Were you ever on a VLCD? or under ate and overtrained?

That's exactly what I was thinking, too, Brad.

But Kris, if you've lost 2 inches off and been doing all that cardio you must have lost body fat and gained some muscle... have you calculated this? Am also wondering if you've been working anaerobically with the intense cardio, but I'm new to this.

However, I've been reading a lot about weight training, and in order to build muscle and get lean, the general opinion seems to be to cut back on the cardio, and do HIIT a couple of times a week, as well as getting the macronutrients and calorific intake correct.

I'm trying EM2WL because in the past I've always started intensive exercise and CUT BACK on the calories, when I'm pretty sure I wasn't eating enough in the first place.

Hopefully, the more experienced can set us straight.

Muscle Max is awesome, as well as all of Cathe DVDs. Enjoy your new workout.

Here's more info. about me. I am female, age 38, 213 pounds. My body fat percentage is around 33%. I have been eating pretty clean and trying to get in my protein.

I think I'm going to change things up a bit. I plan on doing only 2 days of cardio, two days of a dvd that is like body pump. I am going to get Cathe's Muscle Max dvd and add that one day a week. I plan on resting on Sundays.

How's this look?

I'll give it a month and take my measurements then.

Thanks for the suggestions!
Kris

You measuring the 8 spots in the spreadsheet, and hips was the only thing to go down?
That should have changed the BF% avg, and therefore your BMR, TDEE, and TDEG. Perhaps not by much though, because that may not have been the measurement causing a high value by itself.

Also, just as you can't spot reduce, you can't spot measure. While those are the only body parts used in the calcs, you may be losing elsewhere that is not noticed. Hence many recommending some clothing as a test, all over measurement. Besides photos.

Was the BF% avg between calcs within 5%, or 10% or more off?
The accuracy may just be getting better, as as it gets better, the figures get better and even if you have not as much deficit right now as you could have, you are gaining LBM, perhaps muscle if right workouts, and that will serve you very well down the road.

Your new plan sounds less stressful. I'd say make the cardio days gentle, lower Aerobic HR zone (check the HRM tab in spreadsheet).
And adjust the workout to use more weight, and less reps, then what they use.

And indeed keep it up. Big part of your first month may have been body improvements, because body was finally getting enough calories to do some improvements with. And that rarely has weight loss with it.

So the way to tell if a program should go under lifting in the spreadsheet, that is lower calorie burn because normal lifting has sets and rests, 1 - 2 min minor muscles, 2 - 5 min bigger muscles.
No cardio is done to keep the HR high, no jumping to another lift within 30 sec rest, and making it a circuit.

Sets and rests. Even if just 1 set because there are 15 different lifts, with 1-2 min rest between, to almost failure for you, that is lifting for that 30 min.

So not commenting on the effectiveness of the program, just the purpose of that line in the activity calc for lifting, and it is lower calorie burn for a reason.

Now, to the difference between lifting and other programs.
If you put the muscle under enough load each week to point of almost failure with short reps (20 or less), and it wasn't worn out first from general activity - the response is to get stronger and if needed and able, grow more muscle.
If you wear the muscle out to almost failure with high reps and general activity and no recovery between lifting - the response is some strength gain, and more glucose stored to endure longer the almost anaerobic nature of the workout for the whole time.

So depends on your focus. The anaerobic recovery post burn is longer than aerobic, and is fat, but it's not as long as lifting properly will cause, nor the potential gain. You can strengthen existing muscle a lot without gaining more, you can become more efficient at the endurance type workout.

But lifting has long post workout burn if done right. And there is no hiding that once you cannot keep increasing the load, there needs to be more muscle. And while at a deficit, that will only happen if newbie and eating reasonable deficit and a decent amount of fat to lose.

So in your journey, now may be the only time you could really have muscle mass gains while at a deficit. Won't happen later, until you reach goal weight and are willing to gain some fat to gain some muscle. To which you indeed will be expert then, and can cut the fat.