No results in 5 months...should I give up?
rachaelzel
Posts: 12 Member
In these last 5 months I have tried almost every possible thing I could to lose these extra 10-15 pounds I gained last year. I have been intermittent fasting every single day, eating 100% clean, fresh foods, only drinking water, and eating around 1200-1300 calories per day. I weighed and measured every piece of food I ate this week to be 100% certain that my daily intake was around this range.
I exercise every day too. I started doing Chloe Ting workouts every day along with other body weight exercises. After I didn't see any fat loss results from that, I tried running 2-4 miles every day to burn off the body fat that was covering the muscles I had gained.
Right now I have a lot of excessive body fat, and no diet or exercise has helped me get rid of it.
How was everyone else able to overcome this issue?
I exercise every day too. I started doing Chloe Ting workouts every day along with other body weight exercises. After I didn't see any fat loss results from that, I tried running 2-4 miles every day to burn off the body fat that was covering the muscles I had gained.
Right now I have a lot of excessive body fat, and no diet or exercise has helped me get rid of it.
How was everyone else able to overcome this issue?
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Replies
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From your prior post: you're 19 Y.O. 5'5" and 127, trying to get to 110 because you weighed that a few years ago, as a child/young teen? Perhaps re-read the replies to your post from 7-26?19
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This is at least your third post with this question. Nothing has changed. Maybe go back to those threads and review the answers there.16
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For everyone thinking I ignored the last discussions: I haven't. I have already tried everything they suggested and it didn't work. For about 3 months I lifted, did body weight and strength building exercises while eating more protein and hitting my macros. I built muscle during that process but didn't lose any fat, just making me look even bigger. I'm trying to get to 110-115 because I know I have at least 5-10 pounds of extra fat on my body.
My question wasn't answered though: how do I go about losing those pounds of fat?3 -
If youre simply looking for someone to tell you what you wanna hear, which is give up, its hopeless, you wont find that here.
Usually when people want to hear an answer they wanna hear its because they already made up their mind.
If you wont take the advice given from your previous threads, then youre going to have to simply make that decision for yourself.11 -
I'm going to repeat myself from https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10804968/started-weight-loss-journey-in-january-but-only-gained-weight-help-pleaserachaelzel wrote: »Thank you for the advice. I'm not really looking to recomp right now though, last time I tried I went up a few dress sizes because the muscle grew without getting rid of any fat (even though I was dieting and hitting correct macros in hopes of getting rid of the fat) so I just looked bigger overall. I'm trying to fit in some smaller clothes, so if possible I would like to get rid of fat and then start building muscle once I'm lean.kshama2001 wrote: »My ex got 8" taller during college. It wouldn't have made sense for him to fit into his pre-college clothes, now would it?
The same might be true for you - you could be at an adult weight now and your goals are unrealistic.
Ask someone objective who sees you undressed, like your doctor or GYN, if you actually need to lose weight, and if so, how much.12 -
rachaelzel wrote: »For everyone thinking I ignored the last discussions: I haven't. I have already tried everything they suggested and it didn't work. For about 3 months I lifted, did body weight and strength building exercises while eating more protein and hitting my macros. I built muscle during that process but didn't lose any fat, just making me look even bigger. I'm trying to get to 110-115 because I know I have at least 5-10 pounds of extra fat on my body.
My question wasn't answered though: how do I go about losing those pounds of fat?
You tried everything suggest for 4 days, and it didn't work? If you expect to see results in 4 days you really need to re-evaluate your goals.14 -
I have reviewed the advice multiple times though.
People suggested I focus on recomp: which I have already tried for a span of 3 months prior to any of these discussions, but for some reason my body would not get rid of the fat covering the muscles I gained. I like muscle, but not at the expense of looking a lot fatter than I actually am, since my muscles got bigger while I barely lost any fat.
Others suggested that my goals were unrealistic: however they haven't seen pictures of my body. I have a lot of extra fat, and losing it would put me down to my goal weight without muscle loss. I am just at a loss on how to lose it.
Some suggested I'm not tracking my food accurately. However that's not true as I weigh everything and am honest with myself.
Some suggested I eat a little less: I already eat around 1,200-1,300 calories a day. Some suggested I eat more: I have tried doing that the last few weeks but just gained more fat. Someone was concerned about malnourishment, but i make sure to hit my macros.
So again: are there any other suggestions?1 -
Make your food diary public.10
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If you think you’re actually incapable of losing weight then go see a doctor because that’s a medical problem no one here can help you with. But I think you’d benefit more from seeing a therapist because your posts scream that you’re headed toward an eating disorder.19
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rachaelzel wrote: »I have reviewed the advice multiple times though.
People suggested I focus on recomp: which I have already tried for a span of 3 months prior to any of these discussions, but for some reason my body would not get rid of the fat covering the muscles I gained. I like muscle, but not at the expense of looking a lot fatter than I actually am, since my muscles got bigger while I barely lost any fat.
Others suggested that my goals were unrealistic: however they haven't seen pictures of my body. I have a lot of extra fat, and losing it would put me down to my goal weight without muscle loss. I am just at a loss on how to lose it.
Some suggested I'm not tracking my food accurately. However that's not true as I weigh everything and am honest with myself.
Some suggested I eat a little less: I already eat around 1,200-1,300 calories a day. Some suggested I eat more: I have tried doing that the last few weeks but just gained more fat. Someone was concerned about malnourishment, but i make sure to hit my macros.
So again: are there any other suggestions?
Ok, 1. post pictures (make sure your posture is good because that makes a big difference) and 2. change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
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rachaelzel wrote: »Some suggested I eat a little less: I already eat around 1,200-1,300 calories a day. Some suggested I eat more: I have tried doing that the last few weeks but just gained more fat. Someone was concerned about malnourishment, but i make sure to hit my macros.
So again: are there any other suggestions?
To actually have gained fat by eating more - you would have had to eaten through your deficit, whatever it may actually be, and over your maintenance level, by enough to actually gain fat.
At 3500 calories per lb of fat - do the math with whatever you gained in weight and come to realize it is very unlikely you were eating that much.
Let's say the 1200 goal was at 500 cal deficit (should only be 250 if that little left to lose to reasonable weight)
And you gained 3 lbs of weight in 3 weeks (you wouldn't know if that was fat anyway).
3 x 3500 / 21 days = 500 surplus over maintenance.
1200 base + 500 deficit + 500 surplus = 2200 calories eaten each day.
Did you eat 2200 calories each and every day for 3 weeks?
If not - then you did not gain fat weight.
Do the math with your own numbers - could it actually have even been fat in the first place?
I'll bet not.10 -
rachaelzel wrote: »People suggested I focus on recomp: which I have already tried for a span of 3 months prior to any of these discussions, but for some reason my body would not get rid of the fat covering the muscles I gained. I like muscle, but not at the expense of looking a lot fatter than I actually am, since my muscles got bigger while I barely lost any fat.
Are you using an bio-impedance scale that you think is giving accurate measurements of muscle and fat%?
As a female - I'd be curious how much muscle you think you gained in 3 months?
And what exactly was your progressive lifting routine that you think caused such a big muscle gain?
Warning - you may be in for a surprise.14 -
rachaelzel wrote: »For everyone thinking I ignored the last discussions: I haven't. I have already tried everything they suggested and it didn't work. For about 3 months I lifted, did body weight and strength building exercises while eating more protein and hitting my macros. I built muscle during that process but didn't lose any fat, just making me look even bigger. I'm trying to get to 110-115 because I know I have at least 5-10 pounds of extra fat on my body.
My question wasn't answered though: how do I go about losing those pounds of fat?
If you're arguing that you've tried everything suggested already and it "didn't work," then you are not giving things enough time. When you are already at a low body weight, it takes patience and consistency to lose. You can't try a half dozen different strategies in just five months and then conclude that none of them work. You're not giving anything TIME to work.13 -
I have had the same problem in the past. Went crazy weighing all the food and not eating, doing keto, and still would lose no weight. And doing a lot more exercise, like almost one hour daily, with personal trainer, gym, long 2 and 3 hour walks. Nothing moved in the scale and it was driving me crazy, also because those who were supposed to help (nutritionist, personal trainer) would not believe me (or at least I sensed they felt I was lying). So I did give up, it was just no point to go on, I was going insane. In the end of each month I would weigh a bit less but something like 1kg, 500gr or even less.
I have managed to lose weight recently, much more and much quicker, with diet only. I can go for a walk, do yoga or acqua gym but nothing compared to the huge amount of training I was doing before. In my case, I feel the additional (a bit exaggerated) training would open my appetite - since I wouldn't eat I would just feel exausted and maybe my system would slow down or something like that. Anyway, I don't think exercise helps a lot to lose weight, at least for me. It may be healthy, make you look better, etc, but to lose weight, in my case, it will be quicker if I just focus on the food I eat. So I am doing a 1200/1300 cal diet right now, I lost a lot of weight in the first months and again I plateaued. But I think it will work if I am persistent, drink more water and activate/oxygenate my body a bit more.
My personal experience, and you may be similar, is that if I exercise too much I will put on more muscle, look better but not lose any weight. If I want to shrink down, I really need to focus on diet, reduce on calories and use exercise more as health component, to help make me feel good, etc.
However, my experience may be very different from yours because I am much older and need to lose more weight.3 -
Also, you have only joined this site 13 days ago so that is definitely not enough time for you to have "tried everything suggested" and determined that they weren't working.......15
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rachaelzel wrote: »People suggested I focus on recomp: which I have already tried for a span of 3 months prior to any of these discussions, but for some reason my body would not get rid of the fat covering the muscles I gained. I like muscle, but not at the expense of looking a lot fatter than I actually am, since my muscles got bigger while I barely lost any fat.
Are you using an bio-impedance scale that you think is giving accurate measurements of muscle and fat%?
As a female - I'd be curious how much muscle you think you gained in 3 months?
And what exactly was your progressive lifting routine that you think caused such a big muscle gain?
Warning - you may be in for a surprise.
I was thinking this. I've been doing strength training (albeit not as regularly as I'd like) for about 9 months now and have only gained a small amount of muscle. There's more strength and fitness and that small amount of muscle gives some nice definiton.
I'd really suggest a professional conversation at the very least. It doesn't even have to be a doctor maybe a personal trainer.8 -
rachaelzel wrote: »For everyone thinking I ignored the last discussions: I haven't. I have already tried everything they suggested and it didn't work. For about 3 months I lifted, did body weight and strength building exercises while eating more protein and hitting my macros. I built muscle during that process but didn't lose any fat, just making me look even bigger. I'm trying to get to 110-115 because I know I have at least 5-10 pounds of extra fat on my body.
My question wasn't answered though: how do I go about losing those pounds of fat?
You are wasting your time and ours. You are at the lower end of the weight range as it is and should NOT be attempting to lose more weight. Period. You sound like you could use a shrink though as you may have some body dismorphia issues going on. Not kidding, you should seek professional help before you do irreparable damage.13 -
I am just arriving in this forum and I feel you are a bit too judgemental and quick at jumping into conclusions. If someone is trying to get help than any wish (to lose little or a lot of weight, to gain weight, to keep weight, whatever) is as good and important as anyone else's. I personally would also love to be at 110-115, and it is probaly a much healthier and achievable wish to have if you are at 127 than if you are 200 pounds.0
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justfor1day wrote: »I am just arriving in this forum and I feel you are a bit too judgemental and quick at jumping into conclusions. If someone is trying to get help than any wish (to lose little or a lot of weight, to gain weight, to keep weight, whatever) is as good and important as anyone else's. I personally would also love to be at 110-115, and it is probaly a much healthier and achievable wish to have if you are at 127 than if you are 200 pounds.
The context here is that OP has gotten some really good advice in her two previous threads, advice that she is disregarding. Lots of people would love to be 110-115, including some for whom that isn't a realistic goal weight. There are some people for whom that is an appropriate goal weight, but most people find that it requires patience and consistency (which is what some people are recommending to OP).
The concern that many have for OP is that her current diet and exercise is causing some negative impacts (she mentioned that she's missed at least one period) and that her ideal weight is based on what she weighed before she became an adult.22 -
kshama2001 wrote: »rachaelzel wrote: »I have reviewed the advice multiple times though.
People suggested I focus on recomp: which I have already tried for a span of 3 months prior to any of these discussions, but for some reason my body would not get rid of the fat covering the muscles I gained. I like muscle, but not at the expense of looking a lot fatter than I actually am, since my muscles got bigger while I barely lost any fat.
Others suggested that my goals were unrealistic: however they haven't seen pictures of my body. I have a lot of extra fat, and losing it would put me down to my goal weight without muscle loss. I am just at a loss on how to lose it.
Some suggested I'm not tracking my food accurately. However that's not true as I weigh everything and am honest with myself.
Some suggested I eat a little less: I already eat around 1,200-1,300 calories a day. Some suggested I eat more: I have tried doing that the last few weeks but just gained more fat. Someone was concerned about malnourishment, but i make sure to hit my macros.
So again: are there any other suggestions?
Ok, 1. post pictures (make sure your posture is good because that makes a big difference) and 2. change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
This ^^
If you are not willing to do that and you say you are doing everything else then this discussion is pointless.5 -
justfor1day wrote: »I am just arriving in this forum and I feel you are a bit too judgemental and quick at jumping into conclusions. If someone is trying to get help than any wish (to lose little or a lot of weight, to gain weight, to keep weight, whatever) is as good and important as anyone else's. I personally would also love to be at 110-115, and it is probaly a much healthier and achievable wish to have if you are at 127 than if you are 200 pounds.
Actually a person who is 200 pounds can have the same wish. Its not unhealthier or unachievable.
Considering i was 300lbs and was able to hit 135, i dont think a 200lbs person is dreaming unrealistically
But what is off about this post is, that people are offering advice and asking to see her diary being public in order to see fact from fiction.
People can SAY theyre doing everything but they may not be.
I have a co worker who is having a stand still in her weight loss who told me she goes to the gym so her workouts should reflect loss
Ive gone to the gym with her twice and shes soent 15 min on a treadmill in a medium pace walk and burned 34 calories before getting off and doing some weight training that she spends 1 min per machine.
So.. yeah.. shes going to the gym lol.. but turns out, its not what it paints a picture of without seeing it16 -
I'm wondering how tall this young person is. Becoming an adult can mean we need to carry a few more pounds than we did when we were 15 years old for one thing a young lady could be taller necessitating a higher weight. Young women can grow until they are 18 possibly older. Young men can grow till they are 21 on average. Being overly physical can reduce one's ability to loose weight in some circumstances our bodies are complicated things. If you continue to have problems loosing weight please check the BMI charts for guidance then may be see a doctor to discuss your concerns.
Take care of yourself.1 -
110 @ 5'5" is below the healthy realm of BMI. I realize BMI can be problematic for certain body types, but its generally frowned upon around MFP to encourage potentially harmful behavior.9
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In another post she stated 5'5".I'm wondering how tall this young person is. Becoming an adult can mean we need to carry a few more pounds than we did when we were 15 years old for one thing a young lady could be taller necessitating a higher weight. Young women can grow until they are 18 possibly older. Young men can grow till they are 21 on average. Being overly physical can reduce one's ability to loose weight in some circumstances our bodies are complicated things. If you continue to have problems loosing weight please check the BMI charts for guidance then may be see a doctor to discuss your concerns.
Take care of yourself.
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justfor1day wrote: »I am just arriving in this forum and I feel you are a bit too judgemental and quick at jumping into conclusions. If someone is trying to get help than any wish (to lose little or a lot of weight, to gain weight, to keep weight, whatever) is as good and important as anyone else's. I personally would also love to be at 110-115, and it is probaly a much healthier and achievable wish to have if you are at 127 than if you are 200 pounds.
There are health concerns with being underweight too, skinnier is not always better. So many women have unrealistic and unhealthy ideas about what their body is "supposed" to look like, and spend most of their lives constantly stressing over it and feeling like a failure. That's not healthy either.
Unfortunately, OP has not provided pictures, has not opened her diary, and seems to be trying to become underweight. All we can do is err on the side of caution and hope if her goal really is healthy she'll elaborate. To risk encouraging someone to do something unhealthy is not something I'd want to do.13 -
rachaelzel wrote: »I have reviewed the advice multiple times though.
People suggested I focus on recomp: which I have already tried for a span of 3 months prior to any of these discussions, but for some reason my body would not get rid of the fat covering the muscles I gained. I like muscle, but not at the expense of looking a lot fatter than I actually am, since my muscles got bigger while I barely lost any fat.
Others suggested that my goals were unrealistic: however they haven't seen pictures of my body. I have a lot of extra fat, and losing it would put me down to my goal weight without muscle loss. I am just at a loss on how to lose it.
Some suggested I'm not tracking my food accurately. However that's not true as I weigh everything and am honest with myself.
Some suggested I eat a little less: I already eat around 1,200-1,300 calories a day. Some suggested I eat more: I have tried doing that the last few weeks but just gained more fat. Someone was concerned about malnourishment, but i make sure to hit my macros.
So again: are there any other suggestions?
Recomp is not a three month process. You dial in the right program and the right calories, and then you follow it for as long as it takes. For some people, it can take more than a year to get where they want to go. For many people of a healthy weight, "recomp" is simply living the rest of their lives with a fitness mentality in an effort to see what kind of look it might get them.
You seem to think that the fact that you have any fat means you have "excess" body fat, and this sounds to strangers on the internet who have nothing else to go by like you have unrealistic expectations and are pushing yourself to get somewhere unhealthy because of it.
There is an essential level of body fat, it is required to have some fat on you to be healthy. It is incredibly unlikely that at 5'5 125ish, you have 10 lbs of "excess" fat.
I feel confident these links were provided in at least one of your other threads, but I'd strongly encourage you to sit down and really look through these.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
And my own personal opinion is yes, you should give up on the goal of losing 10 lbs of fat and aiming for such a low weight. Focus on fitness, on properly fueling your body, spend time enjoying being 19, and see where you end up this time next year. That's my opinion, for you to take or leave.
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KrissDotCom wrote: »justfor1day wrote: »I am just arriving in this forum and I feel you are a bit too judgemental and quick at jumping into conclusions. If someone is trying to get help than any wish (to lose little or a lot of weight, to gain weight, to keep weight, whatever) is as good and important as anyone else's. I personally would also love to be at 110-115, and it is probaly a much healthier and achievable wish to have if you are at 127 than if you are 200 pounds.
Actually a person who is 200 pounds can have the same wish. Its not unhealthier or unachievable.
Considering i was 300lbs and was able to hit 135, i dont think a 200lbs person is dreaming unrealistically
But what is off about this post is, that people are offering advice and asking to see her diary being public in order to see fact from fiction.
People can SAY theyre doing everything but they may not be.
I have a co worker who is having a stand still in her weight loss who told me she goes to the gym so her workouts should reflect loss
Ive gone to the gym with her twice and shes soent 15 min on a treadmill in a medium pace walk and burned 34 calories before getting off and doing some weight training that she spends 1 min per machine.
So.. yeah.. shes going to the gym lol.. but turns out, its not what it paints a picture of without seeing it
Ok that made me laugh. Everything is relative.6 -
Your weight is such that more than 50% (at a glance about 60%) of women your height and age weigh MORE then you. Reference in other thread.
Your preoccupation with your weight and fat and the METHODS and INTENSITY you're addressing them together with physical side effects that you've experienced SOUND life impacting enough that you should be seriously re evaluating your goals and what you're doing--because what you're doing SOUNDS as if it is impacting, not enhancing, your health.
The conversation (with your GP or OB GYN) goes like this:
"Hi Doc: I have been, for the past 3,4 months seriously pre-occupied with losing all the extra fat I have and have limited myself to zzzz Cal a day and engaged in OMAD eating, fasting, (and everything else you've tried(. I exercise yyy minutes a day doing xyz and klm and pqrs. I haven't managed to lose this extra fat.
How much weight do you think I should lose for the benefit of my health?
Will this be sufficient for me to then fit in my smaller clothes?
How should I go about accomplishing this if (list of things I've tried) hasn't worked!"
The doctor has the benefit of being able to evaluate your physique and should have your previous health history on hand.
I won't hide from you that the doctor's response can be shopped for if you hide from them how much effort you've been putting into all this and work your question in as a casual aside. Most doctors are usually in a hurry and very few are willing to take the emotional load of relating to you as more than just another patient moving though their day. So throwing an: "should I exercise and rest healthy" at the end of your visit is NOT what we're talking about here.
However if you make your concerns the focus of your appointment (and the reason you're there), you will very soon have an unbiased in person opinion as to whether your goals should include weight loss, perhaps with a reference to a dietitian, or whether they should move on on how you can enhance as opposed to detract from your overall health6 -
That's sounds very frustrating.
Have you had an annual physical? If not, book an appointment for one and ask your doctor to check your thyroid function.
Our son has something called Hashimoto's disease, which is a failing thyroid. He's only 18 (we learned of this when he was 14), and it seemed that nothing that he did enabled him to lose weight. He went on thyroid medication, and his weight dropped 30 lbs.
IF your test results come back as normal, then you need to really work the math on your weight loss journey.
Weigh all your food and record it meticulously.
Wear a fitness tracker to track your cardio burn daily.
If you don't have a lot to lose (and 10 to 15 lbs is not a lot to lose), I might take you as much as a year to lose that weight in a way that is healthy and sustainable.
Finally, I don't recall your age, but something to think about is how much social media gives us a distorted image of beauty. We see women who are genetically created to be extremely lean, who are then airbrushed to look perfect, and who expend the majority of their waking hours working on looking a certain way.
You may want to think about shifting your ideal to strong rather than skinny.2
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