why am i losing weight so slowly (open diary)?

BeautyFromPain
BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
edited October 4 in Food and Nutrition
okay so I know I didn't put it all on overnight so it ain't gonna come off overnight either... but every week I will bust my butt at the gym, eat below my 1660 cals and only lose 0.2kg/0.4lb at the most when I am set for 0.5kg/1lb per week.
HELP?! what am I doing wrong?

Replies

  • foremant86
    foremant86 Posts: 1,115 Member
    eat back some of your exercise calories. You are burning A LOT of calories every day, i'd say even tone down the amount of exercise you are doing. No need to burn a ridiculous amount everyday.

    Your body needs an adequate amount of calories to function properly, if it doesn't think it's getting enough then it's not going to let go of fat.

    given your exercise entries i'm assuming you are using an HRM?

    or are you using the machines at the gym? because they tend to over estimate calories burned.
  • skierxjes
    skierxjes Posts: 926 Member
    What kind of exercise are you doing to burn that many calories? Just curious
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    What kind of exercise are you doing to burn that many calories? Just curious

    I am using a HRM and mixing it up doing everything from going to the gym and lifting pretty heavy weights to running to bike riding and doing zumba and circuit DVD's.
    I love exercise, it is like an antidepressant and antistressor to me. I am starting my PT course next year as well so trying to make sure I'm really fit by then.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    How many weeks have you been stalled/slowed?
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    How many weeks have you been stalled/slowed?
  • foremant86
    foremant86 Posts: 1,115 Member
    What kind of exercise are you doing to burn that many calories? Just curious

    I am using a HRM and mixing it up doing everything from going to the gym and lifting pretty heavy weights to running to bike riding and doing zumba and circuit DVD's.
    I love exercise, it is like an antidepressant and antistressor to me. I am starting my PT course next year as well so trying to make sure I'm really fit by then.

    Ok then definitely eat back some of you exercise calories, at least try to eat half of them.
  • skierxjes
    skierxjes Posts: 926 Member
    You NEED to net at least 1200 calories a day. Your body needs the fuel.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    How many weeks have you been stalled/slowed?

    10-12 or so
  • mmk137
    mmk137 Posts: 833 Member
    I've had a quick squiz at your diary, and to be honest, I don't think you are eating enough. You need to eat more whole foods. More fruit, more veggies.
    Get rid of the marg, you don't need it, they are empty calories.
    Get rid of the peanut butter, again you don't need it, and it just stacks on calories.

    you need to eat every 3 hours (about 100cal snacks), so your body knows it's going to be fed, and then you don't pig yourself out when have lunch/dinner.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    ]

    10-12 or so

    Are you using a food scale consistently?

    Regarding exercise calories and your other post, it looks like you already are eating back a portion of them. Your MFP is set for 1660 as a static value for caloric intake and it bumps up your allowance based on exercise. Keep in mind that it tends to drastically overshoot exercise calories. I'm not sure if you just arbitrarily input your HRM info or if you are using MFP to tell you how many additional calories you earned.

    I'm going to probably cause a thread war here, but I would actually suggest that you eat back a lower portion on your workout days, effectively reducing calories. Keep in mind, I'm saying this based on MFP's overestimations along with viewing your flat intake over the course of a few weeks.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    ]

    10-12 or so

    Are you using a food scale consistently?

    Regarding exercise calories and your other post, it looks like you already are eating back a portion of them. Your MFP is set for 1660 as a static value for caloric intake and it bumps up your allowance based on exercise. Keep in mind that it tends to drastically overshoot exercise calories. I'm not sure if you just arbitrarily input your HRM info or if you are using MFP to tell you how many additional calories you earned.

    I'm going to probably cause a thread war here, but I would actually suggest that you eat back a lower portion on your workout days, effectively reducing calories. Keep in mind, I'm saying this based on MFP's overestimations along with viewing your flat intake over the course of a few weeks.

    I use a Polar HRM.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    I've had a quick squiz at your diary, and to be honest, I don't think you are eating enough. You need to eat more whole foods. More fruit, more veggies.
    Get rid of the marg, you don't need it, they are empty calories.
    Get rid of the peanut butter, again you don't need it, and it just stacks on calories.

    you need to eat every 3 hours (about 100cal snacks), so your body knows it's going to be fed, and then you don't pig yourself out when have lunch/dinner.

    Okay so none of that even made sense. You tell me I'm not eating enough and then tell me to cut out foods, which aren't even bad for you just because they're high in calories. My PT recommended eating PB for the healthy fats in it btw.
  • TenderBranson
    TenderBranson Posts: 114 Member
    Your weight loss will never be linear, youre not gonna lose .5 or 1 LB consistently til you get to your goal weight no matter what the estimations say. Doesn't work that way. It's a lot of ups & downs for numerous reasons.
  • TenderBranson
    TenderBranson Posts: 114 Member
    I've had a quick squiz at your diary, and to be honest, I don't think you are eating enough. You need to eat more whole foods. More fruit, more veggies.
    Get rid of the marg, you don't need it, they are empty calories.
    Get rid of the peanut butter, again you don't need it, and it just stacks on calories.

    you need to eat every 3 hours (about 100cal snacks), so your body knows it's going to be fed, and then you don't pig yourself out when have lunch/dinner.

    Okay so none of that even made sense. You tell me I'm not eating enough and then tell me to cut out foods, which aren't even bad for you just because they're high in calories. My PT recommended eating PB for the healthy fats in it btw.

    Margarine is a worse alternative than butter...

    & if you need PB switch to something natural.

    She didn't say the foods you are eating are high in calories, she said they are empty calories.

    Not a lot of nutritional value for the calories youre eating.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    Your weight loss will never be linear, youre not gonna lose .5 or 1 LB consistently til you get to your goal weight no matter what the estimations say. Doesn't work that way. It's a lot of ups & downs for numerous reasons.

    Ohokay, was thinking maybe the tablet I am on for acne might have something to do with it?
  • sheshe32
    sheshe32 Posts: 195 Member
    Im not a pro or anything, but looking at your diary you are exercising alot. You are burning alot of calories. Its fine what you are eating, I agree though that you need to eat more. Your body isnt liking you and not in a correct mode for burning. You need more food.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    The birth control pills could certainly be a contributing factor, I have tried a number of different hormonal birth control options over the years and have always put on weight when I'm taking them. If you need these, then you might just have to put up with this.
    I would also agree that you are leaving a lot of calories most days, maybe eating some more of them might be a good thing (but then I'm a fan of "eating your exercise cals", it's always worked for me).
    My other observation from your diary is that there is a fair bit of processed stuff in there - I tend to think that you don't get a lot of nutrition for your calories from this stuff. There are some pretty easy changes you could make - like rolled oats instead the instant porridge for brekky, it's so quick to cook whole rolled oats in the microwave. And try a no-added-stuff peanut buttter instead of regular Kraft. These changes get you more nutrition for you cals and that can only make your body happier.

    Having said all this - well done for consistently losing weight, even if it's slow, it's going down and if you look at it over the months I bet you see a big difference.
  • MKPRN
    MKPRN Posts: 46 Member
    To me it looks like you are eating a ton of processed foods. Your sodium intake is way too high. Try eating a clean diet. There is actually a book called the Clean Eating Diet by Tosca Reno which maybe helpful to you. Try eating foods without nutrition labels....like vegetables from the produce department not the freezer section of the grocery store. The chemicals you find in those processed foods will kill your diet. Try a week eating only real fruits, veggies and meats and see how you do.

    Also I think you are eating too many carbs. The best types of sugar for your diet are those from fruits not peanut butter, cookies, pasta and porridge. Healthy carbs like those found in brown rice, steel cut oats, quinoa, and sweet potatoes are a better bet than what you are eating.

    You need to be eating a protein at each meal and snack. A protein consisting of a real piece of meat (not lunch meat or hotdogs), eggs or a protein shake.

    I can't see what you are doing for exercise but unless you are running 1.5-3 hours a day there is no way you are burning 1500 calories in exercise. I think you need to consider wearing a heart rate monitor or a body bugg device to be sure what your daily calorie output it.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    I am wearing a HRM actually and exercise for 2-3 hours most days...
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    okay so I know I didn't put it all on overnight so it ain't gonna come off overnight either... but every week I will bust my butt at the gym, eat below my 1660 cals and only lose 0.2kg/0.4lb at the most when I am set for 0.5kg/1lb per week.
    HELP?! what am I doing wrong?

    i havent even looked at your diary, but i would say eat more... if you are always UNDER your goal then that could be why.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    EAT MORE.... LOTS AND LOTS MORE!!!

    if you are burning 1000 cals per day, then you need to be eating them back on top of your 1600.... at the very least make sure you net 1200-1600 cals...
  • mathen2
    mathen2 Posts: 134 Member
    If you are busting your butt, more than likely you are losing the body fat and gaining muscle. When you gain muscle and lose body fat, you dont see much of a weight difference on the weighing scale.
    I would say instead of focusing on calories, look at the sugar level intake of your foods. If you sugar level is above what you need, you dont end up losing the body fat.
    Personally, I have lost 3% of body fat in a month but only relates to 1.5 pounds of wt loss. The important thing is to get away from looking at weighing scale as the end goal. Look at Body Fat%. That is the one that impacts your health etc..
  • try less sodium too!
  • Ophelia75
    Ophelia75 Posts: 10 Member
    Ask your PT to take a look at your food diary. A good PT should advise you on nutrition and be willing to look at what you are eating.
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    Change the kind of food you are eating. More fresh whole foods.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    In regards to butter vs marg, go butter every time. Marg is of the devil. If you have to, have the natural stuff. PB is awesome and is great in moderation.

    Are you switching up your exercise? I'm another person who uses exercise to help with depression. But I think you're taking it a tad too far. 2-3 hours a day is not realistically for a long term goal.

    My suggestion? Take a break from the gym for a week. Walk for 30 minutes a day only. It might shock your body into realizing its ok to lose the weight! From your profile you're almost at goal too, which makes it harder to lose as well.

    Lastly, are you measuring too?
  • I would say you should eat cleaner, and maybe don't over exercise. You should try to eat less junky food and salty food.
  • gingerb85
    gingerb85 Posts: 357 Member
    It is taking me a while, too. However, I am 46 and am battling a family history of endocrine issues. I am losing less than 1/2# a week and am exercising daily and eating around 1300 calories a day. I also take medication to slow my heart rate due to an irregular beat and have been told that will make it harder to burn fat. So while it may be slower, if I'm going down on the scale, that's definitely better than up. I'm just sticking with it. Since August 1st, I've only lost just under 15#.
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