[Mountaindewed]

I seem to not lose weight when I exercise. I know it’s weird.

But when I exercise on my elliptical for half an hour and eat 1,200 calories, the scale doesn’t budge.

But when I just eat less the scale can move as much as a pound a day.

Why is this?

Weight loss is 80% nutrition, 20% exercise. What you eat is so much more important. Plus certain exercise can cause muscle mass increase, which would lead to some weight gain (muscle is heavier than fat).

[kreg]

Originally Posted by Bozdickens

I seem to not lose weight when I exercise. I know it’s weird.

But when I exercise on my elliptical for half an hour and eat 1,200 calories, the scale doesn’t budge.

But when I just eat less the scale can move as much as a pound a day.

Why is this?

Don't have an answer but I do know that weight loss is all about eating and has little to do with exercising. Eat too many carbs and they turn into stored fat. Eat too much protein and it gets passed in urine. Stay away from carbs but give yourself a reward every few days.

I have the same problem.

That being said, when you eat less food your scale will move two ways (1) the actual weight of food in your body will be less, (2) your body will be burning off glycogen stores which weigh a lot because glycogen contains water and (3) you will be getting rid of water.

I personally believe that exercise, regardless of muscle mass, puts weight on you due to water. I believe that your body uses water to restore muscle and even if you don't do enough exercise to "build muscle" I believe your body prepares based on signs that you are exercising -- such as sweating. I mean it can be like .5 of a lb but to you it looks like you aren't losing.

I never find exercise to do anything to assist with weight loss. Even the alleged 20% doesn't work on me.

What I have found seems to work on me is like NEAT. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis. So standing for like 8 hours or walking on a treadmill for like two hours at low speed. It could be the way I am built.

I found longer distances (running up to half marathon) seemed to pour the weight off me, but I am a slow runner so was out there for over a couple of hours at a time.

Gyms never seemed to make any difference somehow.

[Mountaindewed]

Originally Posted by prefabsprout

I found longer distances (running up to half marathon) seemed to pour the weight off me, but I am a slow runner so was out there for over a couple of hours at a time.

Gyms never seemed to make any difference somehow.

Yeah I lost a lot of weight AFTER quitting the gym. I don’t remember losing any weight from the gym actually.

[UpDownAround]

My favorite saying on this subject is that you can't outrun your fork. I lost a lot of weight when I was running a few years ago but it was largely from not eating much. But running nonstop for over an hour does burn calories at a level that is hard to match. I like how you could do it for an hour even if you could only spare an hour; it did determine when you would shower, though. Now I walk, as I tore my knees up doing all that running (it exacerbated an inherited arthritic condition). Not quite the same burn but it helps keep me in shape.

To get the amount of calories exercise truly burns, you have to *subtract* lthe amount you burn just being alive and sitting around. Most of your calories are burned just being alive. It’s the basal metabolic rate.

[Mountaindewed]

I think mine is about 1,530. I usually eat about 1,280 calories. I haven’t exercised all week and I’ve seen a major difference in how my clothes fit this week. It’s interesting.

[Tucson]

Originally Posted by key tones

To get the amount of calories exercise truly burns, you have to *subtract* lthe amount you burn just being alive and sitting around. Most of your calories are burned just being alive. It’s the basal metabolic rate.

Yes, this is true. But what is interesting is that the more percentage fat content that your body has, it’s basal metabolic rate will be less. I ended up playing with a calculator that calculates BMR. Unlike others on the net, this also uses percent body fat as part of its calculations. Other websites calculated my BMR to be a bit more than 1,700. This calculator has my BMR at about 1,500 calories. When I increase the percentage of body fat, the BMR went down further. But this is still a significant amount of calories to subtract.

[Mountaindewed]

Yeah, I did a ton of walking these past 2 days and I gained 4 pounds. I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks just by eating less and sitting on my couch. There’s no way I’m exercising again. My job is enough.