I'm working out properly but not losing weight

GrahamBarwick

Building muscle is a good starting point for loosing fat because it raises the amount of calories your body burns for any activity (including doing nothing) - lets say for a simple example, before your built muscle your body would burn 2000 calories if you just went to work then came home and sat on the sofa. Now if you do the same it burns 5% more, so you burn 2100 calories doing the same. Generally weight lifting does not, in its own right, burn many calories - An hour of weights ~250 Calories and 15 minutes of CV will be 200 Calories = 450 Cals - even with the extra 5% you earned its going to be closer to 500 Calories. (5% was a randomly chosen number - you have to check this out for yourself)

Fat loss is a simple question of Calories in - Calories out. if you do all the above daily, your calories out is going to be around 2500. If your calories in is the same, you keep the fat. If its less, you loose it. 500 Calories per day will give you about 1lb per week weight (fat) loss. You will not put on muscle at anything like this rate!

You can dramatically increase your calories out by doing more CV work - I suggest you do at least 10 minutes as a warm up (this is good practice regardless of your targets) and 30 minutes after you do your 1hr weights - this will make your gym session closer to 700 Calories.

If you want to loose quicker, throw in a couple of CV days where you only do CV work - an hour and a half of dedicated work will get you +1200 Calories... Personally I burn 450 Cals per half hour on CV pretty consistently - I think you will be similar.

well said

monkeymouse74

I agree with you by this stage you should be dropping weight. If you eat the calories appointed here on mfp, you wont lose the weight because the exercise calories are very exaggerated! get a heart rate monitor to get a more realistic view of burned calories. I also know a number of people who train using the pyramid way to cut down and it's very effective. So starting with a low weight even if it's the lowest one, do a set of 12, then step up to the next weight and do 10, then up again and do 8, then up again and do 6, then drop to lowest or second lowest weight and finnish with 12. Do upper body one day and lower the next (so your muscle had a chance to repair, and cardio on the tird day. And do abbs everyday. Cardio is very important for weightloss and to work on the pyramid way, start on low intensity stepping the intensity up every 5 min and last 10 min bring it back to your start intensity but give it all you've got! It should burn like hell!!! So the idea is to ulternate with upper body, lower body then cardio. Not on the same day except for abbs which is everyday. Do 6 days a week and give it a break on the 7th day. Your workouts wont be as long, but they will be more effective.

Be carefull with your diet for the six days and have a cheat day on the 7th day. A good idea is to eat 5 to 6 small meals a day (protien is important). If breakfast is difficult, try boiling eggs and keeping them in the fridge, it's easy to grab a few on your way out the door. some fruit at mid morning. eat half your lunch at lunchtime and the other half mid afternoon and then a small healthy meal for dinner.

Please dont feel I'm preaching at you, I have a long way to go, I've just seen the most amaizing results on this plan, and I'm going to follow it to get to my goal

MaximalLife

Also, take some physical measurments if you aren't doing so already. Chest, Waist, Biceps, Thighs etc.
I was working out like a demon in September, only dropped 2lbs in 20 days, but lost 5cm around the waist.

I use this site to track body fat through certain body measurements.

Body Fat
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

engineman312

compare before an after pictures.

BerryH

get a heart rate monitor to get a more realistic view of burned calories. he most amaizing results on this plan, and I'm going to follow it to get to my goal

Sorry to step in here, but if weight-lifting is your main form of exercise, an HRM won't give you an accurate burn.

But as often gets quoted here "abs are made in the kitchen" so check your diet first and foremost.

david_swinstead

I don't really have any before photos, maybe it's time I started taking some now so I can compare again in a few weeks/months... I can describe what the before/after pictures would look like though.

My body shape has changed, because my shoulders and chest are a *lot* bigger from the muscle mass. Shirts don't fit me round the shoulders anymore. Arms are gradually growing too, and my legs (quads especially) are getting really, really big.

But my belly fat isn't going anywhere, nor are my love handles.

I'll take a current photo when I get in tonight. Just don't tell my gym friends I've been taking shirtless photos in the mirror - I'll never live it down!

vanessaclarkgbr

I'd definitely log religiously for the next two weeks. Use cups, scales whatever - I think you may be surprised. If I go through a few 'guess' days and then weigh out the portions I had later, I always underestimate what I've had.

I'm not saying live life obsessively - we all go over sometimes, but be honest by measuring and tracking and see what you find out there.

Good luck!

monkeymouse74

get a heart rate monitor to get a more realistic view of burned calories. he most amaizing results on this plan, and I'm going to follow it to get to my goal

Sorry to step in here, but if weight-lifting is your main form of exercise, an HRM won't give you an accurate burn.

But as often gets quoted here "abs are made in the kitchen" so check your diet first and foremost.

Sorry, I meant for your cv days:blushing:

david_swinstead

Also, take some physical measurments if you aren't doing so already. Chest, Waist, Biceps, Thighs etc.
I was working out like a demon in September, only dropped 2lbs in 20 days, but lost 5cm around the waist.

I use this site to track body fat through certain body measurements.

Body Fat
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

Wow, I just used that link with some rough measurements and it put my body fat down to 19% instead of 28%. Maybe the earlier poster was right and my weight watchers scales are wildly inaccurate.

When I get in tonight I'll be doing it properly with accurate measurements. Thanks!

conniehv40

My husband worked out for more than 4 months like crazy. He even got a personal trainer with weights etc.

He then lost 30 pounds when he also put that energy into watching what he ate. He cut cream to non-fat, he ate apples and blueberries, he ate cereal for dinner if he got home really late--yogurt and salad. It was crazy, but he ended up losing almost 30 pounds while working out AND dieting.

engineman312

it took a while, and i have finally convinced myself you are not a troll. sorry, but there have been some trollers here from bodybuilding websites.

unfortunatly, where you want to lose weight the most is going to be the last place you lose. keep eating at a deficit, and keep working out.

you do primarily strength training, and you seem to eating tons of protein, so you are building muscle. do you do any cardio? try doing circuits if you don't already, with cardio mixed in. for example: 400meter run on treadmill, set of squats, set of push ups, set of pull ups, repeat 4 times.

david_swinstead

it took a while, and i have finally convinced myself you are not a troll. sorry, but there have been some trollers here from bodybuilding websites.

unfortunatly, where you want to lose weight the most is going to be the last place you lose. keep eating at a deficit, and keep working out.

you do primarily strength training, and you seem to eating tons of protein, so you are building muscle. do you do any cardio? try doing circuits if you don't already, with cardio mixed in. for example: 400meter run on treadmill, set of squats, set of push ups, set of pull ups, repeat 4 times.

Haha! No, I am not a troll

Yea I do cardio but probably not as much as I should. Usually around 15 minutes per gym session, sometimes more but never more than half an hour. I find it very easy to get/stay motivated when doing strength training because I enjoy it, but I really don't like putting myself through cardio so it's hard to keep at it.

I guess I have got it into my head that if I just do the best kind of cardio for metabolism boosting (HIIT) then it doesn't matter if I only do a little bit. But from all the comments on here, I guess that's not entirely true.

Secret_Agent_007

I think you need to eat more.... and share your diary so we can see.

^^^ this, plus eat more often. You NEED breakfast to kick start your metabolism and then split your meals so your body doesn't store your dinner till noon the next day.

engineman312

it took a while, and i have finally convinced myself you are not a troll. sorry, but there have been some trollers here from bodybuilding websites.

unfortunatly, where you want to lose weight the most is going to be the last place you lose. keep eating at a deficit, and keep working out.

you do primarily strength training, and you seem to eating tons of protein, so you are building muscle. do you do any cardio? try doing circuits if you don't already, with cardio mixed in. for example: 400meter run on treadmill, set of squats, set of push ups, set of pull ups, repeat 4 times.

Haha! No, I am not a troll

Yea I do cardio but probably not as much as I should. Usually around 15 minutes per gym session, sometimes more but never more than half an hour. I find it very easy to get/stay motivated when doing strength training because I enjoy it, but I really don't like putting myself through cardio so it's hard to keep at it.

I guess I have got it into my head that if I just do the best kind of cardio for metabolism boosting (HIIT) then it doesn't matter if I only do a little bit. But from all the comments on here, I guess that's not entirely true.

hmmm. HIIT cardio is good, and so is long endurance cardio. if all you can do is 15-20 minutes of carido, then stick to the HIIT running or cycling.

mikeyrp

it took a while, and i have finally convinced myself you are not a troll. sorry, but there have been some trollers here from bodybuilding websites.

<Rant Mode>

MFP is NOT a weight loss web site - its a health & fitness web site and it is perfectly legitimate for body builders, people on weight gain diets, maintainers seeking healthier food choices and people looking to loose weight alike.

</Rant Mode>

EricMurano

LOL @ most of the advice in this thread!

engineman312

it took a while, and i have finally convinced myself you are not a troll. sorry, but there have been some trollers here from bodybuilding websites.

<Rant Mode>

MFP is NOT a weight loss web site - its a health & fitness web site and it is perfectly legitimate for body builders, people on weight gain diets, maintainers seeking healthier food choices and people looking to loose weight alike.

</Rant Mode>

i said nothing to the contrary. like i said, there were body builder here trolling the $h!t out of the boards, and then joking about it back on their forums.

williammcginn

Try tracking body fat percentage over weight loss. Sounds like you're on the right track but if your real goal is is to lose weight, I needn't tell you that losing weight really comes down to arithmetic in that you need to burn more than your taking in. From what your telling us... you might try increasing the amount of cardio you're doing each week and trying a thermogenic fat burner such as RoxyLean. I have had some success with this product and you can purchase this on bodybuilding wholesale websites such as TFSupplements.com (normally at a substantial discount as compared to retail).

mikeyrp

engineman312 - Fair enough - I think you touch a nerve of mine by accident

ArroganceInStep

<Rant>
If you're having trouble losing weight, chances are it has something to do with your diet. In all but a very few cases, it's easier to take in calories than it is to burn them. I would strongly suggest you start religiously tracking your food intake. That means measuring servings of everything, and logging EVERYTHING you eat/drink. It's a pain in the *kitten*, but those indulgences you mentioned really can add up if you're not paying attention. I go by the saying weight loss is 85% diet and 15% exercise because I really do think it's true.

Now, to cover the remaining 15%, if a certain exercise strategy isn't working for you, try something else. You're doing circuit style lifting and supplementing that with a small amount of cardio. Are you making progress? Are you using heavier weights now than you were when you started? If so stick with it, but if not consider trying something different. I am personally a huge fan of Stronglifts 5x5. I find I make the most gains on a program like that three days a week. If you were to pick a similar program, you could do that say on MWF and then do a full cardio session TTh or TThSa. Just a thought, loaded with my own personal bias. Again stick with what you enjoy and what works for you, because as I said already the biggest thing is your diet. Anyone who tries to tell you that you can lose weight just working out and without worrying about your diet is either going to have you exercising for 8 hours+ a day or is trying to sell you something.

Good luck to you!
</Rant>

JeninBelgium

Not to sound harsh but....

Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat!!! How can 5lbs of muscle weigh more than 5lbs of fat? Fat is thicker than muscle but does not weigh more!! That is an old myth!!

ok 5 lbs is 5 lbs - but what respondant means is muscle is denser than fat - thus for an equal volume of fat and muscle - the muscle will weigh more than fat

engineman312

Not to sound harsh but....

Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat!!! How can 5lbs of muscle weigh more than 5lbs of fat? Fat is thicker than muscle but does not weigh more!! That is an old myth!!

ok 5 lbs is 5 lbs - but what respondant means is muscle is denser than fat - thus for an equal volume of fat and muscle - the muscle will weigh more than fat

lets not turn this into one of those threads.

kyle4jem

My body shape has changed, because my shoulders and chest are a *lot* bigger from the muscle mass. Shirts don't fit me round the shoulders anymore. Arms are gradually growing too, and my legs (quads especially) are getting really, really big.

But my belly fat isn't going anywhere, nor are my love handles.

Now I've never been BIG in a sculpted way (in a blobby way, yes, but never with muscles) however, when I was at my fittest I always had a jelly belly and moobs and despite all the workouts and training I did, I never managed to shift them.

Of course now - some 20yrs on - I realise that ultimately it's all down to diet and no matter how "good" I was, I was always maintaining at 70-72kg and probably needed to lose that extra 5kg to get rid of the puppy fat. As I approach my half-centenary I will probably be happy with that jelly belly (and still have about 20kg of excess blobby to get rid of) but who knows how successful 2012 might prove to be :happy:

david_swinstead

Yes, 5lbs is 5lbs no matter what makes up that weight. This is not a revelation to anybody over the age of 5.

I didn't realise I was going to have my words picked apart, otherwise I'd have chosen them more carefully.

Of course I meant to say that muscle mass is more dense than fat.

david_swinstead

Not to sound harsh but....

Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat!!! How can 5lbs of muscle weigh more than 5lbs of fat? Fat is thicker than muscle but does not weigh more!! That is an old myth!!

ok 5 lbs is 5 lbs - but what respondant means is muscle is denser than fat - thus for an equal volume of fat and muscle - the muscle will weigh more than fat

lets not turn this into one of those threads.

Exactly!

psuLemon

Well you are definitely eating at a surplus because you can't gain 17 lbs in 4 months on a deficit. There are a few things you can do, track your food more accurately, or increase the intensity of the workouts to offset the additional calories. HIIT is a great way to burn tons of calories over conventional cardio. Also, look into doing complex weight lifting techniques that utilize your lower body and upper to enter into your anaerobic threshold; such as a lunge with a shoulder press. It will bring up your heart rate while working more muscles than just a normal shoulder press.

Huffdogg

Not to sound harsh but....

Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat!!! How can 5lbs of muscle weigh more than 5lbs of fat? Fat is thicker than muscle but does not weigh more!! That is an old myth!!

What a silly comment. That is like saying that bricks do not weigh more than feathers. Of course it does. An VOLUME of muscle weighs more than an equal volume of fat. It is denser, therefore it weighs more. Obviously no one is saying that a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat.

Huffdogg

eat breakfast, no matter how early mate. Your body will store your first meal at lunch as fat if not because its been starved from the night before.

I didnt eat breakfast for 12 years, i couldn't do that now, it kick starts your body and metabolism, best way to burn fat and add muscle is by having your body working to its best, which you need to be eating breakie to do achieve

Sorry but this is quite simply not true. The body takes much longer than 10 hours to enter "emergency fat storage" mode. In fact, after roughly 12 hours of fasting, you actually INCREASE your chance of burning fat, as your body releases hormones to assist in the release of stored fats. Particularly if you break your fast during a time of activity, your body will rapidly consume ingested calories to fuel ongoing activity.

Huffdogg

I don't really have any before photos, maybe it's time I started taking some now so I can compare again in a few weeks/months... I can describe what the before/after pictures would look like though.

My body shape has changed, because my shoulders and chest are a *lot* bigger from the muscle mass. Shirts don't fit me round the shoulders anymore. Arms are gradually growing too, and my legs (quads especially) are getting really, really big.

But my belly fat isn't going anywhere, nor are my love handles.

I can tell you from personal experience that you are not eating a deficit. There is no way you could be adding visible significant muscle mass while eating at a deficit. While I am a huge proponent of weight training to maintain and burn a fair amount of fat, if you still have a significant amount of fat you want to burn, I'd dial back the resistance work, keep a close eye on intake, and ramp up cardio.

Alternately, you could look at zig-zagging calories. If you're up for a more complex way of eating and exercising, you can go with a system where you eat at a 20% or so deficit on non-lifting days and eat to maintenance on lifting days, keeping protein at 1g/lb of body weight every day. This fuels muscle growth on lift days while still allowing you to burn fat through the week, and your added muscle will help increase your BMR so that you burn more passively also.

david_swinstead

Well guys after reading back through this thread, I had a good look ay my eating habits.

I was convinced that I was eating a deficit and doing so in a fairly healthy way. Having thought about it more, I think I may have been underestimating how many "treat days" I've been allowing myself to get away with recently.

A pizza here, a night on the booze there, and polish it all off with a "fat food friday", and I actually realised that I'm probably going way over on calories much more often than I had realised. the advice in here sent me in the right direction by pointing out that there's no way I can be eating a deficit and still gaining all that muscle. Thanks.

So, without completely overhauling my diet, I'll be logging everythign I eat much more strictly from now on, and also being a lot less lenient with myself when I go over due to eating crap.