Hey chickies!! So... im back in calorie counting mode, since switching to WW for a bit, it didnt workout I started almost 3 weeks ago (again) at 1800/day. Ive been exercising religiously for an hour a day, 7 days a week. My HRM says ive burned appx 700 cals. Ok...so im on the right track right?? Wrong!! I havent lost ANYTHING!! What ticks me off is that this is the first time ive actually started to enjoy exercising (thanks to the new HRM hubby got for me). There are a few times a week where I "eyeball" a meal, because there is no actual calorie count on something (IE: if we go out to eat, if hubby's mom cooks something and brings it over, quite often lately) Could this be the reason for not losing anything?? OMG...i dont think ive ever been so flustered with this weight loss thing (thats saying a lot)
As far as how many calories im aiming for, when starting with 1800 cals I feel like im not starving. When I go 1600 or so, I feel absolutely dreadful. Basically I eat the same foods when switching cals per day. Does this make sense?
PS: TOM is around the corner....I do feel a little swollen in the hands and ankles...and ive been drinking a lot of water.....whats the deal
I know this sounds crazy but maybe try 1900 cals a day instead?? sometimes when your wokring out so much you need the extra bit. or try zig zagging your cals. Do you weight and measure all your food?? that could be the cause as well...hopefully something will happen soon
Majority of my foods are packaged, lol. except dinner. and I DONT weigh it...which I should, but honestly, i dont cook, im afraid of the stove, lol...seriously though I usually go about approximating it...maybe that could be a reason?
yeah you'd be surprised how many times I thought I was eating a serving to find out it was actually 2 or 3 servings. servings are actually very small usually :S
Sometime when you ramp up the exercise it takes awhile for your body to adjust. When I started running my losses were less and had quite a few 0 weeks... but in the last few weeks as I've gained more strength they started to stabilize. If you're enjoying exercise definately don't stop... that's something you don't want to lose hold of. It took me MANY months not to mind exercising. Now I almost like it.
Also the calorie burn estimate can be off even with a heart rate monitor. Plus it doesn't subtract what you'd burn anyway if you weren't exercising so it's not likely -700 calories.
(And yes eyeballing can get you into trouble. Weigh and Measure as much as you can until you've got a really good handle on it)
I was told by a personal trainer one time that adding a significant amount of exercise right away is great BUT it can sometimes send the body into a kind of shock where it will not let go of weight for 6-8 weeks.
He advised to keep going drink LOTS of water, and wait it out. In the end your healthier and the weight will come off, probably faster after all is said and done because your still building muscle, its just that your body is not used to it and freaks out thinking maybe something is wrong. Also someone said to try 1900 and that may help your body to realize that your not in a life or death situation here and that it can let the fat go.
Keep at it because exercising that much is NEVER going to be bad for you, just frustrating if your building muscle (weighs more) and holding onto water potentially (because your not drinking enough) or shocked your body.
Well, you've made some drastic changes and you need to give your body time to adjust.
I'd say that 1800 cals is decent, especially if you're exercising hard for an hour a day. That does assume that you're exercising hard, and not just getting on the treadmill and sauntering along for an hour!
Also just estimating your dinner might be part of the problem. Like others have said here - when you first start counting cals you really do need to measure and weigh and know how big a serving is. I am the worlds worst for underestimating servings ... and I know it's hurt me in the past.
Hang in there, keep track, and give it some time. A few weeks at least to see if you start getting results.
Thanks gals! I suppose I have to quit the "eyeballing" and plug it in on TDP or something similar. All signs point to that as my downfall *sigh*
I usually walk for a little over an hour a day. I live in Hawaii, and we have this beautiful trail, I dont know how long it is, or what those little signs with numbers mean. But theres a number 2.0 at the end of the path. im guessing 2 miles? IDK. I do keep my heartrate right in my target zone, which is still challenging (somewhat) for me.
I dont think ive ever stuck to exercising continuously for more than a week, so im proud of myself. There have been days where I go to the gym, workout an hour on the new running machine thingy (not treadmill) and sweat, sweat, sweat, only to find out that I have burned appx the same amount of calories (according to my HRM) CRAZY!!
Thanks Chicks, for all the advise. I hope I can quit that eyeballing (AKA: Laziness) and actually start to be a loser.
It also has been quite a 3 week journey trying to adjust my schedule to include just the exercise in my routine, and I know that the food part of it is still coming along....*sigh*
I say for building an exercise habit!! Aren't HRM's great?
Nobody said you had to do it all at once.
I like Fitday for logging my food - it's annoying to start, but once you get some custom foods entered it's pretty quick. I like the reports, too. Just ignore the calories burned part - what a load of hooey that is. I have my lifestyle set at comotose and it's still high.
I'll just chime in with the others--I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to find out how many calories were really in my dinners out! Eyeballing and estimating just isn't good enough for me--or they weren't when I started. I now know what 1/2 cup of cooked rice looks like because I've measured it over and over again.
Also, many restaurants have nutrition information on line these days--at least the chains. And from them, you can usually figure out what food at a non-chain-restaurant contains.
It might also just be the TOM. A few weeks ago I forgot that it was my TOM week (I'm on BC), and I weighed myself and started crying. All of a sudden I was 6 lbs up and I had been perfectly good!!! But then later that day, my TOM actually started and I went, "Oh yeah....." Haha. So, now as a rule, I keep track of where I am and never ever EVER weigh myself around TOM.
Im sooooo hoping that its just TOM. I hadnt weighed myself in 3 weeks, and the other day was the first/last time I will until TOM actually arrives. Ive cried a few times after "scale mishaps" too. Today was totally out of whack though, UGH...I feel miserable!! Im also on BC and hoping that TOM will be here and gone soon. Thanks for all the support yall!! <---My two year old laughs everytime he sees these things.
TOM Made me do it....(Rant) :D
I started almost 3 weeks ago (again) at 1800/day. Ive been exercising religiously for an hour a day, 7 days a week. My HRM says ive burned appx 700 cals. Ok...so im on the right track right?? Wrong!! I havent lost ANYTHING!! What ticks me off is that this is the first time ive actually started to enjoy exercising (thanks to the new HRM hubby got for me). There are a few times a week where I "eyeball" a meal, because there is no actual calorie count on something (IE: if we go out to eat, if hubby's mom cooks something and brings it over, quite often lately
) Could this be the reason for not losing anything??
OMG...i dont think ive ever been so flustered with this weight loss thing (thats saying a lot) 
I usually go about approximating it...maybe that could be a reason?
for building an exercise habit!! Aren't HRM's great? 
Eyeballing and estimating just isn't good enough for me--or they weren't when I started. I now know what 1/2 cup of cooked rice looks like because I've measured it over and over again.
