Doing everything but not losing fat?!!!

2

Replies

  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,779 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: 3,779 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.
  • Calichick94
    Calichick94 Posts: 41
    I agree with you, dropping my carbs to 90 is too little for me. I tend to get lightheadedm can't focus and no energy. I'll go down to 1,800 and weigh exactly how much I'm eating and see where that takes me. Yes, those are my goals; lose fat and retain lean body mass.
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
    Going below my BMR is bad from what I've read and I've tried it in the past, hasn't worked.

    you need to hit your macros. If this is below your BMR then that is ok :-)
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 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.
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 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.


    ???? Your TDEE is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure and by definition includes calories used for exercise - and you should add them
  • Calichick94
    Calichick94 Posts: 41
    I'm focusing on my macros and calories. Are my macros good? 137-139g protein, carbs around 180-211g and fats 82g which I'm usually under anyways. Please dont tell me to go more on protein, lol I'm already struggling to get it upto 137-139g with the protein shakes.
  • 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.

    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.

    "OP has not been weighing and measuring her food"
    Agreed, We Need Evidence of her journey before we can make a accurate assessment. However speculation is not frowned upon unless you are in the business of telling someone else they are wrong. I disagree on your carb statement. If your body is burning carbs then it's not burning fat and visa versa. Carbs get priority over Fat storage typically.

    "The protein supplement will not prevent"
    She's doing 5 classes a week for an hour each. Those Classes aren't easy, Trust me, Her body is building muscle to compensate for that difficult task. The protein is in place assisting in making that muscle mass as opposed to what her body would have to harvest from otherwise. (hope that makes sense.)

    "You do not need to eat less calories"
    Right, To be more specific. my assessment is made for a sedentary person who does not work out at all. I was meaning to say You'd probably see a 20% increase of calorie needs for someone working out often or a 20% decrease for he who is sedentary.

    My rating tells me I need 2,500 calories for daily maintanence. I could eat 2000 daily and still gain weight. These "numbers" are made from the assumption that the person Doesn't literally lay down or sit all day.
  • f0r54ken
    f0r54ken Posts: 21 Member
    I agree with you, dropping my carbs to 90 is too little for me. I tend to get lightheadedm can't focus and no energy. I'll go down to 1,800 and weigh exactly how much I'm eating and see where that takes me. Yes, those are my goals; lose fat and retain lean body mass.

    You might be right, I double checked my carbs I eat more of those then I thought :)
  • Ludka13
    Ludka13 Posts: 136 Member
    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,

    Eat less, move more. It's very easy to overestimate calories and underestimate calories burned. Use a food scale and weigh everything and log it. Food, drinks, snacks, supplements. Even if you have just a taste of something log it. Eat out less often, make your own food, that's the only way you can be sure how many calories you're getting. Also don't drink anything with calories if you can help it. It won't satisfy your hunger the way food can.

    I calculate my activity level as sedentary and then earn calories thru exercise, but I don't eat back all of my exercise calories. I eat back about half of them.

    Weight loss happens from eating fewer calories than you expend. Eating more protein won't change your body composition. Maybe try dropping your calorie intake by 100 calories per day. If no change in a week then drop it another 100 calories per day.

    I am 5'2" and I was 168 pounds and am very sedentary, so far I have lost 10 pounds. I tried losing last year and actually gained 4 pounds (from 164 up to 168) and was hungry all the time. This year I adjusted my weight loss goal to half a pound a week and eat more protein and less carbs. Much less hungry and more able to control my eating. Also I bought a food scale and it's helped quite a bit. I've actually put on muscle too. My chest is 2" bigger but my hips and waist are each an inch smaller.

    I don't use TDEE to calculate my calorie goal, other than to know what my maintenance level is and not to ever exceed that. Otherwise I let MFP calculate my calorie goal for me.
  • 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.


    ???? Your TDEE is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure and by definition includes calories used for exercise - and you should add them

    TDEE estimates are based on amount of time exercising and intensity. OP increased her calories based on supposed calorie burns from her workouts - it is likely that these burns are overinflated. If she just uses TDEE and selects the 3-5 hours moderate exercise, she'll probably end up with a more realistic calorie goal than if she supposes she is doing intense exercise because a class is advertised as "burn 600 calories an hour!"
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    I disagree on your carb statement. If your body is burning carbs then it's not burning fat and visa versa. Carbs get priority over Fat storage typically.

    Is the person in this scenario exclusively on a diet of Kalteen bars to burn up all their carbs?

    If one is in a calorie deficit, it really doesn't matter. Some people lower their carbs due to medical issues, personal preference, or dietary adherence, but it is not necessary. It certainly isn't necessary to lower them to 90 g or less. There are people here who eat over 200g of carbs per day and still lose fat.

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