[Breannaj1215]

So im working my butt off at the gym 5-6 days a week and eating about 1300calories a day. Im getting mad cause i feel like i should be losing more but im doing exactly what im suppose to. ADvice?

[RollTideRoll]

Maybe you should try upping your calories a bit. 1300 seems low for you, especially with the exercise. Just a thought

[MindiV]

Without knowing what exactly you're eating, and the types of exercise you're doing or calories burned, it's hard to tell.

I started my weight loss at 1,300 cals a day with cardio 5 days a week and weight training 3 days a week. It wasn't long before I realized I wasn't eating ENOUGH to lose weight. I hit a plateau and had to actually eat more - up to 1,500 a day - to start it up again.

[chnkymonkey]

When was the last time you took a break from exercise or gave yourself a break day and ate above 1300?

As others have said, its hard to say without knowing your eating/exercise routines. But I know what works for me.

I'll go gang busters for a few weeks, eat well below calorie limit, work my buttootie off and barely see the scale move, then I'll take 3 or 4 days off and eat a little above my calorie limit and wham, 3lbs.

For me, working out hard, its like my body holds onto the fat and water in the muscles for healing, but as soon as I take more than a couple days off, the body says "ok, time to dump this stuff" and it comes off overnight.

[Breannaj1215]

I just cant eat anymore than 1500 and even thats hard. I take classes at the gym. from step to cycle to hip hop depending on the day.

[MindiV]

At first it was hard for me to get to 1,500....but I was able to get there. Now I'm maintaining at 1,750-1,850-ish, and having trouble sometimes keeping it DOWN!

[Breannaj1215]

This is what i ate so far today

Breakfast- 2 scrambled eggs, 2 pieces ww toast, 2 slices turkey bacon

snack- banana

lunch- lean cuisine lasagna (yummy)

couple bottles of water

Dinner will probably be a healthy choice cause i go to the gym til 9.

[audrina]

Originally Posted by Breannaj1215

I just cant eat anymore than 1500 and even thats hard. I take classes at the gym. from step to cycle to hip hop depending on the day.

Don't say that you can't, just make it happen. I have the same problem as you and my weight loss is usually pretty stalled. So I decided to up my calories, yesterday I did a good job and today I'm right on track. I'm upping my calories by eating more snacks throughout the day and I feel like I'm constantly eating.

At the end of the day if I haven't met my calorie target -- it's nothing that a little bit of granola won't solve.

I got a food scale so I know EXACTLY what I'm actually consuming and it's been really nice so far. It makes counting calories a lot less stressful and easier to stay within my target.

Some snack ideas to eat in between when you're eating already are things like raw almonds, hulled sunflower seeds, walnuts, greek yogurt -- don't even worry about it being nonfat if you're having trouble getting to 1300 calories.

[Handbags66]

I think I have to start doing this too. I've been hovering around 1400 but haven't really noticed a real difference in the last 2 weeks. Today I'm up to 1500. I'm aslo going to increase my water to see if that helps.

[bunnythesAINT]

How much are you losing, may I ask? How often do you weigh yourself? (May I ask?)

[pinkflower]

I know it's frustrating, I've been there. Is that a typical day for you? It is really really high in sodium, which can make you hold onto water!

[thesame7lbs]

On another thread, someone referred to the "processed police" or something like that. But I'll play that role here. In your whole day, everything is processed except for a banana and two eggs. What's that -- 250 cals? The rest is processed, probably salty, probably lots of preservatives and chemicals.

I know not everyone is interested in cooking from scratch, etc -- so how about just adding some veggies? A baggie of baby carrots for a snack. A cup of frozen broccoli added to dinner. Some bell pepper strips or sugar snap peas on the side at lunch? Snow peas are delicious just microwaved for a minute with a splash of water in a bowl. You could also stand another piece of fruit in your day.

As for adding calories, see above. Or a handful of almonds (have you tried the cocoa roast ones?). Or a tbsp of peanut butter on an apple.

My feeling about processed foods (which I do eat -- I am FAR from perfect) is that whenever you give your body chemicals or the "fake foods" you see in processed foods, you are giving it something it doesn't really know how to deal with. You're making it harder on your body to do what it has to do. And if you're making it harder for your body to process food, turn it into energy, etc, maybe it just won't do it as well, and you'll feel sluggish, or you'll store too much fat, etc.

(By "fake foods," I mean foodlike substances: modified corn starch, hydrolyzed corn gluten, hydrolyzed wheat protein, etc, that you see on food labels. I don't think anyone would call them dangerous, but would anyone call them good for you?)