Weight lifting and STILL not losing weight. HELP!
Replies
-
I don’t know if you do this but If you weigh yourself every day I’d stop doing that. Monthly weigh in and measurements are a better indication of progress. Fluctuations in weight are normal. I gained 4 lbs of water after Thanksgiving (more carbs) and it took a week to come off. I just went back to my normal diet & workouts and the water came off. Sometimes people freak out over fluctuations and double down on the deficit or really ramp up exercise and that has poor outcomes.
How heavy are you lifting? 10-12 reps is higher volume. You didn’t say whether you increase weight regularly or have increased reps up to where you are now.
I do weigh myself every day. I had my scales hidden for a while but then I found them and back down the rabbit hole I went! I’m considering completely trashing them.
I increase my weights every week or whenever I feel like I’m strong enough. Like if I can do the workout too easily, i slowly increase the weight until I really feel it. I’ve switched it up recently though and have been using more free weight, which is a bit harder for me so I've had to dial back a bit on how much weight Im using so I don’t injure myself but ive been slowly increasing me weights every week. I even increase how much cardio I do on the stairmaster. At first I was struggling to finish 15 minutes on the stairmaster on the interval setting, now I can do 25 minute (I’m dying the whole time and dripping sweat but I can finish!!) and now I’m burning 290 calories on it. I also use my fit bit and on the days I don’t workout it says I’m burning at LEAST 2000 calories but I’m not sure how accurate that is?0 -
tailikeswaffles wrote: »tailikeswaffles wrote: »I will work on getting a scale but I’m pretty bummed about having to start all over from square one after working so hard for the last few months. And losing no weight. I feel like I’m starting to develop really bad body image issues.
Once you get your food scale, come back with a more reasonable deficit. 1200 calories is ridiculously low and is not going to benefit you from a strength perspective. I suspect you will more likely see greater fat loss at much higher calorie levels.
How many calories am I supposed to be aiming for then? Like I know I shouldn’t go under 1200 but thats all I really know. I’ve been trying to eat more.
Id probably start your closer to 1600 and around 120g of protein. Also, getting a structured lifting routine would help you maximize progress.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
Researching different programs now! I usually switch up the different workouts I do but its by no means a fully structured workout. I just focus on certain areas each day and do different workouts that target the area. I alternated between upper and lower body workouts and TRY to do abs twice a week.0 -
This is one set of progress pics from 10/23-10/27
Sometimes I feel like i see progress but sometimes(most of the time) I see nothing.
I may delete this soon it took a lot to upload this
1 -
I'm going to suggest a different macro break down. I'd go more 40% protein, 35% fat, and 25% carbs, especially since you've said you are hestiant on carbs. Are you trying to build muscle? It sounds to me like your main exercise focus is lifting. Which is great, but isn't likely to help you lose a lot of weight. Lifting will lower your body fat percentage, help you drop inches, and replace fat with muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you're building a lot of new muscle, you could still be losing fat and just not seeing the number drop on the scale. If your primary goal isn't to build muscle and strength right now, I would recommend upping your cardio. Just an idea! I lost far more weight when my exercise consisted of primarily running. I have switched to mostly lifting, and have pretty much stalled with weight loss, but I feel better and still lose inches.12
-
Ok, it’s good that you change up your weights. But if you want to get the most benefit for strength training follow an established program. There are so many. They make it easier for you because the programming has been done for you. StrongLifts, Strong Curves, New Rules Of Lifting for Women are all good starting places. Learn good form. This is key to not injuring yourself. Lifting is challenging to the body-it should be. It sounds like you are getting more fit since you can do cardio longer-that is great!
Cardio machines overestimate burns. I like Calorielab.com for more accurate burns.
If you burned 2000 calories and ate only 1200 you’d only be giving your body 800 calories to run on. That would be a disaster health wise. It’s safe to assume you are eating more than 1200 calories because you aren’t using a food scale. But, still, this should not be your goal-Eating below your BMR (Basal metabolic rate). Try the accurate calorie calculator at Scooby.com and see what numbers you get. 1200 would only be appropriate for a very small, light and/or older or more sedentary person. My BMR is 11400 -
natruallycurious wrote: »I'm going to suggest a different macro break down. I'd go more 40% protein, 35% fat, and 25% carbs, especially since you've said you are hestiant on carbs. Are you trying to build muscle? It sounds to me like your main exercise focus is lifting. Which is great, but isn't likely to help you lose a lot of weight. Lifting will lower your body fat percentage, help you drop inches, and replace fat with muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you're building a lot of new muscle, you could still be losing fat and just not seeing the number drop on the scale. If your primary goal isn't to build muscle and strength right now, I would recommend upping your cardio. Just an idea! I lost far more weight when my exercise consisted of primarily running. I have switched to mostly lifting, and have pretty much stalled with weight loss, but I feel better and still lose inches.
Building muscle is definitely a goal of mine but I feel like because I have so much fat to lose, I’m not really seeing any progress. Or at least the progress I want to see. My legs feel and look stronger and so does my butt but thats basically the only progress I’ve seen. I think I may just focus more on cardio again and maybe do weights twice a week. At least until I feel like My body is ready to lift heavy again.0 -
natruallycurious wrote: »I'm going to suggest a different macro break down. I'd go more 40% protein, 35% fat, and 25% carbs, especially since you've said you are hestiant on carbs. Are you trying to build muscle? It sounds to me like your main exercise focus is lifting. Which is great, but isn't likely to help you lose a lot of weight. Lifting will lower your body fat percentage, help you drop inches, and replace fat with muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you're building a lot of new muscle, you could still be losing fat and just not seeing the number drop on the scale. If your primary goal isn't to build muscle and strength right now, I would recommend upping your cardio. Just an idea! I lost far more weight when my exercise consisted of primarily running. I have switched to mostly lifting, and have pretty much stalled with weight loss, but I feel better and still lose inches.
Not going to be building much muscle eating at a deficit. Might preserve muscle if maintenance calories and doing progressive lifting.2 -
I don’t know if you do this but If you weigh yourself every day I’d stop doing that. Monthly weigh in and measurements are a better indication of progress. Fluctuations in weight are normal. I gained 4 lbs of water after Thanksgiving (more carbs) and it took a week to come off. I just went back to my normal diet & workouts and the water came off. Sometimes people freak out over fluctuations and double down on the deficit or really ramp up exercise and that has poor outcomes.
How heavy are you lifting? 10-12 reps is higher volume. You didn’t say whether you increase weight regularly or have increased reps up to where you are now.
Alternatively, if you're not weighing yourself everyday you could start doing so and use that as a mental exercise to really see the daily fluctuations. Those who weigh daily often keep a spreadsheet or use a trend tracking app which normalizes the data on a weekly average basis to smooth out the peaks and valleys.
Agree with others that the first step should be to get a food scale and accurately see what you're intake is. I would guess that 1600 would probably be a good sustainable calorie level for you as well.1 -
OP, I see quite a bit of progress in your photos. You’ve slimmed a lot in your midsection. Go forward with the food scale and better strength program and you are going to amaze yourself.2
-
natruallycurious wrote: »I'm going to suggest a different macro break down. I'd go more 40% protein, 35% fat, and 25% carbs, especially since you've said you are hestiant on carbs. Are you trying to build muscle? It sounds to me like your main exercise focus is lifting. Which is great, but isn't likely to help you lose a lot of weight. Lifting will lower your body fat percentage, help you drop inches, and replace fat with muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you're building a lot of new muscle, you could still be losing fat and just not seeing the number drop on the scale. If your primary goal isn't to build muscle and strength right now, I would recommend upping your cardio. Just an idea! I lost far more weight when my exercise consisted of primarily running. I have switched to mostly lifting, and have pretty much stalled with weight loss, but I feel better and still lose inches.
No to this... ^^^tailikeswaffles wrote: »tailikeswaffles wrote: »I will work on getting a scale but I’m pretty bummed about having to start all over from square one after working so hard for the last few months. And losing no weight. I feel like I’m starting to develop really bad body image issues.
Once you get your food scale, come back with a more reasonable deficit. 1200 calories is ridiculously low and is not going to benefit you from a strength perspective. I suspect you will more likely see greater fat loss at much higher calorie levels.
How many calories am I supposed to be aiming for then? Like I know I shouldn’t go under 1200 but thats all I really know. I’ve been trying to eat more.
Id probably start your closer to 1600 and around 120g of protein. Also, getting a structured lifting routine would help you maximize progress.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
Yes to this ^^^
You will not build any new measurable muscle outside of newbie gains which taper off while staying in a calorie deficit. Keep your calorie deficit not too aggressive, increase protein to the recommendation above and pick a structured program. Be consistent with calorie intake, follow a lifting program (from the link provided) and be patient, you will start to drop more body fat. Its best to not react to the body weight scale, keep up with measurements and progress photos and trust the process.
5 -
Not going to be building much muscle eating at a deficit. Might preserve muscle if maintenance calories and doing progressive lifting.
You won't build a ton, but you will still build some. I am definitely getting stronger, and I eat at a deficit. That's where the high protein comes in. If you are breaking down your muscles, and providing it the right nutrients, it will build back more muscle. You're definitely right that it won't happen eating below BMR though. I'd look into how many calories you should be eating OP!7 -
natruallycurious wrote: »
Not going to be building much muscle eating at a deficit. Might preserve muscle if maintenance calories and doing progressive lifting.
You won't build a ton, but you will still build some. I am definitely getting stronger, and I eat at a deficit. That's where the high protein comes in. If you are breaking down your muscles, and providing it the right nutrients, it will build back more muscle. You're definitely right that it won't happen eating below BMR though. I'd look into how many calories you should be eating OP!
There's a distinction between getting stronger and actually building muscle mass.7 -
natruallycurious wrote: »I'm going to suggest a different macro break down. I'd go more 40% protein, 35% fat, and 25% carbs, especially since you've said you are hestiant on carbs. Are you trying to build muscle? It sounds to me like your main exercise focus is lifting. Which is great, but isn't likely to help you lose a lot of weight. Lifting will lower your body fat percentage, help you drop inches, and replace fat with muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you're building a lot of new muscle, you could still be losing fat and just not seeing the number drop on the scale. If your primary goal isn't to build muscle and strength right now, I would recommend upping your cardio. Just an idea! I lost far more weight when my exercise consisted of primarily running. I have switched to mostly lifting, and have pretty much stalled with weight loss, but I feel better and still lose inches.
No to this... ^^^tailikeswaffles wrote: »tailikeswaffles wrote: »I will work on getting a scale but I’m pretty bummed about having to start all over from square one after working so hard for the last few months. And losing no weight. I feel like I’m starting to develop really bad body image issues.
Once you get your food scale, come back with a more reasonable deficit. 1200 calories is ridiculously low and is not going to benefit you from a strength perspective. I suspect you will more likely see greater fat loss at much higher calorie levels.
How many calories am I supposed to be aiming for then? Like I know I shouldn’t go under 1200 but thats all I really know. I’ve been trying to eat more.
Id probably start your closer to 1600 and around 120g of protein. Also, getting a structured lifting routine would help you maximize progress.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
Yes to this ^^^
You will not build any new measurable muscle outside of newbie gains which taper off while staying in a calorie deficit. Keep your calorie deficit not too aggressive, increase protein to the recommendation above and pick a structured program. Be consistent with calorie intake, follow a lifting program (from the link provided) and be patient, you will start to drop more body fat. Its best to not react to the body weight scale, keep up with measurements and progress photos and trust the process.
Everyone's bodies are different and need different macro break downs. I was just suggesting what works for me. I think we can all agree you need a protein heavy diet, though!7 -
natruallycurious wrote: »
Not going to be building much muscle eating at a deficit. Might preserve muscle if maintenance calories and doing progressive lifting.
You won't build a ton, but you will still build some. I am definitely getting stronger, and I eat at a deficit. That's where the high protein comes in. If you are breaking down your muscles, and providing it the right nutrients, it will build back more muscle. You're definitely right that it won't happen eating below BMR though. I'd look into how many calories you should be eating OP!
Unless you are getting dexa scan, it's going to be hard to figure out if you are building muscle or not. In reality, it doesn't really matter. You gain strength through adaptations in your central nervous system (CNS). Essentially, you are making your muscles more efficient.
Having said that, noobs (generally less than 2 years of structured consistent lifting) can gain muscle in a deficit, pending that have adequate protein and a deficit that is not overly aggressive.6 -
tailikeswaffles wrote: »natruallycurious wrote: »I'm going to suggest a different macro break down. I'd go more 40% protein, 35% fat, and 25% carbs, especially since you've said you are hestiant on carbs. Are you trying to build muscle? It sounds to me like your main exercise focus is lifting. Which is great, but isn't likely to help you lose a lot of weight. Lifting will lower your body fat percentage, help you drop inches, and replace fat with muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you're building a lot of new muscle, you could still be losing fat and just not seeing the number drop on the scale. If your primary goal isn't to build muscle and strength right now, I would recommend upping your cardio. Just an idea! I lost far more weight when my exercise consisted of primarily running. I have switched to mostly lifting, and have pretty much stalled with weight loss, but I feel better and still lose inches.
Building muscle is definitely a goal of mine but I feel like because I have so much fat to lose, I’m not really seeing any progress. Or at least the progress I want to see. My legs feel and look stronger and so does my butt but thats basically the only progress I’ve seen. I think I may just focus more on cardio again and maybe do weights twice a week. At least until I feel like My body is ready to lift heavy again.
The sooner you start with lifting, the more likely you are going to be happy with the end result. Waiting to lift, is almost never a good plan and rarely ever gives the person the ideal body. Having said that, you don't need to lift very often (3x per week is ideal for newbies). From there, you can add in cardio as long as it's not preventing you from recovering. The link I provided is fairly good. And depending what your body goals are, will determine the ideal path.
In general terms, women tend to prefer StrongCurves, New Rules of Lifting for Women and Thinner, Leaner, Stronger.1 -
I am confused now.
I want to lose weight but I’m NOT supposed to have a deficit with my calories? Huh?!?!0 -
tailikeswaffles wrote: »I am confused now.
I want to lose weight but I’m NOT supposed to have a deficit with my calories? Huh?!?!
If your goal is to lose weight, a calorie deficit is going to be necessary for that.2 -
natruallycurious wrote: »
Not going to be building much muscle eating at a deficit. Might preserve muscle if maintenance calories and doing progressive lifting.
You won't build a ton, but you will still build some. I am definitely getting stronger, and I eat at a deficit. That's where the high protein comes in. If you are breaking down your muscles, and providing it the right nutrients, it will build back more muscle. You're definitely right that it won't happen eating below BMR though. I'd look into how many calories you should be eating OP!
Unless you are getting dexa scan, it's going to be hard to figure out if you are building muscle or not. In reality, it doesn't really matter. You gain strength through adaptations in your central nervous system (CNS). Essentially, you are making your muscles more efficient.
Having said that, noobs (generally less than 2 years of structured consistent lifting) can gain muscle in a deficit, pending that have adequate protein and a deficit that is not overly aggressive.
That makes sense. This would apply to me, as I am newer to lifting. But I was already fairly strong from growing up in gymnastics.
My best advice to you, OP, would be to take everyones suggestions as just that, a suggestion. Not one person here can tell you exactly what you need to do to achieve the results that you want, and only you know how your body feels. Try new things, do your research, and be patient. You seem dedicated, so the results will come. Just keep pushing! Good luck!3 -
natruallycurious wrote: »natruallycurious wrote: »I'm going to suggest a different macro break down. I'd go more 40% protein, 35% fat, and 25% carbs, especially since you've said you are hestiant on carbs. Are you trying to build muscle? It sounds to me like your main exercise focus is lifting. Which is great, but isn't likely to help you lose a lot of weight. Lifting will lower your body fat percentage, help you drop inches, and replace fat with muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you're building a lot of new muscle, you could still be losing fat and just not seeing the number drop on the scale. If your primary goal isn't to build muscle and strength right now, I would recommend upping your cardio. Just an idea! I lost far more weight when my exercise consisted of primarily running. I have switched to mostly lifting, and have pretty much stalled with weight loss, but I feel better and still lose inches.
No to this... ^^^tailikeswaffles wrote: »tailikeswaffles wrote: »I will work on getting a scale but I’m pretty bummed about having to start all over from square one after working so hard for the last few months. And losing no weight. I feel like I’m starting to develop really bad body image issues.
Once you get your food scale, come back with a more reasonable deficit. 1200 calories is ridiculously low and is not going to benefit you from a strength perspective. I suspect you will more likely see greater fat loss at much higher calorie levels.
How many calories am I supposed to be aiming for then? Like I know I shouldn’t go under 1200 but thats all I really know. I’ve been trying to eat more.
Id probably start your closer to 1600 and around 120g of protein. Also, getting a structured lifting routine would help you maximize progress.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
Yes to this ^^^
You will not build any new measurable muscle outside of newbie gains which taper off while staying in a calorie deficit. Keep your calorie deficit not too aggressive, increase protein to the recommendation above and pick a structured program. Be consistent with calorie intake, follow a lifting program (from the link provided) and be patient, you will start to drop more body fat. Its best to not react to the body weight scale, keep up with measurements and progress photos and trust the process.
Everyone's bodies are different and need different macro break downs. I was just suggesting what works for me. I think we can all agree you need a protein heavy diet, though!
To be honest, I agree that we generally do need a different macro split, but that is because yo should be calculating requirements based on grams per kg or grams of lb of lean body mass. Percentages is not ideal by any means. Having said that, the general recommendations tend to be:
protein - .8 to 1.2 g/lb of lbm
fat - .35 to .6g/lb of lbm
carbs - rest
Now this can vary a lot based on person preference, dietary adherence and medical conditions.4 -
tailikeswaffles wrote: »I am confused now.
I want to lose weight but I’m NOT supposed to have a deficit with my calories? Huh?!?!
You need a calorie deficit yes.. just not an aggressive one.1 -
tailikeswaffles wrote: »I am confused now.
I want to lose weight but I’m NOT supposed to have a deficit with my calories? Huh?!?!
You definitely are supposed to be in a deficit. But you also need to fuel your body and your workouts. I know there is some push back IRT eating more calories if you aren't losing weight, but it's baseless. When you over restrict calories, there are adaptive mechanisms that can cause weight loss to slow (i.e., cortisol increase during a deficit which can mask fat loss). By having a more reasonable calorie approach, you can actually see increases in calories burned through exercise and daily activities.4 -
Okay so far I get I need to eat more and adjust my macros (which is good for me because I love to eat and I really REALLY miss my sweet potatoes and fruit)
I need a more structured plan (theres a LOT of different options which overwhelm me so its gonna take some time to pick the right one for me)
And get a food scale?
With that being said, i know its hard to place a timeline on stuff like this but when will I at least START to see some progress?? I take pictures and measure myself like crazy but I still feel stuck.0 -
Also lol I need to get my butt to the gym for todays workout
3 -
tailikeswaffles wrote: »Okay so far I get I need to eat more and adjust my macros (which is good for me because I love to eat and I really REALLY miss my sweet potatoes and fruit)
I need a more structured plan (theres a LOT of different options which overwhelm me so its gonna take some time to pick the right one for me)
And get a food scale?
With that being said, i know its hard to place a timeline on stuff like this but when will I at least START to see some progress?? I take pictures and measure myself like crazy but I still feel stuck.
It's hard to say... but you will see strength gains pretty much weekly (at least for awhile). And you should reassess your weight withing 3 or 4 weeks; if you want, just repost in here so we can see the whole story.2 -
tailikeswaffles wrote: »Okay so far I get I need to eat more and adjust my macros (which is good for me because I love to eat and I really REALLY miss my sweet potatoes and fruit)
I need a more structured plan (theres a LOT of different options which overwhelm me so its gonna take some time to pick the right one for me)
And get a food scale?
With that being said, i know its hard to place a timeline on stuff like this but when will I at least START to see some progress?? I take pictures and measure myself like crazy but I still feel stuck.
It's hard to say... but you will see strength gains pretty much weekly (at least for awhile). And you should reassess your weight withing 3 or 4 weeks; if you want, just repost in here so we can see the whole story.
I’ve definitely been seeing strength gains so far. Like i know I can lift heavier than when I started. Its just the weight doesn't move. I haven’t really gone down in sizes either but I can’t really tell since most of my clothes have been too big for a while.
I also intermittent fast.0 -
One more random side note. Don't be afraid of carbs. They are very beneficial for weight lifting. Essentially, carbs don't make you fat, calories do. So if you tend to do better with a carb heavier diet, feel free to eat that way. You might initially gain a few lbs, but that is because you are restoring glycogen/water weight. But after that, fat loss will be the same.6
-
suzannesimmons3 wrote: »charlenekapf wrote: »And you have not cheated or deviated once from this since you began this Oct 1st?
She doesn't weigh her food. ...that's her problem
Exactly ... 1/8-1/4 of an avocado could be 100 calories or 5005 -
One more random side note. Don't be afraid of carbs. They are very beneficial for weight lifting. Essentially, carbs don't make you fat, calories do. So if you tend to do better with a carb heavier diet, feel free to eat that way. You might initially gain a few lbs, but that is because you are restoring glycogen/water weight. But after that, fat loss will be the same.
I will try! I know when I first lost weight, I didn’t really care about carbs and what not and just ate healthy. I probably ate SO many carbs back then. At a lot of sandwiches and whole grain pasta. But I figured since this summer I ate low carb (i didnt workout much tho I was super busy moving and starting a new job) and got down to my lowest weight that carbs just weren’t meant for me1 -
stanmann571 wrote: »suzannesimmons3 wrote: »charlenekapf wrote: »And you have not cheated or deviated once from this since you began this Oct 1st?
She doesn't weigh her food. ...that's her problem
Exactly ... 1/8-1/4 of an avocado could be 100 calories or 500
According to MFP, 1/4 of an avocado is 80 calories...something ain’t adding up here.5 -
tailikeswaffles wrote: »natruallycurious wrote: »I'm going to suggest a different macro break down. I'd go more 40% protein, 35% fat, and 25% carbs, especially since you've said you are hestiant on carbs. Are you trying to build muscle? It sounds to me like your main exercise focus is lifting. Which is great, but isn't likely to help you lose a lot of weight. Lifting will lower your body fat percentage, help you drop inches, and replace fat with muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you're building a lot of new muscle, you could still be losing fat and just not seeing the number drop on the scale. If your primary goal isn't to build muscle and strength right now, I would recommend upping your cardio. Just an idea! I lost far more weight when my exercise consisted of primarily running. I have switched to mostly lifting, and have pretty much stalled with weight loss, but I feel better and still lose inches.
Building muscle is definitely a goal of mine but I feel like because I have so much fat to lose, I’m not really seeing any progress. Or at least the progress I want to see. My legs feel and look stronger and so does my butt but thats basically the only progress I’ve seen. I think I may just focus more on cardio again and maybe do weights twice a week. At least until I feel like My body is ready to lift heavy again.
If your profile picture even remotely reflects what you look like, There's not a whole lot of unhealthy fat hiding there.3
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 424 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions