What am I doing wrong?
yokosuka324
Posts: 24
So I started my fitness journey on the first of the month. I am prior military so I've been super fit and worked out hardcore before. My problem is motivation. I've been super strict on my work out regimine. I do spin class Monday-Thursday for at least 50 mins and recently started weight lifting using Activtrax. Weight lifting takes about thirty minutes to an hour depending on whaat Activtrax has scheduled for me that day. I eat bad things rarely and usually stick to whole wheat bread, lots of water and chicken or fish. My first 9 days I dropped 3lbs of fat and gained 3.5lbs of muscle. However, I've hit a plateau I think. At least I haven't lost any fat. In fact I believe I gained a pound of fat. This is pretty disheartening especially since I even meet with a personal trainer once a week. My trainer said eating 90% clean I can eat a cheesecake here and there. I usually document everything I eat except on my "off days" which are Friday and Saturday. I drank some sodas at a concert the other day (because it was either that or Monster energy drink) and had half a cheesecake. Have I hit a plateau or do those things affect my weight that much that quickly? Any suggestions?
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Replies
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Not to sound negative but there is no way you can gain 3.5 lbs of muscle in 9 days!0
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After taking a peek at your diary, it looks like you just eat a lot of processed foods and sugars. And unless you aren't logging everything you aren't taking in enough calories either. Taking days off also will hurt you and you will constantly be stuck in a yo-yo diet pattern with little to no results.0
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So I started my fitness journey on the first of the month. I am prior military so I've been super fit and worked out hardcore before. My problem is motivation. I've been super strict on my work out regimine. I do spin class Monday-Thursday for at least 50 mins and recently started weight lifting using Activtrax. Weight lifting takes about thirty minutes to an hour depending on whaat Activtrax has scheduled for me that day. I eat bad things rarely and usually stick to whole wheat bread, lots of water and chicken or fish. My first 9 days I dropped 3lbs of fat and gained 3.5lbs of muscle. However, I've hit a plateau I think. At least I haven't lost any fat. In fact I believe I gained a pound of fat. This is pretty disheartening especially since I even meet with a personal trainer once a week. My trainer said eating 90% clean I can eat a cheesecake here and there. I usually document everything I eat except on my "off days" which are Friday and Saturday. I drank some sodas at a concert the other day (because it was either that or Monster energy drink) and had half a cheesecake. Have I hit a plateau or do those things affect my weight that much that quickly? Any suggestions?
Half a cheesecake? WOW. Time to start logging EVERYTHING so you can see exactly what you're doing wrong. I think the "off days" and the "half a cheesecake" might have something to do with why you're not losing weight.0 -
Yokosuka,
I am retired Navy myself. It's not unusual to plateau for a little while before you start to notice a little more progress. I will say this though, it's possible to add muscle on top of fat if you didn't shred the fat before hitting the weights real hard. Keep at it and you will eventually start to see more of the fat drop off. The spin class is good cardio but try to mix it up some. Your body becomes used to a certain type of workout and it will take more of the same for you to see more results. You may notice you will drop more fat if you start mixing up running and spin or elliptical and spin, something to that affect.0 -
Not to sound negative but there is no way you can gain 3.5 lbs of muscle in 9 days!
@kandi_apples I can post my Tanita Body Fat measurement print outs with the dates on them if you'd like. My trainer and I meet once a week and a weigh-in is part of the session. 5/9 I was 100lbs of lean muscle and 5/18 I was 103.5 lb of lean muscle.0 -
[/quote]
Half a cheesecake? WOW. Time to start logging EVERYTHING so you can see exactly what you're doing wrong. I think the "off days" and the "half a cheesecake" might have something to do with why you're not losing weight.
[/quote]
I felt really guilty after that cheesecake >_< I log everything Sunday - Thursday0 -
After taking a peek at your diary, it looks like you just eat a lot of processed foods and sugars. And unless you aren't logging everything you aren't taking in enough calories either. Taking days off also will hurt you and you will constantly be stuck in a yo-yo diet pattern with little to no results.
I usually get pretty close to my calorie intake but am absolutely terrified of eating after 8pm. I work until 11:15pm so I usually get home around midnight. Any suggestions?0 -
After taking a peek at your diary, it looks like you just eat a lot of processed foods and sugars. And unless you aren't logging everything you aren't taking in enough calories either. Taking days off also will hurt you and you will constantly be stuck in a yo-yo diet pattern with little to no results.
I usually get pretty close to my calorie intake but am absolutely terrified of eating after 8pm. I work until 11:15pm so I usually get home around midnight. Any suggestions?
Yes....don't be terrified to eat after 8.0 -
It sounds like you are doing a lot of things right: a regular exercise routine, eating a modest diet, staying away from most bad foods, and tracking everything.
My recommendation is to have some more patience and to continue to track your weight and calories religiously for at least a month before making any conclusions. After weighing myself every single day at the same time each day for 3 months, I noticed there is a very random jitter of about 1-3 pounds up or down depending on the fluctuation of how much sodium I've eaten, when I last went do the bathroom, and how much I just ate.
However, after 3 months, I was able to see a slight downward trend, and I could draw a straight downward-sloping line through the random up and down swings on the weight chart. The real fat loss I've noticed comes from consistently eating 400 calories under what my body needs per day and doing this for at least a month.
Finally, I have found that fat loss (or gain) is usually more rapid than muscle loss (or gain), so I doubt you were able to put on 3.5 lbs of muscle in 9 days. Let's just say you did actually gain 3.5 lbs of muscle in 9 days. A little math will show that this rate of gain is either unrealistic or unsustainable:
Assuming you are a man who weighs 190 lbs, a 3.5 lb gain is 1.84% of your current weight. If you were to gain 1.84% of your body weight in muscle every 9 days, this effect would compound (multiply) 40.58 times during 1 year (365.25 days / 9 days). Since we are dealing with percentages we have to multiply them all together to get your final weight after 1 year, assuming zero fat loss or fat gain, thus the 1.84% to the power of 40.58 times:
(1.0184 ^ 40.58) * 190 lb = 398.54 lbs
So in one year at your current rate, you will be a 398.54 pound abominable beast of pure muscle able to lift cars off of trapped women and children.
Anyway, the point is, I have found that most of the day-to-day swings in weight are due to sodium regulation by your body; it is neither muscle nor fat usually. The more sodium / salt you take in, the more water your body retains to dilute the sodium level to the "proper" level your body needs/wants. Water is heavy, so it is easy to gain or loss water weight by just cutting out all the salt from your diet. Try cutting all sources of salt or sodium from your diet for 2 days and watch the weight you will supposedly "lose."
Avoid the soft drinks. You have to run a mile to work off the ~100 calories from one 8oz can of non-diet coke. Try coffee, teas, diet soda if you have to.0 -
After taking a peek at your diary, it looks like you just eat a lot of processed foods and sugars. And unless you aren't logging everything you aren't taking in enough calories either. Taking days off also will hurt you and you will constantly be stuck in a yo-yo diet pattern with little to no results.
I usually get pretty close to my calorie intake but am absolutely terrified of eating after 8pm. I work until 11:15pm so I usually get home around midnight. Any suggestions?
Yes....don't be terrified to eat after 8.
I always thought it was a weight loss killer to eat after 8pm so I never do, which cuts out a major opportunity to eat since I usually get up at 10am, get to the gym by 11:30am, stretch for 30 mins, go to spinning class from 12pm-12:50pm, do weight training from 1pm-1:30-2pm then get to work.0 -
In the end. its only been a month. you are a returning athlete in essence. All that weight you dropped and gained is mostly just water weight. Give it 3 or 4 months.
Now start logging the weekends too, and live your life with something that is going to be sustainable for your life.0 -
I don't understand why people freak out when they have one off day - this is generally speaking. So you ate half a cheesecake. So what? Don't stress out about it. The more stress you are under, the more likely you will keep your weight on, or gain weight, and won't be able to lose weight.. I agree with staying away from processed foods. You'd be surprised how bad they really are for you. And even bread turns into sugar once it hits your stomach.
I pretty much eat whatever I want and I have still been losing weight, or inches, rather. The BIGGEST thing, is controlling my stress levels. Granted, I have been eating clean 80-90% of the time. But I'm not going to beat myself up for having some treat here and there. Remember, it's a lifestyle change.. And it's going to take time for the weight to come off. It didn't pack on overnight, so it certainly won't come off overnight.
And throw the "don't eat after whatever time" out the window. It doesn't matter when you eat. It matters what you eat, and how much. But even then, one off day isn't going to kill you..
Don't fret. You'll get there!0 -
After taking a peek at your diary, it looks like you just eat a lot of processed foods and sugars. And unless you aren't logging everything you aren't taking in enough calories either. Taking days off also will hurt you and you will constantly be stuck in a yo-yo diet pattern with little to no results.
I usually get pretty close to my calorie intake but am absolutely terrified of eating after 8pm. I work until 11:15pm so I usually get home around midnight. Any suggestions?
Yes....don't be terrified to eat after 8.
I always thought it was a weight loss killer to eat after 8pm so I never do, which cuts out a major opportunity to eat since I usually get up at 10am, get to the gym by 11:30am, stretch for 30 mins, go to spinning class from 12pm-12:50pm, do weight training from 1pm-1:30-2pm then get to work.
I, along with a lot of others trying to lose weight, work shift work. I work 11PM to 7AM sometimes and eat at 2 or 3 AM. No negative effects eating then.0 -
I eat around 10-11pm every night. It has never affected my weight loss.0
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It sounds like you are doing a lot of things right: a regular exercise routine, eating a modest diet, staying away from most bad foods, and tracking everything.
My recommendation is to have some more patience and to continue to track your weight and calories religiously for at least a month before making any conclusions. After weighing myself every single day at the same time each day for 3 months, I noticed there is a very random jitter of about 1-3 pounds up or down depending on the fluctuation of how much sodium I've eaten, when I last went do the bathroom, and how much I just ate.
However, after 3 months, I was able to see a slight downward trend, and I could draw a straight downward-sloping line through the random up and down swings on the weight chart. The real fat loss I've noticed comes from consistently eating 400 calories under what my body needs per day and doing this for at least a month.
Finally, I have found that fat loss (or gain) is usually more rapid than muscle loss (or gain), so I doubt you were able to put on 3.5 lbs of muscle in 9 days. Let's just say you did actually gain 3.5 lbs of muscle in 9 days. A little math will show that this rate of gain is either unrealistic or unsustainable:
Assuming you are a man who weighs 190 lbs, a 3.5 lb gain is 1.84% of your current weight. If you were to gain 1.84% of your body weight in muscle every 9 days, this effect would compound (multiply) 40.58 times during 1 year (365.25 days / 9 days). Since we are dealing with percentages we have to multiply them all together to get your final weight after 1 year, assuming zero fat loss or fat gain, thus the 1.84% to the power of 40.58 times:
(1.0184 ^ 40.58) * 190 lb = 398.54 lbs
So in one year at your current rate, you will be a 398.54 pound abominable beast of pure muscle able to lift cars off of trapped women and children.
Anyway, the point is, I have found that most of the day-to-day swings in weight are due to sodium regulation by your body; it is neither muscle nor fat usually. The more sodium / salt you take in, the more water your body retains to dilute the sodium level to the "proper" level your body needs/wants. Water is heavy, so it is easy to gain or loss water weight by just cutting out all the salt from your diet. Try cutting all sources of salt or sodium from your diet for 2 days and watch the weight you will supposedly "lose."
Avoid the soft drinks. You have to run a mile to work off the ~100 calories from one 8oz can of non-diet coke. Try coffee, teas, diet soda if you have to.
I'm actually a 23-year old female. When first weighed I was at 30% body fat. After my second weigh in I was 28% body fat. This was all in 9 days. I was super strict in those 9 days so I don't know if that makes a difference. All I ate was chicken breast and zucchini and all I drank was water. I did strictly stretching and spinning class. I don't know if it was accurate or not, but this was all from the print out from my personal trainer. After that reading it has slowed or back tracked I should say. I gained a pound of fat which is incredibly odd since I also incorporated weight training into my schedule. I don't usually drink soda. I usually drink sparkling water or Propel Zero. I guess my recent off day delights have affected it and the fact that I'm usually below my calorie intake.0 -
After taking a peek at your diary, it looks like you just eat a lot of processed foods and sugars. And unless you aren't logging everything you aren't taking in enough calories either. Taking days off also will hurt you and you will constantly be stuck in a yo-yo diet pattern with little to no results.
I usually get pretty close to my calorie intake but am absolutely terrified of eating after 8pm. I work until 11:15pm so I usually get home around midnight. Any suggestions?
Yes....don't be terrified to eat after 8.
I always thought it was a weight loss killer to eat after 8pm so I never do, which cuts out a major opportunity to eat since I usually get up at 10am, get to the gym by 11:30am, stretch for 30 mins, go to spinning class from 12pm-12:50pm, do weight training from 1pm-1:30-2pm then get to work.
That's an old-wives' tale. Your metabolism never shuts down. If it did, you'd be dead. Your body is always going, always digesting. Just making your brain function takes a large amount of your daily calories, and you're brain is ALWAYS working.
Frankly, I seriously doubt you're eating as well as you say. I peeked at your diary, and it's not so good. Also, depending on your height, age, and weight, you might not even be consuming enough calories considering your extreme exercising routine.
And I'd log every single day that you possibly can. It helps so much. Even if you go over on your calories, just account for it and move on.0 -
I eat around 10-11pm every night. It has never affected my weight loss.
That is awesome to hear guys! Thanks so much! I am usually pretty hungry when I get off of work but refuse to eat because I think it'll affect my diet negatively. Also, what do you think about eating before working out, particularly cardio? I've always heard that you should eat before working out, but when I eat before my work out I usually feel sick when working out.0 -
Also you only started on the 1st of the month... Not to sound unduly mean but come back when your weight hasn't changed in two or three months... THAT'S a plateau. I got stuck around 190-195 for two months and it drove me crazy, but it will start to move again.0
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I see a lot of gaps in your diary. Start working on being consistent on that, even on your "off" days. It might give you an idea of why you are not getting the results that you want. It will also help you get in the habit of logging. Eating out as much as you do might also be the cause of having a stall (you are not on a plateau). Try eating more meals that you prepare if you can and invest in a food scale to make sure your calories are accurate.0
-
It sounds like you are doing a lot of things right: a regular exercise routine, eating a modest diet, staying away from most bad foods, and tracking everything.
My recommendation is to have some more patience and to continue to track your weight and calories religiously for at least a month before making any conclusions. After weighing myself every single day at the same time each day for 3 months, I noticed there is a very random jitter of about 1-3 pounds up or down depending on the fluctuation of how much sodium I've eaten, when I last went do the bathroom, and how much I just ate.
However, after 3 months, I was able to see a slight downward trend, and I could draw a straight downward-sloping line through the random up and down swings on the weight chart. The real fat loss I've noticed comes from consistently eating 400 calories under what my body needs per day and doing this for at least a month.
Finally, I have found that fat loss (or gain) is usually more rapid than muscle loss (or gain), so I doubt you were able to put on 3.5 lbs of muscle in 9 days. Let's just say you did actually gain 3.5 lbs of muscle in 9 days. A little math will show that this rate of gain is either unrealistic or unsustainable:
Assuming you are a man who weighs 190 lbs, a 3.5 lb gain is 1.84% of your current weight. If you were to gain 1.84% of your body weight in muscle every 9 days, this effect would compound (multiply) 40.58 times during 1 year (365.25 days / 9 days). Since we are dealing with percentages we have to multiply them all together to get your final weight after 1 year, assuming zero fat loss or fat gain, thus the 1.84% to the power of 40.58 times:
(1.0184 ^ 40.58) * 190 lb = 398.54 lbs
So in one year at your current rate, you will be a 398.54 pound abominable beast of pure muscle able to lift cars off of trapped women and children.
Anyway, the point is, I have found that most of the day-to-day swings in weight are due to sodium regulation by your body; it is neither muscle nor fat usually. The more sodium / salt you take in, the more water your body retains to dilute the sodium level to the "proper" level your body needs/wants. Water is heavy, so it is easy to gain or loss water weight by just cutting out all the salt from your diet. Try cutting all sources of salt or sodium from your diet for 2 days and watch the weight you will supposedly "lose."
Avoid the soft drinks. You have to run a mile to work off the ~100 calories from one 8oz can of non-diet coke. Try coffee, teas, diet soda if you have to.
I'm actually a 23-year old female. When first weighed I was at 30% body fat. After my second weigh in I was 28% body fat. This was all in 9 days. I was super strict in those 9 days so I don't know if that makes a difference. All I ate was chicken breast and zucchini and all I drank was water. I did strictly stretching and spinning class. I don't know if it was accurate or not, but this was all from the print out from my personal trainer. After that reading it has slowed or back tracked I should say. I gained a pound of fat which is incredibly odd since I also incorporated weight training into my schedule. I don't usually drink soda. I usually drink sparkling water or Propel Zero. I guess my recent off day delights have affected it and the fact that I'm usually below my calorie intake.
It is IMPOSSIBLE to put on 3.5 pounds of muscle is less than 2 weeks.
Especially at a deficit. Not happening.
Good job working out though and keep doing what you're doing!
Eat in your calorie range and train hard,everything else should fall in place0 -
Half a cheesecake? WOW. Time to start logging EVERYTHING so you can see exactly what you're doing wrong. I think the "off days" and the "half a cheesecake" might have something to do with why you're not losing weight.
[/quote]
I felt really guilty after that cheesecake >_< I log everything Sunday - Thursday
[/quote]
Even do Friday and Saturday. You can friend me and take a look at my food diary. I log everyday of the week especially on my one off day.0 -
I felt really guilty after that cheesecake >_< I log everything Sunday - Thursday
Guilty? I'd feel sick. 1/8 of a pie is more than enough to settle me. Are you sure you aren't prone to binge eating?0 -
After taking a peek at your diary, it looks like you just eat a lot of processed foods and sugars. And unless you aren't logging everything you aren't taking in enough calories either. Taking days off also will hurt you and you will constantly be stuck in a yo-yo diet pattern with little to no results.
I usually get pretty close to my calorie intake but am absolutely terrified of eating after 8pm. I work until 11:15pm so I usually get home around midnight. Any suggestions?
Yes....don't be terrified to eat after 8.
I always thought it was a weight loss killer to eat after 8pm so I never do, which cuts out a major opportunity to eat since I usually get up at 10am, get to the gym by 11:30am, stretch for 30 mins, go to spinning class from 12pm-12:50pm, do weight training from 1pm-1:30-2pm then get to work.
That's an old-wives' tale. Your metabolism never shuts down. If it did, you'd be dead. Your body is always going, always digesting. Just making your brain function takes a large amount of your daily calories, and you're brain is ALWAYS working.
Frankly, I seriously doubt you're eating as well as you say. I peeked at your diary, and it's not so good. Also, depending on your height, age, and weight, you might not even be consuming enough calories considering your extreme exercising routine.
And I'd log every single day that you possibly can. It helps so much. Even if you go over on your calories, just account for it and move on.
I've been eating pretty bad the past couple of days definitely. If you go back though you'll see nothing but fish, chicken breast and all that jazz. For some reason that one day I really did only eat one can of soup. I just wasn't hungry at all that day. I don't usually log Friday and Saturday but I will do so going forward to make sure I'm not going too crazy.0 -
I felt really guilty after that cheesecake >_< I log everything Sunday - Thursday
Guilty? I'd feel sick. 1/8 of a pie is more than enough to settle me. Are you sure you aren't prone to binge eating?
Whoa I think it's been misinterpreted. I meant half a cheesecake slice >_> Not half of an entire cheesecake. Definitely not a binge eater.0 -
From what I see you are under eating some days, loading on sodium others and not logging on a lot of days. I would try to nail down your journalling and not go too low.
Balance is the key. Good luck to you.0 -
Not to sound negative but there is no way you can gain 3.5 lbs of muscle in 9 days!
This... especially as a female. Gaining this much muscle in less than two weeks is impossible. You can gain maybe 10lbs a year if all conditions are right. Get your numbers re checked as the ones you have are false. Don't forget, those scales measure lean body mass .. not just muscle. Lean body mass is everything but the fat... organs, muscle, water.0 -
Not sure if this a troll thread but:
track every day
hit macros
eat whenever you want
and no you didn't gain 3.5lbs of muscle in 9 days.0 -
Not to sound negative but there is no way you can gain 3.5 lbs of muscle in 9 days!
This... especially as a female. Gaining this much muscle in less than two weeks is impossible. You can gain maybe 10lbs a year if all conditions are right. Get your numbers re checked as the ones you have are false. Don't forget, those scales measure lean body mass .. not just muscle. Lean body mass is everything but the fat... organs, muscle, water.
I've actually had my numbers rechecked and it stays pretty much the same +/- 1 lb of fat. I'll post the actual result pictures when I get home. I also measured myself before my work out at pretty much the same time to ensure I didn't have too much water and that I wasn't dehydrated0 -
Not sure if this a troll thread but:
track every day
hit macros
eat whenever you want
and no you didn't gain 3.5lbs of muscle in 9 days.
^This.0 -
In my opinion it seems like you have heard some bad info. Eating after 8 is not bad. Eating CARBS after 8 is bad. Now it is recomended to eat 5-6 small meals a day. The reason being is that the smalls meals spread out over the day keep your metabolsim going strong all day. If you stop eating at 8 and do not get up until 10 that is 14 hours your body has not had food. This will send your body into starvation mode which shuts down your metabolism. No not completely, but it slows it down quite a bit. This is your bodies natural defense against starvation from the dawn of man when food was scarse and your body would have to conserve its food supply until you could find a new source. Unfortunatly our bodies still do this.
You seem to be doing very well with your diet. I would suggest cutting out processed food and logging the weekends as well, and try eating a salad with a lean protien at night and then some casein protein or some fat free cottage cheese before bed to keep your metabolism going all night long. This will also help you maintain and build lean muscle.0
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