4 Weeks No Weight Loss; Some Inches
thestoryofangelina
Posts: 34 Member
Hi there! I have been on a strict, stick to my plan eating and exercise programs for almost 4 weeks now. I did a very drastic change in lifestyle - stopped drinking alcohol (was having daily wine), have been strict with my macros and calories as per a trainer, have one treat meal a week that isn't over 600 calories, and have been strength training (heavy lifting) 3 times per week. I am also walking a bit as well. The first two weeks I had a lot of trouble sleeping, but now that seems to have evened out. I am also so sore and quite tired, but am sticking with it and letting my body adjust.
Has anyone had any other issues like this? I have lost 2 inches off my weight, 1 off my chest, and 0.8 off my arm. I don't know how inches compare to weight, and know muscle weighs more than fat, but at 310 lbs, I would think I would have started to lose weight and/or inches a bit faster. Should I ramp up cardio? Do more weight sessions?
I am starting to get discouraged. My trainer says it could take up to 6 weeks to see results, but its only 2 weeks away and I kinda feel like it is not working as fast as it should. I guess I am used to the calorie crashing fad diets where it came off really fast, and of course went back on just as fast, and wanted a slow weight loss, but it's just hard to keep at it with not much results...
Any help or advice would be great! Thanks!
CW: 141kg
Daily Macros:
Protein: 158g
Carbs: 158g
Fibre: 72 g
Calories: 2100 (although I rarely hit it, most likely 1800-1900)
Has anyone had any other issues like this? I have lost 2 inches off my weight, 1 off my chest, and 0.8 off my arm. I don't know how inches compare to weight, and know muscle weighs more than fat, but at 310 lbs, I would think I would have started to lose weight and/or inches a bit faster. Should I ramp up cardio? Do more weight sessions?
I am starting to get discouraged. My trainer says it could take up to 6 weeks to see results, but its only 2 weeks away and I kinda feel like it is not working as fast as it should. I guess I am used to the calorie crashing fad diets where it came off really fast, and of course went back on just as fast, and wanted a slow weight loss, but it's just hard to keep at it with not much results...
Any help or advice would be great! Thanks!
CW: 141kg
Daily Macros:
Protein: 158g
Carbs: 158g
Fibre: 72 g
Calories: 2100 (although I rarely hit it, most likely 1800-1900)
1
Replies
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When I started weight training (I was over 300lbs at the time), I didn't see movement on the scale for over a month. Changing up your exercise can cause water retention. That sounds like the culprit, especially since you're feeling sore.
If your measurements are changing, you are losing weight, but the water retention is masking it. Stick with it, you'll see the scale move eventually as long as you're accurately logging everything.7 -
When I started weight training (I was over 300lbs at the time), I didn't see movement on the scale for over a month. Changing up your exercise can cause water retention. That sounds like the culprit, especially since you're feeling sore.
If your measurements are changing, you are losing weight, but the water retention is masking it. Stick with it, you'll see the scale move eventually as long as you're accurately logging everything.
This. You are losing fat but water weight is masking it right now. Ride it out.
I switched from bodyweight training to lifting weights in July 2014. I gained 3 lbs that month. The next month I lost 3 lbs. After 9 weeks, my weight dipped below the weight I was when I made the switch. My body measurements were very different (smaller) though.4 -
You may be coming at it too hard, both in reduced calories and increased exercise, which is stressing your body, causing you to retain water.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/dietary-restraint-and-cortisol-levels-research-review.html/
...a group of women who scored higher on dietary restraint scores showed elevated baseline cortisol levels. By itself this might not be problematic, but as often as not, these types of dieters are drawn to extreme approaches to dieting.
They throw in a lot of intense exercise, try to cut calories very hard (and this often backfires if disinhibition is high; when these folks break they break) and cortisol levels go through the roof. That often causes cortisol mediated water retention (there are other mechanisms for this, mind you, leptin actually inhibits cortisol release and as it drops on a diet, cortisol levels go up further). Weight and fat loss appear to have stopped or at least slowed significantly. This is compounded even further in female dieters due to the vagaries of their menstrual cycle where water balance is changing enormously week to week anyhow.
And invariably, this type of psychology responds to the stall by going even harder. They attempt to cut calories harder, they start doing more activity. The cycle continues and gets worse. Harder dieting means more cortisol means more water retention means more dieting. Which backfires (other problems come in the long-term with this approach but you’ll have to wait for the book to read about that).
When what they should do is take a day or two off (even one day off from training, at least in men, let’s cortisol drop significantly). Raise calories, especially from carbohydrates. This helps cortisol to drop. More than that they need to find a way to freaking chill out. Meditation, yoga, get a massage... Get in the bath, candles, a little Enya, a glass of wine, have some you-time but please just chill.4 -
If you don't lose weight in two more weeks, I would drop calories down to about 1500. I would also ask if you are using a food scale.
And to point out, that while muscle weighs more by volume, you aren't going to gain much, if anything, within a month. Even in surplus and following a progressive overload lifting program, women would struggle to more than 1 lb of muscle.0 -
If you don't lose weight in two more weeks, I would drop calories down to about 1500. I would also ask if you are using a food scale.
And to point out, that while muscle weighs more by volume, you aren't going to gain much, if anything, within a month. Even in surplus and following a progressive overload lifting program, women would struggle to more than 1 lb of muscle.
She's 310 pounds and exercises, so 1800-1900 net calories (if measured accurately, with a food scale) is too low, let alone 1500.6 -
kshama2001 wrote: »If you don't lose weight in two more weeks, I would drop calories down to about 1500. I would also ask if you are using a food scale.
And to point out, that while muscle weighs more by volume, you aren't going to gain much, if anything, within a month. Even in surplus and following a progressive overload lifting program, women would struggle to more than 1 lb of muscle.
She's 310 pounds and exercises, so 1800-1900 net calories (if measured accurately, with a food scale) is too low, let alone 1500.
You have no clue what their actual expenditure is. At best you are making an assumption. 1500 for a women is still reasonable, even at 310.0 -
Yes I'm using a good scale and eating low fat, complex carb, lots of veggies, low sugar, lots of water etc.
My trainer says I've got a lot of muscle for a girl my size (farm kid) am leg pressing 160kg and when I am working out 3-4 times a week it is for an hour and 15-30 min each0 -
thestoryofangelina wrote: »Yes I'm using a good scale and eating low fat, complex carb, lots of veggies, low sugar, lots of water etc.
My trainer says I've got a lot of muscle for a girl my size (farm kid) am leg pressing 160kg and when I am working out 3-4 times a week it is for an hour and 15-30 min each
That is an impressive leg press. Not suggesting that you don't have a lot of muscle, but it could also mean that your muscle are highly efficient. It's hard to tell without some type of body fat analysis (dexa, hydrostatic, calipers/etc..).
BTW, do you have any medical conditions like PCOS, IR, etc... they tend to add additional variables.0 -
No; healthy except the unhealthy weight. Wondering if my body is in shock you know. Complete sober cold turkey. Started eating right. Exercising. Sleeping at a decent time. Complete lifestyle change; 5 months into living in a new country too.
I know my body fat is high from one of those grip the handles of a device tests they did but not sure how accurate those are...0 -
thestoryofangelina wrote: »No; healthy except the unhealthy weight. Wondering if my body is in shock you know. Complete sober cold turkey. Started eating right. Exercising. Sleeping at a decent time. Complete lifestyle change; 5 months into living in a new country too.
I know my body fat is high from one of those grip the handles of a device tests they did but not sure how accurate those are...
IMO, I would track for 2 more weeks and if you don't lose weight, I would drop calories down to about 1500.
I would also get some blood work done just to check for things (deficiencies or insulin resistance). If you do end up having the later, than reducing carbs and increasing fats might be required.0 -
thestoryofangelina wrote: »No; healthy except the unhealthy weight. Wondering if my body is in shock you know. Complete sober cold turkey. Started eating right. Exercising. Sleeping at a decent time. Complete lifestyle change; 5 months into living in a new country too.
I know my body fat is high from one of those grip the handles of a device tests they did but not sure how accurate those are...
I'm sure you're retaining water. The seven pound spike from Novemeber is when I started lifting weights again. It came back off unusually quickly because I got sick.
I also spike at ovulation and premenstrually.
Congrats on your sobriety! When I quit drinking I developed a sweet tooth which plagued me for quite some time.0 -
OP, don't drop your calories to 1500 yet. I'm at 296lbs and for 2lbs a week, I net 1700 calories a day, and that's without strenuous exercise. There's no reason to drop that low when you're exercising.2
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4 weeks no weight loss is like status quo for me everytime I've attempted to lose weight. Usually in trying to lose weight I raise my activity level and retain more water so for the first 4-6 weeks the scale doesn't move. Doesn't mean I'm not losing fat. Here...wrote something about that not long ago if you are interested:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10459641/tracking-weight-loss#latest
That first graph shows my typical start of no weight change for the first 4 weeks or so.
Chances are if you stick with exactly what you are doing you will see the scale start to move pretty soon, just have patience. I'd say most faliures at attempted weight loss come from some expectation of instant and linear weight loss being thwarted by reality leading the person to assume they are doing something wrong and make their diet overly extreme which causes them to just crash and burn. Don't do that, just stick with it and wait.0 -
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I'd give it at least 6 to 8 weeks total. It seems like her body would be more used to the change in exercise than it is at "almost 4 weeks". As long as the OP is accurately measuring her intake, her weight should start going in a downward trend. If not, then a drop in calories is in order. But I don't think a drop in calories should take place after only 3 weeks of starting her workouts, especially when her measurements are changing.0 -
I'd give it at least 6 to 8 weeks total. It seems like her body would be more used to the change in exercise than it is at "almost 4 weeks". As long as the OP is accurately measuring her intake, her weight should start going in a downward trend. If not, then a drop in calories is in order. But I don't think a drop in calories should take place after only 3 weeks of starting her workouts, especially when her measurements are changing.
I think 8 weeks is a bit much for someone who is over 300 lbs. But 6 weeks is what i thiink is more than reasonable. My one concern is the OPs splurge meal. At 600 calories, i think its a bit light. Most splurge meals i would think would be over 1k calories.
OP can you open your diary? This way we can look at your entries. Knowing entries can be wrong and accuracy is one of the biggest concerns on MFP, it would allow us to help rule things out.0 -
I think 8 weeks is a bit much for someone who is over 300 lbs. But 6 weeks is what i thiink is more than reasonable. My one concern is the OPs splurge meal. At 600 calories, i think its a bit light. Most splurge meals i would think would be over 1k calories.
OP can you open your diary? This way we can look at your entries. Knowing entries can be wrong and accuracy is one of the biggest concerns on MFP, it would allow us to help rule things out.
Diary open. This weekend had an out-ing and kinda slipped a tad with the eating but stayed under my calories...0 -
thestoryofangelina wrote: »
I think 8 weeks is a bit much for someone who is over 300 lbs. But 6 weeks is what i thiink is more than reasonable. My one concern is the OPs splurge meal. At 600 calories, i think its a bit light. Most splurge meals i would think would be over 1k calories.
OP can you open your diary? This way we can look at your entries. Knowing entries can be wrong and accuracy is one of the biggest concerns on MFP, it would allow us to help rule things out.
Diary open. This weekend had an out-ing and kinda slipped a tad with the eating but stayed under my calories...
I think your weekends are killing you. None of them are logged in the past several weeks. So eating between 1800-2000 during the week and then not logging the weekends, is where your problem lies. Studies have shown we are not very good at judging the amount of calories consumed. I would start with logging all weekends. I would also check to make sure your entries are good (make sure things like eggs, milk, veggies are looked up under brand).
Also, you really don't need that much protein. Not saying you shouldn't eat the much, but you probably need much less of it (like 120g); studies would suggest you only need 1.5g/kg to 2.2g/kg of body weight. Personally, I would look to up your fat intake (which controls hormones).0 -
I eat the exact same things on the weekends as I do on the weekdays; I am a creature of habit, except that cheat meal, which is between 800-1000 calories. Oh, and no alcohol. And sometimes I skip breakfast, but that is because I sleep til like 11:00am so have breakfast for lunch and then the protein shake, super shake, and continue on with the day... I can tell you what I ate over the last 5 weekends because I ate the same as I always do, except that one meal, which I know is either 965 calories or 585 calories, dependant on if I make home made pizza or homemade chicken fingers and french friends. Been extra trying an not even eating out...0
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thestoryofangelina wrote: »I eat the exact same things on the weekends as I do on the weekdays; I am a creature of habit, except that cheat meal, which is between 800-1000 calories. Oh, and no alcohol. And sometimes I skip breakfast, but that is because I sleep til like 11:00am so have breakfast for lunch and then the protein shake, super shake, and continue on with the day... I can tell you what I ate over the last 5 weekends because I ate the same as I always do, except that one meal, which I know is either 965 calories or 585 calories, dependant on if I make home made pizza or homemade chicken fingers and french friends. Been extra trying an not even eating out...
It may be worth trying it for a few weeks to see if there is movement. At that point, if you don't see movement, I would drop calories by 300. And check some entries.1
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