Please Help Me - I Don't Know What I'm Doing Wrong
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You might not be losing weight but gaining muscle instead. THE SCALE ISNT THAT IMPORTANT! Im guessing back in 2010 your body was in starvation mode (500 calories some days? YIKES) and was losing MUSCLE not FAT, which isnt good. I wouldnt worry about this too much.
I specifically said in my post that my body fat % has stayed the same over the past 2 months - MEANING, I am not gaining muscle.0 -
If your 5' 7" and 147 you well within the healthy weight range.
the chart below is from the world health organization Show that 30% body fat is within the healthy range as well.
Relax
Don't stress and go to extremes. It'll only screw up your metabolism then you'll have to lose weight because of health issues and it just that much harder with a screwed up metabolism.
STAY HEALTHY. If you want to lose a few vanity pounds that's fine, but don't let it consume you. I think of all the time I wasted when I could have been having fun!
I know I sound like an old fart (maybe because I am?) but t your body is a vehicle that has to get you through your whole life. No trade-ins.
Now go out land have fun.
I'm sorry but 30% body fat is NOT exactly healthy for women.
Where are you getting your info from?
the chart is from the world health organization, which bases it these categories on a variety of HEALTH. factors
Trainers use a different chart, which nodes not account for age.
Think about it, it's how they sell there services.
1) They want to acheive more extreme results so they can show you their track record of "success" and
2) The more extreme your goals are the easier it is to sell you on their services.
I DON'T look good, regardless of what 'statistics' say. If you saw me in person, you wouldn't hesitate to say that I need to lose body fat or 'tone up'. Where I'm at right now isn't ideal, and that's NOT me having outrageous expectations.0 -
If you calculate your BMR and TDEE and eat in-between that calorie amount, you should start losing weight. 1200 calories is NOT a magic number, and having a calorie deficit is NOT the only answer. What you are eating and when you are eating it (even if you are below your calorie goal for the day) WILL have an effect on your weight loss. Eating small amounts every few hours throughout the day will raise your metabolism and you will in turn burn more calories. You MUST include both cardio and strength training in your routine!! Do your very best to eat fruits, vegetables, and protein, and limit your carbohydrate intake. Also, eating lots of processed and "fake" foods will hinder your progress. The general rule is to have 80% of your diet whole, unprocessed foods, and 20% "wiggle room." I say cut out meat for multiple reasons, but that is a personal choice. And don't let the scale rule your life; it is much more important how much fat you lose rather than what the number on the bathroom devil says. You already know that though because you are aware of your body fat percentage. Don't forget that muscle is more dense than fat, so your numbers may not budge if you are doing lots of strength training. There are also lots of medical problems and medications that can cause you to maintain or gain weight, so if you aren't seeing progress after several weeks of making positive changes, then you may want to speak to your doctor. Best of luck to you!!
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Yes, you are averaging about 1750 a day, but you seem to be bouncing from one extreme to the other by consuming 1100 calories and up to 3000 calories on others. If you're going to cycle calories, they should be within a reasonable set of parameters - say 1800 a few days and 1600 on less intense workout or rest days.Thank you! But on average I am eating around 1700 calories a day - random or not - the average comes out to be 1700. Shouldn't my calorie intake be the same too?
Regarding your exercise theory, you need to establish deficits suitable for the amount of fat mass you have. Let's just assume you really are 30% body fat at your weight - this implies you have 103 lbs of lean body mass with the remaining 44 lbs in fat mass. There is a limit to how much fat mass that can be oxidized in a 24 hour period: 30 x lbs of fat mass. That would equal a 1320 calorie deficit worth of fat oxidation. You may think: Wow, so I can set a deficit of 1320 calories and lose that much fat per day? Not going to happen because a 1320 deficit for you would lead to a whopping 61% deficit - someone like you should only be assuming at most a 25% deficit - and the leaner you get, you'll need to reduce it to 15%. Sustaining too large of a deficit of that scale has negative effects on one's endocrine system: excessive decline in both RMR and serum leptin concentration levels, increased loss of lean body mass, and potentially increases in cortisol levels.
To minimize the alterations that come with calorie restriction, you need to establish a deficit appropriate for how much fat mass you have. If you engage in too great a deficit, you are slowing your metabolism down to unnecessary degrees by means of sabotage. Diet is a stress. Exercise is a stress. Going to extremes with both will create a significant amount of stress which your endocrine system will be forced to make significant alterations to adapt which will actually take you out of an optimal zone to oxidize fat effectively.0 -
Dude... I dunno. Similar problems in my camp. I'm operating at what should mathematically be an appropriate deficit. Yet, I do not lose lbs. The only time I've ever had success losing weight consistently was when I ate 1400, exercised off about 300 per day and netted 1100-1200-ish. I was miserably hungry though...I think I'd rather be chubb-o than crabby and hungry.
Good news for you, though! You're actually not really "fat" according to your BMI, right? 145lbs and 5'7"?? I would be considered "healthy" at that weight and I'm only 5'3"! Also...I call BS on the 30% fat thing. There is no way you're 30% fat. I'm 30% fat and I'm 4 inches shorter than you and 25 pounds heavier than you. Go hop into a BodPod and get a real measurement.0 -
Honestly, if you lost weight in the past eating at a greater calorie deficit you probably need to go back to what worked. Everyone is different. When I started my weight loss journey my doctor put me on a 1200 calorie per day diet including exercise and I lost the weight at a rate of about 2 lbs per week.
No offense to the posters on this board but none of them are medical doctors and they cannot tell you what's best for you. I'd say go see a doctor and follow that advice not the advice from the people on this board.0 -
Yes, you are averaging about 1750 a day, but you seem to be bouncing from one extreme to the other by consuming 1100 calories and up to 3000 calories on others. If you're going to cycle calories, they should be within a reasonable set of parameters - say 1800 a few days and 1600 on less intense workout or rest days.Thank you! But on average I am eating around 1700 calories a day - random or not - the average comes out to be 1700. Shouldn't my calorie intake be the same too?
Regarding your exercise theory, you need to establish deficits suitable for the amount of fat mass you have. Let's just assume you really are 30% body fat at your weight - this implies you have 103 lbs of lean body mass with the remaining 44 lbs in fat mass. There is a limit to how much fat mass that can be oxidized in a 24 hour period: 30 x lbs of fat mass. That would equal a 1320 calorie deficit worth of fat oxidation. You may think: Wow, so I can set a deficit of 1320 calories and lose that much fat per day? Not going to happen because a 1320 deficit for you would lead to a whopping 61% deficit - someone like you should only be assuming at most a 25% deficit - and the leaner you get, you'll need to reduce it to 15%. Sustaining too large of a deficit of that scale has negative effects on one's endocrine system: excessive decline in both RMR and serum leptin concentration levels, increased loss of lean body mass, and potentially increases in cortisol levels. To minimize the alterations that come with calorie restriction, you need to establish a deficit appropriate for how much fat mass you have. If you engage in too great a deficit, you are slowing your metabolism down to unnecessary degrees by means of sabotage.
This Man knows his stuff. :-)
Listen, and learn.0 -
Thank you for all your help everybody
But I'm still completely confused. I'm operating at a deficit, eating 1700 calories on average now for 2 months, weight lifting and doing cardio regularly and I'm STILL not losing weight.
The only time in my life that I DID lose weight was back when I was eating a 1000 calories. I'm starting to think that's my only choice - because I HAVE been eating enough, I HAVE been doing cardio and weight lifting, I HAVE been drinking enough water, and I HAVE been tracking my calories accurately - and alas, nothing is happening.
You may need to eat even more. The United Nations World Food Programme considers anyone who cannot/does not have access to at least 2100 calories daily to be undernourished. (source: http://www.wfp.org/hunger/what-is ). As a 5'7" woman myself, I know I've had my best weight loss success when I've been eating about 1600 net calories... so 1600 plus every calorie I'm burning from my workout-specific activity. My deficit is, thus, created by non-exercise activities throughout the day. I cycle between moderately active (3-5 hours/week) and heavily active (6-7 hours/week) and average 2100 calories/day to lose weight. Now, everyone is different, but you're significantly younger than I am and weigh only a little less than I do at the same height. You *should* be burning more calories than I do.
I know it sounds counter-intuitive given all the weight loss information circulating on the web (and, let's face it, in fitness circles), but I would encourage you to click on the "Groups" link above and search "Eat more to weigh less"... there is a lot of great information there, and a sustainable food philosophy...0 -
Yes, you are averaging about 1750 a day, but you seem to be bouncing from one extreme to the other by consuming 1100 calories and up to 3000 calories on others. If you're going to cycle calories, they should be within a reasonable set of parameters - say 1800 a few days and 1600 on less intense workout or rest days.Thank you! But on average I am eating around 1700 calories a day - random or not - the average comes out to be 1700. Shouldn't my calorie intake be the same too?
Regarding your exercise theory, you need to establish deficits suitable for the amount of fat mass you have. Let's just assume you really are 30% body fat at your weight - this implies you have 103 lbs of lean body mass with the remaining 44 lbs in fat mass. There is a limit to how much fat mass that can be oxidized in a 24 hour period: 30 x lbs of fat mass. That would equal a 1320 calorie deficit worth of fat oxidation. You may think: Wow, so I can set a deficit of 1320 calories and lose that much fat per day? Not going to happen because a 1320 deficit for you would lead to a whopping 61% deficit - someone like you should only be assuming at most a 25% deficit - and the leaner you get, you'll need to reduce it to 15%. Sustaining too large of a deficit of that scale has negative effects on one's endocrine system: excessive decline in both RMR and serum leptin concentration levels, increased loss of lean body mass, and potentially increases in cortisol levels.
To minimize the alterations that come with calorie restriction, you need to establish a deficit appropriate for how much fat mass you have. If you engage in too great a deficit, you are slowing your metabolism down to unnecessary degrees by means of sabotage. Diet is a stress. Exercise is a stress. Going to extremes with both will create a significant amount of stress which your endocrine system will be forced to make significant alterations to adapt which will actually take you out of an optimal zone to oxidize fat effectively.
Okay I see what you're getting at. I'm a little spastic with my diet - to the extremes.
So if I set my total calorie intake at 1500 calories a day and stick to that without jumping around too much I should start losing weight?0 -
Ok so you weigh 147 now. That is already right in a good weight range for your height (5’7” 122 – 155 Lbs.) You can still lose some weight and be in the healthy range.
You can still lose weight if you want, but it needs to be a nice slow easy deficit and it will take time. It is all about calories and a calorie deficit.
If you want to really shape your body you need to lift weights, change it up all the time, heavy, light, super-sets, pyramids, lots of leg routines designed for women. I did lifting with the guys for over 30 years and their routines gave me a good muscle base but didn't do much for my shape. I didn't change my shape until I started a women's weight lifting routine last year and also learned to eat at a calorie deficit that was right for me. You really need a good weight lifting routine designed for women.
You can't out exercise too many calories. Think of exercise to shape your lean body mass and make it pretty for when the fat is gone. Think of the calorie deficit for losing fat. This way if you get injured or can't workout for a period of time know that you can keep things in control with your diet until you can get back to your routine.
How is a 'female weightlifting program' different from a 'male weightlifting program'?0 -
1) Stop all cardio for one month
2) Reduce caloric intake to 1400 calories. Increase protein intake to 120g/day minimum. Carb intake should be at least 50g. Fat intake should be at least 40g. I recommend lean meats, fruits, veggies, and grains (rice and quinoa are great), so ensure you have enough to eat and are not hungry. ENSURE CALORIE TRACKING IS ACCURATE.
3) Weight train 3 days/week, 1 hour per day (see routine below).
4) After 1 month, reintroduce cardio as desired. Do as much low-intensity stead state cardio as you feel like (e.g. walking), and up to 3 10-20 minute sessions of HIIT per week. HIIT should have a rest:work ratio of 1 or higher (i.e. sprint for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds... for most people 20 seconds of sprinting and 40 seconds of rest will yield better results).
5) Do not "eat back" workout calories.
6) If losing weight faster than 1.5 lbs/week, increase caloric intake. Once under 20% body fat, you'll need to change a few things, but this should provide for quick, linear weight loss til then.
Failure to lose weight on this regimen would be due to underestimating caloric intake.
Sample weight routine:
All movements are done with 2-3 warm-up sets, and 3 working sets.
Working sets are "reverse pyramid" style:
set 1 = 6-8 reps at max possible weight
set 2 = reduce weight by 10-15%, do 8-10 reps
set 3 = reduce weight by 10-15%, do 10-12 reps
Day 1:
Deadlift
Bench Press
Day 2:
Military Press
Chin-up
Day 3:
Squat
Dip
Any reasonable weight training routine will work, this is just an example. I recommend large compound movements with relatively low volume to ensure there are no issues with recovery time while at a significant caloric deficit.0 -
I admit to being a little confused since you kinda seem to want someone to tell you that going back to your old ways is okay since you lost weight back then.
Go to a dr. Talk to a nutritionist. Understand what you would do to your body if you fell back on to old habits. I honestly don't know how you felt good. You didn't eat enough to fuel your body to do anything, much less live a full day and workout.
As for what are you are doing wrong, you got really great advice here from a smart man. But seriously, get a health check.0 -
I admit to being a little confused since you kinda seem to want someone to tell you that going back to your old ways is okay since you lost weight back then.
Go to a dr. Talk to a nutritionist. Understand what you would do to your body if you fell back on to old habits. I honestly don't know how you felt good. You didn't eat enough to fuel your body to do anything, much less live a full day and workout.
As for what are you are doing wrong, you got really great advice here from a smart man. But seriously, get a health check.
Thanks for your imput, but it 'seems' to me that you maybe reading into this way too much. I do not want people to tell me to eat how I was, and I'm not lying when I say that I felt good - do you honestly think I could eat that low for months if I really felt that bad or didn't have enough calories to 'function'?
No. Not a chance.
With all do respect, please do not 'assume' my intentions.0 -
1) Stop all cardio for one month
2) Reduce caloric intake to 1400 calories. Increase protein intake to 120g/day minimum. Carb intake should be at least 50g. Fat intake should be at least 40g. I recommend lean meats, fruits, veggies, and grains (rice and quinoa are great), so ensure you have enough to eat and are not hungry. ENSURE CALORIE TRACKING IS ACCURATE.
3) Weight train 3 days/week, 1 hour per day (see routine below).
4) After 1 month, reintroduce cardio as desired. Do as much low-intensity stead state cardio as you feel like (e.g. walking), and up to 3 10-20 minute sessions of HIIT per week. HIIT should have a rest:work ratio of 1 or higher (i.e. sprint for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds... for most people 20 seconds of sprinting and 40 seconds of rest will yield better results).
5) Do not "eat back" workout calories.
6) If losing weight faster than 1.5 lbs/week, increase caloric intake. Once under 20% body fat, you'll need to change a few things, but this should provide for quick, linear weight loss til then.
Failure to lose weight on this regimen would be due to underestimating caloric intake.
Sample weight routine:
All movements are done with 2-3 warm-up sets, and 3 working sets.
Working sets are "reverse pyramid" style:
set 1 = 6-8 reps at max possible weight
set 2 = reduce weight by 10-15%, do 8-10 reps
set 3 = reduce weight by 10-15%, do 10-12 reps
Day 1:
Deadlift
Bench Press
Day 2:
Military Press
Chin-up
Day 3:
Squat
Dip
Any reasonable weight training routine will work, this is just an example. I recommend large compound movements with relatively low volume to ensure there are no issues with recovery time while at a significant caloric deficit.
WOW. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I think I'm really going to try this. Quick question though, why would I have to increase if I'm losing more than 1.5 pounds a week? That doesn't seem that much to me? I'm not saying that it 'isn't much' it just doesn't 'sound' that much to me. 0 -
Do my numbers suggest a possible medical problem?0
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If you don't intake a minimum of 1300 calories a day your body will go into starvation mode0
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If you don't intake a minimum of 1300 calories a day your body will go into starvation mode
And what? Lose weight? Because that's obviously what happened last time I ate below 1300 calories.
Im looking for help to lose weight like I did back in 2010 when I was eating on average 1000 calories, but instead this time I would like to lose weight by eating a higher amount with added exercise day, but I haven't been very successful so far...0 -
Thank you for all your help everybody
But I'm still completely confused. I'm operating at a deficit, eating 1700 calories on average now for 2 months, weight lifting and doing cardio regularly and I'm STILL not losing weight.
The only time in my life that I DID lose weight was back when I was eating a 1000 calories. I'm starting to think that's my only choice - because I HAVE been eating enough, I HAVE been doing cardio and weight lifting, I HAVE been drinking enough water, and I HAVE been tracking my calories accurately - and alas, nothing is happening.
I understand you are frustrated, but it seems to me as if you are argumentative with everyone offering advice. I would recommend seeing a doctor, nutritionist, or dietician to hep you because they will be able to tell you a lot more than anyone on thhe forums can.0 -
Ok so you weigh 147 now. That is already right in a good weight range for your height (5’7” 122 – 155 Lbs.) You can still lose some weight and be in the healthy range.
You can still lose weight if you want, but it needs to be a nice slow easy deficit and it will take time. It is all about calories and a calorie deficit.
If you want to really shape your body you need to lift weights, change it up all the time, heavy, light, super-sets, pyramids, lots of leg routines designed for women. I did lifting with the guys for over 30 years and their routines gave me a good muscle base but didn't do much for my shape. I didn't change my shape until I started a women's weight lifting routine last year and also learned to eat at a calorie deficit that was right for me. You really need a good weight lifting routine designed for women.
You can't out exercise too many calories. Think of exercise to shape your lean body mass and make it pretty for when the fat is gone. Think of the calorie deficit for losing fat. This way if you get injured or can't workout for a period of time know that you can keep things in control with your diet until you can get back to your routine.
How is a 'female weightlifting program' different from a 'male weightlifting program'?
IMO, it should not be.0 -
Yes, you are averaging about 1750 a day, but you seem to be bouncing from one extreme to the other by consuming 1100 calories and up to 3000 calories on others. If you're going to cycle calories, they should be within a reasonable set of parameters - say 1800 a few days and 1600 on less intense workout or rest days.Thank you! But on average I am eating around 1700 calories a day - random or not - the average comes out to be 1700. Shouldn't my calorie intake be the same too?
Regarding your exercise theory, you need to establish deficits suitable for the amount of fat mass you have. Let's just assume you really are 30% body fat at your weight - this implies you have 103 lbs of lean body mass with the remaining 44 lbs in fat mass. There is a limit to how much fat mass that can be oxidized in a 24 hour period: 30 x lbs of fat mass. That would equal a 1320 calorie deficit worth of fat oxidation. You may think: Wow, so I can set a deficit of 1320 calories and lose that much fat per day? Not going to happen because a 1320 deficit for you would lead to a whopping 61% deficit - someone like you should only be assuming at most a 25% deficit - and the leaner you get, you'll need to reduce it to 15%. Sustaining too large of a deficit of that scale has negative effects on one's endocrine system: excessive decline in both RMR and serum leptin concentration levels, increased loss of lean body mass, and potentially increases in cortisol levels.
To minimize the alterations that come with calorie restriction, you need to establish a deficit appropriate for how much fat mass you have. If you engage in too great a deficit, you are slowing your metabolism down to unnecessary degrees by means of sabotage. Diet is a stress. Exercise is a stress. Going to extremes with both will create a significant amount of stress which your endocrine system will be forced to make significant alterations to adapt which will actually take you out of an optimal zone to oxidize fat effectively.
Okay I see what you're getting at. I'm a little spastic with my diet - to the extremes.
So if I set my total calorie intake at 1500 calories a day and stick to that without jumping around too much I should start losing weight?
I personally think it would be a good idea as well as to cut back on some of the cardio, at least at first as was suggested by wacky.0
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