Exercise and weight loss

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Sarah_LM
Sarah_LM Posts: 96
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been doing this site for about a month now. I started by dieting alone and lost 3 lbs in the first two weeks. After that I decided to incorporate exercise and since then I have not lost anything! I was wondering, could this be because I am developing muscle? I am very rigorous about weighing everything and making sure my portions are correct. I'm working so hard but not seeing any weight loss and it's a bit disheartening really. It makes me feel like giving up :(

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  • debb1985
    debb1985 Posts: 19
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    Are you eating the exercise calories that you are burning?
  • abatres7
    abatres7 Posts: 146
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    You may not being eating enough to help your body grow and repair muscle.
  • getfitter2009
    getfitter2009 Posts: 21
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    Het Sarah LM,

    if you have decided to do this, please dont give up, i used have the same thought untill someone said to me "if you have spent 5-10 years putting it on, how do you expect it to come off in a few months". This really put things into perspective for me. Obviously i was looking at a short term goal. To be honest if you are eating within your calories, Going to the gym (and i dont mean leisurely riding the bike Whilst reading Harry Potter) I mean GOING TO THE GYM and working hard and contiually pushing yourself, you ARE going to lose weight. Its that simple, the hard part comes when you have to keep it up, thats always the hard part. But take it from me keeping it up becomes almost an obsession after a month or 2 and no longer seems like a choir.
    So look at this as a lifestyle change and not to lose weight as one will lead to the other anyway. But if you consider it a lifestyle change, you will not focus so much on weekly targets.
    Also you have to wait 3-6mths to see any real change anyway. And to answer your last question: Yes you may see the same weight on the scale because you are building muscle. But give it a bit of time as once your muscles develope, you will start to shed calories even faster.

    I hope this helps, Good luck
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    Are you eating the exercise calories that you are burning?

    I agree, very important question. If you're not eating them, you should be. Also, how much are you working out?

    I know it's frustrating, but two weeks isn't really long enough to establish a problem pattern. You'll hit plateues often along the way, and it's very annoying but you've just gotta stick with it.
  • melssyl
    melssyl Posts: 66
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    Hang in there... when I first started I lost a few pounds... then nothing for a whole month... but I just kept doing the workouts and eating right ... and then I started loosing again. It's not about the scale!

    Take pics before along the way ... you will be amazed!!!

    Keep up the good work!!!

    It's about getting healty :) for yourself... family... and friends.....
  • Sarah_LM
    Sarah_LM Posts: 96
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    I eat 1,600 calories a day and generally burn about 300 - 400. If I earn more than 300 I eat them but if if I earn less I don't. This means overall I am about 800 calories below my maintenance calories which I thought was ok as I thought that net calories of 1,200 was the absolute minimum you should eat. I use the exercise bike, I walk my dog and I do exercise dvds, which I do depends on how I feel that day. I am feeling fantastic though, I had to say, my body feels much stronger in just two short weeks. I'm finding doing the exercise a bit addictive as I feel so good after so I usually do some everyday but I make sure to have a couple of days rest spaced out so I don't strain anything.

    I guess you are all right, I will just keep at it and it'll have to come off eventually!
  • lessertess
    lessertess Posts: 855 Member
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    If you haven't exercised in a while, you might see a temporary weight gain for a couple weeks when you first start. This is not "real" weight gain. Your muscles are probably swelling and holding glycogen (I think that's what it is) and you're probably retaining a little more water. Once your body adjusts and accepts the fact that your not kidding that temporary weight will go away.
  • debb1985
    debb1985 Posts: 19
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    I eat 1,600 calories a day and generally burn about 300 - 400. If I earn more than 300 I eat them but if if I earn less I don't. This means overall I am about 800 calories below my maintenance calories which I thought was ok as I thought that net calories of 1,200 was the absolute minimum you should eat. I use the exercise bike, I walk my dog and I do exercise dvds, which I do depends on how I feel that day. I am feeling fantastic though, I had to say, my body feels much stronger in just two short weeks. I'm finding doing the exercise a bit addictive as I feel so good after so I usually do some everyday but I make sure to have a couple of days rest spaced out so I don't strain anything.

    I guess you are all right, I will just keep at it and it'll have to come off eventually!

    Is the 1600 calories a day what MFP set for you to eat daily to lose the amount of weight you wanted a week? If it is...then you need to be eating 1600 calories a day...if you exercise you should be eating all or at least half of those calories. Eating at 1200 when MFP recommends you to eat 1600 is way below the deficit that is set for you.....this could mean starvation mode for you and you won't lose your weight as quickly. Sometimes eating more actually makes you lose the weight faster and healthier......eating too little makes your body want to hold onto the weight because it feels your body may be in danger. Even though you may be feeling stronger doesn't mean you are going the healthiest route.
  • MTGirl
    MTGirl Posts: 1,490 Member
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    With the amount of weight you have left to lose, up to 1000 calorie deficit is o.k. - read some of the posts by Banks aka SHBoss. He is way smarter than I am and says it way better :heart: I personally think you just need to give it more time, 2 - 4 more weeks or so. Sometimes our bodies are a little slow to respond to changes, but it will!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits
    This is Bank's latest post and is very clear. Also on the General Weight loss tab, there are some stickies that have a lot of his posts. Enjoy!
  • Sarah_LM
    Sarah_LM Posts: 96
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    MFP says that if I eat 1,600 calories a day I'll lose 1 lb a week. I actually want to lose up to 2lb a week but rather than restrict what I eat I try to burn an extra 300 or 400 calories a day with exercise. I've read the other forums on eating enough calories and this is not within starvation mode for me. Starvation mode would be any less than 1,200 a day and with exercise it works out at about 1,300. I think I just need to give it a bit longer for my body to adjust to this big change!
  • debb1985
    debb1985 Posts: 19
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    Well I wish you the best of luck on your journey :)

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