Can I be doing more? (advice pleeeease!)

chattertess
chattertess Posts: 45 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
Just looking for a little advice if you would all be so kind! Any tips for how I could be improving my weight loss journey? Or just plod on as I am?
I've been trying to lose weight for quite a long time now, but its only been the last month that I've really put my all into it. Here is my current schedule each week:

Exercise:
Monday: 30 minute Personal training session (weights, squats etc)
Tuesday: 1hr kettlebell class, 30 min metafit HI interval training
Wednesday: Mixture of weights/squats/press ups etc at home
Thursday: 30 minute Personal training again
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 1hr kettlebell class, 30 minute metafit HI interval training
Sunday: Rest

Daily calorie: 1560
40% carb, 35% protein, 25% fat

I don't tend to eat back my exercise calories.

I just had a weigh in for the first time since starting a month ago and the results were the following:
Lost 2kg fat, gained 4kg muscle, lost 1kg of visceral fat, lowered my metabolic age by 4 yrs

I didn't actually lose much weight in theory, but the fat and muscle situation has changed a lot.
Any advice? :)

Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    You are doing great!! Keep at it!!

    Little tip: Use a food scale and weight everything. Apples, oatmeal. peanut butter, etc.
  • Abby2205
    Abby2205 Posts: 253 Member
    So you are actually up 2 kg after a month of this program? How did you measure loss of fat and gain of muscle? It seems very unlikely that you gained 4 kg of muscle in one month (under any circumstances, but particularly while eating 1560 calories a day).
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Keep doing what you're doing and it will come.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    You gained 4 kg of muscles in a month????
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    You could try doing less lifting and adding in some cardio once or twice a week.

    You could try reducing your carb intake just a bit.

    Neither of these things is NECESSARY for weight loss, but if you are searching for an approach that works better for you, these are two things that you might consider trying.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    Is your goal for weight loss or muscle gain or both?

    Seems like your neglecting cardio.

    Also how did you measure muscle gains?
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    edited February 2015
    jennifershoo wrote: »
    You gained 4 kg of muscles in a month????

    It's obvious that she's using some BIA device which is a joke.

    Doesn't really matter in the end. Could you be doing more? Of course. We all could. You could not eat at all and workout 24/7 and I bet you'll lose a ton of weight. What's important is that you strike a livable compromise that you can deal with long term. That's all that really matters.
  • Unknown
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  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Yes, you could be doing more.
  • chattertess
    chattertess Posts: 45 Member
    Calm down guys, I made a typo is all! I meant to put 1.4kg, not 4kg! My fault for writing this when I was knackered.
    My personal trainer measures the levels on his scales for me.
    My goal is for both fat loss and muscle gain. Tone as I go...
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    You still didn't gain 1.4 kg of muscle in a month. Even in a caloric surplus you wouldn't gain that much muscle in a month, much less in a deficit.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    chattertess wrote: »
    Calm down guys, I made a typo is all! I meant to put 1.4kg, not 4kg! My fault for writing this when I was knackered.
    My personal trainer measures the levels on his scales for me.
    My goal is for both fat loss and muscle gain. Tone as I go...

    How did your trainer measure your levels?
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    I just had a weigh in for the first time since starting a month ago and the results were the following:Lost 2kg fat, gained 4kg muscle, lost 1kg of visceral fat, lowered my metabolic age by 4 yrs

    This does not sound accurate to me, but for your purposes it shouldn't matter much. Keep eating at a deficit, make sure you weight your solids and measure liquids and be as accurate logging as you can. Controling intake is where the weight loss really happends. Working out is great for fitness and maintaining LBM as you lose, so keep it up.
  • chattertess
    chattertess Posts: 45 Member
    edited February 2015
    He uses scales that measure your weight, hydration, fat, muscle etc. I don't know whats its called. You hold on to sensors to get the reading. All I can say is what the scales showed.
    1.4 kg muscle gain, 1.2kg fat loss

    I didn't ask for people to judge what the scales said, I asked for advice to help me further my weight loss. Please try to be encouraging guys...
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    chattertess wrote: »
    He uses scales that measure your weight, hydration, fat, muscle etc. I don't know whats its called. You hold on to sensors to get the reading. All I can say is what the scales showed.

    I didn't ask for people to judge what the scales said, I asked for advice to help me further my weight loss. Please try to be encouraging guys...

    But how can we help if your getting wrong information on what you are doing? Scale makes you feel one way which is what a lot of us say is the wrong way since its inaccurate. Your first comment is one of the best tips. Food scale get one.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    We just want to make sure you really understand what is going on in your body. As a woman, you would have to work your butt of lifting and eating at a surplus to put on 1.4kg of muscle in a few weeks, not even sure if it is possible at that but I'm not one of the more knowledgable body builders on here. The name of the game is to lift to maintain LBM as you lose. That way you keep your current miscles, get rid of (some) of the fat on top, and that is what will give you that "toned" appearance you want.

    For successful weight loss the best advice is to log log log accurately accurately accurately. See this post for more info on that:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide#latest
  • cgartebay
    cgartebay Posts: 2 Member
    You're on MFP and you're making an effort to lose weight, so you're already doing better than 99%+ of the public! Keep it up!

    One suggestion would be to eliminate alcohol for a while. It's empty calories and when you are "knackered" (I said that with a British accent) your weight loss is put on hold until the alcohol is metabolized.

    Perhaps change your diet so that you are consuming more lean protein and less carbs. That way you'll feel full longer and avoid cravings.

  • chattertess
    chattertess Posts: 45 Member
    edited February 2015
    cgartebay wrote: »
    You're on MFP and you're making an effort to lose weight, so you're already doing better than 99%+ of the public! Keep it up!

    One suggestion would be to eliminate alcohol for a while. It's empty calories and when you are "knackered" (I said that with a British accent) your weight loss is put on hold until the alcohol is metabolized.

    Perhaps change your diet so that you are consuming more lean protein and less carbs. That way you'll feel full longer and avoid cravings.

    Thanks cgartebay :)

    Luckily I don't drink alcohol so that is something I don't have to worry about! Phew! All I drink is water - no tea, coffee, fizzy drinks. Like the British accent effort ;)
    I will try to lower my carbs, def. I usually have tuna, chicken, ham and eggs every day to keep the protein up. I often end up with roughly 130g of protein each day.

    Thanks for your advice!
  • chattertess
    chattertess Posts: 45 Member
    4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »
    We just want to make sure you really understand what is going on in your body. As a woman, you would have to work your butt of lifting and eating at a surplus to put on 1.4kg of muscle in a few weeks, not even sure if it is possible at that but I'm not one of the more knowledgable body builders on here. The name of the game is to lift to maintain LBM as you lose. That way you keep your current miscles, get rid of (some) of the fat on top, and that is what will give you that "toned" appearance you want.

    For successful weight loss the best advice is to log log log accurately accurately accurately. See this post for more info on that:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide#latest

    Thanks :)

    I really have been working hard (the classes are mixed with cardio exercises as well), as well as having an active job at the moment and living in a location that I walk a lot. So all I know is the scales showed 1.4kg...hopefully its right but who knows. My trainer said he believed it could be possible from the amount of work I've been putting in.

    I've had a look at that post - thanks! I scan in most of the products I use directly from the packet (chicken, veg etc) and work from that to ensure its the correct listing. I also search through the entries to find the most realistic. I weigh my food and have entered my own recipes ingredient by ingredient to make sure its correct. Always good to be nagged to keep an eye on it though ;)

    Thanks for being supportive!
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    edited February 2015
    If your trainer told you that you gained 1.5 kilos of muscle in a month, while eating at a deficit, then you might as well lose the trainer and throw your money away. You will still have less money, but you will also not be paying someone to tell you lies. Sorry, but just no. Also you are not burning 500 calories in 30 minutes during your personal training sessions. Not unless you are very obese and your training sessions consist of intense cardio, and even then I doubt it.
    So, if the last post is accurate and the magical scales showed you gained 1.4 K muscle and lost 1.2 K fat, the sad truth is that in this last month, you gained 0.2, and it was fat, not muscle. So, what youa re doing, it is not working if the goal is fat loss. You are eating around maintenance, meaning your logging is not accurate.
  • chattertess
    chattertess Posts: 45 Member
    edited February 2015
    aggelikik wrote: »
    If your trainer told you that you gained 1.5 kilos of muscle in a month, while eating at a deficit, then you might as well lose the trainer and throw your money away. You will still have less money, but you will also not be paying someone to tell you lies. Sorry, but just no. Also you are not burning 500 calories in 30 minutes during your personal training sessions. Not unless you are very obese and your training sessions consist of intense cardio, and even then I doubt it.

    I only list the exercise roughly, as I don't eat it back anyway. Its more there incase I go over by top whack 50-100cals. Like I said, I don't really eat back the exercise cals. Its not there for me to rely on. I know each workout will vary, so theres no way of knowing exactly how much I'd burn.

    Again, all I can say is what the scales showed. Hes not the one telling me to make me feel good or whatever - its what the scales said the difference was from the last time I'd stepped on them. I don't care all that much what the scales show for muscle at this point either way, because I know I'm working very hard in the sessions and will be doing me good in some shape or form.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    Sounds good to me, just keep doing what you are doing, and ignore the nitpicky "experts".....
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Dang I'm lifting heavy and practically eating at maintenance and I wish I could be gaining 1.4kg of muscle per month.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    edited February 2015
    astrampe wrote: »
    Sounds good to me, just keep doing what you are doing, and ignore the nitpicky "experts".....

    It's not being "nitpicky experts". I mean, come on. The fact of the matter is she has gained weight. She hasn't added an appreciable amount of muscle in this time frame as that would be next to impossible. BIA scales (the type she is using) are known to fluctuate all over the place and aren't considered reliable at all. Get on one, drink a glass of water, and get back on in 5 minutes and you will see what I mean.

    The OP wanted to know if she can do more, and yes...she can, cause at this point she is gaining weight. Not losing which is her goal. Making sure she knows the facts is not nitpicking. It should be helping her adjust.


    ETA: there is a chance that you could still be holding water since if it has only been a month since you started your new exercise routine.
  • amy8400
    amy8400 Posts: 478 Member
    I'm guessing that with a personal trainer, you've used a tape measure for your starting measurements. Are you continuing to do that, or at home? The scale may not show a weight loss but your body measurements will change. To me, that's where it really counts. When I was getting started, I took arm, thigh, chest, waist and hip measurements once a month (left and right sides). Even if the weight wasn't coming off fast, the body was re-comping and that gave me plenty of incentive to stay on track.

    Aside from rubber-stamping the advice to log and weigh everything you eat, I would recommend that you be careful not to burn yourself out. You mentioned that this last month was your first time putting your 'all' into it even though you've been trying to lose weight for several months. Pacing is important as it helps you adjust to a new lifestyle. You want to be successful for life, not just reaching a number on the scale.
  • jessupbrady
    jessupbrady Posts: 508 Member
    I am curious; You mentioned you gained a lot of muscle and lost a lot of fat. Amounts that are to an extreme for a very new and very over weight person just starting their journey. Which is why everyone seems alarmed. Not to mention there is no accurate way to truly measure where loss/gains are coming from - simply when you lose you will lose muscle and fat and when you gain you will gain muscle and fat. So, the concerns are valid as overall you have lost very little your journey you have a question about is weight loss. So, you are not meeting your goal with the program you are using. You might find this article educational about what happens when you are trying to gain muscle as it will also help you understand the previous attitudes: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/maki2.htm

    My curiosity is really two-fold. First, you have a personal trainer in whom you seem to trust; so what does your trainer have to say about what you are doing? Second, What is it you are doubting about your trainer that brought the question here to ask?


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