Am I doing this wrong?

Ok so I am 5'2" and weigh 130.  For the past 4 weeks I have been counting calories and exercising.  4-5 times a week i do 25 minutes of moderate to intense cardio (eliptical, running intervals on treadmill) and 15-20 minutes of circuit training.  The other two days I have been doing 30-40 minutes of pilates. 

CC reccommends that I eat 1200 cals a day and i have been sticking to between 1200-1300 daily.  I set my activity level to sedentary and then log all exercise because it seems more accurate to me.  CC says my calorie burn is 1600 cals a day.  And I usually burn about 300 cals exercising.  So roughly i should have a deficit of 600 calories per day, for about a pound of weight loss per week.

So far I haven't lost any weight or inches from my body.  At first I thought it was because I was building muscle and that would initially cause me to gain or at least maintain.  BUt after 4 weeks I would have thought I would have seen some kind of decrease.  THe only measurable change i have noticed is that I am getting stronger (I have had to increase weights on the weight machines). 

So am I doing something wrong?  Is 4 weeks not enough time to see measureable results of the increased muscle burning more fat?  My BMi is in the normal range so i realize the weight might not come off as quickly.  I would love any suggestions.  THanks!

I'd also like to hear some insight.  I am in the same situation.  I have lost only a couple lbs in 4 weeks.

1200 Cals may not be enough depending on what you do during the day. I would suggest to add a few hundred cals and see if that helps. Maybe go for 1400-1500 instead. I think that 1200 cals is enough for someone who lays in bed all day. Not someone who is active and exercises 5 times a week. Or you could just bump up your cals on your exercise days. See if it works. You could be going into survival mode and not even know it.

Try increasing your fiber intake.  High fiber foods tend to do better work on your insides which should help shed  couple pounds! 

Try upping your calories for a couple of weeks, not much just 1300 or 1350. You're right on the cusp of not eating enough, your body can sense that and start holding onto every ounce of fat and muscle you have. Just see if it makes a difference.

Original Post by mcemom:

So am I doing something wrong?

I'd strongly recommend you redo the CC calculation with 'moderate' as your activity level.   Because exercise raises the resting metabolism you'll find that sedentary + exercise does not = total burn accurately.

1200-1300 is very, very little food and insufficient for most active adult females.  1500 is a much better starting point.