I've lost 14 pounds so far - have 10 more to go - NEED ADVICE!

[Anonymous]

So....thanks to a bunch of things including this amazing group here on DCUM - I have finally lost weight, something I have wanted to do for so long but just couldn't get it together. I am 5'7" and was 170 pounds. I have a pretty larger frame, and am now down to 155. I feel great! But the weight loss is so slow now, in fact I have not lost an ounce in 3 weeks. SO FRUSTRATING.

I am really trying to hunker down to get the rest of this weight off. My goal is 145 (which I know seems a little high for my height) but it will be my lowest weight ever in my adult life, and I am 10 pounds from that goal.

I have been losing by just tracking my calories on "lose it". And I have also lowered my carb intake, and am exercising more....oh an I cut out my nightly glass of wine.

My question is this: If I work out - let's say run 3 miles on the treadmill - should I log that and take the calories that it gives me back? For example, today I did just that, I ran 3 miles, and the lose it app adds 250 ish caloiries back into my daily allotment. I am only eating 1200/day - so the extra 250 that running gives me makes a huge difference in my day. But then I wonder if that is why I am not losing - and am in this prolonged plateau state.

The other thing I am doing - is tracking every single bite to make sure I am on track.

Thanks for any advice!!

[Anonymous]

To be honest, although exercise is great for overall health, I don’t recommend it until after you’ve lost your weight. It makes you hungry and depletes willpower. If you keep to 1200 calories without exercise, you WILL lose the weight. And then I would incorporate exercise once you’ve hit your goal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be honest, although exercise is great for overall health, I don’t recommend it until after you’ve lost your weight. It makes you hungry and depletes willpower. If you keep to 1200 calories without exercise, you WILL lose the weight. And then I would incorporate exercise once you’ve hit your goal.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be honest, although exercise is great for overall health, I don’t recommend it until after you’ve lost your weight. It makes you hungry and depletes willpower. If you keep to 1200 calories without exercise, you WILL lose the weight. And then I would incorporate exercise once you’ve hit your goal.

There is never a wrong time to exercise. Please, stop coming in to spread this dangerous line of thinking.

[Anonymous]

Congrats! How long did it take you to lose the 15?

[Anonymous]

Grab your husband or boyfriend and “exercise” in bed. Sweating+fun?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Congrats! How long did it take you to lose the 15?

Thank you! I started the day after Labor Day. So.....about 10 weeks. Well more like 7 since I’ve been at the same weight for 3 weeks.

[Anonymous]

I’m the PP who recommended holding off on exercise and would like to respond to the person who told me to “stop coming in” to spread dangerous advice. I have never “come in” to do any such thing and am pretty sure this is my first time posting this advice. I said in my post that exercise is great for health. Of course it is. But I happen to believe it is not great for weight loss for the reasons I stated and from my own personal experience. I’m sorry if you don’t agree with or like my view, but that doesn’t make it dangerous or invalid.

Signed,
Someone who lost almost 70 pounds without exercise and who now exercises and is in great health and at goal weight

[Anonymous]

seems like more should be coming off if you’re only eating what you say you are. good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be honest, although exercise is great for overall health, I don’t recommend it until after you’ve lost your weight. It makes you hungry and depletes willpower. If you keep to 1200 calories without exercise, you WILL lose the weight. And then I would incorporate exercise once you’ve hit your goal.

There is never a wrong time to exercise. Please, stop coming in to spread this dangerous line of thinking.

Plus 1.

When I hit a plateau I need to change something up. Exercise more or cut out more calories somewhere, so I definitely think not “taking” those extra calories will help. Eat a banana and drink water if you are starving after working out.

Great job!

[Anonymous]

As someone who is about your height and weight I can tell you that exercise does not help with weight loss and you should not add the calories back in. I love exercise. I absolutely love it and do it almost daily. But if it helped with weight loss I would be a lot smaller than I am. You are only eating 1200 cal a day and not losing?

[Anonymous]

My stats are very similar. I am 5'7" and weighed 175 in April. Since then I've lost a bit more than 30 lbs. and essentially have been at 145 (my goal weight) since September.

I lost weight through a combination of diet and exercise (peloton). Although I am no expert, if I were you, I'd evaluate what foods go into that 1,200 calories you're eating each day. I was successful by generally eating only WW zero point foods for much of the week (and relaxing on weekends). That meant that I was able to eat larger quantities of food than if I'd been allowing for sweets, refined carbs, and alcohol. This approach helped me to stave off the need to "eat back" the calories burned during exercise. Congratulations and best of luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who is about your height and weight I can tell you that exercise does not help with weight loss and you should not add the calories back in. I love exercise. I absolutely love it and do it almost daily. But if it helped with weight loss I would be a lot smaller than I am. You are only eating 1200 cal a day and not losing?

It sounds like she’s eating 1450 and not losing because she’s adding the calories burned from exercise to her daily limit. That’s why. Maybe she could add an apple or a banana, but not 250 and keep losing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My stats are very similar. I am 5'7" and weighed 175 in April. Since then I've lost a bit more than 30 lbs. and essentially have been at 145 (my goal weight) since September.

I lost weight through a combination of diet and exercise (peloton). Although I am no expert, if I were you, I'd evaluate what foods go into that 1,200 calories you're eating each day. I was successful by generally eating only WW zero point foods for much of the week (and relaxing on weekends). That meant that I was able to eat larger quantities of food than if I'd been allowing for sweets, refined carbs, and alcohol. This approach helped me to stave off the need to "eat back" the calories burned during exercise. Congratulations and best of luck!

+1 I too have very similar stats. I am at goal weight and exercise nearly daily and have a ton of muscle. But what actually moved the number on the scale was WW zero point foods (which amounts to less carbs, less sugar, less alcohol.) Plateaus are very common, especially as you near goal. I once had one that last six months!! Skipping breakfast for a few months helped me break that long-ass plateau.

[Anonymous]

One of the issues with the calorie burn numbers given for exercising is that usually they don't subtract out the calories you would've burned sitting around doing nothing.

So an app might tell you that you've burned 300 calories after walking for an hour, but not that you would've burned 140 calories sitting down for the entire hour. So you think you can eat 300 additional calories due to exercise when really you've only added 160 to your daily burn.