Really need some insight about maintenence. :(

tmarple93

So for the past 7 months Ive been maintaining my new weight range of about 127-130 pounds. I'm 5'8 and female and have a pretty small frame. The problem is I still have a ton of fat on my body. I've got a lot of fat on my belly and legs and I'm just not happy with where I'm at. I guess I'm skinny fat now. I don't really want to lose more weight becuase I don't want to be underweight but at the same time I'm lost with what to do. I started strength training and have been doing a lot of research on body recomposition but I don't know how to eat for it calorie wise (I already eat a lot of nutrient dense foods and make sure to get my protein in)

I have no idea what my maintenence is and I'm terrified to gain fat back. It took me 6 months just to lose 30 pounds and I don't want to have to do it again. I lost that weight eating about 1400 hundred calories a day and I weigh and log all my food as accurately as possible. I've tried upping my calories to find my maintenence but the scale just jumps way up. I know the initial jump is water but I've been eating consistently more (around 1600 calories} through December to February and I'm sitting at 133-135 now and I know it's not muscle becuase i still look chubby as ever and my clothes are fitting tighter. I'm just at a dead end. I got really discouraged and tried lowering my calories back down for a little bit and saw no change. Not even a pound lost. I've been sitting at 133-135 for the past two months and no matter how I eat it's not budging. I know it's only three pounds but it scares me that it's just gonna go up from there. I want to lose my belly so bad I feel like it's never gonna happen for me.

Just to point out also, I know I'm NOT fat. I'm not saying that in the slightest. What I am frustrated about is I'm skinny fat now. I'm small but have a really pudgy belly with love handles and really fatty upper thighs. Pretty much the exact same shape I was before I lost 30 pounds just smaller if that makes sense. And everytime I up my calories to "maintenence" it just seems like Im gaining back weight.

2_FitNFab

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/weight-loss-calculator
Maybe this website will help you.

runningforthetrain

bump

cathipa

Have you tried 1500 cal a day (if you lost at 1400, but are starting to gain at 1600)? Sounds like you need to start lifting weights as well so your composition improves. The Scooby calculator is a good place to start. Always been my go to.

adoleyat

Hey, you're doing great! Keep up the good work. My suggestion as a fellow novice is to keep working on the strength training. That's what has made the biggest difference for me so far in targeting the specific body areas you mention. What type of workouts are you doing? I work out twice per week with a trainer and we focus on body weight and lifting exercises including squats, step-ups, and lunges. Also, how many grams of protein, fat and carbs are you eating every day? You may need to adjust your macronutrients to reboot your metabolism towards burning fat instead of counting calories. Good luck!

thabersham1

You have had amazing progress!! I have lost over 100 pounds myself. The hardest thing is making your mind accept the strides you've already made. I struggle with this myself. I have stubborn loose skin that won't go away (seems like anyway), and I catch myself looking at myself, disgusted, because I don't look like I want to look. It's during these times that you have to dig deep! You got this, we've ALL got this. Be encouraged!

tmarple93

@ad

adoleyat wrote: »

Hey, you're doing great! Keep up the good work. My suggestion as a fellow novice is to keep working on the strength training. That's what has made the biggest difference for me so far in targeting the specific body areas you mention. What type of workouts are you doing? I work out twice per week with a trainer and we focus on body weight and lifting exercises including squats, step-ups, and lunges. Also, how many grams of protein, fat and carbs are you eating every day? You may need to adjust your macronutrients to reboot your metabolism towards burning fat instead of counting calories. Good luck!

I've started a weight lifting program that has me doing a 4 day split of arms/chest, legs, back/shoulders, booty and then a day of abs and hiit cardio. I also wear a fitbit and usually get known 10,000-11,000 steps a day. I aim for about 130 grams of protein a day and around 30 grams of fat and fill the rest with carbs. I guess I'm just going to have to give it time. How long does it take to notice a difference? I just get freaked out when I see the scale jump up. I've just been feeling extra pudgy lately lol

cathipa

Increase your fat to at least 50g to support hormone balance. Protein seems adequate.

tmarple93

Also everytime I use a maintenance calculator it always tells me my maintenence is like 1900 to 2100 calories. And I know if I actually ate that much I'd gain for sure which also has me confused.

cathipa

The calculators are only as good as the data you give them. Maybe you are setting your activity too high?

ETA: Strength training isn't like cardio. You don't burn as much per hour. When I add your stats I get 1500 cal/day maintenance for no activity. Are you weighing everything you eat and logging everything you consume? I only ask because I'm older, weigh more and am shorter and I'm cutting on 1650 cal/day. I lift 4 days a week for 45-60 min and cardio 3 days a week for 30-60 min each day.

adoleyat

@tmarple93 I understand that feeling where you're like "uh, why is the scale jumping up!" I'm also figuring out how to maintain weight loss right now. I find that my weight loss has been most effective when I focus on strength training every part of my body during my workout instead of having separate leg/arm/etc days. I also do interval training instead of doing 30 min cardio sessions as many people do.

We aren't exactly the same but I actually eat 130 g protein, 45 g fat, and 165 g carbs every day. I am pretty strict within a tolerance of +/- 2 g fat and +/- 5 g protein and carbs. So I'm not sure how many carbs you are getting but it's really worth it to make sure that those are both in a reasonable range and that you're actually getting enough fat.

I started to notice a significant difference after about two months of following this plan daily! You've got this girl!

Lynzdee18

I was in the same boat last fall. I was Skinnyfat. Gaunt in the face and chest. Flappy arms and jiggly legs. I am a lot older so the the skin is not so quick to snap back to smooth.

I'd lost most weight by walking and had kicked it up to walk-run a bit. To firm up I started running short and then longer distances in October. And I still did elliptical at the gym four days a week, but added light weights, more reps. And vertical leg lifts for core.

Now I can run 5k in about 36 min. That is a huge deal for me. My arms, back, chest are becoming defined. My legs and butt have muscles, and the jiggles are disappearing. My belly is flat. Hallelujah!

I eat more because I'm hungry, and because of the muscle tone I weigh about 8 pounds more than last fall. But my clothes fit practically the same, although I now have a waist and my hips aren't so straight.

Albert think about low weights, more reps and core work for your tummy. I think you're young so you'll form up quicker than I did!

Good luck!

topthe50

TIME! TIME! TIME! You sound like you've done an amazing job already! But "life" is a rigged game we play until we eventually lose lol. And we always lose in the end so just make the time you have count!

No matter how hard you push in the gym or strict your diet is, those things need time to catch up and make a difference. It may seem like it takes forever and that's because it does. I don't know how patient you are but if you have done as well as you have posted then just keep going! Measure your changes maybe by every 3 months..

My last trouble spot I wanted gone was the skin around my lower abdomen. My training is second to none I believe, and my food is as spot on as I can make it. Of course I'm always learning new things and trying those out. You never stop learning lol. But it took another 6 months to rid the stubborn areas in a satisfactory way that didn't harm myself or backfire on me..

Long story long lol, KEEP GOING! Don't stop doing what you're doing!

Best of Luck to everyone, everyday!

jpuntney

You want to really focus on exercise right now. You want to have a mix of strength and cardio. Just counting calories by itself will help you lose weight, but it won't re-shape your body. You need to be doing some type of exercise 4 days per week. Be prepared though, as you increase your strength training, your muscle mass will go up and muscle weighs more than fat. However, while your weight will go up a little with strength training, your actual size will go down. Once you begin weight training, I recommend you depend less on the scale and more on the tape measure.

cathipa

jpuntney wrote: »

You want to really focus on exercise right now. You want to have a mix of strength and cardio. Just counting calories by itself will help you lose weight, but it won't re-shape your body. You need to be doing some type of exercise 4 days per week. Be prepared though, as you increase your strength training, your muscle mass will go up and muscle weighs more than fat. However, while your weight will go up a little with strength training, your actual size will go down. Once you begin weight training, I recommend you depend less on the scale and more on the tape measure.

This is a common misconception. A pound of feathers, a pound of fat, a pound of muscle all weigh the same. Volume is less for muscle so it doesn't take up as much space as fat does. Agree with taking measurements and pics.

tmarple93

Thanks everybody for the advice I'm just gonna have to keep on going and maybe I'll just ditch the scale for while and just go off my measurements. @cathipa Im a barita/waitress at a really busy cafe so I'm on my feet all day running around and cleaning then I go to the gym afterwords. So I set my active to moderately active. But I honestly think I just have a slow metabolism at the moment lol. I don't know.

AliceDark

How long have you been doing the strength training? Also, what program are you doing? Do you enjoy it? Depending on how long you've been running it and how it's structured, you may need to wait out the initial water retention from starting the program and wait to see more concrete results, or you might benefit from switching to a different type of program, but I'm not sure if either of those two things is the case based on the information you've provided.

cmriverside

tmarple93 wrote: »

Thanks everybody for the advice I'm just gonna have to keep on going and maybe I'll just ditch the scale for while and just go off my measurements. @cathipa Im a barita/waitress at a really busy cafe so I'm on my feet all day running around and cleaning then I go to the gym afterwords. So I set my active to moderately active. But I honestly think I just have a slow metabolism at the moment lol. I don't know.

First, you are super slim already. Like everyone says, resistance (weight) training is key.

But about your calories. I find it nearly impossible to believe you gain weight on "around" 1600. I'm really surprised that a 23 year old set at Moderately Active would be given 1600 calories for maintenance. I'm shorter, older by four decades, I don't work, and get very little exercise and I maintain on 1700-1800. So first of all, tighten up your logging. "Around" isn't good enough to work with. You don't say you are weighing and logging accurately and your diary is locked. You're eating more than you think OR you need to see a doctor for endocrine issues.

macchiatto

I can relate to a lot of your posts including stats (a bit over 5'7" and trying to maintain 128-133 lbs) although I'm 40 and have a much less active job. I lost weight at 1350 but have struggled with maintenance, too, because it seems like weight jumps up even with modest calorie increases.

I do agree with @cmriverside that it really doesn't seem like you should be gaining at 1600 given your active job, stats, etc. If you're weighing and logging accurately, I agree i might want to see a dr. One other thought: Do you by any chance have PCOS? It's pretty common (about 1 in 10 women) and for many women, it causes a significantly reduced metabolism. I seem to be one of those "lucky" women so I thought I'd throw it out there.

macchiatto

And I've also found calorie calculators to be all over the place for me as well. I realize they just give you a starting point and then you have to look at your own data.

sarahills

Cardiovascular exercise helped me melt the fat and strength training helped tone it up. Only 30 mins of one or the other each day so no real hardship to fit in in. It's part of my daily routine like cleaning my teeth. I do it early in the morning as I know after a day at work I'd drive past that gym or ignore my exercise bike. It has become a firm habit now. Good luck. You've done well to lose your weight, don't lose sight of that fact.

amaanbakali14

How about you try Crossfit ! And see the changes yourself

elisa123gal

In all my reading for years on here..
1. people gain five pounds when they start maintenance.. something about Glycogen stores.. blah blah.. but it is normal and they are not bigger.
2. people get smaller yet gain "weight on the scale" when they lift weights. So, they look better, smaller, more fit but weigh 6-10 pounds more. ( You may have to accept this as you move forward with your goals)
3. some people eat more and gain weight to build muscle then do a "cut" and lose the fat and are left with a hot bod.

I understand how you don't want to weigh more and you've worked so hard in a short amount of time to get to where you are. Measure yourself ...and go by how you truly look and don't let the number on the scale drive you nuts.

MrsEAPM

Congratulations on your weight loss and on maintaining for 7 months!

Did you get your BF% measured or is it your perception that you are "skinny fat"? It takes some time to convince the mind that your body shape has changed, so you could still see yourself as "fatter" than you are in reality. Body recomposition takes (a lot of) time, it could be a year or more before you see the results you like. New/heavier excercise routines can also (temporarily) impact your weight, f.e. added water weight for muscle repair or (moderate) muscle gains. One of the best threads on MFP is this one (sensible advice, no extreme shortcuts or bulk-cut regiments):

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

Don't let yourself be discouraged, you're already come this far! Good luck!