For the people who work out like crazy and are not losing

janiscurry

Great info...thank you for posting!

sleight119

ok this must mean me I got the hint the not eating has caused me to over eat the junk this week so its back on and I am going to try and not get carried away

Newfiedan

sometimes it takes time to come to peace with working with your body and not against it.

katschi

sometimes it takes time to come to peace with working with your body and not against it.

Sometimes it takes until you're 50. :happy:

Newfiedan

lol some never do.

anna441

Bump

susiesexy

bump - great advice

williamev1999

Very nice post!

dawniewest

I so agree! Now I need to get back into weight lifting mode. I never looked better than when I was doing that! Now that my diet is better I expect to see even better results!

nancee50150

Excellent post! Bump!

Newfiedan

lol dawniewest, your a cool gal glad to have you on my friends list.

allypally9

I have my calories set at 1270 currently as my profile has me as 'lightly active'. I work out most days and eat my exercise calories and rarely have a deficit more than 100 calories. I have slowly lost some weight but after a loss it will be about 2 weeks before I see any further loss. I put this down to the fact that I have never actually been overweight, i was just teetering on the edge and decided to do something about it sooner rather than later! Am I correct in thinking that as long as you make up the deficit from exercise that the body will continue to burn fat as it knows it will continue to be fed?
Thanks!

Newfiedan

in simplest terms if you feed the body right it will shed the fat, so yes you are correct, keeping the metabolic rate at its best means not going below 1200 net for a day but to make it run at its peak you need to look at eating enough proper nutrition to make it work at its best.

lealarson

Great post! Exactly what I needed to hear right about now. Thanks

chicalatte

Ok guys I have read sooooooo many posts with this in the topic that I simply had to write this, now you may say he is crazy or that I am so full of crap that my eyes are brown but I have spent many years up and down with weight and for the first time in my life it is sticking and I am not just weighing less but I have my health back through diet. Now you may ask should I model myself after this guy, my answer is simply no, you need to find what works for you but the basic building blocks I do recommend as your foundation. So here I am breaking it down for you.

1) Ditch the bloody scale, its the greasy car salesman of the weight loss world, either get a good measuring tape or one of the sales that reads body fat. The goal here for all of you should be to preserve muscle tissue as that is what will burn the fat, and for those who say its near impossible to gain muscle on a cal restricted diet I say no its not, I am living proof of that. I have made significant strength gains on a cal restricted diet and my arms which were fat to start measure a 1/4" bigger while I am much leaner.

2) Diet and nutrition are 2 very different things, feeding the body correctly will always have a positive result, take the time to educate yourself and learn about clean eating and how to get off the junk, make them small changes the devil is in the details, for example if you only change 1 meal a day it will have positive results. (If you are going to do this I recommend breakfast as a start) A big healthy breakfast gets the metabolic rate fired first thing in the morning, and gets the day off right. Don't have time you say? Bullcrap you do, 5 mins for your health is not a big thing to ask a good protein shake with some fruit and a slice of rye bread toasted with some peanut butter will not deprive you of that all important sleep.

3) Do not expect the huge weight loss numbers every week, they are going to take time, you did not get fat overnight and you are not going to get skinny overnight, why should you expect to lose the weight in 1 month? Did you put on that extra 4 dress or pant sizes overnight?

4) If you have hit a true plateau (meaning 3 weeks or more) with 0 loss or 0 gain then your body has gotten used to what you are doing or you are not meeting your dietary needs, for the girls burning 7000 cals a week and eating 1200 a day this is pointed at you, for the love of god its common freakin sense, you are not feeding your body so it is feeding off itself in a catabolic state its not rocket science. Learn about catabolic and anabolic states for the body, take the time to educate yourself. I recently helped one of the girls who was in your boat and following my advice he has lost 3 pounds this week eating nearly double what she was. (1200 cals to 2000 cals and those were quality cals including FAT)

5) Form a group of friend who support your goals, negativity will not help you so if you have that in your life then find a way out of that and into a positive environment. If that is not easy for you then learn to develop the inner strength needed to be positive and stay positive.

6) For the people who are eating less but not feeding the body right, make it smart choices, you do not need to be a diet nazi eating nothing but veggies and fruits to get results but you do need to start seriously looking at your overall health, small changes snowball into big results. Once every few weeks go out and splurge, have a cheat day and enjoy it because it will not adversely affect you the body needs that cheat day sometimes to keep the metabolic rate going.

7) Fat is not the enemy here, good fats like omega 3s, salmon, fish, avocado, and nuts (almonds in particular) are great sources of good fats, eating these will actually aid in your weight loss not hurt it.

8) Workout recovery does not require super expensive protein shakes or gimmicky type crap. The best bodybuilders I have known know the secret is simple, chocolate milk. 1-2 cups 10mins post workout (the sugar does not go to the waistline or thighs it goes right into the muscles) followed 15 mins later with a good healthy protein shake with some fruit in it will benefit immensely with workout recovery. Now if your goal is not muscle gain then sure you can reduce that protein but make sure you get some in, you want to avoid a catabolic state at all costs.

9) This is a journey to a lifestyle change for the better, enjoy the trip and chronicle it for your own good, take a day a week to reflect on it and learn to love yourself, you deserve the best in life and to have your health is not something which should be optional, it should be something that is mandatory for you. I can stand here and preach all day to you about healthy eating and working out but until you hit that point where it becomes mandatory then you are not ready to really hear what I have said previously.

if you are going to add me as a friend then include the reason in you request otherwise I will decline it.

I have a question.

The past 3 days have been horrid for me *really bad junk food eating*

My net goal for cals should be 1200 right? So if I eat lets say 1800 cals but burn off 600 which would equal out 1200 net cals would I still lose weight? Cause I think I read somewhere that 1200 for those who don't exercise but if you exercise you have to eat more. Can you clarify for me please?

I feel like if I eat over 1200 cals *even with exercise*, I am going to gain or not lose at all.

Newfiedan

Think of it like a car as most of us can relate to that. You are given a car (your body) and you are given a set destination (goal weight) Now given the amount of fuel (calories) that mfp alots you it will get you there in 6 hours. Now when you drive faster (working out) you burn that fuel quicker and will start to break down unless you add more fuel (eating back cals used). The whole point of driving faster is to get to that destination quicker. The problem is that some of us exceed the safe speed (not eating back the cals) and the cops pull you over (this is your metabolism). Now you can cheat it a little in that staying above 1200 net cals a day for short bursts before the body says "oh no you don't" and stalls you out by either eating the muscle you put on for fuel or dropping metabolic rate on you. Its not a choice you make it is your bodies and is totally out of your control until you learn to work with it and not against it. I say that working out is not to burn off fat, which it is not as we will not burn the fat off by exercise alone, it is what happens inside the body that burns the fat off which is a raised metabolic rate that will burn off that fat all on its own without you even thinking about it. It can be as simple as more out vs less in to some extent before the body says f**k you and slows you down. This is why I preach time and again that hunger has nothing to do with nutrition, I can feed someone crap all day and they will never get hungry but will gain fat like crazy, or I can really feed the body what it needs and it will shed that fat like its going out of style.

I liken it to spoiled child, give it what it wants and its happy (fat loss), take away what it wants and it freaks (fat gain). Which would you rather have?

kswizzy

ur body needs that cheat day.
THATS MY FAVORITE PART! (and what i've always told my friends and family who wondered how I could occasionally go have a milkshake with fries and a burger or eat that brownie sunday with hot fudge after a ridiculous meal out... and still be trim and cut). I tried to explain that I ran 3 days a week.. and lifted weights and my body could "afford it" and that I needed it to 1. be sane and 2. not to plateau. But you put it in way better words than I ever could!

Bravo!

Newfiedan

lol, ty.

crayfish408

Great read! I knew most of the information you provided, but it's nice to be reminded and your wording was great. Skipping meals/harsh calorie restrictions seems like the "easiest and quickest" way to lose weight, but I know through knowledge and experience, it's not. After giving birth to my son almost 9 months ago, I'm still the heaviest that I've ever been and am miserable. I started on this site the first of March, and it has changed my outlook a little bit and the "inner, true me" seems achievable and not just a distant memory. The scale is the devil... But I can't help put look! I decided to weigh the first of every month so the daily fluctuating won't discourage my ultimate goal of a healthy weight and lifestyle change. Reading posts like yours helps to keep my mind on track.

Newfiedan

Here is an exercise that I recommended to one of my friends that added me on here, she has some medical issues that slow down her weight loss but I would like to pass this on in hopes that it helps some of you. I believe that the mind is a powerful healer and that a positive outlook provides just a many benefits as good diet. So here is what I told her;

"I want you to do this a min of once every 2 days, sit for 5 mins and visualize yourself as happy and at the desired weight, and the current weight you have on as a weight (similar to one wearing a heavy backpack) this weight is going to help you get to your goal not hinder it. i want you to breathe deeply and when you exhale all that negative energy (poor self confidence if you have that) is exiting the body, with each deep breath in you feel the weight lifting off of you. "

chicalatte

Think of it like a car as most of us can relate to that. You are given a car (your body) and you are given a set destination (goal weight) Now given the amount of fuel (calories) that mfp alots you it will get you there in 6 hours. Now when you drive faster (working out) you burn that fuel quicker and will start to break down unless you add more fuel (eating back cals used). The whole point of driving faster is to get to that destination quicker. The problem is that some of us exceed the safe speed (not eating back the cals) and the cops pull you over (this is your metabolism). Now you can cheat it a little in that staying above 1200 net cals a day for short bursts before the body says "oh no you don't" and stalls you out by either eating the muscle you put on for fuel or dropping metabolic rate on you. Its not a choice you make it is your bodies and is totally out of your control until you learn to work with it and not against it. I say that working out is not to burn off fat, which it is not as we will not burn the fat off by exercise alone, it is what happens inside the body that burns the fat off which is a raised metabolic rate that will burn off that fat all on its own without you even thinking about it. It can be as simple as more out vs less in to some extent before the body says f**k you and slows you down. This is why I preach time and again that hunger has nothing to do with nutrition, I can feed someone crap all day and they will never get hungry but will gain fat like crazy, or I can really feed the body what it needs and it will shed that fat like its going out of style.

I liken it to spoiled child, give it what it wants and its happy (fat loss), take away what it wants and it freaks (fat gain). Which would you rather have?

Thanks lol

ladyhawk00

Bump!

rocky03

bump

LisaKyle11

Hi -

Great post, thank you!

Just a question regarding what I didn't see listed in it... (didn't check it on Facebook, just here). What about all those theories that plateaus can happen when some aren't eating ENOUGH calories? I have read many, many posts and articles on other sites that illustrate stories of those who plateaued, even for long periods of time, and eventually tried eating MORE, and then started losing again. I am about to give this theory a little try, as I've been on a plateau forever it seems (only 8-10 pounds to lose). There have been times when I've vacationed, not exercised nearly as much, but ate notably more (pretty healthy still, but definitely more), and lost 2-4 pounds within two weeks. Strange it seems, but I think there is really something to this. Our bodies must resist losing that last 'bit' of fat and/or keeps trying to hold on to it in case of famine, etc...

Any thoughts, experiences?

Newfiedan

You bet, not eating enough stops the fat burning machine dead in its tracks. The body does not like it when you do not feed it and will consequently go into that starvation mode where it will cease all fat loss and slow down the metabolic rate on you no matter how much you work out. You can literally go to the gym 18 hours a day and work like mad and never drop a single pound if you do not feed the body. This has been one of the hardest things I have getting across to many people whom have asked me for advice, getting it across that to lose fat you need to eat more.

nam14uk

What a great post! Thanks so much for putting it so simply!

Newfiedan

thanks, I hope that the message gets across to those who need it.

Therapist_mama

Great advice! I will definitely reread this post for continued direction and encouragement! Thanks for taking the time to share your wisdom with us!

Newfiedan

bump

ImperfektAngel

I had been doing quite well with losing weight up until I went under 200lbs. I currently eat about 1600 calories a day, gym days are higher in good carbs where non gym days are higher in fats but always staying at 1600 calories. I workout (only cardio) 4 times a week and burn approximately 500 calories each time, I do not eat back the the calories I have burned off ever. I try and improve my distance every time as well, to try and burn more off. I only use MFP to keep track of my food, I already knew how much to eat therefore I do not use the calculations MFP gives. My goal is to take fat off! So why is it no longer coming off, I have not seen a change since after the holidays (about January) and also I do have a cheat day every three weeks.

here is what my food looks like

Gym Day

134g Carbs
134g Protein
59 Fats

Non Gym Days

33g Carbs
134g Protein
104g Fat