Eating more to lose inches?

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I'm 5'5 (5'4.75 to be exact) and I weigh 128.2lbs. I also have a small frame. I've been doing Chalean Extreme for 5 wks now, almost 6 wks.
For those who aren't familiar with the program, it's lifting weights 3 days a week, Intervals once & something like toning cardio (I guess that's what it would b called) once a week. I add in Brazil Butt Lift on the 5th day and 2 ab workouts paired with 2 of the other days.
The 1st month is called the Burn Phase and you lift heavy enough to fail at 10-12 reps and you do compound moves. I measured every week that month and lost inches somewhere on my body every single week. I also would lose a little weight as well, not much. Most of the time less than a lb, something a little over a lb. I was eating close to 1500, like in the upper 1400s (though in the mid-lower 1400s on my off day) Once a week (on the interval day, where I burned more than the other days) I would eat over 1500, in the lower-mid 1500s.
I started the Push Phase almost 2 weeks ago. During this phase you're supposed to fail at 6-8 reps. I been eating the same as before, but after the 1st week I didn't lose any inches. No I know they say only measure once a month, but I was losing inches every week the month before, so I sort of felt like I was doing something wrong to stop. I have changed my diet as of late. I've been trying to get in more protein, like close to 100g because before I wasn't hitting anywhere near that. Since my protein has went up, my carbs have went down (which I thought would be good). So now my diet is pretty balanced, as opposed to be high carb before. I'm still losing weight, but like before it's not a whole lot, which I'm ok with, not complaining at all about the weight loss.
Since this week isn't over, I don't know if I've lost any inches, but I feel I probably haven't. I was wondering if I needed to eat more to lose more inches? Or if I should just wait and stop being so impatient lol
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Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    The smaller you get the longer it will take. Bump your calories to 1700 to see if that helps. Its a great program and only measure every 30 days.
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
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    The smaller you get the longer it will take. Bump your calories to 1700 to see if that helps. Its a great program and only measure every 30 days.

    Honestly, I'm still fat. 29.6% body fat roughly. This is why I want to lose inches so badly. I want to get it down. Do u know why I would lose every week in the beginning & not now?
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
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    Anyone else? I need opinions~
  • A_Shannigans
    A_Shannigans Posts: 170 Member
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    You may still have some body fat but you have slimmed down quite a bit. I think its just slowing down because you are getting closer to where you need to be.

    Aside: You sure don't look like you have that high of a BMI. How do you measure it?
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
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    You may still have some body fat but you have slimmed down quite a bit. I think its just slowing down because you are getting closer to where you need to be.

    Aside: You sure don't look like you have that high of a BMI. How do you measure it?

    I have slimmed down from the beginning, but I don't feel like I have lately. I don't wanna stall out u kno? Time is precious. I hate wasting it. I wanna b productive.
    My BMI is low. It's like 21.5 or something. But my Body Fat % is 29.6% I measure with calipers. I totally feel it's right, cuz I'm fat. I have a belly & horrible love handles. My inner thighs are fatty and so is my upper arms :(
  • A_Shannigans
    A_Shannigans Posts: 170 Member
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    You may still have some body fat but you have slimmed down quite a bit. I think its just slowing down because you are getting closer to where you need to be.

    Aside: You sure don't look like you have that high of a BMI. How do you measure it?

    I have slimmed down from the beginning, but I don't feel like I have lately. I don't wanna stall out u kno? Time is precious. I hate wasting it. I wanna b productive.
    My BMI is low. It's like 21.5 or something. But my Body Fat % is 29.6% I measure with calipers. I totally feel it's right, cuz I'm fat. I have a belly & horrible love handles. My inner thighs are fatty and so is my upper arms :(
    If I were you I would message helloitsdan. He is great at helping people figure out exactly what their calorie intake should be. I'd follow his advice on calorie intake and for sure keep up with the strength exercises. From what I see on here everybody plateaus at some point. It sounds like that may be what is happening. Get your calorie intake just right and your macros and you should be able to get over the hump.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Has it changed at all in the five weeks? It's not going to happen that quickly sadly.

    Does Chalean Extreme have a recommended calorie level for you?
  • waveindigo
    waveindigo Posts: 39 Member
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    I'm interested in suggestions too, as the last few pounds seem to be really dragging!
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
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    Has it changed at all in the five weeks? It's not going to happen that quickly sadly.

    Does Chalean Extreme have a recommended calorie level for you?

    Yes it did. I lost inches somewhere every single week the 1st 4 wks. That's why I was worried ab the stopping in the 5th week, cuz I was losing so well b4.
    Yes it is. It's 1300 for my weight, but I'm not going to eat that low and I see plenty of people who do it & eat higher & lose just fine. Lower isn't always better imo. I'm just a little scared of how much higher I should go.
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
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    I'm interested in suggestions too, as the last few pounds seem to be really dragging!

    I still have like 15lbs I want to lose, so it's not even the last few for me :(
  • rblakeman
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    I think your goal weight may be too small for you...especially if you are putting on muscle. I am 5 ft 3 in with a tiny frame. When I weight below 115, I start to look too thin. You are hoping for 113, with 2 inches more height...I think that might actually put you underweight.
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
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    I think your goal weight may be too small for you...especially if you are putting on muscle. I am 5 ft 3 in with a tiny frame. When I weight below 115, I start to look too thin. You are hoping for 113, with 2 inches more height...I think that might actually put you underweight.

    115 is what I'm hoping for, I was just rounding with how much I need to lose. My BMI will be 19.28 at 115, so still healthy weight if u wanna go by that. I'll show u pictures of me from 2 wks ago. I really do look like I need to lose that much.
    http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy149/shorty35565/CE30day.png < go there. I would have to re size to actually put the pic up here and I dont feel like fighting with that lol.
  • azalais7
    azalais7 Posts: 187 Member
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    I would say you need to be patient, first off--an inch a week is pretty fast, and there are multiple factors that can affect the tape as well as the scale (water retention, for one).
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    Has it changed at all in the five weeks? It's not going to happen that quickly sadly.

    Does Chalean Extreme have a recommended calorie level for you?

    Yes it did. I lost inches somewhere every single week the 1st 4 wks. That's why I was worried ab the stopping in the 5th week, cuz I was losing so well b4.
    Yes it is. It's 1300 for my weight, but I'm not going to eat that low and I see plenty of people who do it & eat higher & lose just fine. Lower isn't always better imo. I'm just a little scared of how much higher I should go.
    i can tell you there is no way those are the amount of calories that beach body would recommend. The lowest for clx is around 1700. I just ran your numbers and you should be eating around 1750 for fat loss. The closer to your goal, the more you need to eat and the slower you will lose inches. I am sorry but its the reality of the situation. Additionally you may be losing inches in other areas of your body that you are not measuring (feet, neck, etc). I suggest bump your calories up to 1750, set your macros at 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats. And just keep pushing it. Also, try not to stress over immediate results. When you stress out your body releases cortisol which makes it harder to lose fat.
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
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    I would say you need to be patient, first off--an inch a week is pretty fast, and there are multiple factors that can affect the tape as well as the scale (water retention, for one).

    I didn't lose a whole inch in one week, but I did lose a 1/2 inch off my waist in week 1 of the program. And then week 3 I lost another 1/2 inch. I lost other places too but not a whole in in a week, always under. But still it was something. Mayb i'm just being too obsessive & wanting results now.
    That makes sense about things affecting the tape measure.
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
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    Has it changed at all in the five weeks? It's not going to happen that quickly sadly.

    Does Chalean Extreme have a recommended calorie level for you?

    Yes it did. I lost inches somewhere every single week the 1st 4 wks. That's why I was worried ab the stopping in the 5th week, cuz I was losing so well b4.
    Yes it is. It's 1300 for my weight, but I'm not going to eat that low and I see plenty of people who do it & eat higher & lose just fine. Lower isn't always better imo. I'm just a little scared of how much higher I should go.
    i can tell you there is no way those are the amount of calories that beach body would recommend. The lowest for clx is around 1700. I just ran your numbers and you should be eating around 1750 for fat loss. The closer to your goal, the more you need to eat and the slower you will lose inches. I am sorry but its the reality of the situation. Additionally you may be losing inches in other areas of your body that you are not measuring (feet, neck, etc). I suggest bump your calories up to 1750, set your macros at 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats. And just keep pushing it. Also, try not to stress over immediate results. When you stress out your body releases cortisol which makes it harder to lose fat.

    Believe it or not, the fat burning food guide booklet that came with Chalean Extreme has a table of how much u should eat dependin on ur weight. For women weighing 121-150lbs 1300 cals a day for weight loss is what it says. But like I said, I don't eat that low. I eat close to 1500. When I do the team beachbody calculator it says they recommend the balanced slim down at 1500 level. Then it says 1634 to reach my goal. Such differences between the book and the site so I just ate somewhere in between. But I will start upping them Monday and see what happens. Maybe I'm losing other places. I hope so.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    my body looks just like yours and i'm 5ft 2 and bouncing between 123-125 now. I am not doing the same programs as you but i really want to invest in chalene...
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    115 is what I'm hoping for, I was just rounding with how much I need to lose. My BMI will be 19.28 at 115, so still healthy weight if u wanna go by that. I'll show u pictures of me from 2 wks ago. I really do look like I need to lose that much.

    From looking at your pic it's not scale weight but body fat that needs to be lost. But you know that.

    Honestly to get the results you want this is going to take time. If you're 29% body fat, depending how much you want to lose could take a year. (for comparison I'm twice your size but have a body fat of 33%) It's not going to happen in five weeks sadly.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    I just ran your numbers again with your body fat and 1600 is ideal. So if you aim for 1600-1700 daily and try to eat whole goods and veggies/fruit, then you should do well. Long term, you might want to consider doing a bulk phase to gain about 10 lbs of muscle. Even with low body fat you might have trouble witg definiton as you are below average in terms of lbm for your height; at least comparing your calories between Katch McArdle and Harris Benefict formulas.
  • vonsay
    vonsay Posts: 31
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    Has it changed at all in the five weeks? It's not going to happen that quickly sadly.

    Does Chalean Extreme have a recommended calorie level for you?

    Yes it did. I lost inches somewhere every single week the 1st 4 wks. That's why I was worried ab the stopping in the 5th week, cuz I was losing so well b4.
    Yes it is. It's 1300 for my weight, but I'm not going to eat that low and I see plenty of people who do it & eat higher & lose just fine. Lower isn't always better imo. I'm just a little scared of how much higher I should go.
    i can tell you there is no way those are the amount of calories that beach body would recommend. The lowest for clx is around 1700. I just ran your numbers and you should be eating around 1750 for fat loss. The closer to your goal, the more you need to eat and the slower you will lose inches. I am sorry but its the reality of the situation. Additionally you may be losing inches in other areas of your body that you are not measuring (feet, neck, etc). I suggest bump your calories up to 1750, set your macros at 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats. And just keep pushing it. Also, try not to stress over immediate results. When you stress out your body releases cortisol which makes it harder to lose fat.