First Post!

Acidique

Hey everyone! I am sort of new to EM2WL. I have a question I am not sure you guys can help with, but I need to ask anyway, cause I am driving myself insane.

To sum myself up, I have lost about 100lbs over 10 years using various methods of weight loss. At first I did terrible diets and ate 1200 calories and was miserable, but it worked, until I stopped of course. Over those 10 years I learned more about health, nutrition, and appropriate methods for gaining HEALTH, not just weight loss. For the last 3 years I have changed my thought process and lifestyle to simple eating HEALTHY, not starving myself, and increasing my activity levels. At first I did tons of cardio and slowly worked into jogging. Then I realized I had ZERO muscle mass, and so I started looking into that. I've learned a ton, did Crossfit for a year, decided I couldn't afford it, and went with a normal gym membership. I am now doing body weight and kettle bell routines. I eat very well, and have my protein, carb, fat macros down. I am working into the EM2WL practice.

My question is, I know with lifting we don't always see the scale go down. In fact, we can see it increase at times. I realize this. However, I still have about 20lbs to lose of fat, and because muscle gain and lifting are such a new territory for me I am sort of confused about how to tell if I am being successful or just eating too much or whatever.

I can tell I am increasing my muscle mass for sure. I can see more definition, and I am getting stronger. I cannot tell if I am losing fat. I take my measurements every 3 months, and this last round saw an increase in weight of 4 lbs. None of my measurements were smaller, and in fact some were larger, however my husband does the measuring and I am not 100% confident that he is accurate in WHERE he measures each time.

I really swear I feel like I look smaller, but I don't want to delude myself into thinking incorrectly. I can't really say if my clothes are fitting tighter or looser, but my body has changed so much over the years I sometimes have trouble telling.

SO. My question is, is it possible I am smaller, or have less fat even if my measurements and scale aren't reflecting it? Is this reasonable? Or do I need to reconsider my diet. I currently eat 10500 calories weekly, which works out to roughly 1500 daily. How that 10500 is spread each week is different. I also cleanse two days a week using a nutrition system, but I don't exercise those days.

Thanks for any input you may have!

kcmsmith0405

First of all - Welcome! This is a great place to be.

I am not one of the leaders here but to me it seems like you may be eating too few calories, you don't say what macros you eat at, or how you determined 1500 was the level, or if you eat back exercise calories. You don't say how tall you are etc. so I can't plug you into the EM2WL calculator to see what it says is your TDEE and cut level of calories per day. You may need to do a reset.

Have you gone to the start here community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10430416/welcome-to-em2wl-start-here#latest part of this forum and done the TDEE calculations? That really is the best place to start.

Honestly for me - the reset was the most helpful thing I did. I am 5'8, 40 lbs over weight and 50 years old but I now can eat 2300 a day and lose weight (1/2 lb a week) since I did the reset and figured out my TDEE. Before the reset I was trying to eat 1600 calories a day and beating myself up for failing. Turns out my BMR is 1690 a day so that explains why I couldn;t stick with my eating plan and was struggling with my workouts and tired a lot of the time. After the reset (finding my TDEE around 2550 and eating there for a few months) I am eating at 2300 calories a day, gaining muscle and losing fat. Working out is fun and I can see the differences in my body even with the extra fat I still have to lose. You can see why 1500 calories seems really low to me.

Do you spend any weeks eating at maintenance level calories (At TDEE)? The leaders here emphasize taking breaks between cuts to keep your metabolism in top notch shape. My plan is to cut for 6 weeks then go back to maintenance for 2 weeks and rinse and repeat all the while calculating where my TDEE and cut levels are since they change as you lose weight.

I would say go to the link above and see what you can find out for your own body.

Kelly

Acidique

Good point!

I am:

5'6

165lbs

34

According to the TDEE calculator on the EM2WL site:


BMR (Sick/Bed Rest) 1516
TDEE (Maintenance) 1820
Calories based on selected goal 1547 (15% deficit)

heybales

Acidique wrote: »

My question is, I know with lifting we don't always see the scale go down. In fact, we can see it increase at times. I realize this. However, I still have about 20lbs to lose of fat, and because muscle gain and lifting are such a new territory for me I am sort of confused about how to tell if I am being successful or just eating too much or whatever.

I can tell I am increasing my muscle mass for sure. I can see more definition, and I am getting stronger. I cannot tell if I am losing fat. I take my measurements every 3 months, and this last round saw an increase in weight of 4 lbs. None of my measurements were smaller, and in fact some were larger, however my husband does the measuring and I am not 100% confident that he is accurate in WHERE he measures each time.

I really swear I feel like I look smaller, but I don't want to delude myself into thinking incorrectly. I can't really say if my clothes are fitting tighter or looser, but my body has changed so much over the years I sometimes have trouble telling.

SO. My question is, is it possible I am smaller, or have less fat even if my measurements and scale aren't reflecting it? Is this reasonable? Or do I need to reconsider my diet. I currently eat 10500 calories weekly, which works out to roughly 1500 daily. How that 10500 is spread each week is different. I also cleanse two days a week using a nutrition system, but I don't exercise those days.

Thanks for any input you may have!

Just as you can't spot reduce, you could be measuring in spots not showing the movement.

If you are in a deficit eating and lifting - scale would still go down BTW. Only water weight differences with lifting is during repair and water retained there.
Hence a valid day being morning after rest day, not sore from last workout.
Can't gain non-water weight unless eating in surplus.

More water weight can be gained from cardio actually, as blood volume increases, stored glucose with attached water in muscles, ect. Lifting doesn't need all that.

Muscle gain isn't that fast, especially for a woman, and especially if you think in a deficit.
Stronger and seeing definition isn't growing more mass BTW, but losing fat over the muscle, and using more of the muscle first. Only when it's tapped out would your body attempt to add more.
Because body weight and kettle ball aren't so much a weight load on muscles after a short while that asks the body for more muscle, it's more an anaerobic load to improve that system.

BTW, easiest way for measuring is to pick the widest spot, like hips, thigh, or waist for smallest, ect, but belly at belly button, that's a set point easy to hit again. As long as tape goes around horizontal to ground while you are standing.

So your eating schedule - does that mean 2 fast days weekly, and the avg eating days are higher then?
Unless you have a liver problem, the only thing a cleanse is doing is lightening your pocketbook. And even with liver problems - that's effected way more by what you eat.
Just so you know.

And you did the TDEE calculator wrong.

Sedentary is desk job AND no exercise, no family/house responsibilities keeping you active in evenings, bump on a log.

The mere fact you are working out means not Sedentary that you selected.
So be honest.

And with only 20lbs to lose - 10% deficit is reasonable.

And if you haven't been with accurate logging eating up around estimated TDEE - you've been in a diet already, but probably eating at suppressed TDEE, not potential higher TDEE.

Acidique

Thank you so much, this is helping.

The cleanse isn't a liver cleanse, or a colon cleanse, it's a cellular cleanse. I still get about 550 calories on those days, but it's from some really high end nutritional powders I mix with water. It's more of a "encourage your body to break down old cells and rebuild with better materials" cleanse, if that makes sense.

And yes, to get adequate nutrients and overall health I eat around 1800-2000 on non-cleanse days.

I may consider resetting again. I thought I did once, but I was so new to the concept I may not have done it properly, and it was long while ago.

Once I get more basic strength built, I intent to use barbells and free weights, but that is later on. I need to be able to do a push up first, haha.

I like the idea of using the widest area, period. That simplifies things. Again, that you.

I will recalculate the TDEE.

Acidique

Ok, based on adjusting the TDEE for my activity I will start a reset. Looks like around 2000 daily, so that's an increase. Slow but sure.

heybales

Understandable on cleanse then, and makeup of calories on other days so the week still balances out.

So much body weight stuff can indeed be heavy for someone, push-ups, pull-ups, dips. Usually squats progresses fast, then single-legged can help extend it.

As long as sets and reps up to maybe 15 max is hard to do - that's heavy.
Same routine of rest day afterwards to allow repair - and can indeed build muscle from that - slowly.
But you'll see fat loss showing it off much faster than it'll build up to see on it's own.

cinblog1965

@Acidique you and I are close in stats: I'm 52 (ugh my matabolism crashed and burned in my late 40s), and I'm struggling too. Hoping this is the answer. I love to eat. I haven't endured a very low cal diet since my 20s, was always very active until perimenopause hit, so I don't feel I need the reset. When I put my stats in the calculator and set it to light (1-3 hours exercise per week) my 15% burn is 1585. I'm trying hard to get my protein in and get that mastered but I'm struggling not overindulge because I'm still hungry.

Acidique

It's been a weird journey for me @cinblog1965 , that's for sure. I went from eating WHO KNOWS how much everyday, and being morbidly obese, to losing 100 lbs and eating 1200 calories. Now I need to eat more again, haha. The difference in what and how I eat has made a huge difference in how I feel and my activity levels have been incredible. It's so hard to re-learn things, and I know sometimes I overthink. I know we can do it! Best of luck to you.

1500 seems low to me now, I can't imagine how I ate 1200.

@heybales Yes, right now my own body weight and kettle bells are heavy for me. It's nice to know what to expect for growth vs fat loss though, I had no idea.

Thank you guys!!

cinblog1965

@acidique I was blessed with an awesome matabolism growing up and a health conscious mother who avoided fat and sugar like the plague so I haven't dealt with obesity personally but many of my friends have. I always paniked and thought I was fat if I went up 5 pounds. The older I got the less important skinny was to me so 25 pounds snuck up on me. It is definitely hard to make new habits and say goodbye to those old ones, that's for sure! Best of luck and stay in touch!

Acidique

I will certainly keep in touch! I have to say after losing a hundred pounds, these last 20 have been the most difficult of my life. They just will not come off I am looking forward to finally reaching my goal, whatever that weight is.

empressichel

Acidique wrote: »

Good point!

I am:

5'6

165lbs

34

According to the TDEE calculator on the EM2WL site:


BMR (Sick/Bed Rest) 1516
TDEE (Maintenance) 1820
Calories based on selected goal 1547 (15% deficit)

I put in the above details with a moderate activity level, and set your goal to body recomposition (which it sounds to me is your goal really?) and it came back with 2351.
I think maybe you weren't honest with your activity level when you plugged in your numbers?
I would increase your calories gradually upwards to this goal.
Ichel
Team EM2WL

Acidique

Yeah I did end up recalculating after a few people pointed that out. I am eating 2000 daily now, working my way up toward 2350, which seems so nuts to me. Haha.

I have stopped weighing myself for now, because I was becoming a little too obsessed with the scale. However, I have been able to wear a pair of scrub pants today that I've NEVER fit into. Is it possible to lose weight while eating so much more than normal?

I assume if it is, it's temporary until my body adjusts. Once I have reset completely I'll take the advise I was given here and cut 10%.

I am still hiking and lifting. I feel great.

kcmsmith0405

I think the key here is not if you lost weight but that you fit into pants you never could before and you feel great. You may actually not be losing weight, but losing fat and gaining muscle. Your body is responding to finally being fed enough

Acidique

Haha, I should have written this better. I meant is it possible to lose while resetting for the first time. I'm a dork. Obviously it's possible to lose while eating more, that's the whole point of this program!

heybales

Also, cortisol induced water weight from stress might have dropped if body stopped being so stressed.

Many times that is first big drop in weight when eating more, because fat is not fast for gain or loss. And muscle is even much slower.

Acidique

Ok I stopped weighing myself because I knew going through this reset would most likely result in some weight gain. I can tell I have gained some weight. I know this is part of the process. I am just writing to let it out. I am horrified that I may end up gaining a LOT. I didn't "rip the band-aid" so to speak, but I was already eating more prior to this program and I know my body has to relearn. It's just scary when I have worked so hard to lose weight. Trying not to panic.

kcmsmith0405

I know what you mean. I am currently on a one week break (eating at TDEE) after a 4 week cut cycle where I lost between 2-3 lbs. I am not weighing this week because I know that I will gain some water from higher calorie intake and I don't want to freak out and go back to cutting too fast. Trying to do this right for the first time in my life LOL.