Weight not dropping - Please help

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chelseamgregory
chelseamgregory Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
I started training 5 weeks ago, i am doing 3-4 PT session per week and in those sessions I am doing heavy weights/interval training - its normal that i burn 700 calories in one session.

Besides that I am doing 3-4 Cardio classes per week where i normally burn 600 calories.

I am consuming only 1200 cals per day, have cut out all bread, biscuits, sugar and am having 95% just meat salad, veg and a little fruit. I allow myself one low fat coffee per day. And if i have a craving I have a spoon of cruncy pea nut butter. Meat portions are about 100-120g only and i do not have rich or nasty dressings. I track everything that I eat and I know exactly what I burn because I use a myzone for my workouts.

Problem is in almost 5 weeks i have lost 1kg, I am so very upset and frustrated, and my trainer has forbidden me from weighing myself. She keeps telling me this is normal as I am building muscle mass so i can increase my metabolism and right now as its early stages my muscles are retaining water.

I feel like giving up, i see some results on my arms and legs but my stomach still sickens me. Why isnt the scale dropping and if it isnt, when will it? My trainer tells me i am the most impatient client in the world but i cant help it - when will i see big results, how long does it take!

Please help! what is normal?

Replies

  • amazingbabydoll
    amazingbabydoll Posts: 61
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    EAT MORE & EAT BACK YOUR CALORIES!!! This is highly important. Check your tdee & body fat percentage. There's a website to track your tdee. It gives you the calories you need to maintain your weight based on your age, height, gender, weight, & activity level. Then it says to reduce those calories by 15-20%. Then that's how many calories you need to eat per day to lose weight. If you give me your stats I can do it for you if you want.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    you cannot fuel that kind of exercise with 1200 calories a day

    eat back half your calories minimum
  • chelseamgregory
    chelseamgregory Posts: 8
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    Sorry I dont know what is eat back? do you mean eat what i burned? Sorry please explain? ANd dont know what tdee is either? Gosh what a novice I am!

    I am 78.5kg and i am 175cm 38 yrs old... and i have already mentioned my activity level - i think its active - i work out almost every day.

    Thanks so much!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited October 2014
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    MFP is set to give you calories without any movement at all

    with less than 20lbs you set it to 0.5 to 1lb a week - how many calories is that?

    then as soon as you move - walking or gym you get to eat the calories you have burned up

    if you are burning 700 (on a HRM) log it into MFP under exercise then eat back 4 or 500 (although you could eat them all and see how it goes)

    if you continue trying to exercise at that rate at that calorie level you will burn out

    even if you were over-estimating your workouts, say you actually do 3-5 hours of moderate exercise a week, you should be eating around 1900 calories a day to lose 1lb a week (Scoobyworkshop calculator)
  • amazingbabydoll
    amazingbabydoll Posts: 61
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    I calculated your tdee & it's a little over 2,000 cals, meaning that's how much cals you need to maintain your weight with your current exercise level. Subtract 15-20% will be around 1,700 calories for weightloss. ^^his answer was right too.
  • Firefly0606
    Firefly0606 Posts: 366 Member
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    Bear with me, I like the math ;)

    I plugged your details in to this BMR calculator: http://www.mydr.com.au/tools/basal-energy-calculator and got your basal energy expenditure of 1552 cal per day. That's just what your body burns without exercise - so if you lay in bed all day, to keep your organs functioning that's what you need.

    You eat 1200 cal per day. So you already have created a calorie deficit of 352 cal by eating less than what your body needs to function.
    You burn an additional 700 cal with the PT today. Now you have a deficit of 1052 calories.
    You need 1552 - 352 from food - 700 from exercise = 500 cal....You are only giving your body 500 calories of fuel each day?!?!?! And this doesn't include the extra calories you burn from getting out of bed and doing life, say another 300 calories if you work a desk job....you are probably giving your body less than 200 cal per day.

    You might not be losing weight because your body thinks it is going to starve.

    When people say "eat back your calories", they are saying you need to eat more to fuel your exercise. So if you burn 700, eat an additional 400 to fuel that exercise. I like to look at it in terms of NET calories consumed - it works for me.

    Back to the math lesson, to lose 1lb per week, you need to burn 3500 cal pr week or create a deficit of 500 cal per day.

    Need: 1552 (to live) + 700 (for exercise) = 2252 calories that day.
    For a calorie deficit of 500 per day, you need to eat 2252 - 500 = 1752 cal per day. You may choose to create a little bit more, or a little bit less of a calorie deficit - that's up to you.

    Clearly there are other factors that are going to affect this...this is just very rough math to give you an idea of what you need to fuel your daily functioning, plus exercise, and leave a little bit of a calorie deficit so your body burns some fat for fuel.
  • chelseamgregory
    chelseamgregory Posts: 8
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    Right i do understand the mathematics of it but I dont understand why if i am having 1000 or 1200 i dont lose more - in this case ANY!!

    Yes, def my body has changed shape but why does the body hold onto water - if that is true and when does it let it go.

    When will i see this 'big change' my trainer keeps telling me is going to happen.

    Thanks for all of your replies by the way - really appreciate it.

  • rlewhite8
    rlewhite8 Posts: 1
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    I'm having the same problem. Can someone help me!!! I don't get the chance to exercise as much as I work funny hours! I walk about 2 miles as my exercise each day!! How many calories do I need to burn to lose weight?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    You need to eat more to fuel those workouts, but curious, how are you calculating your burns?
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    chelseamgregory wrote: »
    Right i do understand the mathematics of it but I dont understand why if i am having 1000 or 1200 i dont lose more - in this case ANY!!

    Yes, def my body has changed shape but why does the body hold onto water - if that is true and when does it let it go.

    When will i see this 'big change' my trainer keeps telling me is going to happen.

    Thanks for all of your replies by the way - really appreciate it.

    Water issues as a result of a new exercise routine should be resolved within about four to six weeks. To see the big results you have to give it time, not just work hard for a short period. For this reason you have to make sure your strategy is sustainable

    Seems like you're wanting to resolve some trouble spots? Spot reduction is not really possible but read this: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1

  • lisaabenjamin
    lisaabenjamin Posts: 665 Member
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    The reason your body holds on to water is because it needs it to repair muscles. When you work out (and especially when you have started a new routine), you make tiny tears in your muscles. This is why you feel sore the next day or a couple of days later, but as your body repairs those tears, it's also what makes you stronger. To repair the tears in your muscles, your muscles need amino acids and other molecules that circulate in your blood, so more blood goes to the muscles. Since blood is mostly water, that's why your body "holds onto it".
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
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    You definitely dont consume/lose the calories that you are stating.

    I run about 30 miles a week, so lose around 4,000 calories doing this - not too dissimilar to what you are claiming.

    I am trying to maintain my weight. My diet consists of fairly large amounts of pasta, rice, chicken and meat, as well as fruit, veg, flapjacks, biscuits, milk, cereals, pizza, anything really.... a lot of this just so I make up my calories and hit maintenance level....so you must be eating something comparable to that.
  • cavia
    cavia Posts: 457 Member
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    Are you weighing all of your foods using a digital scale? If not, start. I suspect you're eating more than you think you are. It would help if you could open your diary.

    1kg is 2.2lbs. You've lost just shy of 1/2lb per week. Fat loss is slow. The pounds will add up, it just takes time.

    I'd fire your trainer. You're not building muscle in a caloric deficit and if she really said this to you, then either she's a fool or she's treating you like the fool.
  • chelseamgregory
    chelseamgregory Posts: 8
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    @lisabenjamin i am using an app called fatsecret - it records everything i eat and tracks calories. Thanks so much for the information, this makes sense to me now.

    @Eldamlano - I know it seems impossible right? To me also, in the past when i have done cardio works and dieted weight has come off. I have never in my life posted a question on a web site so that should give you an idea of just how baffled I am also. I have no reason to over/under state what i am burning/consuming. I have never done these type of workouts before and as i already said, my trainer has said i need to give it time. I wish i ate pizza, pasta etc.. i dont. I cut out everything like that. Today as a good example of what i have eaten is 2 eggs for breakfast, then one small bowl (about 1.5 cups) of home made chicken/veg stew that has exactly that (chicken and veg) in it, then lunch time i had a chicken stir fry with veg (297 cals, and i know this because i ordered it from a diet delivery place here in Dubai), and i have had a coffee. For dinner I will have something lite like 100g of chicken and some salad. I will go for a cardio class today and burn 6-700 cals ( i had PT yesterday and tomorrow). So there is my cals for the day - about 1200 and there is my workout. I cant say i have not any slip ups, i drank alcohol twice in the last 5 weeks - about 5 glasses of red wine each time. But nothign that should stagnate loss. So i guess I just need to give it another month and keep lifting weights and training. Its just very demotivating not seeing scales move when in that past thats all i have tracked. Your workout is just cardio - mine is heavy weights interval training.

    @MrM27 - please forgive me - am a novice and just learning. And the workouts are heavy weights/interval - she mixes in killer moves like burpees etc to keep my heart pounding.

    @Janel thank you - this really makes sense, will keep going - i have nothing to lose except fat right?

    Thanks so much to all for your feedback and suggestions, i really appreciate it.

    Chelsea
  • chelseamgregory
    chelseamgregory Posts: 8
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    @MrM27 you may as well have replied in chinese but i really thank u for caring! I guess thats why i have a trainer! I am not doing any aerobic training with my trainer - its all weights and circuits but as well as the heavy weight sets she will mix in moves like bupess to keep heart rate up. I hope that makes sense. What is proper accessory muscle training?
  • chelseamgregory
    chelseamgregory Posts: 8
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    @lisaabenjan i am using an app called fatsecret - it records everything i eat and tracks calories. Thanks so much for the information, this makes sense to me now.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
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    Hi Chelsea! I agree with others that you must eat more to fuel those workouts. Did your trainer suggest 1200 calories per day?

    You mentioned drinking wine - 5 glasses twice in the last five weeks. This is definitely enough to hinder your loss. Which is fine, in my mind, because life involves wine. Just know that alcohol makes you hold onto water and can mask your loss. When I drink, I have lots of water beforehand, and then water in between drinks.

    You're doing great to come here and educate yourself :) good luck!

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