Haven't lost anything on Chalean Extreme :(

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ssmith0437
ssmith0437 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
HI,

I am new to this so hopefully I am doing this right. I started the Burn phase of Chalean Extreme last month and just finished it up yesterday. For you all that don't know, this program is weight lifting combined with cardio and interval training. I am 5'2 (ok maybe 5'1 1/2) and I weight around 143. I have a beachbody coach and she told me eat around 1400 calories a day and myfitnesspal told me the same thing. So I am following that.

I followed the workouts religiously and even do hip hop abs or turbofire for some extra fun. I love working out but definitely prefer weights to cardio. When I first stared this program I was around 138 and have gained about 6 lbs! I only weigh myself once a week, on the same day and around the same time. Everyone keeps telling me its muscle gain but I am having a hard time believing that since I haven't even lost inches :( My legs and glutes have toned slightly but nothing major.

I got married last month and before hand we would eat fast food around 2-3x a week and now we only eat out once every two weeks. We eat all whole grains, lean meat, and little dairy. I eat fruit everyday and have some sort of veggie with every meal (if you know me eating veggies is not my favorite thing.) You would think I would lose something.

Have anyone had similar issues with chalean extreme?
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Replies

  • Lammerchops
    Lammerchops Posts: 68 Member
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    If you really are eating 1,400 calories per day, then you are not gaining muscle. Simply put, gaining muscle mass requires you to lift heavy and eat *above* your daily maintenance caloric requirement.

    For how long have you been eating 1,400 calories per day? A solid month? If you have truly been eating 1,400 calories per day for a month, you should have seen weight loss, even without doing that exercise program.

    Do you weigh and track everything on a foodscale? ie, no "eyeballing" serving sizes or simply using measuring cups, which are often inaccurate? Are you checking to ensure that the MFP entries you're using are also accurate? Are you eating 1,400 calories per day EVERYDAY, or are you eating freely on weekends and negating your progress during the week?

    It all boils down to simple math: cals in vs. cals out. The only way to guarantee your cals in is to weigh, track, record on a foodscale.
  • ssmith0437
    ssmith0437 Posts: 6 Member
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    No I do not have a food scale and I do use measuring cups...whoops. And yes I eat 1400 calories a day. There have been 3 days where I have ate like 1350 or maybe 1500 but that was it. I continue to eat well throughout the weekend and stick to my calories. The only reason I do not eat more than 1400 is because my doctor and coach told me I would gain weight and not muscle. I also heard that I should buy a calorie counter/heart rate monitor. Do you think that would help?
  • sixout
    sixout Posts: 3,128 Member
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    No I do not have a food scale and I do use measuring cups...whoops. And yes I eat 1400 calories a day. There have been 3 days where I have ate like 1350 or maybe 1500 but that was it. I continue to eat well throughout the weekend and stick to my calories. The only reason I do not eat more than 1400 is because my doctor and coach told me I would gain weight and not muscle. I also heard that I should buy a calorie counter/heart rate monitor. Do you think that would help?

    If your coach told you that you would gain weight and not muscle by eating more than 1400 calories per day, then you probably need a new coach. Doctor too.
  • ssmith0437
    ssmith0437 Posts: 6 Member
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    Yeah my doctor told me for someone of my height that I need to eat between 1050-1200 calories a day!! Personally I think that is crazy. I felt like I was starving myself when I tried eating 1200.
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
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    Your Dr told you to eat that.. crazy.. If your doing that workout with hip hop abs or some other cardio item for 30-45 minutes with that.. Probably were not eating enough or you need a food scale to make sure you were eating correctly..but MFP has it where you eat back your exercise calories.. so if it gives you 1400, then you add to it.. I would say change to 1600 and see what happens.
  • Jennms85
    Jennms85 Posts: 49 Member
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    I too am using chalean extreme, 2nd week push but have seen amazing result just from burn phase alone. I am 5'4 and now 129 lbs. I was eating about 1400 during burn phase but have upped since push to 1500+, the next phase will boost your metabolism big time you will def need to eat more. Seeing such great results so far I don't understand how you are not seeing results. Make sure you are logging EVERYTHING, milk in your coffee, butter, condiments etc. I would also measure your food. You have no idea how much is going into your body otherwise. Don't give up, just stay true to yourself and hold yourself accountable. Best of luck!
  • ssmith0437
    ssmith0437 Posts: 6 Member
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    I too am using chalean extreme, 2nd week push but have seen amazing result just from burn phase alone. I am 5'4 and now 129 lbs. I was eating about 1400 during burn phase but have upped since push to 1500+, the next phase will boost your metabolism big time you will def need to eat more. Seeing such great results so far I don't understand how you are not seeing results. Make sure you are logging EVERYTHING, milk in your coffee, butter, condiments etc. I would also measure your food. You have no idea how much is going into your body otherwise. Don't give up, just stay true to yourself and hold yourself accountable. Best of luck!

    How much did you lose during the burn phase? Did you use a calorie counter to keep track of how much you are burning? I am losing hope because I have worked so hard and have only cheated once and that was even in moderation. Then when I see the scale go up it makes me crazy lol
  • Jennms85
    Jennms85 Posts: 49 Member
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    Totally understand, doesn't matter how many people tell me to focus on the fit of my jeans and not the scale it still annoys me. My skinniest of jean fit but I want numbers! But on that note, after I had my son 6 yrs ago I did a crash diet and lost a ton of weight and was smaller then I'd ever been at 118. I am now 129 and can fit in the same jeans from then.
    I lost 7 lbs in the first phase, the bulk in the first 2 weeks. I too added in some extra cardio when I could but nothing excessive.

    We will get you through this!
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
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    My photo is only about a 2 pound difference on the scale. It's not all about your weight.
  • Jennms85
    Jennms85 Posts: 49 Member
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    Sorry missed a question, no I do not have a heart rate monitor, really really want to invest. I googled calories burned doing chalean and found someone semi-close to me and used her stats as a range. Generally added an extra 150 on weight days and 250 on the cardio days. Went up from there if I added more in. Like I said in previous post during this phase IM HUNGRY! My husband laughs at how often I'm eating but I listen to my body...to an extent lol.
  • Lammerchops
    Lammerchops Posts: 68 Member
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    No I do not have a food scale and I do use measuring cups...whoops. And yes I eat 1400 calories a day. There have been 3 days where I have ate like 1350 or maybe 1500 but that was it. I continue to eat well throughout the weekend and stick to my calories. The only reason I do not eat more than 1400 is because my doctor and coach told me I would gain weight and not muscle. I also heard that I should buy a calorie counter/heart rate monitor. Do you think that would help?

    I'd concentrate more on the calories going into your mouth than the calories burned during exercise at the moment. That's not to say that a heart rate monitor with chest strap and calorie counter can't provide you with a decent baseline of the cals you burn during exercise. But they're not 100% accurate either. Plus a consistent diet and proper caloric intake is ALWAYS going to be the answer over exercise.

    If you do not weigh your food then you can't say you're eating 1,400 calories per day. You can get by with measuring cups and spoons for stuff like peanut butter or olive oil in a pinch, but you simply can't measure proteins like meat (ie, one of the most nutrient dense and critical macros in your diet) through cups or spoons. Grams and ounces are your friend.
  • KandisV
    KandisV Posts: 26
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    There might be other things going on too. What is your age? Are you on any medications? I've been working really hard too & my scale hasn't budged, nor have my inches---I've logged every stinking thing (i have a food scale and have been religious about it) and I hadn't cheated (which is a miracle for me). I feel good after eating well these past weeks, but no loss is frustrating. My trainer is perplexed, but I talked to my pharmacist and he said my birth control pill could be making it hard to lose because of the estrogen, so he suggested I switch to a different pill (after consulting with my dr.), I haven't done that yet, but plan too. I am also very short (5 feet?) and 43 years old---I used to be able to easily drop 5 or 10 lbs, but after 40 it has been slow & difficult. I went off the rails this weekend with food & alcohol, but I'm just going to get back up & keep trying. Hang in there! I'm right there with you.
  • ssmith0437
    ssmith0437 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I am on birth control (sprintec 28 to be more specific). I am not sure whether that could be part of the issue or not. I have been on it since I was 18 and am now 23. I think I will definitely invest in a food scale to monitor my food more closely. And I noticed that whenever I would eat more on the days I lifted, I would eat roughly 1600-1750, I would have more energy the whole week through. This 1450 limits me quite a bit. I feel more tired and get headaches. Plus there are days I am still hungry but can't eat because I have reached my limit.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Based on your stats, I would suspect that 1600- 1700 is a better calorie range for you, especially if you are feeling stronger and better with it. But the biggest thing before you up your calories would be to get a scale and ensure you are really tracking well for a month.
  • Blessedbythebest1
    Blessedbythebest1 Posts: 971 Member
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    I just finsihed Chalean Extreme about 2 months ago and I had INCREDIBLE results! I ate around 1800 calories a day (I'm 5'2" and weight at that time was 145 lbs, I'm 40 yrs old.) I didn't weigh myself until after the entire program, because inches rule for me, I could care less about that stupid number on a scale. I lost a lot of inches, I toned up all over and I lost 5 lbs, which was great results for me. And I feel like a BEAST! I feel so much stronger, I'm doing Insanity now and all the while I am saying "Thanks, Chalene!" because i also did Turbo Fire right b4 CLX and I don't think I would be able to handle Insanity w/o the previous programs.

    Good luck and stick with, I promise this program ROCKS!
  • ssmith0437
    ssmith0437 Posts: 6 Member
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    Well after hearing everyone's suggestions, I think I will up my calories to between 1600 and 1700. Let's hope this woks.
  • Cinnabon64
    Cinnabon64 Posts: 32
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    From what I have learned on MFP it sounds like you are not eating enough.
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
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    I'm 5'6" and just finished Burn. I start Push in a few minutes.

    I eat 1,800-2,100 calories a day. I've lost 7 pounds this month.

    I think bumping your calories up would actually help you. Please read this thread and tweak your calories accordingly! Your body will thank you. :flowerforyou:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
  • gelen06
    gelen06 Posts: 1 Member
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    I just started with Chalean Extreme. I'm 5 and 113lbs and myfitness pal recommends 1200 cal/day which i try to do. I add my workout calories as well. The only question i have, i'm really confused, if i burn calories should i add it to my 1200 calories and that's what my food calorie intake? or just stick to my 1200 calories and don't add my workout calories to my daily intake?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    I just started with Chalean Extreme. I'm 5 and 113lbs and myfitness pal recommends 1200 cal/day which i try to do. I add my workout calories as well. The only question i have, i'm really confused, if i burn calories should i add it to my 1200 calories and that's what my food calorie intake? or just stick to my 1200 calories and don't add my workout calories to my daily intake?

    add exercise calories or better yet follow the book or website to figure out calories. Its better to follow the program as designed to get the results

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