Please Help Me - I Don't Know What I'm Doing Wrong
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My personal opinion? You ate way too little for way too long, you screwed your metabolism over, and it is going to take some work to fix it. Eating 1200 or less a day again is not going to do you any long term favors. Fix your furnace so it burns properly.
^^ THIS. (I agree...)0 -
this is just a thought but why don't you try a low calorie diet without excercise for a month or if you have tried this join a slimming world class i know people that have lost stones on these without even excerciseing and people that have lots stones from both this diet and excercising. I have been considering doing this because i'm terrified of getting on the scales and want to just know a little bit more about what foods you can and can't eat. I know this slimming world costs but they will work around a plan that fits yours and works!0
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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.
As for what are you are doing wrong, you got really great advice here from a smart man. But seriously, get a health check.
I was getting that impression too, and after reading pages 3&4 am still getting it.0 -
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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.
As for what are you are doing wrong, you got really great advice here from a smart man. But seriously, get a health check.
I was getting that impression too, and after reading pages 3&4 am still getting it.
Same here.0 -
>1.5 lbs/week will result in excessive loss of lean body mass (if you were morbidly obese or something this wouldn't be an issue, but you need to calibrate your fat loss to your level of body fat). Like one of the posters above said, there is a limit to how much body fat you can metabolize in a day (~30 cals/day/pound of body fat is the generally accepted number, personally I use 23 cals to be on the safe side, as it is MUCH harder to put on lean body mass than it is to lose fat).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.
I just picked that number as an approximation, it's not really magic or anything, but should be a fast but safe rate for you to lose weight.
Once you get down in the low 20's (body fat), you should probably drop to 1 lb/week.
I know it seems slow, since everyone wants to lose the weight NOW, but losing LBM lowers your metabolism, and will compromise your aesthetic outcome (muscle mass is what makes you look 'toned' instead of 'saggy' when you lose body fat), so it's worth it in the long run to take it a little slower.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
Can you go a little bit more in to this?0 -
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.
[/quote]
I know we want to lose it all now but be warned if you lose too much too fast in a week as soon as we binge eat again or even eat a few more calories than usual it will come back on quicker than anything, so eat in moderation 1lb a week is about normal0 -
If you don't intake a minimum of 1300 calories a day your body will go into starvation mode
:laugh: Ridiculous.0 -
Thanks, would be interested to see this.Who ever said that about limited fat oxidation, is not correct. There is a limit but it's extremely high, i think it's 2-3lbs a day. I saw the research, go ask "heybales" for it. That limitation rarely if ever applies to humans in normal situations.
Edit: Research check appears to debunk your claim, and support the ~30 cal/day number:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15615615 (only abstract available for free)
Also, Lyle McD apparently uses this as well, and, while not infallible, he is definitely one of the most knowledgeable folks out there in regards to nutrition.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.
As for what are you are doing wrong, you got really great advice here from a smart man. But seriously, get a health check.
I was getting that impression too, and after reading pages 3&4 am still getting it.
Same here.
Lol. Please get over yourselves and get back on topic while you're at it.
Trolls.0 -
That's so odd! I weigh 190, 5'6.5", and I have just over 30% body fat.
Just off the top of my head, step up the resistance training and spend less time weighing and recording.0 -
I may be new *here* but I used to be a fitness/health fanatic and simply got off track for several years.
One thing we cannot see in your charts is WHAT you are eating.... you know, of what your caloric intake consists. If you're eating candy bars (for instance) your body is not getting the vitamins and minerals it needs to keep your motor running properly.
I'm two inches taller than you and my fat MAX for a day is 40 grams, therefore I'm sure your max could be less. When I add a workout (Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred), my fat intake MAX is 50 grams..... with that said, I noticed something on your charts that I didn't see anyone else mention - your recent averages were the following:
July - your average daily fat intake was 86.3 grams per day
August - average daily fat intake was 93.4 grams per day
Sept - average daily fat intake was 106.1 grams per day
Oct - average daily fat intake (so far) was 90.4 grams per day
I see on one day your fat consumed was 163 grams - that's four times what my charts recommend sticking to..... and yes, I realize everyone is different but I'm just saying what I'm seeing with the post you provided. If you're not losing fat, that may be part of the equation right there.
To boot, none of us here have any idea what KIND of fat is producing these numbers. Chocolate? French Fries? Salmon?
If you keep your caloric/workout levels reasonably stable you'll probably see an improvement. That way your body will dial in as to "what to expect" and know what it can "keep" and "get rid of".... I have been sticking to what my chart tells me to do religiously and I've been steady with my weight loss. It's made me realize I was simply eating too much whether it was protein, carbs - whatever.
One thing that has helped me personally is I plan my meals on this site in advance. I'm talking two weeks in advance. I do it on purpose so I don't have a flub up in my numbers by the time 6pm rolls around because quite frankly I do want to eat dinner! I have my diary set so I chart what I eat every THREE hours so I am letting my body know it will be fed on a regular basis and the weight is just dropping off. I also have anything after 8pm set as the no-no zone, meaning... stop putting food in my piehole.... because anything I eat after that will just land on my *kitten* and stomach.
That's all. Now whether you take what I say into consideration or not, hope you find your answers and good luck!
Thank you so much for your reply!
I DO eat healthy, I don't have my food diary open because I don't want people to be critiquing it and criticising it. Now matter how 'clean' or 'perfect' it is, at least 5 people on here will say "well, you need to eat more of this, not that..." So I'm not even going to stroll down that road. But I will say that I eat very healthy - no processed food (except for a cookie or two on my high-calorie days), lots of green veggies (mainly spinach and broccali- my faves!), and high protein (tunafish 1x/week, sardines 3x/week, beef 3x week, and eggs and chicken practically every day).
Supplements: whey protein, omega 3,6,9 complex, and a multivitamin.
I eat high-fat because a ketogenic diet has worked for me in the past. I eat high fat on purpose. I gain rapidly when I consume too many carbs ( over 175grams/day).
Even though I COMPLETELY agree with your post, that if you're eating like crap it's going to be harder to lose, if it's really about calories-in, calories-out, then why does what I eat matter??? (this question is meant for those advocating that calories-in, calories-out are all that matter. Not you, as I completely agree that what you eat does matter 0 -
Yes lyle mcdonald is educated, but he's frowned apron now. He's inconsistent with what he says. his rapid fat loss plan is BS.
Why do you say that?? Who says that?0 -
If you don't intake a minimum of 1300 calories a day your body will go into starvation mode
:laugh: Ridiculous.
I second the ridiculousness.0 -
It's ~290kj/kg body fat, not total body mass, which works out to ~70 kcal/kg or ~31kcal/lb.
Thanks, would be interested to see this.Who ever said that about limited fat oxidation, is not correct. There is a limit but it's extremely high, i think it's 2-3lbs a day. I saw the research, go ask "heybales" for it. That limitation rarely if ever applies to humans in normal situations.
Edit: Research check appears to debunk your claim, and support the ~30 cal/day number:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15615615 (only abstract available for free)
Also, Lyle McD apparently uses this as well, and, while not infallible, he is definitely one of the most knowledgeable folks out there in regards to nutrition.
okay yes. That's what we saw before, we where surprised, then bales did the math on it. I just did the math on it too.A limit on the maximum energy transfer rate from the human fat store in hypophagia is deduced from experimental data of underfed subjects maintaining moderate activity levels and is found to have a value of (290+/-25) kJ/kgd.
The limit is 290kilojules/kilogram a day. I did the math here are the results. This is a person who weighs 150lbs
1 kilocalorie = 4.18400 kilojoules
150lbs(454g/1lbs)(1kg/1000g)(290kj/1kg)(1Cal/4.184kj)(1lbs/3,500Cal) = 1.34lbs or 4720 calories
That's a lot of fat to lose in 1 day.
Yes lyle mcdonald is educated, but he's frowned apron now. He's inconsistent with what he says. his rapid fat loss plan is BS.0 -
This is totally true. Relevant factors for eating "whole foods" vs. "junk food" are satiety (which tends to be more a factor of caloric density than quality of food), and thermic effect of food ("junk foods" tend to have a lower TEF, which can account for perhaps a 10% difference in usable calories, which is significant, but not to the point that most people tend to think).I ate pure junk food for a month, last month to make a point to all my friends. The point was, it's all about calories. You know the results? Lost 12lbs that month. It's not about carbs, proteins, or fat. Weight loss is about "calories" once again.
A nutritionist did a very similar test. IT was on the news, he ate mostly junk food all day, like hostess, chips, little debbie snacks. In 2 months he lost 27lbs and improved his health indicators. It was called "The twinkie diet"
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html
AlsoTo boot, none of us here have any idea what KIND of fat is producing these numbers. Chocolate? French Fries? Salmon?
Fat from chocolate, is fat, fat from french fries, is fat, fat from salmon, is fat. Fat = 9calories per gram.
Then people get in to the debate about health. It's healthier to be at a healthy weight and eat junk, then it is to be at an unhealthy weight and eat healthy. Heavier weight affects many risk factors. They are "weight" dependent.
Personally, I just use the rule of thumb of adding 10% to the calories I count when eating junk, and have had 0 problems eating whatever I want with that strategy.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.
As for what are you are doing wrong, you got really great advice here from a smart man. But seriously, get a health check.
I was getting that impression too, and after reading pages 3&4 am still getting it.
Same here.
Lol. Please get over yourselves and get back on topic while you're at it.
Trolls.
Excuse me? How about you take some advice instead of tossing what everyone is telling you into the gutter?
If you don't want advice, don't post the question. Period.
Kind of like, if you can't stand heat, you probably should step away from the fire sort of thing.
Just sayin'.....
Toodles!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!!
I really agree with her. I know you are frustrated, but it really looks like your metabolism is the main problem.
Eating small amounts throughout the day is a great thing to try in addition to getting a consistent number of calories in every day. If you eat barely anything for a few days and then all of a sudden take in twice the usual amount, your body may get confused (if it had a voice, it'd ask, "okay, what do you want me to do? I'm trying to store energy because I think I'm starving but then all of a sudden you give me all this to process!).
The 1000 calorie diet worked because no matter what your body does, if you starve yourself, you will eventually lose weight. However, that's like saying if you live only on potatoes, you won't starve. I encourage you not to go back to that, as tempting as it is. Please try to be consistent with your recommended daily calorie intake and eat small meals throughout the day- please just try it for three weeks.0 -
I may be new *here* but I used to be a fitness/health fanatic and simply got off track for several years.
One thing we cannot see in your charts is WHAT you are eating.... you know, of what your caloric intake consists. If you're eating candy bars (for instance) your body is not getting the vitamins and minerals it needs to keep your motor running properly.
I'm two inches taller than you and my fat MAX for a day is 40 grams, therefore I'm sure your max could be less. When I add a workout (Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred), my fat intake MAX is 50 grams..... with that said, I noticed something on your charts that I didn't see anyone else mention - your recent averages were the following:
July - your average daily fat intake was 86.3 grams per day
August - average daily fat intake was 93.4 grams per day
Sept - average daily fat intake was 106.1 grams per day
Oct - average daily fat intake (so far) was 90.4 grams per day
I see on one day your fat consumed was 163 grams - that's four times what my charts recommend sticking to..... and yes, I realize everyone is different but I'm just saying what I'm seeing with the post you provided. If you're not losing fat, that may be part of the equation right there.
To boot, none of us here have any idea what KIND of fat is producing these numbers. Chocolate? French Fries? Salmon?
If you keep your caloric/workout levels reasonably stable you'll probably see an improvement. That way your body will dial in as to "what to expect" and know what it can "keep" and "get rid of".... I have been sticking to what my chart tells me to do religiously and I've been steady with my weight loss. It's made me realize I was simply eating too much whether it was protein, carbs - whatever.
One thing that has helped me personally is I plan my meals on this site in advance. I'm talking two weeks in advance. I do it on purpose so I don't have a flub up in my numbers by the time 6pm rolls around because quite frankly I do want to eat dinner! I have my diary set so I chart what I eat every THREE hours so I am letting my body know it will be fed on a regular basis and the weight is just dropping off. I also have anything after 8pm set as the no-no zone, meaning... stop putting food in my piehole.... because anything I eat after that will just land on my *kitten* and stomach.
That's all. Now whether you take what I say into consideration or not, hope you find your answers and good luck!
Thank you so much for your reply!
I DO eat healthy, I don't have my food diary open because I don't want people to be critiquing it and criticising it. Now matter how 'clean' or 'perfect' it is, at least 5 people on here will say "well, you need to eat more of this, not that..." So I'm not even going to stroll down that road. But I will say that I eat very healthy - no processed food (except for a cookie or two on my high-calorie days), lots of green veggies (mainly spinach and broccali- my faves!), and high protein (tunafish 1x/week, sardines 3x/week, beef 3x week, and eggs and chicken practically every day).
Supplements: whey protein, omega 3,6,9 complex, and a multivitamin.
I eat high-fat because a ketogenic diet has worked for me in the past. I eat high fat on purpose. I gain rapidly when I consume too many carbs ( over 175grams/day).
Even though I COMPLETELY agree with your post, that if you're eating like crap it's going to be harder to lose, if it's really about calories-in, calories-out, then why does what I eat matter??? (this question is meant for those advocating that calories-in, calories-out are all that matter. Not you, as I completely agree that what you eat does matter
Because your body needs VITAMINS AND NUTRIENTS, sources being from REAL food.
Candy bars & french fries (for instance) have calories indeed, but no nutritional value that adds up to much.
Having too much fat swirling around in your system can cause systematic problems down the road.
You may not feel it now, but you will later.
Let me ask you something, you say a ketogenic diet works for you, are you aware of what changes in your body and veins happen to create a "stroke?"
Sidenote: My mother had 3 major strokes, and approximately 85 TIA's, many of which happened right in front of me. I'm quite versed on the topic....0
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