Please help before I give up :(

Jessicaruby

I have been cutting for 4 weeks today. i was aiming to lose .5lbs a week to try and maintain most of my muscle mass. In 4 weeks i have only lost 1.2lbs and 1/2 inch off my waist. all other measurements are the same !!! :grumble: i know i need to lose slowly but this is insane. i am set at 2000 cals a day. i usually burn 300 cals 6 days a week (sunday is rest day) when i am full i stop eating which typically puts me at around 1800 net calories every day. my diary is open. i dont know if i need to eat less? cut our all carbs? most carbs? cut out peanut butter? (i know i eat alot but it is the only way to get my cals in and i LOVE it). I just do not know what to do anymore. i feel fat and none of my clothes fit. what am i doing wrong? i lift 3 days a week and do cardio the other days. i just want to be muscular and i am wondering if i just need to give it time and i will see it once i lower my body fat % or if i need to change something up to start losing. Please help.....:sad:

kristinL16

Did MFP set your daily calorie total at 2000 or did you manually put that in? How much do you weight now? Can you figure out your BMR and let us know what that is? How accurate do you think the 300 calories burned is? I know that MFP estimates my calories burned much higher than the machines I am using at the gym. 2000 seems like quite a bit but without knowing the rest of the info it is hard to give advice.

Jessicaruby

i manually set it to 2000 calories. i was gaining 1lb a week on my bulk with 2400 cals. so i lowered it to 2000 cals. but i am only netting 1800 after exercise. i am 5'7 and weigh 148lbs now. i workout for 45-70min 6 days a week. i have two children and am a bartender for 10hrs on monday and friday and 4hours tues-thurs. so i am quite active

britexmom

from looking at the last several days on your food diary you are going over your fat calories almost daily. maybe you need to change up some of your food choices. but honestly 4 weeks isnt very long, i didnt lose a single ounce until i had been on here for 3 weeks and really got serious about my food intake and excercise calories. i would think if you are seriously lifitng then your not going to see huge changes on the schale but more so in your body shape.

CathiWiltsey

Don't give up...its only been 4 weeks! I have to agree with Kristin that 2000 calories seems like a lot, though I don't know all your details. I have not looked at your diary, but some of it could be the types of food you are eating and when you are eating. I've hit a wall recently and have begun to look at when I am doing most of eating, as that does play a big part. I find that I do a lot of my eating (easily 1/3rd of my calorie intake for the day) after 8 pm. I'm tired and at the computer and I like to snack.

Shweedog

i manually set it to 2000 calories. i was gaining 1lb a week on my bulk with 2400 cals. so i lowered it to 2000 cals. but i am only netting 1800 after exercise. i am 5'7 and weigh 148lbs now. i workout for 45-70min 6 days a week. i have two children and am a bartender for 10hrs on monday and friday and 4hours tues-thurs. so i am quite active

I started out at 147 lbs and I am also 5'7". 1800 cals was what MFP said my maintenance cals should be, not the cals needed to lose weight...I ate 1500 NET and lost about 10 lbs in 8 wks.

tigersword

.5 pounds a week is 2 pounds a month, you've lost 1.2 pounds in the past month, you aren't that far off pace, especially on a slow cut, with a relatively low body fat percentage. Stick to what you're doing, as you are getting results.

000WhiteRose000

Hi honey,
I have been doing a lot of research about this, add me and email me, I'll give you some more information. If you send me some details about youself than I will put a plan together for you x

Yanicka1

Cut another 100-200 calories and you will see what it does....but if you go over pretty much everyday, well you get what you get.

Something has to give,....or you burn more or you eat less.

donna_glasgow

I have been cutting for 4 weeks today. i was aiming to lose .5lbs a week to try and maintain most of my muscle mass. In 4 weeks i have only lost 1.2lbs and 1/2 inch off my waist. all other measurements are the same !!! :grumble: i know i need to lose slowly but this is insane. i am set at 2000 cals a day. i usually burn 300 cals 6 days a week (sunday is rest day) when i am full i stop eating which typically puts me at around 1800 net calories every day. my diary is open. i dont know if i need to eat less? cut our all carbs? most carbs? cut out peanut butter? (i know i eat alot but it is the only way to get my cals in and i LOVE it). I just do not know what to do anymore. i feel fat and none of my clothes fit. what am i doing wrong? i lift 3 days a week and do cardio the other days. i just want to be muscular and i am wondering if i just need to give it time and i will see it once i lower my body fat % or if i need to change something up to start losing. Please help.....:sad:

I had a look at your food diary, and the one bit of advice I would give it to look at your fat intake, your going over by about 40g of fat each day I looked at, just change some of the foods your eating, Im guessing you dont have allot to lose, the last pounds take longer to come off, especially if your eating 2000 cals a day (which it the recomended number of cals per day for a female to maintain a weight)

If I were you id cut the fat intake in half and try for 1800-1900 cals a day good luck and dont give up 1.2lbs is still a loss

HeidiMightyRawr

I'd say if you were gaining around a pound a week on 2400 (2400 net or total??) then you need to drop the calories a little.

You are losing still though so don't get disheartened. Maybe drop your calories by 1-200 maximum. You are still losing now so no need to go lower than that.

Note: It took me 3 weeks of NOTHING before I finally saw a loss on my 4th week of cutting (2lbs) Patience. You will get there

Yanicka1

I had a look at your food diary, and the one bit of advice I would give it to look at your fat intake, your going over by about 40g of fat each day I looked at,

Fat don't make you fat....extra calories does

CakeFit21

Please do not listen to the fat nay-sayers. You're fat is coming from quality sources. You have to get those cals from somewhere. I believe you just have to hang in there a little longer. Yanicka gave good advice too.

I go over on fat all of the time and that is AFTER getting 50-55% of my cals from fat every day. I eat a lot of eggs and nut butter as well. My body comp has steadily changed, but it has taken FOREVER. When you have a lower % to start, it just takes a long time.

donna_glasgow

I had a look at your food diary, and the one bit of advice I would give it to look at your fat intake, your going over by about 40g of fat each day I looked at,

Fat don't make you fat....extra calories does

it depends where the fat is coming from and what kind of fat it is .saturated fat has to be avoided and saturated fat isnt mentioned in the diary ... so I have no idea how much is saturated hence saying "have a look at your fat intake" ...

I also said about cals in my original post

tigersword

I had a look at your food diary, and the one bit of advice I would give it to look at your fat intake, your going over by about 40g of fat each day I looked at,

Fat don't make you fat....extra calories does

it depends where the fat is coming from and what kind of fat it is .... eggs= good - peanutbutter = bad

Huh? Peanut butter is one of the healthiest fats on the planet, you might want to do some research on fat. :huh:

donna_glasgow

I had a look at your food diary, and the one bit of advice I would give it to look at your fat intake, your going over by about 40g of fat each day I looked at,

Fat don't make you fat....extra calories does

lol I just did and edited my post :P ... you learn something new every day
it depends where the fat is coming from and what kind of fat it is .... eggs= good - peanutbutter = bad

Huh? Peanut butter is one of the healthiest fats on the planet, you might want to do some research on fat. :huh:

Yanicka1

I had a look at your food diary, and the one bit of advice I would give it to look at your fat intake, your going over by about 40g of fat each day I looked at,

Fat don't make you fat....extra calories does

lol I just did and edited my post :P ... you learn something new every day
it depends where the fat is coming from and what kind of fat it is .... eggs= good - peanutbutter = bad

Huh? Peanut butter is one of the healthiest fats on the planet, you might want to do some research on fat. :huh:

Fat from vegetables and animals = good
Fat made by men = bad

GauchoMark

just based on a few numbers you gave, if you were gaining 1 lb a week on 2400 net cals, then you probably need to cut more.

If you use 1 lb of fat is ~3600 cals, then at 2400 calories you were eating an excess of 514 cals/day (3600/7). This would put you at 1885 cal/day just to stay where you are. If you want to lose 0.5 lb/week, then, based off your numbers, you would need to net somewhere around 1630 cal per day.

tigersword

I had a look at your food diary, and the one bit of advice I would give it to look at your fat intake, your going over by about 40g of fat each day I looked at,

Fat don't make you fat....extra calories does

it depends where the fat is coming from and what kind of fat it is .saturated fat has to be avoided and saturated fat isnt mentioned in the diary ... so I have no idea how much is saturated hence saying "have a look at your fat intake" ...

I also said about cals in my original post

It's not that cut and dried either, saturated fat can also be healthy, like the lauric acid in coconut oil, which is very heart healthy. Honestly, I feel the terms "saturated" and "unsaturated" fats need to go away, and we should just worry about the specific fatty acids themselves, regardless of saturation.

Jessicaruby

Cut another 100-200 calories and you will see what it does....but if you go over pretty much everyday, well you get what you get.

Something has to give,....or you burn more or you eat less.

I am have never been over on calories since i started cutting 4 weeks ago. i am always under (around 1800 net)

Jessicaruby

I'd say if you were gaining around a pound a week on 2400 (2400 net or total??) then you need to drop the calories a little.

You are losing still though so don't get disheartened. Maybe drop your calories by 1-200 maximum. You are still losing now so no need to go lower than that.

Note: It took me 3 weeks of NOTHING before I finally saw a loss on my 4th week of cutting (2lbs) Patience. You will get there

2400 before workout calories on my bulk. i am at 2000 now but am only eating 1800 net. i was thinking of lowering it but since i am netting under my total calories already i am not sure? if i lower it to 1800-1900 and then eat all that back i will be eating about the same as i do now. does that make sense? lol

ldalbello

I am 5'7" and weight 148 also. I have my calories set to 1200 plus execise calories. I think I would gain if I had 2000 calories a day !

Jessicaruby

I am 5'7" and weight 148 also. I have my calories set to 1200 plus execise calories. I think I would gain if I had 2000 calories a day !

i would starve if i ate that little and worked out 6 days a week! i gain 1lb a week eating 2400 plus exericse cals

donna_glasgow

I had a look at your food diary, and the one bit of advice I would give it to look at your fat intake, your going over by about 40g of fat each day I looked at,

Fat don't make you fat....extra calories does

it depends where the fat is coming from and what kind of fat it is .saturated fat has to be avoided and saturated fat isnt mentioned in the diary ... so I have no idea how much is saturated hence saying "have a look at your fat intake" ...

I also said about cals in my original post

It's not that cut and dried either, saturated fat can also be healthy, like the lauric acid in coconut oil, which is very heart healthy. Honestly, I feel the terms "saturated" and "unsaturated" fats need to go away, and we should just worry about the specific fatty acids themselves, regardless of saturation.

nothing is ever simple unfortunately

we can only do our best Ive lost 30lbs so far so my best seems to be working even thou im not too clued up on peanut butter, lol x I cut peanut butter out of my diet altogether as I felt it was too fatty ..... I still wont be adding it back in thou as Im greedy with it :O

chevy88grl

.5 pounds a week is 2 pounds a month, you've lost 1.2 pounds in the past month, you aren't that far off pace, especially on a slow cut, with a relatively low body fat percentage. Stick to what you're doing, as you are getting results.

I agree with this. You aren't that far off pace and I'm guessing at your height/weight, your body is quite happy and isn't going to lose anything very quickly. The closer you are to your ideal weight - the harder it is to lose. You haven't been at it THAT long - give it time. Be patient.

And honestly? As active as you are, I would NOT cut calories anymore. No use starving yourself in order to try and drop the weight. It's counterproductive.


For those who say 2000 calories is too much. I can easily lose weight while consuming 2100-2200 NET calories a day. I easily maintain in the 2300-2500 NET range. Everyone's body is different. It all comes down to activity level, metabolism, etc. It may be too much for some people, but I know quite a few women on this site who are in the 2000 range and lose or maintain their weight. Too many people think 1200 calories is the way to lose weight - if I dropped myself down that low? I would starve to death!

HeidiMightyRawr

I'd say if you were gaining around a pound a week on 2400 (2400 net or total??) then you need to drop the calories a little.

You are losing still though so don't get disheartened. Maybe drop your calories by 1-200 maximum. You are still losing now so no need to go lower than that.

Note: It took me 3 weeks of NOTHING before I finally saw a loss on my 4th week of cutting (2lbs) Patience. You will get there

2400 before workout calories on my bulk. i am at 2000 now but am only eating 1800 net. i was thinking of lowering it but since i am netting under my total calories already i am not sure? if i lower it to 1800-1900 and then eat all that back i will be eating about the same as i do now. does that make sense? lol

Think of it this way:
You were gaining 1lb a week on 2400 NET. This means that your maintenance is "roughly" 1900 net. You are eating 1800 net. You cannot expect really to lose 0.5lb a week on a 100 cal deficit. As you are losing, you can safely say you are below maintenance but based on what you've said, I would aim for around 1600-1700 net.

Use that as a baseline, what you would have on a rest day. Then eat exercise calories back (do you have a HRM?)
If you are just estimating exercise calories I would make it easier for yourself, and eat around 1900 and not eat exercise cals back (based on an average exercise burn of 300 a day)

tigersword

I'd say if you were gaining around a pound a week on 2400 (2400 net or total??) then you need to drop the calories a little.

You are losing still though so don't get disheartened. Maybe drop your calories by 1-200 maximum. You are still losing now so no need to go lower than that.

Note: It took me 3 weeks of NOTHING before I finally saw a loss on my 4th week of cutting (2lbs) Patience. You will get there

2400 before workout calories on my bulk. i am at 2000 now but am only eating 1800 net. i was thinking of lowering it but since i am netting under my total calories already i am not sure? if i lower it to 1800-1900 and then eat all that back i will be eating about the same as i do now. does that make sense? lol

Think of it this way:
You were gaining 1lb a week on 2400 NET. This means that your maintenance is "roughly" 1900 net. You are eating 1800 net. You cannot expect really to lose 0.5lb a week on a 100 cal deficit. As you are losing, you can safely say you are below maintenance but based on what you've said, I would aim for around 1600-1700 net.

Use that as a baseline, what you would have on a rest day. Then eat exercise calories back (do you have a HRM?)
If you are just estimating exercise calories I would make it easier for yourself, and eat around 1900 and not eat exercise cals back (based on an average exercise burn of 300 a day)

You're thinking fat for a 500 calorie surplus. For mass building the surplus is more like 250 calories, which would put her maintenance around 2150, so 1800 net would be a plenty big enough defecit.

HeidiMightyRawr

I'd say if you were gaining around a pound a week on 2400 (2400 net or total??) then you need to drop the calories a little.

You are losing still though so don't get disheartened. Maybe drop your calories by 1-200 maximum. You are still losing now so no need to go lower than that.

Note: It took me 3 weeks of NOTHING before I finally saw a loss on my 4th week of cutting (2lbs) Patience. You will get there

2400 before workout calories on my bulk. i am at 2000 now but am only eating 1800 net. i was thinking of lowering it but since i am netting under my total calories already i am not sure? if i lower it to 1800-1900 and then eat all that back i will be eating about the same as i do now. does that make sense? lol

Think of it this way:
You were gaining 1lb a week on 2400 NET. This means that your maintenance is "roughly" 1900 net. You are eating 1800 net. You cannot expect really to lose 0.5lb a week on a 100 cal deficit. As you are losing, you can safely say you are below maintenance but based on what you've said, I would aim for around 1600-1700 net.

Use that as a baseline, what you would have on a rest day. Then eat exercise calories back (do you have a HRM?)
If you are just estimating exercise calories I would make it easier for yourself, and eat around 1900 and not eat exercise cals back (based on an average exercise burn of 300 a day)

You're thinking fat for a 500 calorie surplus. For mass building the surplus is more like 250 calories, which would put her maintenance around 2150, so 1800 net would be a plenty big enough defecit.

Ah yes I see what you mean now. I've heard you needed a surplus of around 1500 a week for 1lb gain of muscle? and then there's the 3500 for fat. It does depend on how much fat to muscle she gained. It's not all going to be muscle of course.

Either way in regards to the OP, if you're not losing what you would like to lose, apart from in cases of undereating (which I doubt she is) it wouldn't do any harm to drop 1-200 calories and see where that takes you. If you then lose too fast you can adjust again

From my own personal experience; I'm currently on 2000 net, losing consistently 0.5-1lb a week (apart from the first 3 weeks) I was gaining just under 1lb a week when I was bulking on 2800 net. I never gained when I was on 2400 net previously though.

Jessicaruby

thank you all for your useful replies and insight. i am going to stay where i am for about another 1-2 weeks and see if i get anywhere. if not i will lower cals by 100 and see where that gets me and so on..... people have told me i look smaller but the scale and my measurments are not really reflecting that :grumble:

hmanderson

I feel your pain! I have been really good since starting 1/2/12. I really wanted to lose 20-30 lbs before my cruise on 3/24. Well, here I am, over two months later, and I have only dropped 10 lbs! I initially had my diet set at 1200 cals and was working out 4x a week, including intense cardio(Zumba) and strength training. I wasn't seeing a lot of success, so about 3 weeks ago, I upped my cals to 1350 and dropped my workouts to 3x a week. Really, still nothing. I called my doctor, but she says that I'm doing good. All my test results are normal. But I'm so frustrated. I feel my motivation slipping, because why try so hard when nothing matters? When I did MFP a year ago, I was able to drop 15 lbs eating more and exercising less, but then I fell off the wagon. I was really motivated this time, but I'm so sad. My cruise is in about 2 weeks and obviously I will not meet my goal, nor come anywhere near it! Sure would appreciate some advice if anyone has any. At this point, I'm going to just keep on this way and then enjoy my cruise. I'm hoping to kick start some results when I get back!