Something is just not working.......

alr72034 · April 2012

Good morning all!

I started going to Metabolic Research Center on February 24, 2012 and lost 12 lbs in about three weeks (went from 242 down to 230). Then, it got to be too expensive (with all the supplements and pills) - so I switched and started doing Weight Watchers Online and joined 10 Fitness so I could start working out. Well, that was around March 15th or so.......been doing Zumba 1-hour classes 2-3 times a week and walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes 4-5 times a week. I even hired a personal trainer that I meet for 30 minutes 3 times a month! I have been trying to keep my calorie intake around 1200/day, which according to MFP, would give me a 3 lb/wk loss. Long story short - I have only lost 4.4 lbs over the past month! I am so frustrated b/c I am working very hard to exercise and eat right, but the scale just doesn't want to move down! :mad:

:noway: :sad:

Any suggestions on what I can do!!

Pandorian · April 2012

Eat more.
1200 calories and that amount of working out is leaving you with little to fuel your body with.

ladyraven68 · April 2012

Good morning all!

I started going to Metabolic Research Center on February 24, 2012 and lost 12 lbs in about three weeks (went from 242 down to 230). Then, it got to be too expensive (with all the supplements and pills) - so I switched and started doing Weight Watchers Online and joined 10 Fitness so I could start working out. Well, that was around March 15th or so.......been doing Zumba 1-hour classes 2-3 times a week and walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes 4-5 times a week. I even hired a personal trainer that I meet for 30 minutes 3 times a month! I have been trying to keep my calorie intake around 1200/day, which according to MFP, would give me a 3 lb/wk loss. Long story short - I have only lost 4.4 lbs over the past month! I am so frustrated b/c I am working very hard to exercise and eat right, but the scale just doesn't want to move down! :mad: :noway: :sad:

Any suggestions on what I can do!!

do you mean 1200 NET, or just 1200?

alr72034 · April 2012

I used the website my trainer works for for the following calculations (female, 39, 5'5", 226 lbs):
Basal Metabolic Rate - 1737
Total Calories Burned Each Day - 2692

Goal Weight - around 175 lbs
Weekly Goal - lose 3 lbs
Time to reach goal - 17 wks
Total loss - 51 lbs

Using the Weight Watchers formula:
50% carbs (600 cal)
30% protein (360 cal)
20% fat (240 cal)
Total calories - 1200

AnninStPaul · April 2012

I used the website my trainer works for for the following calculations (female, 39, 5'5", 226 lbs):
Basal Metabolic Rate - 1737
Total Calories Burned Each Day - 2692

Goal Weight - around 175 lbs
Weekly Goal - lose 3 lbs
Time to reach goal - 17 wks
Total loss - 51 lbs

Using the Weight Watchers formula:
50% carbs (600 cal)
30% protein (360 cal)
20% fat (240 cal)
Total calories - 1200

Your putting yourself into starvation mode. Go for 1200 NET calories per day. That means eating back your exercise calories.

cmccorma · April 2012

4.4 lbs down in a month is great! 3 lbs a week is not realistic as you continue weight loss. At one pound a week, you would be 52 lbs lighter in a year!

Weighinginwithmy02 · April 2012

Mostly places will tell you that 3 pounds a week isn't a healthy or realistic goal but if that's what you choose, so be it. Agree with previous posters though, you're not eating enough to fuel your body. WW should be giving you activity points, you need to use them.

SuMcP · April 2012

I'm in a similar situation - stalled after a good start. Most of the advice I have found indicates that you need to up your calorie intake (at least for a while). http://www.fat2fitradio.com/ seems very popular with MFP users and this suggestion is on their site. Also eating more protein and less carbs and more but smaller meals.

I'm trying this out this week; currently struggling to eat all the calories and 5-6 times a day, but hoping it will kick start my weight loss again.

Hope this helps!:happy:

lacy276 · April 2012

Eat more.
1200 calories and that amount of working out is leaving you with little to fuel your body with.

I 2nd that. I did alot of research myself on why I dropped weight the first month so fast, but the past 3 weeks the scale hasn't moved much. From what I found, I wasn't eating enough. Try to up your calories by just a couple hundred and see if that helps. I "up'd" mine to 1800 calories for the 1st time this week, 40% Carbs, 30% Fat & 630% Protein. I normally don't reach my 1800 calories, but I have seen a difference in my energy level in just a few days. I will let you know at the end of the week if I see a change. Good luck!!

rml_16 · April 2012

Average healthy weight loss is between .5 and 2 pounds per week, which is right where you are. Slow, but steady.

Everyone's body is different and the standard 3,500 calorie deficit = 1 pound lost does not always apply.

Spanaval · April 2012

I used the website my trainer works for for the following calculations (female, 39, 5'5", 226 lbs):
Basal Metabolic Rate - 1737
Total Calories Burned Each Day - 2692

Goal Weight - around 175 lbs
Weekly Goal - lose 3 lbs
Time to reach goal - 17 wks
Total loss - 51 lbs

Using the Weight Watchers formula:
50% carbs (600 cal)
30% protein (360 cal)
20% fat (240 cal)
Total calories - 1200

Your BMR is the minimum you should be eating in a day, so your base should be no lower than 1737 cals/day (and you eat back your exercise) NET. The other way to approach it is to eat 20% less than your TDEE (2692), which would put you at 2154 cals/day, regardless of exercise. Since your deficit if you eat that would be about 538 cals/day, you'll see a weight loss of 1 lb/week, which is a very good goal.

In your shoes, I'd up the protein intake to 40% and lower the carb intake to 40% as well. And incorporate some strength/weight training.

Francesca3162 · April 2012

TRUST ME.. I lost 20 lbs in about ten weeks just calorie counting. Then I kicked it up a notch and started working out, walking, jogging etc, and I have been stalled for about two and a half weeks because I was not eating my calories back....
So yesterday I started eating calories back so I can net my 1200.....

HOPING THAT WORKS!!!

alr72034 · April 2012

Thanks for all the great advice!

I have had two sessions with my personal trainer, the first being a full body workout and the second working on my legs. He also gave me some chest, back, and arm exercises to work on during this week until we meet again on Saturday.

I have been adding back the calories burned from exercising on the treadmill - I have started interval training (alternating 2 minutes, 3 mph, no incline and 2 minutes, 3.5 mph, 4% incline for 30 minutes). It asks me to enter my weight - so are the calories calculated by the machine correct?

So if I eat between 1700 and 2100 calories a day, and still keep exercising, the scale should start moving back down?

iuangina · April 2012

1200 calories is not enough if you are putting in long, hard workouts. You need to up your calories.

rml_16 · April 2012

Thanks for all the great advice!

I have had two sessions with my personal trainer, the first being a full body workout and the second working on my legs. He also gave me some chest, back, and arm exercises to work on during this week until we meet again on Saturday.

I have been adding back the calories burned from exercising on the treadmill - I have started interval training (alternating 2 minutes, 3 mph, no incline and 2 minutes, 3.5 mph, 4% incline for 30 minutes). It asks me to enter my weight - so are the calories calculated by the machine correct?

So if I eat between 1700 and 2100 calories a day, and still keep exercising, the scale should start moving back down?

You LOST 4.4 pounds. The scale IS moving down.

This is not The Biggest Loser.

Mgrogers09 · April 2012

The people telling you to eat more apparently have not done their research. You lose weight by creating a calorie deficit if you eat more you will not lose weight faster you will lose it slower- its not my opinion it is science- even adjusting for the slow down in your metabolism from eating less you would still lose weight quicker by eating less. The starvation mode deal would apply at a much lower calorie intake for someone with your BMR. Make sure you are making those 1200 count though eat clean with lots of fiber and protein.

I have a BMR of round 2000 and I eat no more than 1200 cals/day and do a 800-1000 calorie work out 5 times/week. I lose around 3 pounds a week and a much higher percent of the weight i lose is fat over muscle as per BF% calculations

beckajw · April 2012

Good morning all!

I started going to Metabolic Research Center on February 24, 2012 and lost 12 lbs in about three weeks (went from 242 down to 230). Then, it got to be too expensive (with all the supplements and pills) - so I switched and started doing Weight Watchers Online and joined 10 Fitness so I could start working out. Well, that was around March 15th or so.......been doing Zumba 1-hour classes 2-3 times a week and walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes 4-5 times a week. I even hired a personal trainer that I meet for 30 minutes 3 times a month! I have been trying to keep my calorie intake around 1200/day, which according to MFP, would give me a 3 lb/wk loss. Long story short - I have only lost 4.4 lbs over the past month! I am so frustrated b/c I am working very hard to exercise and eat right, but the scale just doesn't want to move down! :mad: :noway: :sad:

Any suggestions on what I can do!!

If you are doing WW and keeping you're calories around 1200 per day, you're not doing WW right. Are you eating all of your points each day? And your weekly points and activity points? If not, start doing that.

If you're using MFP, you should not be working toward a 3 pound per week weight loss. That's not all that healthy. Try 1-2 pounds.

You have been restricting quite a bit, so you may gain weight at first, but give it a couple of weeks.

Also, 4.4 pounds in a month is perfectly healthy weight loss. If you're a member of WW, I'm sure you've been told this. Weight loss should be .5 pounds to 2 pounds per week. 4.4 pounds in a month fits this.

ladyraven68 · April 2012

The people telling you to eat more apparently have not done their research. You lose weight by creating a calorie deficit if you eat more you will not lose weight faster you will lose it slower- its not my opinion it is science- even adjusting for the slow down in your metabolism from eating less you would still lose weight quicker by eating less. The starvation mode deal would apply at a much lower calorie intake for someone with your BMR. Make sure you are making those 1200 count though eat clean with lots of fiber and protein.

I have a BMR of round 2000 and I eat no more than 1200 cals/day and do a 800-1000 calorie work out 5 times/week. I lose around 3 pounds a week and a much higher percent of the weight i lose is fat over muscle as per BF% calculations

There comes a point where the calorie deficit is too large, and the diet is lacking enough nutrition to actually fuel the body.

Less food doesn't always mean more weight loss.
it may mean hair loss and gallstone problems, but not weight loss.

A sensible deficit of 20% is going to be better for the health than a 50%+ deficit,

lynnbasso · April 2012

I'm about the same on stats and weight as you. I lost about 3 lbs over 2 1/2 months. This included a personal trainer 2x's week and at the gym another 3-4x's a week on my own. I was eating following his meal plans. I could see the changes in my body but the scale wasn't moving. Getting around 1200 calories give or take each day. It was a lot of food and I wasn't hungry. The whole scale thing was bothering me. I should have dropped more! I told him early last week I didn't think I was eating enough so I upped my food intake or mostly another protein and upped my water by over 96 ozs per day. Yes, I pee a lot! It worked. I lost 5 lbs this week. My body definately was going into starvation mode. Eat the calories you work off. A protein shake helps after a good workout. Good Luck!

Something is just not working.......

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