What am I doing wrong???

I started CC a few weeks ago.  I'm 247 pounds, 5'6" and 42 years old.  I've been overweight all my life and have done countless diet programs.  I feel committed,very committed.  I may be overdoing it even. 

I'm suppose to eat 1400 calories a day and I do; I've been exercising 6 days a week.  BUT I haven't lost weight!!!  This seems to be a test for me, because I ALWAYS give up if the scale doesn't show a loss; it's tough staying motivated when you feel you're fighting a lost cause.  I don't want to give up.  Not this time!

Although CC says to eat 1400 calories, should I be eating more now because of all the exercise?  I just had a physical and I know there's no physical reason (like thyroid problems) that would hinder weight loss.  Any advice??

Hang in there.  I am 42 years old and 5'3" and weigh 213, so I know how you feel.  If I don't see results, I get discouraged too.  I have only been with CC for 9 days and I really like all that this website has to offer.  I have always done Atkins and have been very successful, but when I go off of it, I gain all the weight back and then some.  I enjoy the limited calorie diet much better because I can eat whatever I want as long as I don't go over 1200 per day.  I did lose 7 pounds my first week, but I always start out great and then it comes to a screeching stop.  I don't see results on the scale, but I do feel much better so I guess that counts for something-----so I guess I am trying to say just keep doing what your doing and you have to see improvement!

Lagralet 

Hey, listen -

You are starving your body, therefore forcing it to hang onto fat. You need to increase your calories by quite a bit before you will lose anything. I have been guilty of this myself. When I started eating more, I finally began to lose weight after over a year of never going above 1,200 and exercising every day. Finally, the people on this site told me I needed to up my calories and also shared their own experiences with me. I swear you will not lose any weight while eating this little. Have you put your stats into CC's burn meter yet? You should do so. You might me shocked at what you see. But I'm warning you: if you do not increase your caloric intake, you are setting yourself up for failure.

I'll be checking back on this to help you further. Do some research!

rchmndgrly,

I ran your number through the calculator I use.  Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is 1842.  Eating below this number of calories will slow our weight loss and eventually make you very tired.  This number will be a little different than what CC says because they use a different calculator, but this one really worked for me.  With the amount of activity that you are doing I would say you qualify as Moderately Active.  To lose 1 pound a week you could eat 2350 calories per day. 

Keep up the good work on getting healthy!  The exercise is great even without the weight loss.  I know it's hard but you can do this.  Also, to keep motivated when the scale is not moving take your measurements as well as weight.  With exercise you will sometimes have weeks where you don't see a weight loss but you see a change in your measurements.

Hope all of this helps.

lagralet,

I am hoping you check back on this thread.  I ran your numbers as well and your BMR is 1680.  You should try to not eat below this number.  You didn't list your activities in your email but at Lightly Active, which most of us are at least,  you could eat 1800 calories a day and see a loss of 1 pound a week.  One of the dangers of eating 1200 calories which is below your BMR is that you will lose weight quickly but it will come back just as quickly.  The idea is to lose as slowly as possible with a reasonable calorie deficit and some exercise so that the loss is permanent.  As you have seen with Atkins when you eat low calorie or extremely low carb and then begin to eat normally the weight can come right back.  Good luck to you too!  I hope this helps you on your journey to get healthy.

Hi

All the post so far are right in track.  I can help you

WE CAN AND DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

John FaMis

When I 1st started working out, I had to ignore the scale for a while. it was discouraging and never seemed to move. but i dropped a size every 2 weeks, and the scale eventually followed. muscle weighs more than fat. so hang in there

I'm not sure what calorie range you should shoot for, but you should probably make sure you used the right activity level when you punched in your info for the calculator. Working out does make an impact in daily needs.

No matter what though, hang in there! exercise and proper diet WILL bring results, even if it takes a while.

It takes the body at least 3 and up to about five weeks to start adapting to the changes and new demands that you place upon it. And that works both ways, changing a diet and exercising. Make "patience" and "persistence" your best friends....