Constructive criticism please
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If your doing P90X I would suggest taking a look at the nutrition guide that came with it, set your macro's to that and start eating that way as well.. and that definitely means increasing your calories, eating more protein than carbs, and eating a bit healthier. Not eating enough will stall your weight loss and make doing the program seem pretty worthless.0
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TBH when I did p90x I ate 1800 calories and did not lose much. I started just eating 1200 and managed to lose 20 pounds in the last couple months.
I am not going to berate you about exercise calories because honestly it has not worked for me. So try zig zagging your calories. It may shock your system enough to get your metabolism up and running.
Best of luck to you!0 -
No critricism, just free advice. Take it for whatever you think it is worth.
First, yeah you for working hard at getting fit.
Don't sweat it if you don't see results on the scale right away. Weight loss is not linear. If you eat right and do the work, the weight will come off in time. In the grand scheme of things 2 weeks is nothing.
A couple of things to remember:
Your scale lies to you. People constantly say “I worked out every day this week and ate right, and I still gained 3 lbs! This fitness stuff doesn’t work, so why bother. I quit” Not true. You just haven’t given it enough time. The scale can lie to you because it doesn’t know what part of your weight is fat, what is muscle, and what is water. If you are working hard and keeping under your calories, the weight loss will come when it is ready (which sadly is probably not the same thing as when you are ready). Weight loss is a funny thing, and everybody's results are different. Women especially seem to have inconsistent results from everything I have seen and read. There can be many reasons for this - just to name a few possibilities:
a. You are new to exercise and your body is still trying to figure out what it needs to do to cope with the new demands you are putting on it. When you start working muscles that aren't used to getting worked, they pull water into themselves as they try to repair themselves from the micro tears created by exercise (that's how they grow), and that can add water weight until the body gets used to working hard day in and day out.
b. Women's monthly cycles (Disclaimer - I am a guy - I admit I only know what is in the published studies!) cause water weight loss and gain throughout the month, which really screws up the scale results. Don’t blame me, it wasn’t my idea.
c. There is also something I have read dieticians and trainers write about sometimes called the "whoosh effect" where weight stays stubbornly on for weeks in spite of lowered calories and regular exercise, and then suddenly, "whoosh" pounds come off 3 and 4 at a time for some reason. It’s crazy, but makes sense when you remember that your body wants to be fat once it has learned how to be fat, so it doesn’t give up those pounds easily. Keep at it and, sooner or later, it will have to surrender the pounds. Unfortunately we all want instant results, which doesn’t always happen. So, keep on keepin on.
d. Muscle gains also reduce the loss of pounds on the scale, but will reduce your body size in inches; muscle weighs more than fat. This takes time, but keep a lookout for this in action. Use your favorite pair of jeans as a measuring stick and ignore the scale for a couple of weeks. Or, measure yourself at the start and track how those inches disappear over time. They will.
e. When and where you weigh yourself matters. Keep it consistent in terms of time and place, and use the same scale. They don’t all read the same. Even moving the scale to another room or a different part of the room can give you a different result.
f. If you are like a lot of people, you can gain or lose as much as 5-6 pounds during the day depending on what you ate, when you last ate, when you last used the bathroom, and so on. If you remember that, it helps keep you sane when the scale number isn't moving.
Keep after it and you will get where you want to go. :drinker:
You got most of it right. Except weght vs. volume isn't correct
1 pound of muscle weighs the same as 1 pound of fat.
The difference is in the volume
1 pound of muscle occupies less volume then 1 pound of fat.
So you could be weighing the same, or even gaining weight (in muscle) but losing inches.
If you are doing P90X, track your progress with pics, and ditch the scale!0 -
No critricism, just free advice. Take it for whatever you think it is worth.
First, yeah you for working hard at getting fit.
Don't sweat it if you don't see results on the scale right away. Weight loss is not linear. If you eat right and do the work, the weight will come off in time. In the grand scheme of things 2 weeks is nothing.
A couple of things to remember:
Your scale lies to you. People constantly say “I worked out every day this week and ate right, and I still gained 3 lbs! This fitness stuff doesn’t work, so why bother. I quit” Not true. You just haven’t given it enough time. The scale can lie to you because it doesn’t know what part of your weight is fat, what is muscle, and what is water. If you are working hard and keeping under your calories, the weight loss will come when it is ready (which sadly is probably not the same thing as when you are ready). Weight loss is a funny thing, and everybody's results are different. Women especially seem to have inconsistent results from everything I have seen and read. There can be many reasons for this - just to name a few possibilities:
a. You are new to exercise and your body is still trying to figure out what it needs to do to cope with the new demands you are putting on it. When you start working muscles that aren't used to getting worked, they pull water into themselves as they try to repair themselves from the micro tears created by exercise (that's how they grow), and that can add water weight until the body gets used to working hard day in and day out.
b. Women's monthly cycles (Disclaimer - I am a guy - I admit I only know what is in the published studies!) cause water weight loss and gain throughout the month, which really screws up the scale results. Don’t blame me, it wasn’t my idea.
c. There is also something I have read dieticians and trainers write about sometimes called the "whoosh effect" where weight stays stubbornly on for weeks in spite of lowered calories and regular exercise, and then suddenly, "whoosh" pounds come off 3 and 4 at a time for some reason. It’s crazy, but makes sense when you remember that your body wants to be fat once it has learned how to be fat, so it doesn’t give up those pounds easily. Keep at it and, sooner or later, it will have to surrender the pounds. Unfortunately we all want instant results, which doesn’t always happen. So, keep on keepin on.
d. Muscle gains also reduce the loss of pounds on the scale, but will reduce your body size in inches; muscle weighs more than fat. This takes time, but keep a lookout for this in action. Use your favorite pair of jeans as a measuring stick and ignore the scale for a couple of weeks. Or, measure yourself at the start and track how those inches disappear over time. They will.
e. When and where you weigh yourself matters. Keep it consistent in terms of time and place, and use the same scale. They don’t all read the same. Even moving the scale to another room or a different part of the room can give you a different result.
f. If you are like a lot of people, you can gain or lose as much as 5-6 pounds during the day depending on what you ate, when you last ate, when you last used the bathroom, and so on. If you remember that, it helps keep you sane when the scale number isn't moving.
Keep after it and
you will get where you want to go. :drinker:
In reply to d: she will not be gaining muscle on eating so far under maintenance, it is more likely that she is losing muscle along with the fat.0 -
Sorry everyone - My diary is now public so you should be able to see what I'm eating.
I don't feel now as if I'm "dieting" - that's why I get weary of eating even MORE calories. I don't ever get hungry & I do give into temptation a bit when I feel like I have a craving for something. I appreciate all the responses so far.
You are not hungry because after a short while of eating low cal your body adapts, just expects low calories and does not ask for more... it simply gives up on asking... and it gives up on burning fat...
Your muscles take up more energy for the body to maintain and are converted to energy easily... it's chooses that to burn first.... not your fat0 -
First, you do have to eat enough to keep your body going. Maybe try eating more frequently. Our body's get in to a routine and everything becomes muscle memory. This brings me to my next point. Although P90x is designed to change up the routines, maybe your body is looking for more cardio. Try just adding a walk during lunch or after dinner.0
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I particularly appreciate Redlion45's response!
Just wanted to add:
You didn;t add the weight overnight, it won't come off overnight!
And yes, take measurements
Best of Luck to You!0 -
I really have to question the whole "1,500 calories" thing. For my weight (178 pounds), Mayo's calculator says I will MAINTAIN my current weight on between 1,400-1700 calories per day. I would lose nothing on 1,500 calories per day and little if anything on even 1,200 calories per day on a day where I'm not that active. I'm certainly not doing P 90X -my son did it, it's intense!- but I do exercise daily and question the wisdom of eating more just because you're exercising. Anyone have any studies to back these sort of claims up? Thanks!
That doesn't seem right. Calculate your BMR band TDEE. If you eat at your TDEE you will maintain and if you eat below you will lose weight. You shouldn't eat below your BMR.
I'm 5'6" and weigh 123lbs. My BMR is 1334 calories and my TDEE is 1835 calories with my activity level (before exercise) set at lightly active. I have no idea what your age or height but i change my weight t match your, keeping my age and height BMR is 1584 and TDEE is 2178.0 -
Thanks again for all of your help so far.
A few things I forgot: I am doing the P90X classic routine. Some days I burn 300 calories and some days I burn 700. It really depends on the day. I do try to keep sodium in check.... Also, I haven't just been doing the program/logging for two weeks. I've only lost four pounds in a matter of 6 weeks, so that is where the frustration creeps in for me.
I'll admit that the idea of eating back exercise cals makes no sense to me. I burned those calories off, so why would I want to eat them back?
I will definitely start weighing my food next week. Thanks again for your suggestions.0 -
TBH when I did p90x I ate 1800 calories and did not lose much. I started just eating 1200 and managed to lose 20 pounds in the last couple months.
I am not going to berate you about exercise calories because honestly it has not worked for me. So try zig zagging your calories. It may shock your system enough to get your metabolism up and running.
Best of luck to you!
I can guarantee you that it was not all fat.... you lost weight but most of it was your lean muscle mass..... that's too bad.0 -
I want to second the comments made by others about muscle gain being a factor... especially if you're doing P90X!
Don't lose hope! If it IS muscle gain... you are going to look AWESOME when those pounds really start coming off again. Yeah, toned muscles! Keep up your good work, you give me hope that maybe one day I'll be able to do P90X
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After looking at a few days diary's, I think you should eat more at breakfast, and less at dinner. And defintely eat back some of your workout calories. Everything else seems right on track.0
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the general rule is you can lose weight or you can shrink but you can't do both at the same time. A two week or longer stall is usually when I start dropping inches, then I spend a few weeks lossing and repeat the cycle. I don't eat my exercise calories, for me that causes me to maintain not lose. Also with as much exercise as you are getting you might consider taking a few day off now and then to let your body recover, getting fit is great but you want to make sustainable choices not just in food but fitness.0
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I want to second the comments made by others about muscle gain being a factor... especially if you're doing P90X!
Don't lose hope! If it IS muscle gain... you are going to look AWESOME when those pounds really start coming off again. Yeah, toned muscles! Keep up your good work, you give me hope that maybe one day I'll be able to do P90X
No, you will not gain any noticeable amount of muscle while in a severe caloric deficit, most likely you will lose muscle along with the fat.0 -
Just my two cents... from looking at your diary, I don't think you're eating enough. You're working out and not even eating your daily allotment without exercise. Whether you eat your exercise calories back is a debate for another day, but I would focus on the next week or two hitting your 1500 calorie goal every day. See what the scale says after that. Also, make sure you're drinking enough water.
A few other people have mentioned the fact that you're overestimating your calories which further leads me to think you're just not eating enough. Invest in a food scale (Target or Walmart for budget conscious models) so there is no more guess work.
Good luck!0 -
Thanks again for all of your help so far.
A few things I forgot: I am doing the P90X classic routine. Some days I burn 300 calories and some days I burn 700. It really depends on the day. I do try to keep sodium in check.... Also, I haven't just been doing the program/logging for two weeks. I've only lost four pounds in a matter of 6 weeks, so that is where the frustration creeps in for me.
I'll admit that the idea of eating back exercise cals makes no sense to me. I burned those calories off, so why would I want to eat them back?
I will definitely start weighing my food next week. Thanks again for your suggestions.
4lbs in 6 weeks sounds like good healthy weight loss. Keep doing p90x and the inches will come off. It usually takes until at least the second phase to see bigger results. Don't give up!0 -
Sorry everyone - My diary is now public so you should be able to see what I'm eating.
I don't feel now as if I'm "dieting" - that's why I get weary of eating even MORE calories. I don't ever get hungry & I do give into temptation a bit when I feel like I have a craving for something. I appreciate all the responses so far.
You are not hungry because after a short while of eating low cal your body adapts, just expects low calories and does not ask for more... it simply gives up on asking... and it gives up on burning fat...
Your muscles take up more energy for the body to maintain and are converted to energy easily... it's chooses that to burn first.... not your fat
That is not true. Muscle is far less efficient as an energy source than fat. FAR less, and the body is designed to burn fat first. Well, after sugar. Most people don't start burning significant amounts of muscle until they are in the 10-15% fat range.0 -
I really have to question the whole "1,500 calories" thing. For my weight (178 pounds), Mayo's calculator says I will MAINTAIN my current weight on between 1,400-1700 calories per day. I would lose nothing on 1,500 calories per day and little if anything on even 1,200 calories per day on a day where I'm not that active. I'm certainly not doing P 90X -my son did it, it's intense!- but I do exercise daily and question the wisdom of eating more just because you're exercising. Anyone have any studies to back these sort of claims up? Thanks!
I hate to say this, but I think this is in incorrect. I have never seen maintenance calories this low... Unless you are really really short AND skinny. Maintenance calories are generally much higher...0 -
Sorry everyone - My diary is now public so you should be able to see what I'm eating.
I don't feel now as if I'm "dieting" - that's why I get weary of eating even MORE calories. I don't ever get hungry & I do give into temptation a bit when I feel like I have a craving for something. I appreciate all the responses so far.
You are not hungry because after a short while of eating low cal your body adapts, just expects low calories and does not ask for more... it simply gives up on asking... and it gives up on burning fat...
Your muscles take up more energy for the body to maintain and are converted to energy easily... it's chooses that to burn first.... not your fat
That is not true. Muscle is far less efficient as an energy source than fat. FAR less, and the body is designed to burn fat first. Well, after sugar. Most people don't start burning significant amounts of muscle until they are in the 10-15% fat range.
Actually....you are wrong...
Muscle takes more calories to maintain... so when eating in a calorie deficit your body has to decide which to burn first.... it chooses muscle mass every time over fat..... fat is simple and easy to keep.... and because you are eating low calories it thinks it "needs" to keep the fat...
If you did the same amount of exercise and ate enough to feed your body properly....it will burn your fat and keep the muscle....0 -
Thanks again for all of your help so far.
A few things I forgot: I am doing the P90X classic routine. Some days I burn 300 calories and some days I burn 700. It really depends on the day. I do try to keep sodium in check.... Also, I haven't just been doing the program/logging for two weeks. I've only lost four pounds in a matter of 6 weeks, so that is where the frustration creeps in for me.
I'll admit that the idea of eating back exercise cals makes no sense to me. I burned those calories off, so why would I want to eat them back?
I will definitely start weighing my food next week. Thanks again for your suggestions.
Hopefully I can clear up why you need to eat back your exercise calories. Your calculated calorie allotment should already be at a healthy deficit for you to lose anywhere from 0.5-2 lbs a week. By working out, especially with P90X, you are adding an additional 500-700 calories a workout, if you are pushing it as hard as you should in the video's. Looking briefly at your Diary, you are around 1100-1400 calories a day, on your low calorie days that puts you from 600-400 calories net. You are starving your body.
You say you are not feeling hungry and that it feels like you are eating enough, but it might be worthwhile to find a healthy way to consume additional calories. Adding a scoop of protein to some soup or a shake can easily add 200 calories (and a healthy dose of Protein that you are short on) and probably won't make you feel a whole lot fuller.
Also, get a tape measure and record your measurements. P90X's big claim is that it is constantly shifting workouts to keep your body off balance, there are all kinds of articles linked through this forum that show that changes to workout routines (especially intense ones) causes the body to store water in the muscles which can halt scale calculated weight loss. You will still be losing fat but the water retention makes it look like you aren't. This is most easily seen by measuring to see if you are still loosing inches.0
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