What am I doing wrong?

So I've been measuring my kCal intake and output pretty carefully and feel like my output is definitely higher than the intake - but I can't seem to drop ANY weight!

I eat good healthy foods for the most part - only eat out occasionally, and try and make smart choices when I do. I drink some beer on the weekends but only a moderate amount. I run 40 minutes nearly every day - sometimes an hour. I also play Wii Fit Plus for at least 30 minutes almost every day as well. I drink a good amount of water too.

Typically I eat 3 reasonable meals and have 2 very small healthy snacks. I avoid junk foods and prepackaged stuff as much as possible.

Everything considered and by just mere calculations I should be losing weight - slow and steady like is healthy - but the scale doesn't move! I'm thankful I'm not putting on more weight - but I feel like I've been trying to lose this same 10-15 lbs for months now! My clothes don't feel looser either.

It makes me feel like it's not worth being strict. I had bloodwork recently so I know there's nothing abnormal there either. Any suggestions, advice, or encouragement is welcome!

I've been there too--where it just isn't budging and you're so so frustrated cause it doesn't seem to be working.

My first question would be: Are you drinking enough water? I find that I feel better and drop pounds better when I drink lots of water. On the weekends, I never have enough, so I retain a lot of salt/water which adds pounds on the scale. I try to drink 16 servings a day, which is obviously more than than the minimum you need, but I really feel better with it, and i notice that it helps when losing weight. You should drink plenty, especially with working out as much as you do.

Also, with your working out--are you eating enough calories? I know that you eat healthy from your post, but with so much expended, maybe you aren't putting enough in? I've heard that your body can hold onto everything you put into it if it isn't getting what it needs, if that makes sense. That would mean that no matter how much you're output is, if your intake isn't enough, you body will store everything it can, and you won't lose weight.

I have to say that this is all from personal experience and I'm not a nutritionist or doctor, so please take those two bits of advice with a grain of salt...

good luck to you!!

Many people think they eat healthy and clean, but aren't necessarily as healthy as they think. "I just had the Cesar salad for dinner, that's healthy right?" Nope.. many salads have 1000+ calories.

The key is twofold: 1) consistently eat clean, healthy, whole unprocessed foods. Things like lean meats, 4oz at a time, along with fresh steamed veggies and grains, in measured amounts. I eat about a cup of steamed broccoli and 1/2 cup of rice with a 4-5 oz chicken breast as a meal. That's a staple.

Healthy snacks include veggies, fruits, etc.

You need to measure your portions and track your calories.. you have been tracking but are you eyeballing your portions or are you measuring them?

2) Exercise needs to be VARIED, not just the same old running. Your body is on a plateau with that, and just doing simple steady state cardio isn't going to break that. That's why programs you see advertised like P90X and Insanity work, they push you to your limits but change up the workouts consistently.

The last thing you need to understand is that weighing yourself every day is just a set up for disappointment. It takes time for your body to change, but you have to be doing what works to make it change. Right now you aren't, your program isn't going to cut the fat.

Also remember- you have to adjust your diet as you lose weight. If you weigh more, you can consume more and lose weight. Then when you weigh less, you have to re-evaluate and eat less/exercise more.
I hit that wall a few times this over this weight-loss adventure this year. My advice is- if it isn't working you need to change it up. The first time my boyfriend tried to explain that to me, I got frustrated and threw a tantrum I felt like, I WAS trying and it STILL WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH. Oh man, I remember how pissed I was.
But then I sucked it up and changed my exercise routine and got back on the weight-loss track.
Now I change it up whenever my weight-loss slows down. Strength training really made a difference for me. So did being really, really honest with the calorie counter. It's so easy to lie to yourself... Not saying you do, but I certainly did
One more thing: take the calories burned during exercise with a grain of salt. It is very difficult to know exactly how many calories you are burning. You need to work out with intensity. Make it your goal to sweat like a pig and get out of breath. If you aren't sweating, you can work harder.
Just keep going and try not to get too frustrated You can do it!

Thanks. I needed to hear this!

Those moderate beers slow down your metabolism too. Any alcohol slows your metabolism. Maybe trade it for sparkling water mixed with some low sugar canberry juice (or a different low cal juice) for a week or two.

A Quick and Easy Trick to Get you body going again is to cut out Wheat/Gluten, Dairy and Sugar for at least 2 weeks and you should break the hump... You can do RICE milk/pasta/crackers/bread etc... Try No carbs for dinner also

Are you losing inches?

Make sure you are being honest about your caloric intake. Read the label, check the serving size and measure! There are many healthy things that pack a caloric punch. A large glass of orange juice will set anyone up for a big disappointment. I was shocked by many "innocent" snacks ( 2 Panetini toasties that do not even register on appetite suppression = 70 cal. Multiply that times a handful).

Another two problem areas for me: exercise intensity/stress and glycemic index. When I exercise too hard (same body response as excess stress) my body NEEDS more food ( high fat and carb are most desired). My appetite can not be satisfied by a moderate snack or meal.....I feel hungry, alot! My body produces the same reaction for high glycemic foods (and hard alcohol).

Drink a lot of water. Cut back on coffee and soda (even if it's diet).

I'm having the same problem, and I really appreciate these suggestions!

Wow I think I really needed to read this.. My husband and I had an argument today because what seems easy for him has been very difficult to me and yes it is frustrating... I am starting to feel alittle better thanks... I have not been working as hard as I should but I have been cheating myself and get frustrated when I dont get the results... Thanks again!

Hi Mi Mi, I'm so glad that helped you. It is so hard to take advice about losing weight and not get upset and frustrated because it makes you feel like you're doing something wrong.. My bf must be some kind of saint for putting up with my tantrums
It's getting better. I even asked him what he thought of my carb/fat/protein ratio and he suggested more protein and less carbs. Instead of getting all pissy, I'm just going to try it. Hell, if I knew what I was doing I never would have gotten so close to 300 lb in the first place.

Trying to lose the same 10-15 pounds for months now too!

I'm certainly not the expert here, but I can relay what has worked for me, at least this time (the suggestions about changing things up is something I'll keep in mind for the future).

My experience over the years is that my body hangs on to carbs big time. Especially those less processed, like potatos, rice, pasta, etc. I tend to burn off the purer sugars pretty quickly as long as I don't really take on a lot.

But when I have more of a focus on protein, it's easier for me to lose weight. And I don't have to do Atkins to see the results.

Calorie for calorie, my body will hang on to carbs more so than protein. And this is what I don't understand because if carbs are supposed to be my body's preferred and most easily burned food, why do I lose weight easier when I consume less of them, and it's harder to lose weight when I consume more of them. And again, that's comparing the same number of calories for each.

So I guess the moral to the story is pay attention to what your body wants. It may not always make sense given what we "know", but if it works, why try to buck it?

If it doesn't work, don't keep doing the same thing.
Ditching the beer will help. (I know, it made me very, very sad to realize that not only can I not drown my sorrows in potato chips and cake, alcohol is out too)
I'm starting to feel like a monk or something

You need to do high intensity cardio training or/and high intensity resistance (weight) training to stress your body and burn calories hours after the gym. When you do moderate, steady, same old cardio, you burn calories only during the period of time you are at the gym, not after. It works for me. I've been doing the same boring cardio and little weight training for 3 years and couldn't lose weight. I finally discover that HIIT (High intensity interval training) works best for my body last summer. I finally lost my tummy and my love handle.
I try to not eat after 8 pm. I eat most of my calories at the beginning of the day and gradually eat less after 5 o'clock.

Hi everyone! I'm no expert either, but I can relay my most recent experience with you:

A few co-workers and I decided to change up out workout routines and compare results. My friend Judy used to do 2 Spinning classes, 1 strength training class, 2 Yoga classes per week. I did 3 spinning classes, 3 strength training classes, 3 Yoga classes, and 4 Cardio classes (as insane as it sounds). Judy's new routine is 4 days a week of 45 minutes on the Elliptical, and 2 Yoga classes. My new routine is 1 day strength training, 2 days elliptical, 3 days Yoga, 3 cardio classes. Basically, I reduced my strength training classes from 3 to 1 per week. Guess what happened? JUDY lost 'weight' but I think she lost a lot of muscle (which was sort of her goal coz she thought she was bulking up a little). I expected to lose 'weight' i.e. muscle pounds too, but I gained a pound!!!! How did that happen?? I was burning 600-700 calories on the elliptical while our instructor told us we burned around 350-500 cals in the Strength trainng class. How did I gain weight in 2 weeks if I burned about 200 calories more per day? Here's my moral of the story:
- Strength training is the way to go! It really does seem to aid in burning more calories when you are resting and well after your workout
- Don't reply on cardio machines to get an approximate 'calories burned' number. Remember the machine is assisting you in your 'moves' so try to run on a treadmill or do a kickboxing, or other aerobic class instead where you are solely relying on your entire body's strength to get you through the moves
- Eat high protein foods, especially when you strength train several times a week. I kept my protein intake high even with the 1 strength training day vs. the 3 i used to do, but this obviously didn't contribute to a 'weight loss' on it's own.
- Eat every few hours and eat from all food groups. Some diets restrict dairy, carbs, etc. but I am a firm believer in getting a bit of everything. Eat one fruit a day (too much fruit = too much sugar), choose 2 multigrain slices of bread instead of a Bagel/Baguette or white bread, choose bulgur,quinoa,couscous over white rice... basically since we are led to think that carbs are evil, just choose the lesser-evil carb ... trust me, I tried cutting out carbs completely from my diet and survived on veggies, tofu, egg whites and cottage cheese and I was completely drained of all my energy. The only time I felt 'alive' was after my morning bowl of oats (Good carbs!)

Hope these little tips get you closer to your goals

I would add to avoid anything with High Fructose Corn syrup. (difficult because it is in everything.) Also realize that if you are building muscle, your weight may not change as muscle weighs more than fat. You should be losing inches if this is so. I would also cut out ALL soda and refined carbs. Whey protein has been great for me as a protein source. Good luck!

To the OP:

1)Get back to tracking your food & exercise. We can't help you if we don't see what you're eating or what you're doing for exercise.

2)Back in November your Calorie Breakdown was:
Carbohydrate (45%)
Fat (43%)
Protein (12%)

Your total Calorie intake was fine for the most part(although tracking your exercise even on days you don't would be good), but your breakdown is not healthy.

The fat intake wouldn't be a big deal if you would add more protein to your diet. Google, use the forum for more resources, or reply and we can discuss further.

Even if you're going to eat a decent amount of carbs, a higher protein diet will help. Why? If you are doing lots of lengthy cardio for exercise, you will eventually start to burn muscle(protein) if you aren't eating enough protein. You're only going to burn fat for first part of your work out. As someone mentioned, HIIT is really good and will help you continue to burn fat when you are done. Bodybuilding.com has good articles on HITT. Additionally, add in some Anerobic exercises to build muscle(which will help you burn more calories in the long run) once you start adding in protein.

Finally, if you really want to cut weight and burn fat, go to a low carb variation or a Ketogenic diet. There's plenty of healthy diets where you can go low carb for parts of the week and still eat good things other times of the week while losing weight. You don't have to go low-carb all week long to lose weight.