Not seeing results - this close to giving up

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply! About the logging in my food diary - a year or so ago I first started measuring my food, I ate around 1500 cals back then. When nothing happened for a couple of months I stopped and just eyed everything, which I know can easily lead to one getting too much food. Then, about four months ago, I started counting calories again - this time I aimed for 1350 cals a day. Too little, maybe? I don't know, I just wanted to try to eat less food I guess. But that didn't give me noticable results either, so I talked to a PT who told me not to count calories - just eat small meals 5-6 times a day. She also gave me this workout program which consists of a one hour session with both strength and a bit of cardio. It has six "groups", each group has two exercises, and I do the program x3 each time. It includes burpees, bench press, wide squats, regular squats etc. So that's what I'm doing right now besides the tabata and riding. I also sometimes go to classes like bodycombat or bodypump, and I absolutely love them both.

Like some of you said - yes, maybe my body thinks this weight is the ideal weight for me. I wouldn't mind if it was, I'm okay with that! It's just the way my body looks that isn't satisfying me. I'm around 98 cm where my stomach is the biggest - how could I make my measurements shorter? My body fat % is also high (I think, everything except for my arms is jiggly), so that's also what I want to change. Should I still count calories or is that just for losing the actual weight?

Any thoughts on this one?

I would figure out what your maintenance calories are and eat at maintenance so you don't lose any lean body mass. Then try Strong Lifts 5x5 or New Rules of Lifting for Women. Life Steph said be consistent with logging also and get plenty of protein. You may need to adjust your macros over time but first you need to just eat consistently for several months and lift consistently for several months and see what happens. Take pictures and measurements every two weeks and start watching for results. The scale may not change but you should see your clothes fit differently and your riding get stronger.

Good luck.

Op what are your goals?

My goals are to gain muscle but lose fat. Measurements, smaller size in clothing, etc. In the past two years I haven't changed my measurements even the slightest, which is what I'd like to do but can't seem to do this whole thing right.

How long have you stick with a lifting and eating plan before you changed it? Muscle takes time to build which you have put in but it also takes being consistent with a lifting strategy and fueling your body to build muscle. This means to eat consistently at or slightly above maintaince.

I have just started my first bulk cycle and am excited to see the changes just like you are. I will be lifting 3x a week the first month and then up it to 4x. I am eating for a slight gain at 100-250 above my TDEE. I hope to add 10-15of muscle and no more than 5# of fat. This will up my weight by up to 20# but drop my bf% by an entire %.

Last year I did stronglifts 5x5 for about four months along with clean eating. This year I switched to the cardio-strength program I described earlier but I'm not sure that it's the best way to actually build strength .. Maybe I should focus on two muscle groups a day, three days a week like so many else do? And then combine with HIIT (as much as my knees can handle ..) How do you do?

With the 5x5 did you get stronger?

To add muscle you need to eat more than your TDEE so your body has the building material to spend.

Op what are your goals?

My goals are to gain muscle but lose fat. Measurements, smaller size in clothing, etc. In the past two years I haven't changed my measurements even the slightest, which is what I'd like to do but can't seem to do this whole thing right.

Small calorie deficit is best for fat loss. Sounds like your exercise is good. And as others have said, your consistency is lacking. Changing to different methods constantly isn't going to help - it can take 4-6 weeks or longer for the body to adjust and show progress (or lack of it).

I am an active person, and I eat clean, what is it that I'm missing?

"Eating clean" doesn't guarantee weight loss, a calorie deficit does. Great post here on this very subject: http://www.healthylivingheavylifting.com/how-clean-eating-made-me-fat-but-ice-cream-and-subway-got-me-lean/

You've gotten some great advice in this topic - take it. Stick with a consistent plan for a couple of months. Take photos and measurements, and then reassess and make changes as/if needed. Patience!

Okay this might help since it helped me. For most people the laws of fat loss/muscle gain are simple but for people who are pure ectomorphic/endomorphic body types the rules can shift a little.

I am a pure endomorph myself. This means that refined carbs have to leave the menu on any occasion other than directly after a workout. And even then with restraint. My body is inefficient at burning these carbs and most of them end up on my waistline. This makes fat loss very hard. On the other hand muscle gain is relatively easy. Even when losing weight. And it is difficult to overtrain. At least this is my experience with it.

From what I Understand an ectomorph is an energy furnace. And you simply must keep feeding it because it goes catabolic very easily. And in the absence of fat muscle is quickly catabolised. Making lean muscle growth extremely difficult. However keeping body fat down is almost never a problem for the pure ectomorph. Ectomorphs should eat alot of carbs. Regularly as possible. Preferably slow burners but fast burners aren't much of an issue. While of course maintaining a good protein intake. If they wish to grow. Training has to be kept relatively low as well as their fast burning bodies quickly deplete themselves.

It should be noted that the vast majority of people are not pure ectomorphs or pure endomorphs. These are the people that genuinely balloon after looking at a doughnut. Or simply will not gain weight no matter what they do. Some people have tendencies but a pure endo or ecto body is rather rare.

That is my understanding of it anyway.

Okay this might help since it helped me. For most people the laws of fat loss/muscle gain are simple but for people who are pure ectomorphic/endomorphic body types the rules can shift a little.

I am a pure endomorph myself. This means that refined carbs have to leave the menu on any occasion other than directly after a workout. And even then with restraint. My body is inefficient at burning these carbs and most of them end up on my waistline. This makes fat loss very hard. On the other hand muscle gain is relatively easy. Even when losing weight. And it is difficult to overtrain. At least this is my experience with it.

From what I Understand an ectomorph is an energy furnace. And you simply must keep feeding it because it goes catabolic very easily. And in the absence of fat muscle is quickly catabolised. Making lean muscle growth extremely difficult. However keeping body fat down is almost never a problem for the pure ectomorph. Ectomorphs should eat alot of carbs. Regularly as possible. Preferably slow burners but fast burners aren't much of an issue. While of course maintaining a good protein intake. If they wish to grow. Training has to be kept relatively low as well as their fast burning bodies quickly deplete themselves.

It should be noted that the vast majority of people are not pure ectomorphs or pure endomorphs. These are the people that genuinely balloon after looking at a doughnut. Or simply will not gain weight no matter what they do. Some people have tendencies but a pure endo or ecto body is rather rare.

That is my understanding of it anyway.

Just to save you the grief............................somatotyping isn't a science. It was developed by a psychiatrist.
While genetics will somewhat dictate metabolic rate at the smallest measuring level, people who are are any "morph" are that way due to how they eat and how they are with their physical activity.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I would figure out what your maintenance calories are and eat at maintenance so you don't lose any lean body mass. Then try Strong Lifts 5x5 or New Rules of Lifting for Women. Life Steph said be consistent with logging also and get plenty of protein. You may need to adjust your macros over time but first you need to just eat consistently for several months and lift consistently for several months and see what happens. Take pictures and measurements every two weeks and start watching for results. The scale may not change but you should see your clothes fit differently and your riding get stronger.

Good luck.

^^This. You're getting some good advice in here and some really strange advice. If I understand correctly, you don't have any kind of medical issue and it's not that you have a ton of weight to lose and can't get started, right? Based on the information you've given us, there's no reason for anyone to be talking to you about unusual medical conditions -- you're at a healthy weight, so you want to start a plan that will let you gain some muscle and lose a little bit of fat.

If you are trying to get stronger/gain muscle, eating at more of a deficit isn't going to help you at all. No more 1100ish calorie days!
Eat at maintenence and find a lifting program you can stick with for 4-6 months to start with. "Progressive" is a word you're going to hear a lot (as in, a progressive lifting program). That just means that you keep adding weight over time, and it's one of the keys to building muscle. Doing a body recomp is a slow process, so you need to be patient and celebrate the small victories.

Why did you stop SL5x5 after four months? I mean, I'm assuming that you didn't see results, but did you dislike the program? I found it to be incredibly dull, personally. You might like New Rules of Lifting for Women better. Whatever you choose, stay with it for months before deciding you'd like to change it up.

My biggest piece of advice is to rely on pictures and measurements instead of the scale. With a body recomp, you get tighter and more compact but the scale doesn't make major changes. Since you're at a healthy weight already, the number on the scale doesn't matter as long as your clothes still fit.

Honestly, that sounds ridiculous.

"I'm not seeing results, so therefore I'm going to quit."

Why not do it for your health most of all?
Why not be consistent and form habits to GET the results you want?

If you dropped your phone and cracked it, would you just give up on the phone and stomp on it? No, you wouldn't. So just because you're not seeing the results you want YET, doesn't mean you should just throw in the towel because you think you're not getting anywhere. The biggest changes start on the inside.

I may have expressed myself a bit wrong - I won't quit, I'm just getting frustrated of trying and trying for two years without seeming to find what works for me.. I'm not even sure what I'd quit on, so yeah, you're right, it really does sound ridiculous. Thanks for putting it that way, though, I know now I will definitely not give up, but yeah, like I said, it's just so frustrating! Don't know what I'd do though, except for keep eating healthy and working out .. It's not like I want to go back to not caring about what I put in my body etc. So I'll keep up with my healthy lifestyle, just thinking that some results would be nice! Thanks again. Really, I mean it.

Anytime! Keep up the good work, we know you can do it!