Extremely Frustrated, please HELP!

hippietofugirl

Here's my story. I lost 80lbs in 1 year, on my own before joining MFP. I did it by eating 1200 calories and less than 25g of fat a day. I did develop my own exercise routine which consisted of 200 jumping jacks, 200 crunches, and some 5lb weight exercises which I did about every other day. I finally got down to 120lbs for about a week, and then slowly went up until I averaged around 127 (all while maintaining the same eating/ exercising habbits.) At this point, I joined MFP.

I decided that 127 wasn't good enough and I wanted to lose the rest of my flab on my belly and arms. I decided to try Eat More to Weigh Less, and did a metabolism reset eating my TDEE for about 6 weeks. After that I did a 15% cut from my TDEE, AND started doing 30 Day Shred EVERY DAY. I have since gone up to 135lbs, and have lost NO inches after doing this program for over a month. I then, lowered my calories further, and am now down to around a 20% cut from TDEE. Still seeing no results.:frown: What Do I need to do to get the rest of this flab off of me?!! Its been 2 years since the start of my weight loss journey and I still feel I have such a long way to go! I have tried switching up my macros, I've tried eating more, I've tried eating less, I've tried exercising more...I just don't know what to do at this point. I am however considering calorie cycling since I've probably ran my metabolism into the ground with dieting at this point.

I would be extremely appreciative to anyone who can offer some advice!! Thank you in advance!!:flowerforyou:

squirrleydoodle

bump! i'm having similar issues

NamibianRose

Congratulations on your 80 lbs loss!

I'm really at a loss and don't have any advice, sorry, but wanted to comment to bump your thread!

hippietofugirl

Anyone??:ohwell:

katejkelley

How tall are you? I'm 5'5' and if I got down to 137, I'd be ecstatic! I'm not an expert, but maybe you should switch up your exercise routine to include more aerobic activity - walking/running/biking/swimming.

hippietofugirl

I'm 5'5 but I'm definitely an apple shape. My legs and arms are fine for the most part, but my belly sticks out

Yeah, I'm considering more aerobic things like running, but theres a good bit of cardio in the 30DS dvd I'm doing as well.

trutlet

80% of your body composition has to do with your diet versus exercise. Make sure your 1200 calories are good quality calories, whole, nutritious foods. Try increasing your protein but decreasing you carbohydrates. Check our Mark Sisson, Primal Blueprint. I have a long way to go but have lost 30 lbs since Easter. Congratulations on your 80! that is awesome!!!

chris1816

Bear with me here, as I tried to read that paragraph but my eyes glazed over and I got distracted by a water bottle on my desk (I've also been up and working since 1am)

So, the thing I hate about TDEE is how wildly inaccurate most calculators for it are. Trying to take it into account will trip you up most likely.

The simplest and most sure fire way is that you figure out how many calories you need to maintain your current weight, and then eat 500 or so under that.

Now, your BMR for your weight/height/sex should actually be closer to 1400 if I am not mistaken, so I would focus on eating 1200-1300 calories. Also? I'm not sure who that man Jillian is or wtf a 30 day shred is, but you should really start picking up heavy things and putting them down again (lifting weights).

There is nothing wrong with not worrying over eating back exercise calories, its just a way to increase the deficit of your daily calories. You have body fat just for that reason; so that when you run out of the crap you put in your face hole, your body taps into that stuff. Don't stress about starvation mode, seriously. The only way you enter starvation mode is if you are actually starving, like in a North Korean work camp.

If you are adverse to lifting weights because you don't want to get big? That's pretty f*cking idiotic. The average man can gain around 0.5 pounds of lean body mass (muscle) a week, less for women, and you have to generally be at a caloric surplus to do so. So start weight lifting, something simple, followed by some cardio. Mix that with eating at maintenance or slightly below and your body HAS to obey the laws of physics, you will lose fat.

Much of the vomit coming out of my mouth, you can find here, and you really should read it, top to bottom:

http://4chanfit.wikia.com/wiki/Harsh's_Worksheet_(WIP)

amivox

Try switching new foods into your diet that you aren't currently eating and also try doing different types of exercises or even doing strength training as well as HIIT. Other than that, maybe try talking to a nutritionist to see if they have any recommendations. I am not really sure what the problem is but I wish you the best

IveLanded

If you're 5'5" and you weight 127, and that's where you go up to in order to maintain, to me that tells me your body is good there.

My 2 cents is that I would refocus on toning rather than weight loss, and do a mix of hard cardio and weight conditioning/cross training to do that.

I'd also think about raising your calories a teeny bit, say to maybe 1500, and focusing on high protein rather than a fat percentage.

I'm kind of where you are....I'm 5'6" and I am 146, and I've noticed that the flabby parts of me stick out more because I've lost weight. So I've switched my goals from weight oriented to body fat percentage oriented. Weight will come off as a by-product of toning up, but really I have the same goal as you....tone up the less toned parts of me now that I've gotten a lot of weight off. My goal is to be down to at least 20% body fat.

edit to add: oh and maybe try longer cardio sessions as opposed to more intense ones. That's honestly why I'm not a fan of things like insanity.....I know it's super intense, but in my experience, there is more long term benefit from working out for longer periods. I think keeping your heart rate up for more of the day really helps keep your metabolism up even when you aren't working out.

hippietofugirl

Bear with me here, as I tried to read that paragraph but my eyes glazed over and I got distracted by a water bottle on my desk (I've also been up and working since 1am)

So, the thing I hate about TDEE is how wildly inaccurate most calculators for it are. Trying to take it into account will trip you up most likely.

The simplest and most sure fire way is that you figure out how many calories you need to maintain your current weight, and then eat 500 or so under that.

Now, your BMR for your weight/height/sex should actually be closer to 1400 if I am not mistaken, so I would focus on eating 1200-1300 calories. Also? I'm not sure who that man Jillian is or wtf a 30 day shred is, but you should really start picking up heavy things and putting them down again (lifting weights).

There is nothing wrong with not worrying over eating back exercise calories, its just a way to increase the deficit of your daily calories. You have body fat just for that reason; so that when you run out of the crap you put in your face hole, your body taps into that stuff. Don't stress about starvation mode, seriously. The only way you enter starvation mode is if you are actually starving, like in a North Korean work camp.

If you are adverse to lifting weights because you don't want to get big? That's pretty f*cking idiotic. The average man can gain around 0.5 pounds of lean body mass (muscle) a week, less for women, and you have to generally be at a caloric surplus to do so. So start weight lifting, something simple, followed by some cardio. Mix that with eating at maintenance or slightly below and your body HAS to obey the laws of physics, you will lose fat.

Much of the vomit coming out of my mouth, you can find here, and you really should read it, top to bottom:

http://4chanfit.wikia.com/wiki/Harsh's_Worksheet_(WIP)

Thank you, I got all worked up over only netting around 1200-1300 calories because of all this talk about "starvation mode," which is why I increased my calories in the first place. I will probably go back down to that amount again, and eat my exercise calories back. I was worried about only netting around 12-1300 because I've heard it really takes a toll on your energy when working out. 30DS actually incorporates some weight training in it, and as I've never done anything of the sort, I figured it was a good place to start as far as weights go, but I don't have an affordable gym in my area, so until I get some money to invest in some exercise equipment, the weight training will have to be done with dumbbells.

half_moon

I heard 30DS doesn't work so much. I'm going to use it as an emergency work out session on my vaycay this summer.

Good luck! Congrats on the 80 pounds gone.

hippietofugirl

If you're 5'5" and you weight 127, and that's where you go up to in order to maintain, to me that tells me your body is good there.

My 2 cents is that I would refocus on toning rather than weight loss, and do a mix of hard cardio and weight conditioning/cross training to do that.

I'd also think about raising your calories a teeny bit, say to maybe 1500, and focusing on high protein rather than a fat percentage.

I'm kind of where you are....I'm 5'6" and I am 146, and I've noticed that the flabby parts of me stick out more because I've lost weight. So I've switched my goals from weight oriented to body fat percentage oriented. Weight will come off as a by-product of toning up, but really I have the same goal as you....tone up the less toned parts of me now that I've gotten a lot of weight off. My goal is to be down to at least 20% body fat.

edit to add: oh and maybe try longer cardio sessions as opposed to more intense ones. That's honestly why I'm not a fan of things like insanity.....I know it's super intense, but in my experience, there is more long term benefit from working out for longer periods. I think keeping your heart rate up for more of the day really helps keep your metabolism up even when you aren't working out.

I actually have increased my calories to 1500 about a month ago AFTER eating maintenance calories for 6 weeks to do a metabolism reset and I've actually increased my protein to where I eat 1g Protein per lb of body weight, and still no results But I will try taking more walks and doing some jogging so see if that gets things rolling again. I was focused on just toning before, but its hard to see muscles when they're covered in fat

Thedreamer1985

I am not sure on the stomach - other than recommending stomach crunches - have you thought about those mini bikes? they are like 24 bucks at walmart good for legs/arms too - small and cheap... has no extra to it it may come with a timer (mine did) and it gives a good arm work out

perhaps you could ask a doctor and see what they think? they always go on about weight loss... my doctor nagged me so much about my weight and recommended MFP lol

happypath101

I have a very similar story and I haven't reached the perfect (totally flat abs) ending yet either.

But, I will offer up that Pilates and Yoga have been the best firmers of the wobble that I've come across yet. (I've done running, 30 day shred, lots of sports, swimming, lowering and raising calories,low fat, low cal, low carb, changing the kind of calories, eating clean, blah, blah, blah just like you.)

In particular, the hot yoga is really good for firming things up.

Good luck!

BigDaddyBRC

Have you considered taking measurements for Body Fat %? Weight is a number and at some point becomes a harmful goal.

chris1816

Bear with me here, as I tried to read that paragraph but my eyes glazed over and I got distracted by a water bottle on my desk (I've also been up and working since 1am)

So, the thing I hate about TDEE is how wildly inaccurate most calculators for it are. Trying to take it into account will trip you up most likely.

The simplest and most sure fire way is that you figure out how many calories you need to maintain your current weight, and then eat 500 or so under that.

Now, your BMR for your weight/height/sex should actually be closer to 1400 if I am not mistaken, so I would focus on eating 1200-1300 calories. Also? I'm not sure who that man Jillian is or wtf a 30 day shred is, but you should really start picking up heavy things and putting them down again (lifting weights).

There is nothing wrong with not worrying over eating back exercise calories, its just a way to increase the deficit of your daily calories. You have body fat just for that reason; so that when you run out of the crap you put in your face hole, your body taps into that stuff. Don't stress about starvation mode, seriously. The only way you enter starvation mode is if you are actually starving, like in a North Korean work camp.

If you are adverse to lifting weights because you don't want to get big? That's pretty f*cking idiotic. The average man can gain around 0.5 pounds of lean body mass (muscle) a week, less for women, and you have to generally be at a caloric surplus to do so. So start weight lifting, something simple, followed by some cardio. Mix that with eating at maintenance or slightly below and your body HAS to obey the laws of physics, you will lose fat.

Much of the vomit coming out of my mouth, you can find here, and you really should read it, top to bottom:

http://4chanfit.wikia.com/wiki/Harsh's_Worksheet_(WIP)

Thank you, I got all worked up over only netting around 1200-1300 calories because of all this talk about "starvation mode," which is why I increased my calories in the first place. I will probably go back down to that amount again, and eat my exercise calories back. I was worried about only netting around 12-1300 because I've heard it really takes a toll on your energy when working out. 30DS actually incorporates some weight training in it, and as I've never done anything of the sort, I figured it was a good place to start as far as weights go, but I don't have an affordable gym in my area, so until I get some money to invest in some exercise equipment, the weight training will have to be done with dumbbells.

School gym? work gym? apartment gym?

YMCA?

Even if you can only get access to a few sets of dumbells up to like 40lbs you'll be able to accomplish a lot.

As soon as you can get to a squat rack though, you're golden.

meowmily

It's hard to say, everyone's body is different. The only advice I can give you is what got me out of my plateau: eating whole foods (more vegetables, cutting out pre-made stuff), drinking more water and not eating in the evening after an early dinner. Bob Harper's "The Skinny Rules" is a great book actually, it has some very basic rules that are easy to follow and very effective.
A final note: you may not want to hear this, but maybe just try being happy where you are? Maybe your body is trying to tell you something. From your profile pic I can see that you look great! You're absolutely beautiful!

jenluvsushi

Lift heavy....it will change the shape of your body, up your metabolism and in turn you get to eat more. Cardio doesn't get rid of all the "flab".....I know lots of people that do nothing but cardio and are "skinny" but still have flab. If you want to look fit, start lifting.

hippietofugirl

I have a very similar story and I haven't reached the perfect (totally flat abs) ending yet either.

But, I will offer up that Pilates and Yoga have been the best firmers of the wobble that I've come across yet. (I've done running, 30 day shred, lots of sports, swimming, lowering and raising calories,low fat, low cal, low carb, changing the kind of calories, eating clean, blah, blah, blah just like you.)

In particular, the hot yoga is really good for firming things up.

Good luck!

Did you take a yoga class or do a dvd?

dvisser1

Starvation mode does exist, well before anything extreme like the already mentioned North Korean work camp. It doesn't mean you are starving in terms of feeling hungry, it means your body is forcing everything to slow down to conserve energy. Where it kicks in for each person is completely different. There is nothing magical about the 1200 calorie mark, it's just a lower threshold MFP put on the website. If you feel good eating 1200 calories or less, and feel good maintaining that for several week, then you're fine there.

I do recommend lifting. New Rules of Lifting For Women might be something you would want to look into, or working with a good trainer at a gym if you're not somewhat familiar or comfortable with lifting. When eating at a deficit, it's extremely difficult to nearly impossible to build bulk from lifting. Body builder types who want that bulked up but cut look have to go through a bulk phase, eating a surplus, then a cut phase to get rid of the body fat to built up during the bulking.

Higher intensity cardio than the 30DS routine is my other suggestion. Either sustained moderately high intensity or HIIT for some interval training. Running, cycling, swimming...all that stuff can work. And increase the total amount of cardio you do, as in sustain longer workouts. The closer you are to a natural body weight the harder it is to get your body to lose anything.