Why is it so hard for me to loose wait but not --> them? Help pls!
Replies
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MamaBirdBoss wrote: »She's medically overweight. She doesn't need to stay the same weight. She needs to lose weight.
You're STILL 3" taller than the OP. That's like me telling a woman at 5'9" that she's too fat to recomp at 150lbs because I'm too fat at 140.
Please do not put words in my mouth. I have told the OP several times to set her goal to .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. she's overweight.0 -
MamaBirdBoss wrote: »
OP - it sounds like you have been crash dieting for a long time. I would suggest a diet break and eat at maintenance level for about two months, and then slowly cut back down to a deficit.
Also, if you have not been eating back exercise calories then you have been netting below 1200 calories for a long time, and you are probably suffering from adaptive thermogenesis....
Really? Hmm.. I always tried to stay away from "dieting" and just try and maintain healthy eating habits.
Adaptive Thermogenesis? going to have to look that up.
it is when you eat an insanely low number of calories over a prolonged time and your metabolism slows down to account for the lower calorie intake. Please note this is NOT starvation mode.
When this happens it can reset your maintenance and deficit intake to a lower number. when this happens it is recommended the one take a diet break and slowly increase calories to maintenance, and then stay there for x amount of time and then slowly cut back down.
How long and by how much? Does it depend on my height and weight?
most recommend about a month or two ....not really dependent on height/weight.
Most of the studies an adaptive thermogenesis are REALLY flawed even when the data is accurate.
Here's a favorite:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3173112
ZERO differences in BMR. Differences in metabolism from activity. Okay. Soooo...
Well, then we find out that people who are/were obese burn something like 200-400 calories less per day BECAUSE THEY MOVE LESS when their weights are reduced, while "naturally lean people" maintain the burn advantage even when they put on weight from a high-calorie diet, even when leading the same lifestyle on paper. Naturally lean people tend to be fidgeters, pacers, walkers, bouncers.
Completely makes up for the apparent differences.
Might be more real differences with true starvation, but according to her, she's been on a LCD, not a VLCD. So she hasn't been in the danger zone.
I can see the same things at play between my kids and the neighbors' overweight kids. My kids turn TV watching into a cardio session. Neighbors' kids spend most of a neighborhood pick-up basketball game walking or standingg. Feed them the same foods, and my kids will keep much lower body weights as maintenance even if they're put through the exact same daily routine. Even if they're made to run the same distance, the neighbors' kids shuffle and plod, and mine jump around like jackrabbits on uppers.
AT, if it exists at all (other than "some people move less when they don't have to, and starving people move a LOT less"), has a VERY mild effect and can't account for what she's describing. Not even close.
Sadly, I'm a shuffler. My FitBit tells me so. I have to exercise a ton just to break out of sedentary!
I based my recommendation that she has ben eating at 1200, or below, for six years...
I am assuming that she is using a food scale for all solids, logging everything, and using correct DB entries, which she is adamant that she is.
To be fair, the 1200 calorie floor is for an average sized woman. She is half an inch taller than the medical definition of a dwarf (no offense OP!). It is likely that her caloric needs are going to be drastically different than most women.0 -
OP has a Fitbit activity tracker, which calculates her TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), the number of calories necessary to maintain her current weight. She can safely eat 250 calories less than her Fitbit burn for every 25 lbs. she's overweight.0
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Tu parles l'anglais très bien! Je viens de passer une année en France enseignant l'anglais, et j'ai trouvé que le plûpart (au moins, où j'étais en France) était nulle en anglais. Je sais que je fais beaucoup de fautes en français, et je suis reconnaissante quand quelqu'un m'aide.
Bon courage!0 -
MamaBirdBoss wrote: »And if any musclehead guy comes in and tells you to "recomp," I will kick them in the shins for you. A lot of the guys have no frame of reference for the weights of smaller women.
so anyone recommending a recomp is a "musclehead"??
As OP is probably new to lifting, she would probably benefit from a heavy lifting program with some nice newbie gains and eating at, or below, maintenance.
I am not sure why you would knock that.
Anyone who would suggest a woman who is overweight according to BMI at her height shouldn't lose weight is generally a guy who loves lifting and thinks that everyone else should lift and GROSSLY overestimates what it does to smaller women.
I'm totally not against lifting. I love lifting when my joints can handle it. But if she chooses to lift, she needs to still eat a deficit at her current weight.
She's probably mis-logging, but her BMR is under 1200 calories. So if she's sedentary, her TDEE is likely to be 1400 calories or so. You can mis-log 200 cals VERY easily.0 -
editorgrrl wrote: »MamaBirdBoss wrote: »She's medically overweight. She doesn't need to stay the same weight. She needs to lose weight.
You're STILL 3" taller than the OP. That's like me telling a woman at 5'9" that she's too fat to recomp at 150lbs because I'm too fat at 140.
Please do not put words in my mouth. I have told the OP several times to set her goal to .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. she's overweight.
Recomp, period, means to eat maintenance and focus on changing muscle to fat. That's what *I* was talking about.
I'm all for doing lifting + deficit. That's fine. That's not what I was saying is unrealistic. Unrealistic is to just eat maintenance, pick up heavy stuff, and expect to get "toned" (yes, I know we hate that word here, but it does describe a look) at her height.
At mine? ABSOLUTELY.
The 10-cal-per-lb method means that you reach maintenance in 3 years after you start eating your goal weight, if you're that accurate at logging. (Or 250cal per 25lbs). Doing a minimum of 250cal does speed it up, but still.... There's no reason to have to wait 3 years to reach your goal weight, and people who are within a healthy weight range and don't have particularly low BF% can safely lose .5-2.5lb a week, depending on where they are within that range.0 -
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Ha, I love what you called the URL. But a seriously great read, and definitely on point for the OP.0 -
OP,
I suggest you read the following to put your struggle in context: http://www.burnthefatblog.com/1-reason-for-slow-female-fat-loss.php
Rule #1 for female fat loss: Set a goal that’s realistic relative to your gender, body size and weight.0 -
1st- .05-2lbs a week is normal and healthy progress. It's not sustainable to lose more. Most people that lose 10lbs a week are usually morbidly obese so their body is shocked by the workouts and healthy diet. Don't be surprised that you may plateau.
2nd- 1200 calories may not be enough after all those workouts. Your body can actually retain fat because it feels starved.
3rd- RELAX
4th- Muscle weighs more than fat, measure yourself at the same time of day (preferably in the am before you eat).
5th- bloating/water retention during your menstrual may cause weight gain.
6th- download pacer or get a pedometer of some sort to measure activity.
Stay healthy, focus more on non-scale victories.0 -
MamaBirdBoss wrote: »MamaBirdBoss wrote: »And if any musclehead guy comes in and tells you to "recomp," I will kick them in the shins for you. A lot of the guys have no frame of reference for the weights of smaller women.
so anyone recommending a recomp is a "musclehead"??
As OP is probably new to lifting, she would probably benefit from a heavy lifting program with some nice newbie gains and eating at, or below, maintenance.
I am not sure why you would knock that.
Anyone who would suggest a woman who is overweight according to BMI at her height shouldn't lose weight is generally a guy who loves lifting and thinks that everyone else should lift and GROSSLY overestimates what it does to smaller women.
I'm totally not against lifting. I love lifting when my joints can handle it. But if she chooses to lift, she needs to still eat a deficit at her current weight.
She's probably mis-logging, but her BMR is under 1200 calories. So if she's sedentary, her TDEE is likely to be 1400 calories or so. You can mis-log 200 cals VERY easily.
BMi is a garbage stat because it does not account for muscle mass.
My BMI is "overweight" but I run about 13-15% body fat ….
I fail to understand how a recomp may not help OP ..as she appears to be just crash dieting and spinning her wheels…
but since you have all the answers, I will bow out...0 -
MamaBirdBoss wrote: »And if any musclehead guy comes in and tells you to "recomp," I will kick them in the shins for you. A lot of the guys have no frame of reference for the weights of smaller women.
Wow.. that was a lot of information in your last few responses! I will have to read them over a few times to get it all lol
I do find I get all kinds of info that are all over the board. I hate when i'm told I don't eat enough if I don't always hit 1200. I eat a lot of nutritional foods and I'm never left hungry.
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dirtyflirty30 wrote: »When you measure yourself against someone else's yardstick, you're always going to come up short.
Yep.. but it's hard sometimes not to when you feel your yardstick is lamen lol
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NumbrsNerd wrote: »I just want to chime in and add, on the subject of weight loss not being linear: do you chart or graph your weight? I weigh daily, first thing in the AM and track/chart it in Excel. Some weeks, I show a gain of a lb or two, and then the next week (like last week), I show a loss of like 7 lbs. I compare a "weigh in day" weekly weight loss (this Monday's weight minus last Monday's weight) against a weekly average weight loss (the average of this week's daily weight minus the average of last week's daily weight). When I feel really down because it's a gain week, I run an average loss - mine is 2 lbs per week on the dot - on average. Charting is really insightful and helps you see trends like weight gain during PMS time or AF or other oddities - like I tend to lose in big drops and then dip slightly up following each big drop; then I kind of maintain until the next drop occurs. It's really cool to see a downward linear trend over time too.
Of course - this is all if you can weigh every day and track without freaking out!
my scale is linked to mfp. it updates it whenever I weight myself. very convenient. I'm slowly going down... some weeks not so much, but overall yes..
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I based my recommendation that she has ben eating at 1200, or below, for six years...
I am assuming that she is using a food scale for all solids, logging everything, and using correct DB entries, which she is adamant that she is.
Yep. I don't drink liquids other than my one coffee a day. ( other than water)
I will have a day or two a month I don't calculate my calories because I know they are higher. Had wine at a restaurant and I have no idea what my calorie intake was for that meal. Why bother when or get frustrated trying to figure it out when it happens so infrequently.
My meals are very rinse and repeat. I don't change it up that much and when I do I always calculate that meal out with food scales.
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MamaBirdBoss wrote: »And if any musclehead guy comes in and tells you to "recomp," I will kick them in the shins for you. A lot of the guys have no frame of reference for the weights of smaller women.
so anyone recommending a recomp is a "musclehead"??
As OP is probably new to lifting, she would probably benefit from a heavy lifting program with some nice newbie gains and eating at, or below, maintenance.
I am not sure why you would knock that.
I am going to try and take in more protein though and stop looking at my scale so much. I'm really pushing with weights.
I go to the gym and I do the supreme 90 .. I'm lifting and sweating during my lifting. I do 12 reps x 3. by the last 2 reps of each rep, I nearly don't make it with the weights I use.
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schandler1011 wrote: »I'm 4'11" so I feel your pain there! I was stuck for a long time. I was at 134 pounds and now I'm at 118. I'd like to see 110 again!! Add me, maybe we can help eachother stay accountable!
Added!! Congrats on 118!! woot!
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OP - it sounds like you have been crash dieting for a long time. I would suggest a diet break and eat at maintenance level for about two months, and then slowly cut back down to a deficit.
Also, if you have not been eating back exercise calories then you have been netting below 1200 calories for a long time, and you are probably suffering from adaptive thermogenesis....
Really? Hmm.. I always tried to stay away from "dieting" and just try and maintain healthy eating habits.
Adaptive Thermogenesis? going to have to look that up.
it is when you eat an insanely low number of calories over a prolonged time and your metabolism slows down to account for the lower calorie intake. Please note this is NOT starvation mode.
When this happens it can reset your maintenance and deficit intake to a lower number. when this happens it is recommended the one take a diet break and slowly increase calories to maintenance, and then stay there for x amount of time and then slowly cut back down.
How long and by how much? Does it depend on my height and weight?
most recommend about a month or two ....not really dependent on height/weight.
thank you!
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MamaBirdBoss wrote: »And if any musclehead guy comes in and tells you to "recomp," I will kick them in the shins for you. A lot of the guys have no frame of reference for the weights of smaller women.
so anyone recommending a recomp is a "musclehead"??
As OP is probably new to lifting, she would probably benefit from a heavy lifting program with some nice newbie gains and eating at, or below, maintenance.
I am not sure why you would knock that.
I am going to try and take in more protein though and stop looking at my scale so much. I'm really pushing with weights.
I go to the gym and I do the supreme 90 .. I'm lifting and sweating during my lifting. I do 12 reps x 3. by the last 2 reps of each rep, I nearly don't make it with the weights I use.
i would suggest looking into a good beginner lifting program like strong lifts, new rules of lifting for woman, or all pro beginner routine.0 -
To be fair, the 1200 calorie floor is for an average sized woman. She is half an inch taller than the medical definition of a dwarf (no offense OP!). It is likely that her caloric needs are going to be drastically different than most women.
Lol none taken. i've been teased about that all my life :P I don't need to eat 1200 a day. I make sure I do because I work out often and push myself. I know I can't build muscle if I don't eat my proteins lol.
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1st- .05-2lbs a week is normal and healthy progress. It's not sustainable to lose more. Most people that lose 10lbs a week are usually morbidly obese so their body is shocked by the workouts and healthy diet. Don't be surprised that you may plateau.
2nd- 1200 calories may not be enough after all those workouts. Your body can actually retain fat because it feels starved.
3rd- RELAX
4th- Muscle weighs more than fat, measure yourself at the same time of day (preferably in the am before you eat).
5th- bloating/water retention during your menstrual may cause weight gain.
6th- download pacer or get a pedometer of some sort to measure activity.
Stay healthy, focus more on non-scale victories.
1- Trying to keep that in mind. I find it hard when I don't see 2 lbs every week. I'm way too hard on myself and I need to .. relax. boo.
2- i'm really short.. I don't need to eat as much as the average size person do. think.. 11 year old lol
3- trying! lol
4- I can't measure, i'ved tried.. rubbish at it.. but I do weigh myself same time each day after I bowel movement lol *ahem*
5- Yep, I try and keep that into account also. I don't weigh during AF
6- I have a fitbit I wear it religiously.
trying to keep my head on straight.. some days, you tend to freak out a bit.. having one of those days.
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BMi is a garbage stat because it does not account for muscle mass.
My BMI is "overweight" but I run about 13-15% body fat ….
I fail to understand how a recomp may not help OP ..as she appears to be just crash dieting and spinning her wheels…
but since you have all the answers, I will bow out...
I hadn't thought about my BMI being "off" in regards to muscle and fat.. I guess I always figure it wouldn't really matter till I get to 110-115 muscle or 105 lean
i'm not crash dieting .. and honestly.. I didnt' ask you to bow out!!!! I think until OP does, she's listening!!! lol!
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i would suggest looking into a good beginner lifting program like strong lifts, new rules of lifting for woman, or all pro beginner routine.
Thank you! will do that! the only advice i've really gotten in regards to it are:
1. listen to your body
2. if your last few reps are killing you, you are going to light.
3. failure is good! push past it
4. eat lots of protein
5. drink lots of water and stay hydrated.
6. do cardio for minimun 5 mins prior to lifting.
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Tu parles l'anglais très bien! Je viens de passer une année en France enseignant l'anglais, et j'ai trouvé que le plûpart (au moins, où j'étais en France) était nulle en anglais. Je sais que je fais beaucoup de fautes en français, et je suis reconnaissante quand quelqu'un m'aide.
Bon courage!
Thank you! English is easier to learn than French! Especially as a second language.
I guess my problem was just that I wasn't looking for an English lesson, I get a lot of those when I'm doing English lessons. I was looking for fitness help.
No one would have stopped me in mid sentence if I was talking to them to correct my English, it would be rude! I guess I see it like that. Unless someone asks me to tell them if they say something incorrectly in French would I stop them when they are trying to talk to me about any subject to correct their French
But anyways, I digress.
Hope you had a great time in France and thank you!
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I think I got to everyone if not.. I'm sorry..
I hope you guys all know I'm VERY appreciative that you guys have taken the time to try and help me out!!0 -
I'm in a bunch of motivational weight loss groups on here and on FB.
I find them great because they make me accountable. Love that!
My only quam is that I find I work so HARD at loosing weight, loose very little to nothing some weeks ( even gain?! ), but yet I see these other ladies who do way less, cheat way more loosing 10 lbs per week! I'm supper happy for them!! I am, but I'm super upset for myself at the same time. Yes it gets a fire going and I work even harder to still hardly loose and they are still dropping!
I eat 1200 cals a day. I'm a religious cal counter. I'm really good at it now. I weight everything right down to almond snacks!
I work out 4 days a week at the gym ( something always comes up that I can't do 5) during my lunch hour at work. this consists of 20 mins of cardio ( sweating really bad and my face chest turns red, I work it!) and then 20 mins of weights. I don't just do light! I have doubled almost all my weights in the last month. I don't waste my time there.
I do 4 days of supreme 90 workouts ( a lot like P90 workouts). this is often on top of my gym days at around 6:00pm.
I walk 15 mins during my two work breaks.
4 days a week I walk 30-45 mins with my teen daughter at around 7:30pm.
I never go under 10K steps a day. I have a desk job that keeps me seated a lot.. boo.
I have one cheat a week. which often falls into my calorie intake for that day anyways. I MIGHT go over my calories for the day maybe once ever 2 weeks.
Yet, I'm lucky if I loose 2 lbs a week! Some weeks I've GAINED a lbs! It's so frustrating!
Do you guys see anywhere I could tweak? add? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Lots of love!
AWW! *hugs*
I feel you girl.
When I first started I was exactly like that. A girlfriend of mine was at a clothing store and I saw her slip into a nice size 10 jacket, while I could only fit in a size 14. It was so demoralising. I kept looking at her size 10 jacket and felt so bad for myself at how she could literally lose weight so quickly and everything etc etc.
But then I realised that all of us are different, y'know? We all go through different phases in our lives and that includes our body and its workings. Things as random as stress and not enough sleep which may sometimes be out of our control (we can't exercise or count cal on stress/sleep! ) can cause us to gain MORE fat. There's also genetics and metabolism.
Its an overall, holistic thing which we can TRY to control and guide but not in a mechanical way! So some people may just be losing MORE weight because of the above factors. Plus you have no idea what they are doing OUTSIDE of their company with you - maybe they are low/no-carb? Maybe they exercise or move around alot more? Maybe...you get my point?
Your journey sounds alot like mine, but your weight loss seems quite stable! Keep plugging away at it. Don't compare your journey to others because everyone's life and circumstances are different. What matters is you doing it FOR YOURSELF at a pace which you know you can sustain in a healthy way.
Don't end up obsessing over these things and ending up with an unhealthy relationship with weight loss and food. Its not a race, competition or a test. Its a lifestyle you will have plenty of time to tweak so long as you keep a positive mindset and keep it sustainable.
My best advice to you is that fitness and health is not only the calories you burn or the number on the scale, but a right and healthy balance of a combination of mind, body, spirit which will take you far far longer and keep the weight off without you depriving yourself or harming yourself.
Good luck!
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so much truth in one little article!
it is unfair, but what in life isn't lol. deal and move on .. right? I have great help on here and this is a lifelong goal.. I have to keep remembering that.
ty so much for that article. I have it bookmarked now. was a very good read. will have to go back to it whenever I'm feeling upset lol
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AWW! *hugs*
I feel you girl.
When I first started I was exactly like that. A girlfriend of mine was at a clothing store and I saw her slip into a nice size 10 jacket, while I could only fit in a size 14. It was so demoralising. I kept looking at her size 10 jacket and felt so bad for myself at how she could literally lose weight so quickly and everything etc etc.
But then I realised that all of us are different, y'know? We all go through different phases in our lives and that includes our body and its workings. Things as random as stress and not enough sleep which may sometimes be out of our control (we can't exercise or count cal on stress/sleep! ) can cause us to gain MORE fat. There's also genetics and metabolism.
Its an overall, holistic thing which we can TRY to control and guide but not in a mechanical way! So some people may just be losing MORE weight because of the above factors. Plus you have no idea what they are doing OUTSIDE of their company with you - maybe they are low/no-carb? Maybe they exercise or move around alot more? Maybe...you get my point?
Your journey sounds alot like mine, but your weight loss seems quite stable! Keep plugging away at it. Don't compare your journey to others because everyone's life and circumstances are different. What matters is you doing it FOR YOURSELF at a pace which you know you can sustain in a healthy way.
Don't end up obsessing over these things and ending up with an unhealthy relationship with weight loss and food. Its not a race, competition or a test. Its a lifestyle you will have plenty of time to tweak so long as you keep a positive mindset and keep it sustainable.
My best advice to you is that fitness and health is not only the calories you burn or the number on the scale, but a right and healthy balance of a combination of mind, body, spirit which will take you far far longer and keep the weight off without you depriving yourself or harming yourself.
Good luck!
Thank you!
I'm sorry to hear you have had that moment of dread when you see others slipping into clothes you wish you could
I hear you!
it can be so hard when the process takes so long! I'm trying to just enjoy. I only do workouts I love doing. I hated running, so I cut that out lol. wasn't my thing.. refuse to eat or do workouts I don't like doing or else I'm just going to fail.
usually I don't obsess.. some days, it over takes me a little though... oops.
and you are so right.. it's not just about calories and the scale.. *hugs* thank you!! and good luck to you also!!
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MamaBirdBoss wrote: »MamaBirdBoss wrote: »And if any musclehead guy comes in and tells you to "recomp," I will kick them in the shins for you. A lot of the guys have no frame of reference for the weights of smaller women.
so anyone recommending a recomp is a "musclehead"??
As OP is probably new to lifting, she would probably benefit from a heavy lifting program with some nice newbie gains and eating at, or below, maintenance.
I am not sure why you would knock that.
Anyone who would suggest a woman who is overweight according to BMI at her height shouldn't lose weight is generally a guy who loves lifting and thinks that everyone else should lift and GROSSLY overestimates what it does to smaller women.
I'm totally not against lifting. I love lifting when my joints can handle it. But if she chooses to lift, she needs to still eat a deficit at her current weight.
She's probably mis-logging, but her BMR is under 1200 calories. So if she's sedentary, her TDEE is likely to be 1400 calories or so. You can mis-log 200 cals VERY easily.
BMi is a garbage stat because it does not account for muscle mass.
My BMI is "overweight" but I run about 13-15% body fat ….
I fail to understand how a recomp may not help OP ..as she appears to be just crash dieting and spinning her wheels…
but since you have all the answers, I will bow out...
I'm guessing that as a young man who lifts weight, you are a bit more muscular than the average female aspires to, though. And 1200 calories doesn't seem like a crash diet for someone who is under 5' tall.
It's true BMI doesn't apply to very muscular people, but why do you assume every female wants to be that big? Some do, but they probably would mention it in their question.
125 is the competition weight of Tina Chandler, who is 5'3" tall and a professional bodybuilder. In fact, here is a list that shows what some top female body builders weigh; most have a lower BMI than OP at competition weight, which is their weight in the accompanying pictures. (Tina is #9, BTW)
http://www.totalprosports.com/2011/08/09/11-incredibly-muscular-female-competitive-bodybuilders/
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