Not losing Weight on Insanity
cocoq90
Posts: 4 Member
I’m on week 6 and getting really po’d. I’ve lost like 1 inch from my waist and 4 pounds. Meal-prepping 5 300 cal meals a day with 2 100-200 cal blocks in between. Currently 8.5 mo postpartum and breastfeeding a couple times a day. I’ve cheated a few times on my diet- maybe 1 bigger meal (700 cal) or a handful of gummy worms a couple times a week. I’m just fed up, this morning I quit my workout and started crying because I’m working my *kitten* off (NOT literally) and for what? All I can think about is my jiggly arms and stomach and I feel worse about myself than before I started. It just seems pointless. What is going on here, I don’t understand how you would not lose weight with this program
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Replies
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You've lost four pounds. How does that constitute not losing weight?27
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How can you make a thread saying you're not losing weight and then start it by saying "I lose X amount of pounds".
You are losing weight. A little less than a pound per week. That's a great loss. You are eating more than you think if you are expecting a faster rate of loss.16 -
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Considering that you're eating 1900 calories a day, 4lbs in 6 weeks is a great loss. You can't outrun your fork, so if you want a faster loss you'd need to adjust your calorie intake. Given that you're breastfeeding, you should discuss all of this with your doctor or a dietician to discuss appropriate calorie intake levels and nutrition all around.11
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Omg... I should have titled it BARELY Losing Weight on Insanity. Sorry that was so confusing for everyone.16
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Also, when you first start exercising, you retain fluid because you create muscle fiber tears.
Give it time. Patience is key.9 -
Nope you are having great progress.
4 lbs loss and likely strength gain is amazing.
Some suggestions
1. Realize it took a long time to gain weight it will not come off instantly
2. Take measurements also not just scale but inches
3. Log everything in grams using a food scale
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Not sure if this is your first baby, but some women hold onto 10-15 lbs until they stop breastfeeding.7
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I was about to say the same thing. I've heard from many women breastfeeding that they held on to the weight til they stopped breastfeeding. It's frustrating but it will come off when ready. Please don't stop exercising! Or eating consistently healthy (as close as you can to 100%). I know it gets frustrating but don't stop. You've put time and energy into this already. Don't throw it away for nothing. Pick back up tomorrow cuz even if you don't see much changes on the outside, I'm positive it's going on in the inside and before you know it, it's gonna show on the outside. Just a little more patience. I know you have patience cuz you got a baby. I have them too so I know as well.1
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Ok thanks ya I was wondering if breastfeeding could be a contributing factor... (Yes I’m a ftm) I’ve lost weight so much faster and with much less effort in the past, so was expecting to be down at least 10 lbs by now even with new muscle gains.
Water retention around my muscles makes sense too as I went from doing literally nothing for months to jumping right into this workout program. How long does it take for your body to get used to a workout routine? Would taking a post-workout supplement help? (Assuming I could while breastfeeding).
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Sadly you can't gain muscle that fast - especially in a diet, and with that program of resistance cardio.
Likely not any - but indeed getting stronger, which doesn't require new muscle for awhile.
Also - many people make the mistake of thinking that exercise is for weight loss. Side effect of exercise is almost almost always water weight gain for several reasons. Good desired body response to exercise water weight increase.
Exercise is for body transformation and heart health. It can help fat loss if done right, it can help muscle loss if done wrong.
Diet is for weight loss, done right can be just fat loss, done wrong can include muscle.
Are you workout out so hard and eating too little with new baby that you are very tired and moving much less.
Body wants to make that milk - it'll do what it needs to help itself - and that can mean slowing you down.
Same time stress can cause water weight to be retained.
You mentioned measurements going down same time, besides 4 lbs being a loss - could be stress causing some more water retained as you lose fat.
That's a tough state to have the body in - that stressed out.
Sleep poor with new baby? Another reason for slowdown in daily activity perhaps.
Supplements aren't going to help - that's the body's response to the exercise and damage.
Increased blood volume is too - would you drain some blood to get rid if that extra weight?
Please say no.5 -
Patience is key. 1lb a week is a steady rate of loss with being a new mum it is pretty amazing! Protein shakes etc are useful at any point in the day IF you are struggling to meet your protein goals. They are a great low calorie source of protein (100cals for 19g) and I have one almost every day to help meet my protein target. But they aren't a magic pill, they don't help you loose wieght, or gain muscle because its a protein shake. Its just another way to consume protein if you can't get enough from you foods. Food first, supplements after.1
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am i reading that right 5 x 300 calorie meals and 2 x (average) 150 calorie snacks = 1800 calories per day? what are your stats? 1800 might be too much, might not be, don't know without knowing your age, height, and current weight.
also, if you've "cheated a few times" and you're already at a small deficit, you're not going to see a lot of movement on the scale.6 -
am i reading that right 5 x 300 calorie meals and 2 x (average) 150 calorie snacks = 1800 calories per day? what are your stats? 1800 might be too much, might not be, don't know without knowing your age, height, and current weight.
also, if you've "cheated a few times" and you're already at a small deficit, you're not going to see a lot of movement on the scale.
she breastfeeds so she needs extra calories to make milk though. it may be too many calories for her to lose otherwise
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"I’m on week 6 and getting really po’d. I’ve lost like 1 inch from my waist and 4 pounds" 4 pounds in 6 WEEKS is really good. Any faster and it would be difficult to maintain. Not sure what you are expecting, but you're a success story. Keep up the good work.6
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Because you're breastfeeding, that makes it more difficult to determine what your calorie needs for maintenance and loss are. They won't correspond to a calculator or whatever Beachbody is telling you. The calories necessary for breastfeeding will fluctuate from day to day, even if you're only breastfeeding a few times a day. A weight trending app over many months time can help with that.
It sounds like you're putting yourself under a lot of stress and maybe have some unrealistic expectations about results within a short period of time. Your current rate of loss is what you should be aiming for as a nursing mother. You shouldn't be losing more than one pound a week while breastfeeding. Having realistic expectations and a slower rate of loss is important for sustainability, and also self-care when meeting the demands of a small infant.8 -
am i reading that right 5 x 300 calorie meals and 2 x (average) 150 calorie snacks = 1800 calories per day? what are your stats? 1800 might be too much, might not be, don't know without knowing your age, height, and current weight.
also, if you've "cheated a few times" and you're already at a small deficit, you're not going to see a lot of movement on the scale.
The production of breastmilk requires additional calories from the nursing mother. I lose a pound a week (and have lost 55 pounds) on 2070 calories while breastfeeding and I'm 5'1".6 -
4 lbs is great. The biggest lie that we tell ourselves is that the number on the scale matters because there are so many variables that come into play that do not show on the scale. Hormones, bowel movements, water retention, breastfeeding. They all have a play in what you're doing right now. You have to remember that weight loss is not linear. You are NOT going to lose every single week and that is okay.
I'm just going to put this right here. This pic changed my whole perspective on weight loss. I don't care about the scale anymore.
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Also keep in mind that if you try to drive your deficit up, you're going to drive yourself into the ground and it's not going to be pleasant. The demands of infants have a way of sorting us out real quick when we try to push ourselves too hard and expect too much too soon. Too few calories means a lack of energy and that's not a good combination with a baby who is already taking a lot of energy from you. It took me almost a full year of concerted effort (weighing my food with a food scale and tracking my calories and weight in a trending app) to lose my baby weight, which is exactly what I expected based on the recommended rate of loss for nursing mothers. Take my advice and adjust your expectations.2
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Take a breath. You're actually doing quite well!0
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Hey, just don't give up! You're doing great! If it's making you crazy, don't even weigh yourself. After I had my first baby, because I was so exhausted all the time I only managed to do 20-30 minutes every day on a stairmaster. Before my baby I could knock out two hours at the gym like it was nothing so it killed me to only be able to to 30 minutes. After a month of working my butt off, I had only lost 2 pounds. In the past I could lose like 10 pounds in a month (yes, I was a frequent yo-yo dieter) so I became really discouraged. I stopped my daily 30 minutes of torture, and you know what? Over the next months I'd put on even more weight than even my heaviest pregancy weight. All because I was pissed off at the stupid scale. If I had continued that 30 minutes, who knows, maybe I would have maintained or barely lost anything due to the breastfeeding and lack of sleep (both of these do wreck havoc on your hormones...mine anyways). But my point is, one year later I couldn't even recognize myself in the mirror. Even maintaining my post pregnancy weight until I was done breastfeeding would have been better than that. You are doing amazing and all of your hard work is going to pay off. Maybe not as fast as you would like but don't give up! You're doing great!1
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Exercise and breastfeeding nuances aside, how closely are you prepping your meals? Your diary isn't public and it says you've only been on MFP since yesterday. I understand there are other ways to track your calories but it's entirely possible if your portion sizes are off, what you think is 1800 calories may be more, and/or those "little cheats" are subverting your overall success by contributing more calories more often than you perceive. If there's any tightening of your logging that can be done, start there. It's strongly recommended to use a food scale as much as possible and shown to be more accurate than volumetric measurements (I know some Beachbody programs incorporate their color-coded portion boxes but I didn't think Insanity was one of them).
Additionally, how frequently and consistently are you weighing? Water retention can mask scale weight loss for those not breastfeeding; off the cuff it stands to reason that breastfeeding is only going to exaggerate that potential range. If you're not already you could consider weighing yourself daily, at the same time everyday and track the trend, rather than individual data points week to week. Libra and Happy Scale are two free apps that work well for most users.1 -
Don’t give up. You’re doing just fine. 4 lbs in 6 weeks is a good rate of loss. As other have said if you just started a new workout your body does retain extra water which may also be contributing. Just keep going. Maybe adjust your calories down by 100 or so and see where that gets you.0
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4 lbs in a month is great. I am eating 1400 cal a day, sometimes 1300 and have lost 1.5 lbs in a month. What you see on tv like biggest loser is unrealistic. Dropping 10-20 lbs a month is unrealistic. You are on the right track.2
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Not helpful but thanks for making me feel like an idiot
Many people on here have a hard time just answering questions. They are at times a bit judgmental and rude. I've had to delete 2 posts because they interject their own opinions about things I didn't ask. I do Insanity myself and I love it. I have lost 25lbs in 2.5 months. Maybe your calorie logging is off. Maybe after you're done breastfeeding you will start dropping. It's okay do not get discouraged. You got this. Keep pushing play because even though you may not be losing right now doesn't mean that you aren't getting stronger. Are your fit test results better? If they are then you are getting better.6 -
jefamer2017 wrote: »Not helpful but thanks for making me feel like an idiot
Many people on here have a hard time just answering questions. They are at times a bit judgmental and rude. I've had to delete 2 posts because they interject their own opinions about things I didn't ask. I do Insanity myself and I love it. I have lost 25lbs in 2.5 months. Maybe your calorie logging is off. Maybe after you're done breastfeeding you will start dropping. It's okay do not get discouraged. You got this. Keep pushing play because even though you may not be losing right now doesn't mean that you aren't getting stronger. Are your fit test results better? If they are then you are getting better.
I would also like to add if you are using the nutrition guide and the formula that is provided for calorie intake you may have chosen the wrong activity level. Try using the level below the one you figured the first time. Give it a couple of weeks and I bet you'll see results. I've known a couple of people who have just used the wrong numbers at first. Once they changed it they started dropping weight and inches like crazy.1
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