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Confused about goals, seeking your input

lovelylela415
lovelylela415 Posts: 91 Member
edited January 23 in Health and Weight Loss
I've had problems losing any weight on the scale but my bf is dropping, so i'm confused.

here are my stats:

5'10
148lbs
strength training / circuit training 3 days/ week
cardio 3 days a week
body fat 24%
age: almost 40

I used to weight 138 and was thin - then i gained weight and got up to 150 and out of shape.

so i started working out hard 6 months ago....and now i can't get myself under 148. only two pounds down! But my body has changed a lot over the last 6 months. Body Fat went down, strength went up. And i feel good. great, even!

But i want to go down a size and lose 5 more lbs.

are my goals all screwed up?

I've seen occasional advice from people to *not* eat exercise calories....so should i be eating my exercise calories?

I do want to be a bit smaller, but i am LOVING getting stronger! This is the strongest i've been in many many many many years. At the same time I want to be a size 6, because i've been there before.

i should also add that i have a trainer who i see twice a week. He says my weights are all progressing, i'm getting better at a lot of the circuits and today i held plank for 2 minutes, the longest yet.

Replies

  • WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr
    WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr Posts: 2,150 Member
    Awesome job on the planks and increased weight training weights!

    I don't think your goals are screwed up, although I'm not sure about the size 6, I'm not being critical just cautious because I don't know your body type, shape, ect, to explain my perspective: I am 5'9" (let's not discuss my weight right now because it's an issue I'm just starting to resolve, but we'll go with a lot heavier than you are right now) and when I last got down to 155, I was a size 12, and I was happy with it, but I have a large frame so, for me a size 12 looked great (and is my goal again) but a size 6 would make me look emaciated where as my friend (and trainer) is 5'8" and about a size 4 and she looks great, so it's about build, shape, ect. But I digress...

    Anyway, part of my stuggle has been that I have not lost any weight (have actually gained) but have recently started seeing body shape difference (ie my hour glass figure is starting to look like an hour glass again... granted there's more sand in the bottom than the top right now) still no weight loss. My trainer has repeatedly reminded me that because I'm strenght training and working out so much, I'm gaining muscle and until I get the balance of the muscle vs fat more on the side of muscle, I may not lose weight and muscle weighs more than fat (it's just smaller, so you need more muscle to take up the same amount of space as the fat) So you may be in the conundrum phase of switching to more muscle than fat, and once you reach whatever amount your body needs, you may plateau or gain then all of the sudden, BAM! the weight will start coming off.

    My trainer told me not to eat back my exercise calories (if I go a few calories over my set amount, it's okay, but she doesn't want me to eat them all back) but I would say this is something you need to tak to your trainer about, he may be better able to guide you on this since he knows you better.
    Best of luck!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    if your bodyfat is going down you ARE getting smaller!

    sounds like you're doing great, keep at it!
  • GemskiB
    GemskiB Posts: 95 Member
    If you're doing strength training you should be measuring yourself. I have been static for a while andthen after checking my leasurements I'd lost 5cm on my wasit! Get the measuring tape out :)
  • lovelylela415
    lovelylela415 Posts: 91 Member
    thanks for the input.

    regarding the body type question....I'm small framed, hour glass figure which i realize sounds ok but i think the small frame situation is the reason i am accustomed to weighing less or being "smaller" when i "diet"

    however, this is not a diet whatsoever, i have undergone a lifestyle change and am just trying to figure it all out.

    i feel smaller, even though the pounds haven't gone down, but when I tried on a size 8 item at H&M it was too small, which made me wonder if i'm just imagining things. So i guess you're right, time to get out the measuring tape.

    I haven't weighed myself in 2.5 weeks, i generally only weigh once a month, when my trainer weighs me and does bf measurements. I think we have another weigh-in in another week and a half, which falls around the monthly time when i will be bloated. figures!

    anyway, to be clear, i realize that my problems are small, i really just want to figure out this body stuff. I still have big ol hips, or at least hips that are not firm, and i'd like to firm up! it really has little to do with looks and more to do with feeling good in a stupid bikini at an event i have to go to in july.

    the big picture here is my health and fitness and strength, and i'm definitely ok with where that is and where i am headed!

    ...I'm happy as can be with the fitness stuff. I love getting stronger, and my whole body really does feel different...so does it matter if i have fat on my hips? I'm still trying to figure that out, i guess.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    You got to eat your exercise calories back, or you won't be gaining any kind of muscle or strength.
  • lovelylela415
    lovelylela415 Posts: 91 Member
    Ok, yes, that's exactly what i was wondering. So far that's what I do, so I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. Slow and steady wins the race, yes?!

    thanks again for all the input.
  • lovelylela415
    lovelylela415 Posts: 91 Member
    Soooo....update.

    It's working! Body fat down, 2lbs down on the scale (not that the scale matters but in some ways it does) and I need to buy the measuring tape!

    I think I also need to readjust my overall goals , I no longer care as much about the scale, but really enjoy setting goals. I love gaining muscle and losing fat, my whole body is starting to feel really different!
This discussion has been closed.

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