I am a beginner wanting to build some muscle

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  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 9,302 Member
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    Let's remember one other important fact: even if you're not losing WEIGHT, you may still be losing SIZE. When I dropped 50 lbs pre-MFP, there were some stretches where the scale stayed the same but my belt had to be tightened another notch.

    Also, the OP commented about "no way eating maintenance calories, because I'm still hungry". The two really don't have anything to do with each other in my experience. Some days I'm stuffed but a couple hundred calories below, other days I'm still hungry despite being a couple hundred calories over.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Where are you getting the numbers you are logging? A club sandwich for 280 calories? No. Just no.
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    kaylabean92 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    kaylabean92 wrote: »
    brower47 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    OP, where have you been logging? I don't see much of anything logged since last Friday.

    Yeah. It seems you're not consistent in your logging. You may be great at accurate logging on days you log but what about all those days you don't? It might be those days that are responsible for you lack of loss over the past month.

    I stopped last Friday because I got frustrated, but I'm starting again and adding some strength training as well. I just don't want to go through another whole month of being miserable and not noticing any changes.

    Okay. Weigh and log every morsel you put in your mouth. Eat some of your cardio calories back. Let us know how you do.

    Thanks for the advice! I am going to try again and eat more protein and try weight lifting as well :)

    And don’t freak out if the scale doesn’t go the way you want. If you’re lifting weights, you’re improving your overall body composition, which is way more important than the number on the scale.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,395 MFP Moderator
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    Do you have any medical issues such as pcos?
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    kaylabean92 wrote: »
    I started out at close to 150 lbs and lost about 7 lbs in a couple of weeks. After that, I haven't noticed anything in about a month :/

    As you've not been logging consistently how do you know how much you've been eating? In the past week you've logged 2 days and they've not been complete. Log accurately and consistently then you have a base to start from
  • kaylabean92
    kaylabean92 Posts: 55 Member
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    _Zardoz_ wrote: »
    kaylabean92 wrote: »
    I started out at close to 150 lbs and lost about 7 lbs in a couple of weeks. After that, I haven't noticed anything in about a month :/

    As you've not been logging consistently how do you know how much you've been eating? In the past week you've logged 2 days and they've not been complete. Log accurately and consistently then you have a base to start from

    As I have mentioned, I stopped logging as of last Friday, because I got frustrated. I just don't understand how I can change my eating habits so much and eat much less than I used to and not really see any changes. I wanted to get some advice before I get back into it again, since I am adding strength training to my daily lifestyle.
  • kaylabean92
    kaylabean92 Posts: 55 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    Do you have any medical issues such as pcos?

    Not that I know of. I have never had any type of exam.
  • kaylabean92
    kaylabean92 Posts: 55 Member
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    tomatoey wrote: »
    You're 5'8" and 142 pounds - how much do you want to lose? Might be better to stay at maintenance for a while or a little over.

    I want to lose about 10 lbs. I used to be a size 2, and I have gone up to a 6 in the past year. I am used to being very slender, so I need to lose this weight.
  • kaylabean92
    kaylabean92 Posts: 55 Member
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    aggelikik wrote: »
    Where are you getting the numbers you are logging? A club sandwich for 280 calories? No. Just no.

    I realize that everything isn't going to be 100% accurate, but I do eat much, much less than I used to, and even then I wasn't gaining weight that fast, so there should still be significant changes.
  • kaylabean92
    kaylabean92 Posts: 55 Member
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    JYolani wrote: »
    I recently had similar challenges. I couldn't loose weight. I went physical and was having some issues that were slowing down my metabolism. I recommend having physical first.

    Great advice! Thank you! :)
  • punchgut
    punchgut Posts: 210 Member
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    kaylabean92 wrote: »
    I am a 22 year old, 5'8", 142 lbs female. I have been on MFP for about a month and a half. My goal starting out was to just lose about 10 lbs through cutting calories alone. I have been eating strictly 1200 calories and not noticing any changes really. I then added cardio into the mix to see if that would make a change. It still didn't, so I was told I was probably not eating enough, and I should lift some heavy weights. I am about to start doing that, but I am kind of lost with how to start.

    I have been recommended to visit Bodybuilding.com to get a good idea of how to do this and that I should pick out a training program set by one of the professionals on there. I have noticed that they all find great importance in nutrition and using supplements. I am definitely willing to change my eating habits to include more protein, but I am not going to spend money on all these different supplements. Is it completely necessary to use supplements and as strict as they are on nutrition, and shouldn't I still notice changes if I mainly focus on sticking with the training program? Does anyone have any tips for a beginner like me?

    Some ideas, I'm not saying they're the reason:

    1) You're eating to much processed foods. Lots of empty calories and not much for maintaining the body. (Although you state what you're eating later, it's always good to take an honest look)

    2) Stress! If you're under a lot of stress you can affect your cortisol levels and this will promote fat storage and will fight against weight loss.

    3) You're adding muscle. In order to track this you need to take body fat measurements, but you need reliable measurements that are costly.

    4) You're not getting enough sleep. Sleep deprivation increases cortisol and decrease secretion of growth hormone, which spikes in deep sleep and increases fat burning.

    5) You're working out too much. This will cause your body to store extra water.

    6) You've reached homeostasis (what your body considers ideal weight). This can be hard to break through.

    7) Putting your body into to high a calorie deficit can affect the ghrelin growth hormone axis. This can cause you to plateau also.

    Some lifting information (some inspiration and guides):

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/535512

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/987513/lifting-is-the-most-horrible-thing-to-a-woman-since-twiggy

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/10/09/veronica/

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/02/28/strength-training-101/

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/102-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w

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