Best way to lose body fat?

ProjectSYD
ProjectSYD Posts: 104 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay so I'm trying to cut back on body fat but I honestly can't tell if it's working or not. I've been doing an hour of cardio (now an hour and a half) a day for 6 days a week. I've been told that its excessive and maybe that's my problem. I've made changes in my diet in the sense that I no longer eat at work (I work at a fast food restaurant and I now go home to eat). I also no longer consume anything other then water/milk - I used to drink 3-4 energy drinks a day due to lack of energy (but I feel like I have more energy now that I've started working out again). I'm just looking for advice as to why I'm not losing weight or at least tips on how to properly measure myself to figure out my BF%. I change up cardio routines too, I try not to do the same thing all the time.
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Replies

  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    First thing is cardio doesn't actually burn that many calories and if you're consuming too much food (from your post it sounds like it)

    you ain't gonna lose any weight.

    You need to work out your TDEE and -15%/-20% from it

    and count your calories.
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  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    Height, age, weight?
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  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    So you're either miscalculating or counting wrong.

    If you ate 1500 calories everyday, you would be losing weight.
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  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    Maybe, I'm also taking creatine and protein supplements, I don't just do cardio.

    I went from 200ish lbs down to 140 lbs

    Zero cardio

    Cardio is not needed for fat loss and doesn't change how your body composition is

    weight training does


    Regardless of any of this, if you're not dropping weight after 3-4 weeks,, you're eating more than you think you are.
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
    So you're either miscalculating or counting wrong.

    If you ate 1500 calories everyday, you would be losing weight.

    Not true. I am 5'9" 250 and eat under 1500 everyday. I workout daily, cardio and strength alternating.. and I am not losing. Some bodies are stubborn.

    Edit: and I weigh my food to the gram. So it is not a miscalculation.
  • Mikej77
    Mikej77 Posts: 112
    Aside from getting calipers or paying big money for a accurate BF% test, you can take a few measurements and input them into the web for a decent body fat estimate. Just google body fat calculater and see what you feel is the best bet. Try more then one and get an average. Most of what I have been told on this site says strength training is one of the best ways to decrease body fat when it comes to excersise. Calorie counting is also important, you want to maintain a calorie deficit almost daily. Hope this helps
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    So you're either miscalculating or counting wrong.

    If you ate 1500 calories everyday, you would be losing weight.

    Not true. I am 5'9" 250 and eat under 1500 everyday. I workout daily, cardio and strength alternating.. and I am not losing. Some bodies are stubborn.

    No, they are not. I'm sorry but if you're truly eating 1500 calories everyday at 250 lbs and work out that much - you have a medical condition.
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  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    On top of cardio I also do strength training.

    Regardless again, what is your point? haha.

    If you are not losing weight, after 3-4 weeks of eating 1,500 calories you are not eating, 1,500 calories.
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
    So you're either miscalculating or counting wrong.

    If you ate 1500 calories everyday, you would be losing weight.

    Not true. I am 5'9" 250 and eat under 1500 everyday. I workout daily, cardio and strength alternating.. and I am not losing. Some bodies are stubborn.

    No, they are not. I'm sorry but if you're truly eating 1500 calories everyday at 250 lbs and work out that much - you have a medical condition.
    Nope. Just got back from the Dr. My blood work is exactly where it is supposed to be. I even did a fasting blood sugar. No health problems at all. Just stubborn.
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    So you're either miscalculating or counting wrong.

    If you ate 1500 calories everyday, you would be losing weight.

    Not true. I am 5'9" 250 and eat under 1500 everyday. I workout daily, cardio and strength alternating.. and I am not losing. Some bodies are stubborn.
    Nope. Just got back from the Dr. My blood work is exactly where it is supposed to be. I even did a fasting blood sugar. No health problems at all. Just stubborn.

    No, they are not. I'm sorry but if you're truly eating 1500 calories everyday at 250 lbs and work out that much - you have a medical condition.

    You are in denial I am afraid. Human error then, you are miscounting calories.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    So you're either miscalculating or counting wrong.

    If you ate 1500 calories everyday, you would be losing weight.

    This.

    OP are you weighing and measuring your food? You state that you have a protein shake every day - do you count those calories?
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
    I weigh my food in grams. ALL of it. Every bite. No exceptions. I log gum.

    Go ahead and say that everyone is the same. It is just not true.
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    I weigh my food in grams. ALL of it. Every bite. No exceptions. I log gum.

    Go ahead and say that everyone is the same. It is just not true.

    It is true. I am afraid. You are not a special snow flake, you are a human without medical conditions (Your words).

    The sooner you begin to accept you are wrong, the sooner you can improve your weight.

    Good luck!
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    So you're either miscalculating or counting wrong.

    If you ate 1500 calories everyday, you would be losing weight.

    Not true. I am 5'9" 250 and eat under 1500 everyday. I workout daily, cardio and strength alternating.. and I am not losing. Some bodies are stubborn.

    Edit: and I weigh my food to the gram. So it is not a miscalculation.

    This happened to me as well but it turned out to be an underlying medical issue. My weight gain and inability to lose turned out to be secondary and medical issue to be the primary problem.

    I had never had any medical problems before this so I had no reason to even suspect medical. I ate at a modest deficit, lifted heavy (for years) doing yoga, classes at the gym, etc. I finally started counting calories on MFP and when *that* didn't produce more than a 4# loss during the course of a couple of months, a visit to the Doctor's office for pain in my abd. revealed my primary issue. Metabolic disorder :noway:

    If weighing food to the gram, eating TDEE <20% deficit (give or take) and the addition of moderate exercise doesn't budge the scale for you after a reasonable amount of time, and you have 30+ pounds to lose, see a doctor or start looking into the possibility that food intolerance may be holding you up. :drinker:

    ETA: since addressing my primary medical issue, weight has been falling off me effortlessly.
    I no longer count calories.

    Edited again to add: specific food intolerance...not the inability to tolerate food :laugh:
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    I weigh my food in grams. ALL of it. Every bite. No exceptions. I log gum.

    Go ahead and say that everyone is the same. It is just not true.

    You've only been logging calories for a couple of weeks. You didn't log for the entire month of July.

    And your ticker shows a 2lb loss. I'd say you're doing fine and don't have anything to complain about.
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
    You can say I am doing something wrong all you like. I KNOW the effort being put in. And I know the lack of result.
  • almc170
    almc170 Posts: 1,093 Member
    I weigh my food in grams. ALL of it. Every bite. No exceptions. I log gum.

    Go ahead and say that everyone is the same. It is just not true.
    I'm not seeing much by way of diary entries prior to Aug. 7. Roughly 2 weeks ago. Perhaps the problem lies in your expectations?
  • raiderlifer53
    raiderlifer53 Posts: 23 Member
    When I was 215 pounds seven months ago I entered what my goal weight was. I started eating 2000 calories a day which is what I would be allowed to eat when I got to 177 lbs. I don't like putting any exercise down on MyFitnessPal, I am down 32 lbs and find it easy to stay around 2000 calories each day. By doing it this way my loss comes from the exercise I do each day. I walk for an hour, do 1000 crunches and medicine ball each day. ( while on a mat watching tv ) . Try using 30 day phases and don't forget to vary your workouts and do as much as you can to jolt your metabolism. If you don't it will be hard to lose a lot. My waist has gone from a 40 to a 36. I still drink beer but I count everything. Protein is your friend and eliminate bread as much as you can. If you make this a lifestyle change it will be easier to adjust.. Light weight training is critical so that you are adding muscle while you are reducing fat. Muscle requires 9 calories per pound while fat only burn 4 calories per lb. Water is your friend as well. Good luck and stick with it.
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    You can say I am doing something wrong all you like. I KNOW the effort being put in. And I know the lack of result.

    I KNOW you're doing something wrong.
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
    I should know better by now than to post on these boards.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    You can say I am doing something wrong all you like. I KNOW the effort being put in. And I know the lack of result.

    I KNOW you're doing something wrong.

    She's not actually. She's doing just fine. She's only been logging for a couple of weeks and her ticker shows 2lbs down. The only thing wrong are her expectations.
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    You can say I am doing something wrong all you like. I KNOW the effort being put in. And I know the lack of result.

    I KNOW you're doing something wrong.

    She's not actually. She's doing just fine. She's only been logging for a couple of weeks and her ticker shows 2lbs down. The only thing wrong are her expectations.

    Based off the information she gave me, she is doing something wrong. But yes, you are right with what you have just said.
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
    You can say I am doing something wrong all you like. I KNOW the effort being put in. And I know the lack of result.

    I KNOW you're doing something wrong.
    Do you get that what you write is very harmful to MY process? I have a MD monitoring me. All people are different or one formula would work for all.
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    You can say I am doing something wrong all you like. I KNOW the effort being put in. And I know the lack of result.

    I KNOW you're doing something wrong.
    Do you get that what you write is very harmful to MY process? I have a MD monitoring me. All people are different or one formula would work for all.

    You gave bad info in this thread. Your one lb a week is awesome, and that's how this works. Keep going and no complaining!

    Ok, you can complain, but stop saying you aren't succeeding. You are doing great! And obviously if its WORKING, the formula does apply to you!


    Oh, one more thing. Beware the common mistakes! If you don't make any, you aren't human. I had a three week plateau once where I was logging pork loin according to a bad entry that had 20% too few calories! Another time, I was mistranslating the name for a cut of pork in Germany. Before that, it was logging cooked meat under the figures for raw.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    I should know better by now than to post on these boards.

    Don't give up yet, I also posted on the boards my stats & included that fact that I had no medical issues, asking to see if I had my TDEE figured right, etc. but it turned out I did. In retrospect, all the signs were there, but I strongly suggest searching out whether there may be a medical reason why this isn't working for you.

    Not only did I weigh everything to the gram, but all my food was cooked at home from scratch, I worked out diligently, got a fitbit to confirm my activity level, got a HR monitor with a chest strap to FURTHER confirm my activity level. Turned out it was *not* user error.

    Good luck & I hope you find the answers you need. :drinker: I listened to the general consensus on the boards that dictated calories in vs calories out, eat more to weigh less, if it fits your macros and NONE of them did anything for me but get me a whole lotta 'you're doing it wrong'. :huh:
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    You can say I am doing something wrong all you like. I KNOW the effort being put in. And I know the lack of result.

    I KNOW you're doing something wrong.
    Do you get that what you write is very harmful to MY process? I have a MD monitoring me. All people are different or one formula would work for all.

    Based on the INFORMATION you gave me, you were doing something wrong.

    After more checking into your diary (as others have stated) you've been losing the correct amount of weight per week, and not logging your caloric intake for long..

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