Can i lose fat without losing weight?? :-/ (confused)

staceylcash
staceylcash Posts: 71
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok i have been trying to lose weight since my surgery to remove kidney stones in the end of march. I now weigh 120ish, BUT i cannot get below that, i am working out like an hr and 20 mins a day, im working my muscles and everything. I have counted calories, of course i have had some mess up days but i have even made up for some extra calories by working out some more. Could i lose this little layer of fat even if i dont lose anymore pounds? I am really working on toning up my body, doing some really hard isometric workouts. I mean this work out is really awesome and i can feel it working my body. But im just hoping even if i dont lose another pound this stupid fat will go away as im trying so hard to tone myself! I have really bad self image problems and im ready to get rid of this extra fat! Im frustrated. I know everything takes time, but i might as well give up on at least having a toned body if i cant get rid of this fat. How does toning work? Do you lose weight as you are toning? Gain weight? Stay the same weight?

Replies

  • trelm249
    trelm249 Posts: 777 Member
    To answer the question in the title, yes.

    To lose the fat, you must have a caloric deficit.

    If you are down to last bit you want to lose, it should not be an overly dramatic deficit for an extended period otherwise you are likely to lose quite a bit of muscle in the process (goodbye "toned" look).

    Toned translates into losing enough fat that your existing musculature becomes more promiment and leaves a lean and athletic look. Two things are necessary to do that. Losing fat and having some actual muscle to expose.

    Be patient.
    Ignore the scale and pay attention to the tape measure and mirror. Record measurements monthly or more frequently. Just not daily, you will be a head case. Women should also be accomodating of natural biological variance.
    Eat enough, it should be a minor caloric deficit.
    Up your protein intake to something in the ballpark of 35% protein, 35% carbs, and 30% fat. Tune (5% variance) based on how your body responds. Some do better with a little more protein or a little more carbs,
    On days you are doing resistance training (you are doing resistance training, right?), do minimal cardio.
    When you do resistance training, do enough weight that it actually significantly challenges you and are focused on compound moves.
    Rest. Get enough sleep. On cardio days, don't lift. On lifting days, do minimal cardio.

    Hope that helps.
  • staceylcash
    staceylcash Posts: 71
    Thank you! I actually do a workout that uses my own body weight for resistance. But now that you have said this, i will start doing cardio every other day. On myfitnesspal, it says my intake should be 1200 and im hitting that, sometimes i go over. And of course i make sure i eat enough for the calories i burn too. I really dont know how many calories im burning doing my exercise that i use my own body weight for resistance. I do it for an hr and 20 mins. I feel like im gonna pass out when i finish lol. Thanks again for helping me
  • Cherry_T
    Cherry_T Posts: 62 Member
    There`s three major ``heavy objects`` you can play with: fat, water, and muscle. More important than what`s on the scale is your body composition. As for toning, that`s just a buzzword that means building muscle while losing fat. Personally, I prefer ``sculpting``
  • janemontgomery71
    janemontgomery71 Posts: 9
    Losing weight is surely a game. Everyone experiences a plateau at some point. The other consideration is as you exercise, you are building muscle. It may be at a point whereby the type of exercise you're doing, and the food you eat is not allowing you to lose that extra amount.
  • staceylcash
    staceylcash Posts: 71
    Losing weight is surely a game. Everyone experiences a plateau at some point. The other consideration is as you exercise, you are building muscle. It may be at a point whereby the type of exercise you're doing, and the food you eat is not allowing you to lose that extra amount.

    Maybe you could incorporate a supplement. I just read about this supplement called Plexus. Here is a link to a review of it by a running coach.

    http://runtofinish.com/health/3811/my-plexus-slim-review/

    Awesome! Thanks! I am at my platue. Im 120 and i want to be 115, maybe this could for me. Thank you so much!
  • staceylcash
    staceylcash Posts: 71
    Thanks everybody for your input! I appreciate it!
  • phjorg1
    phjorg1 Posts: 642 Member
    what are your lift numbers?

    people with low bodyfat athletic bodies got them by training harder and lifting heavier than 99.99% of everyone else. until you train like they do, you will not look like them.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    I find macro ratios to be such a cookie cutter answer to something people don't really know anything about. As long as you're getting enough protein for your personal needs then you can fill the rest with carbs and fats.

    Typically if you're in a deficit you'll have to change your lifting pattern because eventually that deficit will affect your strength. Find out what works for you, but mix gym sessions that focus on maintaining your strength (high weight/low reps) and some sessions that are hypertrophy in nature which are 8-12 reps lower weight. I don't do de-load weeks, but sometimes I'll substitute a lifting day for an outdoor activity.
  • mystiedragonfly
    mystiedragonfly Posts: 189 Member
    I lost 10 pant sizes before I lost ONE single pound. (I lift weights and swim)

    If a person burns a pound of fat, but puts on a pound of muscle, they equal each other out and cause the scales to not lower.

    Don't you just love science?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Thank you! I actually do a workout that uses my own body weight for resistance. But now that you have said this, i will start doing cardio every other day. On myfitnesspal, it says my intake should be 1200 and im hitting that, sometimes i go over. And of course i make sure i eat enough for the calories i burn too. I really dont know how many calories im burning doing my exercise that i use my own body weight for resistance. I do it for an hr and 20 mins. I feel like im gonna pass out when i finish lol. Thanks again for helping me

    As was mentioned but I think lost in other great comments here - less to lose, should have less deficit.

    Did you switch loss goal to 1/2 lb weekly yet? 5 lbs deserves that less stress level. Or body is just going to fight you to no end.

    You'll probably find with better strength exercise with no cardio, you'll drop inches better as body makes more improvements.
    Those improvements increase metabolism, so winning all around.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    I lost 10 pant sizes before I lost ONE single pound.

    If a person burns a pound of fat, but puts on a pound of muscle, they equal each other out and cause the scales to not lower.

    Don't you just love science?
    They don't equal each other for one.. adding muscle changes your BMR and also it will affect your body fat %.. I know you're talking strictly weight, but realistically (not to be mean) it's an oversimplification. Yes, 1lb = 1lb but the Rock at 260 lbs looks a lot different than I ever did at 260.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Losing weight is surely a game. Everyone experiences a plateau at some point. The other consideration is as you exercise, you are building muscle. It may be at a point whereby the type of exercise you're doing, and the food you eat is not allowing you to lose that extra amount.

    Maybe you could incorporate a supplement. I just read about this supplement called Plexus. Here is a link to a review of it by a running coach.

    http://runtofinish.com/health/3811/my-plexus-slim-review/

    Congratulations, all 4 of your posts push a product. Subtle (NOT) guerilla marketing....

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