Weight Won't Come Off!! S.O.S. PLEASE HELP!!

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  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Uhm, so, how many pounds more until you get to your goal weight? Your ticker seems confusing.... are you really 1 pound from goal weight?
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    Just remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you're working out with weights while losing fat don't be surprised if the scale says you haven't lost anything. You are still losing fat.

    There's really no way that the OP has put on any significant amount of muscle on 1200 calories/day. They may be retaining water from the increased strength training, though, which often masks whatever weight loss is going on.

    I have to disagree with this. I usually maintain 1200 which is my TDEE-500 for fat loss, and I KNOW I'm building muscle because I can see it, just saying....

    You may be getting rid of the fat over the muscle and it looks more defined but you can't gain muscle eating that little, sorry
  • 125KC
    125KC Posts: 71 Member
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    Just remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you're working out with weights while losing fat don't be surprised if the scale says you haven't lost anything. You are still losing fat.

    There's really no way that the OP has put on any significant amount of muscle on 1200 calories/day. They may be retaining water from the increased strength training, though, which often masks whatever weight loss is going on.

    I have to disagree with this. I usually maintain 1200 which is my TDEE-500 for fat loss, and I KNOW I'm building muscle because I can see it, just saying....

    You may be getting rid of the fat over the muscle and it looks more defined but you can't gain muscle eating that little, sorry

    Again, sorry I have to disagree.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    Just remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you're working out with weights while losing fat don't be surprised if the scale says you haven't lost anything. You are still losing fat.

    There's really no way that the OP has put on any significant amount of muscle on 1200 calories/day. They may be retaining water from the increased strength training, though, which often masks whatever weight loss is going on.

    I have to disagree with this. I usually maintain 1200 which is my TDEE-500 for fat loss, and I KNOW I'm building muscle because I can see it, just saying....

    You may be getting rid of the fat over the muscle and it looks more defined but you can't gain muscle eating that little, sorry

    Again, sorry I have to disagree.
    And your proof is what??? Your body is different than others and can put on muscle eating at a deficit??? You can disagree but can you prove that?
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
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    Just remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you're working out with weights while losing fat don't be surprised if the scale says you haven't lost anything. You are still losing fat.

    There's really no way that the OP has put on any significant amount of muscle on 1200 calories/day. They may be retaining water from the increased strength training, though, which often masks whatever weight loss is going on.

    I have to disagree with this. I usually maintain 1200 which is my TDEE-500 for fat loss, and I KNOW I'm building muscle because I can see it, just saying....

    You may be getting rid of the fat over the muscle and it looks more defined but you can't gain muscle eating that little, sorry

    Again, sorry I have to disagree.

    Muscle definition and gaining muscle is not the same thing, just saying...
  • donnymom
    donnymom Posts: 32 Member
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    Be happy you are doing great eating clean and exercising and not gaining! I wish I could be that disciplined and eat clean and 1200 calories. You should be proud and keep up the good work!
  • writergeek313
    writergeek313 Posts: 390 Member
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    The older we get the more difficult it is to get rid of unwanted pounds. Here are a few tips.
    1- Avoid carbs after lunch except dark green leafy vegetables.
    2- Eliminate all sugar and artificial sugars
    3- limit your fruit intake to no more than 2 servings per day (Sugar Fix - great book to read).
    4- Make sure you have enough healthy fat in your diet (I have at least 3 helpings a day) It sounds strange but without fat you will have difficulty loosing eventually.
    5- Make sure your fats are coming from plant sources only (coconut oil is a great source)
    6- Muscle burns fat and increases your metabolism. Make sure you get enough protein to help build your muscle

    loosing more than 1/2 to 1 pound a week probably means you are not loosing fat and if you are, you probably won't be able to keep it off because your body begins thinking it is entering starvation mode and your metabolism adjusts. Be patient and set more realistic goals. I know it's difficult because we live in an instant gratification society but slow and steady is a sure bet.

    1, 2, 3, and 5 aren't necessary. In fact, setting really restrictive goals like some of these may make it a lot harder to develop lifestyle changes you can realistically stick to.
  • mbosowo
    mbosowo Posts: 1
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    Have a look at these two articles. When I'm tempted to start making changes to my routine to break a plateau I remember these articles. You may not be doing intermittent fasting but the underlying concept still applies.

    http://rippedbody.jp/2013/09/15/how-to-manipulate-macros/

    http://rippedbody.jp/2012/11/10/patience-diet-success-intermittent-fasting-leangains/
  • TheKoreanVegan
    TheKoreanVegan Posts: 9 Member
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    Hey Everyone!

    Thanks so much for weighing in with sooooo much good information and positive encouragement! I wish they had a "like' button on the replies!

    I actually went to my physician the other day to see if she might be a good source of information to help me through my most recent struggle and good gracious...you be the judge:

    "1. You are not getting enough cardio. You should be doing at least 60-90 minutes of cardio a day."
    "2. Cut back on your weight training to only twice a week."
    "3. You can TOTALLY incorporate white rice into your diet."
    "4. You're getting old (35!); the weight may just not come off the way it used to."

    In my opinion, you all offer far better/credible advice than she did. Except for #4 (which, i thought, was slightly insensitive), I could not disagree MORE with what she had to say.

    1. I lieu of 1 hour of cardio, I've incorporate HIITs into my workouts.
    2. I've INCREASED my weight training to 4x per week.
    3. I've cut out all white carbs--white sugar, white rice, white pasta, white breads.
    4. I may be 34.8 years old, but I don't have to look it.

    Also, regarding the very interesting side-convo regarding gaining muscle and losing fat--I think it's probably true that I'm not gaining very much muscle, despite my strength training days. I've actually read numerous articles about how to lose significant fat while gaining significant muscle, and it is extremely complicated. I think most ppl in my boat see "gains" by increasing *visibility* of existing muscle mass, as opposed to actually increasing the pounds of muscle. However, once significant fat loss is achieved, the individual can increase caloric intake to contribute to actual muscle growth. Simultaneous muscle growth/fat loss is a very very slow process, though. I'm all for concentrating on losing my fat, for now, and maintaining my existing lean muscle--so that they're there when I get rid of all the extra layers of blubber!

    Anyhoot, thanks all!!
  • 125KC
    125KC Posts: 71 Member
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    I'm just telling you that yes, eating at a deficit, I and others I know are able to build muscle. It is evident in the fact that my skinny legs now have muscle definitiion - and no, it's not fat loss, because I didn't have much fat on my legs to start with, they were skinny, and they have grown - not shrunk. Perhaps its not "bulking" as I would assume you are referring to but it is muscle growth none the less. Chill out. We are all different, and what may not be working for one, may in fact work for another.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    Hey Everyone!

    Thanks so much for weighing in with sooooo much good information and positive encouragement! I wish they had a "like' button on the replies!

    I actually went to my physician the other day to see if she might be a good source of information to help me through my most recent struggle and good gracious...you be the judge:

    "1. You are not getting enough cardio. You should be doing at least 60-90 minutes of cardio a day."
    "2. Cut back on your weight training to only twice a week."
    "3. You can TOTALLY incorporate white rice into your diet."
    "4. You're getting old (35!); the weight may just not come off the way it used to."

    In my opinion, you all offer far better/credible advice than she did. Except for #4 (which, i thought, was slightly insensitive), I could not disagree MORE with what she had to say.

    1. I lieu of 1 hour of cardio, I've incorporate HIITs into my workouts.
    2. I've INCREASED my weight training to 4x per week.
    3. I've cut out all white carbs--white sugar, white rice, white pasta, white breads.
    4. I may be 34.8 years old, but I don't have to look it.

    Also, regarding the very interesting side-convo regarding gaining muscle and losing fat--I think it's probably true that I'm not gaining very much muscle, despite my strength training days. I've actually read numerous articles about how to lose significant fat while gaining significant muscle, and it is extremely complicated. I think most ppl in my boat see "gains" by increasing *visibility* of existing muscle mass, as opposed to actually increasing the pounds of muscle. However, once significant fat loss is achieved, the individual can increase caloric intake to contribute to actual muscle growth. Simultaneous muscle growth/fat loss is a very very slow process, though. I'm all for concentrating on losing my fat, for now, and maintaining my existing lean muscle--so that they're there when I get rid of all the extra layers of blubber!

    Anyhoot, thanks all!!

    Actually, 3) and 4) are correct. You can have rice, sugar, flour, bread - just make sure you get enough protein first and keep it in your calories. And every year we age we tend to lose a little muscle mass (unless we work to keep it) which means our BMR decreases slightly every year. I think the estimate is ~ 10 cals/yr. On the other two - weight lifting helps maintain muscle. No way I'd cut back on that unless you're over-training. Cardio is great for CV health, and can earn you back more calories, but is unnecessary for weight loss.
  • fortally
    fortally Posts: 78
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    I wanna be skinnier, too, but it took me 30 years as an adult to wreck myself. It will take a few to correct myself. (Another inner mantra when the negativity gets in my head like an earworm).

    Hey, that's my mantra too! :laugh:

    When you make the commitment to get fit and healthy your whole outlook on life changes. It's like this huge mental shift in your brain to do things differently. At least it was for me. It is SO HARD to accept that your body can't make a sudden switch the way your brain can.

    Every time I get frustrated I stand in front of the mirror and have this conversation with myself: "How many hundreds of tubs of ice cream did it take to earn this pudge? Did you eat them all in one day? No. Right, so how many hundreds of workouts is it going to take to burn it off? Exactly."

    Helps me with perspective.
  • dezb64
    dezb64 Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    Hey Everyone!

    Thanks so much for weighing in with sooooo much good information and positive encouragement! I wish they had a "like' button on the replies!

    I actually went to my physician the other day to see if she might be a good source of information to help me through my most recent struggle and good gracious...you be the judge:

    "1. You are not getting enough cardio. You should be doing at least 60-90 minutes of cardio a day."
    "2. Cut back on your weight training to only twice a week."
    "3. You can TOTALLY incorporate white rice into your diet."
    "4. You're getting old (35!); the weight may just not come off the way it used to."

    In my opinion, you all offer far better/credible advice than she did. Except for #4 (which, i thought, was slightly insensitive), I could not disagree MORE with what she had to say.

    1. I lieu of 1 hour of cardio, I've incorporate HIITs into my workouts.
    2. I've INCREASED my weight training to 4x per week.
    3. I've cut out all white carbs--white sugar, white rice, white pasta, white breads.
    4. I may be 34.8 years old, but I don't have to look it.

    Also, regarding the very interesting side-convo regarding gaining muscle and losing fat--I think it's probably true that I'm not gaining very much muscle, despite my strength training days. I've actually read numerous articles about how to lose significant fat while gaining significant muscle, and it is extremely complicated. I think most ppl in my boat see "gains" by increasing *visibility* of existing muscle mass, as opposed to actually increasing the pounds of muscle. However, once significant fat loss is achieved, the individual can increase caloric intake to contribute to actual muscle growth. Simultaneous muscle growth/fat loss is a very very slow process, though. I'm all for concentrating on losing my fat, for now, and maintaining my existing lean muscle--so that they're there when I get rid of all the extra layers of blubber!

    Anyhoot, thanks all!!

    I have been on this quest for a year and half. I have learned a lot along the way. First of all let me say I have Hashimoto's Thyroid syndrome with a hypothyroid (almost non existent). For me to loose weight I have to work twice as hard as an average person.
    I've had weeks and months with great weight loss and some where I actually gained (even though I never went off). I had no "cheat days" for the first year and was never over in calories. I do however vary my calories from day to day within a range but again not over. I try to have at least 100 calorie difference from one day to the next.One day I am at the bottom of my range 1300-1400 the next day at the top 1500-1700. I find this keeps my metabolism from getting too comfortable. I started with the 17 day diet and it really helped me to detox from processed foods and sweets. I weigh and measure everything and try to get in as much protein as possible (that one is not always easy).
    I workout 6 days a week alternating between weights (and limited cardio) and cardio only. I also incorporate HIIT into my workout as much as possible. When I first started out I only did cardio and now see how wrong I was. I'm sure I lost lots of muscle that I am now working on getting back. Good luck

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