Frustrated with results

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Par8hed4life
Par8hed4life Posts: 104 Member
Hey all---
I'm sure a similar thread has been posted before, but I am looking for more personalized responses:

Today marks my 6 month anniversary of my first WOD. I LOVE Crossfit! I love the challenge the people, the coaches and the strength I am gaining. I am not leaving.
With that said, I initially joined Crossfit to lose weight. Now I am well aware of the fact that I am gaining muscle and loosing fat. However, I have only dropped one dress size.

I am REALLY wanting to look better naked and am wondering if my expectations going into this were WAY off.
I am typically WODing 3-4x/week and have recently added in running 3 miles once a week. I eat a 90/10 paleo/primal diet and am on thyroid medication for hypothyroidism.
I recently stopped logging my food in an attempt to listen to my body more and eat when I am hungry. I also have stopped weighing in as I really don't care what the scale says. I am more interested in how I look naked. :blushing:

So, I guess what I am looking for is anybody who has been in a similar situation or knows somebody in a similar situation...
Working hard, eating right and not seeing much in the way of results. I know i have the weight to lose, so why won't it come off? :sad:

I am 5'10" and was wearing a size 18 pants/ XL shirt. . I am now in 16s and most large shirts fit me well.

Replies

  • kevie1021
    kevie1021 Posts: 543 Member
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    This is pretty similar to me. I have been doing crossfit for almost 8 months now and I just have not seen the results I was hoping/expecting by this point. I am down a pant size and most of my clothes are fitting better, which is what I wanted, but doing CF 3-4x per week and running 2-3 mile 1-3 times a week on the off days also, I expected to be much further along. I have not seen much in the way of weight loss, and like you, I know it's because I have put on some muscle, but the work put in doesn't seem to balance with the results so far. I eat pretty well, far better than what I did last year at this time. Can I tighten up my diet more? Sure, but I I still can't see it being the super overriding factor to my frustrations. I've had many people tell me that I need to maybe try and eat more calories since my burns are so huge. I am going to give paleo a try and see if that makes a change.

    Basically you're not alone here. I'm just as interested in any help/advice anyone can provide also!
  • astafivgas
    astafivgas Posts: 5 Member
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    List of questions:

    1. Do you eat a lot of (vegetable/fruit) carbs on your 90/10 paleo/primal diet? Are you getting enough protein/fat for your body to run on instead of carbs?

    2. Do you do a lot of metcons or are you mainly strength training?

    3. Did you have a thyroid problem prior to start CF 6 months ago or is this recent diagnosis? (I only ask because decreased thyroid activity can be associated with too much cardio - I have had personal experience with this)

    4. Are you getting stronger or are you stagnating in your CF workouts? Are you noting improvements in your performance?

    5. Do you take measurements? (waist, hips, thighs, etc)

    I don't think CF (or any work out) is the immediate answer to losing weight/toning up. CF is a way to build strength, confidence, and improve overall health and just like your diet is a tool to get you to where you want to go.
  • Par8hed4life
    Par8hed4life Posts: 104 Member
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    List of questions:

    1. Do you eat a lot of (vegetable/fruit) carbs on your 90/10 paleo/primal diet? Are you getting enough protein/fat for your body to run on instead of carbs?

    2. Do you do a lot of metcons or are you mainly strength training?


    3. Did you have a thyroid problem prior to start CF 6 months ago or is this recent diagnosis? (I only ask because decreased thyroid activity can be associated with too much cardio - I have had personal experience with this)


    4. Are you getting stronger or are you stagnating in your CF workouts? Are you noting improvements in your performance?


    5. Do you take measurements? (waist, hips, thighs, etc)


    I don't think CF (or any work out) is the immediate answer to losing weight/toning up. CF is a way to build strength, confidence, and improve overall health and just like your diet is a tool to get you to where you want to go.

    1) YES. I was tracking my macros when I was logging and I was running around a 40/30/30 (protein/carb/fat) ratio.
    2)Both. Extremely varied. My coach is a Crossfit trainer.
    3)Had this issue since I was 17. I am now 34.
    4)Getting stronger for sure!
    5)I did. Not a lot of movement in the last three months.
  • astafivgas
    astafivgas Posts: 5 Member
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    1. Try going super low carb for a few weeks and see if you respond well to ketosis. I do carb nite solution (which you can do paleo) and have also done carb backloading, it's more for lowering bodyfat and is pretty restrictive in the initial phases. Basically you're limited to under 30g net carbs a day so for example I eat around 30g carb and then 100g fat and 140g protein. You can google it to get an idea. The paleo version of carb night is just eating high carb paleo foods (you know, PALEO MUFFINS, etc) during that period. The reason for the ultra low carb is to put your body into ketosis so you burn fat as fuel instead of carbs. Might be worth looking into, but I wouldn't start it with the idea that you're suddenly going to lose a bunch of weight since you say you're already eating pretty clean.

    2. Stop distance running and start sprinting. Do 1 min on, 2 min rest repeats (or whatever you want, maybe it's an all out 400m and then rest double the time it took you to run it - start with 4 rounds and work up to 8.

    3. Bummer. I don't have any experience with thyroid med side effects so no comment on this one.

    4. CELEBRATE THIS.. and focus more on it.

    5. Try #2, give yourself 2 wks and re-measure. If you don't see anything add in #1 and continue with #2, again 2 wks and re-measure. I'd be shocked if you didn't see major results.
  • cmay89
    cmay89 Posts: 337 Member
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    3.5 years in and I have never seen much movement in the scale except when I am STRICT Paleo.

    Have always had steady gains with my lifting weights, but I see girls at the gym slimming down crazy fast without modifying their diet at all. I gave up alcohol completely right after my 21st birthday so that it would not have a negative effect on my training. I know that my endurance is not the greatest and if I worked more on that then I might see more movement on the scale or if I went back to strict Paleo I would see a definite difference. But personally, I am fine with where I am (most days) flirting with 170lbs. Usually as long as I can perform most of my lifts at bodyweight or greater. I'd rather be strong than crazy lean since I'm a taller girl as is and don't like looking weak. Personal preference.

    Stick with Paleo. Perhaps cut back on salt in a lot of the recipes? Not that there's a lot in there to begin with... Keep drinking massive amounts of water and perhaps add in rowing and running intervals into your training?... That's what works for me when I decide it's time to shed a few pounds. Good Luck! You can do it! just have a little patience with your body.
  • momof2osaurus
    momof2osaurus Posts: 477 Member
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    Another idea - are you sure you're eating ENOUGH? Check out the Eat More to Weigh Less group here.
  • christy_frank
    christy_frank Posts: 680 Member
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    Another idea - are you sure you're eating ENOUGH? Check out the Eat More to Weigh Less group here.


    Yes. Like I on FB. Called Eat to Perform.
  • christy_frank
    christy_frank Posts: 680 Member
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    I'm a year and 2 months in. I've gained about 10lbs. I feel like I look better naked.
    I know my body fat was about 26-28% at 140 lbs when I started. I'm now at 151 with 20-21% BF
    My thighs, butt and arms have all gotten bigger. Have your body fat measured.
    I almost need to go UP in pant size because my thighs and butt have gotten bigger but they are SOLID. It almost bruises me to get a caliper on my leg.
    I also need to probably increase my calories. It's scary though. I've been reading the posts from Eat To Perform but I haven't spent the time or money to go into the courses. It's not expensive at all, just haven't focused on it.
    What helps me feel better is knowing that the ladies at the CrossFit games look AMAZING. They are also 10-15 years younger than I am and have been doing CF for 3-5 years 5-6 days per week usually 2 workouts per day. It takes time and I am trying to give my body time to make the changes.
    Watch the uTube video called 'Strength in Beauty'.
  • songbirdtree
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    I've been doing CrossFit since January and my weight hasn't really gone down the way I'd like it to, but when I consistently do CrossFit and eat clean, I think it makes a huge difference in the way I look in a swimsuit - even though weight is exactly the same. If you are looking to shed weight, maybe focus on eating extra clean or mixing up your carb/fat/protein intake? CrossFit isn't designed to help women lose weight and get slim - that's done in the kitchen, not the gym. Good luck!
  • divemunkey
    divemunkey Posts: 288 Member
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    Eat to Perform FTW! I am a lab rat. It doesn't cost that much, like $40 for the year, and lots of advice in there. Eat More to Weigh Less is a similar group, and their spreadsheet meshes really well with the E2P calculator. I use them in combination, actually.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
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    Replacing runs with Tabata workouts will also help kick start your fat burning. Short, high intensity sprints of 20 seconds. 10 seconds of rest. Repeat 8 times.

    And by sprints they don't mean "go fast" they mean "go as hard as your freaking can for 20 seconds like someone is chasing you with an axe"

    It only takes 4 minutes but it will destroy you the first few times you try it.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Track your food. While Paleo tends to help you eat less by focusing on meals that keep you fuller, longer, and eliminates a lot of food thay would add calories, it still comes down to calories in/calories out. You can still eat too much on paleo.
  • cherryrobot
    cherryrobot Posts: 64 Member
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    I started Paleo 2 months ago and have lost 13 pounds total. I started Crossfit last Monday and on today's weigh it it is the first time in 2 months that I lost 0. Clearly better than a gain, but I was sad that I felt like I worked harder last week then I had in the 2 months prior and lost 0.
  • SnicciFit
    SnicciFit Posts: 967 Member
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    Many people find that doing a Whole30 can push them past a weight loss plateau. I find it has numerous benefits. Think of it as 30 days of super-strict paleo. If things like snacking or inflammation are the root causes of your issues, this program will root that out for you.

    Info can be found here. I suggest picking up a copy of It Starts With Food. It's well worth it.
    http://whole9life.com/success-guide/
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Many people find that doing a Whole30 can push them past a weight loss plateau. I find it has numerous benefits. Think of it as 30 days of super-strict paleo. If things like snacking or inflammation are the root causes of your issues, this program will root that out for you.

    Info can be found here. I suggest picking up a copy of It Starts With Food. It's well worth it.
    http://whole9life.com/success-guide/

    I've done Whole 30 and loved it. Turns out that dairy affects my stomach and face.
    The biggest difference with Whole 30 is basically portion control. No snacking and there are meal guidelines.