Is calorie counting working for me?? I dont think it is!! Tips needed!!

stats = 5ft 3in. 20 yo. 126lbs.

I AM REALLY FED UP!

yo yo dieted = weight gain . iv been eating healthy and fulfilling meals for about 3 months having a deficit around 200-300 EVERYDAY for the past 3 weeks. and having occasional w/e overeating in the previous two months but having deficits during the week. Exercising everyday (but not vigorous).

I have not lost 1 stinking lb!! I understand this could be a bit of muscle gain/ already at a low weight, but i would have thought id lose at least 1lb! and beleive me its not cos i have eating high sodium etc, i have had this weight for most of the 3 months. but before that I was eating whatever and maintaining a weight of 8st 9lbs

Please someone help im at the end of my tether and wanting to pack it up right now!!!!

What a nightmare, Although have you got a fairly small frame?  If you dont, then you are prob sitting at quite a nice weight for your height.I am the same height as you and weigh 130, but as I have a really small frame I could do with losing about a stone of pure fat!!

What about alcohol?  Do you think there could be a few cals sneaking in there.  I used to conveniently ignore my alcohol calories and my weight was going nowhere!!

What sort of exercise are you doing??  Maybe shaking up your routine could help, if you are doing the same thing every day your body kinda gets used to it and doesnt work just as efficiently.

Stick with it though, you must have great willpower to have done it for so long.  Good luck xx

well thats the thing about frame...is that my fingers overlap when around my wrist but i wouldnt say i had a small frame, i would say i was medium because my bones are quite averagely built if you get me.

i dont drink at all, i dont like the stuff, i normally just drink water and fruit juice like once a day, but i include that in my calorie intake so i have no idea why its not working!

as for exercise i ride horses, im doing somthing different on them all day and surely just by out walking, grooming, putting up jumps etc burns calories no matter what you do.

i am doing a LOT  more exercise than i used to but since iv gained even eating minimal amounts is not helping!!

One weekend binge could easily knock out any progress you made during the week.  Try counting cals one typical splurge w/e and see what you're really eating. 

i agree, I could easily overeat by a couple of days worth of cals at the weekend.  You are doing great though, and all that horserinding is bound to be building muscle.  Can you get hold of a body fat monitor?  It may be better to track yourself that way x

how many calories are you eating?  if you are eating 1200-1400 and your deficit is 200-300 then you may not be eating enough.

most days i eat 1,400 - 1,600 with 300 deficits. staggering my calories and sometimes ( meaning like once a week) eating about 1,700 - 1,900 with minimal deficit. all the while im exercising lightly - moderately during the week, i also walk for 1 hour a day in my work break (desk job) but thats about it and i thought this would be enough for me to lose at least a lb by now!!

How do you calculate your food intake? Do you weigh your food or you evaluate? You may have there part of your answer... Good luck! I believe that if you stick to it (continue to do so in your case), the weight must come off at one point.... (well hope so)...

Maybe you should measure yourself and start seeing if/how your body shape is changing.  Due to fat converting to muscle, maybe around 126 is your ideal weight.  Keep trying what you're doing but measure yourself as well as weighing and see if your stomach, thighs or any other "flabby" (sorry if I offend you with that term) areas are losing inches.  If you're losing inches, but not pounds, you're still on your way to a healthier, better looking body.

Here is the problem:

1 lb of fat loss= 3500 calorie deficit

200 cal deficit daily for 3 weeks (21 days)= 4200 calories

You said that you overeat on the weekends.

If your total weekend overeating for the past 3 weeks has exceeded a TOTAL of 700  calories, it is mathematically logical that you haven't lost any weight.

You are already in a healthy range, which makes it harder to lose weight because your body doesn't understand why.  To lose vanity pounds, you must be rigorous.  Strive for between a 500-1000 cal. deficit per day.  Do this with a combination of healthy eating and exercising.  Rigorous exercise.  While grooming your horses is better than sitting in front of the TV, you need to get in some cardio and strength.  Jog, go to a gym and use the elliptical or treadmill, and get in some weight work. Situps, pushups, lunges, squats... work your muscle groups! Instead of allowing yourself to overeat in general on the weekends, allow yourself a treat.  On Saturday you can have what you want for dinner, or maybe allow yourself to have a bowl of ice cream each day during the weekend.  But, just overeating in general could easily wipe out your deficit for the week. 

Jessrene is exactly right!  I agree....do the math.  How can you eat on the weekends and have this work.  You have to figure you total cal's per week and your burn and you are just substaining.  With how little you are trying to lose you have to count EVERYTHING!  Sad but true....but it won't be forever.  If you really want this try the plan 100% you will see results within one month or sooner!

Jessrene did the math correctly!  Also, I cannot lose a darn pound unless I do cardio for 30 minutes at least 5 times a week.  You gotta get that heart racing fast for a sustained period, if you aren't sweating enough to want a shower badly then you aren't working out hard enough.

thank you all so much for your advice and your support more so. i will try and up my expenditure by running after work each night maybe. damn bodies!!!!! and whats more is that my bf is stick thin and hes eats like a pig. always the way isnt it

thanks again you lot. x

It really helps me to weigh my food. It is shocking how much you're really eating. something you'd guess was 3 ounces is 8. etc etc. Or the other day I was going to make pasta and got what i thought would be a 2 ounce serving and it was only 1.

I read a study that people under extimate their calories by A LOT everyday. Scales are cheap and it gets addictive. Plus they are useful to bake with. Although substitute the butter for apple sauce and use soy milk. :)

200 cal deficit * 7 days = 1400 calories * 3 weeks = 4200 calorie

1 pound = 3500 calories

So, are you so sure about your eating? Sounds to me like your "occasional w/e overeating" is canceling out your work.

Calorie counting only works when you actually manage to work the numbers properly.

EDIT: And I see jessrene did the math already. :D

I realize this blows the premise for the whole website out of the water but you carb/fat/protein mix is really important. the count is actually imprtant within 200-400 calories. For me 2200, 5'10" male 190. the deficit has never ever worked for me like you list.

i now eat way less carbs, more fat and protein. the carbs are fruit, whole grains. no white bread, and i mean none, no sneaks of any sweets. Fats = olive oil, avacodo, or butter, even bacon. eg bfast is 2 eggs, one slice bacon, few pieces melon. Lunch half whole grain sandwich, tuna of chicken. dinner salad with chicken or turkey burger, small filet with blue cheese.. a few skim mozzeralla sticks in there, maybe celery in humus snack...

Try adding the fats above to your salads and your meals in small amounts and see if it lossens the scale strngle hold. Do not go over your number.

I read fat with protein and carbs helps to break down the fat, meaning they are not stored, but utilized to digest. This has worked for me after 3 weeks of experimentation. I now use olive oil and avacodo in small logical amounts.