Will my body go below this number?

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ajnolan42
ajnolan42 Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys so I have already lost about 15 pounds and wanted to lose about 15 more but was really struggling and hit a plateau for months. So I decided to hire a personal trainer to help get the last 15 lbs off. Its been weeks and I havent lost an ounce. Just wondering if this is something I should be concerned about or if its may be my body won't go below this number.

Thank you!

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,668 Member
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    What are we talking about here? What's your height and current weight?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,485 Member
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    It would be helpful if we had more information.
    Start weight, goal weight, current , weight.
    Calorie intake, method of measuring calories,
    Age, height, gender.
    Exercise routine, calorie feedback, and exercise tracking method.

    Basically though, if you are not losing you are not in a deficit.
    Whether it is prudent to reduce your calories further is unknown at this point.

    Cheers, h.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    If your trainer has you on a strength program there's a possibility that you're building muscle to replace any fat you're losing. You'll notice a difference in measurements, strength, appearance, and how your clothes fit but not on the scale (muscle is heavier than fat).

    That said, if your trainer has you on a cardio intense program then you're simply not eating to a deficit. No matter how much your trainer might tout the value of gym time, diet means much more to weight loss than exercise. Many personal trainers focus only on the exercise side and don't consider your overall goals and/or what you're eating outside of the gym.

    Keep your calorie intake below your calorie expenditure and the weight will come off eventually. Make sure your calorie targets are in line with your goals/training regimen and track/log your food religiously (and accurately).
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
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    Like other pps said-we need more info here....
  • ajnolan42
    ajnolan42 Posts: 11 Member
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    Start weight : 176
    Current weight : 160
    Goal weight : 140 to 145
    Female 24 5'4
    I was doing weight watchers at first and it really worked but then I was just starving all the time and realized I wasn't even eating1200 calories on weight watchers.
    First 15 pounds I only mainly did cardio.
    Now I do cardio on my own and strength with my trainer,
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    ajnolan42 wrote: »
    Start weight : 176
    Current weight : 160
    Goal weight : 140 to 145
    Female 24 5'4
    I was doing weight watchers at first and it really worked but then I was just starving all the time and realized I wasn't even eating1200 calories on weight watchers.
    First 15 pounds I only mainly did cardio.
    Now I do cardio on my own and strength with my trainer,

    What is your calorie goal now?
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,485 Member
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    And how many calorie are you eating, how are you tracking, and are you eating back exercise cals?

    Set MFP to lose 1lbs a week, weigh all your food on a scale.

    From your stats yes you can most certainly lose more weight.

    Cheers, h.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,012 Member
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    Are you weighing your food? If you are not eating at a deficit you are not going to lose weight. 140 - 145 is a perfectly reasonable weight for a 24 year old 5'4" woman. But there is no reason that your body would "want" to stay at 160. If you are staying at that weight it is because you are eating at your maintenance level for that weight. Get a food scale and start weighing your food so that you know that you are at a deficit. Aim to lose only .5 pounds per week. The last 15 will come off slower than the first 15 did. But it will come off if you eat less than you burn.
  • ajnolan42
    ajnolan42 Posts: 11 Member
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    I just switched from weight watchers to mfp today. It says my calories should be 1600 which seems high to me. And no I do not eat my work out calories
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
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    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    If your trainer has you on a strength program there's a possibility that you're building muscle to replace any fat you're losing. You'll notice a difference in measurements, strength, appearance, and how your clothes fit but not on the scale (muscle is heavier than fat).

    That said, if your trainer has you on a cardio intense program then you're simply not eating to a deficit. No matter how much your trainer might tout the value of gym time, diet means much more to weight loss than exercise. Many personal trainers focus only on the exercise side and don't consider your overall goals and/or what you're eating outside of the gym.

    Keep your calorie intake below your calorie expenditure and the weight will come off eventually. Make sure your calorie targets are in line with your goals/training regimen and track/log your food religiously (and accurately).

    she has been working out for a matter of "weeks" - it is not muscle gain. even if she was gaining muscle, it would never be at a rate that would outpace fat loss.

    OP - it is much more likely to be a measurement error - are you weighing everything you eat???
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Eat the goal that MFP is giving you for 4-6 weeks and then adjust calories down/up according to progress. Since you just started counting calories that's pretty much all anybody can suggest right now. Nobody's body has a "will not go below" number. You might have a weight where the combination of calories and activity required to maintain it is comfortably sustainable but that doesn't mean it is impossible to go below that weight.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    ajnolan42 wrote: »
    I just switched from weight watchers to mfp today. It says my calories should be 1600 which seems high to me. And no I do not eat my work out calories

    If you just began tracking calories today, you should give yourself some time to consistently log, hit that calorie goal, and then see if you begin losing weight.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    OP, pick up a $15 digital food scale. Start using it to measure your portions for all solid and semi-solid foods as often as possible. Log everything accurately and consistently and give it at least 4-6 weeks. If you haven't been weighing and logging previously, you don't really know how many calories you were eating and it's probably more than you think. Because it is really common for people to be bad at visualizing portions (I sure was!).

    I am 5'4 130lbs and eating 1500-1600 cals to lose another 5 lbs, so I don't think 1600 sounds too high necessarily. But you won't know until you try, so give it 4 good weeks, and if you need to adjust from there. Good luck!
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,012 Member
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    Mfp is designed for you to eat the exercise calories. You should be netting 1600 per day. So if you exercise and burn more calories then you should eat back some of them. 1600 sounds pretty reasonable to me to lose .5 pound per week. If you think that your exercise calories are overestimated you can start by eating only half and then reevaluate after about 4 weeks. If you do not use a food scale then I highly suggest you get one. It is really easy to overestimate your portion sizes and when your deficit is 250 calories per day (.5 lb per week) there isn't much room for error. I am older than you and a little shorter, but I lost most of my weight eating about 1400 - 1600 per day and I maintain on around 2000-2300 per day.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,485 Member
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    ajnolan42 wrote: »
    I just switched from weight watchers to mfp today. It says my calories should be 1600 which seems high to me. And no I do not eat my work out calories

    1600 sounds good.

    Eat back your workout calories too. If you don't you are not fuelling your exercise well, and over time become lethargic.


    MFP doesn't include exercise in your calorie goal, it expects you to eat those calories, you will still lose if your calorie counting is accurate. Use a digital food scale.

    If after a month you are not losing at the predicted rate drop your exercise calories by 10 or 25%. Exercise calories given by a tracker, machine, or MFP are only eastemates and often need a bit of personal adjustment.

    Cheers, h.

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