Skinny and flabby

lilly57573

Hi!
I'm 21,5'3 and weigh 126.
I always weighed about 115-118. I was very active in my daily routine so although i didn't exercise regularly or follow a restricted diet i always looked fit and toned.
2 years ago i started working at a desk job so i basically sit in a chair 12 hours a day and i'm not active at all.
I know the weight difference doesn't sound dramatic but the difference in the appearance is huge. The fat is in all the wrong places and i'm so flabby it looks like i'm melting.
Since i have a important event and a beachy vacation in 6 weeks i got the push to do something about it.
I went on a high protein diet and cut out gluten almost completely. I started exercising for about a hour and a half a day,1 hour of treadmill and a half hour of light strength exercises.
Its been 2 weeks and nothing changed. I might have lost about 1lb but i'm not even sure and i'm flabby as always.
I'm getting frustrated and ready to give up. I'm not sure what i'm doing wrong but this is not working. A friend suggested i should start counting calories but i think eating at a calorie deficit will be insane since i will have to eat close to nothing in order to actually lose any weight,am i wrong?
I really want to feel\look good at the event and beach and more than anything i want to stop buying baggy clothing. So,any helpful advice will be much appreciated!

lemonlionheart

Hi there,

The only way to lose weight is to be in a calorie deficit. By going to the gym you are trying to create the deficit through exercise, which is fine, but if you aren't counting calories you could easily be cancelling out the deficit by eating more, as the exercise is probably making you hungrier with your body needing more fuel to maintain your weight. I would suggest counting calories for a few days just to get an idea of how much you are eating, or you could use one of the online calculators to figure out how many cals you need to maintain your weight, eat that and create the deficit you need through exercise. As a general rule of thumb, 1lb = 3500 calories, so to lose 1lb per week you would need to burn 500 calories a day at the gym. Since you don't have much to lose many people will suggest a goal of half a lb per week (which would mean you are pretty much on track if you lost a pound! yay!)

Also, 2 weeks isn't really long enough to tell if you are losing weight. If you think you are eating the same as before you could easily be retaining water from exercise. This always happens to me when I start a new exercise program, especially weights! If your muscles are sore that is a good indicator that they might be holding onto water to repair.

Anywhoo, in my opinion you are probably on track, 1lb in 2 weeks is good for sustainable weight loss, and if you find that after 4-6 weeks you're not seeing results you could always start counting calories

terbusha

If you want to lose weight, you need to eat at some level of a calorie deficit. Since you don't have a lot of weight to lose, you don't want to eat at too much of a deficit. I would focus more on weight lifting. It'll give you good tone and the shape you want. Plus, you get great after burn effects as your muscle recover and rebuild.

How many calories are you eating now? What are your macro goals?

Allan

lilly57573

If you want to lose weight, you need to eat at some level of a calorie deficit. Since you don't have a lot of weight to lose, you don't want to eat at too much of a deficit. I would focus more on weight lifting. It'll give you good tone and the shape you want. Plus, you get great after burn effects as your muscle recover and rebuild.

How many calories are you eating now? What are your macro goals?

Allan

So i just went over what i usually eat and surprisingly i don't think i eat more than 1400 calories with my regular eating habits. Of course i have a beer or a piece of cake once in a while,but that is basically it. I don't eat junk food/candy etc and i don't drink anything other than water. I can't figure out exactly how many calories i'm eating now on the diet but i would guess it's about the same amount just different foods and of course the beer and cake are out.
I'm not really good with all this,can you explain how am i gaining weight if i'm eating so little? Is it just the no activity?
So what would be the right level of a calorie deficit?
And is weight lifting really going to do the trick? Keep in mind that my strength is down to zero after all this time,it will take my a while to get to an effective level.

psuLemon

Based on your stats and workout routine, you should probably be eating around 1700 calories. I would also put you around 40% carbs, 30% protein and fats and do not eat back exercise calories. With that said, you should have a good food scale and realize that 6 weeks is NOT enough time to lose that much weight and get back to your old look. I would also recommend a good weight training program with some moderate cardio so you can concentrate on composition. If you want to lose some water weight fast, the two weeks before your event, go low carb, something like 50gs a day.That will cause your body to start less water/glycogen and you can easily lose 5 lbs or so. But realize, it will come back once you bring back carbs.

Second, going gluten free will do nothing for you. If you aren't intolerant, it's worthless to go gluten free. Increasing protein and fats, like you did will make dieting easier, but gluten by and in itself has no affect on weight loss. In fact, many GF items have higher calories.

The biggest keys to success is being consistent (logging daily) and being accurate (using a food scale for solids, cups/spoons for liquids). Monitor progress for 4-6 weeks and evaluate your plan. After that time period you can adjust.

lilly57573

Just weighed myself for the second time since i started,2.5 weeks in and i gained 1 lb.
I really don't understand how it is possible and i'm really frustrated.
I don't think i have a repressed metabolism since i never "repress" myself in any way.
So is my only option calorie deficit? If i'm eating 1400 calories on my usual day,i would have to go down to 1000 to lose,that sound a bit crazy to me.
I do think i lost a inch off my waist because my clothing are getting a little loose,but i keep reading that exercise won't do the trick without losing overall body fat so i'm guessing i'm not gonna be able to get the results i want without losing my extra pounds.
What am i doing wrong?

ana3067

Hi there,

The only way to lose weight is to be in a calorie deficit. By going to the gym you are trying to create the deficit through exercise, which is fine, but if you aren't counting calories you could easily be cancelling out the deficit by eating more, as the exercise is probably making you hungrier with your body needing more fuel to maintain your weight. I would suggest counting calories for a few days just to get an idea of how much you are eating, or you could use one of the online calculators to figure out how many cals you need to maintain your weight, eat that and create the deficit you need through exercise. As a general rule of thumb, 1lb = 3500 calories, so to lose 1lb per week you would need to burn 500 calories a day at the gym. Since you don't have much to lose many people will suggest a goal of half a lb per week (which would mean you are pretty much on track if you lost a pound! yay!)

Also, 2 weeks isn't really long enough to tell if you are losing weight. If you think you are eating the same as before you could easily be retaining water from exercise. This always happens to me when I start a new exercise program, especially weights! If your muscles are sore that is a good indicator that they might be holding onto water to repair.

Anywhoo, in my opinion you are probably on track, 1lb in 2 weeks is good for sustainable weight loss, and if you find that after 4-6 weeks you're not seeing results you could always start counting calories

Some good advice, although instead of a generic 500 calorie deficit (through food or exercise, but creating a deficit through food is MUCH easier to control as you can adjust hte deficit when you change activity levels), use 20% maximum as a deficit. So if you maintain on 2500, then yes 500 would be your deficit. If you maintain on 2300 though, then 460 is your deficit.

ana3067

Just weighed myself for the second time since i started,2.5 weeks in and i gained 1 lb.
I really don't understand how it is possible and i'm really frustrated.
I don't think i have a repressed metabolism since i never "repress" myself in any way.
So is my only option calorie deficit? If i'm eating 1400 calories on my usual day,i would have to go down to 1000 to lose,that sound a bit crazy to me.
I do think i lost a inch off my waist because my clothing are getting a little loose,but i keep reading that exercise won't do the trick without losing overall body fat so i'm guessing i'm not gonna be able to get the results i want without losing my extra pounds.
What am i doing wrong?

Your deficit is probably too low. If you were maintaining or gaining weight on 1400 calories a day, chances are you have been undereating for too long and have affected your metabolism negatively.

Calculate your estimated TDEE from websites like exrx.net or health-calc (I like to average them out for myself or use health-calc), subtract 20% from it, and start eating that much. Chances are it will be higher than 1400, in which case add 50-100 calories every week depending on how much higher the deficit comes out to be, and add until you reach that new deficit. Then eat that amount for a while and monitor your weight and measurements.

Also, log accurately. Weighing is ideal, but if you don't want to bother then measure everything. Weighing is the best option.

lilly57573

Just weighed myself for the second time since i started,2.5 weeks in and i gained 1 lb.
I really don't understand how it is possible and i'm really frustrated.
I don't think i have a repressed metabolism since i never "repress" myself in any way.
So is my only option calorie deficit? If i'm eating 1400 calories on my usual day,i would have to go down to 1000 to lose,that sound a bit crazy to me.
I do think i lost a inch off my waist because my clothing are getting a little loose,but i keep reading that exercise won't do the trick without losing overall body fat so i'm guessing i'm not gonna be able to get the results i want without losing my extra pounds.
What am i doing wrong?

Your deficit is probably too low. If you were maintaining or gaining weight on 1400 calories a day, chances are you have been undereating for too long and have affected your metabolism negatively.

Calculate your estimated TDEE from websites like exrx.net or health-calc (I like to average them out for myself or use health-calc), subtract 20% from it, and start eating that much. Chances are it will be higher than 1400, in which case add 50-100 calories every week depending on how much higher the deficit comes out to be, and add until you reach that new deficit. Then eat that amount for a while and monitor your weight and measurements.

Also, log accurately. Weighing is ideal, but if you don't want to bother then measure everything. Weighing is the best option.

I'm not eating at a deficit,not now,not ever. 1400 calories for me means eating whatever and whenever i want,always been that way. When i'm hungry i eat,when i want to snack i snack and i'm never hungry with 1400 calories. It never affected my weight before,i was always skinny and fit. But now when i have the extra pounds on it means i will have to deficit from 1400.
Just checked my TDEE -1574. Which means 20% would be 1259.2, Isn't that a little crazy?

dmt4641

I don't know where you go that tdee number. If you are really exercising an hour and half several times a week, your tdee is closer to 2100 and -20% is 1729. My guess is that you tracked a random day guessing at amounts without measuring and you are actually eating more than 1400. People always eat less than they think if it is based on memory and without weighing. You are young and will bounce back once you start lifting weights and watching what you eat, but you will probably not be toned with lots of muscle in 6 weeks. Lift heavier weights, track what you are eating accurately (weight and measure) and you will look better in 6 weeks.

ana3067

Just weighed myself for the second time since i started,2.5 weeks in and i gained 1 lb.
I really don't understand how it is possible and i'm really frustrated.
I don't think i have a repressed metabolism since i never "repress" myself in any way.
So is my only option calorie deficit? If i'm eating 1400 calories on my usual day,i would have to go down to 1000 to lose,that sound a bit crazy to me.
I do think i lost a inch off my waist because my clothing are getting a little loose,but i keep reading that exercise won't do the trick without losing overall body fat so i'm guessing i'm not gonna be able to get the results i want without losing my extra pounds.
What am i doing wrong?

Your deficit is probably too low. If you were maintaining or gaining weight on 1400 calories a day, chances are you have been undereating for too long and have affected your metabolism negatively.

Calculate your estimated TDEE from websites like exrx.net or health-calc (I like to average them out for myself or use health-calc), subtract 20% from it, and start eating that much. Chances are it will be higher than 1400, in which case add 50-100 calories every week depending on how much higher the deficit comes out to be, and add until you reach that new deficit. Then eat that amount for a while and monitor your weight and measurements.

Also, log accurately. Weighing is ideal, but if you don't want to bother then measure everything. Weighing is the best option.

I'm not eating at a deficit,not now,not ever. 1400 calories for me means eating whatever and whenever i want,always been that way. When i'm hungry i eat,when i want to snack i snack and i'm never hungry with 1400 calories. It never affected my weight before,i was always skinny and fit. But now when i have the extra pounds on it means i will have to deficit from 1400.
Just checked my TDEE -1574. Which means 20% would be 1259.2, Isn't that a little crazy?

For your TDEE to be that low, you must either be very short (like 4' something), not exercise at all, and/or be much older.

Like dmt said, you've probably miscalculated or are using calculators that significantly underestimate. Or you are using MFP's calculations, which are NET, meaning they are assuming your activity level is based on daily living without exercise.

For me, 1400 IS repressed. I am eating 2100 for fat loss with 5 hours of exercise a week.

I'd recommend you share your hours spent per week/day on average doing the following: sleeping/reclining, standing and walking around, light exercise (e.g. housework, might raise your heart rate a bit but you can still converse and sing while doing it), moderate exercise (likely to sweat more, but you will have a higher heart rate and likely could not sing while exercising), and vigorous exercise (no singing/talking of any kind because you're exerting yourself too much).

Oh also, I rec that you make your diary public.

RHachicho

Sorry to say this sounds like a classic case of muscular atrophy. And there is no quick fix for that. It will require months or even years of dedication to physical activity to restore your former physique.

Thing is you probably haven't gained that much actual fat. It's just hat your muscles themselves have shrunk due to disuse. And are no longer holding the fat you have into any kind of pleasing shape. My advice, ditch the "light" strength training and start lifting as heavy as you can. And make sure you get plenty of protein. Lost muscle can often come back a good deal faster than new muscle can be put on. And though you may not get the results you are looking for 6 weeks of lifting heavy and eating right is a better bet than a diet for a chance of a better looking body in just 6 weeks.

ana3067

BTW to OP, just calculated your info using the exrx.net calculator (which gives a lower estimate) and your TDEE is closer to 2120, meaning that 1700 is enough of a deficit for you to lose fat.

So... yes, you're undereating, and your metabolism has been affected by this. Start slowly adding in 50-100 calories every week until you reach 1700 and monitor your resuslts, or start eating 1700 right away and monitor for a month, OR eat 2100 and see whether your weight remains stable for a month and if it does then eat 1700 to lose some fat.

At a nearly 35% deficit, I can see why you are having issues. And your muscles likely have atrophied. So... eat more.

sloth3toes

I'm not eating at a deficit,not now,not ever. 1400 calories for me means eating whatever and whenever i want,always been that way. When i'm hungry i eat,when i want to snack i snack and i'm never hungry with 1400 calories.

So, you eat what you want, whenever you want, and it always totals 1400 calories, every day? :huh:

lilly57573

Thank you all,i really appreciate your input!
Sorry,i forgot to mention i calculate my TDEE without the exercise since i don't know if i will have the time to exercise at this rate every week. On a average day i'm not active at all so i don't have much to share ana. I sit in a office for 12 hours a day and by the time i get home i'm so tired and lazy i don't move.
I'm not expert but i think what RHachicho said about muscular atrophy makes much more sense than a repressed metabolism since i was always eating like this but when i was active i had no weight problem at all (not too skinny either,i had the flat stomach but had the toned curves and butt as well) I think that if i would go back to the level of activity that i use to do on my regular daily routine i would get fit in no time but unfortunately i can't do that.
Now,to all of you telling me to lift heavy: Is that all it takes? I keep seeing everywhere that no matter how much strength training you do- you are not going to see results without losing overall body fat. So if i start doing serious lifting and forget about the scale,what happens to the extra pounds?
I would also really appreciate more info about lifting: How many times,for how long,what should i be concentrating on?

lilly57573

I'm not eating at a deficit,not now,not ever. 1400 calories for me means eating whatever and whenever i want,always been that way. When i'm hungry i eat,when i want to snack i snack and i'm never hungry with 1400 calories.

So, you eat what you want, whenever you want, and it always totals 1400 calories, every day? :huh:

That's the estimate. Of course i do have a extra piece of cake or a few drinks once in awhile but i calculated what i eat in a week and that is what i came up with.
I eat pretty healthy: whole grains,almost no sweets,no sodas\juices,no junk food etc

cookmtn

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/737101-relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner?page=2%252523posts-19474154

Please read and Good Luck!

psuLemon

I'm not eating at a deficit,not now,not ever. 1400 calories for me means eating whatever and whenever i want,always been that way. When i'm hungry i eat,when i want to snack i snack and i'm never hungry with 1400 calories.

So, you eat what you want, whenever you want, and it always totals 1400 calories, every day? :huh:

That's the estimate. Of course i do have a extra piece of cake or a few drinks once in awhile but i calculated what i eat in a week and that is what i came up with.
I eat pretty healthy: whole grains,almost no sweets,no sodas\juices,no junk food etc

Do you use a food scale? Do you log everything you eat? It sounds like you don't which means you are probably eating more than you think. Also, weight fluctuates a lot daily. Some weeks you gain, some you lose and some you will maintain. It's about long term trends. Also, with that much exercise, you are bound to have a lot of water retention from your body working to repair your muscles.