5 weeks later: .5 loss in waist and .5 lbs heavier?!

CeeBeeSlim

Hi All. Today my trainer took my measurements. Not the progress I hoped for. Hips the same. Waist .5 inch loss. After I hired her 5 weeks ago, she told me I was eating too little for my activity and needed to increase my daily calories. I actually was too nervous to, so I maybe went to 1300, not 1400, from 1200. My pants do feel looser, tho, and I can see and feel my pelvic bone and some visible bicep and triceps, so that's stopping me from giving this all up. However, given the weight and measurements, she said that it may be cortisol - I'm under eating, working out sometimes 2 - 3 hrs per day, 6 days a week.The 2-3 hrs is back to back classes I've grown to love to take. Maybe that's twice a week tho. My body, she says, may be holding on to pounds cuz it's not getting enough fuel. Sort of like a survival instinct. Isn't this another way of describing the debunked starvation mode?!?! Even if I wasn't getting enough fuel, wouldn't I still be losing more weight/and or be smaller? My out of gym hours are pretty stressful which is a reason why I like the gym, but she's saying the combined stress of working out plus home stress could explain my measurements. My body is not letting stuff go. I thought this was all CICO tho, so whether I'm stressed, not sleeping, or working out a lot - so what - wouldn't the scale and measurements show a bigger loss? Please help me understand this.

ManiacalLaugh

Adaptive Thermogenesis can sometimes be mistaken for Starvation Mode. It occurs when you eat at a high deficit. However, with AT, your metabolism jumps right up again.

I know 1,000 people are going to tell you to check your logging and tighten your accuracy in the event you're eating more than you believe you are... but can I wager something else? In my entire life, I never blamed any outside, non-food influence for weight gain or plateaus - except stress. In my most stressed of times, my body clung to weight like I would die if I lost an ounce. Could it have actually been some kind of emotional eating that I did and lost track of? Potentially, but given how careful I was, it seemed like it had more to do with my stress level than anything. The moment I started moving through the issue that was causing that problem, my weight began dropping again.

You are doing a lot of exercise. If this is a hardship for you, or is causing you to lose sleep or get extra stressed, I would suggest taking it a little easier on yourself. I'm not going to tell you that will make the scale go down, but it might help you take some stress off.

chandanista

Are you weighing at home too, or is this the first weigh in you've done in 5 weeks?

CeeBeeSlim

Interesting. I'm beyond stressed at home (eldercare) and don't sleep well. I have to put earphones in my iPad, find some mindless movie to fall asleep to, but then wake up around three times a night. My brain is full of post it notes re my parents meds, doc appts, what more I could be doing, what I should've done etc. I do weigh at home - daily - but that was freaking me out. I had lost two pounds pre trainer, but after I hired her and she suggested I eat more, I trusted that but kept seeing the scale go up and down - all over the place. I figured I get to the 5 week mark and see. I'm thinking to go back to 1200 calories. I'm willing to accept I'm not logging right but if anything I have little appetite given the stress.