Don't understand why I'm not losing weight

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cazwillis99
cazwillis99 Posts: 238 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been on MFP for nearly 60 days now and this week gained 1.5 lbs - leaving my total weight loss at 4.5 lbs (4 of which were the difference between my last SW weigh in dressed and in the evening and my first MFP weigh in naked and in the morning) so really I have lost a whole half pound in two months. As you can imagine I am pretty unimpressed about this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My BMR is 1365 and my TDEE is 1876 based on me being lightly active. I walk every day for up to an hour and in the last 10 days have been putting in time on an elliptical trainer (now up to 30 mins). I clear 10000 steps most days but I don't count these as exercise I only count when I have physically been out and walked for a set time.

My diary is public so you can see what I eat - I have a gluten and wheat intolerence but I don't think that is why I'm not losing weight. My daily cals are set at 1340 and I eat back most of my exercise calories - in the last week my intake totals have ranged for 1500 cals to 1900 cals

I have recently ramped up my daily exercise to include the elliptical - this has probably been for the last 10 days and I have worked up to a 30 min session - however I have measured myself this morning and not lost any inches either :-(

I know I haven't over eaten by 5000 cals this week, I am very honest in my logging because I know that if I cheat I am only cheating myself so it is pointless - but am I messing up by eating back my exercise cals because they are the only cals over and above my dailies that I eat?

Thanks for any help and advice :-)

Just added up my exercise cals for the week and strangely enough they add up to 3500 which is enough to gain a pound - is there a connection here or is it just coincidence?
«1345

Replies

  • Heidi64
    Heidi64 Posts: 211 Member
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    I feel bad no one is responding. I have no ideas to give you. Your diary is enviable. Wish I ate that well. Hopefully someone can respond sooner or later and give you some valuable advice. Good luck and keep at it. At the very least, you are eating healthier and getting exercise.
  • cazwillis99
    cazwillis99 Posts: 238 Member
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    your carbs o protein ratios aren't good

    In what way?
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    What is your height and current weight?
  • snugglesworthjr
    snugglesworthjr Posts: 176 Member
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    When I first start dieting/exercising, the first two months my weight didn't change at all, but I lost 6 inches in that time and my body fat percentage dropped by 4%. In other words, I was replacing fat with muscle, which is why the number on the scale didn't change. You could be experiencing the same thing.

    About your macros: try to consume at least 1g protein per pound total weight and no more than 0.5g fat per pound total weight.
  • stormystrickland
    stormystrickland Posts: 190 Member
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    Here's a few tips I've learned this week from my trainer- I am no expert and I have just now gotten serious about losing weight within the past few weeks, however, maybe my advice might work for you. I try not to eat my exercise calories back because I feel like I've burned those calories for a reason. Some people on MFP will tell you that you need to eat these exercise calories back but others will tell you not to. Whenever I eat my calories back I seem to feel guilty so I don't do it much. Also, I'm not sure how much you walk a day or how long you have been doing this, but I do know that your body can get used to doing the same exercises so it is good to change up your routine to avoid plateaus- it's called muscle confusion.
    More about exercise, my trainer says the only way to lose numbers on the scale is to do cardio (which is what you're doing by doing the elliptical). I think that's a great thing to do to lose weight, but my trainer told me for this cardio to actually work, you need your heart rate to be around 160-190 for your work out to actually count. Just walking at a normal pace will take much longer to lose the weight you want to. Other than that, if you are interested in doing some work out videos I know that Jillian Michaels has a program called 30 Day Shred and it works wonders I've heard! You can look at before and after pictures on here- there are some amazing results, however, I've heard that it's a program geared more towards losing inches rather than weight. Also, Zumba and cycling are a great way to do cardio also.

    Let me know if you ever need anything! You can add me on here and I will definitely be here to motivate you!
  • cazwillis99
    cazwillis99 Posts: 238 Member
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    What is your height and current weight?

    5 4 and as of this morning 161lbs :-(
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
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    Possibly water retention, which is normal when on a prolonged calorie restricted diet. If that's the case, the weight will come off periodically in large amounts rather than gradually. You can stimulate this by having a higher calorie day with a decent helping of carbs (part of why "cheat days" are so popular I think).

    Sounds like you are doing well. Here is what I would recommend:
    Get your thyroid checked. Get you actual BMR from a doctor.
    Start weight training. Cardio is great for conditioning, but not so effective for getting in shape (I'm sure I'll get flamed for that, but it's the truth)

    Get your blood sugar levels tested. If they are normal and you have no insulin resistance problems/diabetes then look into intermittent fasting. Fasting is an unbelievably effective method for fat loss.
  • the_great_unknown
    the_great_unknown Posts: 194 Member
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    I feel like I could have posted the same message about a week ago. I was incredibly frustrated after working out so hard and staying within my calories each day without any significant results. I decided to cut back on carbohydrates to see if that would help me lose some weight, and it has been amazingly successful. I'm down around 5 pounds in under a week, after working for between six weeks and two months with no noticeable improvement. I noticed that although you eat gluten free, you do eat a fair amount of carboydrates.

    My suggestion is to cut out anything containing grains, and to add some protein to your menus and see if that helps you. It did for me. If not, you can try tweaking other things, but protein seems to be beneficial to weight loss.
  • Mazzyx
    Mazzyx Posts: 131
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    Maybe changing your exercise might help? Possibly more intense workouts maybe? Like 30DS or Zumba? Im not an expert on exercise by no means so I couldn't really give any real advice, I just wanted to offer some help for you! :smile:

    Hope someone can offer more help! Good Luck :smile:
    xxx
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
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    your carbs o protein ratios aren't good

    In what way?
    Eat at least 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass. Lots of reasons for this. Too many to type on phone.
  • led6777
    led6777 Posts: 268
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    Drink as much water as you possibly can and make sure you're getting 8 hours of sleep every night.
  • hongruss
    hongruss Posts: 389 Member
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    Your eating under your bmr, hence your body is storing everything = EAT MORE.

    Take 20% from your TDEE & NET that at day end :)

    Russ
  • laccy40
    laccy40 Posts: 136
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    I feel for you! I'm 42 and work in an office full of cakes and biscuits. I stayed the same for 5 weeks with no sign of any change in inches or weight. Then I made 2 small changes - I added some resistance training and I increased my protein levels. This week i dropped 2lb. Looking at your diary, your protein looks better than mine but you might want to try buying some whey powder and adding a shake once a day. It's got to worth a try! And I think you need to build muscle rather than just do cardio, so perhaps try squats, lunges, push ups a couple of times a week in place of some cardio. Good luck!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Possibly water retention, which is normal when on a prolonged calorie restricted diet. If that's the case, the weight will come off periodically in large amounts rather than gradually. You can stimulate this by having a higher calorie day with a decent helping of carbs (part of why "cheat days" are so popular I think).

    Sounds like you are doing well. Here is what I would recommend:
    Get your thyroid checked. Get you actual BMR from a doctor.
    Start weight training. Cardio is great for conditioning, but not so effective for getting in shape (I'm sure I'll get flamed for that, but it's the truth)

    Get your blood sugar levels tested. If they are normal and you have no insulin resistance problems/diabetes then look into intermittent fasting. Fasting is an unbelievably effective method for fat loss.

    These are all very good suggestions (cannot comment on the IF comment though as I do not know enough about it but many folks have seen success with it).

    I looked at your diary and nothing springs to mind as to why you are not losing weight. Calories burnt while exercising are often overstated so my initial thought was that you were actually at maintenance, but based on your calories eaten, you should still be at a deficit in any event - so I doubt it is this. I would suggest you upping your protein however and lowering your carbs at bit.

    You should definately start to weight train - very important for women.

    You could also try a 'diet break' where you basically eat at maintenance and cut back on the cardio for a week .





    .
  • AllergicToExercise
    AllergicToExercise Posts: 434 Member
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    Try maintenance for a short time, give things a kick and then slowly reduce your cals again. I've seen plenty of people on here say they've done that after a plateau and it's started off their loss again. Good luck, I know how frustrating it is!
  • stephl21uk
    stephl21uk Posts: 123 Member
    Options
    Here's a few tips I've learned this week from my trainer- I am no expert and I have just now gotten serious about losing weight within the past few weeks, however, maybe my advice might work for you. I try not to eat my exercise calories back because I feel like I've burned those calories for a reason. Some people on MFP will tell you that you need to eat these exercise calories back but others will tell you not to. Whenever I eat my calories back I seem to feel guilty so I don't do it much. Also, I'm not sure how much you walk a day or how long you have been doing this, but I do know that your body can get used to doing the same exercises so it is good to change up your routine to avoid plateaus- it's called muscle confusion.
    More about exercise, my trainer says the only way to lose numbers on the scale is to do cardio (which is what you're doing by doing the elliptical). I think that's a great thing to do to lose weight, but my trainer told me for this cardio to actually work, you need your heart rate to be around 160-190 for your work out to actually count. Just walking at a normal pace will take much longer to lose the weight you want to. Other than that, if you are interested in doing some work out videos I know that Jillian Michaels has a program called 30 Day Shred and it works wonders I've heard! You can look at before and after pictures on here- there are some amazing results, however, I've heard that it's a program geared more towards losing inches rather than weight. Also, Zumba and cycling are a great way to do cardio also.

    Let me know if you ever need anything! You can add me on here and I will definitely be here to motivate you!


    ^^^^^ This is a great responce, i totally agree with it....everyone on here tells you to eat ur exercise cals back bbut for some it doesnt work, my cal gole is set at 1200 and i try to stay under that, sometimes i go over but i never eat my full exercise cals back as for me that works, if i was to eat them all back i would gain weight! Also i am doing the DVD mentioned 30Day shred and i can agree it does wonders for ur body, this is the 2nd time im doing it and the 1st time i did it i was losing an overall 4inches, 2% body fat and 2lbs PER WEEK! this time im doing 30 Day shred and Banish Fat, boost metabalism (another DVD by the same trainer) and hoping for the same results.....in no expert but you have to find whats right for you. but i used to walk about 6hours a week and never lost any weight so now i do jillian micheals dvds as i cant get to the gym because of having 2 young children. good luck!
  • coxy46
    coxy46 Posts: 23
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    I am pretty much in the same situation as you, including weight and height. Take some measurements and ignore the scales for a couple of weeks. For the first few weeks I gained weight so really I have only lost about 2lb in 65 days BUT I have lost inches. I am booked on a body scanner next week to see what my muscle mass / fat ratios are. Dont loose heart, Im sure you will have lost some size and look how fit you are.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    your carbs o protein ratios aren't good

    your protein intake is ok for your size / gender but you are a carbohydrate addict :)

    Just another example of how the low fat eating and exercise mantra doesn't work, sadly.

    Change the low fat skinny versions of things to the full fat ones, eat less of them, lose the fruits (sugar in disguise) and avoid potato/pasta/crisps/chips/sweets/cake/chocolate.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Any person who tells you to skip fruit is to be ignored. That is TERRIBLE advice.

    Just of interest what do you have your weight loss set to per week? If it's 2lb per week it's too high for your goal weight. You should only be aiming for 2lb a week if you have over 75lb to lose.

    Have you considered doing weight lifting? It only needs to be body weight for you to see benefits from it. Cardio is great but you'll get better results and a better looking body from lifting weights.
  • MereBear1985
    MereBear1985 Posts: 36 Member
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    I agree with a previous poster. I took a quick calculation from your diary and you are consistently NETTING under your BMR.

    At the end of the day when you have that little calculation of food cals - exercise cals it should not be lower than your BMR. Your BMR is what you need to keep everything working if you do NOTHING!

    Make sure that at the end of the day your food - exercise = BMR at the very least if not 100-200 over. Right now from what I see you are NET about 1000-1200 cals per day, that means you are actually undereating by 100-200 cals at least. You need to feed your body if your doing exercise.

    Everybody is different so you do have to experiment a little too. I have eaten NET close to my BMR and losing, slowly, but losing. You just have to find what works for you but stay healthy at the same time.

    I hope this is helpful.

    Cheers

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