so im a little impatient... help please?

lauren518

hello everybody!
so i recently decided to try out em2lw to see if it could help me break my plateau.
i want to be short and to the point so here goes:

i started my new lifestyle 2 months ago on 5/16 and lost 3 lbs in the first week eating at about 1200 calories/day and excercising for at least 1 hr a day but usually more (cardio and strength).
after that first week i saw no scale changes but i definietly lost a few inches from all over.
2 weeks later i found out i might not be eating enough so i decided to gradually up my calories to my current level of 1700 and eating back about 1/2 of my excercise calories.
i work out really hard for about 30-45 minutes a day and i am pretty good about hitting my macros but i tend to go over on sugar and sodium so i know thats something i need to work on.

I gained a pound or two abck but i havent gained any inches back so thats encouraging but i just want some advice on how long it might take me to start seeing results again or what you guys think i should change up! thanks so much!

HeidiHoMom

Have you worked out your numbers on one of the online calculators?

lauren518

oh i forgot to add all my stats! my bad

age 19
height 5'5"
weight 168
BRM = 1634
TDEE= 2532

Im working my way up to eating more, but i want to go slow in case i find the right level for me, and also i eat ALL day long so ill have to find more calorie dense foods to eat bc i already eat a lot haha.

elly1979

Here is a little motivation for you:
I am on week 6.5 of TDEE. (mine is at around 2200 based on the average of 3 calculators)

In that time, I have gained around 3 pounds. I held steady at that 3 pound increase, so feel I met a true TDEE.

I have not seen my "size" go up. In fact, I've lost 2-3 inches (can't remember offhand) under my bust. My top area definitely looks smaller. And I have definition in my biceps that I haven't seen before.

More critically, I feel stronger, more energized, and saner. I LOVE what I eat now. I don't dread eating out or dealing with random eating obligations. (family events, etc).

It does take a while to figure out a balance of eating and adjusting to this. Looking forward to my cut, but at the same time, I'm gonna miss my food! That's a really freeing thing to feel.

This way of eating is far more empowering than anything else I've tried before. I'm 33, and have been dieting since I was 16.

lauren518

thanks so much! that was really helpful!
i guess i just need to give my body more time to adapt, which i what i figured the answer would be.

what kind of exercise do you do elly?
and how much longer are you going to wait before you make your cut?

Noor13

Everybody is different-so it is hard to give time lines on when things will change.
But as pp said you have to be consistent. If you keep changing your calories your body might not know what is going on.
Use your cut let's say and start there. if you have been doing low cals for a long time, you might not going to see changes. That means that you should do a reset. Either way it needs a good few weeks of time, before you can say this works or it does not.

elly1979

Hiya,
I start my cut July 25, so I did an 8-week reset.

For fitness, I lift 3x per week (new rules of lifting for women) and cardio (HIIT sprints) 2x a week.

When I cut, I will go down 200-300 calories less than now (no more than 300) and add an additional cardio day as well as reduce fat macro if possible.

Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like. I also 100% agree on consistency. Your body needs retraining. And, it's a good time for your mind, too.

Losing more slowly now has helped me adjust to a smaller size without feeling like a stranger in my own body. It also has significantly helped me shift away from "i need to look better" to, "I like FEELING better."

I can honestly say I feel better now than I did in my 20s. I feel much more sane, and balanced, and strong, too! All that confidence translates into walking out the door looking my best, too