Doing everything but not losing fat?!!!

Calichick94
Calichick94 Posts: 41
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a 20 year old female, 5"3 and around 172 pounds. I'm a full time university student and just recby got a parttime job and will try volunteering in Nov. As you an see I'm a busy girl lol. After a year break is tarted going to the gym consistinely since March 18th. I do bodypump 2x a week, bodystep 1x, BODYCOMBAT 1x and recently started body attack 1x. Each class is an hour long.
Since March till last week I focused mostly on calories eating at 1,800 a day. And I haven't been seeing any progress in the past 5 months, the difference is very minimal with regards to fat loss. I'm so frustrated and discouraged. I don't know what more to do. Ive always had major self esteem issues regards to my body. I've been researching and starting Aug 22nd I started to focus more on macros and increased my protein intake. I eat all healthy and no junk and if I do in moderation which is rare.
Using the scooby site it says my TDEE is 2,479 and BMR 1,599 and at a -15% body fat I should be eating 2,107 calories..
I upped my cals hoping that it would help. Im taking in on most days about 137-139g protein, carbs about 200g and fat 82g. On most days I'm meeting my protein and carb intake, though with protein and fats it can be a struggle. I even bought protein powder to help me meet my protein (magnum quarto) which is 30g per scoop and once or twice depending on what I've eaten during the day. I bought a nutritional scale today to make sure I'm not going over. I'm going crazy, I don't know what else to do to lose fat!!!! I don't rely on the scale because my focus is fat loss not weight. I don't have a certain amount of pounds I want to lose, I want to like what I see in the mirror! Please help me, I don't know what else to do. I feel like my body is immune to losing weight. I even went to the doc to check my hormones and I didn't get a call back so I'm assuming it's all normal.

I broke down today out of frustration. I don't know what else to do. :( Any advise or tips would be appreciated

Thank you,
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Replies

  • sarajenivieve
    sarajenivieve Posts: 303 Member
    im 5'2 so our stats should be similar if you put your index finger and thumb around your wrist do they touch?
  • Calichick94
    Calichick94 Posts: 41
    They don't touch. I'm big boned.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    If you're not losing you're probably eating too much. I'd go down to 1500-1600 for a couple weeks and see if it starts going down.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    that really not a good way to determine how big your bones are. what if your fingers are just short?

    in any case, without looking at your diary a few question for you
    are you just going by the scale or are you also going by measurements and how your clothes fit?
    are you eating back your exercise calories?
  • Calichick94
    Calichick94 Posts: 41
    My cals are based on the amount of days I exercise so I eat the same everyday. And not always meeting my cals but close to. I go by how my clothes fit mostly not so much concerned with scale.
  • Calichick94
    Calichick94 Posts: 41
    Going below my BMR is bad from what I've read and I've tried it in the past, hasn't worked.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    No progress at all in five months would imply your 1800 might be closer to maintenance level than you think. It's not that deep a deficit from your TDEE estimate of 2400ish so it's possible. Many of us miss 25% or more of our intake calories.

    Though I'm guessing it's maybe a combo of some progress and some body changes (though maybe more in size than weight) and underestimating intake both. I.e., you've lost inches but not as much weight as your intended deficit implies you should've?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    , I don't know what else to do to lose fat!!!! I don't rely on the scale because my focus is fat loss not weight. I don't have a certain amount of pounds I want to lose, I want to like what I see in the mirror!

    I'm confused here. Are you not weighing yourself to see progress? It's almost impossible for many people to see short term progress in the mirror.
    No progress at all in five months would imply your 1800 might be closer to maintenance level than you think. It's not that deep a deficit from your TDEE estimate of 2400ish so it's possible. Many of us miss 25% or more of our intake calories.

    This is what I'm thinking. I'm affected by the fact that I'm 5'3, and your numbers seemed high to me. Now, of course I'm older, but add to the fact that you were maintaining for a while I don't think raising calories is likely to be the answer.

    Remember that the TDEE calculators are based on people of a normal body fat percentage (other than the one that takes BF into consideration) so you have to take that into account (or many people do).

    The numbers I see from IIFYM.com without BF says BMR of 1521, TDEE of 2224 for 5 days per week working out (but obviously the workout calories can vary a lot), but play around with K-M--if you assume a higher BF percentage it could kick your BMR as low as, say, 1300, which makes the TDEE on the same amount of exercise only 1900. Those numbers suggest that maintenance on 1800 could be unsurprising given how easy it is to make logging errors or just natural variance.

    Also, even if your estimate is closer, a deficit of 15% is only about a .72 lb/week loss, so as WalkingAlong said only a small discrepancy in the estimated TDEE or in logging kicks you into maintenance. That's most likely what's going on.

    Assuming you are weighing, I'd lower your calories by some and see what happens and then adjust up or down depending.
  • sarajenivieve
    sarajenivieve Posts: 303 Member
    id need to ask a few questions but my first recommandation would be to consumer 1400-1500 calories a day, also are you eating a lot of processed food? or a lot of dairy? eggs? meat? and if you eat meat do you buy at a super market& north america or europe? (all these things make a difference)
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    im 5'2 so our stats should be similar if you put your index finger and thumb around your wrist do they touch?

    I don't believe this has much to do with anything. When I weighed 120 my fingers overlapped, now that I'm fat, they don't touch. :huh:
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Are you weighing and measuring everything you eat and logging it accurately??? Its very important as its easy to underestimate what we consume.
  • sarajenivieve
    sarajenivieve Posts: 303 Member
    im 5'2 so our stats should be similar if you put your index finger and thumb around your wrist do they touch?

    I don't believe this has much to do with anything. When I weighed 120 my fingers overlapped, now that I'm fat, they don't touch. :huh:

    generally speaking its a basic way of gaging frame structure but that would depend a bit on how overweight the person is, the stage the orginal poster is in, it can still be used as a basic gage since i cant do her measurements online :p I've actually been a wellness coach so there are reasons for what i ask not sure if you were asking why i asked or making a general comment but i hope i answered any question you had :)
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    How did you determine your BF%? Are you sure it is accurate?
  • z_bra
    z_bra Posts: 79 Member
    Its simple you are eating too many calories
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    How did you determine your BF%? Are you sure it is accurate?

    I was thinking the same thing. Unless she's super athletic those numbers don't seem to add up. I'm 5"8 135 lbs and 20%bf
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    OP, you said you just bought a food scale today, which means you haven't been measuring and weighing your food. Most likely, you've probably been eating more than you think. Provided your physician doesn't call back with medical concerns, I would just keep doing what you are doing by eating at 1800, but add in measuring and weighing your food, and see what happens after a few weeks before dropping your calories.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    How did you determine your BF%? Are you sure it is accurate?

    I was thinking the same thing. Unless she's super athletic those numbers don't seem to add up. I'm 5"8 135 lbs and 20%bf

    I'm 5'2" and a few pounds more than the OP and have 45% bodyfat. That's gotta be a typo.
  • Sophiareed218
    Sophiareed218 Posts: 145 Member
    Agree. Sorry but the reason is almost certainly that you are not creating a deficit. Lowering, not raising, your caloric intake is what needs to be done.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    How did you determine your BF%? Are you sure it is accurate?

    I was thinking the same thing. Unless she's super athletic those numbers don't seem to add up. I'm 5"8 135 lbs and 20%bf

    I'm 5'2" and a few pounds more than the OP and have 45% bodyfat. That's gotta be a typo.

    Yeah it didn't seem correct
  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 809 Member
    I would try going down to 1500-1600 calories a day and see what happens.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    How did you determine your BF%? Are you sure it is accurate?

    I was thinking the same thing. Unless she's super athletic those numbers don't seem to add up. I'm 5"8 135 lbs and 20%bf

    I'm 5'2" and a few pounds more than the OP and have 45% bodyfat. That's gotta be a typo.

    Granted I'm not 20 by a long shot, but I'm 5'4", 178lbs and have a BF% of 40.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    How did you determine your BF%? Are you sure it is accurate?

    I was thinking the same thing. Unless she's super athletic those numbers don't seem to add up. I'm 5"8 135 lbs and 20%bf

    I'm 5'2" and a few pounds more than the OP and have 45% bodyfat. That's gotta be a typo.

    Yeah it didn't seem correct

    I don't think she meant body fat, I think she meant a TDEE-15% calorie deficit based on the context.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    How did you determine your BF%? Are you sure it is accurate?

    I was thinking the same thing. Unless she's super athletic those numbers don't seem to add up. I'm 5"8 135 lbs and 20%bf

    I'm 5'2" and a few pounds more than the OP and have 45% bodyfat. That's gotta be a typo.

    Yeah it didn't seem correct

    I don't think she meant body fat, I think she meant a TDEE-15% calorie deficit based on the context.

    OK, that makes sense....
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    How did you determine your BF%? Are you sure it is accurate?

    I was thinking the same thing. Unless she's super athletic those numbers don't seem to add up. I'm 5"8 135 lbs and 20%bf

    I'm 5'2" and a few pounds more than the OP and have 45% bodyfat. That's gotta be a typo.

    I thought what she was trying to say was that she was doing a 15% deficit from her estimated TDEE, giving her a current calorie goal of 2100, to which she upped her calories from the 1800.

    Edit: I see this was answered already. The estimated TDEE with her stats is quite a bit lower than the one she is using if you put in an estimated 40% BF, which is what I think mine was (if not even higher) when I was around the OP's weight.
  • f0r54ken
    f0r54ken Posts: 21 Member
    These guys are on the right track. Drop your carb intake and calorie intake. Calories to 1450 and carbs to less than anything 90

    With your metabolism in high gear you would greatly benefit from less calories.

    Also Don't take the protein supplement everyday. If your body is building muscle AND burning fat you'll have trouble seeing progress in your weight.

    Your calories right now exceed your body weight 1800c = 180 maintained pounds.
  • fwhittaker
    fwhittaker Posts: 104 Member
    Dropping your calorie intake sounds right to me too. I know you said you don't want to lose weight, so perhaps eating lower calories seems counter intuitive, but isn't it true that it's very difficult to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time? I was reading something about this the other day... it does happen but only at the start of a weight loss journey or if you're a genetic freak apparently.

    That said, I don't understand how you can lose all the fat before then building up the muscle (hence lowering fat%) without first becoming underweight!

    It does seem very confusing, but I have read many discussion boards about how people have had to fiddle a bit with their calories before finding what their true BMR is - that is, at what level to they lost, maintain or gain - simply from trial and error. Again, sounds difficult to me, but just passing on information :-)

    Hope you get the results you're looking for soon. It sounds like you're working very hard. I'm sure someone will sort it out for you so don't give up!
  • fwhittaker
    fwhittaker Posts: 104 Member
    There you go - sounds like @f0r54ken knows what's what!
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    These guys are on the right track. Drop your carb intake and calorie intake. Calories to 1450 and carbs to less than anything 90

    With your metabolism in high gear you would greatly benefit from less calories.

    Also Don't take the protein supplement everyday. If your body is building muscle AND burning fat you'll have trouble seeing progress in your weight.

    Your calories right now exceed your body weight 1800c = 180 maintained pounds.

    No. OP has not been weighing and measuring her food, so we have no idea whether or not she has actually been eating 1800 calories, or if she has been eating more than that. There's no need to drop her calories until she verifies that she really has been eating what she thinks she has. It is also not necessary to reduce carbs.

    The protein supplement will not prevent her from seeing weight loss. She's not building muscle because she is not doing any kind of strength training, and a protein supplement within a calorie deficit will give her more protein, but will not cause increased muscle mass.

    You do not need to eat less calories than your bodyweight, that's just ridiculous. I'm 141.5 lb and eat 1900 calories per day to lose weight. Your calorie intake is determined by your activity level as well as your age, height, gender, and weight.
  • Calichick94
    Calichick94 Posts: 41
    By -TDEE I meant 15% less than maintence. My only concern is that I don't want my metabolism to slow down, and since my fitness classes are pretty intense then I don't want to create a large deficit that my body goes into starvation mode, that's the whole idea why I upped to 2,107 cals. I'm not sure if you've heard of Les Milles classes? For example Bodycombat and Bodyattack burn around 700 cals for the average 160lbs person and bodystep around 600 and bodypump (strength training) around 500. I don't have an HRM so I'm not exactly sure how much I'm burning and right now I can't really afford it.

    I'm tried the whole eating at low cals. last summer I went crazy, I was eating about 1000 cals and exercising about 5-6 times a week running on the treadmill burning around 600-700 calories and I still didn't see progress after 3 months and I was always so tired, constant headaches, coudn't sleep well, moody and emotional. I eventually gave up becuase I was soooo deprived.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    By -TDEE I meant 15% less than maintence. My only concern is that I don't want my metabolism to slow down, and since my fitness classes are pretty intense then I don't want to create a large deficit that my body goes into starvation mode, that's the whole idea why I upped to 2,107 cals. I'm not sure if you've heard of Les Milles classes? For example Bodycombat and Bodyattack burn around 700 cals for the average 160lbs person and bodystep around 600 and bodypump (strength training) around 500. I don't have an HRM so I'm not exactly sure how much I'm burning and right now I can't really afford it.

    Don't worry about exercise burns, those calculations are most likely inflated anyway and aren't important if you are using the TDEE method. And HRMs are useless unless you are doing steady state cardio.

    You are not going to go into starvation mode, that's a myth. Even at 1800 you would be ok.

    The first step is to use your new food scale to weigh and measure your food, and start logging so you know how much you are eating. You could be eating more than you think, so make sure you've tightened up your food intake. Give that a few weeks and see where you are, then consider gradually dropping your calories if you need to. The goal is to eat as much as you can and still lose weight. And keep your protein shakes if you like them and they help you reach your protein goal. A good protein intake helps retain LBM.

    Remember that BodyPump does use weights, but it is more cardio than strength training. The high number of reps and lower weights are good for muscle endurance, and you might see some small strength gains, but it is not true strength training. You would probably benefit from switching out one or both of your BodyPump classes for lifting heavy weights in the gym.

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