PLEASE, I'm so upset and I have tried everything and I can't seem to lose weight
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KrissDotCom wrote: »
The oil thing is so true. I'd slacked off of measuring oil when I put it in a pan, because I *thought* I was nailing a tablespoon.
Noooope. I started measuring it again after my food scale died -- I'd realized it had gone bad when what it told me was 8 oz of pasta was obviously far more than 8 oz of pasta -- and I'd easily been underestimating it for *months*.5 -
collectingblues wrote: »KrissDotCom wrote: »
The oil thing is so true. I'd slacked off of measuring oil when I put it in a pan, because I *thought* I was nailing a tablespoon.
Noooope. I started measuring it again after my food scale died -- I'd realized it had gone bad when what it told me was 8 oz of pasta was obviously far more than 8 oz of pasta -- and I'd easily been underestimating it for *months*.
This is me with any type of grain or cereal. I just can't recognize what 1/2 a cup of grains (or the equivalent in grams) looks like and I don't think I ever will.4 -
rheddmobile wrote: »Because you are petite, your tracking has to be accurate, since you don’t need as many calories as a taller person.
There are some foods you can safely estimate because they are low in calories and a difference won’t matter much. Peanut butter is not one of those foods. An official “serving” of peanut butter is tiny compared to what a normal person puts on a sandwich, and a “tablespoon” of peanut butter measured using a measuring spoon is about twice as much as a proper tablespoon by weight. If you are eating peanut butter every day and not weighing it, you are probably getting two or three hundred extra calories right there, not even accounting for your other food! Weigh it, every time, until you see the results you would like.
Also don’t forget to count extras, such as whatever butter or sauce you have to cook and put on your rice and meat. Calorie dense foods such as butter and cooking oil are easy to forget about, and can easily have more calories than the rest of your meal combined.
It was a sad, sad day when I first weighed peanut butter on a food scale and realized just how small 2 T was.
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kshama2001 wrote: »rheddmobile wrote: »Because you are petite, your tracking has to be accurate, since you don’t need as many calories as a taller person.
There are some foods you can safely estimate because they are low in calories and a difference won’t matter much. Peanut butter is not one of those foods. An official “serving” of peanut butter is tiny compared to what a normal person puts on a sandwich, and a “tablespoon” of peanut butter measured using a measuring spoon is about twice as much as a proper tablespoon by weight. If you are eating peanut butter every day and not weighing it, you are probably getting two or three hundred extra calories right there, not even accounting for your other food! Weigh it, every time, until you see the results you would like.
Also don’t forget to count extras, such as whatever butter or sauce you have to cook and put on your rice and meat. Calorie dense foods such as butter and cooking oil are easy to forget about, and can easily have more calories than the rest of your meal combined.
It was a sad, sad day when I first weighed peanut butter on a food scale and realized just how small 2 T was.
THIS! I was OMG, is that all I get?!?!3 -
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kshama2001 wrote: »rheddmobile wrote: »Because you are petite, your tracking has to be accurate, since you don’t need as many calories as a taller person.
There are some foods you can safely estimate because they are low in calories and a difference won’t matter much. Peanut butter is not one of those foods. An official “serving” of peanut butter is tiny compared to what a normal person puts on a sandwich, and a “tablespoon” of peanut butter measured using a measuring spoon is about twice as much as a proper tablespoon by weight. If you are eating peanut butter every day and not weighing it, you are probably getting two or three hundred extra calories right there, not even accounting for your other food! Weigh it, every time, until you see the results you would like.
Also don’t forget to count extras, such as whatever butter or sauce you have to cook and put on your rice and meat. Calorie dense foods such as butter and cooking oil are easy to forget about, and can easily have more calories than the rest of your meal combined.
It was a sad, sad day when I first weighed peanut butter on a food scale and realized just how small 2 T was.
That was the face I made when I got my new food scale. I dutifully weighed out the same 10 gm of crackers I'd had as a snack a few days before, and it was ... a much much smaller amount. Same with the cheese I put on them.
I had a big sad.
(On the upside, it then also explained the random AF blood sugar spikes I was getting that neither me nor my doctor could figure out. Turns out when you're not entering the right amount of carbs in your insulin pump, you're gonna spike.)9 -
Yep Weigh and measure. I measure liquids and yogurt and weigh everything else. And log it. I hate that part but I have to do it. It let's me keep track of calories and also keeps me on track to keep down the carbs and up the protein. I'm also short and it doesn't take many excess calories to keep me chubby.
Also keep in mind that you are looking for a lifestyle change not just a quick fix.
You came to the right place to figure this out for you.
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@Oilers846507
If you work out at home, you are far less likely to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. If you get a trainer or join a bootcamp or some circuits classes, you might find you should be exercising way beyond your current levels. It should feel hard - almost too hard - at some point in every session. If you're not cursing inside, it's not pushing you enough to burn the fat.
This sounds like a sure-fire way to get burned out and quit after a few weeks. You burn fat with moderate levels of activity, doing exercise you enjoy.13 -
Definitely weigh!
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You have to accurately measure and your best bet is to weigh. Even prepackaged is off. (See examples above).
Another example is my breakfast this morning. 4 eggs. Said 1 egg = 70 Cal ( 50 Grams) so it should have been a total of 280 Cal (200 Grams). Total was 224 Grams for 314 Cal. It's only 30 Calories difference, but add that up over the span of a week/month/year is a lot of extra calories. Not only that but if I do this with other things, I'm eating calories I'm not tracking and then I ask why am I not losing.
Weight loss is all about the Calories. Just got to make sure the input is what it needs to be.3 -
@Oilers846507
Hi Hannah,
I'm replying because I have exactly the same amount as you to lose, not because I am perfect and know all the answers. But reading your post a couple of things jumped out.
If you work out at home, you are far less likely to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. If you get a trainer or join a bootcamp or some circuits classes, you might find you should be exercising way beyond your current levels. It should feel hard - almost too hard - at some point in every session. If you're not cursing inside, it's not pushing you enough to burn the fat.
I also agree with everyone here: Measure your food! A portion of muesli looks like a sprinkle topping. A bowlful of muesli is about 5-8 portions! Peanut butter is incredibly high in calories. A teaspoonful of it scraped over wholewheat toast is very different from a generous smear of it. As in, about 300 calories difference. Your description of your food intake doesn't describe many veg. Why not try basing each meal around three unprocessed veg or low-sugar fruits (berries, melon).
Are you drinking loads of water? Water retention can keep you carrying an excess of 5lbs or more.
I work out 10 times harder at home my judgment free zone. Some people are very self conscious at a gym. My husband built a commercial gym in our basement (everything except my powerblocks, rogue rack, and concept2 rower) is commercial. I used to go to a gym. The trainers at multiple gyms I belonged to were poorly educated, had people do the most ridiculous routines, etc. Massive waste of money.
Also, the OP doesn’t even know if she needs to work out more because she isn’t accurately counting calories yet.9 -
@Oilers846507
Hi Hannah,
I'm replying because I have exactly the same amount as you to lose, not because I am perfect and know all the answers. But reading your post a couple of things jumped out.
If you work out at home, you are far less likely to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. If you get a trainer or join a bootcamp or some circuits classes, you might find you should be exercising way beyond your current levels. It should feel hard - almost too hard - at some point in every session. If you're not cursing inside, it's not pushing you enough to burn the fat.
I also agree with everyone here: Measure your food! A portion of muesli looks like a sprinkle topping. A bowlful of muesli is about 5-8 portions! Peanut butter is incredibly high in calories. A teaspoonful of it scraped over wholewheat toast is very different from a generous smear of it. As in, about 300 calories difference. Your description of your food intake doesn't describe many veg. Why not try basing each meal around three unprocessed veg or low-sugar fruits (berries, melon).
Are you drinking loads of water? Water retention can keep you carrying an excess of 5lbs or more.
Lol, this made me think of my old Denise Austin videos where she harped on the "fat burning zone."
My mother doesn't do any of this yet struggles to stay above Underweight due to all her MODERATE activity - no cursing needed.8 -
I would 100% recommend weighing your food and if your insulin is high then it doesn’t process carbs efficiently so I would lower them. Aim for a lower carb diet but don’t be keto unless you want to do that. But yeah, you’re basically eating at maintenance. You need to weigh your food. I guarantee you’re eating more than you think. Infact you’re probably eating an extra 500-700 calories without even realising. Some people can lose weight without a food scale- I’ve seen it with my own eyes, but some can’t. Use a food scale consistently for 4-6 weeks and I guarantee you’re going to see your weight drop. I’m F, 27 yrs old, 5’ 4” and I have PCOS and I’m losing weight on 1900-2000 calories a day. I only have 12-15 lbs left so it’s slow... about 0.5 lb a week. But I’ve tried the fast method and it didn’t work. I’ve been yo-yo dieting since I was 16! So yeah, in the beginning I didn’t want to weigh my food either but the people on MFP convinced me and here I am! I have gone from my highest weight last year of 168 lbs to 151 lbs. Basically start weighing your food!
I will forsure, a lot of my friends are telling me I might have PCOS judging by my symptoms. So how much calories should I be eating, what MFP sets out? On my settings I put sedentary (my job is a desk job) and I try to work out at least 3 times a week but now I am aiming for 5. It then asks how much pounds a week to lose I put 1 and so it gave me a 1300 calories.
How much grams of carbs should I eat? I was advised 100 grams by my doctor0 -
thelastnightingale wrote: »Agreed, you need to weigh everything, and log everything. Unless you know exactly what you're consuming, you don't know if you're eating 1,300 calories or 900 calories or 2,000 calories. It's really easy to get it wrong by estimating. For many us, estimating is how we ended up overweight in the first place.
When you say you're aiming for 1,300 calories per day, is that net?
I'm a little taller and heavier than you and on 1,200 calories, but my activity level is nothing. You do workouts, so 1,300 calories is only going to sound right if you're eating back some of your exercise calories on top of that.
Oh, and you have my sympathy. Something isn't right (I suspect it's the estimating food), but you've clearly been trying, and I'm sorry that your efforts haven't been rewarded. Figuring out what works for you is always hard.
1300 is the goal MFP set out for me, On my settings I put sedentary (my job is a desk job) and I try to work out at least 3 times a week but now I am aiming for 5. It then asks how much pounds a week to lose I put 1 and so it gave me a 1300 calories.0 -
I also say weigh everything. Weigh all solids by the gram. Measuring cups are ok for liquids. Like others mentioned, even prepackaged items should be weighed. I’ll give you an example.
I use Ezekiel bread, it says one slice is 34 grams. I’ve had slices that were up to 44 grams. Try to be as accurate as possible. I’m also 5”2, so I understand the struggle.
Did you select 1300 calories? Or MFP set that for you? That seems a bit low for your stats as your BMR is probably around 1500’s.
MFP, On my settings I put sedentary (my job is a desk job) and I try to work out at least 3 times a week but now I am aiming for 5. It then asks how much pounds a week to lose I put 1 and so it gave me a 1300 calories.0 -
I would 100% recommend weighing your food and if your insulin is high then it doesn’t process carbs efficiently so I would lower them. Aim for a lower carb diet but don’t be keto unless you want to do that. But yeah, you’re basically eating at maintenance. You need to weigh your food. I guarantee you’re eating more than you think. Infact you’re probably eating an extra 500-700 calories without even realising. Some people can lose weight without a food scale- I’ve seen it with my own eyes, but some can’t. Use a food scale consistently for 4-6 weeks and I guarantee you’re going to see your weight drop. I’m F, 27 yrs old, 5’ 4” and I have PCOS and I’m losing weight on 1900-2000 calories a day. I only have 12-15 lbs left so it’s slow... about 0.5 lb a week. But I’ve tried the fast method and it didn’t work. I’ve been yo-yo dieting since I was 16! So yeah, in the beginning I didn’t want to weigh my food either but the people on MFP convinced me and here I am! I have gone from my highest weight last year of 168 lbs to 151 lbs. Basically start weighing your food!
Also, do you take any supplements to help with PCOS and weight loss?0 -
@Oilers846507
Hi Hannah,
I'm replying because I have exactly the same amount as you to lose, not because I am perfect and know all the answers. But reading your post a couple of things jumped out.
If you work out at home, you are far less likely to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. If you get a trainer or join a bootcamp or some circuits classes, you might find you should be exercising way beyond your current levels. It should feel hard - almost too hard - at some point in every session. If you're not cursing inside, it's not pushing you enough to burn the fat.
I also agree with everyone here: Measure your food! A portion of muesli looks like a sprinkle topping. A bowlful of muesli is about 5-8 portions! Peanut butter is incredibly high in calories. A teaspoonful of it scraped over wholewheat toast is very different from a generous smear of it. As in, about 300 calories difference. Your description of your food intake doesn't describe many veg. Why not try basing each meal around three unprocessed veg or low-sugar fruits (berries, melon).
Are you drinking loads of water? Water retention can keep you carrying an excess of 5lbs or more.
I should include more veggies. My workouts can't be to intense because I also have really low iron and can't take supplements for it.
I am starting to drink more water mainly because of Spironolactone0 -
moonangel12 wrote: »Definitely weigh!
Wow, omg this whole time I'm thinking the labels are accurate.3 -
collectingblues wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »rheddmobile wrote: »Because you are petite, your tracking has to be accurate, since you don’t need as many calories as a taller person.
There are some foods you can safely estimate because they are low in calories and a difference won’t matter much. Peanut butter is not one of those foods. An official “serving” of peanut butter is tiny compared to what a normal person puts on a sandwich, and a “tablespoon” of peanut butter measured using a measuring spoon is about twice as much as a proper tablespoon by weight. If you are eating peanut butter every day and not weighing it, you are probably getting two or three hundred extra calories right there, not even accounting for your other food! Weigh it, every time, until you see the results you would like.
Also don’t forget to count extras, such as whatever butter or sauce you have to cook and put on your rice and meat. Calorie dense foods such as butter and cooking oil are easy to forget about, and can easily have more calories than the rest of your meal combined.
It was a sad, sad day when I first weighed peanut butter on a food scale and realized just how small 2 T was.
That was the face I made when I got my new food scale. I dutifully weighed out the same 10 gm of crackers I'd had as a snack a few days before, and it was ... a much much smaller amount. Same with the cheese I put on them.
I had a big sad.
(On the upside, it then also explained the random AF blood sugar spikes I was getting that neither me nor my doctor could figure out. Turns out when you're not entering the right amount of carbs in your insulin pump, you're gonna spike.)
Wow I didn't know this at all.0 -
saltysparkle wrote: »Here's what jumped out at me:
- I'm not sure whether you're eating too many calories, or not getting enough. When we don't eat enough, our bodies go into conservation mode and hang onto whatever they can instead of letting us lose weight. Either way, I agree with everyone else that you should get a food scale and weigh your food. Use actual measuring spoons and cups so you know what you're really working with.
- It doesn't look like you're getting a ton of fiber. Fiber cleans us out, so if you want to drop some weight, making sure you have plenty of fiber in your diet is helpful. It looks like you have virtually no vegetables in your diet. I'd try to up those.
- While exercise is important, I have really come to believe that a lot more can be done just by changing diet than you think, and that's really the place to start.
- If you're an emotional eater (like I am), see if you can make any progress dealing with the issues that caused you to gain the weight in the first place.
Best of luck!
I am definitely an emotional eater and I can't seem to stop, I also crave sugar all the time even more when I get emotional1 -
saltysparkle wrote: »When we don't eat enough, our bodies go into conservation mode and hang onto whatever they can instead of letting us lose weight.
This is fake news. There is no conservation/ starvation mode. It is science. You eat calories in, and when you live, breath, move and exercise you burn calories out. Burn more than you eat you lose. Eat more than you burn you gain.
Conservation mode is like saying when you don't put much gas in your car's tank, it will burn less when you drive to conserve the gas. Nope, you run out of gas.
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One thing to keep in mind: When you start working out more you might temporarily see your scale go up a bit. That's not fat but water from muscles healing themselves and from stress. It's totally normal and nothing to stress about. This will go down after a few days again.8
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Did you say you think you have PCOS because your friends say so? Go to a gynecologist and find out! If you also have issues with anemia and can’t take iron, birth control pills should help both problems.
A lot of people with PCOS do better on a low carb diet because PCOS interferes with carb metabolism. But this is irrelevant if you don’t really have PCOS. And a doctor needs to decide that, not a friend.12 -
kshama2001 wrote: »@Oilers846507
Hi Hannah,
I'm replying because I have exactly the same amount as you to lose, not because I am perfect and know all the answers. But reading your post a couple of things jumped out.
If you work out at home, you are far less likely to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. If you get a trainer or join a bootcamp or some circuits classes, you might find you should be exercising way beyond your current levels. It should feel hard - almost too hard - at some point in every session. If you're not cursing inside, it's not pushing you enough to burn the fat.
I also agree with everyone here: Measure your food! A portion of muesli looks like a sprinkle topping. A bowlful of muesli is about 5-8 portions! Peanut butter is incredibly high in calories. A teaspoonful of it scraped over wholewheat toast is very different from a generous smear of it. As in, about 300 calories difference. Your description of your food intake doesn't describe many veg. Why not try basing each meal around three unprocessed veg or low-sugar fruits (berries, melon).
Are you drinking loads of water? Water retention can keep you carrying an excess of 5lbs or more.
Lol, this made me think of my old Denise Austin videos where she harped on the "fat burning zone."
My mother doesn't do any of this yet struggles to stay above Underweight due to all her MODERATE activity - no cursing needed.
Also makes me wonder how I lost all my weight so far (45lbs) and I've only gone to the gym 3 times lol.. I haven't cursed yet and fat seems to be burning anyway10 -
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MFP, On my settings I put sedentary (my job is a desk job) and I try to work out at least 3 times a week but now I am aiming for 5. It then asks how much pounds a week to lose I put 1 and so it gave me a 1300 calories.[/quote]
So you have a starting figure to aim for. But you need to weigh everything to ensure you're eating 1300 cals a day.
Also, make sure you then log your exercise on those 3 / 5 days and eat the additional calories given. Depending on your exercise, it's feasible that MFP will over-estimate the number of calories burned. As you definitely won't burn 0%, choose a percentage (most people suggest 50-75%) and stick to that for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, see how your weight compares to your weight now. That will enable you to gauge whether you're losing at the expected rate or not. If you're losing too fast / too slow, eat more / less exercise calories.
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Oilers846507 wrote: »I would 100% recommend weighing your food and if your insulin is high then it doesn’t process carbs efficiently so I would lower them. Aim for a lower carb diet but don’t be keto unless you want to do that. But yeah, you’re basically eating at maintenance. You need to weigh your food. I guarantee you’re eating more than you think. Infact you’re probably eating an extra 500-700 calories without even realising. Some people can lose weight without a food scale- I’ve seen it with my own eyes, but some can’t. Use a food scale consistently for 4-6 weeks and I guarantee you’re going to see your weight drop. I’m F, 27 yrs old, 5’ 4” and I have PCOS and I’m losing weight on 1900-2000 calories a day. I only have 12-15 lbs left so it’s slow... about 0.5 lb a week. But I’ve tried the fast method and it didn’t work. I’ve been yo-yo dieting since I was 16! So yeah, in the beginning I didn’t want to weigh my food either but the people on MFP convinced me and here I am! I have gone from my highest weight last year of 168 lbs to 151 lbs. Basically start weighing your food!
Also, do you take any supplements to help with PCOS and weight loss?
No the only supplements I take are spearmint tea, magnesium (for muscles sleep etc) and ashwaganda for anxiety. I personally feel that if I balance my lifestyle then I can balance PCOS. First you need to get a diagnosis. Anyway, as I said, I thought I had a ‘broken metabolism’ but turns out I was eating too much. Some days I was eating 2600-3000 calories and then restricting. I’m surprised I didn’t become obese. Anyway, once I got my eating under control as well as my hormones, I began losing weight. I’m lucky that I can lose weight on 1900-2000 calories on average. I don’t even exercise like crazy (I just burn through a lot when I eat enough and feel energetic). For now, I would just spend SIX weeks diligently counting calories. Weigh. Everything. Then think about changing stuff. One thing at a time (something that I need to tell myself as well).5 -
Oilers846507 wrote: »
<snip> ... I personally feel that if I balance my lifestyle then I can balance PCOS. First you need to get a diagnosis. <snip>.
I’m not sure what “balance my lifestyle” means, but that isn’t how PCOS works. It is a hormone imbalance that presents differently in different women. There is no cure, but you can attempt to manage symptoms. Sometime birth control helps, sometimes losing weight, sometimes it is vitamin D supplements, but it takes a lot of trial and error and sometimes it never works.0 -
Oilers846507 wrote: »Hi everyone my name is Hannah,
When I say I have tried everything to lose weight I mean literally everything (majority of weight is on my stomach upper body and inner thighs). I can't seem to see any results, please can someone advise me and help me out. I am so committed to this. I weigh about 165 pounds looking to go down to 135 pounds.
Firstly, I went to the doctor's office and got my thyroid, hormones, cortisol and insulin checked. Everything is normal except my insulin is a little high, hence she said I may be insulin resistant (I don't have diabetes or any problems with my blood sugar). She said it could be because in the past I used to eat a lot of high sugar and processed foods.
Secondly, in terms of working out I only used to strength train 3 times week. Then I added 2 days of Cardio. I personally do not feel that my workouts are effective, I have tried Fitness Blender, Youtube videos, Body-building.com, a few popsugar workouts made by celebrity trainers. Nothing has worked. I like to workout at home personally, I have some dumbbells, a treadmill (I'd rather do cardio using youtube lol), resistance bands, etc..
Thirdly, in terms of food, I usually have 2 pieces of gluten free toast with peanut butter, then a nut bar from Costco as a snack, for lunch i sometimes have a protein shake or some rice with meat or something with both carbs and protein, I sometimes have snack in between lunch and dinner which is usually a piece of fruit and for dinner I usually have something similar to lunch. I have been calorie counting and trying to eat between 100 to 150 grams of carbs.
I honestly don't know what else to do. Can someone please advise me in terms of working out, maybe its from that? or maybe its what I am eating
I have been at this for 4 months, I haven't seen any results at all, not on the scale, in my clothes or even measurements.
I am honestly so upset that I broke into tears today. I don't know what to do anymore, and I can't really afford to see a fitness trainer.
Thank you!
OP, others have given you good advice that the most probable explanation for failure to lose is on the calorie intake side, and most likely in how you're accounting for calories (weighing food, and that sort of thing). It's possible for some people to lose weight without a food scale, but it's a pretty essential tool for someone who's eyeballing (or using cups/spoons) and not getting the results they expect.
So, emphasizing this really hard before I continue: It's not at all likely that the lack of weight loss is because you're not working out correctly. Calorie balance determines weight loss. Exercise just tends to make the calorie budget bigger, for any given rate of loss. For that, pretty much any exercise provides some benefit. (The only problem is that if we hugely overestimate exercise calories, and eat back that big overestimate, it can be a problem. Keep the estimates realistic, and it'll be fine.)
That said:
You did ask for workout suggestions, so I'll take a stab.
Strength training is a good thing for everyone, especially people seeking improved aesthetic appearance, loss of inches (not just fat loss), nicer clothing fit, and general health/fitness. The best idea for strength training is to follow a well-designed progressive strength training program. There are a number of those described in this thread:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
Pick one that fits your schedule, and sounds manageable. Ask questions on that thread, if you're not sure.
Resistance training is great for strength (so useful!) and appearance. But cardiovascular exercise is also important for great circulation (makes you look glowing and healthful), energy, and overall health. For that, I think doing something you personally enjoy, that gets your heart beating a bit harder, is the best Secret Sauce. If you like doing YouTube cardio videos, do those on a regular schedule.
If you're doing a good progressive strength program alongside the cardio, I'd avoid YouTube "cardio" videos that use weights, other resistance, or very intense bodyweight strength moves. They can interfere with the between-lifting recovery that's vital to best progress.
If the videos you enjoy most are the ones that use light weights at high reps for cardio purposes, it's OK-ish to do just those (i.e., don't do the lifting workouts from the link). You will give up a little progress on the strength front with that strategy, but doing a workout program you enjoy, want to do, and will do enthusiastically is IMO the very biggest deal. You want that overall program to have a strength component, and the combo cardio/strength video stuff vwon't optimize strength . . . but as long as there's some muscle challenge in there, that's not the worst thing that could happen, ever. 😉 If you go that route, plan to gradually, manageably increase the weight you're using, in order to keep making muscular progress.
For the weight loss you seem to be seeking, follow all that advice about getting your calorie counts accurate. Do exercise to be healthy, look better, have fun, and get a little higher calorie budget.
Best wishes!5 -
@Oilers846507
Hi Hannah,
I'm replying because I have exactly the same amount as you to lose, not because I am perfect and know all the answers. But reading your post a couple of things jumped out.
If you work out at home, you are far less likely to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. If you get a trainer or join a bootcamp or some circuits classes, you might find you should be exercising way beyond your current levels. It should feel hard - almost too hard - at some point in every session. If you're not cursing inside, it's not pushing you enough to burn the fat.
I also agree with everyone here: Measure your food! A portion of muesli looks like a sprinkle topping. A bowlful of muesli is about 5-8 portions! Peanut butter is incredibly high in calories. A teaspoonful of it scraped over wholewheat toast is very different from a generous smear of it. As in, about 300 calories difference. Your description of your food intake doesn't describe many veg. Why not try basing each meal around three unprocessed veg or low-sugar fruits (berries, melon).
Are you drinking loads of water? Water retention can keep you carrying an excess of 5lbs or more.
In addition to the comments others have made on the first bolded passage (risks of burnout, value of moderate exercise), I'd point out that too-intense exercise can be counter-productive, for weight loss. Sure, higher intensity tends to burn more calories per minute as we do it. But if someone pushes hard enough to cause post-exercise fatigue, it will tend to reduce daily-life calorie expenditure (i.e., they rest more, do less, even fidget less, etc.). That wipes out some of the exercise calorie benefit . . . in ways that are invisible, except when considering longer-term scale weight progress.
Intense exercise is also self-limiting in duration. I (anyone) can only do a max effort sprint briefly. If I have time, I can pretty much walk all day, at a casual speed. The sprint burns more calories per minute. The long walk can burn more total calories because of timespan.
Usually, for overall benefits in a calorie-counting context, the sweet spot is exercise that's a bit challenging - pushes current capabilities, but manageably so, during the time available. After a brief post-exercising "whew!", it should be energizing for the rest of the day, not depleting.
From a pure fitness perspective, elite athletes don't do high intensity exercise (as defined in terms of their fitness level) during every workout, or even most workouts. Moderate intensity exercise is the main dish on their exercise menu, with high intensity as a condiment or side dish, depending where they are in their training plan. (Sure, their moderate intensity is something that would be impossibly intense for most of us: When it comes to fitness development, these levels are always defined in terms of one's current fitness level.)
The rules for fitness development aren't different for sub-elites like us, such that we should be doing high intensity all the time. Beginners, specifically, will typically be best served, on the cardiovascular exercise front, if they build base fitness by doing moderate steady-state work to create base fitness at first, only later beginning to add in intensity.
The idea that we need to do very intense exercise to get benefits is a myth. The idea that we need to do miserable, exhausting exercise to get benefits is a destructive myth. Especially for those of us not striving for truly elite performance, exercise should be enjoyable, not punitive.
Also, we burn a higher percentage of fat during lower intensity exercise. Higher intensity exercise draws on relatively more glycogen, relatively less fat, as the immediate fuel. In our total day, the greatest fat burn, as a percentage of calories expended at the time, comes during sleep. Should we sleep all the time to burn more fat? Of course not. For the person pursuing weight loss, calorie deficit determines weight loss, and all-day calorie burn, from exercise *and* daily life, is what counts. Any sensible calorie deficit is going to be made up mainly by burning fat stores, sooner or later - not necessarily during the exercise itself. The immediate fueling during the exercise is generally only important to endurance athletes trying not to bonk, or something like that. The "fat burning zone" is not important per se for weight loss.
To the second bolded: It's unclear what you mean, but I hope you're not saying that drinking water causes water retention, because no. If we don't need it, and drink extra, it's just more urine, sooner. NBD. Our water weight fluctuations are a completely normal part of how our healthy bodies function. Our body retains water when it needs it (to balance electrolytes, repair muscles, metabolize carbs, whatever), then releases it when it doesn't. It's a bad idea to try to game that: The body knows what it's doing. If there's pathological water retention, see your doctor. Otherwise, since it's part of healthy functioning, and it's not fat, strive to understand that it can affect the scale, but don't worry about it. It's irrelevant.
ETA: If this is coming across as harsh or mean, I apologize. That is truly not my intention. Maybe try to think of me as an anxious old internet auntie, who wants everyone to succeed. There is *so much* partial and misleading information spread by trainers (with limited training) and the blogosphere, and the profit-making segment has a motivation to make things seem much more complicated than they really need to be. Best wishes, sincerely!18
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