Iifym (flexible dieting) advice

PinkGrenade
PinkGrenade Posts: 6 Member
edited February 3 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been using iifym for 2 weeks now. I'm 5 ft 8 and 146 pounds. I'm using a low carb template, 60g fat, 90g carbs and 146g protein, which is 1500 calories a day. When i work out I do 20 mins cardio (200 cals) then 40 mins resistance training, and I do that 5 days a week.

My first week I noticed a 1-2 pound difference, but this week there's no change, if anything I'm back to my starting weight. How long should it take before I begin to notice some progress? Am I doing something wrong? Any advice would be appreciated :)

Replies

  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
    Do you weigh your food?
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    Is it a new workout program? When I started lifting again (note: I've lifted before, just not to this degree for a few years), I gained 2 or 3 pounds. It stuck around for a couple of weeks, then came right back off. New exercises can sometimes cause the muscles to retain water for a while as you adjust. I'd say stick with it for at least a month before you decide you need to change something.

    (Also, if you came by the 1500 calories via TDEE - some percentage, make sure you don't eat back your exercise calories as most TDEE calculators already do that. If it's what MFP gave you, then eat back some of your exercise calories… does that make sense?)
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    At your height 146lbs is a good weight so you don't have much to lose anyway, the less you need to lose the slower it comes off, keep on going and you will have success :)
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    More than 2 weeks, patience is key.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,506 Member
    Its hard to tell without an open diary.

    However, 1500 seems low for someone 5'8 and 146. I'm 5'9, 145 and maintain on 2300 a day. I can't imagine you have all that much to lose. A smaller deficit might be a better choice, but again its difficult to say without your diary

    Also, if you just started resistance training, you may be retaining water for muscle repair.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    1) You're not burning 600 calories an hour doing cardio at 146 pounds. You'd be lucky to hit 375 an hour doing vigorous cardio.

    2) You will retain water when you lift.

    3) weigh and measure absolutely everything you eat. 1500 calories isn't much, so it leaves very little wiggle room.

    4) weight loss for your weight will probably be a half pound a week to a pound a week max. Some weeks, the scale will be up because it falls within the margin of error. Stop weighing yourself for a while. give it a month or two.
  • Charliejl82
    Charliejl82 Posts: 57 Member
    Your calories are way too low and you have forced your body into storage mode. I'm 5 ft 4 128 lbs and am on more calories than you - with less cardio! I've lost a steady 1 lb a week for 9 weeks. Up your carbs - 160 on training days, 120 on non train days. Flexible dieting is good to have the odd treat but your diet needs to be predominantly lean meats, fats from nuts etc and complex carbs
  • PinkGrenade
    PinkGrenade Posts: 6 Member
    I weigh all my food carefully and am hitting my macros pretty closely.

    ive been doing resistance training 'properly' now since the start of this year, so im not doing any new training program. so its unlikely that muscle weight is masking fat loss.

    i do often find myself bloated, so water retention may be an issue, but i cant seem to get around that?

    i used a macro calculator to work out my macros, and i hit 1500 a day, regardless of exercise.

    it may seem like i dont have much to lose, i am a healthy weight but my goal is to look more defined and i feel fat is masking my hard work hypertrophy training. i'm currently around 25% body fat and would like to be 18-20%
  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
    Can you open your diary?
  • PinkGrenade
    PinkGrenade Posts: 6 Member
    thanks for the advice guys. i think i will slowly begin to increase my calories by 50 a week perhaps, and be a little more patient.

    ive ruined my body this past 2 years through cycles of fasting, binging and very low calorie diets, and my metabolism is rubbish. i need to get it going again, as scary as it is eating all these calories every day :)
  • PinkGrenade
    PinkGrenade Posts: 6 Member
    ive just opened up my diary, its not totally accurate on MFP
  • Charliejl82
    Charliejl82 Posts: 57 Member
    thanks for the advice guys. i think i will slowly begin to increase my calories by 50 a week perhaps, and be a little more patient.

    ive ruined my body this past 2 years through cycles of fasting, binging and very low calorie diets, and my metabolism is rubbish. i need to get it going again, as scary as it is eating all these calories every day :)

    It takes weeks to change your metabolism - hormones don't change over night. Up your carbs as of tomorrow. Stick to the new carb quantities for 2 weeks (will be approx 1620 cals on train days 1450 non traing days) measure yourself and take a pic - DON NOT GET ON SCALES!!

    In two weeks weigh, remeasure and take photo. Be patient, trust me!
  • Charliejl82
    Charliejl82 Posts: 57 Member
    Ill open my diary - have a look at what eat - mine is super accurate to the gram.
  • Unknown
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  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    The body tends to retain a couple of pounds of water whenever you increase the intensity of your exercise program. It's a response to muscle damage and so forth. So it's normal to not see the scale move much, or have it move up a little bit, for a couple of weeks after starting a diet+exercise program. The fat loss if offset by water retention.

    Give it two more weeks and see where you are.
  • Charliejl82
    Charliejl82 Posts: 57 Member
    Ill open my diary - have a look at what eat - mine is super accurate to the gram.

    My carbs were 140 ish training days 100 non train days. I plateaued this week so my carbs have been lowered (advice of my pt) to 110 on training days. - hance the different amounts on different days
  • PinkGrenade
    PinkGrenade Posts: 6 Member
    Ill open my diary - have a look at what eat - mine is super accurate to the gram.

    My carbs were 140 ish training days 100 non train days. I plateaued this week so my carbs have been lowered (advice of my pt) to 110 on training days. - hance the different amounts on different days

    i quite like the look of your diet, i think i will up my carbs like this.
    your progress pictures are great. whats the time between them?
  • ckmama
    ckmama Posts: 1,668 Member
    1) You're not burning 600 calories an hour doing cardio at 146 pounds. You'd be lucky to hit 375 an hour doing vigorous cardio.


    This

    I weigh 245 lbs and use a heart rate monitor. I burn 10 calories a minute busting my hump 200 calories in 20 mins. I think your calorie burn is over estimated. Which won't matter if you aren't eating them back.

    And you might b ein that 2 week slump. Seems to happen. Just push past it and keep working hard.
  • PinkGrenade
    PinkGrenade Posts: 6 Member
    ive just opened up my diary, its not totally accurate on MFP

    well. ..........

    my macros are accurate to the gram, i meant on MFP they are not accurate in terms of what i ate for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack etc. a lot is just stuck into 'dinner' section
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    1) You're not burning 600 calories an hour doing cardio at 146 pounds. You'd be lucky to hit 375 an hour doing vigorous cardio.

    Wait what? Why would you say this?
  • Charliejl82
    Charliejl82 Posts: 57 Member
    Ill open my diary - have a look at what eat - mine is super accurate to the gram.

    My carbs were 140 ish training days 100 non train days. I plateaued this week so my carbs have been lowered (advice of my pt) to 110 on training days. - hance the different amounts on different days

    i quite like the look of your diet, i think i will up my carbs like this.
    your progress pictures are great. whats the time between them?

    Thanks, the only thing I haven't included is salad (lettuce) and veg (non carb veg like cabbage etc)

    Photos are 8th July, 8th aug, 8th september
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