A bunch of questions!

1. Agree with above poster, as often or as little as you want.
2. Inches are a lot better indicator of progress
3. Most people who say that have no clue what they're talking about. It is very difficult to build muscle on a deficit. Usually, people are either retaining water or just underestimating their calorie intake when they say they're doing everything right and seeing no results.
4. Also agree with above poster here. A moderate deficit of 500 calories will help with sustainability.

Hi all just got a bunch of questions to throw at you guys, any answers would be much appreciated!

1) How often should I weigh myself? I used to do it on a daily basis at home since I had a scale, but now that I'm in Uni I can only weigh myself when I go to the gym at different hours each day due to class timetables and the fluctuations are quite large.

2) Is it better to measure my waist than to measure my weight as a indicator of fat loss?

3) I've read somewhere that you can't gain muscle on a calorie deficit, is this true? If so then why do some people say stuff like, the number on the scale might not have changed that much because you lost fat and gained muscle.

4) How reliable is the BMR? Suppose my BMR says that I only burn 2047 calories a day and I'm trying to go for a 1000 calorie deficit per day and I only burn like 500-600 in the gym each day does that mean I can only consume 1500-1600 calories a day?

Thanks a lot!

1. Once a week is more than enough. Your weight loss won't change because you're off and on the scale constantly. You could never weigh yourself and still lose weight.

2. Maybe.

3. Muscle gain doesn't usually happen eating at a deficit and most people say that because they want to feel better about not losing.

4. BMR or TDEE? You don't take a deficit from your BMR. If your TDEE is 2000 then yes your calculations are right but you shouldn't probably be trying to do 1,000 calorie deficit.

You should weigh yourself first thing in the morning in the same clothes once a month. This will show your true weight changes. To measure fat loss, the best way is to purchase an inexpensive fat caliper on the internet. These cost around $10.00. I would also recommend getting a cheap scale from Fred Meyers, Target, etc. The number on the scale is not important. The changes are the important thing. Your measurements are a good way to monitor weight loss. I would only measure monthly. You can send me a friends request if you wish. You are correct that your goal is to lose fat and gain lean muscle.

Deborah

Hi all just got a bunch of questions to throw at you guys, any answers would be much appreciated!

1) How often should I weigh myself? I used to do it on a daily basis at home since I had a scale, but now that I'm in Uni I can only weigh myself when I go to the gym at different hours each day due to class timetables and the fluctuations are quite large.

2) Is it better to measure my waist than to measure my weight as a indicator of fat loss?

3) I've read somewhere that you can't gain muscle on a calorie deficit, is this true? If so then why do some people say stuff like, the number on the scale might not have changed that much because you lost fat and gained muscle.

4) How reliable is the BMR? Suppose my BMR says that I only burn 2047 calories a day and I'm trying to go for a 1000 calorie deficit per day and I only burn like 500-600 in the gym each day does that mean I can only consume 1500-1600 calories a day?

Thanks a lot!

1) What matters more is that you're being consistent in RE to time of day and conditions. If you weigh daily, you should weigh yourself at the same time and under roughly the same conditions...if you weigh in on Friday morning at 6 AM after you've dropped a deuce and you're going to make that your anchor then you should weigh in every Friday morning at roughly 6 AM after you've dropped a deuce.

2) Taking measurements and using calipers to measure BF in conjunction with the scale are beneficial. The scale doesn't measure fat...it measures weight...fat is only a singular component of your weight.

3) Baring very small noob gains, you cannot gain substantial muscle while in a calorie deficit. To get those minimal noob gains, you also have to be hitting the weight room hard...you aren't gaining walking on a treadmill. Basically, you cannot be catabolic and anabolic at the same time. Building and substantial muscle requires a calorie surplus. A guy with pretty good genetics might possibly be able to put on 10 - 15 Lbs of muscle in an entire year if he were really hitting the gym hard and hat a spot on diet with a modest surplus. The reason you here people say "you're losing fat and gaining muscle" is because they don't know what they're talking about and also, wishful thinking.

4) First of all, your BMR is your basal metabolic rate...it is what your body burns just being alive if you did nothing but sleep for 24 hours. A calculator utilizing the Katch-McArdle formula is the most accurate because it only assumes your LBM...if you're using the Harris Benedict formula for example, but are grossly overweight or obese, your BMR calculation is going to be off by a pretty good amount because the formula is basically treating fat like it's LBM that needs fuel...you obviously don't need to fuel your fat. Ultimately, everything is an estimate that you may have to tweak a little here an there...but provided that you fall into statistical averages, TDEE calculators and what not are fairly accurate in so long as you are accurate putting in your information.

On #4 I think you're confusing BMR and TDEE...you should never take your cut from BMR.

Find a TDEE calculator. Enter all your info. Now you take a % deduction from that number. At 6 ft and 184 lbs you probably don't really need to lose weight. Sounds like you'd be better to work on lowering your BF and doing some heavy lifting to reshape that belly you don't like. Your BMR is the number you need to survive in a coma. Does it sound like a good idea to eat less than that?

I used to be around 315lbs (14 Months ago) if that means anything.

Yes a big difference. The "flabby" you are seeing is probably mostly excess skin. You should probably consult a doctor and determine exactly what your body fat % is before trying to loss more weight.