How long until I start losing weight?

Ophidion

OP either got what they wanted or did not like the responses.

boxer490

Yes, I do have discipline, I was an amateur boxer in my 20's, best work out you could ever do! I ran 10km 6 days a week and boxed 3-4 days a week..I was very active and in awesome shape! I was 135 pounds and solid muscle. Sometimes that makes it harder to accept a no weight loss for 16 days. I am determined to figure it out though..going to try something new this week, hopefully I will find the answer to my weight loss!! Thanks for helping :-)

LTKeegan

Okay, this is gonna be long, i didn't see there were any responses to my post! Sorry!! I'm still getting the hang of things.

First off, I started crossfit 2 years ago, gained muscle then, decided it was okay and I've been happy-ish since at 140. I put on some weight being stressed this semester and went up to 146 and lost that in the last few weeks of Dec beginning of Jan. and that sparked me to want to actually lose the fat I've been unhappy with in my thighs and butt.

I'm doing CrossFit (as I stated in my post) which is a lot of strength training-- which just FYI doesn't actually help you lose weight, it just helps you build muscle which is why I'm 140 and looking to lose weight in the first place. I started strength training, put on muscle and didn't lose any fat, so now I just have the same amount of fat and more muscle because I was eating back all of my exercise calories.

FYI actually not true as weight training is a form of exercise and plenty of people on here myself included have lost plenty of weight just lifting weights....exercise burns calories ergo contributes to weight loss when at a true deficit.

Besides noob gains you will only build a small amount of muscle when in a calorie deficit, look up catabolic state vs anabolic state.

I'm not sure what you mean by noob gains. I gained 15lbs of muscle because I started eating more when I started crossfitting (mostly more protein) and I now have arm muscles! woo hooo! But that was 2 years ago and I wasn't dieting then. So I wasn't doing anything on a deficit.

What I meant by the bolded part was that crossfit didn't actually make me lose any fat, just gain muscle.

5'6" and you want to be in the 110 range?
I'm 5" 6" and look damn good at 142.
At 120 I couldn't conceive until I went to 125/126.
At 110 I'd be WAY underweight.
Have you checked your goal with your doctor? It sounds too low for your height.

Before I started crossfit I was 110-120 (basically for my whole adult life) I was still crazy active (rock climbing, backpacking, etc) so I think I can be healthy and in the 120s. And yes, I've had doctors tell me I'm healthy and my doctor told me I could lose the weight if it made me feel better, but it wasn't medically necessary. I don't doubt you look good, I look good too, I want to lose weight to feel better and climb harder.

EDIT: I'm also not hooked on a number, If I get to 130 and I feel better and look better and my clothes fit better and I climb better, then I'll be happy and quit

last nights dinner was black bean and sweet potato lettuce-burritos ~350 cal with mid-climb snack of a sweet and salty nut bar ~170cal and a 2nd dinner of sauteed cauliflower with capers and red onions ~160cal

Sorry I know this is off topic but lettuce burritos? Like It's wrapped in a large leaf of lettuce instead of a tortilla? Because this is something I need to try topped in enchilada sauce and cheese.

Yes, its amazing, but a giant mess. Stuff goops out all sides.

with any fitness routine a good rule of thumb is to do your workouts for three weeks and then assess whether you are losing weight or not.

I've been on the same fitness routine for 2 years. So I'm pretty certain I'm not losing.

I really can't recommend weighing your food enough …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

I started doing this (just the last 2 days) and I've been basically spot on. Off by about 20-30cal per day. Which *COULD* be the difference, but doubtful. I am trying to weigh things, but I know doing this will not ever be a lifestyle change, which is not good for keeping long term goals.

I measure using cups and tablespoons and whatnot. I have an obsessive personality and if I started weighing my food I would get crazy, fast.

Also, I think its important to note that before I started dieting, I ate under 2,000 calories and gained weight from lifting, so I know a lot of the excess weight on me is muscle, but I didn't lose fat when I started lifting, so I just got bigger in size while still having a lot of excess fat in my thighs and butt.

if you gained weight and kept the fat, you were eating in surplus to your TDEE. Now, with measuring being your method rather than weighing, it was more than 2000 probably, you really have no idea how far off your logging is.

But whether it was a sloppy under 2000, or a actual really accurate 2400 - it was in excess.

So you cut out a sloppy 250 calories, or an accurate 250 calories - either way it'll let you see if you can reach point of no gain or loss - that's your maintenance.

Then cut another 250.

At some points the actual numbers don't matter if you are sloppy or accurate - you'll cut more calories out.

So while it might look bad telling others the number, in reality with sloppy logging you are in reality eating more.

I think this was unclear. Before 14 days ago I have never been on a diet in my life. I eat healthy "clean" foods as much as possible and treat myself with homemade baked goods once in a blue moon. This plus crossfit has kept me at 140 for 2ish years. I can't say for sure, but I probably was eating more than 2000 calories when I first started crossfit. Back then I thought I was going to die of hunger after ever time I did a WOD. But that was 2 years ago and I was not tracking then so I can't tell you anything for certain.

As of 14 days ago, I started measuring with cups and spoons and what not and logging everything. Since then, I've lost the 6lbs I put on being stressed last semester and I'm back at my magically stuck number of 140. As of 2 days ago, I started measuring things with the scale, and so far, I've been pretty accurate.

LTKeegan

I also think I might have found the answer elsewhere. But I appreciate everyone's help and I'd love comments on this.


Doing some research and talking with some sports nutrition type people, I think my big issues is where my calories come from.

I've determined that if you mostly eat fruits/veggies/nuts/seeds/tofu/fish and you exercise 3-5days per week 1-4 hours each time, and you are a healthy weight but just want to drop some weight, it is really hard. And not because I can't do a giant deficit. But because your nutritional needs become very specific.

So I can't go out and eat 1200 calories of twinkies and expect to lose weight just because its a deficit. And my reasoning for saying this is because eating all sugar and no real food (all "empty" calories) I'm requiring insulin and its a fat storage hormone, so I think what I've found out is that I'm eating too much sugar and therefore my body isn't getting the calories of protein and fat it needs, its mostly getting sugar, which is triggering insulin (since I'm healthy) and that insulin is saying to my body to store all the extra sugar as fat. THUS leading to me not being able to lose weight even though I'm eating at a deficit.


Edit: I don't think you can lose weight without a deficit, but I think you can have a deficit and not lose weight.


Now, before everyone jumps down my throat about how a calorie is a calorie and a deficit is weight loss, I would like to say that I've read plenty of posts in other spots and I don't believe you that it is always that simple. BUT I am always up for links to scientific papers (I'm a biologist, so pub med is basically my BFF)

swbabe33

If you are active you may have to adjust your profile to a higher activity level. I had to do that and then I had to drop my calories from 1600 which my doctor gave me, to 1200 if I didn't exercise that day. I didn't lose at 1600 calories for three weeks, because I was not doing enough exercise to compensate for the calories I was consuming. I also have to watch the kind of foods that make up my calories. I assumed that since I had a lot of weight to lose, I didn't have to be too careful about the kind of food. My 1200+ calories can't be bad food or I actually gain weight and I still have a lot to use. I also take medication and steroids from time to time which slows down my ability to exercise or lose weight.

swbabe33

Hard to believe, but you might not be eating enough for the exercise you are doing.

Lesliemollett

im stuck also i live in a motel so how do i eat proper to lose weight. i have lost like 3.5 in 2 weeks and i work out to jillian michaels and leslie sansone every other day. i have a small fridge and a microwave so any suggestions

LTKeegan

If you are active you may have to adjust your profile to a higher activity level. I had to do that and then I had to drop my calories from 1600 which my doctor gave me, to 1200 if I didn't exercise that day. I didn't lose at 1600 calories for three weeks, because I was not doing enough exercise to compensate for the calories I was consuming. I also have to watch the kind of foods that make up my calories. I assumed that since I had a lot of weight to lose, I didn't have to be too careful about the kind of food. My 1200+ calories can't be bad food or I actually gain weight and I still have a lot to use. I also take medication and steroids from time to time which slows down my ability to exercise or lose weight.

I was worried about this so my plan is: tell the TDEE calculator I'm "lightly active/desk job" and then eat back 50% of my exercise calories. I'm certain that MFP is overestimating them, but I'm too poor (grad student here) to afford a $50 heart rate monitor.

So on days that I exercise I'll eat more like 1600 and I've upped my rest day to 1350 so that I dont eat less than my BMR

LTKeegan

im stuck also i live in a motel so how do i eat proper to lose weight. i have lost like 3.5 in 2 weeks and i work out to jillian michaels and leslie sansone every other day. i have a small fridge and a microwave so any suggestions

I'd be happy with 3.5 lbs in 2 weeks. You should keep going

Lesliemollett

thanks but what about my diet its hard bc of my living conditions. i have shake mix and all but never have enough milk to put in it but its says i can use water. any suggestions ON WHAT I CAN EAT THATS I CAN KEEP IN MY ROOM. I WAS THINKING SOUP AND SOME SPECIAL K THINGS WITH MY DIET SHAKES ANY HELP OUT THERE WOULD BE NICE AND IM LOOKING FOR FRIENDS IN THE CANTON AREA

heybales

I've determined that if you mostly eat fruits/veggies/nuts/seeds/tofu/fish and you exercise 3-5days per week 1-4 hours each time, and you are a healthy weight but just want to drop some weight, it is really hard. And not because I can't do a giant deficit. But because your nutritional needs become very specific.

So I can't go out and eat 1200 calories of twinkies and expect to lose weight just because its a deficit. And my reasoning for saying this is because eating all sugar and no real food (all "empty" calories) I'm requiring insulin and its a fat storage hormone, so I think what I've found out is that I'm eating too much sugar and therefore my body isn't getting the calories of protein and fat it needs, its mostly getting sugar, which is triggering insulin (since I'm healthy) and that insulin is saying to my body to store all the extra sugar as fat. THUS leading to me not being able to lose weight even though I'm eating at a deficit.

Edit: I don't think you can lose weight without a deficit, but I think you can have a deficit and not lose weight.

Now, before everyone jumps down my throat about how a calorie is a calorie and a deficit is weight loss, I would like to say that I've read plenty of posts in other spots and I don't believe you that it is always that simple. BUT I am always up for links to scientific papers (I'm a biologist, so pub med is basically my BFF)

It is true that when you lay a big stress of lots of exercise on your body, and you have very little to lose - you must have a lot of things lined up correctly to see good results.

If you have a lot to lose, you can do bad diet, any exercise is going to cause improvement, ect.
But as you get closer to healthy weight, a whole lot less margin for error.

Just like when you start exercising - big improvement. But as you become fit, you must do more right to keep eeking out small gains.

Insulin may be an anabolic hormone, but only EXCESS sugar is going to get stored as fat. How do you know you have excess.
How much do you burn in your workouts? I'd imagine easily 80-100% of your calorie burn during the workout is carbs. And then 20% of rest of your day. 5% while sleeping.
After you eat, first your liver glycogen stores are topped off, you'll use glucose for immediate energy needs since fat burning is indeed turned off, and muscle glycogen stores are topped off too.
Carbs are sent to fat stores first - that is last resort after everything else is topped off first.
If all of that is done after 3-4 hrs depending on how fast your insulin drops back down because your blood sugar has gotten low, if there is still excess unused, then yes, it'll be stored as fat. But not in a deficit hardly. Perhaps you eat a huge meal with tons of carbs right before bed. That is possible. But if in a deficit, rest of the day was burning off that fat from prior night you might say because it was needed.
In a deficit you have unfilled muscle glucose stores. Amount varies by your deficit and types of workout.
And since that glucose stores with water, and your workouts are carb-burning heavy, sure your body wants to store more to endure longer. More stored is more needed water weight.

But yes, if you eat too much sugar - realizing of course all carbs end up as blood sugar, to the exclusion of protein and fat, yes, that's not good. But don't imagine the carbs in one is different than carbs in other. Nutrients yes, carbs no.

But you are still messed up with the math - if you are eating at a deficit, if you are eating less than you burn daily, you will lose weight, no matter what. No way around that.
Medical problems or not, you eat less than you burn, you will lose weight. Way too big a deficit, muscle mass is at risk unless you do a lot right.

You likely have very little if any extra sugar available 3-4 hrs after a meal. Not enough fat though and hormones can be screwed up.
Undereat too much and your body can adapt and burn less than otherwise.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales?month=201401

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1077746-starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss
Last few pages of that topic has additional links, like to HBO documentary on Health of the Nation, and another study examined.

heybales

I was worried about this so my plan is: tell the TDEE calculator I'm "lightly active/desk job" and then eat back 50% of my exercise calories. I'm certain that MFP is overestimating them, but I'm too poor (grad student here) to afford a $50 heart rate monitor.

So on days that I exercise I'll eat more like 1600 and I've upped my rest day to 1350 so that I dont eat less than my BMR

HRM wouldn't have decent estimate of calorie burn on your workouts anyway - don't waste the money for that purpose.

Steady-state aerobic with same HR for 2-4 min is the only valid mode for the formula's to even estimate close, your workouts are highly anaerobic and very non-steady state.

So your exercise only burns 250 calories? You aren't pushing hard enough.

krawhitham

I'd have to agree with everyone who says "food scale" I don't yet have one because I have so much fat to lose that even a tiny reduction in my normal eating is throwing my body into fat-loss-mode. But, once I do reach the last 20 or so lbs as you have, I plan on getting myself a food scale and measuring every thing I put in my mouth, never eating out etc... It's the only way to get super lean & sexy.

editorgrrl

I'd have to agree with everyone who says "food scale" I don't yet have one because I have so much fat to lose that even a tiny reduction in my normal eating is throwing my body into fat-loss-mode. But, once I do reach the last 20 or so lbs as you have, I plan on getting myself a food scale and measuring every thing I put in my mouth, never eating out etc... It's the only way to get super lean & sexy.

Yes to weighing all your food. No to never eating out ever again. You need to create a lifestyle you can live w/ for the rest of your life. Not go on a restrictive diet, b/c when you go off that diet you will gain weight.

Eat "good" or "clean" or "healthy" (whatever those words mean to you) 80% of the time. Fit yummy, portion-controlled treats into your calorie goal. Deprivation can lead to binges.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants

doglover1984

What I meant by the bolded part was that crossfit didn't actually make me lose any fat, just gain muscle.


What if you tried a different type of workout that's main focus is on thighs and butt? Check some out one youtube and see if there is one that looks like it would keep you interested. It doesn't hurt to switch things up. Hope this helps good luck.

editorgrrl

I started using MFP 14 days ago an I still weigh the same.

I'm 5'6" 140lbs and I'm pretty athletic. I'm eating between 1200-1300 calories and exercising every night (CrossFit, rock climbing, cycling). However, aside from initially losing 2 lbs which I've gained back, I've lost no weight and I'm getting impatient. My goal is low 120s high 110s and to drop down to my pre-grad school weight and dess size.

Help!

With only 18 lb. to lose, Set your goal to .5 lb. per week. Log everything you eat accurately & honestly. Find reliable database entries. (There's a lot of incorrect data in there.) Weigh your food. Log your exercise, and eat back your exercise calories for two weeks. If you're still not losing, eat back half your exercise calories.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

LTKeegan

I started using MFP 14 days ago an I still weigh the same.

I'm 5'6" 140lbs and I'm pretty athletic. I'm eating between 1200-1300 calories and exercising every night (CrossFit, rock climbing, cycling). However, aside from initially losing 2 lbs which I've gained back, I've lost no weight and I'm getting impatient. My goal is low 120s high 110s and to drop down to my pre-grad school weight and dess size.

Help!

With only 18 lb. to lose, Set your goal to .5 lb. per week. Log everything you eat accurately & honestly. Find reliable database entries. (There's a lot of incorrect data in there.) Weigh your food. Log your exercise, and eat back your exercise calories for two weeks. If you're still not losing, eat back half your exercise calories.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

I've already done this, honestly!

LTKeegan

What I meant by the bolded part was that crossfit didn't actually make me lose any fat, just gain muscle.


What if you tried a different type of workout that's main focus is on thighs and butt? Check some out one youtube and see if there is one that looks like it would keep you interested. It doesn't hurt to switch things up. Hope this helps good luck.

I have really strong hips and butt, the issue is that there is a lot of fat over it, so I know once I lose the fat I'll be toned, I won't be "skinny fat". But maybe I do need to change things up.

LTKeegan

I was worried about this so my plan is: tell the TDEE calculator I'm "lightly active/desk job" and then eat back 50% of my exercise calories. I'm certain that MFP is overestimating them, but I'm too poor (grad student here) to afford a $50 heart rate monitor.

So on days that I exercise I'll eat more like 1600 and I've upped my rest day to 1350 so that I dont eat less than my BMR

HRM wouldn't have decent estimate of calorie burn on your workouts anyway - don't waste the money for that purpose.

Steady-state aerobic with same HR for 2-4 min is the only valid mode for the formula's to even estimate close, your workouts are highly anaerobic and very non-steady state.

So your exercise only burns 250 calories? You aren't pushing hard enough.

1600 -1350 = 250*2 (since I'm only eating back 50%) = 500 calories. Should I be trying to burn thousands of calories per day? I thought 500 calories 4-5 days a week should be enough. If not, I can certainly do 2 crossfit classes per visit, so that would be 1000 calories twice a week. Is that necessary?

heybales

I was worried about this so my plan is: tell the TDEE calculator I'm "lightly active/desk job" and then eat back 50% of my exercise calories. I'm certain that MFP is overestimating them, but I'm too poor (grad student here) to afford a $50 heart rate monitor.

So on days that I exercise I'll eat more like 1600 and I've upped my rest day to 1350 so that I dont eat less than my BMR

HRM wouldn't have decent estimate of calorie burn on your workouts anyway - don't waste the money for that purpose.

Steady-state aerobic with same HR for 2-4 min is the only valid mode for the formula's to even estimate close, your workouts are highly anaerobic and very non-steady state.

So your exercise only burns 250 calories? You aren't pushing hard enough.

1600 -1350 = 250*2 (since I'm only eating back 50%) = 500 calories. Should I be trying to burn thousands of calories per day? I thought 500 calories 4-5 days a week should be enough. If not, I can certainly do 2 crossfit classes per visit, so that would be 1000 calories twice a week. Is that necessary?

I was noting that you are thinking the exercise only burns 250 calories by your plan of what you'll do. It burns more than that.
As you clarify now with comment of only taking half the calories.

And no, during a diet is absolutely *kitten*-backwards to make things more intense. Recovery is already impaired, stress level on body already goes up, no need to increase it and make the loss harder.