Losing too slowly, discouraged

Annelies11

Hi there,

I've been having really really slow results, and am wondering if anyone can help me figure out what I could be doing differently.

I am 5'10", and weigh 150lbs. I want to get down to about 145 or 140, but I am not too worried about actual weight, I really just want to get all this fat off my thighs and the muffin top! I work out 4-5 days a week, doing strength training and HIIT on a bike. My TDEE is about 1900 and my BRM is about 1450.

I have been eating between 1500 and 1600 cals since Jan 7, 2013. I have lost only 2 pounds, only 1 cm (about half an inch) off my waist, and nothing off my thighs. I eat pretty healthy and drink lots of water.

I know it goes slow when you have just a little to lose, but I actually have a lot of FAT to lose, and it seems not to be working at all. Should I be upping my cals? When I was eating 1200 for a while last year, I lost about 7lbs in 7 weeks, but I was really tired and cranky so I don't really want to do that again.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Annelies11

p.s. My picture is what I looked like 15 lbs lighter!

shelbygt350h

Hi...I don't know about you, but If I truly want to lose, I have to seriously cut the calories. I also attempt to stay away from all breads and pastas for the majority of the weight loss period. I fill up on low cal foods and low cal lean protein foods. You can eat alot but keep your calorie intake low...that is how I lose weight on a continual basis. I can not do what many people on this site say to do (increase your calories and you will lose faster). In my opinion...the more calories you eat the more you have to work to burn them off !! Stay away from sugars and salts !! Don't add salt to your food...fresh veggies and natural foods have natural sodium in them. Flavor your foods with fresh ground pepper, herbs, and spices. there are some super low cal drinks to fill you up with when you feel you need something or even many low cal GO-TO items you should have on hand so you don't grab those high cal ones. You can fill a large plate up and have only 200-300 calories on it. I would try lowering your calories, but consume volume if I were you. It works for me...maybe you too...Good Luck !!

Annelies11

Thanks for the advice Shelby! I really need to work on filling myself up with low-cal foods, and reduce salt and sugar intake. I will work on it

ShmoozyQ

Do you have a food scale? I have a similar story to your's....eating at 1500, not losing anything. Once upon a time I ate at 1200 and lost about 8 lbs.

After a month of eating at 1500 and not getting anywhere, I got a food scale. Turned out I was eating more like 1700-1800, maintenance! Makes sense.

Once I started actually eating around 1500, I've been down about a half pound a week and now I'm finally starting to see those measurements go down little by little. So I'm assuming that when I was eating what I thought was 1200, I was probably up around the 1400-1500 mark that I'm actually eating at now.

Food for thought!

Butyou

Loving the scale idea. I think I'm going to get one!

Annelies11

Do you have a food scale? I have a similar story to your's....eating at 1500, not losing anything. Once upon a time I ate at 1200 and lost about 8 lbs.

After a month of eating at 1500 and not getting anywhere, I got a food scale. Turned out I was eating more like 1700-1800, maintenance! Makes sense.

Once I started actually eating around 1500, I've been down about a half pound a week and now I'm finally starting to see those measurements go down little by little. So I'm assuming that when I was eating what I thought was 1200, I was probably up around the 1400-1500 mark that I'm actually eating at now.

Food for thought!

You could be right - portion sizes are always a guessing game. Maybe it is time to start measuring and weighing my food.
Thanks!

unbeknownst

I see faster results when I cut out most breads, cheese, alcohol, and sugar. I overestimate calories in and underestimate calories burned on purpose. I eat yogurt every day and restrict to 1100 cals. Some say that's too low but it is working for me. I don't know my pace of weight loss but ever since end of January (two months ago) I have lost around 13 pounds.

RunningRichelle

Here's a little encouragement for if you're wanting to see that scale # move: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/945609-from-130-to-130?hl=130+to+130

Is there a possibility that your TDEE is higher than you think it is? I say go for the calculator on this site: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

I have a BodyMedia armband and have been losing like clockwork since I got it, and the calculator on that site gives me the numbers that are closest to the numbers my BodyMedia gives me, so I trust it the most.

Once you've got your TDEE, try to eat consistently at 500 to 1000 calories below that number. For example yesterday my TDEE was about 2400 calories. If I were going for a 2lb weight loss this week, that means I would have eaten 1400 calories, or 1900 for a 1lb loss.

It's science! And I do love science.

Hope this helps!

summer8it

If I'm reading your post correctly, the results you're really looking for aren't so much weight loss as to have a lower body fat percentage, and really, that is what matters for both health and looks!

If you're working out a lot, especially if you are lifting weights, your body fat percentage can change a lot without much movement on the scale. (And if you aren't lifting weights, START!)

If your gym has personal trainers who can measure your body fat % with calipers, get it done regularly. If you don't have someone who can do it for you, you can buy your own calipers and use the online calculators to figure it out yourself. I paid about $10 for a set of calipers on Amazon, and it was a great investment.

Annelies11

If I'm reading your post correctly, the results you're really looking for aren't so much weight loss as to have a lower body fat percentage, and really, that is what matters for both health and looks!

If you're working out a lot, especially if you are lifting weights, your body fat percentage can change a lot without much movement on the scale. (And if you aren't lifting weights, START!)

If your gym has personal trainers who can measure your body fat % with calipers, get it done regularly. If you don't have someone who can do it for you, you can buy your own calipers and use the online calculators to figure it out yourself. I paid about $10 for a set of calipers on Amazon, and it was a great investment.

Thanks! I have started lifting weights... and I love it. You are right, I want to lower my body fat%, and gain muscle if I can. I have been doing deadlifs, squats, lunges, pushups, etc. with weights. I have also upped my cals to 1700... because you can't grow muscle on too large of a deficit. 1700 is TDEE-15%.

I might even up my cal intake more... closer to my TDEE, but not above.

fShaw86

The dreaded plateau! Usually, when you're just around the corner from your goal, it gets a bit more tricky to lose the last couple of pounds of fat. So, you're almost there lol. I've been stuck at this current weight for a week- doesn't go down, and it doesn't go up. A bit weird, but also cool lol.

I like the ideas that everyone's put up here, from the calipers, to the scales, and the cutting back on some foods. I think I'll give this a try as well

salemat

Cutting bread, cheese and alcohol.... you're so right, but it's so difficult when you live in France ;-)