WORKING OUT, WEIGHT LOSS HAS STOPPED - HELP!

Hey There,

I am getting really stressed out about the fact that my weight loss has stopped and I cant understand why!

I work out every single day without fail, I do 4 spinning classes a week and two, two hour long gym sessions where I do weights to balance out the cardio!

I stick to 1400 cals per day I set my cals at 1200 and always burn an aditional 266 spinning which I try to eat back and I dont cheat, what I eat I log end of!

At the end of every day MFP tells me if I contiue on this path I should be such weight in 5 weeks etc ...well I am still the same weight and have been for 3 weeks.

It is so depressing!!!

Anyone got any god advise for me?

Jo :-)
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Replies

  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Take a rest day and eat more.

    4 spinning classes, plus weights and your only at 1200? That is too low.. Set it at 1400, plus the exercise and see what happens.
  • simplysassi
    simplysassi Posts: 137 Member
    That would be very frustrating. Have you tried changing your menu up? Sometimes if we keep eating the same things everyday our bodies start telling us that something is missing. Maybe it's water, protein, or vegetables or ... ? I've had luck in the past by switching my meals a bit. Maybe more protein early in the day. Make sure you're getting plenty of water. And don't forget... the scale isn't the only way to gauge success. How do your clothes feel?
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Water retention, muscle glycogen and the way your body repairs itself.
    This is normal.
    Its not about seeing the number drop on the scale but the number drop on the tape measurer.

    If you decided to diet down without working out your would lose weight at a steady pace due to fat and lean mass loss so keep working out and understand that the weight loss will slow on and after the days you hit the gym hard.
    Make sure you have at least 2 full rest days then weigh in after those days to see the change.
  • caramammal
    caramammal Posts: 147 Member
    i once dieted and exercised for 4 weeks and didnt lose anything...on the 5th week i dropped 5lb...my body definately takes a while to catch on...maybe yours will too.
  • slay0r
    slay0r Posts: 669 Member
    Right first of all. Every single person on this thread please beat her up for not drinking water. I sit next to her all day at work (8.30am to 4.30pm) and all she drinks is a latte first thing and a diet drink at lunch, there's no water. I know you don't want to go to the toilet often but it's bad for you. You put things bluntly when I need help so it's your turn! :p You're causing yourself damage as well as killing off your diet. You need to drink MORE (and when I say more like 4-5 cups of water a day on top of your other drinks)

    Secondly you need to increase your cals, you're burning way too much as it is and you're active daily. When we discussed it the other day you were saying about you doing cleaning and not logging etc, it means you're in starvation mode even if you don't feel like it. You have a child as well, if you're telling me you burn 0 running around after her.. You need to set your MFP values to more active than it currently is (sedentary or whatever) Once you do this for a couple of weeks you'll see a massive difference. Take some measurements so you don't have to weigh and ignore the scales for a couple of weeks and get on these new things, bet you'll soon find yourself losing again. Make sure you still have your treat meal as well (mine was never in calories always outside and I always lost more those weeks I did it)

    Oh and what helloitsdan said, your muscles retain water etc when you've worked them, which you've been doing daily so they never get to recover. Weigh on rest days!
  • bosleysaf
    bosleysaf Posts: 24
    I drink a bottle of water per day when I do a spinning class though, so I have on average a late in the morning, sometimes a diet drink mid afternoon and I drink a bottle of water whilst spinning. At home I will drink another diet drink or fresh orange juice then a decaf coffee with sweetner for bed time.

    I have never drank very much my entire life, compared to other people I dont drink alot but for me I feel it is enough for the day. :-S

    I have no idea what to set my clas at then, I eat 1400 per day on average is that not enough?
  • slay0r
    slay0r Posts: 669 Member
    You also burn a lot of water off while you're doing it though, look at how red you all are when you come back in. You're just replenishing what you've already sweat out.

    Just discussed this with her for everyone elses benefit lol. She's never drank a lot so we need to convince her to eat more. Just upped her cals to 1700 as well, don't know if that's too high we'll see but that's what she gets for her activity level when it's 1lb a week loss rather than 2lb loss.
  • TheWinman
    TheWinman Posts: 684 Member
    There is some great advice already posted in reply.

    Drink more water!!! You should be drinking 8 glasses of water on non-workout days and probably 10+ glasses on days you work out. Make yourself do it. Water is to the body like oil is to your car engine.
  • xxxemaxxx
    xxxemaxxx Posts: 29 Member
    Hi, everything u just put could have come from me. I'm exactly the same pretty much to the dot!
    It frustrates me when i see it says 'in 5 weeks you can weigh....' as my weight never goes down.
    I also would appreciate any help :)
  • sammys1girly
    sammys1girly Posts: 1,045 Member
    I was stuck at the same weight for months. As soon as I upped my calorie intake by changing my activity settings, I lost within a week or two. It's worth a try and I think you'll be surprised!
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    Are you measuring, this happens to me, I won't lose any weight for 3 weeks, but my tape measure will keep going down and then usually around the 4th week I'll drop a few pounds, it's frustrating not to see it on the scale, but I went down a size and never saw the scale move for almost two months besides a few pounds, so I'm obviously getting smaller, so I guess at the end of the day if my sizes keep going down, I really can't say I care if the scale is slow to catch up.
  • bosleysaf
    bosleysaf Posts: 24
    OK, so I will give it two weeks of extra water intake - I have decreased my cals to 1400 start plus my cals earned by spinning which brings it back to the 1700. I just dont think I could eat 1700 plus what I burn back as well that would be nearly 2000 per day and I would really struggle to eat that much food!

    I could always have 5 McDonalds a day though????


    Thanks folks for the advise....keep it coming everything helps and I am open to anything.

    PS anyone who wants to help by being friends feel free to add me!!!

    XXX
  • Shweedog
    Shweedog Posts: 883 Member
    If you don't drink water then your body holds onto what little it has to function, as our bodies are made of water. You need to provide an adequate amount and then your body will flush the excess out. Sounds like you're probably dehydrated, thus retaining a good amount of fluid. Plus exercise causes your muscles to retain even more water. If you don't like plain water then add some MIO or crystal light. Just get some good fluids in you. :)
  • rebeccap13
    rebeccap13 Posts: 754 Member
    3 Best things I did when I was at a plateau for three months:
    1) Bought a food scale and measured nearly everything I ate
    2) Bought a heart rate monitor, a cheap one, to make sure I was staying within my target heart rate during work outs to make sure I was actually working as hard as I thought I was
    3) Looked into TDEE, turns out I had done some damage to my metabolism during the three months prior to the plateau when I was eating only 1200 cals/day. Seems kind of backwards that you might need to eat more, but your body might need some more fuel so that it can work more efficiently.

    ETA: You might have to play around with it a bit, try upping your cals by 100 or 200 per day for a few weeks. If you're still in a deficit from your TDEE then you shouldn't gain any weight during those few weeks. Every month or so I've been adding 100 cals back, especially as I add more running for half marathon training.
  • Katie3784
    Katie3784 Posts: 543
    I drink a bottle of water per day when I do a spinning class though, so I have on average a late in the morning, sometimes a diet drink mid afternoon and I drink a bottle of water whilst spinning. At home I will drink another diet drink or fresh orange juice then a decaf coffee with sweetner for bed time.

    I have never drank very much my entire life, compared to other people I dont drink alot but for me I feel it is enough for the day. :-S

    I have no idea what to set my clas at then, I eat 1400 per day on average is that not enough?
    You should aim for 4 16.9oz bottles of water a day. I have 5. I wish I had the problem of 2000 calories being too much. I have a lot of trouble staying under 2500.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    You also burn a lot of water off while you're doing it though, look at how red you all are when you come back in. You're just replenishing what you've already sweat out.

    He's right, although you might even be drinking less than enough to replenish your body from the spinning class....DRINK MORE WATER!! If you don't like it plain, find a way to add flavor to it and make it tolerable, but its very important.

    Aside from that, hang in there, as another poster commented, your body might just need some time to adjust to the new routine.
  • gdean428
    gdean428 Posts: 25
    Seems like you've hit a plateau. If that's the case, increase your workout by intensity and time. Change up your diet. Your body is use to what you've been doing for the longest, so therefore you'll need to "trick" to lose weight. Good luck!! I've hit the plateaus before and it's frustrating but when I changed up the workouts and diet, I was losing weight again!
  • NNAhuja
    NNAhuja Posts: 669 Member
    Drink more water!!! You should be drinking 8 glasses of water on non-workout days and probably 10+ glasses on days you work out. Make yourself do it. Water is to the body like oil is to your car engine.

    ^^^^^What he said!
    I didn't drink a lot before either but the miute I did, the weight FELL off! I just started keeping a water bottle next to me at work and I would find myself just drinking it. I wasn't easy at first but it worked.
    Also, I can't see your diary but another issue I had was when my calories were under goal but my sugar was high. The minute I started paying attention to sugar, weight came off.
  • NotGoddess
    NotGoddess Posts: 1,198 Member
    I find it helpful to always keep a bottle of water at my desk. If I have something else as well, I'll take alternate drinks. For calories, slip in an extra Greek yogurt as a treat- it's a nice combo of calcium, protein and good bacteria.
  • PlunderBunneh
    PlunderBunneh Posts: 1,705 Member
    Eat good food! Don't use cheeseburgers to get to your calorie goal, that is not the right fuel for your body.
    I highly recommend a handful of almonds, or some toast with peanut butter, or even a protein shake, if you have calories to fill up.
    Also, drink your water!!! Grab one of those Mio squirty things if you don't like the flavor, but you need to be drinking more. Lattes and diet drinks don't count.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Sounds like you are not eating enough, with the amount you have to lose you should have a base more than 1200 calories. Here is a guide for setting weekly weight loss goals:
    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • twinmom01
    twinmom01 Posts: 854 Member
    I drink a bottle of water per day when I do a spinning class though, so I have on average a late in the morning, sometimes a diet drink mid afternoon and I drink a bottle of water whilst spinning. At home I will drink another diet drink or fresh orange juice then a decaf coffee with sweetner for bed time.

    I have never drank very much my entire life, compared to other people I dont drink alot but for me I feel it is enough for the day. :-S

    I have no idea what to set my clas at then, I eat 1400 per day on average is that not enough?

    Um you need to be drinking probably a good 8-10 glass of water a day...things like sodas, and juice and coffe - while they are liquid won't flush your system as well as water...especially if you are working out - just because you have liquids during the day you can still be dehyrated which can inhibit weight loss...

    How much more are you looking to loose...I ask because your picture shows you look pretty slim - your body may not let itself loose more weight...in fact the more you exercise you may find your weight going up a bit...I know it is hard but don't fixate on the scale...it could be you are getting slimmer and toning your body without dropping weight - There are lots of pictures out there that show people who actually weigh more but are far slimmer and can fit into smaller sizes...I wish I could figure out how to add pictures because I have one of a womne who in one picture weighs 127 and in the other she weighs 136 - the 136 she is slimmer, toner and looks smaller (and far better) then she does in 127 picture
  • Maggie_Pie1
    Maggie_Pie1 Posts: 322 Member
    Just a note - if you haven't been drinking a lot of fluids, and you all of a sudden start drinking alot more, your body will probably retain it at first (like a camel) because it's not sure why it all of sudden has so much water to work with, but after a few days, you will start flushing it out. I just want to mention that because I had to convince my friend of the same thing - to drink more water. She wouldn't drink alot of fluids because she didn't want to go to the bathroom all the time. So, when she did finally start to drink water, the second day she complained about bloating and that she gained 5 lbs overnight. I argued with her that her body is just retaining it becuase it's confused, but give it a day or two and she'll lose it... She is so stubborn she went back to her old ways and still complains about not being able to lose weight. Grrr! Anyway - drink the water! You're skin will thank you for it as well...
  • choirgirl1130
    choirgirl1130 Posts: 80 Member
    when you hit a plateau, your body has adapted to the eating plan and exercising you have been doing. i know this will sound contrary to when you are doing, but this works... i do it with my clients. you need to take a week off rest from workouts...just walk or do yoga. no intense cardio, no weights. increase your cal intake 10%. be strict and make sure it's good food. just for one week. after 7days, reduce your cals back down and add your workouts in. your body will respond. exercising and restricted eating causes the body stress. it just needs to recover.
    best wishes on your journey!
  • PattyfromToledo
    PattyfromToledo Posts: 74 Member
    Your friend is right ... first things first... get rid of all diet pop ... it's bad for you and studys show it will actually stall weight loss. Drinking water has so many health benefits that I can't begin to list... our body is 65% water and when you exercise as much as you do you are totally depleting it of much needed water. It's good for your brain, your skin, your organs ... the list goes on. Don't say you can't... you can. DRINK WATER.
  • MoooveOverFluffy
    MoooveOverFluffy Posts: 398 Member
    You're working out like a MANIAC!! Without checking out your stats, i can almost guarantee that 1400 calories isn't enough to sustain your very, very active lifestyle. Check out the link below, and after calculating your BMR and TDEE, pick a number somewhere in between those, and aim for that # as your daily caloric intake.

    http://www.shapefit.com/basal-metabolic-rate.html
  • melhayes1115
    melhayes1115 Posts: 187 Member
    Definitely drink more water. It will help.

    Also, maybe take a day or two off from working out. Your body needs a rest. It sounds like (and I could be wrong) that your workout routine is basicly the same thing every week. If that's the case, change it up. When your body gets use to the same thing (same workout, same foods, same calorie intake), you won't notice a change.

    Maybe give yourself a day when you go way over your calorie goal to give your body a shock. I'm not talking about binging on junk, but eating good, higher calorie foods.
  • mixedfeelings
    mixedfeelings Posts: 904 Member
    Hello, I had a look at your profile and I noticed you really don't have that much to lose, and you are just about in a healthy range anyway.

    I would try setting your profile for 0.5lb a week loss, I know it might seem frustrating as it seems to take longer but it is a more sensible way to go although it will mean eating more.

    Eating more means eating more healthier food and although I believe everyone should have a little of what they fancy whenever they want I still believe you should have a healthier version so I would avoid McDonalds as, well it's a pretty terrible place, if you wanted a burger once a week though I would suggest making a healthier version at home. I also make sure I watch my carbs, fat, and sodium. If your sodium intake is high and you aren't drinking enough water then you could be retaining water. You want the calories you intake to be mainly of healthy food. I know you can eat junk and stay under cals but with that you either don't get enough cals or go over in other areas. Do you log drinks as well?

    On days when I workout I drink around 3 litres of water sometimes more but I keep big bottles of water with me. I know your colleague said you don't drink enough water that is something you really need to step up.

    I'll send you a friends request!
  • MoooveOverFluffy
    MoooveOverFluffy Posts: 398 Member
    Just a note - if you haven't been drinking a lot of fluids, and you all of a sudden start drinking alot more, your body will probably retain it at first (like a camel) because it's not sure why it all of sudden has so much water to work with, but after a few days, you will start flushing it out. I just want to mention that because I had to convince my friend of the same thing - to drink more water. She wouldn't drink alot of fluids because she didn't want to go to the bathroom all the time. So, when she did finally start to drink water, the second day she complained about bloating and that she gained 5 lbs overnight. I argued with her that her body is just retaining it becuase it's confused, but give it a day or two and she'll lose it... She is so stubborn she went back to her old ways and still complains about not being able to lose weight. Grrr! Anyway - drink the water! You're skin will thank you for it as well...


    I personally have a hard time with my water consumption. I drink alot of unsweetened tea and diet soda, both contain caffeine which dehydrate your body. Once in awhile, I'll do a water only day (or two) and i almost ALWAYS see a drop on the scale a few days after the "flush".
  • bosleysaf
    bosleysaf Posts: 24
    Hey Everyone,

    Thanks for the feedback!

    Just to point out I was joking about the McDonalds I cant remember the last time I ate a burger it isnt my thing really!!

    For those asking who cant see my status, I am 5ft 9inc so pretty tall and around 12stone so 168lbs I want to get to 11stone so 154lbs , not that much but it is prooving an nightmare to do!

    I will make an effort to drink more water then as that is what you are all saying so I will give it a go and see what happens :-S

    XXXX