Fat not going away

vendygirl

I am throwing around a bunch of ideas on how to get this damn weight to drop off me at this point. I have been constantly lifting for 2 solid months now and NONE of my clothes feel any looser. The progress I am making on lifting I am happy with but I am frustrated that I can't seem to drop any of this fat.... My tape measure went the way of 'husband used it and misplaced it' and I haven't picked up a new one yet so no idea if I have lost any inches. If anything I have lost weight in my face and maybe an 1" or 2" off my thighs but my midsection is still not budging (and I mean ALL of my mid-section. This fleshbelt is disgusting). I feel stronger and feel as if things are shifting but my clothes are telling me a different story. I have concluded it is because of my calorie intake v. outtake. I just don't know.

I am pondering getting a the Metabolic testing done to make sure I am doing what I need to do to calorie wise. I try to get at least 100g of protein a day but sometimes it is just hard. My hubby and I are on a budget and my taste buds are shifting and things I used to love that helped me get protein (like chicken) I now no longer like the taste of. I will admit I am a picky eater to a point.
I love all beans and most green veggies but when it comes to 'meat' like proteins Tofu and beef are about the only thing I can handle at this point. Why all of a sudden I don't like chicken is beyond me! I used to love it and now it just taste foul (pun was not intended! LOL).

I am also wondering if I need to be doing 2 days of cardio but I fear that M/W/F for lifting and T/Th for cardio might be too much. I also do yoga on Sunday.

Any one have any advice? Or thoughts? Comments? I have cut down on the alcohol I drink as well. I try to keep it to 1-2 beers a week if that.

krokador

Hard to say without seeing your diary and knowing what your calories are vs how tall you are. If your strength is going up consistently, it's quite possible that you're eating above your goal. You might want to play around with the numbers a bit without having to get tested.

Pretty sure 2 days of cardio wouldn't be too much. It's not the same type of training and unless you run for hours on end it really shouldn't tax you that much.

What I would suggest however would be for you to tack on some high intensity finisher at the end of your lifting workouts. It takes between 4 to 10 minutes and will ramp up your metabolisms without being too taxing or requiring an extra trip to the gym.

There are countless ones out there if you just google/youtube for them. But for the sake of it here are a few:

1) Lower/Upper Countdown
- Jump Lunges or reverse lunges for 10 reps
- Push-ups or incline/knee push-ups for 10 reps
Then go back to lunges but do 9 reps, then 8, all the way down to 1, with as little rest as possible in between.

2) Heavy Swings
Pick the heaviest KB you can handle safely. Do 20s of swings, 10s of rest, repeat 4 to 8 times. Be prepared to feel your abs at the end of this.

3) Burpee vs Renegade row
- Start with 10 burpees. On the tenth one stay down and perform 1 renegade row (with or without dumbbells) on each side.
- Then do 9 burpees, 2 rows
- 8 burpees, 3 rows
And get all the way down to 1 burpee.

4) The Grinder (I stole this one from Tapout XT, btw)
- 10 push-ups, then 10 tuck-ins
- 9 push-ups, 9 tuck-ins
- keep going down all the way. Even push-ups are wide, odds are close grip. Get down to your knees if you need to. Do mountain climbers if tuck-ins get too hard.

5) Total body merry go round
- 8 TRX bodyweight rows
- 6 Push-ups
- 10 Squats
- 10 crunches
Repeat the cycle AMRAP for time. 4-5 minutes for beginners is enough. 10 minutes for advanced. You could make it a full workout in and of itself by going all the way to 20 minutes. (This I've more or less stolen from the YAYOG program Stapper protocol). If it's too easy, progress the moves (inverted rows or pull-ups, decline push-ups, jump squats or jump lunges, hanging leg raises).

You can basically pick and match any protocol (ladders, tabatas, AMRAP - > As Many Rounds as possible, etc...) and a bunch of different exercises. Just keep it short, simple, sweet, and INTENSE! It should make a difference and it's nowhere near as boring as typical cardio.

_TastySnoBalls_

Honestly, I don't think 2 months is enough time to gauge fat loss progress. I mean, I'm sure there is some IF you ate a deficit. But then the whole ting about accurate logging, measuring, weighing food comes in to play. And, like most women, your midsection is the last place the fat will budge from unfortunately. Keep at it, don't give up.

debress

What skimpstah says. Don't give up. I didn't lose a single pound for 2 solid months of doing SL 5x5 consistently. Then all of a sudden I started losing pounds as well as inches. I actually increased my calories and continued to lose pounds. I'm tweaking my calories now to find that sweet spot where I don't lose weight so that I can continue to gain muscle. I still have some belly fat, and hope that it will go away over time. I've only been doing this for 3 months. It took a lot longer for me to get that belly fat.

Hang in there. Buy a new measuring tape. Enjoy your strength gains.

ErinRibbens

I've found that adding a bit of cardio really helps me. When I'm consistent with it the weight starts going down (I only have a few lbs. I would like to lose, vanity weight!). The trick is not to over-do it so you either get injured or negatively affect your lifting.

Cutting back a bit on my eating and not stressing too much about the protein has helped me also. When I was trying to get in tons of protein, I was just plain eating too much. I'm only 5'2" so every bit counts!

Main thing is it takes time to figure out what works for you calorie wise and workout wise, and it changes occasionally too! I've been lifting seriously for 1.5 years and still evaluating my goals all the time. Good luck!

kay_der

I hate to even throw this out, but for me, a sudden chicken hate and a midsection that won't budge = first trimester.

SezxyStef

I took a look at your diary. Not sure of height etc but......

You are set at 1900 calories a day....
I don't see consistent weighing of food....

NOrmally when you aren't losing weight it's all about diet.

My suggestions would be to either get a kitchen scale or start using the one you have.

Calculate your TDEE with personal data after you have used your scale consistently....more then one week.

The calculation is this

Total calories consumed+(weight lost*3500)/number of days

For me it was as follows

29642+(3.5*3500)/21=1995(my TDEE for Maintenance) and I chose -20% which is 1600.

randomtai

You are eating more than you think you are.

Calliope610

I have lost 40lbs, inches off my hips and thighs, but absolutely NOTHING at the waist (well, maybe just an inch). I have resigned myself to the fact that the belly may be that last to go. But I'm okay with that, because I know that if I continue to eat at TDEE-20%, continue to get my cardio (walking/running intervals for 3-5miles several times a week) and SL5x5 3x/week, I will eventually lose the belly. And since this isn't a race, I have as much time as it takes.