Exercising more, feeling better and the scale isn't moving.

I've lost 85 pounds since 1/2015, I'm very proud of that, I feel better and move easier and look so much better. I have lost 2 pounds since 4/16 bringing me to my total of 85. I'm walking 4 miles a day without any problem, I feel great, I'm watching what I eat, keep keeping my calories around 1000 to 1200. Depending on the piece of equipment or app I'm using to track progress I'm burning 500 to 700 calories a day. So why the weight loss of only 2 pounds in 2 months?

The apps that calculate "calories burned" are notoriously inaccurate.  They overestimate what you actually burn.

If you're not losing weight, you need to reduce your caloric intake.  Plain and simple.

Hi Kara,

Shake things up! Change your eating, maybe up your protein and change up what you have been doing for exercise.  Your body does react to the weight loss. Kinda in shock...  Stay on track, mix things up and take it one day at a time. The scale will start moving again.  Keep track of your measurements and take a look at your before and afters. There are other ways to measure success other than the scale.

I had 9 weeks where I didn't lose a pound.  It was nuts, but I stayed the corse and once I started losing again it never stopped until I hit goal.

Those "calories burned" counts sound ridiculously high. If you are eating them back, this might be your problem.

The general guideline a trainer gave me was:

For 30 minutes of exercise that leaves you breathing really hard, sweating, and having difficulty maintaining a conversation, credit yourself 100 calories burned.

For 30 minutes of exercise that leaves you doubled over and gasping, and unable to talk almost at all, credit yourself 200 calories burned.

For any exercise that doesn't result in one of the above, credit yourself zero calories burned.

Don't pay any attention to calorie counts for exercise on machines, in databases, or apps.

If you are not eating back calories burned, and you are using a food scale regularly and religiously logging every tiny morsel you eat, then you need to see a doctor about whether you have some sort of health problem (hormones? thyroid?) because with that level of intake and output you should be losing more weight IMO.

Great answer.

A lot of people maintain their weight when eating 1000-1200. It's not fair, but it happens. And if you are not measuring your portions, they may have creeped up in size so you may be eating more than 1200. Get strict with your eating and cut back if you want to lose more.

Walking is great exercise for your heart, but it does little to nothing for weight loss.

Two possibilities, and likely a combination:

• You're eating too much
  
  
• You're not burning as many calories as you think

Are you SURE you're keeping calories in that window? Track exactly for a few days, and include every nibble, squirt of ketchup, the milk in your coffee. Use measuring spoons and a scale. Sometimes our estimates are WAY off.

Most people seem to lose when eating between 600 - 800, and maintain when eating in the neighborhood of 1000 - 1200.

If you're walking 4 miles at 3mph, you're likely burning around 300 calories, which is quite a difference from your current estimate.