Need Advice/Tips please :)

GJHB91
GJHB91 Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, for the past 6 months I have been trying to lose fat and gain muscle but nothing seems to be working. I've tried various methods and nothing has worked. I started out with a calorie deficit and was eating about 1200 calories a day and working out 3 days a week, after doing some research I realized that I wasn't getting enough calories and thought that might be why my weight was at a standstill, currently I am consuming between 1500-1600 calories a day (following a paleo diet as much as I can, I will admit I have some cheat days) and working out with Crossfit 4 days a week while running or yoga 2 days a week. Still nothing seems to be working, I monitor my protein intake, my carbs and fats, but should I be stricter with my diet? A typical day of food for me is:
Breakfast: 2 eggs, 3 eggs whites, 1 cup green tea

Snack: kiwi with paleo muffin

Lunch: mashed sweet potatoes, salad

Snack: Apple

Dinner: protein shake, broccoli, sweet potato & some sort of fruit

I know the number on the scale doesn't matter, I just want to lose fat and gain muscle, but haven't seen any result at all. Any advice?

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I can't see your journal, but often when people don't lose weight as expected it is due to logging issues. Are you using a scale to weigh all solid foods? What we eat is less important for weight loss than how much of it we are eating.

    Also, are you logging your cheat days? How much over are you going on those days? A deficit can easily be wiped out by cheat days.
  • GJHB91
    GJHB91 Posts: 7 Member
    I do log my cheat meals, and they vary, sometimes it'll be one small item, other times a cheat meal turns into a cheat day, I'm trying to be a lot better about that
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    GJHB91 wrote: »
    I do log my cheat meals, and they vary, sometimes it'll be one small item, other times a cheat meal turns into a cheat day, I'm trying to be a lot better about that

    If you open your diary, you will probably get some more useful advice. Without seeing how much you're eating and how you're logging, people are just going to have to guess at what the problem might be.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    What are your stats? How are you measuring your calorie intake? How are you measuring your exercise calories and how much, if any, do you eat back?
  • GJHB91
    GJHB91 Posts: 7 Member
    age: 25 weight:133 height 5'2''
    I use a Fitbit to track my calories burned during workouts, and I use an app called "Fooducate" to keep track of my food. I aim for 1600 calories a day knowing that I'll usually burn anywhere from 100-250 on my average workout
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    GJHB91 wrote: »
    age: 25 weight:133 height 5'2''
    I use a Fitbit to track my calories burned during workouts, and I use an app called "Fooducate" to keep track of my food. I aim for 1600 calories a day knowing that I'll usually burn anywhere from 100-250 on my average workout

    Out of curiosity, if you're using one app to track your workouts and another app to track your food, why are you asking this question on the forum of yet another app?

    Not that there is anything wrong with asking people here, but we won't be able to give you feedback on potential logging issues if you're using another app to track your food.
  • GJHB91
    GJHB91 Posts: 7 Member
    Haha yeah it seems weird. I'm just looking for any advice I can get, I've reached the point where I'm just overwhelmed and don't know what I'm doing wrong
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    GJHB91 wrote: »
    Haha yeah it seems weird. I'm just looking for any advice I can get, I've reached the point where I'm just overwhelmed and don't know what I'm doing wrong

    So for your logging on Fooducate, are you weighing all your solid food and logging by weight? That could be one potential issue.

    The other potential issue is your cheat days.
  • chad23jl
    chad23jl Posts: 54 Member
    I can say off the top of my head that if what you posted is a typical day...you are not getting anywhere near the amount of protein that you need to build muscle or even to conserve muscle for that matter.

  • GJHB91
    GJHB91 Posts: 7 Member
    I don't have a scale and weigh the food, but I log according to serving size and how many servings I'm eating, I'm working on minimizing the cheat meals and hoping that will help. Thank you for your help!
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    you gain muscle in a surplus so if you arent eating in a caloric surplus you wont gain much if any muscle(aside from newbie gains,or if you are returning to weight lifting and already had a decent amount of lean muscle mass). Being female it takes awhile to build muscle.if the amount of calories you are eating now are under your TDEE(to lose weight) then you wont gain muscle like you think you will. doesnt matter what you eat,and one cheat meal/day can wipe out your whole deficit. you have to decide if you want to lose weight or gain muscle.
  • GJHB91
    GJHB91 Posts: 7 Member
    On the app I use to log my food is shows me how many grams of protein I'm getting today for example is 85 grams, how much would you say I should be getting? Is that too low?
  • chad23jl
    chad23jl Posts: 54 Member
    Breakfast
    waffle (protein), 1 serving(s) 
    Coffeemate - Creamy Chocolate, 4 tsp 

    Lunch
    Hinode - Brown Rice, 0.5 cup 
    Hormel - Rev #10 Turkey and Cheese Wrap, 1 Wrap 
    Flounder - Flounder, 4 ounces 
    Generic - Japanese Cucumber, 0.5 cucumber 
    Peppers - Sweet, green, raw, 1 medium (approx 2-3/4" long, 2-1/2" dia) 
    Carrots - Fresh, Raw, Baby, 14 carrots 

    Dinner
    Homemade - Sweet Potato (Baked), 1 medium 
    Tyson - Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Strips, 8 oz 
    Add Food Quick Tools

    Snacks
    Prolab N-Large 2 - Milk Chocolate, 2 Scoops 
    Strawberries, raw, 1 cup, halves 
    Grapes - 20 Green Seedless, 30 grams

    This my typical day for 2400 calories and then I have to add some to eat back some of my expenditure.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    GJHB91 wrote: »
    I don't have a scale and weigh the food, but I log according to serving size and how many servings I'm eating, I'm working on minimizing the cheat meals and hoping that will help. Thank you for your help!

    Many people have found that, without using a scale, they are eating hundreds of calories more than they think they are. I wasn't able to regularly lose weight until I accurately measured what I was eating and that meant using a scale for solid food.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    tm5czc8mv815.jpg

    https://youtu.be/XpHykP6e_Uk
  • barbara3213
    barbara3213 Posts: 98 Member


    Many people have found that, without using a scale, they are eating hundreds of calories more than they think they are. I wasn't able to regularly lose weight until I accurately measured what I was eating and that meant using a scale for solid food.[/quote]

    Yep. That was me too
  • GJHB91
    GJHB91 Posts: 7 Member
    Are there any specific scales you recommend?
  • no_day_but_2day
    no_day_but_2day Posts: 222 Member
    GJHB91 wrote: »
    Are there any specific scales you recommend?

    You can get them anywhere. Walmart sells some for 15$. Just make sure you get the digital ones.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    GJHB91 wrote: »
    On the app I use to log my food is shows me how many grams of protein I'm getting today for example is 85 grams, how much would you say I should be getting? Is that too low?

    they say(all studies and so on) that 0.6-0.8g per lb of lean body weight is enough,most people do it per lb of body weight.protein wont make you lose weight either and protein helps retain lean muscle mass but to grow muscle you need to be in a surplus and lift heavy. to lose weight you need to be in a deficit. lifting in a deficit will retain lean muscle mass
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    GJHB91 wrote: »
    Are there any specific scales you recommend?

    Any digital scale with a TARE button. I prefer a flat scale that I can lay a plate on, to one with a bowl-type thing on top. I have an Escali that I bought on Groupon for about $22. It's purple! LOL :D
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited May 2016
    Your weight was at a stand still because you apparently were/are eating a lot more than 1200 calories which is keeping you in maintenance and is that the 1500-1600 now?

    Buy a food scale and use it. Make sure that the 1500 - 1600 calories will get you the desired results which is loose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. Perhaps you are trying to recomp, by the way your worded your question? You said the scale weight does not matter, are you lifting weights at all? BTW recomp requires some precision in your diet and lifting program and is a very very slow process.

    If you were over eating (in a surplus) or even in in maintenance calories during the past 6 months and adhering to a progressive lifting program you should be building muscle now, and just need to cut the excess fat by making sure you adhere to a calorie deficit to loose X pounds a week and up protein intake (.8 to 1 gr per body weight) while in a calorie deficit to keep as much muscle as you can while cutting.

    Take scale weight, body measurements and pictures during this time so you can see trends happen as you accomplish the goal you set out? Which is....exactly?
  • elaineamj
    elaineamj Posts: 347 Member
    edited May 2016
    Look for:
    - large numbers
    - a way to change units on the front (eg from g to oz), some models the button is underneath the unit
    - a lengthy auto-shutoff. Some models shut off in 30 seconds. Mine gives it 2 mins. Much easier when cooking
    - Easy to clean/store

    EDIT: a tare function is CRITICAL

    I chose a stainless steel version so I could put my still-hot pot on it straight from the stove. I also chose a flat unit so I could put my pots/giant wok directly on it rather than the units than come with bowls, etc. Good luck. I got mine from Amazon for $10 after a lot of nagging on here. LOVE it.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    GJHB91 wrote: »
    Are there any specific scales you recommend?

    Any digital scale that weighs in grams (more precise than ounces) and has a tare function. The one I'm using now I bought from Amazon for $25.

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