I want to lose 3 lbs/week. I'm jogging 3miles +/day &eating 1200 cals/day but it isnt working!!?

Question

I am about 40 pounds higher than I want to be. I am a vegetarian and am eating lots of good protein in the form of lentils, eggs, beans, tofu. I have upped my protein considerably from before. I have lost 11 pounds so far, but the scale is not budging anymore and I don't know why!

I have heard that it is bad to eat less than 1200 cals per day. I burn 600/day jogging so why am I having a problem?

I wanted to add for the person who thinks I am "fibbing" to myself. I am putting every calorie i eat into sparkpeople and putting my treadmill time/speed into their cardio calorie burn calculator. The figures I eat and burn each day are precise!

Thanks for all of your well-thought out answers. I really appreciate it!

I guess I should clarify that I jog 3 miles and walk on the treadmill to warmup and after jogging to bring my cals burned up to 600.

If I input the speed & distance of my run and walk, it does add up to 600 cals on many sites like SparkPeople.

I will try to do some intervals instead of one pace and change up my incline some more to shock my system.

Perhaps I am building muscle as my clothes are starting to fit better even thought he scale isn't really going down. I can't keep doing the same thing as it is not working as well as I would like!

Thanks again!

Answer 1

Weight loss is typically not linear. It speeds up and slows down as your body adapts to what you're doing and eating.

Patience and keep at it. If you've lost 11 pounds, obviously you've done something right, so keep doing it. Eventually the weight will go.

FWIW, I think your numbers are a bit optimistic. You mention 3 miles jogging, then 600 calories. Those don't match up. Its probably closer to 300. Since you're already overestimating calorie burn, it wouldn't surprise me to find you were underestimating calorie intake as well. Perhaps its time to re-evaluate your program and figure out what you're REALLY doing.

Fibbing to us is fine. Fibbing to yourself gets you nowhere.

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Edit: OK, misinformed perhaps. I'm not trying to be mean, just suggesting that you re-evaluate your program and/or your measurements, since you're not getting the results you expect.

Follow my logic:

I have no idea who or what spark people are, but 600 calories for 3 miles of running simply isn't right. If it were anywhere close, it would be physically impossible for me to complete a marathon.

That would be roughly 5240 kcalories for 26.2 miles. Assuming I start with 2400 calories in muscles and liver (glycogen and triglycerides), That leaves 2840 that I have to take in while running. Most people can absorb no more than 300 calories per hour while running. I've verified the number the hard way. Anything more than that either sits in the stomach and sloshes... or gets ejected. I run a marathon in around 3.5 hours. Thats 1050 calories I can take on enroute. Using your numbers, there's still 1790 calories coming from nowhere. Don't talk to me about fat burning. It doesn't convert anywhere near that fast.

I realize you and I are different, but I can't believe any differences are large enough to make up that big a gap. There's got to be a flaw in the calorie calculator you are using, or an error in one or more of your measurements, or you WOULD be losing significant weight quickly.

Answer 2

You should aim to lose 1-2lbs a week to be safe. I would also recommend switching up your workout routine because your body is getting accustomed to what you are doing and you have hit a plateau. You will stop seeing results if you don't vary your workout. I would suggest incorporating weight training because muscles burns 3 times as many calories at rest then fat does, so you body will be a more efficient machine if you had more muscle.

I would also not recommend that you drop below 1200 calories a day and if you are working out a lot and at a hard intensity you might need to give yourself more. The last thing you want to do is starve hungry muscles and not be able to recover correctly from a tough workout.

So basically, add variety to your workout...don't do the same thing everyday! And keep trying, losing weight is a tough thing to do so just stay with it. Good Luck.

Answer 3

to lose 3 lbs a week is just not practical or healthy. There is no reason to up your protein--we get far more protein in a day than necessary and you aren't trying to build muscle but lose weight.

A good workout routine is a mix of daily cardio (the jogging) and then a specific weight training routine (alternating arms and legs).

You have lost 11 lbs already so probably what you are doing is exactly what you need to do. Everyone on a weight loss plan hits a plateau and what normally happens is they go one or two weeks without seeing the scale move and give up. But your body is doing a lot. Even if the weight isn't moving, the location is. You are probably still losing inches and firming up without it.

When you hit a plateau you need to jazz up your routine a bit. Do something slightly different than before. Add something that you enjoy.

But probably everything is perfectly on track--a plateau is completely normal. You just need to maintain motivation and keep at it!

Answer 4

You still could be losing weights. And even if the scale doesn't go down, that doesn't mean you are not gaining muscle and becoming leaner. Go by how clothes look and feels on you. And if you notice the changes physically the number on the scale is just a number. Muscle is heavier than fat. Keep motivated and Keep focused!!!

Answer 5

sometimes you plateau and need to shake up your routine. in my experience 20 lbs came off super fast, the other 20 took a few years. I have kept the weight off though and am now a 22 yr old female, 5 foot 3, and weigh 110. make sure you are not drinking sodas and sugary drinks or adding unnecessary things like butter or mayo to food. if you need help talk to a trainer or dietician. try some other exercises like pilates, weights, the elliptical, or some sport you enjoy-rollerblading even!