Bootcamp ... what am i doing wrong?

SkinnyBitchMode19
SkinnyBitchMode19 Posts: 34 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
On May 13th (so almost 3 weeks ago) i started a bootcamp class 4 days a week (the classes are about 40 mins long and i burn between 390-420 cals per class). The first week i lost 1.5lbs and since then, nothing. I've stayed at completely the same weight since then. Now i know it's only been 3 weeks and i wasn't expecting a crazy weight loss of like 15lbs or anything, but 1lb a week at least. I checked my measurements today and they are exactly the same as when i started as well.

I log my meals and stay within my calorie range (i was at 1420 before exercise) do you think i should lower it to 1200?

Also, has anyone had this issue? I just feel like i'm busting my *kitten* at this class and not even seeing a total of 2lbs in 3 weeks is a tad frustrating.

Thank you in advance for any help :happy:

Replies

  • ChangingAmanda
    ChangingAmanda Posts: 486 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13 is a good thread with resources for determining calorie goal. It's a possibility you're not eating enough and need to increase your calories rather than decrease.

    It's a possibility you're retaining water and glycogen for muscle repair which often occurs when starting/upping the intensity of exercise.

    Use other tools than just the scale to track progress. So many factors can influence the scale - TOM, a high sodium meal or day just before weighing in, amount of digested food in your GI system, inconsistencies as to when you weigh. Start measuring yourself, take progress pictures and pay attention to how your clothes are fitting and how you're feeling. I "gained" 2.4 lbs one week but the jeans that had been a tad tight the week before fit perfectly the day I logged my gain.

    3 weeks isn't long enough to get too upset over this. Some folks are able to find that perfect combination of food deficit, macro intake and workout routine right off the bat and never have a problems logging loses consistantly. Others it can take a few weeks/couple months to figure out the right combination for them.
  • karenmi
    karenmi Posts: 242 Member
    I'm sort of in the same boat as you!

    I started a boot camp the first week of April and have GAINED weight and inches. Yikes!

    My workout routine before was 3-4 times a week, 30 minutes on the treadmill followed by either a total body strength training routine or a kettlebell routine, both about 20 minutes. Average calorie burn was about 425 per workout (based on my HRM). I've been doing some version of that workout for the past 3 years.

    Now I am just doing the boot camp classes, 3 a week, an hour a class. Average calorie burn is 550 per workout.

    I started at 156.5 lbs and am now at 162 lbs (I'm a 5'3" female, 49 yrs old). I have not really changed my eating habits other than upping my calories to my TDEE - 15%....prior to that I was aiming for a net 1400 calories a day (approx 400 calories difference).

    Now I can't fit in most of my clothes and am starting to see the changes, and not in a good way. As much as I'm enjoying the bootcamp classes I am starting to think that my old routine worked better for me.

    FYI I started MFP at 199 lbs in Feb 2010, lost 52 lbs by the end of 2010 and kept it off for over 2 years. Just started gaining the weight back this year and am up about 10 lbs from where I was one year ago. Discouraging.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    I tried Bootcamp for a while and it's pretty intense on your cardio for sure. My GF does BC religiously and lost a bunch of weight doing it but her diet was also good for doing so, possibly too good. Definitely check your diet and make sure you're calculating your TDEE correctly. It's been a while since I've calculated a TDEE but if I remember correctly it takes into account your activity level without exercise. Make sure you're being honest with yourself about that and don't include exercise. Talk with the class instructor about your issue, they have more insight for you as well. Good luck!
  • SkinnyBitchMode19
    SkinnyBitchMode19 Posts: 34 Member
    Thanks guys!

    Yea it's frustrating that my clothes are fitting the same, my measurements haven't moved a fraction of an inch and i've stayed the same weight. Granted, it's been 3 weeks but c'mon! I'm not expectin mircles .. but 1lb here and there would be nice :tongue:

    I'm making small tweeks to my eating habits so i'll see if that does anything for me next Friday (my weekly weigh in day).

    Good luck to eveyone that feels like they are in the same boat .. hopefully we can all figure this out!

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