No seeing progress

[Real36]

*Not seeing progress (obviously lol)

 

Hi,

I have been on a weight-loss mission since 12/15. For the last 5 weeks I have been on a 1230 calorie diet and exercising daily. I haven't been perfect but I have stayed very consistent and dedicated to my goal of losing weight. I bought a Polar H7 heart rate sensor with Bluetooth to keep up with my calorie burn and exercise intensity level. I have shown steady improvement enduring higher intensity level exercise for longer periods of time using the data I get from my H7 (I love the damn thing!).

 

I started my exercise regimen by going to 45 min aerobics classes 4x per week then doing various cardio activities for an hour on the weekends. I'm back in school now so my work out schedule is now 15 min elliptical cardio then 45 min aerobics class 3 days per week then alternating between walking and jogging for an hour 2 days per week. I estimate that I am burning between 350-600 calories each day depending on which exercises I'm doing and the intensity of the exercise. I use the H7 calorie burn numbers then take about 100 calories off its number to allow for variations in accuracy.

 

I started my diet only paying attention to the calorie number on MFP. I am set to eat 1230 cal per day. When I enter my calorie burn for the day that number is taken away from the calories I have already eaten allowing for more calories to take in for the day. Even so, I am cautious not to overestimate the accuracy of MFP either. I usually do not eat all of the calories back. Most days I stay between 1200-1500 calories eaten regardless of how many I burn. I paid a lot attention to my diet including complex carbs, lean meats and lots of fresh veggies. I was doing fruit 1x per day and string cheese for snacks. I do a cheat day on Fridays where I eat what ever I want on and have drinks with my friends. On the weekends I sometimes don't eat for the majority of the day and then use up my calories for dinner and dessert. My diet has not been perfect but it has been damn good! I get hungry but I don't feel like I am starving or like I'm not getting enough calories on a regular basis.

 

After all of this, I have seen almost no change in weight or inches. I am very disappointed. There has been a 6 lbs. difference but I think it is really the difference between the original cheap scale that I used and the likely more accurate scale at the Healthcare office at my job. There is not change in the way my clothes fit or the way my body looks and feels. I do feel like I am building muscle in my quads but there has not been a slimming effect there or in any other body part. Is paying attention to just the caloric numbers a good idea? Does the math really work out right? According to everything I've read if I lower my intake by 500 calories a day and then burn at least 300 then I should be losing at least 1.5 pounds per week. But I am not. According to BMR calculations I should eat 1648 cal per day to maintain my weight. Cutting down to 1230 is more than a 400 cal deficit and then burning at least 300 should put me at a weight loss. What am I missing here??

 

I plan to start a carb depletion cycle next week to see if that helps but I really feel like eating a balanced 1200-1500 diet with exercise should show results without having to cut carbs out! I am planning to get my thyroid check in February. I was tested in 2012 but test showed that it was functioning normally then even though enlarged. I am starting to think that it is part of the problem. Can anyone think of other reasons that I might not be seeing results?

[Real36]

I'm a 33 year old female.

I'm 5'3" and 192 lbs

 

I am eating 400 calories a day below the amount that I need to maintain my weight 6 days per week (1648-1230=418) while also burning at least 300 calories at least 5 days per week in exercise (usually more) for a total caloric deficit of approximately 3000-4000 per week. This should put me at a fat loss of at least 1 lbs per week according to everything that I understand about the math behind weight loss. But this is not happening. I weigh myself on Monday mornings before eating or drinking anything. I'm not new to weight loss, I'm trying to lose a sudden weight gain of 27 lbs over the last half of 2014. The things that have worked for me in the past are no longer working and I am trying to figure out how to get this going again. What am I missing?

[Light Breeze]

You're on a plateau.

 

Our body is quite adaptive when it comes to weight loss. When it realizes that you reduced your calorie intake, after some time they start to slow down the metabolic engine to avoid burning fat, thus, plateaus. The key is confusing your body.

 

We are all different, but, for me it takes around a month to plateu then I have to mix it up to continue to burm body fat.

 

Do you have cheat days? (i.e. Eating at your maintenance every 7 days or so.) do you lift weights?

 

You can google how to avoid plateaus, but, I'm going to share mine.

I saw this in youtube around last year but I forgot the link. Anyway, what I did was:

 

 

Monday-tues:

Low fat, high protein, low carb, veggies (tuna,brocolli,turkey etc.)

 

Wed-thurs

Med fat, high protein, low carb, veggies (chicken breast, brocolli, etc.)

 

friday

Moderately high fat, high protein, low carbs, veggies (beef, brocolli,eggs, etc)

 

Saturday

High protein, moderate carbs (20%), veggies,

 

Sunday

High protein, maintenance carbs (i.e. 40%), veggies

 

I do this when I plateau, then eat at my normal diet for 4 weeks or so.

 

Works for me.

 

MOST importantly, you need to add weight lifting in your regimen:

 

Lean muscle mass, burns a lot more calories than fat, thus, increase in metabolism. Cardio only increases you caloric deficit, in terms of wight loss.

[Ninjainpajamas]

She's not necessarily on a "plateau"...she just barely started working out.

 

Basically there's a "recalibration" period that your body goes through in the initial stages of weight loss/weight lifting, or any other major shift in your ordinary routine.

 

So if you've been sitting around doing nothing for months and years, then your body needs to reshuffle and reignite all those muscles you also haven't been using...there's a period of time it takes to adjust, your body isn't some robot that you just press the button to and it just drops off pounds like bags of sand tied to your body with ropes.

 

You need to make this a long-term goal and plan, you can't weigh yourself everyday and focus on the scale and let that be your guide on whether you're doing well in the initial stages of losing that weight.

 

As far as you diet, you need to take into consideration that if you're eating that low amount of calories, while working out...then you're probably not working out hard enough because you should be struggling maintaining a diet that low, you're definitely not used to it based on your weight and height and it's too low for someone who is physically active. If you're sitting around doing nothing it's one thing, but if you throw in exercise that's a whole different thing.

 

The harder you work, the more calories you burn...which means the more you will want to eat, you will be hungry. So I'm imagining you starving yourself, or just taking it easy during your exercises...building up a sweat but not necessarily pushing it too much, just going through the routine. Because if you were busting butt, then you're really hungry after your workouts.

 

Your cheat days are also almost guaranteed to be the biggest factors in this diet. If you eat and drink whatever you want on Friday, things are adding up a lot more than you realize...you need to moderate yourself even on those days, it doesn't mean you can't "live life and enjoy yourself" for one day, but if you're serious about losing weight then you need to cut that down reasonably so that you will see the results...if you also have friends who are not supportive or overweight themselves, it's going to be a real challenge having them around, they will influence you in negative ways.

 

You need to give yourself more time to adjust, as well intensify the work-outs when you are doing them. But it's just bout guaranteed it's your diet, and you said you haven't been perfect, but consistent...which is good and you should be happy for yourself for sticking to a plan this far, but at the same time don't be another one of those crash diet people who want 40 lbs to fly off like nothing.

 

Be realistic and just take it month by month, improving your diet, doing more research, watching youtube videos, educating yourself...visit the doctor for any health issues, ask about a nutritionist even and that you are trying to lose weight...basically explore your options and be open minded and learn, instead of just getting this tunnel vision of calories equal pound loss.

 

It takes a system that you need to develop for yourself in order to make it stick, you will need to find foods you like to eat, better supplements for bad processed foods you used to like, you will notice yourself enjoying those foods less as well over time, as well as cutting out soda as much as possible too (I used to love soda, can't even finish one can anymore, it's way too sweet for me now)...it takes time for all this to fall into place, so just keep sticking with it and you will see results...expecting a crash diet of 20 pounds just flying off of you will only get you right back where you started, because those just don't last or go very far and the sacrifice to health is too much and it's overall unsustainable...care about your body, don't just treat it like some inanimate object.

[clia]

What has your actual deficit been each week for the past six weeks?Are you weighing, measuring, and logging everything (including any oils and sauces used for cooking) you are eating and drinking through My Fitness Pal? If so, you should be able to figure out your actual deficit, rather than an approximation. Your off the cuff calculations of a 3,000-4,000 weekly calorie deficit don't appear to take into account the following:

 

*Not seeing progress (obviously lol)

I started my diet only paying attention to the calorie number on MFP. I am set to eat 1230 cal per day. When I enter my calorie burn for the day that number is taken away from the calories I have already eaten allowing for more calories to take in for the day. Even so, I am cautious not to overestimate the accuracy of MFP either. I usually do not eat all of the calories back. Most days I stay between 1200-1500 calories eaten regardless of how many I burn. I paid a lot attention to my diet including complex carbs, lean meats and lots of fresh veggies. I was doing fruit 1x per day and string cheese for snacks. I do a cheat day on Fridays where I eat what ever I want on and have drinks with my friends. On the weekends I sometimes don't eat for the majority of the day and then use up my calories for dinner and dessert. My diet has not been perfect but it has been damn good! I get hungry but I don't feel like I am starving or like I'm not getting enough calories on a regular basis.

 

(I get that there is variation, but your calculations seem to assume a 1230 calorie diet six days a week and a burn of 300 five days a week which doesn't seem consistent with what you've written above.)

 

Are you logging everything you eat on your cheat Fridays? It is really easy to get out of control and not even realize it when you give yourself free reign to eat and drink whatever you want. You could easily ruin all the hard work you did during the week if you aren't paying attention. MFP has a huge database, so even if you are eating out you should be able to find a similar food item at a chain restaurant that includes the calorie content to provide yourself an approximation. (Do not use someone's homemade version.) Additionally, with the starving yourself all day to eat dinner and dessert...is that homemade or eating out? Again, not hard to blow past 1230 calories a day eating dinner and dessert out at a restaurant, where they are liberal with use of oils, butters, and heavy creams to add good flavor.

 

After all of this, I have seen almost no change in weight or inches. I am very disappointed. There has been a 6 lbs. difference but I think it is really the difference between the original cheap scale that I used and the likely more accurate scale at the Healthcare office at my job.

 

You need to weigh yourself on the same scale consistently. How much does your original cheap scale show that you have lost? Without monitoring this consistently, you aren't going to know. How much does the more accurate scale show you lost since you started weighing yourself on it? At any rate, if you are showing a 6 lb weight loss, that seems about right for the past six weeks, so I don't really understand the issue. I honestly wouldn't expect 6 pounds to show a marked difference in your appearance or clothing fit given your size.

 

That said, if you are in fact logging everything fastidiously, you might not be eating enough. What level of physical activity did you use to calculate your BMR? I personally would not have the energy to do a daily hour long aerobic workout on only 1230 calories a day. I would be starving and feeling sick. You also might consider adding some weight training (or at least body weight work) to your routine in place of some of the aerobics or the elliptical.

Edited January 25, 2015 by clia

[Real36]

I am logging everything down to the milk in my coffee into MFP daily. Even when I cheat. I do use other peoples home made measures sometimes. A lot of the time I google the calorie counts in foods to see if what I am logging matches with another source. I am really trying to be accurate here!

 

The cheap scale showed no change in weight. The 6 lbs loss showed after I switched to the scale in the doctor's office. I do not believe that it is an actual loss. I started using the scale in the doctor's office 2 weeks ago, it should be accurate because it is regularly maintained. I weigh on Monday mornings before breakfast.

 

On your suggestion I calculated my caloric deficit using data from MFP. Over the last 30 days. My deficit has averaged 2579 cal per week. Which is significant less that I have estimated. And there in lies my problem.... I don't know why I never thought to calculate the total per week. It shows that my intake and expenditure are not matching what I think I am doing. Now that I know to calculate that way I will be able to get an accurate measure instead of averaging. Thanks for that suggestion!

[deathandtaxes]

You're not eating enough. You probably cheat too much on your cheat day. You need to do less cardio and more weights.

 

You can also try zig-zagging your food intake. Eat over your maintenance one day and under the next day. You have to trick your body into thinking it's NOT starving. Six days in a row of very low calories and you're on a surefire path for starvation mode.

[Emilia]

You're not eating enough. You probably cheat too much on your cheat day. You need to do less cardio and more weights.

 

You can also try zig-zagging your food intake. Eat over your maintenance one day and under the next day. You have to trick your body into thinking it's NOT starving. Six days in a row of very low calories and you're on a surefire path for starvation mode.

This.

 

A very good article I can recommend: T Nation | 10 Mistakes Women Make With Diets

[Quiet Storm]

Large muscles like glutes and quads are much denser than the fat that you are replacing. So I think your body fat & muscle ratio is changing, you just have to be patient.

 

I am very short, 5'2". I weigh 135 lbs, which would be considered overweight by some due to my height. But I am only a size 4 and everyone is shocked when I say my weight, because I look 115-120. The reason is that I do a lot of squats and lunges and have heavy muscle mass in those areas. I still have a light layer of fat, so they don't look too defined or muscular. They look toned and meaty, but not fat. So since you do notice muscle in your thighs, I suspect that your larger muscles could be gaining mass, which is skewing the weight on the scale. Those muscles are growing, and since you have a layer of fat on top, it doesn't look like you are getting smaller at first (because you aren't). However, once that layer of fat starts shrinking from diet & exercise, you will look smaller. It's just that right now, your muscles are getting bigger but the fat hasn't shrunk yet. Don't get discouraged and quit. Just be patient and keep it up!

 

I agree that you need more weight training. I don't even do cardio, unless you count walking my dogs. I just do weights, lunges, squats and planks. When I was younger, I wasted a lot of time on cardio. Now I spend half the time and get better results with weights alone.

[Kinetica84]

*Not seeing progress (obviously lol)

 

Hi,

I have been on a weight-loss mission since 12/15. For the last 5 weeks I have been on a 1230 calorie diet and exercising daily. I haven't been perfect but I have stayed very consistent and dedicated to my goal of losing weight. I bought a Polar H7 heart rate sensor with Bluetooth to keep up with my calorie burn and exercise intensity level. I have shown steady improvement enduring higher intensity level exercise for longer periods of time using the data I get from my H7 (I love the damn thing!).

 

I started my exercise regimen by going to 45 min aerobics classes 4x per week then doing various cardio activities for an hour on the weekends. I'm back in school now so my work out schedule is now 15 min elliptical cardio then 45 min aerobics class 3 days per week then alternating between walking and jogging for an hour 2 days per week. I estimate that I am burning between 350-600 calories each day depending on which exercises I'm doing and the intensity of the exercise. I use the H7 calorie burn numbers then take about 100 calories off its number to allow for variations in accuracy.

 

I started my diet only paying attention to the calorie number on MFP. I am set to eat 1230 cal per day. When I enter my calorie burn for the day that number is taken away from the calories I have already eaten allowing for more calories to take in for the day. Even so, I am cautious not to overestimate the accuracy of MFP either. I usually do not eat all of the calories back. Most days I stay between 1200-1500 calories eaten regardless of how many I burn. I paid a lot attention to my diet including complex carbs, lean meats and lots of fresh veggies. I was doing fruit 1x per day and string cheese for snacks. I do a cheat day on Fridays where I eat what ever I want on and have drinks with my friends. On the weekends I sometimes don't eat for the majority of the day and then use up my calories for dinner and dessert. My diet has not been perfect but it has been damn good! I get hungry but I don't feel like I am starving or like I'm not getting enough calories on a regular basis.

 

After all of this, I have seen almost no change in weight or inches. I am very disappointed. There has been a 6 lbs. difference but I think it is really the difference between the original cheap scale that I used and the likely more accurate scale at the Healthcare office at my job. There is not change in the way my clothes fit or the way my body looks and feels. I do feel like I am building muscle in my quads but there has not been a slimming effect there or in any other body part. Is paying attention to just the caloric numbers a good idea? Does the math really work out right? According to everything I've read if I lower my intake by 500 calories a day and then burn at least 300 then I should be losing at least 1.5 pounds per week. But I am not. According to BMR calculations I should eat 1648 cal per day to maintain my weight. Cutting down to 1230 is more than a 400 cal deficit and then burning at least 300 should put me at a weight loss. What am I missing here??

 

I plan to start a carb depletion cycle next week to see if that helps but I really feel like eating a balanced 1200-1500 diet with exercise should show results without having to cut carbs out! I am planning to get my thyroid check in February. I was tested in 2012 but test showed that it was functioning normally then even though enlarged. I am starting to think that it is part of the problem. Can anyone think of other reasons that I might not be seeing results?

 

Hey there.

 

I am a nutrition coach.

 

I would say just by a quick read you almost certainly not eating enough calories. This can cause a survival mode to in the body where metabolic rate slows down and prevents fat loss.

 

Your body will fight you to the better end as it does not want to burn fat.

 

Why are you doing carb depletion? Don't get complicated. Energy in vs energy out should be your main focus.

 

Do you do any refeeds? Are long have you been dieting for? I would highly recommend resistance training over high amounts of cardio.

 

I am just theorizing here without doing a detailed analyses of your life style.

 

Most of my clients do not eat enough. They are amazed how they start to lose weight when i increase their calorie intake.

 

If you can post your height, weight and age i could calculate calorie intake for you. Again it would be rough number but far more accurate than MFP.

[Real36]

Hey Kinetica,

Thanks for the help. I've been true to 1230 cals per day since Dec 15th. Except for cheat days 1 day per week where I usually eat around 1800-2000 cal. I started the carb depletion cycle Monday, it's my first cycle. I'm scheduled to re-feed on Sunday. I'm trying this because eating a 1230 varied diet is not showing results.

 

I'm 5'3"

33 years old

192 lbs

 

Thanks for the information

 

-Jessica

[Real36]

Quiet Storm,

Everyone seems to agree that weight training is more beneficial than cardio. The only thing standing in my way is that I don't really know how to do lift safely or what movements are effective. The gym I go to is the cheap city gym so there aren't any trainers to ask for help. I could attempt to learn by watching youtube videos I guess. Its just a little scary because I'm not sure of what I'm doing and I don't want to injure myself or look like a fool! I've been using some of the cable machines but I'm not confident that they are actually doing anything for me.

[austyre]

HI from reading your posts you have to understand that weight fluctuates up and down on a daily/hourly bases >and yes you need too fuel your body with the right food for the metabolism to work in order to burn fat>However if your going to the gym and wanting to lift weights just remember you will gain weight through muscle but also fire up your metabolism but I believe that diet is the key???

YOU will gain more by eating more pure and simple as everybody has mentioned cutting calories will work in the reverse because your body goes into survival mode your body needs its diet to work for it not against >this comes with a warning though and that is not all food/calories are created equal look into nutritional value

By eating a diet high in fruits and veggies nuts and seeds would be optimal and cutting out the usual processed foods but keep in mind a change in diet is gradual and can be life changing(myself personally)

However I will ask one question though , What is your motivation for wanting to lose the weight??(unless I missed it)

cheers

[regine_phalange]

You may have changed your habits too drastically, both diet and exercise wise. Maybe it would be a good idea to alter your habits more slowly so your body does not experience stress from the sudden change. Eg eat when you're hungry, but only choose healthy foods. Eat slowly until you are full. Exercise as much as you do without cutting calories, only enhancing the quality of the meals.

 

I only do yoga and walking, and some days I eat less, some others more, because I'm more hungry. Listen to your body.

[Kinetica84]

Hey Kinetica,

Thanks for the help. I've been true to 1230 cals per day since Dec 15th. Except for cheat days 1 day per week where I usually eat around 1800-2000 cal. I started the carb depletion cycle Monday, it's my first cycle. I'm scheduled to re-feed on Sunday. I'm trying this because eating a 1230 varied diet is not showing results.

 

I'm 5'3"

33 years old

192 lbs

 

Thanks for the information

 

-Jessica

 

Your TDEE (Total daily energy expenditure) based on working out 4 times, i use the Harris Benedict formula is 2314kcal per day.

 

You can successfully till still burn fat 1814 kcal per day. 2313 - 500 kcal deficit per day = 1814kcal per day. You are under eating by a long way which cause all sorts of unwanted metabolic adaptations.

 

As i say. Most people i coach under eat but to big of a margin. Slow and steady wins the race.

 

As for cheat days. I would i avoid them. Cheating implies you're doing something wrong. There are no bad foods and their are no good foods. There are nutrient dense foods and nutrient poor foods.

 

I install into all my clients a flexible approach. I encourage all of them to hit there calorie targets and macros, eating whole foods, veg, fruit, meat and so on. That said i also encourage them to good tasting foods that are nutrient poor within their calorie targets. So if the fancy a bit of chocolate, they are free to indulge within reason and moderation and within their daily goals. This eliminates a "cheat" meal where they can easily destroy a weeks work in one meal.

 

Don't think about what food to avoid, rather think about what foods you can include within your daily targets.

 

Food should always taste good. If you don't enjoy your diet you're doing wrong. If you're not eating enough, you're doing it wrong.

 

Dieting is hard enough as it is, therefore it should be as enjoyable as possible.

 

The answer is in the middle not on the extremes. Moderation all the way. It is not a sexy word but it is far more sustainable for long term results.

[Real36]

Thanks Kinetica!

[Filling your GAP]

I want to draw your attention to metabolism...if you are trying to get to San Francisco from San Diego, do you put 5 gallons of gas in the car expecting it to make it? NO! Well, the same thing is true of your body!! First, you are putting it into starvation mode with the limited calorie intake which causes it to store everything you do eat as fat, THEN, you are exercising probably WAY more than you used to, which causes your body to produce Cortisol, which is the belly fat hormone, and its function is....you guessed it...storing fat!! You are putting a wet blanket on what should be a roaring fat burning fire! You need to re-vamp your nutrition and use the Harrison Benedict Formula (google it and follow the instructions) to figure out what your BMR is and what you should be consuming, then go over that number with a nutritionist that will tell you what your goal macronutrient ratios should be, then meet with your trainer (or ask for a complimentary session) to discuss what exercise plan you should be on to achieve your goals! I am speaking from experience because I started my journey 7 months ago, had seen almost NO change, despite TWO a days, six days a week, minimum 90 minutes strength and resistance and 45 minutes cardio, and it wasn't until I made the changes to diet and the routine (NEVER working out at high intensity for more than 45 minutes, because that is when the Cortisol switch flips on). I am soooo happy to report that I am now losing a minimum of 4 inches a week, haven't dropped pounds yet, but that is because muscle weighs more than fat, and my body fat percentage has dropped 5% in not quite 5 weeks! I know you can do this too!!

[contact1]

The thing is, reading from your post, you are eating more than 1230 calories each day because you are subtracting calories being burned from working out, so your diet isn't really 1230 calories. When you set up MFP, you are asked to put in how often you workout I believe.

 

The workout feature is very misleading, because it can cause you to believe that if you worked out and say burned 500 calories, that you can now eat 500 more calories and still be within your caloric goal. That is so not the case though. You should be eating 1230 calories everyday (assuming this is a healthy level of calories for a woman of your height and weight, I would not know the answer to this) regardless of whether you worked out that day or not.

 

Also, there is no need for carb cycling. If you cut carbs, you will lose weight, but it will be water weight, not fat. And than when you eat carbs again, your body will regain that water weight, it will just frustrate you.