Why am I not losing weight?

[ScottyB]

So far about the last five weeks or so I have been working out pretty diligently. At the start, I was walking two to three miles a day up and down a pretty steep hill. In the last two weeks I have been going to the gym and burning about 400 - 550 calories (according to the machines). Usually about two miles on the treadmill at 3.6 mph and some time on the elliptical machine. I have also been cutting down my food intake and eating healthier foods.

I have not lost a single pound in the last 5 weeks. I don't know what to do. I am positive I am under 2000 cal/day (except maybe two weekends where I ate only semi-healthy and took a workout break because of the weather).

I know metabolism slows at first, but it has been five weeks. I can't cut my food intake anymore without being on a starvation diet and I am already doing 1 - 1.5 hours of exercising everyday. I don't want to take diet pills or energy drinks, but I would consider vitamins that might help.

What am I to do?

 

[KoolDrew]

I am positive I am under 2000 cal/day

And how is this?

 

[Capt Caveman]

What kind of food are you eating?

 

[ScottyB]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
What kind of food are you eating?

Healthy foods. I have added more fruits and vegetables to my diet and have been eating healthy cuts of meat like chicken and tuna. I never really ate that unhealthy of foods, but I ate a lot of it.

I just don't understand how I could have gone from a stable weight with unhealthy dietary and sedentary behaviors to the exact same weight with weeks of exercise and healthy eating.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
What kind of food are you eating?

Healthy foods. I have added more fruits and vegetables to my diet and have been eating healthy cuts of meat like chicken and tuna. I never really ate that unhealthy of foods, but I ate a lot of it.

I just don't understand how I could have gone from a stable weight with unhealthy dietary and sedentary behaviors to the exact same weight with weeks of exercise and healthy eating.

You aren't frankly under 2000cal/day. It is biological law that you will lose weight if your calories are under your body's daily requirements. You need to keep track on fitday.com or something. Measure everything before you eat it. You are doing something wrong. You could eat raw lard and if you calories were under your caloric maintenance, you would lose weight.

 

[ScottyB]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
What kind of food are you eating?

Healthy foods. I have added more fruits and vegetables to my diet and have been eating healthy cuts of meat like chicken and tuna. I never really ate that unhealthy of foods, but I ate a lot of it.

I just don't understand how I could have gone from a stable weight with unhealthy dietary and sedentary behaviors to the exact same weight with weeks of exercise and healthy eating.

You aren't frankly under 2000cal/day. It is biological law that you will lose weight if your calories are under your body's daily requirements. You need to keep track on fitday.com or something. Measure everything before you eat it. You are doing something wrong. You could eat raw lard and if you calories were under your caloric maintenance, you would lose weight.

I have been measuring. About 500 cals per meal.

 

[Killerme33]

How often are you going to the gym? Be honest.

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
What kind of food are you eating?

Healthy foods. I have added more fruits and vegetables to my diet and have been eating healthy cuts of meat like chicken and tuna. I never really ate that unhealthy of foods, but I ate a lot of it.

I just don't understand how I could have gone from a stable weight with unhealthy dietary and sedentary behaviors to the exact same weight with weeks of exercise and healthy eating.

You aren't frankly under 2000cal/day. It is biological law that you will lose weight if your calories are under your body's daily requirements. You need to keep track on fitday.com or something. Measure everything before you eat it. You are doing something wrong. You could eat raw lard and if you calories were under your caloric maintenance, you would lose weight.

I have been measuring. About 500 cals per meal.

Then you are not spending as much as you are eating.

 

[ScottyB]

Originally posted by: Killerme33
How often are you going to the gym? Be honest.

Every day.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
What kind of food are you eating?

Healthy foods. I have added more fruits and vegetables to my diet and have been eating healthy cuts of meat like chicken and tuna. I never really ate that unhealthy of foods, but I ate a lot of it.

I just don't understand how I could have gone from a stable weight with unhealthy dietary and sedentary behaviors to the exact same weight with weeks of exercise and healthy eating.

You aren't frankly under 2000cal/day. It is biological law that you will lose weight if your calories are under your body's daily requirements. You need to keep track on fitday.com or something. Measure everything before you eat it. You are doing something wrong. You could eat raw lard and if you calories were under your caloric maintenance, you would lose weight.

I have been measuring. About 500 cals per meal.

Up the cardio, decrease the calories. These things are simple.

 

[Finns14]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
What kind of food are you eating?

Healthy foods. I have added more fruits and vegetables to my diet and have been eating healthy cuts of meat like chicken and tuna. I never really ate that unhealthy of foods, but I ate a lot of it.

I just don't understand how I could have gone from a stable weight with unhealthy dietary and sedentary behaviors to the exact same weight with weeks of exercise and healthy eating.

You aren't frankly under 2000cal/day. It is biological law that you will lose weight if your calories are under your body's daily requirements. You need to keep track on fitday.com or something. Measure everything before you eat it. You are doing something wrong. You could eat raw lard and if you calories were under your caloric maintenance, you would lose weight.

I have been measuring. About 500 cals per meal.

Up the cardio, decrease the calories. These things are simple.

QFT its a pretty simple formula if your calories in are lower then your calories expended you loose weight, you either making an error on how much exercise your doing or how much you are really taking in during the day.

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
What kind of food are you eating?

Healthy foods. I have added more fruits and vegetables to my diet and have been eating healthy cuts of meat like chicken and tuna. I never really ate that unhealthy of foods, but I ate a lot of it.

I just don't understand how I could have gone from a stable weight with unhealthy dietary and sedentary behaviors to the exact same weight with weeks of exercise and healthy eating.

You aren't frankly under 2000cal/day. It is biological law that you will lose weight if your calories are under your body's daily requirements. You need to keep track on fitday.com or something. Measure everything before you eat it. You are doing something wrong. You could eat raw lard and if you calories were under your caloric maintenance, you would lose weight.

I have been measuring. About 500 cals per meal.

Give us a link to your fitday account then.

Also, what are your stats (bodyweight, height, estimates bf%, etc.)?

 

[ScottyB]

Originally posted by: Finns14

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
What kind of food are you eating?

Healthy foods. I have added more fruits and vegetables to my diet and have been eating healthy cuts of meat like chicken and tuna. I never really ate that unhealthy of foods, but I ate a lot of it.

I just don't understand how I could have gone from a stable weight with unhealthy dietary and sedentary behaviors to the exact same weight with weeks of exercise and healthy eating.

You aren't frankly under 2000cal/day. It is biological law that you will lose weight if your calories are under your body's daily requirements. You need to keep track on fitday.com or something. Measure everything before you eat it. You are doing something wrong. You could eat raw lard and if you calories were under your caloric maintenance, you would lose weight.

I have been measuring. About 500 cals per meal.

Up the cardio, decrease the calories. These things are simple.

QFT its a pretty simple formula if your calories in are lower then your calories expended you loose weight, you either making an error on how much exercise your doing or how much you are really taking in during the day.

That's conceivable, but to go from zero exercise with eating lots of food each day to eating much healthier and less food with lots of exercise I don't see how I can be staying the same weight in both situations. It doesn't make sense. I am 125 lbs over my goal weight, I think I should be losing some with the amount of exercise I am doing. I am literally soaked with sweat after my session. I wear a baseball cap and it is drenched each time.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: ScottyB
That's conceivable, but to go from zero exercise with eating lots of food each day to eating much healthier and less food with lots of exercise I don't see how I can be staying the same weight in both situations. It doesn't make sense. I am 125 lbs over my goal weight, I think I should be losing some with the amount of exercise I am doing. I am literally soaked with sweat after my session. I wear a baseball cap and it is drenched each time.

It does seem a bit odd that you haven't lost any weight, so the first step would be to ensure your scale is working right (ie, try a different scale).

Having said that, if you're not losing weight, then, as much as it may be painful to hear, you're still eating more (or about the same) calories than you burn. Adding exercise is not enough, as it's quite likely that because you are expending more energy, without even noticing, you'll eat more to compensate.

Try something like this:

1. Track your food intake very carefully on fitday.com. When in doubt, overestimate. Don't lie or feel ashamed and leave some food off, just put EVERYTHING there. This will give you an ok estimate of how many calories per day you actually eat.

2. Track your exercise on fitday.com as well. This, along with your basic body stats & general lifestyle will tell you how many calories you're burning per day.

3. Make the value in #1 less than the value in #2.

4. Get a new scale

 

[ScottyB]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: ScottyB
That's conceivable, but to go from zero exercise with eating lots of food each day to eating much healthier and less food with lots of exercise I don't see how I can be staying the same weight in both situations. It doesn't make sense. I am 125 lbs over my goal weight, I think I should be losing some with the amount of exercise I am doing. I am literally soaked with sweat after my session. I wear a baseball cap and it is drenched each time.

It does seem a bit odd that you haven't lost any weight, so the first step would be to ensure your scale is working right (ie, try a different scale).

Having said that, if you're not losing weight, then, as much as it may be painful to hear, you're still eating more (or about the same) calories than you burn. Adding exercise is not enough, as it's quite likely that because you are expending more energy, without even noticing, you'll eat more to compensate.

Try something like this:

1. Track your food intake very carefully on fitday.com. When in doubt, overestimate. Don't lie or feel ashamed and leave some food off, just put EVERYTHING there. This will give you an ok estimate of how many calories per day you actually eat.

2. Track your exercise on fitday.com as well. This, along with your basic body stats & general lifestyle will tell you how many calories you're burning per day.

3. Make the value in #1 less than the value in #2.

4. Get a new scale

Got a new scale today rated at 400 lb. Still the exact same weight as the other scale. I guess I can be even better with my food, but it will be very difficult to eat less. I suppose I can substitute more veggies, maybe do meatless a few days per week and eat less during the others. I will definitely pump up the exercise. My food intake before must have been 4,000 - 5,000 cal/day and I have been at this weight about 1.5 years now.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: ScottyB
That's conceivable, but to go from zero exercise with eating lots of food each day to eating much healthier and less food with lots of exercise I don't see how I can be staying the same weight in both situations. It doesn't make sense. I am 125 lbs over my goal weight, I think I should be losing some with the amount of exercise I am doing. I am literally soaked with sweat after my session. I wear a baseball cap and it is drenched each time.

It does seem a bit odd that you haven't lost any weight, so the first step would be to ensure your scale is working right (ie, try a different scale).

Having said that, if you're not losing weight, then, as much as it may be painful to hear, you're still eating more (or about the same) calories than you burn. Adding exercise is not enough, as it's quite likely that because you are expending more energy, without even noticing, you'll eat more to compensate.

Try something like this:

1. Track your food intake very carefully on fitday.com. When in doubt, overestimate. Don't lie or feel ashamed and leave some food off, just put EVERYTHING there. This will give you an ok estimate of how many calories per day you actually eat.

2. Track your exercise on fitday.com as well. This, along with your basic body stats & general lifestyle will tell you how many calories you're burning per day.

3. Make the value in #1 less than the value in #2.

4. Get a new scale

Got a new scale today rated at 400 lb. Still the exact same weight as the other scale. I guess I can be even better with my food, but it will be very difficult to eat less. I suppose I can substitute more veggies, maybe do meatless a few days per week and eat less during the others. I will definitely pump up the exercise. My food intake before must have been 4,000 - 5,000 cal/day and I have been at this weight about 1.5 years now.

You don't have to do meatless, but eating veggies will help you massive amounts. The fiber settles in your stomach and lets your body feel more satiated. Also, think about consuming some more healthy fat (nuts, olive oil, etc) because fats slow digestion and make you feel fuller for a longer period of time compared to other nutrients.

 

[NGC_604]

..

 

[Alienwho]

Maybe you are replacing fat with muscle, thusly not losing weight? Has your strength increased?

Reading your post again, it appears that you are only doing cardio and are not lifting.

Stop doing 2 hours of cardio a day, and start doing 1 hour of intense heavy lifting, followed by a protein shake and healthy calculated meals. Don't BS this, do your research and create a good lifting program. Then get your cardio from playing some tennis or basketball. I guarantee this will be a million times more effective than whatever it is you're doing now. Find some bodybuilding forums, do some research, it will become clear to you as to why you are not losing weight.

Your post reminds me of a coworker of mine. He's had a personal trainer for over a year now, goes to the gym 4 times a week, sometimes twice a day, and he hasn't lost a pound in a year and is completely baffled by it. I know exactly why he hasn't lost a pound. It's his two diet mountain-dews every day (because of course it's better than regular). It's his absolute slack-tastic "workouts" (but at least he's working out right?). It's his semi-regular binge eating and sedentary lifestyle (At least he doesn't binge eat every meal like he used to right?). It's his half a box of low-fat wheat thins (which is better than his old quarter box of regular wheat thins right?). It's his friday morning binge on bagels but still "avoiding the brownies and donuts, because those are unhealthy".

Before trying to lose weight, you really need to educate yourself and do all sorts of research. It is SO EASY to lose weight if you know how and you understand the backend process. The hard work comes from the follow-through and dedication. If your post is true, it appears you have the Hard-work/dedication part down, you just don't understand the easy part yet, so look it up.

 

[Alienwho]

Originally posted by: ScottyB
Got a new scale today rated at 400 lb. Still the exact same weight as the other scale. I guess I can be even better with my food, but it will be very difficult to eat less. I suppose I can substitute more veggies, maybe do meatless a few days per week and eat less during the others. I will definitely pump up the exercise. My food intake before must have been 4,000 - 5,000 cal/day and I have been at this weight about 1.5 years now.

Posts like this make me cringe. If anything, pump down the "exercise" and pump up the weight lifting! Don't necessarily up the veggies, but cut down the carbs (potatoes and rice) and eat more meat (chicken preferably)!

You need to build muscle and strength.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Alienwho

Originally posted by: ScottyB
Got a new scale today rated at 400 lb. Still the exact same weight as the other scale. I guess I can be even better with my food, but it will be very difficult to eat less. I suppose I can substitute more veggies, maybe do meatless a few days per week and eat less during the others. I will definitely pump up the exercise. My food intake before must have been 4,000 - 5,000 cal/day and I have been at this weight about 1.5 years now.

Posts like this make me cringe. If anything, pump down the "exercise" and pump up the weight lifting! Don't necessarily up the veggies, but cut down the carbs (potatoes and rice) and eat more meat (chicken preferably)!

You need to build muscle and strength.

The problem with your posts is that he didn't say he wanted to gain muscle and strength. His goal was to lose weight. I agree that he should get on some type of lifting program and cardio split. I also agree that a lifting program would benefit him and that 2 hours of cardio is ridiculous. However, keep in mind that he may not WANT to build muscle and strength at this stage. He may just wanna lose weight, even though those goals coincide more than people think.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

maybe you're just getting more muscle. I think the right way to track progress is:
Once a week/every other week:

• Weigh yourself in the AM naked

• Measure your bf with the same set of calipers

• photo... hmm maybe just shirt off. put some pants on

 

[TecHNooB]

A list for you:

Make sure you're having LEAN meat. No chicken skins or fatty beef!
Eat more veggies but NO dressing.
Fruits are always good.
Eat smaller portions and eat more often!
Stay away from sugar!
Drink lots of water!
Be patient!

 

[Alienwho]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: Alienwho

Originally posted by: ScottyB
Got a new scale today rated at 400 lb. Still the exact same weight as the other scale. I guess I can be even better with my food, but it will be very difficult to eat less. I suppose I can substitute more veggies, maybe do meatless a few days per week and eat less during the others. I will definitely pump up the exercise. My food intake before must have been 4,000 - 5,000 cal/day and I have been at this weight about 1.5 years now.

Posts like this make me cringe. If anything, pump down the "exercise" and pump up the weight lifting! Don't necessarily up the veggies, but cut down the carbs (potatoes and rice) and eat more meat (chicken preferably)!

You need to build muscle and strength.

The problem with your posts is that he didn't say he wanted to gain muscle and strength. His goal was to lose weight. I agree that he should get on some type of lifting program and cardio split. I also agree that a lifting program would benefit him and that 2 hours of cardio is ridiculous. However, keep in mind that he may not WANT to build muscle and strength at this stage. He may just wanna lose weight, even though those goals coincide more than people think.

If this is a true thought process that people have, it's quit possibly the most asinine thought process in the world and proves why they aren't losing weight. If his 5 weeks of intense cardio without losing a pound isn't proof enough of the ineffectiveness, I don't know what else to say.

Cardio tends to destroy muscle tissue while weight training promotes muscle growth. A pound of muscle burns an average of 8-12 calories per day compared to 1 calorie for each pound of fat. Also, the afterburn effect of an intense weight training session will burn 500-1000 calories over 24-36 hours after exercise.

Here's a great article that talks about adipose tissue, cardio, and weight training in great detail.
http://www.ultimate-exercise.com/fat.html
---
Article Summary:
The Bottom Line

The bottom line for fat loss is as follows: 1) Build some calorie burning muscle through proper exercise. 2) Create a modest calorie deficit through dietary restraint. 3) Superhydration. 4) Get some extra sleep. 5) Avoid overactivity or steady-state activities that are popularly thought to "burn calories". If you have the discipline, these simple steps will prove successful beyond your expectations.
---
Cardio is absolutely over-rated. Heavy lifting+HIIT change your body faster than the endurance benefits of cardio that your body tends to quickly adapts to.

 

[spamsk8r]

When I first started working out and eating better I did not lose any weight for about a month. I kept at it, though, and eventually it started coming down. Today I'm 34 pounds lighter than I was 8 months ago. Keep at it, it'll come.

 

[ScottyB]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: Alienwho

Originally posted by: ScottyB
Got a new scale today rated at 400 lb. Still the exact same weight as the other scale. I guess I can be even better with my food, but it will be very difficult to eat less. I suppose I can substitute more veggies, maybe do meatless a few days per week and eat less during the others. I will definitely pump up the exercise. My food intake before must have been 4,000 - 5,000 cal/day and I have been at this weight about 1.5 years now.

Posts like this make me cringe. If anything, pump down the "exercise" and pump up the weight lifting! Don't necessarily up the veggies, but cut down the carbs (potatoes and rice) and eat more meat (chicken preferably)!

You need to build muscle and strength.

The problem with your posts is that he didn't say he wanted to gain muscle and strength. His goal was to lose weight. I agree that he should get on some type of lifting program and cardio split. I also agree that a lifting program would benefit him and that 2 hours of cardio is ridiculous. However, keep in mind that he may not WANT to build muscle and strength at this stage. He may just wanna lose weight, even though those goals coincide more than people think.

Correct. I have plenty of muscle mass under my fat. I do some muscle toning exercises along with my cardio. But I do not need more muscle. My concern is losing fat. I used to weight lift regularly for two years. I benched around 200 pounds (this with having only my right pectoral muscle due to a birth defect), could curl about 130 pounds, do 400 pound leg-extensions with an individual leg, etc. I realize the pitfalls and benefits of weight lifting and cardio. I have been through this all before. I just got depressed in college and let things go.