounce, but I won't lose an ounce either by eating those extra 1000 calories.

sjthrash · August 2011

@tangdalun...this is excellent advice! I'm used to counting points etc with weight watchers. Just started this calorie thing two weeks ago. We'll see how it goes LOL

jemko · August 2011

I'm in a similar boat as you, at 5'1", though my starting weight is actually higher. I've been doing this for almost 5 weeks and I've lost just 2 lbs. I didn't add exercise in until the past week or so, but my calories are generally around 1250-1400, so even without exercise, I should have been losing more, just as a numbers to numbers thing. I'm avoiding most processed foods (with some exceptions, but those are all 'healthier' ones), I'm eating a good amount of protein, fruits and veg, etc.

With my exercise, I'm burning high calories (mostly because of my high starting weight) right now in just 20-30 minutes of bike riding at 18-19 mph. Based on the MFP calculator, and 4 other online calculators I used to be sure the number was accurate, I'm burning 400+ calories on exercise. I'm eating most of those calories back at this point.

So, all of this rambling was pretty much just to say that I understand your frustration, because I feel it, too. I can only hope that at some point in the next few weeks, my body catches up to what I've been working so hard on. If it doesn't, I'll need to reevaluate my food intake and try something different (more protein, less carbs, less sugar, etc.)

GOOD LUCK!!

bookyeti · August 2011

1. You must have a calorie deficit each day so start by knowing (roughly) your calories burned from normal daily activity.

MFP does this for you. That daily deficit (burned from daily activity) is already worked into the system.

That is why when you add your exercise, it adds those calories burned to your calorie goal for the day to help you reach your net goal of at least 1200. So, yes, eat your exercise calories - or at least some of them - or else you won't be eating enough, which is counterproductive for a healthy weight loss.

whatshesaid - you are doing great. Keep up the great work, and don't let the results on the scale get you down. As it was already mentioned, best ignore the scale for a little bit, while your body adjusts to this. It takes time (a month really isn't enough to go on). It's so good that you are in this for the long haul. Eventually you will see your results VERY clearly!. Also you may want to start taking measurements, as they are a more accurate measure of your fitness progress.

Crashwebb · August 2011

A few people have posted about shredding phase/ fat shred what is this?
Thanks

whatshesaid · August 2011

When I say "Shred" I'm talking about Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred

A few people have posted about shredding phase/ fat shred what is this?
Thanks

CasperO · August 2011

I found that MFP's exercise calorie counts were pretty high in my case. I eat about 1/2 of my exercise calories and that works well. If I eat them all I maintain weight. My $.02.

What am I doing wrong?? I could use some input....

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