Not loosing weight - upping calories but feeling miserable

Bigelows

Hello all! I'm in need of some advice.

5 weeks ago I committed to getting series about my workouts by eating clean so I can compete in my first fitness competition. (If I didn't create such a goal I would never stick to this) I'm 24, 5'7 and weight 150 lbs

I started by eating 1400 calories a day and I work out for an hour everyday doing high intensity/weight lifting with a personal trainer. After 3 weeks my weight hadn't moved an ounce! (before I started eating clean, over the holidays, I was able to lose weight without counting calories or working out everyday) So I thought this was very odd. My trainer recommended I up my calories again to 1600 thinking I was way under eating and my body was just maintaining. I stayed at 1600 for 2 weeks and noticed I was hungrier throughout the day but for the most part felt pretty good. However, I still didn't lose any weight

This past week I did some research and again think I'm under eating. A normal active female should be eating around 2500 to maintain and I burn around 500 calories a workout, so theoretically if I upped to 1800 I'm still "under" in order to maintain and should see about a pound to pound and a half lose. I only started eating this much yesterday but I am feeling absolutely miserable! My stomach feels so bloated and gross. I've decided to put away my scale for a few days, so I don't seriously go crazy, but I'm afraid with how I feel I'm going to see the number go up at the end of the week. I am really serious about doing a show and dont want to give up on this but I obviously need to figure out how to loose weight in a healthy way.

I aim to eat 50% cabs 30% protein and 20% fat.

Anyone have a similar story? Or have advice?? I'd really appreciate it

lisatrish

I'm in my third month of working out and logging what I eat. So far I have only lost 8 pounds. But I have to say I have lost inches - I've decided I'm not going to make a big deal about the scale as long as I'm seeing inches come off and my energy level has increased as well as I've noticed my strength has increased tremendously. So I do believe part of my issue is I am gaining muscle which weighs more than fat.

Have you lost any inches?
Is your energy level & strength increasing?
Also, are you drinking plenty of water sometimes water weight can effect the scale?

Remember the scale isn't the only measure of your success.

prestonam

Hi,

Can you share what type of food your eating? You shouldn't feel stuffed and bloated if your eating the right amount of food. If you are lifting weights you are probably gaining muscle & because your body isn't used to the amount of strength training you are doing there may be some swelling & your muscles could be hanging onto extra water.

I have gained weight since starting weight training but my body is changing & that makes me keep going. A lot of people i have spoke too who are doing the same type of program as me said they didn't start losing until 8 weeks in.

I tink you shud just stick at it. Maybe think about the type of foods your eating instead of the calories. (I know this is hard)

Bigelows

"Have you lost any inches?
Is your energy level & strength increasing?
Also, are you drinking plenty of water sometimes water weight can effect the scale?"

I just started measuring this week so I am not sure yet. I noticed a difference at first but for the past 3 weeks I've noticed no change in my body.

My energy and strength are perfectly fine. Other than my stomach issues I feel really great

I drink just under a gallon of water a day.

Bigelows

My diary is now open to the public to view.

I eat a lot of egg whites,chicken, salads, green beans, veggie melodies. I'm trying to cut the carbs so I stick to english muffins and oats and sweet potatoes.

ndj1979

do you own a food scale ? I see a lot of cup and tablespoon measures…

You really need to weigh/measure/log everything to get most accurate picture of how much you are consuming…

I would re-set your macros to 40% protein/30% carbs/30% fats ….

at 50% carbs you will have some water retention which could hinder progress on scale….

are you doing TDEE method, or MFP method?

prestonam

Have you tried to keep a food diary - not just logging but saying how you feel after eating the food? Have you introduced any new foods to your diet? Your diet seems pretty good. I really don't tink u shud forcefeed urself. If your hungry eat, you can because of the exercise your doing & you don't seem to eat ****.

Give it a few more weeks, I honestly eat a lot more than you & can maintain my current weight easily with the amount I exercise I do so I would be very surprised if you don't start losing soon. You are not gaining fat & that is the only reason at this stage you should consider a big change. Instead of upping your calories every 2 weeks, give your body time to catch up. It is not a race, your measurements will help keep perspective. For now I would concentrate on finding out what is making your stomach upset. The rest you can keep doing. :-)

You are doing awesome you just need to have some patience. Your hard work will pay off. :-)

Bigelows

Have you tried to keep a food diary - not just logging but saying how you feel after eating the food? Have you introduced any new foods to your diet? Your diet seems pretty good. I really don't tink u shud forcefeed urself. If your hungry eat, you can because of the exercise your doing & you don't seem to eat ****.

Give it a few more weeks, I honestly eat a lot more than you & can maintain my current weight easily with the amount I exercise I do so I would be very surprised if you don't start losing soon. You are not gaining fat & that is the only reason at this stage you should consider a big change. Instead of upping your calories every 2 weeks, give your body time to catch up. It is not a race, your measurements will help keep perspective. For now I would concentrate on finding out what is making your stomach upset. The rest you can keep doing. :-)

You are doing awesome you just need to have some patience. Your hard work will pay off. :-)

Thanks!! I just started eating more veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and such things so maybe thats causing the bloating issue?? Its really no fun.

QuietBloom

A lack of weight loss usually means no calorie deficit. Since you have changed up what you are eating, you might be unwittingly eating more than you think.

A food scale would go a long way toward helping you achieve your goals. I swear by mine!

Best of luck to you! I want pictures! :drinker:

StacyPhillipsTSFLcoach

Try lowering your calories to 1200. Everyone's theories about eating more to lose weight don't make any sense to me, and I have a 4 degree in Nutrition from a Major University. You aren't working out THAT much to need any more than 1200 or so. Try that. And I agree with ndj1979 about adjusting your ratios to what he said.

LH85DC

Try lowering your calories to 1200. Everyone's theories about eating more to lose weight don't make any sense to me, and I have a 4 degree in Nutrition from a Major University. You aren't working out THAT much to need any more than 1200 or so. Try that. And I agree with ndj1979 about adjusting your ratios to what he said.

So lower her calories all the way down to 1200 just for fun? That advice seems just as arbitrary as any prescription I've ever seen to 'eat more.' If she can lose weight eating more, why shouldn't she? I certainly lost weight eating much more than that.

OP- Comparing yourself to some 'average' person isn't likely to be very helpful, because your reality will differ from that average person. When you signed up for MFP, and entered all of your stats, what did it tell you your goal should be? What did you set as your weight loss goal? 2 lbs/week? 1? .5? From your profile it looks like you only have 25 lbs to lose. So a 2 lb/week loss might be too aggressive for you.

Set a reasonable goal (don't fall in the 1200 calorie trap), accurately weigh/measure your intake, and be patient. Take photos, and body measurements to see if you make progress not on the scale. Weight loss is not linear, and can take time to show up on the scale, especially if you're introducing new foods to your diet. Exercise and high sodium foods can result in water weight, which may mean that you don't see scale changes. Stick to reasonable goals, and give it time for it to work before changing things up again. Best of luck!

Mr_Knight

I too suspect you're eating too much for your activity level. At your size, you're looking at BMR of 1400is and TDEE of 2000ish. Anything above 1500 calories/day is going to produce at best very slow losses. And you may be close enough to goal weight were slow loss is the best you can realistically hope for.

I for sure would not be upping calories, unless it was to go to a 5:2 type approach.