Crossfit, counting calories, no weight loss!
Options
matchbox_girl
Posts: 535 Member
My husband and I started Crossfit a month ago. We go three times a week and push ourselves. Before this, we were the most inactive and out of shape people in the world so this has been crazy intense. We were also addicted to fast food and I was eating 2,000 to 3,000 calories a day!
The day we started Crossfit we stopped eating fast food. All of it. We had soups and crackers for lunch, slim fast for breakfast, and a home cooked meal for dinner. Cold Turkey off fast food. I eat no more than 2,000 calories a day and it's usually closer to 1300-1600. When I workout I have less of an appetite.
So with that being said, the scale isn't budging. For either of us. Obviously we are a bit more stronger than when we started and that's amazing. And we've only been going for a month, but the fact that we went to living off fast food to cutting it out with no results frustrates the hell out of me. I'm 5'9" and 245 pounds. Very overweight. Hubby is overweight as well. He is getting discouraged and I keep telling him that it's normal and that we shouldn't base it on the scale, but truth be told I just want to cry. No, we're not doing the Paelo business or anything like that, but we're doing a hell of a lot better than we were. So why? Eating is better, we're dedicated to Crossfit, and no real movement.
The day we started Crossfit we stopped eating fast food. All of it. We had soups and crackers for lunch, slim fast for breakfast, and a home cooked meal for dinner. Cold Turkey off fast food. I eat no more than 2,000 calories a day and it's usually closer to 1300-1600. When I workout I have less of an appetite.
So with that being said, the scale isn't budging. For either of us. Obviously we are a bit more stronger than when we started and that's amazing. And we've only been going for a month, but the fact that we went to living off fast food to cutting it out with no results frustrates the hell out of me. I'm 5'9" and 245 pounds. Very overweight. Hubby is overweight as well. He is getting discouraged and I keep telling him that it's normal and that we shouldn't base it on the scale, but truth be told I just want to cry. No, we're not doing the Paelo business or anything like that, but we're doing a hell of a lot better than we were. So why? Eating is better, we're dedicated to Crossfit, and no real movement.
1
Replies
-
-
New exercise routines can often cause us to (temporarily) hold water in our muscles to help with recovery. This could be part of what is going on here.
I can't see your diary so it's going to be hard to offer more specific advice, but often when we don't lose and we think we should it is due to some common logging errors. These can include not measuring food properly, choosing wrong entries from the database, or using generic/homemade entries that underestimate the calorie content of our food. Whatever the error, the result is that one is eating more than one thinks they are. If you open your diary, we may be able to help you troubleshoot what is going on.7 -
Keep going! I promise you won't regret it. Also what is "real" !? If you're making the scale go down at all even if it's .5lbs that means you're moving in the right direction. You didn't get overweight overnight, and you won't lose it over night either. The only reason to give up is IF youre happy with being fat, then u have no reason to work for anything. If you don't want to be fat, then you have to Keep going until you reach your goal6
-
Eating better and exercising doesn't mean you will lose weight. My advice is to be as accurate as you can with weighing/measuring/portioning out your food, eat back half of your exercise calories (if you're already doing this, eat less back), and be as sure as possible that you're eating at a deficit.6
-
-
janejellyroll wrote: »New exercise routines can often cause us to (temporarily) hold water in our muscles to help with recovery. This could be part of what is going on here.
I can't see your diary so it's going to be hard to offer more specific advice, but often when we don't lose and we think we should it is due to some common logging errors. These can include not measuring food properly, choosing wrong entries from the database, or using generic/homemade entries that underestimate the calorie content of our food. Whatever the error, the result is that one is eating more than one thinks they are. If you open your diary, we may be able to help you troubleshoot what is going on.
Agreed. I actually overestimate everything I make so I don't make that error.0 -
Weigh your food on a food scale and drink plenty of water to help with water retention in the muscles.
With that said, don't focus on the scale. Do what you know is the right thing (working out hard and counting calories), and the results will come. You have to be patient.
2 -
Opening your diary would go a long way towards us helping you.
Also, that flowchart is bomb. To look at that and say it's "No help there..." just makes me think you can't read a flowchart. Not that there's anything wrong with that--just don't say it's not helpful because you can't use the tool.12 -
matchbox_girl wrote: »
What do you mean "no help there"? The flow chart addresses every contingency that you could be experiencing. If you can't find any answers there, the problem is operator error and you need to look a little closer.
22 -
A couple of things:
1. I totally understand your bewilderment. Just dropping the fast food alone--you'd think you shave off 10 lbs very quickly, right?
2. Since it's been disappointing for BOTH of you, I think we can probably rule out an extenuating medical factors that slow weight loss.
3. Crossfit is very intense. You've gone from nothing to something high intensity. I would think your body is retaining water to account for what's going on with your muscles. When I started my weight loss, I did *no* exercise, but when I added it in, started getting sore and fit, my weight loss initially stalled.
4. Food: Along with the water retention in #3, look at the types of food you are eating. What types of food are you having at home? Are they high sodium? Also, as another person said, look VERY carefully at your food measurements. You may be eyeballing 1600 calories but realistically you could be off and eating 1900 calories that day. Or on the 2,000 calorie day, it might be 2,300. Probably not low enough for weight loss.
But I get it. You'd think that being a sedentary food hedonist and then changing to a healthy, mindful eater along with exercise would do something, right. Just hang in there. It will happen!!1 -
Now I feel ridiculous because last week was a bad week sugar and calorie wise. Over 2,000 cals a day.
However, my doctor told me that 1600-2000 calories a day for someone my weight is accurate if you're more sedentary. I haven't been lately.
Damn those pop tarts, my diary makes it clear I can't have them in the house.
1 -
If it's not water weight, then you're either eating more than you think you are, you're overestimating your exercise calories, or both.4
-
Thanks all. I'm impatient but I know I can't be in this journey.
Sugar really gets me. Sugar and carbs is probably what's hindering me. I just don't want to admit it.
But I just did.2 -
matchbox_girl wrote: »
Are you using a food scale?2 -
Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Enter your stars in MFP to get calorie goals for each of you. A 1 lb/week deficit plus your workouts will be easy to manage as long as you are accurately weighing your food. You are off to a great start in changing your life style - you just need a few more tweaks to get started losing!6
-
matchbox_girl wrote: »Thanks all. I'm impatient but I know I can't be in this journey.
Sugar really gets me. Sugar and carbs is probably what's hindering me. I just don't want to admit it.
But I just did.
You can continue eating sugar and carbs if your doctor hasn't advised you to cut back for health reasons. I have Poptarts once a week lately, fitting into my calories.
Can I ask why the chart I posted didn't help? Are you logging everything with 100% accuracy?7 -
matchbox_girl wrote: »Thanks all. I'm impatient but I know I can't be in this journey.
Sugar really gets me. Sugar and carbs is probably what's hindering me. I just don't want to admit it.
But I just did.
Open your diary.
Sugar and carbs in a vacuum aren't hindering you. Sugar and carbs don't make people fat. Eating more than you're burning keeps you overweight. Period. I mean, unless you've got some kind of metabolic disorder.9 -
matchbox_girl wrote: »Thanks all. I'm impatient but I know I can't be in this journey.
Sugar really gets me. Sugar and carbs is probably what's hindering me. I just don't want to admit it.
But I just did.
Sugar and carbs won't hinder your weight loss, only calories. But sugar and simple carbs can definitely make you crave and overeat foods in general and up your calorie intake.
I know that in my first weeks of dieting, I had to just cut that crap. I know that *they* say that no food is a bad food and it's all about calories. That's true. But you know yourself. If eating a Pop-Tart is going to make you continue with bad choices or overeat, you need to cut those out of your diet at this point. For me, ALL treats went out. I have now added them back in now that I am in more control of things. Treats for me were Greek yogurt with fruit. It was summer so fruit it was. Still sweet, but got me off my monster cravings for junk.2 -
matchbox_girl wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »New exercise routines can often cause us to (temporarily) hold water in our muscles to help with recovery. This could be part of what is going on here.
I can't see your diary so it's going to be hard to offer more specific advice, but often when we don't lose and we think we should it is due to some common logging errors. These can include not measuring food properly, choosing wrong entries from the database, or using generic/homemade entries that underestimate the calorie content of our food. Whatever the error, the result is that one is eating more than one thinks they are. If you open your diary, we may be able to help you troubleshoot what is going on.
Agreed. I actually overestimate everything I make so I don't make that error.
I've seen people who were *positive* they were over-estimating actually have logging errors that were cancelling that out. If you'd like more specific help, we're here. But we'll need more details.7 -
matchbox_girl wrote: »Thanks all. I'm impatient but I know I can't be in this journey.
Sugar really gets me. Sugar and carbs is probably what's hindering me. I just don't want to admit it.
But I just did.
Open your diary.
Sugar and carbs in a vacuum aren't hindering you. Sugar and carbs don't make people fat. Eating more than you're burning keeps you overweight. Period. I mean, unless you've got some kind of metabolic disorder.
Even if you have a metabolic disorder, it's still true - the disorder just changes how much you burn.1
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 389 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 918 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions