Calorie counting and exercising isn't working, I need some advise!

merribelle

merribelle

New member
I need some help from someone who can tell me what I am doing wrong here. I measure the calories I eat, I measure the calories I burn, but I am still seeing no change in my weight and physical appearance. I frequent sites such as [link removed], [link removed], and [link removed] and I even bought a Polar F4 to track exactly what I am burning, which I later verify on [link removed]

My Specifics:
Age: 27
Height: 5'2"
Gender: Female
Weight: 132lbs
Goal Weight 110-115lbs
Average Calories Consumed: 1800 per day

Resting HR: 65 (measured on the Polar F4 when I wake up)
Average HR: 80-84 (when sitting around the house)
Biking HR: 164 (going 12.4 mph against light wind on mostly flat terrain w/ some inclines)
Cardio HR: 155 (it varies but it can go as high as 185)


My weekly exercise regimen:
Tues/Thurs/Sun: 1.5-2 hours of cardio
Sat: 20 mile bike ride @ 12-14mph
I may also do cardio on Mondays or Wednesdays, but in general I do cardio 2-4 days a week and bike one day on the weekends.

From the various places I have checked, my BMR is about 1400 calories per day. My Polar F4, when I have worn it for an entire 24 hour period on a lazy day, has said that I burned about 2600 calories over the course of that day. The F4 shows that I burn 108 calories an hour with a heart rate of about 84 bpm. Web MD ([link removed]) and other websites say that with my activity level, my metabolism rate should be burning 2100-2400 calories per day. As far as exercise goes, the F4 verifies what [link removed] is saying that I should be burning for the time and activities that I am doing. I have also checked my heart rate manually against my F4 and the F4 is accurate at measuring my heart rate.

The problem: I track my weight, everything I eat, and everything I burn with exercise on a daily basis with an excel file I made. I even track it by the three variable rates at which I should be burning daily calories (1400 bmr, 2600 F4, and 2100 bmr+metabolism). My excel file says that I should be losing anything from 0.5lbs to 2.5lbs to 1.5lbs (depending on which burn rate method I am looking at). Yet despite everything, I am not losing any weight. Some suggestions have been that I should eat 4 times a day instead of 2. Others have been that I can't lose the weight because of my stress level (I graduated in Dec 2008 with 2 masters degrees, a bachelor degree, and two minors and I still haven't found a job despite sending out +100 resumes. I also have $65k of student loans coming due this month meanwhile the rest of my savings is reaching its end. That's enough to stress anyone out I'm sure).

Does anyone know what burn rate I should be paying more attention to, what I am doing wrong, or what other problem could be causing my road block? Any advise is appreciated.

Thank you for the help.
 
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Honestly? I think you're overthinking the numbers. :)

I also think that your goal weight might be a little low and your calorie intake might be a little high (and I hardly EVER say that). It's also hard to say exactly without knowing exactly WHAT you're eating - because I do believe it's more than just calories in vs. calories out.

Lastly ... I also think that you need to restructure your exercise a little. 2 hours of cardio is ... well ... pretty much useless. IMO.

I think you'd be better off with a combined routine of strength building and HIIT cardio, than the long stretches of ss-cardio. If the bike riding is something you love, then leave that in, and do 2 days of weights/resistance training (and heavy lifting, not barbie weights) and 2 days of HIIT cardio, then your Saturday bike ride. That gives you 5 days of working out - you can always add in another day of weights or of HIIT or whatever, and 1 day of rest.

Here's the thing that a lot of women don't get: you're better off weighing a little more and building some muscle. I'm not talking about "bulking up". Most women simply cannot "bulk" w/out putting some serious effort and diet into it - we just don't have enough testosterone in our bodies to bulk. But women CAN build muscle. And muscle is ( a ) denser than fat, so you'll weigh more and look slimmer and ( b ) metabolically active which means you'll be able to burn more calories with more muscle.

While you're doing this, try for a high protein diet; try to get at least 35% of your calories from protein - it will help you build muscle. Make sure you're getting complex carbs - whole grains and so forth. And then lots of veggies and fruit.
 
Too Much?

Is it possible you are actually working your body too hard? Sometimes it's not just the number of calories but what makes up those calories. I agree that you might be overthinking this a little.

Weight loss is basic math, calories in less than calories out yes but sometimes you need to give your body a break and let it adjust to what you are doing.

I would take a look at the balance between carbohydrates and protein that you are eating. The 1800 calories you are eating are they mostly carbs?
 
Unfortunately the myth that calories in = calories out simply does not always hold true. It can and it does for thousands of people, but sometimes our bodies and its hormones that are responsible for burning fat and prohibiting fat burning are also a huge part of that equation that we have far less control over. I too was able to lose exactly the amount of weight that I tracked on my spreadsheet, just like you. Worked like a charm and I had such incredible faith in the cals in v. out method and the simple math of it all. Well until I hit a plateau 2 years ago that I have not been able to get past, despite trying an array of different methods and variations once I found the cals I was consuming were not amounting to the fat loss I should have been seeing. Its a bitch and I'm lucky I still look decent at my weight, though not half as good as I used to look. I remind myself it could be worse and I just plug away, knowing I am now just gaining so easily if I am not vigilant most of the time. I am still struggling with this plateau and losing hope and trying to be happy with what I am and just not worry whether I lose or not. But it is incredibly frustrating, I'm always hungry yet I get no where. I eat high protein, low carb, little, do re-feeds, eat more, eat less, exercise with weights, cardio etc. NOthing makes this weight budge more than a few pounds of water weight up and down. I'm sure my post is ruining all hope, but I guess I want you to know not to blame yourself as people often insist you must be eating more or doing something wrong when sometimes your body just will not cooperate no matter what.

As to Kara's comment about your goal weight, I must say I agree. Is it really necessary to weigh 110 to be happy? That might be a goal that is unattainable to most women over 16 years old (even shorties like you and I). I also agree with Kara that lifting weights makes you look a helluva lot better than straight cardio. I have lifted weights for about 15 years and hence why I dont look at all flabby, just substantial but tight and toned with muscle evident in most places, making my overly large butt high and tightish at least, boobs higher and firmer etc. Keep us posted and best of luck :).
 
Previously, the only thing that seemed to work for me alongside exercise and caloric moderation was taking LIPO 6. I have been hesitant to go back on it again because it made me jittery, irritable, and paranoid; probably because of the high dose of caffeine. On LIPO 6 I went from 128lbs to 114lbs in 12 weeks or so. Without LIPO 6, diet and exercise appear to be ineffective in lowering my weight.

I do 1.5-2 hours of cardio because my boyfriend and I play "In The Groove" somewhat professionally. (To get an idea, this is what ITG is and what I do 2-4 days a week ). Since we own our own arcade cabinet, we can play unlimited for free which is a favorable alternative to having a gym membership for us. Unfortunately, I dont have access to weights other than hand held 15lbs weights.

My boyfriend swears that he thinks that I am over counting how many calories I am burning (even though my Polar F4, websites, and our ITG machine all agree on my calories burned when I do work out). He suggests that I exercise more. I have been feeling worse and worse about myself in the meantime because I look in the mirror and feel like my body is morphing into someone else who I don't recognize. I feel more self conscious but at the same time I get more and more frustrated at how much I have stepped up my exercise without any positive change. I want to stop the weight gain before it goes higher and start to reverse it but I am out of ideas at what else to do other than to go back on LIOP 6. Recently I have been taking 500mg L-Carnitine once a day with Action Labs Super Fat Burners (non stimulant, "natural" weight management supplements) for 3 weeks though my weight hasn't budged.

Thank you everyone for your comments thus far, any other tips or advise would be appreciated :)
 
I didn't ready all the posts but..... a 3 weeks plateau... thats nothing, it happens. How long have you been doing this workout/diet routine? Try switching it up as much as possible, keep your body guessing. Change days, cardio routines, etc. You may even find taking a week or so off completely could help out in the long run. It may not even be a question of what you are doing wrong, you may just need something to "wake your system back up"
 
I agree a 3 week plateau is nothing, I've been on one for TWO YEARS to the month. Today for the first time I've managed to go 1/2 pound below my recent plateau weight since October. I have cut out 90% of the grains (including whole grains) and sugar/candy I normally eat on the premise that insulin prohibits fat loss and these foods make it spike off the charts. My doctor told me insulin makes us very hungry too, so like you 1800 calories is often as low as I can go without feeling like I'm starving and going crazy (though I often push myself and eat less despite that I am starving and being bitchy and short tempered). I have been able to eat less on this diet, but its only been one week so we shall see how helpful it really is...
 
GoldenHeartland said:
I'm gong to chime in here with a different point of view. I've lost over 85 lbs since November of this year with no plateau. I've also not really exercised much. What I've done is get my blood surgar even all day and eat every 2-3 hours. The key to it is that I've been using total nutrition meal replacements instead of trying to balance the carbs/protein myself. This way I'm eating between 800-1000 calories per day without feeling hungry and without cravings for carbs.

If what you have been doing hasn't been working maybe it's time to really mix it up and try a totally different approach.

What if you could stop exercising completely for 2-3 weeks, eat 6 times per day and actually break the plateau?

Tina Cochran
Adrian, MO
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There are numerous people on this very board who have lost more weight than that while eating in a healthy range and exercising moderately. Exercise has a multitude of health benefits, including stablizing blood sugar and insulin (which prevents fat burning) so its not the greatest idea to just eat 800 calories a day so you dont have to exercise. Isn't more than part of the goal to actually be HEALTHY and not just thin?

The very large people I know have troubles eating normally, so they're either starving themselves (like you) or eating way too much. A co-worker who has tried a multitude of these meal replacement low cal diets finally seems to be doing better just learning how to eat in a normal healthy manner, not too little and not too much..no junk and overprocessed foods in favor of healthy fruits and veggies as a staple.
 
Hmmmmmmm..... I was stuck for almost a month with no weight loss. I started walking on my breaks and when I got home. That little change in activity broke my plateu. Just keep pushing. Since you don't have that much extra weight, your body may just be fighting harder to keep it. Good luck to you.
 
Eating 800-1000 calories is consider a VLC (Very Low Calorie plan) and shouldn't be undertaken without the supervision of a doctor. It's practically impossible to get the needed nutrition at that level of calories and while you may lose weight quickly at first, eventually you'll stall out because your body goes into "survival" mode ... and you might damage your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight later.
 
So you will be on this meal replacement stuff forever? How much more weight do you need to lose? Do you know how to lose weight eating normal foods?
 
Yes, I know how to lose weight "normally"
No, I will not be on meal replacements forever

I eat "normally" for at least one meal every day and my program requires transition and maintenance to learn "the habits of health"
 
Yes, I work with a Dr on this plan
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Then, with all respect, you should have said this in your original response.

When you come on a message board and start telling people to eat 800 calories a day without giving the additional information that you are undertaking this VERY extreme method under the care of a doctor, then you're giving dangerous advice to someone who might not understand the difference.

If you're going to give advice, you have a responsibility to make sure that your advice is complete ... because someone could listen to you and really harm themselves.
 
GoldenHeartland said:
Yes, I know how to lose weight "normally"
No, I will not be on meal replacements forever

I eat "normally" for at least one meal every day and my program requires transition and maintenance to learn "the habits of health"
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I guess I wonder why you wouldn't want to just lose weight the good ole fashioned way: eat less calories and less unhealthy processed foods and increase exercise (both for health and weight loss). Some people get on a plateau and sometimes there are legit reasons to go on an extreme diet such as the one you are on, but I wonder why you required this approach. Just curious..
 
Blancita said:
I guess I wonder why you wouldn't want to just lose weight the good ole fashioned way: eat less calories and less unhealthy processed foods and increase exercise (both for health and weight loss). Some people get on a plateau and sometimes there are legit reasons to go on an extreme diet such as the one you are on, but I wonder why you required this approach. Just curious..
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I just wanted to say hi..and ask where Mal has disappeared to (if you know)???
 
Hey Merribelle!

Hey Merribelle!

How are you? Have you progressed from where you were?

I hear the calorie debate so often and I have to offer this advice..stop counting calories! It's very important to understand why your body is storing fat. Your lifestyle choices, along with normal bodily functions, create acid within your body. This acid is regularly removed form your body through urination, defecation, perspiration and respiration.

However, when you create too much acid for your body to be bale to cope with in this normal manner, your body turns to it's secondary channels of coping with the acid. One of these secondary channels is to store fat, in non-life threatening places, to safely store the excess acid.

The answer then becomes to alkalize your system which will allow your body to release the acid and thus let go of the fat. Counting calories is not necessary for you and clearly is not working for you. Counting calories actually can distract you from focusing on the much more important aspect of 'what those calories are made of?'

You see, if you ate 5000 calories of alkalizing, alive, electron-rich, natural foods and fluids each day, your body would shed that extra weight at a rate you would barely believe. Conversely, you could cut down to 1500 calories per day of acidic foods and fluids and still not be able to shed those extra pounds.

It sounds very much like this is happening to you. The alkaline foods I am talking about here are foods such as: avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, cucumber, onion, celery, tomato, spinach, almonds to name a few.

In terms of what you are ingesting, the fluids are vitally important. For optimum health and weight loss you should be consuming at least 4 litres of alkaline fluids per day. Search for alkaline water or anything similar and you will find what I am talking about.

Exercising more is not necessary. It sounds like you are exercising regularly already. I recommend simply focusing on keeping your body moving as much as possible in between your scheduled workouts.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, please post them. I'll be happy to help:)

Tim
 
You see, if you ate 5000 calories of alkalizing, alive, electron-rich, natural foods and fluids each day, your body would shed that extra weight at a rate you would barely believe.
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I'm sorry, but I think this is utter BS. There is no way someone can lose weight at 5000 calories a day, no matter what kind of food they eat. This is the kind of wrong advice that can really harm people on a site like this.
 
Perhaps you should investigate....

Hey Kara!

Perhaps, before you judge something as BS, you could actually apply it and see so you have a frame of reference to work from.

Everything I promote I have not only tried with my own body, but also with my clients and have not failed to achieve healthy weight loss.

I sincerely ask you to eat as I suggested. Try it for yourself and see. If you were to increase someones normal unhealthy diet to 5000 calories, yes this would be very bad for them. However, if you fill the human body with that much alive, alkalizing food then the body will release the fat stores as it will no longer have the need to store the excess acids that have been buffered by fat and various minerals and placed 'safely' in the fat stores.

The human body is storing fat to neutralize excess acids created by normal bodily functions and lifestyle choices. Heavily alkalizing the body, by means such as increased consumption of alkaline foods and fluids has the weight poor off quickly and healthily.

Tim
 
I think the reality is that it would be literally impossible to consume 5000 calories of raw food or alkaline food given that most caloric foods fall into the supposedly "acidic" category. So sure, if you stick with NO GRAINS, NO MEAT, NO SUGAR (except in fruits), No honey, limited oils (the foregoing all being supposedly acidic foods) you will lose weight simply out of an inability to eat anything with much caloric value. The foods on the "alkaline" list have little calories, except the avocado and almonds as a few exceptions. Have YOU ever eaten 5,000 calories in one day of supposedly only alkaline foods? Doubtful.
 
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