What am I doing wrong?

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FlabulessFam
FlabulessFam Posts: 31
in Health and Weight Loss
I am doing P90x, eating right - staying under my daily calories by about 300 - and drinking lots of water. My body feels better but the scale shows that I lost no weight this past week!!! I am frustrated and discouraged! I don't know what to do differently! Please help and give me suggestions!!
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Replies

  • ahjenny
    ahjenny Posts: 293 Member
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    Are you taking your measurements? If not, I would highly suggest it. My scale didn't move for a long time, but I lost a lot of inches around my body.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    It'll help if you open your diary-- if you're under your goal by 300 often you might not be eating enough. Most likely though-- you're doing P90x, which means your muscles are tired and retaining water to repair themselves. And also it's only been a week. Be patient, and open your diary if you'd like some more specific comments.

    edited for grammar :blushing:
  • TheVulcanLover
    TheVulcanLover Posts: 36 Member
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    You need to eat your calories. Especially if working out. You have to at least eat up to your cal goal and if hungry--eat back some of the exercise calories. If you do not give your body proper fuel, your loss will stall out.
  • blankcanvas
    blankcanvas Posts: 177
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    You're not alone...it's sooo frustrating:( I'm going to check my inches too as suggested maybe that will keep me motivated...
  • EmiliaWhite
    EmiliaWhite Posts: 19
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    Keep at it! Unfortunately, getting healthier and slimming down takes more time than any of us here would like.

    Here's something to think about to keep you motivated: You could be gaining muscle while losing fat at the same time! A bathroom scale doesn't understand that lean muscle weight is better than flabby fat weight, so it may give you the same number, even if you're getting healthier by exchanging fat for muscle.

    Have you tried taking measurements of yourself? I find that breaking out the tape measure once a week (or once every two weeks, whatever works for you) gives me a much truer sense of my progress than the bathroom scale.

    Good luck on your progress, and stick with it! :)
  • catontjoc
    catontjoc Posts: 4 Member
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    You should try to eat your calories. Your body is probably going into starvation mode and holding onto fat. I heard p90x is a great workout program(thinking about trying it myself) . I heard it burns a ton of calories, I bet if you start eating more, as your muscles recover the weight will start falling off! Let me know how it goes. Keep up the good work, and don't get discouraged!
  • kateroot
    kateroot Posts: 435
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    Take measurements! I'll bet anything you're losing inches. Also, are you weighing and measuring all your food? Portion sizes can be tricky - when I stop losing weight, I weigh EVERYTHING I eat, just so I know that the calories are correct. Under-estimating your portions by even a little can really mess up your calories for the day.

    As far as being under your calorie goal, if you're not hungry and you have energy, don't worry about it. People get hung up on this idea that you MUST eat a certain number of calories, or your weight loss will slow.. It's simply not true. Your body will tell you if it needs more calories. If you're hungry all the time, lethargic, or getting sick a lot, then eat more calories. Otherwise, you'll be fine.
  • Scorpioangel
    Scorpioangel Posts: 951 Member
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    How long have you been doing P90X? I am a grad of it and can help with any questions you have. What are your calories set at right now?
  • BelleHeart
    BelleHeart Posts: 281 Member
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    Make sure you eat over 1200 calories or you will put your body into starvation mode! Oh and take measurements! =)
  • KarsandraG
    KarsandraG Posts: 5
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    I was stalled at 170lbs for a year! I worked out 5 days a week, doing cardiovascular, weight training, the elliptical 4 miles in 40 minutes and on top of that was doing the Insanity workout 3 days a week. My problem turned out to be my birth control. I finally stopped the depo shot, and it took a few months to completely wear off, but once it did I lost 30 lbs in 2 months without doing anything more than walking my children to school. I don't know if this might be an issue for you, but if you are on birth control you might want to find out if it can affect your weight and maybe find a better alternative.
    Also, try eating a bunch of small meals a day. Try high protein meals for breakfast. Egg white omelets for broccoli, onion and cheese. And you should be taking in a lot of calories to support your workout burn. Its ok to go over. Whats more important is where you get the calories that cause you to go over. Like, going over with 200 calories of salad is a lot better than going over with 200 calories of ice cream. There are good calories and bad calories.
    And also, I would start charting your measurments. Although I didn't lose any weight, I did lose inches and notice a difference in my body shape. Good luck! It'll happen. Be patient. One day at a time!
  • FlabulessFam
    FlabulessFam Posts: 31
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    Thank you for that! I am not hungry at all, so when I hear that I need to eat more, I simply can't do it!
  • tgaul
    tgaul Posts: 123
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    bump
  • Pappabacon
    Pappabacon Posts: 104 Member
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    I found that I had to eat more on p90x or I wouldn't see any weight loss as well. I changed my calories to only losing 1 lb a week and that has helped.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Thank you for that! I am not hungry at all, so when I hear that I need to eat more, I simply can't do it!

    If you have more to lose, a larger deficit might be ok. But if you're netting less than your BMR, then you should try to increase it unless your Dr is monitoring you. That program is pretty hard core-- your body needs fuel. But if you've got larger fat reserves then a larger deficit won't hurt you until you get smaller.
  • karinaes
    karinaes Posts: 570 Member
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    you need to eat all your calories back. especially with a program like p90x to nourish your muscles properly and so your metabolism can be at its best.
    also, what do you mean by eating "right"??
    you may have lost some fat and gained muscle. muscle, as you know is denser than fat. so, take your measurements-- don't just go by the scale!
  • mdeneese
    mdeneese Posts: 5
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    You should take your measurements. Muscle weight more than fat. If you are not losing inches or your clothes not starting to hang on you then you can say you are doing something wrong. I hardly ever gauge my weight lost by the scale
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    1. You really should not be eating 300 calories under goal. The calorie goal MFP gives you has a healthy deficit built in to lose weight without exercising. By eating under that goal by 300 you are creating an even larger deficit. While this might sound good, and might be okay and work for a while for those with a lot of weight to lose, you really should be eating at your given goal. This includes eating exercise calories because by eating those you maintain that HEALTHY deficit that MFP has set for you. You could always try eating 50-75% to account for inaccuracies and make sure you're not eating too much.

    2. Take measurements.

    3. If you haven't exercised before, or much, or in a while, it is likely you will retain some water/glycogen as your muscles are tearing and repairing themselves. This is why some people don't see a loss, or may even see a slight gain, when they start working out intensely.
  • jhardenbergh
    jhardenbergh Posts: 1,035 Member
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    when are you weighing yourself, if you are doing it after a workout your muscles could be retaining water making you weigh more. Try to weigh yourself when you first wake up not after eating or drinking anything. Don't give up, it may take some time, but will be worth it in the end.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    Thank you for that! I am not hungry at all, so when I hear that I need to eat more, I simply can't do it!

    What is your calorie goal. How much are you burning each day? I know it sounds crazy, but I have to agree with those who have commented and said to eat more. At a major calorie deficit your body will lose muscle and store fat. I just upped my calories again because I have started working out more and I want to build muscle and shed the rest of my fat!

    Edited to add, if you need suggestions on what to eat to meet your calorie goals, please make your food diary public so people can help you there!!
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
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    Staying under your dally calories is not the answer. Your body needs the calories in order to lose the weight effectively.

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