A few summers ago I did P90x and I gained 3-4 lbs. I didn't count calories, but I did eat healthy. I did protein shakes, etc. Yes, I am sure I gained muscle, but I didn't shrink much, if at all.
This summer I started counting calories. I did this for about a month or two before I started working out 2-4 times a week. Once I started working out, I only ate more when I had a BIG workout (like 8-12 mile run). I also eat/drink more on the weekends so I let my weekday deficit balance that. I have lost 10 lbs. AND I'm 42, so being older hasn't hurt me too badly when I make the effort to really do what works.
I use MFP and I think it's fun to use. But you have to be honest and accurate. If you only log 1500 calories but actually are eating 2000, you will be frustrated you are not losing, or not losing as quickly.
Well your body gets used to your workouts, like everyone else has already said. You need to start challenging your body and your metabolism. Intervals while you run, spin classes, something that spikes and reduces your heart rate is a great way to get your metabolism moving fast. Do you lift weights? This would also help you burn more calories at rest.
You guys are right, I need to track my food in order to be accurate I guess. I just find tracking so annoying, I don't mind writing down what I eat but trying to figure out the calories or points of each recipe is what trips me up, it gets difficult to portion out each individual ingredient and then find the value for each of them. And I'm lazy, lol.
Maybe I should start writing things down without worrying about calorie/point content just to see what I'm eating?
I guess I've just assumed that if I haven't changed my diet, on average I'd be eating the same average amount. Some days much more, some days much less, it all evens out.
I do understand that my body would be burning calories less heavily after getting in shape. I can see how weight loss would slow over time by doing the same thing over and over because your body adjusts. But I never had any initial benefit so nothing has slowed, it just hasn't changed at all. I also would fully expect slow loss (so no 1lb a week for this girl!) but I am a little surprised that there hasn't been anything at all.
I don't feel like my clothes fit differently. I guess I should have taken measurements. My pants that I'm wearing today were bought last year and they're definitely not loose (or tight). They're the same as they've always been I think.
One pound is 3,500 calories though. Do you think you are consistently at a deficit of 3,500 in a given time period? Say you think you should lose a pound a week. That means every single day you need to be 500 calories in the negative. If you are potentially overeating, AND only burning around 300 calories through exercise, there's your issue.
Yep.
Dumb question - say I had always overeaten, so let's just say an average of 2500 calories a day, which is too many obviously but let's say it's an average.
Then I start burning off 300 calories a day, 3x a week. So 900 calories a week.
Assuming I continue eating an average of 2500 calories a day, shouldn't I lose about 1lb each month? Just by burning off 900 calories a week? Even though I'm eating too much, still, I'm overall ending up with fewer calories not burned off than where I originally started, right?
So over a 6 month period, that would be about 5-6 lbs.
That's what isn't adding up. I'm completely fine and understanding about slow weight loss. It's the complete lack of anything at all that isn't adding up. I guess I'm being too technical with the math maybe.
Yes, but you may be underestimating the calories you are taking in. So although you are burning 900 calories a week, you may actually be eating them back in snacks/going out to dinner.
Dumb question - say I had always overeaten, so let's just say an average of 2500 calories a day, which is too many obviously but let's say it's an average.
Then I start burning off 300 calories a day, 3x a week. So 900 calories a week.
Assuming I continue eating an average of 2500 calories a day, shouldn't I lose about 1lb each month? Just by burning off 900 calories a week? Even though I'm eating too much, still, I'm overall ending up with fewer calories not burned off than where I originally started, right?
So over a 6 month period, that would be about 5-6 lbs.
That's what isn't adding up. I'm completely fine and understanding about slow weight loss. It's the complete lack of anything at all that isn't adding up. I guess I'm being too technical with the math maybe.
I don't think so, because you overall still have a caloric excess. You need to have a calorie deficit based upon how much your body needs to maintain your current weight, not based upon what you have previously been eating.
I DO NOT mean this in a rude manner, I just want to use the numbers you gave in this thread as my example. You said you weigh 190lbs, and need to lose 30lbs, so for arguments sake, let's say you are 30lbs overweight. At some point, you were not 30lbs overweight. Eating the amount you are eating regularly now is what got you to your current weight. If you were to continue eating the same, and you cut out the exercise, you would continue to gain weight at whatever rate you were putting it on in the first place. Your exercise is currently just helping you either slow the weight gain, plateau for awhile, or maintain your current weight. It's not enough to take off the weight you gained since you were starting at a point of overeating. Using my example of 1lb per week, through a combination of diet and exercise, you need to create a calorie deficit of 500 calories below what you need to maintain. So if you are burning 300 calories a day right now through exercise and are maintaining your weight exactly, you need to either burn or cut another 500 calories every day to lose that lb per week.
Lets say your resting metabolism rate is 1300. Add 500 for activity. You need 1800 calories a day to feel good (just totally hypothetically). If you eat 2500 and burn 500, you still actually eat more than you burn.
It's good to know what activities burn the most calories. So many people think 30 minutes of cardio is going to get them results. Maybe, eventually, a little...but for faster results, you want to do exercises that make the heartrate go up and down. Heavy weight training. Interval training (shorter more intense intervals are better for weightloss). Not only do these workouts burn more calories, they keep your metabolism faster hours after the workout.
Use an online calorie tracking site like live strong's daily plate. Much easier then tracking by hand. Take measurements vs the scale. I've been doing a weight lifting program since June, 2 months in and I had not lost a lb. I started tracking with measurements, using measurements the results are visible and much more satisfying.
I trained for and ran a half marathon and didn't lose weight. If I eat and drink what I want, I will not drop pounds. If I eat well and don't exercise, I will not lose weight either. It sucks, but I need both.
On NOVA they trained a dozen people for a marathon and none lost weight.
I haven't read all the replies yet, but your first sentence really sums it up - diet is key. You don't need to see a doctor yet; track your eating for a month, make some changes, and if nothing has happened in three months, then consider seeing a doctor.
Honestly, this issue isn't even worth worrying about without tracking what you eat, because there's such a high chance that your diet is the culprit. When I started Weight Watchers, I was adamant that I ate healthy and that my body just couldn't lose weight, dammit. It turned out that (1) I was just eating too large of portion sizes, and (2) proportionally my meat, carbs, and sweets intake were way too high. Once I made those two changes, I started losing regularly. Keeping those two things in mind has helped me keep the weight off (ok, most of it, lol). And whenever I slip, it's always one of those two things.
Ditto everyone else on tracking calories. Furthermore, the first thing the doctor will ask is if you're tracking your calories and if you tell them no, they're going to tell you to start doing it immediately. Better to do it now, so if it is something else, your doc won't automatically dismiss your claims that you are unable to lose weight.
Diet and exercise really go hand in hand. And the calories can sneak up on you. After watching DH do WW and seeing the calorie counts at Outback, I can attest to that.
And my own personal experience was pretty similar. I was working out and started blaming my zoloft and/or a faulty thyroid for being chunky. I got my thyroid tested (totally fine, actually closer to the over active end LOL) and once I got serious last spring about diet, the weight came off and came off pretty quickly. But it was a MAJOR change in the calories I was eating.
I think you and I were on the same pattern for a while, what was it that you started doing that finally made a difference?
Oh, I've counted calories plenty in the past. And points, and carbs, and just about everything else. I'm well aware of how many calories are in most stuff. I think I just got exhausted worrying about calories and all that crap all the time. I've never really been thin and always struggled with eating too much and dieting has always been a grey cloud hanging over my life, since I was like 14.
But, apparently a "healthy" attitude toward eating well and exercising is not meant to be. I'm 20 lbs over a healthy weight and my cholesterol has gone up, which is the most alarming to me. So, I guess counting again will be the way to go.
Also I am not interested in diet pills
I just wish that I could exercise regularly, eat what I want (within reason), and not worry about it beyond that. I guess that's not what most people are able to do though.
Honestly I lost 40 pounds by exercising and very little change in diet. I have much more than 30lbs to lose though. Now the weight isn't coming off as easy and will need to make more changes to my diet. Ugh that is the hard part for me!
I don't think running 3 miles (30-45 minutes?) 3x per week is really going to do much in terms of weight loss. If you ate a few things extra on those days, you could have easily cancelled out the calories you burned. Do you think you could have overcompensated in your food intake on the days you worked out?
Post by thedutchgirl on Dec 4, 2012 23:19:21 GMT -5
Are you lifting any weights or doing any interval training? Steady state cardio alone is likely to have less of a beneficial impact on your body and metabolism as mixing in some intervals and weight training.
Also, research does show that weight loss is about 90% diet and 10% exercise.
I am sure it is frustrating, but perhaps try mixing up the exercise and counting calories for a month or so and see where that gets you.
I just wanted to add that sometimes diet deficiencies (e.g. Vit D, iron) can slow weight loss as well, so if you're getting bloodwork to check your thyroid you may want to ask about that too. But I agree with everyone else, food is the key.
Weight loss is 70% food. I am a firm believer in this.
I'd see a doc to get your thyroid checked (along with a vitamin/mineral panel), but you're going to need to start counting your calories and tracking everything. I worked out for 2 years and lost maaaaybe 5lbs a year. I thought I was eating healthy normal portions but when I started counting I was shocked at how much I'd eat.
I do have hypothyroid, so that was part of it, but the second year of that 2 years was on synthroid and I still didn't lose weight until I changed my diet. I made the diet changes this March and (see sig) clearly that worked.
It's also not just how much you eat, it's what you eat. Cut out the junk, the snacks, the processed food. Eat real food. And on Friday night, eat whatever you want.
Here's my anecdotal story: I've never been chubbier than when I was cycling long distances regularly and running half marathons.
It made no sense to me that when I'm in a better state of fitness, I'm more rotund than ever.
Think about it this way, if someone was having big, fancy dinner party with multiple courses, dessert - the whole 9 yards, what might you do that day to prepare?
You might skip a meal and/or eat lightly and workout out extra hard so you'll have a great appetite for the feast. So the exact same advice given to people who want to lose weight is what one would do preparing to gorge themselves.
I don't think for a second you would've gained weight had you not been working out the last several months. It's obvious you have ramped up your appetite unknowingly and even if you don't think your diet is that bad, my guess is you're eating up your deficit. It doesn't feel wrong or like you're pigging out because you're doing so much physical activity your body appreciates the calories being restored. This is especially true for women who sabotage themselves with a ton of cardio and can't figure out why nothing is changing.
My best advice is to eat real, whole foods. I discovered Mark Sisson (google for his site so I don't sound like a solicitor ;-) two years ago and it changed my life. I would shoot myself in the head if I had to weigh, measure or count calories. I've done that before and I won't do it again.
Anyway, please check some of his books out and figure out what works best for you. I feel like I finally found an answer that makes sense and I can live with permanently.