3 months in, I need a new action plan

Starflight00

--- some mild TMI below ---

Ok gals, let me pick your brainz...

I've been at this since the New Years, lost 4 kg in trend weight, out of which it seems only 1.5 kg fat (this seems really unbelievable as I went down 2 jeans sizes, but ok). Since 11 days I'm on the pill (for medical reasons) and I have a feeling it's not going well since then. @rianneonamission , you confirmed in another thread it did the same to you.

Is it pill, is it that I've been overindulging more often than before, is it water weight/body "waste" (which is totally possible, as it's been almost a week), ... ? I don't know, but I don't like where this is going (up and my tummy is feeling heavier again). My trending weight as of today is 58.4 kg (128.7 lbs) and I'm ok with that, but I'm not ok with what I see in the mirror:


My tummy is sticking out more than my flat butt... I think that even if I go back in deficit again and reach my UGW of 57 kg (125.5 lbs) it will not change how I look i.e. skinny fat with a tummy and estimated BF% of 30% (which could be lower as I have implants and those are apparently seen as fat tissue by impedance scales).

I'm at loss about what to do now. Get stricter about CICO and go into deficit again? Get back to fasting once a week to balance out? Start lifting but then eat at maintenance? But if I start lifting and fat mass doesn't bulge, I'm afraid I'll just end up looking bigger. And if lifting after all, which program? I've hard of 2: Stronger curves and Thinner Leaner Stronger (bought the book as well). I read TLS was "better" than SC as it targets the whole body vs only glutes.

@curlygirlusn , you mentioned it the other thread that you've had good results with cutting and 100 gr protein, which lifting program are you on? How do your other macros break down?

Thanks for listenning. Now please share your thoughts, all ideas are welcome!

rianneonamission

Good question, and I think this is trial and error. I found that my cravings were a lot stronger when I was on the pill, and I definitely felt more hungry. I wasn't on MFP at the time though. And of course, as much as it wasn't the pill itself that made me gain weight, the hormones were affecting me in such a way I ate more because of the sudden increase in cravings and hunger. It really does become harder to diet.

The thing is that hormones do affect how our bodies work, and if you've only been on the pill for 11 days so far, your body is still settling in to managing these hormones.

For now, I would be strict with CICO, stay at maintenance but make 'better' food choices (reduce white carbs and refined sugars, more protein) and do some lifting. Do that for a month, see what happens, and then build on that from there.

Out of interest, which hormone are you on? My comments above go for both the combined pill (microgynon) and cerazette (both in pill and arm implant form), but I know there are plenty more other pills prescribed for medical reasons.

Starflight00

Mine is Deso 20 (combined Desogestrel/ethinylestradiol) and theoretically I have to take it for 3 months and then go back for a check-up.

ETA: after reading this, I think I'll stop the pill

You're right about strict and better choices, I guess I'm just tired of counting cals and macros, but I did tell myself and others multiple times that this is how it's going to be from now on. My maintenance NEAT is about 1400, so there's no wiggle room unless I start exercise...

DomesticKat

Honestly, you just seem bloated. Eventually it will come off as water weight. 11 days is still too soon to be completely adjusted to the pill. I wouldn't be too concerned about it causing weight gain if you have some awareness over how many calories you're eating. How are you measuring body fat?

If you want to change your body composition without gaining weight, then recomp is what you should aim for. It won't make you bulky. That's a myth. As long as you eat at maintenance and incorporate progressive lifting, you'll reduce body fat and gain some muscle over a long period of time and it would help give you more of the shape you're looking for. It won't make you gain unless you're eating a surplus of calories.

I've done a typical 5x5 workout and the Strong Curves advanced workout. I like SC better. It works well for my body type. I enjoy the workout and that's ultimately what matters most because nobody is going to stick to a workout they hate. I also use Nuvaring now and don't have any symptoms, and I've also lost weight on low estrogen birth control pills in the past successfully.

gomkgo

Just wanted to give you some encouragement about pill weight issues- I had to start for medical reasons as well and found the first couple months it really messsed with hunger and cravings so I ate more, I also noticed bloating but after month three it all subsided so I’m guessing it’s just your body’s response to the change in hormones but may even out after a bit like it did for me.

Crafty_camper123

I agree that 11 days is too soon to write off the pill. When I swapped to the one I'm on now, and the one before that it took about 90 days for my body to adjust and hormones to level out. The first month of the previous pill I remember being kind of nauseous and a little bloaty. My mood was also kind of all over the place. After a couple of months though my body got used to it and it went away. If after your 3 month checkup the bloating hasn't gone away, definitely see about switching pills. There are so many options out there and different forms of the hormones used in BC that you should eventually find one that works. Perhaps do some googling on different pills based on the results you want to see (lowest side effects). There are many drug reviews out there too that give you an idea of what a lot of women experience on different pills. That is how I landed on the one that I'm on.

rianneonamission

I think @Starflight00 is considering coming off this pill based on the fact that studies have found no link between taking hormones and an improvement in ovarian cysts. That's the main thing I get from the link posted anyway.

Starflight00

@DomesticKat don't think it's just water weight or it's been there since more than a week as it's my trending weight that goes up. I do hope you're right though. I know I won't get bodybuilders' bulky, but I was more talking of looking temporarily bigger when muscles start to grow and fat is still there. Thank you for taking away my fears by telling eating at maintenance will work.

And you're right, @rianneonamission , away with that pill and silly hormones especially because the idea is to get pregnant in the near future anyway.

I guess I'll follow TLS then (also their maintenance cals and macros) since I have the book already and see where it'll bring me one month from here. One thing that kinda freaks me out is very low fat and very high proteins Mike recommends. I just can't hit those values while also having a life, it seems...

Starflight00

For fat measurement I use Omron BF511 (can't paste a picture). It measures (theoretically) more accurate as it passes current through the whole body vs only legs.

DomesticKat

Have you consistently been eating 3500 calories over your maintenance? That's what it takes to gain one pound of fat. Bloating can stick around for a long time. For some women it can stick around for weeks and weeks and mask weight loss, especially if they don't have much weight to lose. Tighten up your logging if you think that's the culprit. Some people are able to eat intuitively and stay at maintenance, I'm personally not one of them so I have to track no matter what. Maybe think about what your long term goals are and whether you're willing to deal with some temporary water retention making you feel like you're bigger. That's a short term concession for a long term gain.

DomesticKat

The only macro I focus on is protein.

Starflight00

DomesticKat wrote: »

Have you consistently been eating 3500 calories over your maintenance? That's what it takes to gain one pound of fat.

3500/7 = 500 extra per day meaning 1900 total per day, yeah, I could've done that (had a really bad week).

Your protein intake was 100 gram if I recall correctly? As per TLS I should consume between 127 and 155 gram per day (depending on whether it's maintenance or cutting), I find it impossibly high, so I'll probably start with 113 as IIFYM recommends... I feel at loss with macros all of a sudden.

DomesticKat

Since you're not going for body building gains, you can probably stick to the macros that MFP gives you. Don't overthink it. Most people who lift heavy stick to .8 to 1 gram per pound of lean body mass. I usually finish out the day anywhere between 100 and 118 grams. It's the one macro I tend to neglect if I don't mindfully eat protein (hence the three Greek yogurts I ate before bed last night lol).

Starflight00

Don't overthink it.

That IS my biggest problem... *facepalm*