Can someone tell me why im stuck at the same weight when im working out so hard and eating less?

Question

Ive been working out for a few months now and am so frustrated to see that im stuck at 148lbs (im 5'2, 20yrs old) for the past week. I started out weighing almost 160 so Ive lost quite a bit of weight but now im stuck. I dont understand.

I go to the gym everyday. I try to leave with atleast 700 cal burned (according to the machines). I do 40 min on the treadmill ( speed: 40), then 30-40 min on the elliptical. then i run to complete the 700 cal.

I havent exactly been eating like im supposed to though. I dont eat much at all. I skip breakfast, then have a sandwich or salad for lunch, and have a granola bar, yogurt OR some fruit when I get home from the gym. I drink just about 10-12 cups (8oz) of water a day.

So can someone please tell me why im stuck at this weight?! im so frustrated. I weight myself everyday and somedays i even reach 150lbs. It makes no sense! :( thanks!

Answer 1

Not enough protein in your diet. Your body may think its starving due to lower caloric intake. It is holding onto the bodyfat for protection. 4-6 smaller meals each with some form of protein and fibrous carb measured out to your body weight and body fat. Calorie ratio should be estimated around 1400-1200.

Answer 2

I went through the same thing and when I asked my Dr. and gym trainer, they said that I had plateaued meaning that I had reached my limit with that specific workout. They suggested that I alter my workout, replacing a couple of things with something else and also, altering my diet. A heathy diet is key to the weight loss. I was bad about skipping meals thinking It would help me, I loss muscle tone and stopped the loss. When I started eating a healthy breakfast, a heathy snack, healthy lunch, a snack and a healthy dinner and a small snack before eight o'clock, I was amazed at the difference. I also started yoga and step arobics three days a week to replace my treadmill and bike, and started walking at a local track with a friend, about five or six miles a day three days a week. I took a day off to relax and did only yoga on that day. I lost a pretty good bit after about a week and a half just doing that. The water is great especially if you sweat a lot.

The food sounds like a lot, but they say 6 small meals a day help to curb cravings if done right. fruit, low fat yogart etc..... is great for snacks, and meals need to stay low fat and low cal, but not to low, if you don't eat any fat, then you will stall again on your weight loss. Just eat the 'good' fats. Carbs are also a big problem, bad carbs turn to sugar and that's bad so be picky about the carbs you eat.

I hope this helps

Answer 3

Congrats on sticking to your workout for so long. You should not be discourage on how much you weigh everyday because it can become stressful when your actual results does not match your ideal results. Stress is a proven factor in weight gain so cheer up.

There are two reasons I can think off the top of my head:
1) Your body is in 'shock' because of level of the fastening therefore it is automatically retaining calories since it thinks that you will not intake enough calories.
2) When losing weight there are 3 phases the first is you losing weight immediately, the second is you will reach a point where you do not lose as much weight because your body is adjusting (this is where I think you are at), and finally the third is that you will lose weight at a constant level in terms of difference of percentage (this is likely to occur around 2 month after the 2nd phase dependent of body).

Just keep motivated and stick to your routine because it sounds like you are working hard and eventually you will get results.

Answer 4

Your body is in starvation mode which slows your metabolism regardless of how much you exercise.

Skipping breakfast only puts you deeper in starvation mode and aggravates the problem.

Also, if you do cardio while you are in starvation mode, you burn muscle which lowers your metabolism even more and makes the problem even worse.

Here is the healthy way which is easier and actually works:

Eat 6 small but balanced meals per day. Your carbs should be high in fiber and your proteins should be lean. Fats should be sparing but concentrated in the omega 3's and omega 6's. This will provide a slow but constant stream of vital nutrients. Avoid greasy foods, alcohol, and candy.

Lift weights or perform power yoga because either of these will slightly increase your lean mass, which will burn extra calories 24 hours per day. This will increase your resting metabolic rate. Also, some cardio helps.

Use a measuring tape instead of a scale to measure your progress because it is more accurate than the scale.

Here is a sample meal plan, a sample workout, and info about fat loss.
http://www.spartafit.com/nutrition/sample%20meal%20plans.php
http://www.spartafit.com/exercise/exercise%20program%202.php
http://www.spartafit.com/main/fat%20loss%20chart.php

Answer 5

I personally have lost 85 pounds and all I can tell you is you have to mix up your workouts. Doing the same excercises all the time works the same muscle and they just get used to it. You hit a plateau like you have. When you don't eat your body goes into starvation mode and stores any fats you eat. Breakfast is key, you can't live off water. Breakfast shakes or granola bars are easy. check out: WWW.FITNESSMAGAZINE.COM for some new excercises they have videos and everything you'd need to know. For free.

Answer 6

your BMR is roughly 1600 cals a day. if you consume less than that regularly you won't lose any fat. if the body does not have enough nutrients to support the basic metabolic functions it will not release stored fats for use as energy. exercising is the easy part, the diet is what determines how fast or slow losses of body fat occur

Answer 7

The muscle you are building weighs more than the fat you are burning. Make sure you don't starve yourself or you will end up looking skinny and droopy. If you keep exercising and start eating well, you will eventually lose weight and look great!

Answer 8

You are creating muscle to replace the fat and it weighs more but takes up less space. Keep at it and you will get past the plateau.