Weight vs. Measurements

Cambrendle

okay phew! I was even googling and not finding anything else, and then I was like aw man did I just sound like a beotch

Thanks for clarifying!! :flowerforyou:

Bobby_Clerici

I'm just frustrated that I can't seem to get below 195 pounds. I know I'm building muscle and stuff but come oooon. I'm sick of having bad numbers on my weigh in day. I hate hitting a plateau every 10 pounds or so when I'm nowhere near my goal.

Bad numbers are only bad if you make them so. That's exactly what this post is about even though you may be at a plateau for weight loss if you are taking your measurements you body might still be changing or if you find a time where nothing is occurring you can go back to your food diary and see if that may be the cause.

Weight loss is a learning curve as much as it is a journey. You get to know what works for you and what doesn't.

I've been losing weight for 2 years and only got 53 pounds off. I thought I would have lost the entire 100 pounds I needed to lose by now. This needs to go faster. I want to get to my goal and be successful already. I'm very impatient and I need to start seeing results again. >.<

53 lbs is still incredible!! I agree it is so much easier to put weight on than it is to take it off, but the struggle to take it off also (in my case at least) makes me think about putting it back on, and resorting to the old ways of not caring what junk I put into my body.

Have you tried taking measurements?

been reading my mail?
Seriously, if anybody is into this a while, do take body measurements. You will be glad, because on those seasons where the scale won't budge, you have another cross reference to offset the fear.
Just a thought...

Bobby_Clerici

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

psuLemon

I'm just frustrated that I can't seem to get below 195 pounds. I know I'm building muscle and stuff but come oooon. I'm sick of having bad numbers on my weigh in day. I hate hitting a plateau every 10 pounds or so when I'm nowhere near my goal.

If you are on a calorie deficit, you are NOT building muscle. You can't create something from nothing so unless you eat a surplus, then you aren't gaining muscle. The bigger thing to question is whether you are eating too much, not enough or don't have a exercise regime conducive to fat loss/weight loss. If you want, hit me up and we can look at it.

Wow, I was just talking about this with the manfriend a couple of nights ago. I've only lost 4lbs, which is great for 2 weeks on the plan, but there's clothes I'm getting into that I didn't fit before but 4lbs shouldn't have made the difference between that button closing or not so if must be inches I'm losing.

Before I started this I changed my scales to display lbs rather than stones as I didn't want to het hung up on how my h I weigh per se. I do want to know they're generally going in the right direction. I hope that makes sense? LOL.

You have to remember, when you lose weight, you lose it from your arms, feet, legs, etc.. its not a concentrated area. I lost 1 lb and went down a pant size because I am focused on fat loss. But many people didn't lose a size until they lost 30 lbs.

Erisad

I'm just frustrated that I can't seem to get below 195 pounds. I know I'm building muscle and stuff but come oooon. I'm sick of having bad numbers on my weigh in day. I hate hitting a plateau every 10 pounds or so when I'm nowhere near my goal.

If you are on a calorie deficit, you are NOT building muscle. You can't create something from nothing so unless you eat a surplus, then you aren't gaining muscle. The bigger thing to question is whether you are eating too much, not enough or don't have a exercise regime conducive to fat loss/weight loss. If you want, hit me up and we can look at it.

Okay, some people say you can lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. Now I'm confused. So should I not bother lifting weights until I'm skinny? If I can't do both then why bother? Ugh. This is so ****ing confusing. I should save up for surgery and get it over it.

gabyks

I suspect you'll continue to be frustrated if weight-loss is your only measure of success. Looking at other metrics can give you a better picture. You do want to gain muscle, in my opinion, for all of the reasons you're familiar with. You'll not only look better, but you'll be more capable physically. With every bit of strength I gain, I can push myself a little harder doing the activities I enjoy (and that burn fat).

As others have pointed out, a lb of muscle takes up less space than a lb of fat. So even if you didn't lose per the scale, you'd still shrink. BTW, I've known many competitive rowers, and it's not uncommon at all to see a 160-170 lb woman who's ripped and looks fabulous. And by appearances, you'd probably assume she was at least 20-30lbs lighter.

I'm a big fan of taking measurements. I enjoy sewing, and make a lot of my own clothes so I measure myself often to ensure fit. It's fun to see body-composition changes. For instance, the key places I measure for circumferance around my upper-body tell me not just that I'm losing bodyfat, but that I'm building muscle. So for instance, as I gain muscle and lose fat, the full part of my bust shrinks, while the high-bust or upper chest area is more filled out.

xMonroeMisfit

Bump, its so true.

Krys_140

I'm just frustrated that I can't seem to get below 195 pounds. I know I'm building muscle and stuff but come oooon. I'm sick of having bad numbers on my weigh in day. I hate hitting a plateau every 10 pounds or so when I'm nowhere near my goal.

If you are on a calorie deficit, you are NOT building muscle. You can't create something from nothing so unless you eat a surplus, then you aren't gaining muscle. The bigger thing to question is whether you are eating too much, not enough or don't have a exercise regime conducive to fat loss/weight loss. If you want, hit me up and we can look at it.

Okay, some people say you can lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. Now I'm confused. So should I not bother lifting weights until I'm skinny? If I can't do both then why bother? Ugh. This is so ****ing confusing. I should save up for surgery and get it over it.

What this means is that if you are eating too few calories (under 1200 for most people), then your body is not getting enough calories to support muscle growth. It takes a lot of energy to build muscle, and if you are eating too little, you are in fact, creating the opposite effect - by burning calories during weight training AND starting off with a calorie deficit, your body is eating up both fat AND muscle to sustain itself. So, you'll lose weight, but in both fat AND muscle mass, which is not healthy.

But, you CAN build muscle while losing weight. The best way I've found to go about it is to set your goals with MFP, eat healthy foods all the way up to your calorie allotment set by MFP, exercise regularly (either cardio or weight training), and eat back a portion of the exercise calories burned (I shoot for around 50%) on the days you exercise.

And finally - Don't give up! You have come so far already. There is a lot you can do to get past a plateau. But that's a whole other thread.

dakota1978

Wow, I was just talking about this with the manfriend a couple of nights ago. I've only lost 4lbs, which is great for 2 weeks on the plan, but there's clothes I'm getting into that I didn't fit before but 4lbs shouldn't have made the difference between that button closing or not so if must be inches I'm losing.

Before I started this I changed my scales to display lbs rather than stones as I didn't want to het hung up on how my h I weigh per se. I do want to know they're generally going in the right direction. I hope that makes sense? LOL.

It's incredible isn't it! Like I said originally I have only lost 7lbs, but the inches are crazy! and of course I only recently started loosing it in area's I wanted it gone (tummy and legs) but those are the two hardest parts to lose.

Same here, my tummy, bum and thighs are my problem areas. I'm doing a 5k for charity on Sunday and started training for it just 4 weeks ago. I'm out running several times per week (the first I've ran for more than a bus in 15 years) and although I'm only out for half an hour each time, I can see my thighs are shaping up. Sure, the casual viewer will likely just see chunky fat thighs, but there is definitely a difference. I'm not hating it as much as I was 4 weeks ago (not QUITE loving it yet though lol) and I decided I'm not going to stop running after Sunday.

There was a groupon deal for pole dancing so I bought the deal. I was wary about it but it's seriously the best thing I've done this year. It's fun, no way sleazy and my stomach is emerging from it. I highly recommend it.

montana_girl

So true!

I wish I had taken my measurements when I started, but I didn't take them until just last year. But it's been nice to see that even though I'm on maintenance and my weight is staying pretty much the same that I am losing inches.

I try to encourage people that are starting out to take their measurements, because they will regret it later if they don't!

Erisad

I'm just frustrated that I can't seem to get below 195 pounds. I know I'm building muscle and stuff but come oooon. I'm sick of having bad numbers on my weigh in day. I hate hitting a plateau every 10 pounds or so when I'm nowhere near my goal.

If you are on a calorie deficit, you are NOT building muscle. You can't create something from nothing so unless you eat a surplus, then you aren't gaining muscle. The bigger thing to question is whether you are eating too much, not enough or don't have a exercise regime conducive to fat loss/weight loss. If you want, hit me up and we can look at it.

Okay, some people say you can lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. Now I'm confused. So should I not bother lifting weights until I'm skinny? If I can't do both then why bother? Ugh. This is so ****ing confusing. I should save up for surgery and get it over it.

What this means is that if you are eating too few calories (under 1200 for most people), then your body is not getting enough calories to support muscle growth. It takes a lot of energy to build muscle, and if you are eating too little, you are in fact, creating the opposite effect - by burning calories during weight training AND starting off with a calorie deficit, your body is eating up both fat AND muscle to sustain itself. So, you'll lose weight, but in both fat AND muscle mass, which is not healthy.

But, you CAN build muscle while losing weight. The best way I've found to go about it is to set your goals with MFP, eat healthy foods all the way up to your calorie allotment set by MFP, exercise regularly (either cardio or weight training), and eat back a portion of the exercise calories burned (I shoot for around 50%) on the days you exercise.

And finally - Don't give up! You have come so far already. There is a lot you can do to get past a plateau. But that's a whole other thread.

Since my job has me "lightly active" (I'm not sure if it's more than that or not, I have to eat 1700 a day. The thing is that I have a hard time getting to my calorie goals with healthy food alone. I'm usually well under my goals or well over if I splurge on alcohol or something (I don't drink very often anymore). Should I eat less? I don't know. Blargh. >.<

spearson288

Oh that's so awesome, I was debating doing the Army Run (only 5k) but I am not sure if I am up to that standard yet. So kudos to you for sure!!

I have am a huge advocate of pole dancing to my friends!! It is an amazing workout. You really do need a TONNE of strength and endurance to do it. And your core afterwards. . . to die for!!

Krys_140

Since my job has me "lightly active" (I'm not sure if it's more than that or not, I have to eat 1700 a day. The thing is that I have a hard time getting to my calorie goals with healthy food alone. I'm usually well under my goals or well over if I splurge on alcohol or something (I don't drink very often anymore). Should I eat less? I don't know. Blargh. >.<

There are plenty of high calorie healthy foods - and your definition of healthy can differ from someone else's. I consider a carnitas Chipotle burrito healthy, since carnitas is low in fat, I eat salsa and corn, brown rice and sour cream and cheese. But I only eat half, otherwise it would be my total daily calories!

You're right - it can be hard to eat enough if you're sticking with fruits and veggies!

Erisad

Since my job has me "lightly active" (I'm not sure if it's more than that or not, I have to eat 1700 a day. The thing is that I have a hard time getting to my calorie goals with healthy food alone. I'm usually well under my goals or well over if I splurge on alcohol or something (I don't drink very often anymore). Should I eat less? I don't know. Blargh. >.<

There are plenty of high calorie healthy foods - and your definition of healthy can differ from someone else's. I consider a carnitas Chipotle burrito healthy, since carnitas is low in fat, I eat salsa and corn, brown rice and sour cream and cheese. But I only eat half, otherwise it would be my total daily calories!

You're right - it can be hard to eat enough if you're sticking with fruits and veggies!

Yeah but we have to make food that my mom and I can eat while dieting and my brother and grandma will like too. Ugh. This would be easier if I lived on my own. Then again, I couldn't afford food above the other expenses so I'd be skinny by starvation. Yaaay?

psuLemon

I'm just frustrated that I can't seem to get below 195 pounds. I know I'm building muscle and stuff but come oooon. I'm sick of having bad numbers on my weigh in day. I hate hitting a plateau every 10 pounds or so when I'm nowhere near my goal.

If you are on a calorie deficit, you are NOT building muscle. You can't create something from nothing so unless you eat a surplus, then you aren't gaining muscle. The bigger thing to question is whether you are eating too much, not enough or don't have a exercise regime conducive to fat loss/weight loss. If you want, hit me up and we can look at it.

Okay, some people say you can lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. Now I'm confused. So should I not bother lifting weights until I'm skinny? If I can't do both then why bother? Ugh. This is so ****ing confusing. I should save up for surgery and get it over it.

What this means is that if you are eating too few calories (under 1200 for most people), then your body is not getting enough calories to support muscle growth. It takes a lot of energy to build muscle, and if you are eating too little, you are in fact, creating the opposite effect - by burning calories during weight training AND starting off with a calorie deficit, your body is eating up both fat AND muscle to sustain itself. So, you'll lose weight, but in both fat AND muscle mass, which is not healthy.

But, you CAN build muscle while losing weight. The best way I've found to go about it is to set your goals with MFP, eat healthy foods all the way up to your calorie allotment set by MFP, exercise regularly (either cardio or weight training), and eat back a portion of the exercise calories burned (I shoot for around 50%) on the days you exercise.

And finally - Don't give up! You have come so far already. There is a lot you can do to get past a plateau. But that's a whole other thread.

Not true. It is almost impossible (except in elite athletes or extreme obese people) to gain even pound of muscle on a calorie deficit. Unless your intake is greater than your output, then you can't gain muscle.

My BMR is 2080, sedentary lifestyle and average about 600 calories burnt during my P90X routine. So my TDEE is

= 2080*1.2+600 = 3096

This means, if I eat less than 3096, I will NOT gain even a lb of muscle, even with a heavy weight routine. In fact, I would need to average 3500 calories in order to create 1 lb of muscle per week (acceptable rate for men). Unfortunately, not all the weight gained would be muscle and some of it would be fat. This is why most go through a cut phase after a bulk phase.


It's simple, you need to consume energy to create muscle. Now, this does NOT mean you should stop doing heavy weight training. Heavy weight training will allow you to cut fat faster and maintain your muscle. And the more muscle you have, the more calories and tighter of a body you will have. In fact, if you care more about how you look in clothes or naked, then concentrate more on weight training. I have worked with people that have cut 4% body fat in 12 weeks but only lost 1 lb. They did no cardio and 4 days of lifting. She also ate 2100 calories on lifting days and 1800 on non lifting days.


So again, not trying to be rude, but it's impossible to gain muscle on a calorie deficit. The reason most peope think they are gaining muscle is they are losing inches but not weight. What is happening, most likely, is they are retaining a lot of water due to the intensing of their workouts.

psuLemon

I'm just frustrated that I can't seem to get below 195 pounds. I know I'm building muscle and stuff but come oooon. I'm sick of having bad numbers on my weigh in day. I hate hitting a plateau every 10 pounds or so when I'm nowhere near my goal.

If you are on a calorie deficit, you are NOT building muscle. You can't create something from nothing so unless you eat a surplus, then you aren't gaining muscle. The bigger thing to question is whether you are eating too much, not enough or don't have a exercise regime conducive to fat loss/weight loss. If you want, hit me up and we can look at it.

Okay, some people say you can lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. Now I'm confused. So should I not bother lifting weights until I'm skinny? If I can't do both then why bother? Ugh. This is so ****ing confusing. I should save up for surgery and get it over it.

What this means is that if you are eating too few calories (under 1200 for most people), then your body is not getting enough calories to support muscle growth. It takes a lot of energy to build muscle, and if you are eating too little, you are in fact, creating the opposite effect - by burning calories during weight training AND starting off with a calorie deficit, your body is eating up both fat AND muscle to sustain itself. So, you'll lose weight, but in both fat AND muscle mass, which is not healthy.

But, you CAN build muscle while losing weight. The best way I've found to go about it is to set your goals with MFP, eat healthy foods all the way up to your calorie allotment set by MFP, exercise regularly (either cardio or weight training), and eat back a portion of the exercise calories burned (I shoot for around 50%) on the days you exercise.

And finally - Don't give up! You have come so far already. There is a lot you can do to get past a plateau. But that's a whole other thread.

Since my job has me "lightly active" (I'm not sure if it's more than that or not, I have to eat 1700 a day. The thing is that I have a hard time getting to my calorie goals with healthy food alone. I'm usually well under my goals or well over if I splurge on alcohol or something (I don't drink very often anymore). Should I eat less? I don't know. Blargh. >.<

You need to eat smart. YOu think 1700 calories is high, try eating 2600-3000. Here is what I do, I eat a lot of nuts or trail mix, I cook in extra virgin olive oil, or my personal favorite.. I eat peanut out of the jar.