Struggling with fat loss :(

_rachel_k

I know I am not exercising as much as I need to (I sit at a desk all day) but 3 days a week I do a strength circuit with my bf (that people on MFP call more of a cardio circuit) that takes an hour and 10 minutes to complete. The rest of the time I am mostly sedentary. I am eating approx 1800 calories a day (some days 200 more, some days 200 less) and I can feel my biceps and triceps growing and every 5 days I get to increase the weight I lift so I know I'm becoming stronger but after 4 weeks I don't believe I have lost any inches (my stomach has NOT gotten smaller)

I am honestly not a fan of getting up at 5 am every day to do 45 minutes of intense cardio (I do NOT enjoy it) and by the time I get home I feel drained of all my energy (it is an energy sucking work environment a lot of the time)

And before anyone asks, I weigh everything! My co-worker gave me an orange slice the other day and I actually weighed it on the scale at work we use to weigh inks. I know it takes time, I know I have to put in work, I think what I'm looking for are tips/tricks to make it easier. I do NOT want to give up my weights 3 days a week, I know that much

healthygreek

You probably need to decrease your calorie goal-you are eating too much to lose.

Sued0nim

You can't out-exercise a bad diet

What's your stats because perhaps you've found your maintenance and need to cut from that?

On the days you're not working out you could just walk more - get up from your desk and walk around, take a lunchtime walk, walk to and from work (or to and from a further public transport stop) .. get a fitbit, garmin or plain pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day .. 10,000 steps earns me 350 calories (the same amount as a 45 minute workout).. but it takes me 2500-4000 steps to reach sedentary settings

erickirb

1800 is quite a bit while trying to lose weight. I would suggest dropping cals by 200-300 day and give it 3-4 weeks to see if that works.

Do you weigh your solid foods and measure liquids? If not you may actually be eating 10-50% more than you think you are

Liftng4Lis

Caloric deficit is required for weight loss. I would start there and remember, patience is key.

riffraff2112

Find your Bmr. Without knowing it calories in is guesswork
Other than that, keep doing what you are doing.
Most likely eating too much.

999tigger

What they all said. Just realise that if the scale isnt moving at this early stage its becayse the sum total of what you burn is about what you are consuming. You can give it a few more weeks, but it looks like you are closer to maintenance and so wont lose.

Your options are obviously consuming less or burning more. If its the former then you need to look into what your eating and see about changing or moderating part of your diet.

To lose weight from burning requires a lot of exercise, every bit helps. I would look at classes, kettlebells or anything you might fancy which is less boring and more fun for you. Cardio for long periods can be really dull and hard work for many.

I would also look at incorportaing more movement into daily life so you burn more calories just by walking. Consistency all helps.

jessdunn40

Try 1400 calories. That is my calorie in take, and I eat all day and not go over. I am 5'10 and 170 lbs I have lost 3lbs so far and I am normally in a chair becasue of work. I eat a meal replacement in the morning and for snack is carrots and pb or something like that and then lunch (I meal prep) maybe another small snack then dinner. I hope this helps

Jojomotivated

I agree. You may need to cut your calories by 100 or so. My calorie goal for 1 pound a week was 1700. After a while, I wasn't losing any weight. I've only started seeing results again after dropping to 1400.

kailyw05

I am pretty sedentary and I have lost 9 lbs in 7 weeks without much exercise at all. On days I don't do any exercise I eat between 1200-1300 calories, and I will just eat back whatever exercise I do manage to fit in which generally isn't much more than 300 calories per day. So at the most I eat 1600, maybe 1700 on more active days. There have been a few weekends over the last 7 weeks where I didn't track and went way over these numbers, but it hasn't seemed to hinder my weight loss much.

I agree with others - I think you're eating too much to lose. Also be wary of how many calories you're actually burning doing weight training. It's probably not as much as you think, even if you do sweat and your heart rate is up.

_lyndseybrooke_

Yeah, 1800 sounds a little on the high side considering your activity level is so low. I was losing about a half a pound a week on 1850 calories and I get at least six hours of exercise weekly (4 days lifting heavy, 1 day moderate to intense cardio, random HIIT sessions and walking throughout the week). 1700 calories per day for me would, in theory, lead to a 1 lb/week loss. I'm 25, 5'5", 123 lbs, for reference.

I'd re-calculate that calorie goal. Weight loss happens in the kitchen, so it's mostly about your diet rather than how much exercise you get. As long as you're using the correct activity level, the results will come from your calorie deficit.

leggup

How tall are you? When I started my weight loss, MFP told me to eat 1,700 calories a day, and that was sedentary, with 60 lbs to lose. Sounds like you need to drop your calories.

_rachel_k

I'm 5'6 and 190 lbs. One calculator says my BMR is 1646.

I am eating 1800 calories a day due to the hour of weights I am lifting 3 days a week, I need to feed my muscles in order to keep getting stronger no? My overall goal is fat loss on top of muscle gain.

How do I know how many calories I'm burning during my weights? Do I have to invest in an expensive heart rate monitor? I know I was thinking of getting a fitbit at one point.

I weigh and measure EVERYTHING I log with the exception of things like Quest Bars, I always give a piece away to my co-worker but still log it as a full bar. If it's 102g I don't log it as 100g. I pre measure/weigh all the food I take to work and eat. I don't keep extra food at work.

rabbitjb: I live in Saskatchewan, Canada, we are covered in snow and bloody cold a lot of the time so walking at lunch takes real motivation, I know I should probably pack walking clothes for work and just do it, even jog a little.

Without meal replacement shakes, I doubt I could eat less than 1700 calories a day without feeling starving. That's my problem, I try eat healthy but I'm always hungry. Most of the time I'm hungry for the things I can't/shouldn't have like pizza and chips.

erickirb

_rachel_k wrote: »

I'm 5'6 and 190 lbs. One calculator says my BMR is 1646.

I am eating 1800 calories a day due to the hour of weights I am lifting 3 days a week, I need to feed my muscles in order to keep getting stronger no? My overall goal is fat loss on top of muscle gain.

How do I know how many calories I'm burning during my weights? Do I have to invest in an expensive heart rate monitor? I know I was thinking of getting a fitbit at one point.

I weigh and measure EVERYTHING I log with the exception of things like Quest Bars, I always give a piece away to my co-worker but still log it as a full bar. If it's 102g I don't log it as 100g. I pre measure/weigh all the food I take to work and eat. I don't keep extra food at work.

rabbitjb: I live in Saskatchewan, Canada, we are covered in snow and bloody cold a lot of the time so walking at lunch takes real motivation, I know I should probably pack walking clothes for work and just do it, even jog a little.

Without meal replacement shakes, I doubt I could eat less than 1700 calories a day without feeling starving. That's my problem, I try eat healthy but I'm always hungry. Most of the time I'm hungry for the things I can't/shouldn't have like pizza and chips.

HRM's do not work and will over estimate cals burned for strength training, even circuits.

Given the info you provided, I would suggest you eat 1800 on workout days and 1500-1650 on non-workout days, or 1650-1700 everyday regardless if you workout or not.

StaciMarie1974

Weight training does not burn a significant amount of calories beyond normal activity. A sedentary lifestyle means you burn a total of about 1.15-1.2 x BMR per day. So 1900-1975 or so. And since BMR is an estimate, 1800 could be pretty close to 'maintenance' for you. Or if you have a very slight deficit, its just hard to see results when you're loosing very slowly.

Find ways to fit in more activity. Do you watch tv at home after work? Get up & jog in place while doing so. (Note - stretch your calves after!) With the use of a heart rate monitor I've found this to be about the equivalent calories burned - for me - of a brisk walk. So if outside weather is not friendly, this is something you can do pretty easily.

I'm not sure of what foods you eat. But an easy way to cut calories is to rearrange your portions. Increase lean meats and veggies, and decrease starchy sides. Will seem like the same amount of food but not be as calorie heavy.

_rachel_k

erickirb: I know HRM are no good for strength workouts because they would only calculate the "cardio" benefit, and using a HRM I would probably log the calories approx 50-100 less than it registers when doing cardio like my elliptical or walking/jogging. It's hard knowing what to do because I heard most exercise equipment was designed to calculate "average" people at 150 lbs.

StaciMarie: I do sit down on the couch shortly after I get home from work, I have considered moving my elliptical to the living room to watch tv while I workout but it would be the same as watching Netflix in my "workout room", I just don't have the energy for the intensity I should be doing. I would be more than OK "coasting" at a brisk pace for an hour or so, but I don't know if that would be a waste of my time or not.

A lot of my foods are calorie dense, I was and still am not much of a veggie eater, some veggies I can eat raw, some cooked, some must have butter or oil (broccoli) so they don't tickle my throat and make me choke.

Abby2205

So in conclusion, you don't want any suggestions that involve reducing your calorie intake or increasing your calorie burn. Those are the only tips or tricks to lose fat.

maxit

Abby2205 wrote: »

So in conclusion, you don't want any suggestions that involve reducing your calorie intake or increasing your calorie burn. Those are the only tips or tricks to lose fat.

That is unfair, I think. Rachel is pondering these suggestions, judging from her responses, and figuring out what will work for her. Rachel, it may be that adopting a bit from each side of the equation will work for you - cut calories from the "supply side" by just a bit (maybe 100?) on non-workout days, and increase activity during your non-strength training days by walking more - park in the farther corners of the parking lot when you go to the grocery or other places, use stairs rather than elevators or other lifts, for example. If you get (or own) a pedometer you can challenge yourself to move more by increments (i.e., if you are walking 2000 steps as a usual baseline on non-formal-workout days, add 500 or more a day and gradually build up to that 10K that seems to be the goal).

_rachel_k

Thanks maxit. I'm always hungry but spending all my free time working out isn't appealing so I'm looking for suggestions to help. I don't have a pedometer and my phone is just a crappy 5c. Walking extra during work isn't an option because then I'm less efficient

leggup

_rachel_k wrote: »

I'm 5'6 and 190 lbs. One calculator says my BMR is 1646.

I am eating 1800 calories a day due to the hour of weights I am lifting 3 days a week, I need to feed my muscles in order to keep getting stronger no? My overall goal is fat loss on top of muscle gain.

You're not going to gain muscle mass eating at a deficit (aside from small newbie gains). You're not going to make fat cuts while eating at maintenance/a surplus. You can't feed your muscles and starve your fat simultaneously.

This is why people typically do bulk/cut phases. When they're in a bulk, they're eating at a calorie surplus (with loads of protein) while lifting heavy. When they're in a cut, they're lifting some to maintain muscle mass, but cutting their calories to deficit levels. It is hard to cut while lifting because you are ravenous. I was lifting heavy (program similar to stronglifts) and I was failing to stay in a deficit because I was hungry all the time. I had to cut back on some of my lifting to get back into a deficit and cut fat.

At 5'6, 190 lbs, age 31, Office Worker Level activity, you would need to eat 1,350-1,550 calories a day to lose 1-2 lbs per week. That's net. On exercise days (3X per week) you can add back your exercise calories. I don't know if you're in the cardio range for lifting, but generally I give myself 25 calories for every 15 minutes of lifting heavy weights, low rep.

_rachel_k

Hmmm if that is my math it's only 116 calories per workout. Sure doesn't sound like much lol

So, I am doing this weights thing with my bf. some people here call it more cardio than weights (10 minutes on a bike, 5 minutes of clean and press, bench press, bent over rows (2.5 each), Arnold press, and (2.5 each), bicep curls, tricep extensions, weighted lunges, 10 minutes heavy bag) with 1 minute rest between all

Knowing this, so I eat at a deficit, eat at a surplus, stay where I am? I have no clue what to do

crumbtinies

If you want to lose fat, eat at a deficit and continue to lift (to try and preserve the muscle you already have); if you want to build muscle mass eat at a surplus. As a previous poster already said, it is really hard to gain muscle mass and lose fat at the same time, so you may have to choose which is more important to you at the moment and aim for that one only. If don't want anything to change, then keep doing what you are doing now.

_rachel_k

I do want fat loss, but I am concerned that being at a deficit will make my lifting more difficult (I am increasing my weight after 5 or so days of exercising)

AdelePardy

I only consume 800 a day because I have a desk job. If I go up to 1000, I start print weight back on. I hate my body. I do mild exercise. I also have arthritis and a bed back, so exercise is hard for me. I walk and swim, but it's really hard for me to lose it. It took me a year to lose 28kg, but that's limiting myself to 800 calories a day. I take many vitamins to keep myself healthy and I dint go hungry, I just eat lots of the right food. I dint just calorie count. I limit my carbs and fat to 30gr a day. I wish I didn't struggle so much.
Good luck, o hope that helps.

Christine_72

AdelePardy wrote: »

I only consume 800 a day because I have a desk job. If I go up to 1000, I start print weight back on. I hate my body. I do mild exercise. I also have arthritis and a bed back, so exercise is hard for me. I walk and swim, but it's really hard for me to lose it. It took me a year to lose 28kg, but that's limiting myself to 800 calories a day. I take many vitamins to keep myself healthy and I dint go hungry, I just eat lots of the right food. I dint just calorie count. I limit my carbs and fat to 30gr a day. I wish I didn't struggle so much.
Good luck, o hope that helps.

It took you a whole year to lose 28kg eating only 800 calories a day??

crumbtinies

I don't think you are wrong to worry that a high deficit can negatively impact your lifting progress, but it is possible to continue making strength gains while at a deficit, at least for a while. I think some of the other posters suggested a smaller deficit. That way you are still losing, even if it's slowly, but you still have fuel for lifting and coping with hunger. If you begin eating at a deficit and losing weight, and eventually reach a point where your lifting is negatively impacted, then you simply have to reassess your goals at that time.

_rachel_k

And a small deficit is fine most days (I think I mentioned that sometimes I'm 200 less and sometimes 1800 and sometimes 200 over) I guess I'll just try be more conscious and change my calories to 1700

Thanks everyone. Fingers crossed (at approx 1550 calories now, including my post workout shake)

_rachel_k

Also, my macros are set to 35% for carbs and protein and 30% fats, this is probably wrong isn't it

tomatoey

get more cardio in after work, when you get home. do a dvd, whatever. personally i would rather do that than eat less.

Christine_72

_rachel_k wrote: »

Also, my macros are set to 35% for carbs and protein and 30% fats, this is probably wrong isn't it

Wrong how?
Meeting my macros have been the bane if my existence lol

_rachel_k

Tomatoey: the only problem is after work I don't feel I have the energy to put I to an intense workout on my elliptical (or on DVD). If a brisk walk for an hour during a show is acceptable, I'd consider it

I don't know how wrong lol I hate macros. I did this fitness assessment at the gym and they gave me weird numbers that I just could not reach with the limited calories they gave me (1300 calories) so I just got all confused lol

I JUST WANT TO BE SKINNY WITH MUSCLE lol I wish I Dream Of Jeanie was real (sigh) lol