Ask me anything about fat/weight loss....

1Cor1510

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TheOfficialEpic

I lost about 40 lbs and got down to 135 last year about this time... I've gained 25 lbs due to meds... I cant seem to lose anything. I started to take bootcamp classes 3 days a week and hid the scale due to gaining weight. But recently, Ive gained 7-12 lbs in 3 months from meds.

Is there any way of getting this under-control? (believe me Ive talked to my Dr. they will not change meds yet)....Or should I just focus on TRYING to lose inches instead of weight?

First things first: 1) Have you been cleared for diet and exercise. 2) If so, how long have you been in a caloric deficit and for how many calories. If a person isn't losing, it's usually either they're not really on an effective deficit, or something extraneous is messing with their hormones like stress or medicines or both.

Ding724

I'm gonna be on and off here most of the day, so I thought I'd try to be of help to anybody with questions out there. Train hard, and live shredded.

Is there such a thing as your body's "happy weight?" I have been stuck between 152-157 for the last 11 months. In those months I have tried going to the gym 5-6x per week (cardio machines & strength training), incorporating long walks throughout the week, completing the 30 day shred, biking, palying golf & basketball, and i'm currently on day 41 on P90X...

YES, I have continued to lose inches, (and i'm really quite happy at this weight but was ideally hoping to lose about 10 more) but i'm really just curious if my body is perfectly content at this weight, should I be too? Or is there something MORE I should be doing?!?!

*I eat anywhere from 1400-2000 calories a day depending on exercice...(i'm a little over 5'9")

TheOfficialEpic

I have been on MFP for a little over a month now and lost the first 10lbs pretty quickly. I am now on my third week of no weight loss. My question is more related to calorie intake than anything.

I work out 5-6 days a week. Last week I started 2 a day workouts. 30 DS in the morning and swimming for an hour in the afternoon (usually burning between 500 - 700 calories a day).

I have had my calories set at 1200 and always ate back my exercise calories so I would net 1200 (eating about 1700-1900 calories to reach a net of 1200). On Friday I raised my calories to 1320 becuase I have stopped losing. SH\hould I be eating back all of my exercise calories so my net is 1320? Should I reduce my calories back down to 1200 and not eat back all of my exercise calories? Am I eating to little? SO confused and aggrivated about my lack of weight loss.

^^^This! I hope you get your question answered. I can't wait to read the response.

(Except I'm a bit heftier and am eating at 1,700 cal plus exercise calories after raising it and changing my protein to 40% prior to starting a free weight program. But I've had the same stall. Two weeks, no loss on scale or tape measure. And I swim, ride a bicycle, walk and lift weights ... some combination of those things 6 days a week.)

Already answered.

Aljos

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TheOfficialEpic

I've been plateaued for 6 months at 175 lbs at 22.6% bf. I want to get to 159 at 15% bf. I've been reading up on the eat more to lose more stuff, and I was on about 1800 cals a day plus eating back exercise cals. I currently lift 3 days a week and I am training for a half marathon, so I run for days a week, with having a super long run once every other week. My question is, what do you think about the eat more to lose more. With eating back my exercise cals, it works out to about the same, but I've jumped from 1800 to a consistent 2800. A little scary. Thoughts?

There's some truth to it, but yeh 1,800 to 2,800 is a HUGE jump for your body to adapt to fast enough. When I use to bulk, I would go extremely high with the calories, but then I would notice I was putting on more body fat than anything. Now when I bulk, I just slowly start increasing the calories weekly so that I don't add on too much fat.

Now for you, obviously you want your metabolism high, but when dieting it IS going to go down. Simple as that. But by making sure you're recovering, not dropping the calories to low to fast, making sure you're getting your necessary protein needs met....these things will keep that metabolism as strong as possible during your cut. I DO believe in an occasional refeed once a week to get the best of both worlds though. With this you still net a weekly caloric deficit, but you get a lil boost to the metabolism by the extra calories that one day a week.

tryinghard71

Best thread I have read since joining MFP.

TheOfficialEpic

What about the lean trying to get leaner?
I'm 22% bodyfat which is below average for a woman but want to get down to 18% or so to look ripped.
A few questions I have (as there is so many diff info around, hard to know whats true)
1. Do you have to go low carb to achieve this? (some have advised restricting fruit, oats etc)
2. Is it possible to lean out within 6 weeks?(when your already in ok shape)
3. By eating under the even the 500cal defiet, will this matter much if its is short term? (say 2-3 weeks or so)
Thanks

To add to my previous question ^^ - I saw you replied to someone saying it is essentially a calorie defiet. Does this apply to trying to become ripped and wanting to do so within a time period like 6 weeks?

Yes. But once again, it depends on how much a person has to lose. 8 pounds in six weeks, easy enough. 15?...that's pretty iffy.

icandoit203

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gotta save this for later.

TheOfficialEpic

Got a few questions...

Shin splints - I get them whether I run or walk (quicker when I run though). I don't understand why I constantly get them...I've Googled around and done some stretching beforehand, used heating pads / ice, etc...pretty much any suggestions I could find, I used. Any tips on how to avoid them? Am I just destined not to run? I once gave myself three weeks off of running (used elliptical and bike instead) when they got really bad because everything I read pointed to, "give your legs a rest,"...within 3 days of starting back up, they were back.

Wrist pain...I posted a thread last week about it and got one suggestion that I haven't tried yet. Besides what they suggested, do you have any other tips?
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/585156-wrist-pain
my original post -

I have a lot of pain in my wrists when doing bench dips and other exercises on my wrists.



Any tips?

Thanks!

Shin splints are usually caused by putting too much on your running too fast. I'd back off considerably and slowly work back up. Think of it as one step back in order to take two steps forward. You can always work back up, but not if you're on the sidelines all the time. As for the wrist pain. If bench dips give you wrist pain, then don't do them. There are tons of other exercises that will work the same muscles yeh. I've put exercises to bed in my life for the same reason. Our bodies are all unique. Some exercises that are wonderful for one person are a one way trip to snap city for another person.

Dtregle

good stuff..

TheOfficialEpic

where can i go to get my body fat tested?

Most commercial gyms will do it for you for free, but they aren't very accurate. Hydrostatic testing is pretty much the most accurate, but very hard to get done. Calipers are a good in between. Find a knowledgeable personal trainer if it really means a lot to you. What's most important is your overall health and how you look in the mirror to yourself. If you're healthy, look great and feel great in your own eyes then who cares what some little machine says.

TheOfficialEpic

I would like to know if cardio, whether it be jogging, jumping rope, burpees or jump squats, created equal. I have a friend that feels that jogging is a waste of time. I feel if your heart rate stays in the burning zone no matter what it is you are benefiting from it. I usually burn between 450-600 calories jogging according to HRM. I know weight training is needed and I do weight train 3 days a week. The other 4 days is usually jogging 45-60 minutes. Should I be doing something different?

It all burns calories. And technically, you don't have to do an ounce of cardio and you can still lose so long as you're in a deficit. If you like to jog, then jog....so long as at the end of the day, week, month you're in a consistent deficit, you will lose. Cardio, jumping rope, burpees, weights...they're all tools to a better and fitter body.

jkrim941

On your diary page, you can see your totals for up to 5 different items daily. What 5 items do you think are the most important to keep track of?

Right now I am watching carbs, fat, sodium, sugar and protein. I was watching fiber intake, but I always eat fiber rich.

TheOfficialEpic

A deficit is a deficit. Don't eat back your calories. Example: I know on average if I don't do anything throughout the day, I'll burn around 2,500 calories give or take. Say I want to be in a 500 calorie deficit every day and that I am burning 600 calories a day via added activity. Add that 600 to my 2,500 and I have 3,100 calories I've burned for the day. My goal now would be to intake around 2,600 calories for that day to make a 500 calorie deficit. Understand?....If I were to eat back my 600 calories burned from added activity, then I would be just back up to maintenance not losing or gaining.

I agree with most of what you are saying (and thanks for the thread) - but doesn't this assume the person is on maintenance calories? Some people (and this is the way MFP is set up if you have it set to any "weight loss" goal) have a deficit built into their daily recommended intake...

This is true! But once again, a deficit is a deficit whether you're creating it with tons of exercise, a little diet and exercise, all diet, or what not. All things equal, three people who's maintenance is 2,000. Each decide on a 500 calorie deficit. Person A decides to burn an extra 500 calories via exercise alone, person B decides to reduces his calories by 500 but no exercise, and person C decides to burn an extra 250 calories via exercise while also reducing his calories 250 a day. Each person is still in a 500 calorie deficit at the end of each day.

skinnybabe123

Thanks for doing this. Please tell what are the ideal Macros for a women who is 33 yrs, 232 lbs 5 ft 6 inches and wants to be at a goal weight of 150lbs . and how many calories to intake on a daily basis

SheehyCFC

I think what he's saying is to figure out your TDEE accurately, then don't eat back exercise VS marking as sedentary in MFP and then eating back the calories in the database, which are oftentimes way off. My issue is with how you figure out your TDEE correctly. This one seemed the most fine-tuned, but it also seems kind of on the high side.

http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

thanks for the link, and answering the question... and I hope you are right, but OP - can you please clarify what you meant by not eating back caloric deficit created by exercise?

**EDIT - nevermind, OP answered it 2 posts above. Thanks. I was worried people may read it and do DOUBLE deficit... thanks for clarifying and once again for fielding all these questions

TheOfficialEpic

Working out for 6 weeks 30 - 60 min 4 -5 days a week. Limiting processed carbs. Not seeing any weight loss. I am a 41 year old female. I am 5'1 and weigh 160. Have been trying to loose weight and am so discouraged. I try to keep my caloric intake around 1400 a day.

Any ideas?

Hmmm....might be hidden calories, water weight, dieting for too long without a break, stress, etc. I'd really examine the diet more at first though. Coffee is a culprit to many people. Salads also. Creamers and dressings can get ya in trouble VERY fast. Also might wanna reduce the calories another hundred a day for the next week and see what happens.

TheOfficialEpic

What can I do to loose when I've hit a plateau? Was loosing and now it went in reverse?? Still exercising, changing as to not do the same everyday. Eating the same as well.

Same here I have upped my calorie intake because I thought 1200 was to low and I platued quickly on it. I now get 1590 is that to much?

Not necessarily. Remember, metabolism rules everything....and unfortunately, it can be very fickle at times. I talked about this before a little earlier. Lots of times the plateau is just your body fighting you because it's not convinced. You're usually just a week away from seeing more results. If this is NOT the case though, you need to try one of the following, and then re-evaluate again in another week. It's all about testing reevaluate wait test re-evaluate again.

1) Try lowering the calories a little more each day, and then reevaluating after about a week.
2) Try upping the cardio a lil throughout the week and then reevaluating.
3) Try a refeed day and then go back to your deficit for a week and then reevaluate.

It takes time but is WELL well worth figuring your own body's language out for yourself.

supergirl6

First - thanks for doing this!

My question: I started out at 330 lbs and since December I've lost 33 of them. I do strength training 3 days a week and cardio on those days plus 2 more for a total of 5 days at the gym (for about 1 hour each day.) I was losing 2-3 lbs a week and I was eating between 1500-1900 calories depending on my workout for the day.

Then at the end of March I decided to alter my strength training a little bit and do less on the machines and more with my own body weight and/or dumbbells. More squats, step-ups, push-ups, crunches with a medicine ball, and arm work with dumbells. It felt great and was so much harder than my normal workout. But my weight loss came to an abrupt halt. I even started gaining. After 4 weeks of hovering betwee 299-305 I stopped doing those workouts and went back to what I had been doing, thinking maybe I had too much of a calorie deficit to be strength training that hard and would need to up my calories to build muscle but not end up losing fat. Being the weight that I am, I feel like I need more weight loss right now.

Now I am into week 7 since my last weight loss and I still haven't lost anything. I've tried a week of eating more and I've tried taking a week off of working out, but that didn't do anything one way or the other. I fluctuate between 299-306 every couple of days. My food has not changed and I still work out 5 days a week. Is there something I can do to jump start my weight loss again? I am afraid of tinkering with my routine without knowing what I'm doing.