Eating right, intensive aerobic exercise, not losing weight!

Hi there,

I've been on a journey of creating a sustainable diet (committing to low and moderate calorie density foods, fresh and natural foods), watching my calorie intake since last December. I also signed up for a 6-week high-intensity Zoom aerobic both camp 3x a week. In addition to that, I fast walk a total of 4 miles (uphill-downhill) every day!! I eat 1200-1500kcal a day from good food choices. I had two pounds of weight loss, then it went back up where I started. I enjoy my exercises and not craving snacks and fatty, sugary foods anymore. But I feel very frustrated that I can't lose weight! I can't and don't want to reduce my calorie intake anymore, because that wouldn't be possible with all the energy I'm burning. Any helpful advice? Thank you!

Replies

  • chikadeedoo
    chikadeedoo Posts: 9 Member
    Also, I've been logging my food, calories, and exercise activities as well.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,846 Member
    Two ideas come to mind:
    - how accurate is your logging? Weighing everything on a scale and checking that you are choosing correct database entries?
    - A new exercise routine can cause water retention. If that's what's happening to you, it's just a matter of being patient. Are your clothes fitting better? Are you measuring yourself? It can help you to see progress even when the scale isn't budging.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    edited January 2021
    Last December as in you started a few weeks ago, or last December as in you've been at this a little over a year for 2 pound change/fluctuation?
  • chikadeedoo
    chikadeedoo Posts: 9 Member
    Thanks for all your replies. I started about three weeks ago. I measured myself with a measuring tape two weeks ago and today again. The strange thing is I lost 0.5 inches on my thighs and my hips, which is also good news. I went for a 30-minute jog uphill and lost some water weight. It must be water retention then...I log my food pretty accurately. But maybe some of you are right about not getting enough muscle recovery. I'll keep on doing what I'm doing and see what happens...Hope you are all doing well!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Thanks for all your replies. I started about three weeks ago. I measured myself with a measuring tape two weeks ago and today again. The strange thing is I lost 0.5 inches on my thighs and my hips, which is also good news. I went for a 30-minute jog uphill and lost some water weight. It must be water retention then...I log my food pretty accurately. But maybe some of you are right about not getting enough muscle recovery. I'll keep on doing what I'm doing and see what happens...Hope you are all doing well!

    Usually when people are asked if they weigh their food for accurate logging, and they do not respond with exactly that they do - it means they do not.

    Since you didn't reference weighing food - what does "pretty accurately" mean - you miss logging some foods entirely, you weigh almost everything but a few low calorie items, you weigh everything but don't confirm the database entry is correct, you weigh very little?

    Also noticed that despite the comment increased cortisol from stress can be the result of extreme diet or lack of recovery (which actually is the result of extreme diet too) - you only commented on muscle recovery, not the diet part.

    From experience that usually means someone wants their extreme diet to lose the weight fast, part of the reason for jumping in full force to the workouts in the first place.

    Just be aware extreme means how much deficit you are taking for the amount to lose.
    A 2 lbs weekly rate would be appropriate for someone otherwise healthy with 80 lbs to lose, but very unreasonable for someone with many health issues already stressing body and only 15 lbs to lose.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings