WORKING OUT, WEIGHT LOSS HAS STOPPED - HELP!

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  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    I would change your goal to 1/2 lbs per week and look to incorpate strength training. Cardio is good for burning calories but not so much for fat loss.
  • _Elemenopee_
    _Elemenopee_ Posts: 2,665 Member
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    WATER WATER WATER!!!
  • mpizzle421
    mpizzle421 Posts: 80 Member
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    Agree on the issue of water. 96oz a day isn't excessive -- especially as active as you are. Also agree with upping the calories -- especially at your height/weight/activity level. Lowering your metabolism is counter-productive to what you're trying to accomplish.

    What is your macronutrient breakdown typically (carbs/proteins/fats)? What is your sugar and sodium intake typically?
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
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    Lots of water, eat closer to your BMR (according to the stats you just gave, your BMR is around 1545cal) and eat back your exercise calories.. Your BMR is the basic amount of calories you would need to function in a coma, so you are not eating enough to support your basic daily activities let alone working out as much as you do!

    I know it seems silly, but if you work out hard and you're already a healthy weight, your body will try to hang on to fat.

    I also agree about the water, GUZZLE!

    You've only been really going at it for 3 weeks, your muscles are probably repairing themselves and retaining a lot of water, the scale is not your friend at this point, get yourself a tape measure. I added my bicep/waist/hips/thigh measurement to mfp so I can track them as well as my weight and take regular pictures!

    If you would like to be friends, I'd like that :)
  • JoHola
    JoHola Posts: 43 Member
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    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.

    I was eating 1200 and going to the gym (and eating exercise cals) and I lost 8lbs pretty quickly but I hit a plateau with no weight loss for over 4 weeks. I changed my MFP settings to lightly active and also that I wanted to lose 0.5lb a week and it automatically up'ed my cals to 1440 and in the first week I lost 2lbs.

    I am not competent enough to know about this factually but from my experience, I agree with the other posters on drinking more. Also look at how active you actually are during the day, 1200 cals a day wasn't enough for me. Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • knrob
    knrob Posts: 65
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    Try some new types of workouts...use some muscles that you haven't in awhile. I've been told to mix up my workouts every 6-8 weeks to get better workout.

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