Trying not to be discouraged but this doesn't make sense...

mizwatts

I have been strength/cardio training about 4-5 times a week for the last 2 months,and working with a personal trainer on my nutrition.We have tried restricted calories,high protein low carb,and I am gaining body fat and losing muscle mass.She now has upped my calorie intake again and is concerned that I am burning muscle because I have been very active and careful with my nutrition,and am gaining weight.She is concerned there might be an outside factor. It has never been so difficult for me to lose weight before, especially knowing how good I am actually being on my meal plan. What gives? Ideas?

Need2Exerc1se

Maybe there are outside factors. When was your last medical checkup?

healthygreek

Are you weighing all your solid foods on a digital scale and measuring all your caloric liquid in measuring cups and spoons?
What is your weight, height and calories goal?

elphie754

If you are not losing, upping your calories is not the answer.

StaciMarie1974

Sounds like you've tried several programs in the span of 2 months - or several things for 2 months each?

How many calories per day are you eating? Do you track everything, everyday? Or log some days and not others? Do you use a food scale for ALL solids? What was your weight 2 months ago, what is it now?

LKArgh

Fire the trainer, what you are being told makes zero sense, so probably the plan makes no sense from the beginning. How many calories ar you eating, and how are calculations done?

Asher_Ethan

Do not be upping your calories. That will not help. Are you using a scale? Do you eat back your exercise calories? How many calories a day are you eating?

stealthq

Most common external factors:

inaccurate logging of calorie intake
inaccurate logging of exercise burns
inaccurate calculation of calorie requirements

Any of the above can happen even if you are very diligent and honest if you don't have the right source information.

Liftng4Lis

Look to your logging and into a new trainer.

Francl27

Your trainer sounds like an idiot. How does he know you're losing muscle and gaining fat? Because unless you're paying $50 to use BodPod or something similar, it's probably not true and they are not using accurate body fat percentage readings. Also personal trainers are usually clueless about nutrition.

Anyway... You have to tell us more. What exercise do you do? What are your stats? How much are you eating? Are you weighing your food?

mlgale59

I have been dieting off and on all of my life (45+ years) and have just recently discovered that the body has a protection mechanism that after a period of dieting at say 1500 calories it now thinks that is all it is getting and will store X amount of that as fat... everything within the body slows and even if you cut to 1200 calories there will not be a weight loss...
I had to go to a specialist and am into the 3rd month of rethinking how I eat... mizwatts Do your own research on the matter... John Assaraf has some great information out there..

Ninkyou

IMO, your personal trainer should be for fitness goals only. Don't listen to them for nutritional advice unless they are also a registered dietician.

How's your logging? Are you weighing your food?

If you're not losing weight (outside of medical issues), you are eating too many calories. To make sure you're not eating too many calories, log your food, as accurately as possible (weigh it on a food scale).

SueInAz

mlgale59 wrote: »

I have been dieting off and on all of my life (45+ years) and have just recently discovered that the body has a protection mechanism that after a period of dieting at say 1500 calories it now thinks that is all it is getting and will store X amount of that as fat... everything within the body slows and even if you cut to 1200 calories there will not be a weight loss...
I had to go to a specialist and am into the 3rd month of rethinking how I eat... mizwatts Do your own research on the matter... John Assaraf has some great information out there..

Sorry, not true. What you're describing is what people around here refer to as "starvation mode". It's a myth. It just plain doesn't work that way. There is no magical state where your body suddenly stops burning as many calories for fuel and instead stores it as fat. If it really did work that way, no one would ever die of starvation.

Kexessa

mlgale59 wrote: »

I have been dieting off and on all of my life (45+ years) and have just recently discovered that the body has a protection mechanism that after a period of dieting at say 1500 calories it now thinks that is all it is getting and will store X amount of that as fat... everything within the body slows and even if you cut to 1200 calories there will not be a weight loss...
I had to go to a specialist and am into the 3rd month of rethinking how I eat... mizwatts Do your own research on the matter... John Assaraf has some great information out there..

No. I'm sorry. This isn't true.

And to the OP. If you are careful in what you're eating and working out religiously and gaining weight, could it be muscle weight you're gaining? Last time I hit weights hard core I gained 15+lbs but went down sizes in my shorts.

DebJ618

First... sometimes a month isn't long enough.
Second... make sure that your calorie and macro-nutrient measurements are matching up. Double check logs/items/etc.
Third.... find a new trainer and get a fresh start/look
Fourth- See a Doctor!!!

In regards to number 4
Consider... pregnancy, insulin resistance, diabetes, thyroid, anemia(s), allergies, cortisol problems, other adrenal issues, and a whole host of other hormonal events that can come up.
The adage of speaking with a doctor before doing a diet has a lot of merit.... it is good to know where your numbers are, if anything is out of whack, if there are challenges, etc.
Yes over time you can educate yourself, do research, and learn through your own testing what will or will not work better thus decrease need to have the doctor review/approve. I do this mostly as I don't have insurance but I also see my specialists, ie hematologist, at least once a year to still do blood work and make sure everything is ok.

dfacc557

try interval training, that is what I have found works best

momoharuno

SueInAz wrote: »

mlgale59 wrote: »

I have been dieting off and on all of my life (45+ years) and have just recently discovered that the body has a protection mechanism that after a period of dieting at say 1500 calories it now thinks that is all it is getting and will store X amount of that as fat... everything within the body slows and even if you cut to 1200 calories there will not be a weight loss...
I had to go to a specialist and am into the 3rd month of rethinking how I eat... mizwatts Do your own research on the matter... John Assaraf has some great information out there..

Sorry, not true. What you're describing is what people around here refer to as "starvation mode". It's a myth. It just plain doesn't work that way. There is no magical state where your body suddenly stops burning as many calories for fuel and instead stores it as fat. If it really did work that way, no one would ever die of starvation.

^^ 100%
there is either a medical issue or inaccurate logging/burning, either way it needs to be addressed before you'll start losing again. Also I would be very suspect of your trainer. Here are some great articles, they're very funny and informative. Good luck!
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/
http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

MissJay75

mlgale59 wrote: »

I have been dieting off and on all of my life (45+ years) and have just recently discovered that the body has a protection mechanism that after a period of dieting at say 1500 calories it now thinks that is all it is getting and will store X amount of that as fat... everything within the body slows and even if you cut to 1200 calories there will not be a weight loss...
I had to go to a specialist and am into the 3rd month of rethinking how I eat... mizwatts Do your own research on the matter... John Assaraf has some great information out there..

There are thousands of people on this website that have eaten at 1500 or less calories for over a year and not had this problem.

And everything I found about John Assaraf has to do with 'brain training' to make more money. He's not a scientist.

LoveIshie

@mizwatts, I believe it's time to fire your trainer. Based on your info, In my opinion, it looks like she's not well vast in nutrition. First, you maybe putting your body through a starvation mode. In order words your body goes into a survival mode in which it goes after any food source such as fat to survive. This usually happens when an individual wait till they are starving to eat. When this happens, he/she ends up eating more food than their body needs. The body takes what's it wants and coverts the rest to fat. So this becomes a cycle and counter productive. It doesn't matter if your food is healthy or not. Eat when you are hungry, but stick to your recommended caloric intake. Another factor is stress. If you are working out 4-5 times a week hard, not eating enough, and not making time to rest, and you drink a lot of coffee, will do it. This triggers certain hormone in your body.

ninerbuff

Weight gain happens only a few ways:

Inaccuracy of calorie count leading to a surplus
Inaccuracy of calorie burn and may lead to a surplus
A health issue (hormonal usually)

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

mizwatts

Thanks all, sorry first time posting, I suppose I should have provided more info. I hired my trainer to help me meet a goal (bridesmaid, this weekend). I obviously didn't reach my goal but I am not going to fire my trainer nor blame her, she is qualified and working hard to help me find a plan that works. The first month I was on about 1700 cal/day. I was 176 and just wanted to see how much progress I could make before the wedding. A month later, my weight went up to 177, BMI numbers didn't change enough to mention, although a couple measurements such as waist went down a bit. After the first month I told her I'd like to do something more extreme just up until the wedding and so she put me on a high protein, low carb 1400/day plan. She called it wreckless, it was supposed to have been just for the 4 weeks so I could see some results. My results were a slight drop in lean muscle and a slight increase in body fat. Are those machines accurate? I have not lost weight or inches since then. I am watching my heart rate during cardio and feel myself getting stronger during her strength training. I guess the main reason I am perplexed is because now that I am focusing on macros and nutrition, I can't lose weight. I've lost 25-30 lbs before on weight watchers without as much diligence and without hardly thinking about macros as the points are calculated for you. I'd like to hear Tom anyone who has been in the situation and what the outcome was. Or anyone who has had more success with focus on calories only vs. nutrition and why this may matter. Thanks.

mizwatts

Also my exercise calories are off, I do not eat them back. I do not weigh my food, but I do use measuring cups.

stormyview

How do you know how many calories you were eating? Do you weigh your foods? A lot of people come on MFP whining that they've done everything right, but pretty much always they're being really inaccurate in their logging. Read the "getting started on your path to sexypants" thread, figure out a reasonable calorie goal, start weighing your food, and then see what happens in a couple of weeks of that.

And, no, those electro-impedance machines at the gym are hugely inaccurate. I wouldn't assume you've gained fat based on one of those.

stormyview

mizwatts wrote: »

Also my exercise calories are off, I do not eat them back. I do not weigh my food, but I do use measuring cups.

Measuring cups are really not accurate. How tightly is something packed in the cup? Is your cup even really a cup? I've got two sets of measuring cups, and they don't hold the same amount. Food scales are cheap. Get a digital one and start weighing your food. It's really the only way to be accurate.

There are lots of videos on this (and I'm sure someone will post a link), but if I look at the serving on a package of cereal, for example, it might say 1/2 cup (30 grams) is 80 calories. However, when I weigh that very same cereal, I find that 30 grams of it is only about 1/3 of a cup. If I didn't weigh, I'd think I could have a full cup for just 160 calories, when in reality, that cup is about 240 calories--and that's only if I level it off. If I were leaving it heaping at all, it could be 260 or more. If I were using the "cup" from my larger set of measuring cups, I'd be even farther off--maybe even at 300 calories, while thinking my cup is just 160. When you're using measuring cups, you've got that kind of inaccuracy going on all day long, and it can easily add up to several hundred calories.

You only need a deficit of 500 calories a day to lose a pound per week. Without accurate logging, it's way to easy to obliterate that deficit and not realize it.

Ready2Rock206

mizwatts wrote: »

Also my exercise calories are off, I do not eat them back. I do not weigh my food, but I do use measuring cups.

Your inaccurate logging is likely causing you to eat a lot more than you think you are. Instead of upping your calories and jumping from plan to plan buy a food scale and work on getting your logging accurate. I bet you'll be seeing results soon.

Sued0nim

Measuring cups = you're eating too much...use a digital scale


You may not wish to fire your trainer but you should stop listening to her dietary advice and BF measurements because she clearly doesn't know what she's talking about




And http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

And http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

healthygreek

You will see great results when you put your info into mfp and WEIGH your food and log everything!!!!
CICO-that's what works!!!

Karen_can_do_this

mizwatts wrote: »

Also my exercise calories are off, I do not eat them back. I do not weigh my food, but I do use measuring cups.

Buy yourself a set of kitchen scales. I was using measuring cups and eating at 1200 calories. Not losing weight.
I bought a $5 set of kitchen scales (pretty purple digital ones)
I started weighing my foods and low and behold I started losing weight! Since strength training I've upped my calories to 1500 and I'm still losing.

atypicalsmith

Drink more water to offset your hunger. It's amazing how well that works.

mizwatts

Thanks to everyone for their input. I have been asking more questions and doing more research, seems like for every 'myth' out there, there is also an article to claim its truth, and vice versa. I'm overwhelmed. But one thing is clear, the majority of you say I should try using a scale rather than measuring cups. Getting one tomorrow! Also going to the doctor just to rule anything out, then at least I can't blame it on hormonal imbalances or what have you. In the past I've had success with CICO so maybe I should pump the brakes on trying all these new plans with my macros for a while and see that happens. Thanks again all for your stories, links, info.

Karen_can_do_this

Yaaayyyyyy!!!! You won't regret it!! Good luck with your gp too