Working out 4-5x a day still no weight loss?

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  • MDIRunner
    MDIRunner Posts: 26
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    I'm a marathoner so I get plenty of cardio in....and because of that I never bothered to do any leg strength stuff. This last training cycle, I added in squats with added weight, plus quad and hamstring machines, plus a couple more. It wasn't until I added that to my routine that I saw the tone in my thighs that I wanted. Good luck!
  • thescrumisfun
    thescrumisfun Posts: 355
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    Try this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    It's really helped me a lot and it's easy to follow.
  • danakandic
    danakandic Posts: 13
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    Eat more.

    I third this....if you're working out 4-5X a day (which unless I'm reading your post wrong I think you mean a week?:huh: )You need more food. Have you figured out what your BMR and TDEE are?

    Like others said, do some more weights, if you're not comfortable around them a personal trainer is an awesome idea cause they can show you the right form so you don't hurt yourself.

    How do I figure out my BMR and TDEE?

    Here you go

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    I looked it up online thank you!

    What bothers me the most is that my BMI is in the overweight section. It's such a damper on my mood and it almost hurts emotionally even more knowing that I'm working out and nothing is changing. Well maybe measurements but that's it.
  • danakandic
    danakandic Posts: 13
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    Try this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    It's really helped me a lot and it's easy to follow.

    Thank you!!!! Will def check it out
  • SeattleScrambler
    SeattleScrambler Posts: 8 Member
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    I'd say don't focus so much on your weight. As others have said, take measurements of arms, neck, waist, legs, etc. If it's available at the gym you go to get your body fat tested, and retest it again in 2-3 months. If you keep doing what you're doing I can almost guarantee you'll see a change. Also, regarding the food intake, once you're used to not overindulging you can listen to your body a little more to have it tell you what and how much is right to eat. If you start to crave sugar, grab some grapes or an apple. If you start to crave a burger, maybe grab some turkey jerky. If you listen to your cravings and realize that they aren't driven from hunger but emotion, grab water or green tea.

    I had to stop focusing on my weight because, at 5'8" and 155 pounds, my body fat is only 14%. I wear a size 4-6 pant and small-medium top. I kept trying to get the scale down to 145 (because it sounded good)... but then I realized that if I wanted to keep my muscle and only lose fat, 145 pounds would bring my body fat to an unsustainably low figure for a female.

    (As a side note, sorry I don't have photos posted. I used MFP one other time and got too involved in the social aspect of it so this time I'm just using it for the food and exercise diaries and periodically read the blogs and forums.)
  • soulfulsally
    soulfulsally Posts: 326
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    I didn't lose any weight for the first 3 weeks either. Calorie intake was averaging in the 1,700s and exercise ranged from 5 to 7 hours a week. Starting this past Sunday I lowered my calories and am finally seeing results. 5 lb loss so far. I know so many people say eat more, and you can certainly give that a try, but keep in mind that you may end up needing to either lower your intake or exercise more.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    Eat more.

    I third this....if you're working out 4-5X a day (which unless I'm reading your post wrong I think you mean a week?:huh: )You need more food. Have you figured out what your BMR and TDEE are?

    Like others said, do some more weights, if you're not comfortable around them a personal trainer is an awesome idea cause they can show you the right form so you don't hurt yourself.

    How do I figure out my BMR and TDEE?

    Here you go

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    I looked it up online thank you!

    What bothers me the most is that my BMI is in the overweight section. It's such a damper on my mood and it almost hurts emotionally even more knowing that I'm working out and nothing is changing. Well maybe measurements but that's it.

    BMI means nothing. If you are athletic, you will be overweight according to your BMI. I am 5'11, 194 lbs, 12% body fat and even if I cut to 6% body fat, I will be classified as overweight in terms of BMI and weight. So does it matter? NO. I would have to lose 20 lbs of muscle to get in a normal weight range for me.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    My guess is you are gaining heavy muscle and losing the fatty parts. I would starting measuring inches too. I bet you are making progress with toning but the scale doesnt say that.

    it's very difficult to gain muscle on a calorie deficit. More than likely, she needs to eat another 300 calories (hopefully more protein based calories) and cut down on cardio and add heavy weight training.
  • SirZee
    SirZee Posts: 381
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    Working out doesn't lose weight. Eating right does.
  • bf43005
    bf43005 Posts: 287
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    If you are worried about your thighs trying doing some lunges and squats. That really helped me. Don't use the machines so much as that will build muscle. The running should help as well. Another thing that helped me when I wasn't losing is I changed my activity level on MFP. I was at the lowest level to start and kept that for months even though I was going to the gym 4-5 days a week. Once I increased that I started to lose again because I had not been eating enough. Best of Luck!
  • SonicaBE
    SonicaBE Posts: 151 Member
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    do cardio after you so strength workout....not before
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    Honestly it sounds like a personal trainer is a good idea, since you don't really seem to have a solid objective at the gym. You go, do a ton of cardio (it's not really necessary), then do some leg machines.

    Using machines for leg workouts are pretty ineffective.

    You're not overweight so what you're really trying to do is a body recomposition - replace fat with muscle, essentially. It's probably going to come down to eating more calories and lifting heavy weights. Get off the leg machines, they're doing nothing for you. Also unless you really enjoy running on a treadmill, that's not doing much for you either. Read up on the New Rules of Lifting for Women, and/or hire someone to teach you how to use the free weights and do bodyweight exercises.

    Lifting like you know how to lift will make a big difference in what your body looks like.
  • SlimmingSarah2012
    SlimmingSarah2012 Posts: 53
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    I would suggest eating more and maybe trying different exercises. When you do the same thing over and over your body gets used to it. Have you ever tried any of the Jillian Michael's workouts? I would recommend 30 Day Shred, then 30 Day Ripped and there are some others that I haven't tried but I tried the other ones before I got pregnant with my youngest and had really great results. It's a combination of 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio and 1 minute abs and then starts all over again.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    do cardio after you so strength workout....not before

    This doesn't make any sense/difference. My best body was when I was doing kickboxing right before an hour of weight training.
  • SirZee
    SirZee Posts: 381
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    do cardio after you so strength workout....not before

    This doesn't make any sense/difference. My best body was when I was doing kickboxing right before an hour of weight training.

    It does, it just such a small impact, its not worth worrying about. Judging from the info provided, OP needs to tackle the real obstacle, food.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    Hi guys

    I'm new here to this message board!

    So I'm 5'7 and I'm at my height at weight of 160. 2 years ago I was at 141 and now that I got a full time job (desk job) It took me over a month to figure out how I'm going to incorporate the gym into my schedule. I leave my house at 7am and I don't get back until 7:30pm. For the past three weeks I've been driving straight to the gym after work. I don't do any extensive workouts. I run AT LEAST 3 miles at a 5.1-5.4 mph speed (so a total of about 40-45 mins cardio) then I do some leg machinese and I switch off every day wether to focus on arms or abs.

    The thing is is that I think I'm seeing improvement on my stomach but nowhere else. My thighs are my biggest problem and I've been thinking that if I don't see an improvement by beginning/mid December that I might get a personal trainer.
    I originally was going to consider seeig a nutritionist by mid November if I don't see any improvements but I think it takes this long to just get back into the swing of things, with gaining an endurance and re gaining my strength back wether it be arms or abs or legs.

    Also I eat less than 1550 calories daily. An example of a typical day:

    Fage 2% plain Greek yogurt
    Banana
    Coffee

    Cheerios 1 cup in snack bag

    Cut up cucumbers + grape tomatos with single serving size of sabra hummus
    1 cup of organic soup

    Nuts, roasted almonds, walnuts or peanuts

    GYM

    2-3 slices of turkey breast

    I'm thinking of going to GNC today to see if there's anything that I can eat to replace what I'm eating. And I only drink one day, if that, on one day of the weekend.

    Does anyone have any suggestions? All the help I could get would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

    Your RMR might be lower than you think. You could go to a lab and get this tested.

    Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

    Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

    The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

    To say eat more is wrong.

    To say eat less is wrong.

    To find the exact calories needed for YOU to be in a healthy sustainable calorie deficit is the right answer. Wait, if you need to adjust by 100 do it, wait, adjust, wait, adjust, wait. The tortoise wins this race.

    All that matters is calories. A healthy balanced diet within a calorie budget for a deficit that is right for YOU is all that matters for weight loss. Don't make it complicated.

    Also people play mental accounting games with calories just like with finances. Make steps to make sure you are making accurate measurements. Packaged foods can have MORE than they say but not less (they get in trouble if less so they would rather error with MORE).

    If you typically intake sodium at a certain rate your body adjusts, but if you make a sudden change then you will see a spike.

    Exercise is for making your lean body mass pretty (especially lifting weights) for when the fat is gone. Losing fat with no muscle is ugly and cardio alone will not make you pretty. You cannot out exercise too many calories.
    What is the exact number of calories for you?

    We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

    In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
    per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
    the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
    that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
    calculators and text books say otherwise.

    This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
    was just a bit off.

    -John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index and Adonis Index Manuals)


    The good thing is you don't have to worry about the starvation mode myth if you are fat. Only skinny people have to worry about starvation mode. It does not mean you have the capability to eat at a large calorie deficit if you have emotional eating disorders or other issues going on, but at least you don't have to be afraid of it anymore.

    The Theory of Fat Availability:
    •There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
    •The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
    •The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
    •Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you
    may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.

    At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit
    you've imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is
    when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to
    as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in
    men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].

    -Brad Pilon and John Barban (from The Reverse Taper Diet in The Adonis Index and Venus Index manuals)
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    it just such a small impact, its not worth worrying about.

    Yeah I don't think I made myself clear, but this is what I was going for
  • PurpleTina
    PurpleTina Posts: 390 Member
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    Hi guys

    I'm new here to this message board!

    So I'm 5'7 and I'm at my height at weight of 160. 2 years ago I was at 141 and now that I got a full time job (desk job) It took me over a month to figure out how I'm going to incorporate the gym into my schedule. I leave my house at 7am and I don't get back until 7:30pm. For the past three weeks I've been driving straight to the gym after work. I don't do any extensive workouts. I run AT LEAST 3 miles at a 5.1-5.4 mph speed (so a total of about 40-45 mins cardio) then I do some leg machinese and I switch off every day wether to focus on arms or abs.

    The thing is is that I think I'm seeing improvement on my stomach but nowhere else. My thighs are my biggest problem and I've been thinking that if I don't see an improvement by beginning/mid December that I might get a personal trainer.
    I originally was going to consider seeig a nutritionist by mid November if I don't see any improvements but I think it takes this long to just get back into the swing of things, with gaining an endurance and re gaining my strength back wether it be arms or abs or legs.

    Also I eat less than 1550 calories daily. An example of a typical day:

    Fage 2% plain Greek yogurt
    Banana
    Coffee

    Cheerios 1 cup in snack bag

    Cut up cucumbers + grape tomatos with single serving size of sabra hummus
    1 cup of organic soup

    Nuts, roasted almonds, walnuts or peanuts

    GYM

    2-3 slices of turkey breast

    I'm thinking of going to GNC today to see if there's anything that I can eat to replace what I'm eating. And I only drink one day, if that, on one day of the weekend.

    Does anyone have any suggestions? All the help I could get would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

    Have you forgotten to add one of your meals in here? Doesn't seem like very much food to fuel your exercise?
  • ALH1981
    ALH1981 Posts: 538 Member
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    thats all you eat?!

    This. Eat more, and change your cardio to strength.

    Im confused. Surely cardio is what burns the fat (and weight) -- strength just tones and tightens....

    Am i completely wrong?
  • nexangelus
    nexangelus Posts: 2,080 Member
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    Defo eating too little by the looks of it.. the post where the guy posted the numbers for you makes the most sense...

    p.s. weight training also burns fat and increases lean mass/muscle. Cardio burns fat, sure, but results can be slower than doing strength training...

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