Eating less and working out, but not losing any weight
mytruedreams405
Posts: 1 Member
Hi everyone. I am a 25 year old female, I am 5'1 and weigh 147 lbs. I am trying to lose weight by eating 1,200 calories per day and working out 5 times a week. I have done this 1,200 calorie diet about 4 years ago and I lost 15 pounds in 3 months, which is a lot for me since I am a small person. However, I did not work out. I only ate bread in the morning, but anything after breakfast, I kept it to protein and vegetables. I lost weight in a matter of a week and I loved the fast process. Now I am trying to do this diet again but I have grown to enjoy working out over the years and do not want to give that up. I do 3 days of a cardio class that is similar to kick boxing. The other 2 days, I do 30 minutes cardio on the treadmill and an hour and half of lifting weights. I weighted myself 2 weeks ago and I was 146.6 and I weighted myself this morning and I am 147. So I have gained few ounces. I haven't lost anything and its really frustrating. I haven't been measuring myself, which I know is an alternative way of keeping track of weight loss. I do want to see pounds lost by the scale as well. I am not sure what I can do differently. I am not struggling with my new diet but it hasn't been easy either. I do have my cravings for junk food and I do let myself to a small snack of chips once in a while, maybe like once a week. Just so I don't go crazy. I understanding muscle is heavier than fat and maybe I am gaining muscles I didn't have. But to be honest, now I am unmotivated. How come I lost so much weight last time? Shouldn't lifting weights be speeding up the weight loss process? I don't want to feel like my hard work isn't paying off because we all knows losing weight is HARD WORK! Should I be changing anything? Or should I keep it going for another month and see what happens? I will start measuring myself, to hopefully keep encouraging myself that I am getting somewhere. Please help!
4
Replies
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How are you measuring your calorie intake? Lifting weights does nothing to speed up the process, it's meant to help increase your strength and maintain muscle in a deficit.6
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If you open your diary we may be able to help you.
2 weeks may be too soon to get worried. If you're a person who has periods, your time of the month can result in temporary water weight gain and if you're weighing yourself only every couple of weeks, it may look like you've gained weight but it's really just temporary.5 -
Losing weight isn't that hard when you do it right. You just need to be patient and accurate. Weight fluctuates from day to day; at your current weight you can lose up to half a pound of fat per week if you're doing everything right.4
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If you were accurate and doing nothing (sedentary); your stats say you should be losing about a pound per week at 1200 calories (your TDEE is about 1750 - if you were sedentary, which again, you're not). You are far more active than sedentary, so this leads me to believe that your logging (i.e. weighing to the gram all your solids, and measuring your liquids accurately) is possibly an issue.
Based on your stated activity level, you should be losing about a pound per week with about 1700 calories.
So 2 things:
1. Don't try to lose 2 pounds per week. It's probably too aggressive.
2. Be very tight with your logging.
Establish a trend over time. The two weeks or so between body weight measurements is not nearly enough time to know. Fluctuations may be fooling you.
I think, based on your activity, that 1200 is not going to be enough....6 -
10 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »
I very much dislike people who post this image. Give it more time is literally the worst advice ever. If the scale isn't moving, OP is eating back all the weight.
Op, Google the names Benoit, Young, Phinney, Willi, and Volek, et al, look under images.
Low carb, low cal is about the best and fastest way to lose.
I've kept my weight off since 2012, and I still can't eat anything, certainly not fried carbs.
When I'm out with friends, I have to pretend to eat fried to keep them from making comments.73 -
Siege_Tank wrote: »...Low carb, low cal is about the best and fastest way to lose...
In your opinion.
Studies have repeatedly shown that there is no metabolic advantage to a low-carb diet. It works for some in terms of satiety/adherence, works miserably for others. It still comes down to consuming less calories than you expend, regardless of how you choose to allot your macronutrients.
The chart posted above is a great reference for people having trouble losing weight. Often their issues are somewhere in that flowchart.30 -
Siege_Tank wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
I very much dislike people who post this image. Give it more time is literally the worst advice ever. If the scale isn't moving, OP is eating back all the weight.
Op, Google the names Benoit, Young, Phinney, Willi, and Volek, et al, look under images.
Low carb, low cal is about the best and fastest way to lose.
I've kept my weight off since 2012, and I still can't eat anything, certainly not fried carbs.
When I'm out with friends, I have to pretend to eat fried to keep them from making comments.
Many times people post this very thread and it turns out they're doing everything right (food scale, not eating back all of their exercise calories, no medical problems) so waiting it out is all you can do. I've seen many women on here say they only lose weight one week out of the month, the rest of the time they're retaining so much water.
Also there is no best way to lose. You just need a calorie deficit. Eating low carb helped you achieve that deficit and keep you in maintenance for this long, but it isn't for everyone.27 -
Siege_Tank wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
I very much dislike people who post this image. Give it more time is literally the worst advice ever. If the scale isn't moving, OP is eating back all the weight.
Op, Google the names Benoit, Young, Phinney, Willi, and Volek, et al, look under images.
Low carb, low cal is about the best and fastest way to lose.
I've kept my weight off since 2012, and I still can't eat anything, certainly not fried carbs.
When I'm out with friends, I have to pretend to eat fried to keep them from making comments.
As a women who sees an increase in water retention around ovulation and period, panicking every time I didn't lose weight for two weeks would be a sure way to drive myself batty within a couple of months. Scale weight isn't steady or linear. Sometimes it goes up even when we're doing everything right.28 -
Siege_Tank wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
I very much dislike people who post this image. Give it more time is literally the worst advice ever. If the scale isn't moving, OP is eating back all the weight.
Op, Google the names Benoit, Young, Phinney, Willi, and Volek, et al, look under images.
Low carb, low cal is about the best and fastest way to lose.
I've kept my weight off since 2012, and I still can't eat anything, certainly not fried carbs.
When I'm out with friends, I have to pretend to eat fried to keep them from making comments.
If OP only weighs once every two weeks and is seeing a temporary water weight fluctuation due to hormones (which is very common in people who are menstruating), "give it more time" is literally the best advice.26 -
Gotta agree about the give it time. I have found I have two larger drops monthly, with some small ones in between. I weigh in daily and I'll see 2-4lb fluctuations regularly. Watching my trend has helped me keep my sanity, along with patience. Otherwise, when I was "stuck" last week at 205-209 would have bothered me a lot more. Then Saturday came and I hit my new low of 202.8. (I was up to 203.5 this morning, so my new hover point is likely going to be in the 201-205 range for a week or so.)
I'm down 14lbs in just over 2 months, right on target for my expectations. But if I didn't wait it out and see how my body processes it all with hormones and such, I'd have been more disappointed than necessary, several times.
As an FYI, I didn't give up carbs in the slightest. I still have my sweets and bread daily and some french fries and chips sometimes too (usually baked though). My macros are 45% carb, 35% fat and 20% protein. I'm rarely starving and my cravings are minimal. My body apparently does just fine with higher carbs. My issue was not moving enough and oversize portions. I'm working toward balancing it a bit more with 40% carbs, 35% fat and 25% protein in a month or so, but that's only because I want to up my strength training as I lose more and the extra protein will be helpful with that.7 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Siege_Tank wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
I very much dislike people who post this image. Give it more time is literally the worst advice ever. If the scale isn't moving, OP is eating back all the weight.
Op, Google the names Benoit, Young, Phinney, Willi, and Volek, et al, look under images.
Low carb, low cal is about the best and fastest way to lose.
I've kept my weight off since 2012, and I still can't eat anything, certainly not fried carbs.
When I'm out with friends, I have to pretend to eat fried to keep them from making comments.
If OP only weighs once every two weeks and is seeing a temporary water weight fluctuation due to hormones (which is very common in people who are menstruating), "give it more time" is literally the best advice.
Weighing once a week is definitely not accurate either, maybe she has been losing weight, but she happens to weigh more on that particular day. The best way to know if your losing weight is by weighing yourself every day and dividing it by 7 at the end of the week...then compare your average weight of the week with your previous weekly averages.2 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Siege_Tank wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
I very much dislike people who post this image. Give it more time is literally the worst advice ever. If the scale isn't moving, OP is eating back all the weight.
Op, Google the names Benoit, Young, Phinney, Willi, and Volek, et al, look under images.
Low carb, low cal is about the best and fastest way to lose.
I've kept my weight off since 2012, and I still can't eat anything, certainly not fried carbs.
When I'm out with friends, I have to pretend to eat fried to keep them from making comments.
If OP only weighs once every two weeks and is seeing a temporary water weight fluctuation due to hormones (which is very common in people who are menstruating), "give it more time" is literally the best advice.
Weighing once a week is definitely not accurate either, maybe she has been losing weight, but she happens to weigh more on that particular day. The best way to know if your losing weight is by weighing yourself every day and dividing it by 7 at the end of the week...then compare your average weight of the week with your previous weekly averages.
A weight trending app would also work for this.4 -
janejellyroll wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Siege_Tank wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
I very much dislike people who post this image. Give it more time is literally the worst advice ever. If the scale isn't moving, OP is eating back all the weight.
Op, Google the names Benoit, Young, Phinney, Willi, and Volek, et al, look under images.
Low carb, low cal is about the best and fastest way to lose.
I've kept my weight off since 2012, and I still can't eat anything, certainly not fried carbs.
When I'm out with friends, I have to pretend to eat fried to keep them from making comments.
If OP only weighs once every two weeks and is seeing a temporary water weight fluctuation due to hormones (which is very common in people who are menstruating), "give it more time" is literally the best advice.
Weighing once a week is definitely not accurate either, maybe she has been losing weight, but she happens to weigh more on that particular day. The best way to know if your losing weight is by weighing yourself every day and dividing it by 7 at the end of the week...then compare your average weight of the week with your previous weekly averages.
A weight trending app would also work for this.
That too as long as you weigh yourself every day. Weighing once a week or two isn't accurate at all.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Siege_Tank wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
I very much dislike people who post this image. Give it more time is literally the worst advice ever. If the scale isn't moving, OP is eating back all the weight.
Op, Google the names Benoit, Young, Phinney, Willi, and Volek, et al, look under images.
Low carb, low cal is about the best and fastest way to lose.
I've kept my weight off since 2012, and I still can't eat anything, certainly not fried carbs.
When I'm out with friends, I have to pretend to eat fried to keep them from making comments.
If OP only weighs once every two weeks and is seeing a temporary water weight fluctuation due to hormones (which is very common in people who are menstruating), "give it more time" is literally the best advice.
Weighing once a week is definitely not accurate either, maybe she has been losing weight, but she happens to weigh more on that particular day. The best way to know if your losing weight is by weighing yourself every day and dividing it by 7 at the end of the week...then compare your average weight of the week with your previous weekly averages.
A weight trending app would also work for this.
That too as long as you weigh yourself every day. Weighing once a week or two isn't accurate at all.
Your data would still be *accurate* with less frequent weigh-ins, it would just be less precise.7 -
Siege_Tank wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
I very much dislike people who post this image. Give it more time is literally the worst advice ever. If the scale isn't moving, OP is eating back all the weight.
Op, Google the names Benoit, Young, Phinney, Willi, and Volek, et al, look under images.
Low carb, low cal is about the best and fastest way to lose.
I've kept my weight off since 2012, and I still can't eat anything, certainly not fried carbs.
When I'm out with friends, I have to pretend to eat fried to keep them from making comments.
It literally says "if it's been less than three weeks" then give it more time... :huh:
The image says everything that needs said, without having to type it out. Best chart ever!
16 -
Lifting weights will help you increase your muscle mass. Muscle does burn more calories at rest than fat. Take those measurements and track to see if you are losing inches. Are your clothes fitting better?
You are also doing a lot of cardio, so you may actually want to look at your carbs and that you have enough. Protein helps with muscle repair and growth. Carbs (the good kind!) will help fuel your workouts/performance.17 -
Under ideal conditions, a woman who gained a quarter pound of muscle per week would be considered very successful. Ideal conditions include a well-designed progressive weight training program, plenty of protein, relative youth, and a calorie surplus. Bottom line: Strength training is very much worth doing for a huge number of reasons, but (sadly) rate of muscle gain won't outpace even the slowest observable rate of weight loss.**
However, starting a new workout regimen (or increasing weight/intensity) can lead to increased water retention for muscle repair, and a higher scale weight. As others have observed, scale weight fluctuates up to several pounds for hormone-related reasons in pre-menopausal women. Many other transitory factors can increase water weight temporarily (sunburn, minor infection, greater than normal carb consumption (even if a completely healthy amount), and more). Digestive system contents can also temporarily affect scale weight (for example, unusually high fiber meal within the last 50 hours or so, since digestive transit can take up to 50+ hours).
Any of these factors can make scale weight fluctuate a pound or two or even more for reasons that have nothing to do with stored body fat, masking actual fat loss on the scale.
So, I'm in the "stick with your program patiently, give it more time" camp. Go through a full menstrual cycle, plus a bit, then re-evaluate. I agree with others that only weighing at long intervals can be giving up data that would give you useful information about fluctuations and their causes, and maybe producing false impressions, but I also know that not everyone has the temperament for daily weighing. If it doesn't cause you stress, though, daily weighing will give you more data, and possibly more understanding.
** Even without gaining muscle mass, strength can improve a great deal through neuromuscular adaptation, basically better recruitment and more efficient utilization of existing muscle fiber. Appearance can also improve.13 -
Lifting weights will help you increase your muscle mass. Muscle does burn more calories at rest than fat. Take those measurements and track to see if you are losing inches. Are your clothes fitting better?
You are also doing a lot of cardio, so you may actually want to look at your carbs and that you have enough. Protein helps with muscle repair and growth. Carbs (the good kind!) will help fuel your workouts/performance.
Lifting will help you increase your muscle mass in a calorie surplus. You can't really gain muscle in a deficit. Also the difference in how much muscle burns vs how much fat burns is minimal.8 -
Lifting weights will help you increase your muscle mass. Muscle does burn more calories at rest than fat. Take those measurements and track to see if you are losing inches. Are your clothes fitting better?
You are also doing a lot of cardio, so you may actually want to look at your carbs and that you have enough. Protein helps with muscle repair and growth. Carbs (the good kind!) will help fuel your workouts/performance.
Lifting will help you increase your muscle mass in a calorie surplus. You can't really gain muscle in a deficit. Also the difference in how much muscle burns vs how much fat burns is minimal.
Where are you getting that information? Being in a fasted state is being at a calorie deficit and building muscle is quite possible.30 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »Lifting weights will help you increase your muscle mass. Muscle does burn more calories at rest than fat. Take those measurements and track to see if you are losing inches. Are your clothes fitting better?
You are also doing a lot of cardio, so you may actually want to look at your carbs and that you have enough. Protein helps with muscle repair and growth. Carbs (the good kind!) will help fuel your workouts/performance.
Lifting will help you increase your muscle mass in a calorie surplus. You can't really gain muscle in a deficit. Also the difference in how much muscle burns vs how much fat burns is minimal.
Where are you getting that information? Being in a fasted state is being at a calorie deficit and building muscle is quite possible.
You would benefit from some research on anabolism and catabolism. Fasting isn't the magic you think it is.19 -
I think fat burns like 4 calories and a lb of musle burns like 6 calories. so its not going to be a big difference its minimal like malibu927 said2
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Lifting weights will help you increase your muscle mass. Muscle does burn more calories at rest than fat. Take those measurements and track to see if you are losing inches. Are your clothes fitting better?
You are also doing a lot of cardio, so you may actually want to look at your carbs and that you have enough. Protein helps with muscle repair and growth. Carbs (the good kind!) will help fuel your workouts/performance.
This is a popular, but highly overrated statement. A pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day at rest; a pound of fat burns about 2 calories per day at rest. So if you gain 10 pounds of muscle and lose 10 pounds of fat (which is a pretty significant accomplishment which will take quite a lot of time), you'd be burning 40 more calories per day.11 -
Siege_Tank wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
I very much dislike people who post this image. Give it more time is literally the worst advice ever. If the scale isn't moving, OP is eating back all the weight.
Op, Google the names Benoit, Young, Phinney, Willi, and Volek, et al, look under images.
Low carb, low cal is about the best and fastest way to lose.
I've kept my weight off since 2012, and I still can't eat anything, certainly not fried carbs.
When I'm out with friends, I have to pretend to eat fried to keep them from making comments.
Let's see....I lost 170lbs, took a year off to do a recomp and let my skin catch up, didn't log, didn't even try, and gained a whopping 6lbs and dropped a pants size. I'm now back to continue losing, I'm down a total of 180lbs now.
I eat carbs, fried foods, "junk" foot, all kinds of fat, processed food, fast food, and am still losing weight. I don't have to lie (pretend) to myself or anyone else in the world when I eat. I just eat fewer calories than I use. I never feel deprived either. If you have to force yourself to not eat specific foods, that doesn't sound like a pleasant life.
Two weeks is definitely not too long to be on a plateau, I've had a bazillion plateaus that have lasted 2 weeks or longer.
16 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »Lifting weights will help you increase your muscle mass. Muscle does burn more calories at rest than fat. Take those measurements and track to see if you are losing inches. Are your clothes fitting better?
You are also doing a lot of cardio, so you may actually want to look at your carbs and that you have enough. Protein helps with muscle repair and growth. Carbs (the good kind!) will help fuel your workouts/performance.
Lifting will help you increase your muscle mass in a calorie surplus. You can't really gain muscle in a deficit. Also the difference in how much muscle burns vs how much fat burns is minimal.
Where are you getting that information? Being in a fasted state is being at a calorie deficit and building muscle is quite possible.
Where are you getting that information?
10 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »Lifting weights will help you increase your muscle mass. Muscle does burn more calories at rest than fat. Take those measurements and track to see if you are losing inches. Are your clothes fitting better?
You are also doing a lot of cardio, so you may actually want to look at your carbs and that you have enough. Protein helps with muscle repair and growth. Carbs (the good kind!) will help fuel your workouts/performance.
Lifting will help you increase your muscle mass in a calorie surplus. You can't really gain muscle in a deficit. Also the difference in how much muscle burns vs how much fat burns is minimal.
Where are you getting that information? Being in a fasted state is being at a calorie deficit and building muscle is quite possible.
You're talking (if I understand correctly) short term; the rest of us, I believe, are talking a little longer term. Metabolically speaking, human bodies have a longer "attention span" for many functions than the span of a fasted workout (or 16:8 or whatever, within reason). Research suggests digestive transit can be 50+ hours, with nutrients being captured through multiple phases of that. Things are happening, even if you haven't eaten in 16 hours.
No one is saying you need to be in a calorie surplus at every single moment of every day you lift (or every hour during which you lift). We're talking about a calorie surplus or deficit as your overall status over a period of many hours, days, weeks, maybe more. We're not suggesting one needs a sirloin steak in one hand, and a dumbbell in the other.10 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »Lifting weights will help you increase your muscle mass. Muscle does burn more calories at rest than fat. Take those measurements and track to see if you are losing inches. Are your clothes fitting better?
You are also doing a lot of cardio, so you may actually want to look at your carbs and that you have enough. Protein helps with muscle repair and growth. Carbs (the good kind!) will help fuel your workouts/performance.
Lifting will help you increase your muscle mass in a calorie surplus. You can't really gain muscle in a deficit. Also the difference in how much muscle burns vs how much fat burns is minimal.
Where are you getting that information? Being in a fasted state is being at a calorie deficit and building muscle is quite possible.
Please post your sources for this. Please post links to real research that supports your claim.
9 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »Lifting weights will help you increase your muscle mass. Muscle does burn more calories at rest than fat. Take those measurements and track to see if you are losing inches. Are your clothes fitting better?
You are also doing a lot of cardio, so you may actually want to look at your carbs and that you have enough. Protein helps with muscle repair and growth. Carbs (the good kind!) will help fuel your workouts/performance.
Lifting will help you increase your muscle mass in a calorie surplus. You can't really gain muscle in a deficit. Also the difference in how much muscle burns vs how much fat burns is minimal.
Where are you getting that information? Being in a fasted state is being at a calorie deficit and building muscle is quite possible.
You would benefit from some research on anabolism and catabolism. Fasting isn't the magic you think it is.
Could you imagine if it was only that easy? It would be nice!
LMAO!7 -
How are you measuring your calorie intake? Lifting weights does nothing to speed up the process, it's meant to help increase your strength and maintain muscle in a deficit.
OP did you ever answer the question about how you’re measuring your intake? Are you using a food scale?
Also the flow chart is awesome!3 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »Lifting weights will help you increase your muscle mass. Muscle does burn more calories at rest than fat. Take those measurements and track to see if you are losing inches. Are your clothes fitting better?
You are also doing a lot of cardio, so you may actually want to look at your carbs and that you have enough. Protein helps with muscle repair and growth. Carbs (the good kind!) will help fuel your workouts/performance.
Lifting will help you increase your muscle mass in a calorie surplus. You can't really gain muscle in a deficit. Also the difference in how much muscle burns vs how much fat burns is minimal.
Where are you getting that information? Being in a fasted state is being at a calorie deficit and building muscle is quite possible.
From Dr. Brad Schoenfeld: https://www.dymatize-athletic-nutrition.com/en_GB/why-dymatize/blog/intermittent-fasting-fat-loss-and-better-health
Excerpt:Is intermittent fasting a suitable method for weight loss in Fitness enthusiasts and Bodybuilders?
Dr. Schoenfeld: “The weight loss benefits of intermittent fasting appear to be solely a function of restricting caloric consumption. By limiting the window in which food is eaten, intermittent fasting helps to control caloric consumption and thus facilitate fat loss. It should be noted that the same results can be achieved simply by controlling calories via portion control in a standard dietary approach. Therefore, the best practice dietary approach for weight loss depends on the individual.”
Through intermittent fasting body fat level can be reduced via energy deficit. But how about the maintenance of valuable muscle mass in athletes?
Dr. Schoenfeld: “Food, dietary protein in particular, is anabolic. Intermittent fasting will put an individual in a state of catabolism for a majority of the fasting day – not an ideal muscle-building environment. Based on applied logic it would be prudent to consume protein more frequently throughout the day to maximize the training-induced hypertrophic response and to support muscle maintenance/growth.”
Starving the body during fasting kick-starts positive health benefits for the immune system - True or false?
Dr. Schoenfeld: “I have seen no compelling evidence to support that hypothesis.”9
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