What am I doing wrong? Heavy lifting not working. Ugghh

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  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
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    I wouldn't expect to see any results until the 3rd or 4th month mark.

    And do you have a food scale?

    That's a long time to start seeing results. Guess I'll have to work on my patience. I do have a food scale but I don't use it.

    Use the food scale. Weigh everything. How are you deciding what is 5oz of chicken?

    How are you measuring peanut butter?


    How are you deciding your activity level? How do you determine calories burned in exercise?
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
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    When I first started out the scale did not move for 2 months. Make sure you are measuring yourself weekly and writing it down. Measure waist, hips, thighs, arms etc... The scale did not move but I was losing and 1/2 inch to an inch a week. Some weeks I would not lose any in my waist but would in my thighs. Next week it would be vice versa. So please measure. The scale does not tell the whole story. I also agree with poster above who said that results really start to show in month 3 or 4.
  • rachelannecraig
    rachelannecraig Posts: 92
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    Are you eating enough protein? You should be eating 60-80 grams of protein a day to maintain muscle and build. You should also consume at least 20 grams post workout (within 20 mins) to help new growth. Building muscle is a great way to burn more fat when your body is at rest.....keep at it girl....it will come off. I sometimes have 2-3 weeks stalling at the same weight....then my body catches up....Keep on keeping on!

    Man I hope this is what my body is doing! Kinda stuck! :ohwell:
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    I wouldn't expect to see any results until the 3rd or 4th month mark.

    And do you have a food scale?

    That's a long time to start seeing results. Guess I'll have to work on my patience. I do have a food scale but I don't use it.
    That's how long it takes.

    Also... use it. You can't possibly know how much you're eating without it.
  • purpadillo
    purpadillo Posts: 45 Member
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    I'd try increasing your cardio; 2x/week doesn't sound like a lot, even with heavy lifting.
  • niqua215
    niqua215 Posts: 283 Member
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    I wouldn't expect to see any results until the 3rd or 4th month mark.

    And do you have a food scale?

    That's a long time to start seeing results. Guess I'll have to work on my patience. I do have a food scale but I don't use it.

    Use the food scale. Weigh everything. How are you deciding what is 5oz of chicken?

    How are you measuring peanut butter?


    How are you deciding your activity level? How do you determine calories burned in exercise?

    I measure things like peanut butter using using measuring spoons so I'm good there. As far as meats, I use the size of the palm equals 4oz method and since I guestimate I add an ounce or two to my diary. As far as calorie burn, I do have a HRM but I don't log exercise anymore since I don't eat back exercise calories. I calculated my TDEE using a lightly active setting and set my diary to 20% less than my TDEE.
  • niqua215
    niqua215 Posts: 283 Member
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    Just pulled out the food scale and will start weighing tonight with dinner. Thanks for all the advice everyone. Although I might seem impatient I'll keep at it.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    I wouldn't expect to see any results until the 3rd or 4th month mark.

    And do you have a food scale?

    That's a long time to start seeing results. Guess I'll have to work on my patience. I do have a food scale but I don't use it.

    Use the food scale. Weigh everything. How are you deciding what is 5oz of chicken?

    How are you measuring peanut butter?


    How are you deciding your activity level? How do you determine calories burned in exercise?

    I measure things like peanut butter using using measuring spoons so I'm good there. As far as meats, I use the size of the palm equals 4oz method and since I guestimate I add an ounce or two to my diary. As far as calorie burn, I do have a HRM but I don't log exercise anymore since I don't eat back exercise calories. I calculated my TDEE using a lightly active setting and set my diary to 20% less than my TDEE.
    that still doesnt really count.

    are you leveling off what you have on the spoons? are you 100% certain your spoons are correct? what if your palms are bigger than average or smaller than average? also keep in mind that many things in the MFP database are wrong in their calorie count.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    The thickness of a piece of meat counts just as much as how much surface area it takes up. A thick piece of meat in your palm could be much more than 4oz.

    I've tried "eyeballing" pieces of meat, and the thickness can make up the difference. I weighed two separate pieces of fish, similar size... vastly different thickness. One was a whole 2 1/2 oz more. Took up the same amount of area on my palm, though.
  • phjorg1
    phjorg1 Posts: 642 Member
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    What are your current lift numbers?
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
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    def get a food scale and watch out for processed food! it will help stick to something or you will just spin your wheels
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
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    Read this immediately and join the group eat train progress and read the rest of sara's information.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
  • skparker2
    skparker2 Posts: 132
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    I wouldn't expect to see any results until the 3rd or 4th month mark.

    And do you have a food scale?

    That's a long time to start seeing results. Guess I'll have to work on my patience. I do have a food scale but I don't use it.

    Started at the end of February--It took me about 2 and a half months before I saw my scale budge. Seriously. I about gave up & threw the towel in. I am doing cardio & weights. Lost 2 pounds at first, then gained it back & freaked a li'l. Lost it again, realizing that it was muscle. It didn't take until freaking April before I seriously saw results.

    My work pants were getting really baggy & I was loosing inches. Then in April, BAM! Weight started to drop. About 1-2 pounds a week & lost about 10 pounds.

    Can't say the same about May, but I'm trying slowly to get back on track. You are awesome for doing heavy-lifting. 9 out of 10 of the women on here who have already exceeded their weight loss goals thru heavy lifting wouldn't have done it any other way. They credit the lifting to their success.

    Take pride in the fact that you are getting stronger each and every day. I'm still really weak in my upper body & should definitely start lifting! Lol. And not the weight machines!
  • Bernadette60614
    Bernadette60614 Posts: 707 Member
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    2 to 4 months may seem long, but something to factor in: Not only will you see results, but your body will be stronger...when you are stronger, you'll be the person who wants to walk around the neighborhood after dinner instead of veggie out, the one who runs up the flight of stairs instead of asking someone ask to get something for you, the person who stands instead of sits.

    All those "incidental" calories over time add up. We all know those people who seem to be able to eat everything and stay skinny. The research is that those people are the ones who do a lot of "incidental" movement...they are the people who don't circle the parking lot...they park in the distance lot and walk because what seems like a hike to other people is just a stroll to them.
  • clfern65
    clfern65 Posts: 2 Member
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    Don't give up, I've taking off 30 lbs and got very lack with calorie intake and put 20 back on. Like other have said make sure your putting in accurate food portions. This app will only work by what you're putting in to it. You didn't get this way over night so it won't come off overnight or in a month. Weight gain can be accurate because muscle does weigh more but in the long scheme of things muscle will burn 2-3 times more calories than regular tissue. And will actually burn while at rest. You do need to mix up your routine because your muscles will get a sort of memory to them you have to confuse them. Hang in there you're on the right track.
  • evenings_empire
    evenings_empire Posts: 3
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    This is what I would suggest (always works for me, and I see visible changes in a week or two at most):

    First, ignore the suggestions on the app and eat very low-carb. Don't count calories or fat, but eat only natural, unprocessed foods. You should just be focused on eating plenty of protein. So I eat lots of eggs, milk, chicken, and vegetables, complete with butter or olive oil. Ideally, try to eat 30g max of carbs per day in the beginning.

    Second, in addition to lifting weights, try HIIT. All you need to do is around 20 mins a day, maybe 4 or 5 days a week. I just alternate jogging and sprinting on the treadmill, or do a short high intensity cardio video workout at home.
  • evenings_empire
    evenings_empire Posts: 3
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    Actually, third: Try doing full-body exercises rather than just lifting weights or focusing on one muscle at a time. My favorite is the Spartacus workout
  • christina0089
    christina0089 Posts: 709 Member
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    Take a look at your week as a whole not just day to day. I was in your same position until I got a snap of reality!! Initially I was doing cardio only and watching what I ate. I lost 29 pounds. Kept hearing how heavy lifting would really boost my success..Decided to hit the gym started going hard core, lifting heavier, working with a trainer etc. Upped my cals as suggested and after about a month I had gained 5 lbs... I freaked! Talked to my trainer readjusted my eating and slowed down a bit. Turns out I was over training.. NOW I eat less cals and work out everyday but not 2-3 times a day. I have added cardio back in and I am happy to say that as of Friday That 5 pounds left and took another two with it! Just had to find the right balance that included both cardio AND strength training and eating for my bodies needs.. Best of luck to you! :flowerforyou:
  • RECowgill
    RECowgill Posts: 881 Member
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    I'm not gonna tell you to not give up, that's up to you. My weight loss goal was about 50lbs. I started lifting heavy 5 months ago and I'm about halfway there. I basically do everything right, and I put in a lot of hard work. It's slow going and really really hard.

    If you're serious about losing 100lbs and getting stronger while doing it, it might take you 2 years to get there. I'd say 1.5 to 2.5 years realistically. And it won't be an easy 2 years you will have to commit. You will not see signficant results after a month.

    And also understand the body is not a linear system. Sometimes the weight stays the same, sometimes it comes off all at once. If I continue to do everything right and am lucky, I might be where I want to be after 1 year of dedicated work. But these things aren't gauranteed and predictable, you just have to put in the work and trust the system.
  • suelegal
    suelegal Posts: 1,282 Member
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    Muscles make you weight more! But they make you look and feel great! Check your measurements, and your how your clothes fit. Also, how you are feeling? Are you starting to feel stronger, calmer, healthier? Weight is not always the correct thing to be measuring! Keep up the good work! Exercise an alternate set of muscles every other day so you don't overdue it!

    1 pound of Muscle weighs the same as 1 pound of fat. The difference is 1 pound of muscle takes up less space - it's more dense, more solid than 1 pound of fat.

    As others have pointed out, you've only been at it a month.

    Let me tell you something to encourage you. Today I had to wear a business suit for a mediation in my office. I seldom have to suit up, the last time was 2 years ago for a trial. Last night I tried on all my suits and every single one of them as too big to wear, including my favorite Calvin Klein suit that I bought shortly after I lost 25 pounds. I ended up pulling a 20 year old suit out of mothballs that was ok - still a bit loose but I didn't look frumpy in it. I weight 15# more now than I did when I wore that suit last and it fit perfectly then. So you see, the scale is not a good indicator of getting fit!

    Measurements tell better. Please don't get discouraged.

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