Why aren't I losing weight?

[Maddi17]

Hey guys,

Ive been trying to lose weight for about 7 months. Im 17yrs (female) 5"10 and weigh 152lbs and i want to get down to roughly 127lbs. At the beginning i ate between 1000-1200 + worked out and lost a little bit of weight, but eventually gained it back as i was eating to few calories. I am now eating 1500 calories, and doing cardio 3x a week for 30-40 minutes, i have also recently begun moderate strength training 2x a week. I have stayed at the same weight for at least 2 months, and im not sure what im doing wrong.

Thanks in advance (:

[kenny85]

Read the stickies and make sure your eating the proper foods for weight loss. Sounds like your working out hard enough. Also be a little patient, results don't come over night. Stay positive. Just because the scale isn't moving doesn't mean your not getting resuls, it just may take some time

[Maddi17]

okay thanks I've been keeping track of my measurements aswell but ive only lost about 1 inch off my thighs which were already slim/average to begin with.

[Vaylor]

Are you sure you are tracking properly?

[Maddi17]

im pretty sure? ive been using my fitness pal to log everything i eat. the only thing i can think of is that i eat too much carbs? i usually eat anywhere from 150-300g a day. ive tried to cut down, but its hard considering im a vegetarian.

[dmacdonal9]

im pretty sure? ive been using my fitness pal to log everything i eat. the only thing i can think of is that i eat too much carbs? i usually eat anywhere from 150-300g a day. ive tried to cut down, but its hard considering im a vegetarian.

300g of carbs is 1200 calories alone. How much protein and fat?

[Maddi17]

on average about 40g of protein and 50g of fat.

[kenny85]

Sounds like your learning some healthy habits at a young age, just think how it will benefit you if you stick to it?? Good for u

[dmacdonal9]

on average about 40g of protein and 50g of fat.

OK, so if you add that up:

300g carbs = 1200 cals
40g protein = 160 cals
50g fat = 450 cals

total = 1810 cals

Throw in a few tracking errors and you may be eating as much as you are burning.

[Botika]

Check out this thread on Help on Where to Start... http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=150759963

If you aren't losing weight then you are either eating more calories than you think or your metabolism has slowed down. Are you weighing all solid food that you eat? If you are using measuring cups it's easy to inadvertently eat more than you think you are.

You need to get on to a solid lifting routine and eat adequate protein. Lifting gives you more bang for buck in that you burn calories even after your workout has finished and by building muscle you burn more calories all the time (even when you are asleep). You should probably be lifting 3-4 times a week and then maybe a session or two of cardio. Lifting should be the priority.

If you are 152 pounds you should be eating a MINIMUM of 152g protein per day and 61g fat... The balance of your calories comes from carbs up to your daily limit. 40g protein isn't enough if you want to retain muscle while losing fat... and you want to retain as much muscle as possible because this is what will make you look lean and toned. Being vegetarian will mean it may be challenging to meet the minimum macro requirements each day but coupled with lifting will give you the best result!

[MoldyGopher]

im pretty sure? ive been using my fitness pal to log everything i eat. the only thing i can think of is that i eat too much carbs? i usually eat anywhere from 150-300g a day. ive tried to cut down, but its hard considering im a vegetarian.

127 lbs for a 5'10" female is very low, especially if you have any muscle mass at all. Consider aiming a little higher than that.

Being vegetarian has nothing to do with it - plenty of vegetarians manage perfectly well. You just need to be a little more strict about what you're eating.

[Maddi17]

OK, so if you add that up:

300g carbs = 1200 cals
40g protein = 160 cals
50g fat = 450 cals

total = 1810 cals

Throw in a few tracking errors and you may be eating as much as you are burning.

Okay thanks for your help!
Just before i actually measured how much peanut butter i was using instead of just saying "a serve" on mfp, and it turns out my serving would actually be 2 of there servings. Thats an extra 90 calories a day that i had no idea about. I can definitely see how that can add up pretty quickly!

[Maddi17]

@Botika

thanks for your help! i know i should be eating more protein, so i think i might start taking protein shakes everyday to help me with that

@MoldyGopher

Im not really fussed about how much i weigh, its more about how my body looks. I thought at about 127 ill be able to achieve my dream body, but if i can get there weighing more ill definitely just do that

Also is 1500 calories a good amount i should be eating each day, or should i lower it?

[dmacdonal9]

Also is 1500 calories a good amount i should be eating each day, or should i lower it?

It's a good starting point, try it and see. But they're all just guesses, every one of us just needs to take a stab at it and then measure actual results over 2-3 weeks. If you lose the amount of weight you expect, then you were right, else adjust. But in order to know you have the right number, it's very important to measure and weigh everything very carefully, as you found out with the PB.

[Maddi17]

It's a good starting point, try it and see. But they're all just guesses, every one of us just needs to take a stab at it and then measure actual results over 2-3 weeks. If you lose the amount of weight you expect, then you were right, else adjust. But in order to know you have the right number, it's very important to measure and weigh everything very carefully, as you found out with the PB.

okay thankyou! if I stick to everything perfectly etc, and I haven't lost weight, and my measurements haven't gone down, in your opinion should I eat more or less calories?

[gatrus]

okay thankyou! if I stick to everything perfectly etc, and I haven't lost weight, and my measurements haven't gone down, in your opinion should I eat more or less calories?

Maddi be patient. I could not loose a pound and it became quite frustraing as i was at the gym on average 4 times a week. After taking a closer look at my diet and doing more strength exercise, i started dropping the weight. Now I only lost 4 pounds but i look different and the clothes fit different. It is a step in the right direction. I am sure the weight will come off with more hard work and a clean diet.

[KC2892]

If you aren't losing when you think you're in a deficit, you aren't counting correctly. That's probably the case here, happens quite often. Comes down to cals in/cals out. Anyone who says otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about.

[Maddi17]

If you aren't losing when you think you're in a deficit, you aren't counting correctly. That's probably the case here, happens quite often. Comes down to cals in/cals out. Anyone who says otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about.

yeah I get that, it's just atm I'm eating about 700 below my maintenance, even If I am counting wrong (which I realised I am for a couple things) I surely can't be wrong by more than 500 a day, which would still make me under my maintenance, so I should be losing weight still ):

[Joecool5150]

I suggest you try and stick to whole food for your protein, if you can! If you're inadvertently consuming 1800 calories and drop to 1500 measured and counted calories, you're probably going to feel a little more hungry during the day. By drinking your protein (hence calories) as shakes, you're gonna feel hungrier sooner. 30-60g of protein in a shake doesn't go the same distance as 260g of chicken breast.

Eat your calories. You don't have nearly as many to waste on shakes as the boys do.

[Maddi17]

I suggest you try and stick to whole food for your protein, if you can! If you're inadvertently consuming 1800 calories and drop to 1500 measured and counted calories, you're probably going to feel a little more hungry during the day. By drinking your protein (hence calories) as shakes, you're gonna feel hungrier sooner. 30-60g of protein in a shake doesn't go the same distance as 260g of chicken breast.

Eat your calories. You don't have nearly as many to waste on shakes as the boys do.

Okay, thanks. Ill try and make more of an effort to eat more protein through food, but as im a vegetarian and a fussy eater, i find it harder to do so. I guess ill be eating alot of eggs!

[Joecool5150]

Okay, thanks. Ill try and make more of an effort to eat more protein through food, but as im a vegetarian and a fussy eater, i find it harder to do so. I guess ill be eating alot of eggs!

Eggs are great. I go through a litre of egg whites in two days and eat 3 whole eggs per day. Don't throw your yolks out! They're the best part. Very good for hormone production, and don't worry about the cholesterol. It's not a concern, especially when you're in a caloric deficit.

2 cups of egg whites and 3 eggs gives you about 80-odd grams of protein. There's most of your daily protein right there!!

[AJL1]

You definitely have the right idea counting calories/macros. I always get a bit worried when I hear about teenage girls doing it because when people take it the wrong way and become obsessive it can become pretty dangerous. You definitely seem to have the right outlook though; counting is about optimizing your intake for your goals, not simply eating very little.

Another point is that counting macros should not be restricting; if anything it provides a lot of freedom. Controlling how much energy you put into your body means that you can implement in foods you really enjoy and know that you are going to lose/retain/gain weight, depending on how much you eat relative to your maintenance.

Good luck with it all!