3 and 1/2 months and still nothing..help please

MrsCleveland
MrsCleveland Posts: 3
in Motivation and Support
33 years old, 211 lbs, and I started excercising 4-5 days a week. Mon-Thurs I do Zumba on my Kinect. Tues and Thursday I do 20 minutes strength training, and Mon-Fri I walk for 30-40 minutes at night. I have cut down portions, am counting calories, drink 10 glasses of water a day, and have been averaging 1,300 cal/day. I am getting really frustrated I haven't lost anything, no weight and no inches. Please help.

Replies

  • MissTomGettingThin
    MissTomGettingThin Posts: 776 Member
    No expert but I'd say eat more.
  • bethanne60
    bethanne60 Posts: 18
    More cardio? Increase protein? Not an expert but I have been successful with doing cardio before breakfast and then a good sized breakfast. Cut down on sodium?
  • tabasco121
    tabasco121 Posts: 5
    With all that excercising you are building muscle (which weighs more than fat). When you work out lift lighter weights with more reps. Maybe change your diet to high protein, low carb and plenty of fiber.
  • Kathy53925
    Kathy53925 Posts: 241 Member
    Make sure you are tracking every bite that enters your mouth. Also, if you are working out that much, you may need to eat a lot more to lose.
  • purplegoboom
    purplegoboom Posts: 400 Member
    Can you open up your diary so we can maybe give some advice? Without seeing it I really have no idea what may be going wrong (if anything).
  • CatchMom11
    CatchMom11 Posts: 462 Member
    With all that excercising you are building muscle (which weighs more than fat). When you work out lift lighter weights with more reps. Maybe change your diet to high protein, low carb and plenty of fiber.

    Muscle doesn't weight more than fat. A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle.
  • thepanttherlady
    thepanttherlady Posts: 258 Member
    What are your goals? Also, without seeing your diary no one will be able to give you a better answer to your questions. :)
  • purplegoboom
    purplegoboom Posts: 400 Member
    With all that excercising you are building muscle (which weighs more than fat). When you work out lift lighter weights with more reps. Maybe change your diet to high protein, low carb and plenty of fiber.

    Muscle doesn't weight more than fat. A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle.

    And even if she was replacing that fat with muscle, she would be seeing inches lost since muscle is more compact than fat.
  • poesch77
    poesch77 Posts: 1,005 Member
    No expert but I'd say eat more.

    ^^^^ this....I started at 1450 calories and have slowly increased manually to 1850 calories....the more exercise you do I believe you need to do this. Note: I am 34 and weigh 208.....
  • LuneBleu85
    LuneBleu85 Posts: 217
    I think this might be worth a quick trip to the doctor. My mom had a very similar story to yours and was diagnosed with hypothyroid.

    That said, if it's not something else happening, I don't think 1300 is enough calories (personal opinion). Do you get enough sleep and drink lots of water? Those things seem to stall my weightloss previously.
  • horrorghoul
    horrorghoul Posts: 59 Member
    I never go by weight alone. I always measure myself to. I've lost more in inches than in pounds. Just remember that the scale was made by insurance companies. I'd just measure and compare once a week to see if you are losing inches.
  • rachaela06
    rachaela06 Posts: 167
    No expert but I'd say eat more.
    This and maybe a complete physical to make sure everything is working properly.
  • markymarrkk
    markymarrkk Posts: 495 Member
    eat BACK the exercise calories you're burning. That's probably it... because if you're only eating 1300 cals but burning off 300-400 than you're definitely not getting enough food
  • suthrnladey
    suthrnladey Posts: 36
    With all that excercising you are building muscle (which weighs more than fat). When you work out lift lighter weights with more reps. Maybe change your diet to high protein, low carb and plenty of fiber.

    Muscle doesn't weight more than fat. A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle.


    (Source: http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=8311&sc=128?vm=r&s=1)

    Q:Does muscle really weigh more than fat?

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat, any more than lead weighs more than feathers. A pound is a pound is a pound. Where the misunderstanding often comes in is that muscle is much more dense than fat, so that, by volume, it seems to weigh more. That is, a pound of muscle occupies less space than a pound of fat. In addition, because a pound of muscle burns more fat than a pound of fat, even at rest, by increasing your lean muscle tissue mass, you're helping your body burn more calories.

    But back to your question. If you only have a small amount of weight to lose, then you may feel like the weight training is not helping you move down on the scale. In fact, the number may even go up, but you will look thinner. This is due to an increase in lean body mass (muscle, bone, blood volume) and a decrease in body fat. In other words, even if the scale doesn't change much, you will probably see a difference in how your clothes fit.

    On the other hand, if you have a lot of weight to lose, you will also experience an increase in lean body mass and loss of body fat. But the results on the scale will probably be more dramatic.
  • kmurphy104
    kmurphy104 Posts: 2
    I have a similar background. The weight watchers instructors kept asking me 'are you sure you are following the diet plan?' The first day I did a good meditation ... I dropped 4 pounds by the next morning. I'm told the 'stress' is what holds onto me!
  • tcg21
    tcg21 Posts: 6 Member
    Can you open up your diary so we can maybe give some advice? Without seeing it I really have no idea what may be going wrong (if anything).

    This is true... but if you are working out that much you need to be eating more calories. Your body holds onto the fat thinking you are starving.
  • jaireed
    jaireed Posts: 333 Member
    How frustrating! Make sure you count everything you put in your mouth. Coffee creamer, drinks, candy, gum. If you already are then up your work outs to 5 days a week. I lose weight eating 1200 cals a day and working out an hour a day. Honestly, you have to find what works for you. If these are't the reasons and you are still struggling you might want to see a doctor and have your thyroid checked. I had a hypothyroid and it was so annoying. People would tell me to eat more, or less, or work out harder (I was working out 2 hours a day and hard!). I would lose only a pound or two a month. Finally I went in and now am on the pills. I have lost 30 pounds since March. Given I count every calorie I eat and work out an hour a day. (Walking, its the only thing I seem to stick with). Try switching things up, open your diary to the public and do what feels right to you. Good luck!
  • MrsCleveland
    MrsCleveland Posts: 3
    Truth: I am not good on the weekends. I eat 3-4 bowls of pan cooked popcorn, drink 3-4 glasses of wine, do not excercise, but I didn't think this would cause me to be exactly where I was 3 1/2 months ago. During the week when I am on track I find it very hard to eat more than 1,300 cal. I find myself at the end of the day trying to add more calories, which doesn't sound right to me.
  • gsantos
    gsantos Posts: 3 Member
    Increase ur calories by 200 with protein either powder muscle milk or soy based powder. Egg whites are excellent as well. Weights low reps high weight. Continue with the aerobics.
  • MrsCleveland
    MrsCleveland Posts: 3
    Going to see the doc was my next plan. I also am on Depo, which I heard makes you gain weight.
  • gsantos
    gsantos Posts: 3 Member
    We cannot use standards on this subject. Everyone has their metabolic rate. It does fluctuate as u gain or loose fat or muscle mass. You need to find what works for you. It is a dynamic process. I suggest you evaluate your diet and exercise routines on a weekly basis. Going to the doc is in order to rule out endocrine issues. I also suggest to get a Body Scan to measure fat and muscle mass on a monthly basis. Good luck
  • devonette
    devonette Posts: 263 Member
    If you open your food diary so that we can see what makes up that 1300 calories per day you are eating, we might be able to give you advice.

    Without seeing it, the best advice I can give you is weigh and measure everything that goes in your mouth. It's very possible you are underestimating portion sizes, in which case you may be eating way more than you think you are. Record everything, even on the weekends when you are not dieting.

    Or, you could be eating far less than you should be for the amount of exercise you do, and that could also cause you not to lose. Without seeing what you are actually eating and doing, it's very hard to help.
  • trelm249
    trelm249 Posts: 777 Member
    First a couple of questions.
    How tall are you?
    Is that 1300 calories net a day? Or is that 1300 calories absolute a day?

    Suggestions -
    Track everything that goes in the mouth. Don't modify your habits, but track everything and be brutally honest with yourself about it.
    Do that for two weeks to get a decent sample and look at your totals for each week. Your answer may lie there to some degree.

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