I need help....what am I doing wrong?

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Joj43
Joj43 Posts: 54
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone. I really need some help. My weight loss is SO slow it is really getting me down. I am mostly just under my calorie intake of 1340 each day and I exercise at least 5 days a week (3 Zumba classes; 1 cardio sess & 1 weight sess at the gym). To be honest, I've done 4 out of 5 of my exercise sessions this week and I feel completely exhausted. I don't think I should fee like this. Please feel free to view my food diary and any help would be much appreciated. Please help.....
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Replies

  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
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    Back up a bit? Seriously I would feel exhausted too if my body was not ready for these intense workout.
  • diana_marie8302
    diana_marie8302 Posts: 84 Member
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    Try changing the types of exercises you are doing and the types of foods you eat. Variety is really key at times.
  • goldfinger88
    goldfinger88 Posts: 686 Member
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    You may be doing too much and not eating enough. You may be in starvation mode regardless of what the calorie count says. If you overdo physically, you're going to wear yourself out and no, you should not feel that way. Perhaps you need some --- excuse the four letter word --- REST.
  • ProudDaddy
    ProudDaddy Posts: 80 Member
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    You may be gaining muscle..Muscle weighs more than fat...
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,107 Member
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    You may be gaining muscle..Muscle weighs more than fat...

    You didn't really go there, did you?


    You don't gain muscle from Zumba on a calorie deficit.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
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    i would say eat more, tbh. most days you net less than 1200
  • tschmelzer
    tschmelzer Posts: 120
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    You may be gaining muscle..Muscle weighs more than fat...

    A pound is a pound. The difference is is that muscles is denser than fat :):) so it takes up less space :)
  • RicSnyder
    RicSnyder Posts: 129 Member
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    I would suggest…
    •Get away from the dairy; milk, cheese, etc.
    •Remove white bread, instead get a really good whole grain bread, Ezekiel for example (can be found in freezer section).
    •Try ground turkey instead of beef.
    •More protein; Egg whites, fish, etc.
    You could eat a lot more and have more energy if you changed what you are eating. Most importantly, keep working at it; eventually you will find what works.
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
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    Scale weight loss and fat loss aren't the same thing. Start tracking your body fat percentage and use this formula to see the difference.

    Your scale weight is broken down into two categories. Pounds of fat and Pounds of lean body mass.

    Formula:

    Weight x BF% = Pounds of fat
    Weight - Pounds of fat = Pounds of lean body mass

    Just because you aren't losing scale weight it doesn't mean you aren't losing pounds of fat or gaining lean body mass. Please keep in mind, your pounds of lean body mass is the requirement for your body. You don't want your number to drop below that number. Sometimes, it might drop, but make sure you work the maintain that number or raise it.

    The pounds of fat isn't the amount of fat you have to lose. Out of your pounds of fat total, you might just need to lose 5 pounds of fat to get to a healthy body fat percentage. I can show you how to figure out what body fat percentage number you need to aim for. You will need your current body fat percentage number.
  • Joj43
    Joj43 Posts: 54
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    You may be doing too much and not eating enough. You may be in starvation mode regardless of what the calorie count says. If you overdo physically, you're going to wear yourself out and no, you should not feel that way. Perhaps you need some --- excuse the four letter word --- REST.

    I'm extremely fond of that four letter word at the moment :smile: I am having today off exercise to recharge my batteries for sure. I will see how I feel tomorrow. Thanks for your help...it made me smile :happy:
  • Joj43
    Joj43 Posts: 54
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    I would suggest…
    •Get away from the dairy; milk, cheese, etc.
    •Remove white bread, instead get a really good whole grain bread, Ezekiel for example (can be found in freezer section).
    •Try ground turkey instead of beef.
    •More protein; Egg whites, fish, etc.
    You could eat a lot more and have more energy if you changed what you are eating. Most importantly, keep working at it; eventually you will find what works.

    Thanks for your suggestions....they were awesome. Cheese is my weakness, I'll admit. I only eat low fat varieties though. And yep, I should be eating more protein. Not a huge meat eater but the egg thing I could definately do more of. I will take this on board and keep working at it the best I can. Thanks again :smile:
  • Joj43
    Joj43 Posts: 54
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    Scale weight loss and fat loss aren't the same thing. Start tracking your body fat percentage and use this formula to see the difference.

    Your scale weight is broken down into two categories. Pounds of fat and Pounds of lean body mass.

    Formula:

    Weight x BF% = Pounds of fat
    Weight - Pounds of fat = Pounds of lean body mass

    Just because you aren't losing scale weight it doesn't mean you aren't losing pounds of fat or gaining lean body mass. Please keep in mind, your pounds of lean body mass is the requirement for your body. You don't want your number to drop below that number. Sometimes, it might drop, but make sure you work the maintain that number or raise it.

    The pounds of fat isn't the amount of fat you have to lose. Out of your pounds of fat total, you might just need to lose 5 pounds of fat to get to a healthy body fat percentage. I can show you how to figure out what body fat percentage number you need to aim for. You will need your current body fat percentage number.

    Okay I'm interested but I am really ashamed to post my body fat percentage.....oh damn it-that's why we're all here yeah?!WTH.....it's 43.5%. Sad but true :embarassed: Love to know where we go from here....
  • crystalinda
    crystalinda Posts: 151 Member
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    You may be doing too much and not eating enough. You may be in starvation mode regardless of what the calorie count says. If you overdo physically, you're going to wear yourself out and no, you should not feel that way. Perhaps you need some --- excuse the four letter word --- REST.

    I'm extremely fond of that four letter word at the moment :smile: I am having today off exercise to recharge my batteries for sure. I will see how I feel tomorrow. Thanks for your help...it made me smile :happy:

    Yup I would agree, that you're not eating enough as well. I only looked at a few days but many of your breakfasts less than 250 calories and that is WAY low. If you're working out 5xs a week and not eating enough you will eventually crash there's no way around that and it sounds like you're there. I would say to aim for a day like Tuesday, you had a strong start and great snack choices. It looks like you're eating larger meals in the middle of the day some around 700-800 calories is this intentional? consume some of those calories earlier in the day or before your work out, make sure to have something within 20 minutes AFTER your workout as well. At that point your body needs some recovery fuel something protein rich would be good.

    Listen to your body and rest and feed it so it can perform at the level you are pushing it to. Good luck!
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
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    "When you are 40 years, your metobolism is slower than it was 20 or even 10 years ago--a circumstance that can make weightloss more difficult than it was previously. The key is determining how many calories you burn doing a given activity and adjust the time to accomodate your weightloss needs." I got this from an article titled, 'How Much Does A 40-year Old Need to Exercise To Lose Weight?', From the LiveStrong website.

    I would copy and paste the link if the U.S. gov't would let me.

    I'd read somewhere years ago that doing in your 40's may only keep you at the point of maintenance whereas in your 30's and 20's it could have made you lose weight, or lose weight more quickly.

    I didn't really look at your diary (if it's up), but long story short, you may just be at a maintenance level right now. Zumba is a good aerobic activity, but perhaps you could add in more strength training?
  • vizet
    vizet Posts: 3 Member
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    First off, you need to address your exhaustion. Exercises are suppose to invigorate you and not left you feeling burnout. I would suggest take a few days off dieting, count your calories but go over your limit by maybe 100 or 200 calories. At the same time reduce your cardio to 3 times a week and reserve the rest for strength training. Our body works differently, but one thing for sure, you won't be able to build lean muscle if you overtax your body and not giving it enough nutrient. The weight loss may look slow on the scale, but if your fat percentage keeps falling steadily, who cares. You will look better while maintaining a high bmr.
  • Joj43
    Joj43 Posts: 54
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    You may be doing too much and not eating enough. You may be in starvation mode regardless of what the calorie count says. If you overdo physically, you're going to wear yourself out and no, you should not feel that way. Perhaps you need some --- excuse the four letter word --- REST.

    I'm extremely fond of that four letter word at the moment :smile: I am having today off exercise to recharge my batteries for sure. I will see how I feel tomorrow. Thanks for your help...it made me smile :happy:


    Yup I would agree, that you're not eating enough as well. I only looked at a few days but many of your breakfasts less than 250 calories and that is WAY low. If you're working out 5xs a week and not eating enough you will eventually crash there's no way around that and it sounds like you're there. I would say to aim for a day like Tuesday, you had a strong start and great snack choices. It looks like you're eating larger meals in the middle of the day some around 700-800 calories is this intentional? consume some of those calories earlier in the day or before your work out, make sure to have something within 20 minutes AFTER your workout as well. At that point your body needs some recovery fuel something protein rich would be good.

    Listen to your body and rest and feed it so it can perform at the level you are pushing it to. Good luck!

    Hi and thanks for your reply. I do Zumba at 7pm in the evenings that's why I have a larger meal during the day because I don't feel like eating too much after I work-out. You have made some great points, thank you so much :smile:
  • Joj43
    Joj43 Posts: 54
    Options
    First off, you need to address your exhaustion. Exercises are suppose to invigorate you and not left you feeling burnout. I would suggest take a few days off dieting, count your calories but go over your limit by maybe 100 or 200 calories. At the same time reduce your cardio to 3 times a week and reserve the rest for strength training. Our body works differently, but one thing for sure, you won't be able to build lean muscle if you overtax your body and not giving it enough nutrient. The weight loss may look slow on the scale, but if your fat percentage keeps falling steadily, who cares. You will look better while maintaining a high bmr.

    Don't get me wrong..I am totally wired after working out, I just LOVE it! But I am starting to realise that I am not refueling my body adequately. I totally agree that I should maybe add in an extra strength training and drop a cardio. Done! It's really difficult to get past that number on the scale...but I do my best. Thanks for your help :smile:
  • meredithd13
    meredithd13 Posts: 53
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    hi fellow aussie gal!

    i've had a look at your diary and here's my two cent's worth.

    you need to eat more wholegrains and less cheese and sugary / chocolatey things. for b'fast, think natural yoghurt with UNTOASTED muesli (not too much dried fruit in it!), porridge, an egg with wholegrain toast, avocado and tomato on wholegrain toast. for snacks, instead of cheese slices and cruskits, go for ryvita and mini tins of low fat tuna (safcol, for example, have 98% fat free), or ryvita with low fat weight watchers cottage cheese. and dinner in oz in summer - you can't go past fish and salad, or bbq chicken and salad. and a baked potato. we do corn, big mushrooms, capsicum etc on our bbq. it's GREAT. i'd get rid of the cottee's chocolate flavouring. if you have a sweet tooth, go for natural yoghurt with a bit of honey or a little bit of fruit in it.

    as for the exercise - MFP is reputed to be overly generous with how many calories some exercises burn. i've never done zumba, but for me, having a variety of running, cycling, spinning, tennis, walking and yoga works for me. i also do 30 Day Shred (google it - it's tough but great). definitely you need some upper body strength in there somewhere and 30 DS does a bit of that in every circuit. i think burning 700+ calories in an hour in zumba is probably not quite right. that would make it waaay more than working as hard as possible at a spin class. doesn't make sense. same for the eliptical machine. unless you're dripping sweat and practically dying for the full hour, i think MFP is overcalculating the calories. i'd go for more like 400 for zumba and i guess around the same for eliptical. maybe even fewer than that. i reckon this is probably the root of your problems. you're eating back too many exercise calories but not getting the full wack of nutrients from them as you're not getting enough protein or wholegrains.
  • Joj43
    Joj43 Posts: 54
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    hi fellow aussie gal!

    i've had a look at your diary and here's my two cent's worth.

    you need to eat more wholegrains and less cheese and sugary / chocolatey things. for b'fast, think natural yoghurt with UNTOASTED muesli (not too much dried fruit in it!), porridge, an egg with wholegrain toast, avocado and tomato on wholegrain toast. for snacks, instead of cheese slices and cruskits, go for ryvita and mini tins of low fat tuna (safcol, for example, have 98% fat free), or ryvita with low fat weight watchers cottage cheese. and dinner in oz in summer - you can't go past fish and salad, or bbq chicken and salad. and a baked potato. we do corn, big mushrooms, capsicum etc on our bbq. it's GREAT. i'd get rid of the cottee's chocolate flavouring. if you have a sweet tooth, go for natural yoghurt with a bit of honey or a little bit of fruit in it.

    as for the exercise - MFP is reputed to be overly generous with how many calories some exercises burn. i've never done zumba, but for me, having a variety of running, cycling, spinning, tennis, walking and yoga works for me. i also do 30 Day Shred (google it - it's tough but great). definitely you need some upper body strength in there somewhere and 30 DS does a bit of that in every circuit. i think burning 700+ calories in an hour in zumba is probably not quite right. that would make it waaay more than working as hard as possible at a spin class. doesn't make sense. same for the eliptical machine. unless you're dripping sweat and practically dying for the full hour, i think MFP is overcalculating the calories. i'd go for more like 400 for zumba and i guess around the same for eliptical. maybe even fewer than that. i reckon this is probably the root of your problems. you're eating back too many exercise calories but not getting the full wack of nutrients from them as you're not getting enough protein or wholegrains.

    Thanks for your reply fellow aussie gal too!

    Your food suggestions are great...can certainly do the eggs, wholegrains, Ryvitas and cottage cheese. We love our Summer BBQ's too and always cook-up heaps of mushies, capsicum etc too. The chocolate flavouring only started after someone on here said to have a glass of milk and chocolate topping after a work-out....yeah, I'm with you....I think I could choose heaps better there!

    In regards to the exercise I wear a HRM with a chest strap so that's where I get my calories burned from. It is a Polar FT40 and was quite pricey so I think it should be doing what it's suppose to. And yes, I do drip sweat :embarassed: !!!! So I'm hoping that this is not the reason for my slow weight loss.

    It's great talking to another aussie (we are awake at the same time of the day at least!)....feel free to add me!

    ps....that goes for everyone else too :happy:
  • insidelane
    insidelane Posts: 8 Member
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    Also with 5 workouts per week I doubt you are getting anywhere close to the required rest between workouts.

    For strenuous or high intensity workouts you should really be getting a 48 hour break in between, and a minimum 24 hours for low intensity ones.

    Try and aim for 3 workouts per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and get out walking, bike riding or to the beach on the weekend.

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