Any advice to lose weight?

Hey Everyone,
I’m new to this app. Long story short, I gained 40 lbs, now lost 20, have another 20 to go. I found out I’m pre-diabetic and started eating much healthier. I was losing weight walking outside by the lake for about an hour a day. The weather got colder. I switched to walking on treadmill for 30-40 min daily. I was still slowly losing weight. Then I joined a yoga studio and been doing hot yoga instead of walking. I’ve been doing an hour of yoga everyday and can’t lose any lbs! I’m sure I’m building muscle and getting more flexible but I still need to lose weight. I even lowered my calorie intake and nothing. I’m super frustrated and going back to the treadmill. Any thoughts, advice?

Answers

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,788 Member
    edited December 8
    How are you tracking your calories? Like it or not, you're going to have to restrict how much you are eating. You can track calories so you know how much you are eating and how much less you need to eat, or you can do intermittent fasting to restrict the number of hours in which you are able to eat, or you can cut out a macronutrient by going keto and cutting out carbohydrates. Figure out what form of restriction feels least restrictive to you and go with that.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,617 Member
    Good advice from Sollyn above.

    I'd add this: If you're using a heart rate monitor or fitness tracker to estimate calories burned from doing hot yoga, and eating all those calories back, there's at least a fair chance those calories could be overestimated. (This could be true whether you're adding the exercise sessions to MFP manually, or syncing a tracker/heart rate monitor.)

    Why do I say that? Devices are often using heart rate to estimate calorie burn. But heart rate goes up for some reasons that correlate with calorie burn (such as oxygen consumption during aerobic exercise) yet can go up for other reasons that don't correlate with calorie burn (such as high emotion/stress, strain, and a hot environment, among others).

    Depending on the specific device's algorithms (about which the companies typically aren't very open), the implication is that calories may be over-estimated for exercise in hot conditions. I know for a fact that my device - a good brand/model generally - will tend to give me a somewhat higher calorie estimate for the same duration/objective-intensity exercise on a very hot day compared to a cool day.

    Another possibility, though maybe less likely in your case, is if the hour of hot yoga is more fatiguing than the exercise you've done previously. It's possible for over-exercise to trigger fatigue that reduces our calorie burn from doing daily life stuff, because we may drag through the day, rest more, maybe sleep more. It's not super common to have such a big effect from that that exercise calories are totally wiped out, but a person can net fewer calories than expected that way in some cases.

    Also, if the exercise change is relatively new, say less than a month, you could still be experiencing some water retention effects that could temporarily mask fat loss on the scale. There's more to it than that, but if it's a shorter time, and you're not seeing obvious gain, I'd suggest hanging in there a bit longer - 4-6 weeks, or a whole menstrual cycle if you have those - to see. I can be sub-ideal to keep cutting and cutting calorie intake based on shorter-term weight changes, but in most cases the 4-6 weeks/whole cycle thing will be a pretty good indicator.

    An exception might be if you're going for a very slow loss rate, like half a pound or a quarter kilo per week or less. That gradual fat loss can take even a bit longer to show up clearly amongst normal day-to-day water/waste fluctuations, as I've seen in personal experience.

    Best wishes!
  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 3,832 Member
    My 2 cents.
    You're eating better. You're exercising. You're already healthier!
    Which exercise do you enjoy the most? Feel better after doing it? Do that one!
    Diet-- just concentrate mostly on eating healthy foods you like. If you notice a place where you might cut a few calories, try it. Learn from experience what's best for you.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,264 Member
    Yeah, your more than likely eating more than you think, most do, and walking for a hour by a lake compared to yoga is probably not the same as far as calories burned. It's all a guessing game at best anyway and if the expected outcome is some exact number based on math, well then most will be disappointed. Give the numbers game another go, it's pretty much your only option.
  • melharperoy
    melharperoy Posts: 4 Member
    Hi thank you all for your great advice. Yes I forget sometimes that since I am eating much healthier than I used to is a huge success for my body. I have started tracking my food intake on this app. which is helpful. I am more thoughtful about what I eat when I have to record it all. I quit the yoga membership and went back to the treadmill and lost another 1 1/2 lbs. I think that an hour of yoga doesn’t burn as many calories as 30-40 min of a fast pace walk. It did occur to me that doing the yoga I was building muscle and muscle weighs more than fat so I could have been turning the fat into muscle and be getting thinner without seeing a loss on the scale. I ordered a sewing measuring tape so I can take body measurements to see if I am getting smaller. Either way progress is happening. 18 1/2 lbs to goal weight.
  • Rainbow2300
    Rainbow2300 Posts: 19 Member
    One day at a time! I weigh myself everyday- it keeps me on track. Even small increments add up as long as it’s moving in the right direction. Another strategy I use to keep me focused is to go to a department store just to try on clothes. I get so frustrated, but then power trip myself by asking, “what am I going to do about it?” The reality is I’m overweight but when I discipline myself to take control of what I’m eating, how much of it and moving my body, I’m empowered to reach my goals. You can do it and so can I!!! 😃
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,206 Member
    Many of us move less in general in the winter without realizing it. I wonder if that’s making your walks only take you to maintenance? It’s cozy blanket weather!