Confused and annoyed - Where am I going wrong?

Mikami Teru

New member
Its been about 3-4 months since I started going to the gym, and my progress has been extremely slow. It is only in the last few weeks that I have gone down a size from loose 42" to a comfortable 40" and I am really unsure what to think about my weight. I think I was 18 stone and a quarter - half and now I get about 5 different results depending on what weighing scales I use, the only one I know what I weighed on (roughly) originally was the one in the gym, and I think it was about 18 stone and a half or a bit less. This one now says I am dead on 17 stone, but the other ones I have all report 17 and a half or 3/4s.

I don't know if its whether I am eating incrrectly or anything, I'm not following any particular diet but then in order to try and create a calorie deficit as I've read, I eat far fewer calories a day, and just these week implemented a no eating after 8pm scheme, because I used to always have a bowl of cereal or piece of toast before I went to bed. I start the day with a 50g serving of cereal (none in particular, depends whats there) and eat an apple or some form of fruit at about 11:00am, then at around 1pm I eat 1 or 2 ham salad sandwiches (which is better than the bag of chips or fried rice I used to have) and after my final lesson of the day finishes, I head down to the gym and come home at about 6PM, where I usually have a 400-800 calorie meal (ranging from sweet and sour chicken curry to jacket potato with half a steak pie and peas)

This all adds up to about 1400-1600 calories a day and I'm rarely hungry, if I am I just eat a piece of fruit. Now thats certainly under what I think I need to maintain my weight (as im 6ft tall also) and the food is regularly spaced so the metabolism problem shouldnt be kicking in.

Now to create a calorie deficiet, does that mean I have to burn 1700~ calories a day? because that is no easy feat. I spend about 20 mins on the treadmill, doing cycles of 1 min brisk walking and 30 seconds of the machine on near full speed which is about 350 calories in total and always tires me out. by then if I can get enough willpower to do about 7-10 mins on the eliptical machine, again going from low to max at regular intervals which is at most another 150. I also do some weight training in between, not focusing on any particular group but just using the machines there or doing some of the weight excersizes on the wall (and I can lift 5kg more in each arm and still do a decent work out since I started going, aswell as increased the weight on the other machines) and this would probably be in the 50-150 calorie range.

As for Water, I drink a 0.5L bottle during the day, then I get through 2-3 of them at the gym, then I might have one more in the evening.

So, since my progress hs been so slow, what am I doing wrong? do I need to spend longer on cardio? Do I need to alter my diet? do I need to drink more water?

Also, sometimes on the weekend I cant stop myself having a treat such as a 400 calorie chocolate bar or big packet of crisps, as well as the odd few cans of cider every few weeks. Can that ruin all I've done?

EDIT: I forgot to mention I attend the gym at about 4 times a week
 
Hi there,

Well just by briefly looking at your post I can say you are NOT eating enough calories. 18 stone or 252 lbs and eating 1600 calories a day is no where near enough food.

I'm a 6 foot tall female who used to weigh 200lbs (a little more than 14 stone) and I was eating 1800 calories a day just in order to lose the weight. I still eat about 1700 to 1800 calories a day and am still losing weight.

As far as 'cheat days', many people do it, it is good for the psyche and not that detremental to a diet if you do it within reason.

So I suggest you go to Fitday.com and see exactly what you are eating and where you can add more nutrition dense calories. You will be surprised at how eating more will help the weight come off.
 
That is the key thing I'm confused about actually

Eating more calories = losing more weight? the concept sounds a bit odd to me

I have to create a calorie deficiet of 7000 calories a week to lose 2lbs a week according to some of the threads here, and that means somehow burning more than what I eat in a day. Now when I eat the 1600 calories, I'm not particlarly hungry at times, its just a matter of not eating random packets of crisps and chocolate and other snacks in the day. I get too knackered to burn even close to (usualy about 700~), let alone more than 1600 calories in 1 gym session, and thats only 4 times a week, so eating more (especially since my main meal is after I have been to the gym through situational cirumstance) to lose more makes no sense, because then it is even harder to burn more calories than I eat

Thanks for replying by the way
 
That is the key thing I'm confused about actually

Eating more calories = losing more weight? the concept sounds a bit odd to me

It is not the calories, as a calorie is only the amount of energy it takes to heat a litre of water by something like one degree. It is the amount of fat in your food. Obviously if you binge on the calories then that'll be no good. Also, I read this somewhere, if you do not eat enough your body stores fat as it believes it is starving and you wont loose any.

If I am wrong please correct me.
 
Now to create a calorie deficiet, does that mean I have to burn 1700~ calories a day?

It's important to realise that your body is constantly burning calories just to maintain your body and keep you alive. This is known as basal metablic rate, I believe this is usually estimated assuming a moderate amount of exercise.

There are many tools for estimating this rate such as . But as Matt already mentioned I believe there is an effect where eating less actually lowers your metabolism, but this can be counteracted by exercising like you are. Including some strength training is probably the best way to keep your metabolism high - definitely keep doing the cardio though.

Do you do any exercise on your non gym days? I reckon aim to do some exercise 6 days a week - even if it's just going for a brisk walk or something.

I think losing 2 inches off your waist in 3 or 4 months is a good achievment . It's certainly a lot better than some people manage. I know you'd like to see results faster but if you keep up what you're doing you'll eventually get to the weight you want. Try a few tweaks here and there but the most important thing is to stick with it.
 
ok, I'm not completely familiar with the ratio of stone/pound, but I think it's roughly 14 lb/stone If you have lost a stone or 14 lbs in that time, you are doing great.

As another poster said, you burn a certain amount of calories just to keep you alive. you don't need to burn off every calorie you eat at the gym.

At 6ft, you need probably close to 2500 cals just to live.

I think you mentioned that you did sign up for fitday? If not, do so. Browse around it a bit and you will find out what you need to eat to lose and how much you need to burn. It will calculate your BMR for you and you will be able to see where you are.

Good luck
 
Thanks guys,

After reading all your advice I decided I needed a professionally planned diet.
I bought a fitness magazine that has a 4 week diet plan (That I will follow for 15 weeks) complete with an excersie routine, and I have lost 9lbs in 3 weeks, which is exactly the kind of uplift I needed. Hopefully I will continue to lose it at this rate, and then I will be at my goal on october 18th :coolgleamA:
 
Good luck. Keep on top of that strength training especially as you get closer to your goal. You don't want those lost lbs to be muscle. I lost about 45lbs a few years ago being sick. I looked horrible and lost about 60% of my previous bench numbers. One thing Have learned is that my 175lbs as a 21 year old athletic man was not the same 175lbs I saw after battling sickness for 2 years. I am doing it right this time.
 
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