no weight loss?? muscle gain?? argghh

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bdahlia13
bdahlia13 Posts: 26
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been working out about 5x a week for about 3-4 weeks now....I usually do Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred or hit the gym and do Zumba or Bodypump classes and add on an all-around ab exercise afterwards (like Ab Ripper X or a health magazine workout). I MIGHT be eating a bit under my calories, I'm not sure...I am still new to using MFP and the calculator and I try to find the closest food to what I may eat when I go out (since I have no idea what the exact calorie count on restaurant food may be...).

Anyways....I seem to be stuck at around 174# and it's very frustrating! I was briefly about 170# before it shot up during the weeks of exercising. I eat very healthy, I refuse to eat sugar and gluten, or if I do I will only have a few bites and no more... I keep my carbohydrates count low about 50 a day. I usually just like to eat salads, proteins, and low sugar fruits like berries with 2% fage yogurt... I drink plenty of water. I have been trying to keep my calories count to around 1200 but I am seeing some people suggest I increase it to about 1500. I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and snack lightly in between with almonds. Sometimes I might skip breakfast if I wake up later after an exhausting day... I eat proteins (usually greek yogurt) after my workouts. This method of diet helped me lose a majority of my weight but after adding exercise I seem to be stuck.

I'm not sure what I may be doing wrong or if this is all just muscle weight gain? I definitely notice my body is WAY more toned than it was...

ANY suggestions would be AWESOME. I am playing this by ear but hoping I am on the right track! <3
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Replies

  • bdahlia13
    bdahlia13 Posts: 26
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    OK after reading some other threads I don't think I am eating nearly enough calories...I'm a little afraid to eat 2.1 k calories and I am not sure how to healthily go about that. I didn't want to crash someone else's thread so I am just posting this here. I get pretty darn full after 1 cup of yogurt or a salad so how would I go about adding extra healthy calories? I also see that I can just replace it with more fat....I think that almonds and yogurt tend to have a bit of fat in them. I will have to be more strict about logging my meals...how do you go about adding things into MLP if you can't find a similar food/exercises in the list?
  • Tubbytucka
    Tubbytucka Posts: 83 Member
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    Record your various body measurements as well as weight - the last few weeks my weight has remain fairly static but my belly flab has shrunk and my thighs have grown.

    Apparently your body retains water as part of the muscle repair process and if you're doing all those workouts, you'll be repairing.
    Somebody also told me with exercise your body produces more blood to move the oxygen around - dunno if that's true but I know I put on 7lbs my first month of cycling a few years ago. Which was unexpected...

    I would say keep at it, it's a long term project, just be patient.
  • bdahlia13
    bdahlia13 Posts: 26
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    Thanks Tubbytucka! I feel a little bummed but I WILL keep at it and be more consistent with the community...I have a friend who also told me it may be water weight retention due to muscle repair...My inner thighs have definitely gone in (I used to have an annoying fat deposit that I discovered has nearly diminished!) and my stomach has gone in A LOT. I guess it is just disconcerting to see extra pounds on the scale.... I am being a bit obsessive about it!
  • RawCarrots
    RawCarrots Posts: 204 Member
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    Definitely keep track of the measurements, you'll probably notice a difference especially if your clothes feel loose.

    I can't advise you on how many calories to lose as I'm no expert, plus don't know how tall you are and how much you have to lose, but from reading the forums 1200 is too little for majority of people. I'm 5' 7.5 and was 190lb when I started, I was on 1200 net and doing OK for few weeks, genuinely wasn't hungry and it went against any logic to eat more if I'm not hungry. However after few weeks I started getting tired, started craving quite few things that were hard to squeeze in 1200 calories after you get healthy 3 meals. So I increased to 1550 and surprisingly continued to lose weight:wink: I used to have a handful of nuts to make up the difference if I was short at the end of the day. Currently I'm increasing again as I'm nearly at healthy weight so trying to aim at smaller deficit.

    I'm not saying you should definitely eat more, however not sure how you manage to sustain on 1200 calories with all that exercise. I presume you've already plugged your numbers in one of the TDEE/BMR calculators and checked your calorie goal there?
  • bdahlia13
    bdahlia13 Posts: 26
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    I am 5'5" and currently 174....I started out 196# in May and cut carbs/gluten/sugar/and calories with little to no exercise...I didn't ever feel I was starving myself. I didn't count calories then, I was just being aware of what I was putting into my body....but then I hit a plateau and started working out. :)

    Now that I think about it and after plugging in numbers, I suppose I am not actually sustaining the 1200 or so calories I eat due to exercise....however I find it hard to eat much since my body says I am full. Maybe I eat too fast!

    CONGRATS on your weight loss, both of you by the way...I am still fairly new to all of this but I feel I am on the right track...I just need to find something that works... I did plug in numbers into the TDEE calc (and subtracting 15%) after reading some forum suggestions in other threads and discovered I should be eating about 2.1k calories. How many carbs do you guys consume? I am wondering if it would be okay to increase my intake a bit at this point.
  • RawCarrots
    RawCarrots Posts: 204 Member
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    Thanks!:smile: I'm fairy new too, less than 4 months (joined last year but got sidetracked:angry: )

    Putting your numbers in the scooby calculator I get BMR 1589. I'm no expert and others will be able to advise you better, but personally I'd aim to eat at BMR first and see how you get on from there. I know personally I wouldn't be able to jump from 1200 to 2100:noway: so to save my sanity I'd increase in steps. You may or may not notice some initial weight increase, try to give it few weeks and don't panic:wink: Keep track of measurements and keep up the good work, you are doing the right things and eventually the weight will come off. I had couple of stubborn plateaus, at the middle of one at the moment, you just have to wait it out. You are exercising and eating less than you are burning, the results will eventually follow!
  • bdahlia13
    bdahlia13 Posts: 26
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    I checked the BMR calc and 1600 calories sounds ALOT more reasonable than 2k lol!! I just found out I may have water retention weight....I skipped my period this month (due to intensive exercising)....or so I thought, if you catch my drift... :P Even still, I have been stuck around 170-174 and I just want to see myself drop into the 160's... I ultimately want to lose 40 more lbs to be at my ideal weight but I am more than happy to go by smaller 10 lb goals until then... it's much less daunting and I am happy with how I've come along so far...I had a lot of hormonal issues before I lost weight- period irregularity, increased acne, general sluggishness and low confidence, but now that has nearly diminished...save for this one period hiccup. I'm especially happy that I do not break out much anymore! Thank you for the motivation!! <3333 It really means alot...
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    Probably water weight gain as your muscle hold and retain muscles for repair and with working out 5xs a week, they may not be getting enough rest time to fully recover. Muscle water weight gains common. Give it a month, maybe cut back to 3 workouts a week, limit salt, drink plenty of water.

    Eating at a deficit you rarely and barely gain muscle.
  • claire671
    claire671 Posts: 93 Member
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    I'm 5'5 and have gone from 200lbs to 147 at the moment. I'm current eating 1520 calories and still losing so I'd say definitely increase your cals. Epecially if you're exercising quite a bit. I haven't restricted carbs etc so don't have advice there but what I would say is weigh your food. You'd be surprised at how many calories are in things and weighing is a great way of keeping track and knowing exactly what you are putting in your body. Make sure not to over estimate calories burned either. Lots of water too!

    Anyway, best of luck!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    If your bmr is near 1600 calories and you work out 5 or 6 days a week its better that you eat near 1900 calories. This is a 20% reduction from your tdee. I would however suggest a slow increase in calories to compensate for water retention increases due to eating more calories.

    Also, why did you cut carbs so low and cut out gluten? Not to say you shouldnt go low carb its just unnecessary if you dont have a medical condition. Additionally, there is no way you gained muscle at 1200 calories.
  • bdahlia13
    bdahlia13 Posts: 26
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    Thanks guys! I think it might be water weight as well.

    Claire- That's amazing! Congrats!! What or how do you normally eat? Your before/after pictures- you look absolutely great!! I have also been doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred for the most part but I do classes at my gym now and then to break up the monotony! Thank you!

    Psu/3fold- I went gluten/low carb partly in solidarity with a friend who found she was pre-diabetic (but she is much better now!) and for my own health since my weight was starting to give me problems as I described previously...I suppose I do not really need to be on such a diet, in fact I am less strict about it now and rather try to limit it instead of avoid it completely. Both my parents do have diabetic history in their family and I feel I may have mild PCOS (which is related to diabetes) so I felt it would be good to nip the habits in the butt now than regret it later... I also eat a LOT of protein and healthy fats which is why I was wondering if it was possible muscle gain...water retention makes more sense now though..

    Would it be better to just watch calories rather than focus on carb count? This is where I am a bit confused...I am doing my best to research all these things but there are so many opinions, it's hard to know what is the best course of action to take. I feel fine working out 5x a week, sore or not (exercising more seems to make the soreness go away anyhow)....should I take it back to 3x a week instead? I have also seen people recommend 3x strength training days and cardio on off days.

    I apologize if I sound uneducated about this! I really want to take everyone's advice on the matter to do what is best! You are all so inspirational!! :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Unless you are insulin resistant then carbs dont matter much. In the end its about calories. Also, there is no need to only work out 3x a week as you just need to eat more. Essentially, the more active you are the more calories you need. So just eat more as I suggested.
  • bdahlia13
    bdahlia13 Posts: 26
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    OK. I think I will try this out now, it is making much more sense. :) SO, I should eat around 1600 cals and if I exercise and burn, say 600 calories in my workout, I would have to add at least 200 more cals (protein shake or something) to my day to have had 1200 calories? Or would I have to keep it a consistent 1600 and thus eat another 600 back? I hope it doesn't sound too stupid...haha..
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    OK. I think I will try this out now, it is making much more sense. :) SO, I should eat around 1600 cals and if I exercise and burn, say 600 calories in my workout, I would have to add at least 200 more cals (protein shake or something) to my day to have had 1200 calories? Or would I have to keep it a consistent 1600 and thus eat another 600 back? I hope it doesn't sound too stupid...haha..

    I suggest you just start by eating 1900 total calories (macros around 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats). And do not eat back exercise calories. Or you can eat 1600 plus 50% of your exercise calories. The advantage of the first option is its easier to figure out your tdee aka maintenance calories.

    I would however suggest upping your calories by 200 per week until you hit 1900. Once you hit 1900 you stay for a month and report back. If you dont lose weight after 4 weeks, drop calories by 200 per day. Since you tend to do a lot of lcd its possible your rmr has adapted to burn less calories.
  • claire671
    claire671 Posts: 93 Member
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    Thanks guys! I think it might be water weight as well.

    Claire- That's amazing! Congrats!! What or how do you normally eat? Your before/after pictures- you look absolutely great!! I have also been doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred for the most part but I do classes at my gym now and then to break up the monotony! Thank you!



    Would it be better to just watch calories rather than focus on carb count? This is where I am a bit confused...I am doing my best to research all these things but there are so many opinions, it's hard to know what is the best course of action to take. I feel fine working out 5x a week, sore or not (exercising more seems to make the soreness go away anyhow)....should I take it back to 3x a week instead? I have also seen people recommend 3x strength training days and cardio on off days.

    I apologize if I sound uneducated about this! I really want to take everyone's advice on the matter to do what is best! You are all so inspirational!! :)

    I purely watch my calories. I haven't focused on macros/carbs/protein. I don't know enough about it yet to worry about it :) Calories is a brilliant place to start and I'd say that once you had that sorted then look at other elements. Make sure you give your new calorie intake a good couple of weeks before you weigh in as your body will need to adjust and then you will start to lose. I only weigh in every two weeks now and it's great because it takes the pressure off and sometimes you get a lovely drop!

    Feel free to add me and have a look through my diary, plenty of food in there!
  • RawCarrots
    RawCarrots Posts: 204 Member
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    OK. I think I will try this out now, it is making much more sense. :) SO, I should eat around 1600 cals and if I exercise and burn, say 600 calories in my workout, I would have to add at least 200 more cals (protein shake or something) to my day to have had 1200 calories? Or would I have to keep it a consistent 1600 and thus eat another 600 back? I hope it doesn't sound too stupid...haha..
    You could do it either way, whatever works better for you, both ways achieve the same thing. When I first started MFP I calculated calories based on sedentary/lightly active and would log in extra exercise and eat (most of) my calories back, that way I was motivated to exercise as I liked the extra food on those days:wink:
    Currently I'm finding it too much hassle having different goals on different days considering I eat very similar foods daily so I'm moving towards averaging calories over the week. So I aim to eat 1700 every day, some days I burn 2000, others I burn 2200, but it balances over time. I also don't worry about macros yet, have only kept an eye on the calories so far. When I have calories left over I try to fill them with whatever macros is lacking, usually yoghurt or nuts for protein and fat.
    Eating at a deficit you rarely and barely gain muscle.
    I was heartbroken when I found this out:sad: So unfair. We can only aim to retain whatever muscle we have while losing the fat.
  • bdahlia13
    bdahlia13 Posts: 26
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    Thanks everyone! This was insightful. :D I feel like I ate so much today but I'm still only at about 1100 calories lol. I also woke up late so I missed breakfast (sigh). I tried not to give much a lick about my carbs today (but still making sure I was eating healthy foods)....I feel SO full but again I'm still trying to ease into eating more... I am honestly not trying to feel guilty or deprive myself, I just hadn't realized I was eating such a low amount of calories all this time until I plugged everything in! I felt a little more alert today though so I suppose that's a good sign. On the days I do happen to not eat a full 1500+ calories, is it still okay to exercise/burn? I will look through diaries to get an example of how you all eat!

    Also, how do you know how to adjust your MFP goals? Such as the macros and how many calories to burn per week...Should I just adjust the calories intake and leave the macro numbers alone or is there a more ideal way to calculate these things? And I should have asked this sooner but what is a deficit? Thank you all! <3
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    Search threads with the word "setting TDEE" or "Macros"


    I see a lot of macro suggestions around
    40/30/30 - P/C/F
    35/35/30
    40/35/25

    I don't know my percentages, but on 1600 calories, I aim for 130P/100-120C/45-50F
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
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    I'm 5'5" and 169 (SW 217). I eat about 1700-1800 calories a day, workout for 45 minutes 5 days a week and stay active on the weekends. I lose on average about a pound a week.

    Some things I eat to get more calories:

    Avocados
    Hummus
    Bananas
    Nuts
    Peanut butter (I use PB2)
    Cottage cheese
    Whole eggs
    Whole grain breads and pastas
    Yogurt
    Lean proteins (Chicken, Turkey, Pork Tenderloin, Fish, Sirloin, 90% or more Lean Ground Beef)
    Homemade granola
    Oatmeal
    Ice Cream

    Feel free to add me, then you can see my diary. It's open to friends.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I am 5'5" and currently 174....I started out 196# in May and cut carbs/gluten/sugar/and calories with little to no exercise...I didn't ever feel I was starving myself. I didn't count calories then, I was just being aware of what I was putting into my body....but then I hit a plateau and started working out. :)

    Now that I think about it and after plugging in numbers, I suppose I am not actually sustaining the 1200 or so calories I eat due to exercise....however I find it hard to eat much since my body says I am full. Maybe I eat too fast!

    CONGRATS on your weight loss, both of you by the way...I am still fairly new to all of this but I feel I am on the right track...I just need to find something that works... I did plug in numbers into the TDEE calc (and subtracting 15%) after reading some forum suggestions in other threads and discovered I should be eating about 2.1k calories. How many carbs do you guys consume? I am wondering if it would be okay to increase my intake a bit at this point.

    You program has probably repaired your leptin mechanism. Which means that your appetite control center is now sensitized to the leptin that your fat cells are pumping out. You probably do need to eat more--but I would ignore the scale and concentrate on measurements and building lean tissue. If you are noticing your fat deposits shrinking and your clothes fitting looser, then you are making progress--no matter what the scale says. If you are lifting (and three times a week is the recommended amount) then you will be putting on a bit of fluid during the muscle building process. But you will need to eat at maintenance for a while in order to build muscle further. Then, if you lay off the weight-lifting for a week occasionally (some trainers recommend doing that every few months) I'm told that you will notice a rapid drop in pounds from the dumping of fluid. Good luck! :smile:

    ETA: By the way, full-fat dairy (organic is best) has been shown, in various studies, to be helpful in shedding body fat and keeping it off.

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