Is Weight Goal Unrealistic? Limit Hit?

lilcharmer214
lilcharmer214 Posts: 75 Member
edited January 2021 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, me again.

Its been 6-7 months of working out and trying to stick with a 1200 calorie diet and I think I’ve either hit a limit, a lull or something else. Basically, I have not seen any progress in my body is over 6 months now and its really getting me down.

I started in June 2020 at about 130-131 lbs with a goal to get to 125. 125! Its been a goal for YEARS but I have never been able to hit it not even for ONE day. I’ve gotten to 126 but only for one day and it jumps back up. My main goal is a flat stomach and to lose the lose belly fat. But I haven't even lost ONE inch there. I'm mainly boobs and belly, pretty toned everywhere else. I did get sick with the flu in November which left me with bad fatigue and I was unable to workout for a full 5 weeks + holiday eating. But I started back up in New Years.

Here’s the quick rundown:
• 3-5 days a week for 35-45 mins, lifting weights, jogging but also focusing on abs, glutes and arms
• 1200 diet per MyFitnessPal ( I am 5’1)
• Decent at sticking to diet but let it go a bit on weekends and holidays
• Upped my weights from 18 to 26lb kettlebells, also use resistance bands and 12 lb dumbbells
• Upped my protein to at least 50-70 grams daily and added a protein shake (on days I workout)
• Aimed for 60-70 oz of water daily
• I am weeks away from my 43rd birthday and have had 2 c-sections. Pretty sure I have a diastasis recti and have been doing exercises for it for months (no progress I’ve seen)

Current weight is about 128-129 and my waist measurement is the same as 6 months ago. My friends have suggested that maybe this is where my body is and that I can’t go any further. I am also wondering if 125 is just not realistic and perhaps I am wasting time with everything I am doing. Am I trying to do the impossible?

Thoughts??
(sorry for the big pics. Don't know how to make them smaller)

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Replies

  • lilcharmer214
    lilcharmer214 Posts: 75 Member
    heybales wrote: »

    1200 diet - that is minimum to eat for an average sedentary female.
    You are a tad shorter, but you also aren't sedentary. And I doubt you want to be average in results anyway.
    Are you at least eating the way MFP works - that being a NET goal?
    Meaning when you are more active than the MFP level you selected (sedentary? is that true, how old are kids?), you eat more, to keep the deficit.
    Or do you eat 1200 wether working out or not, thereby increasing the deficit more?

    Good questions! Lets see, well besides working out, I do have a sedentary, computer job. So besides chasing my toddler around, my workout and household chores are the only movement I get.

    On workout days I eat a bit more than 1200. I find it impossible to stick to the 1200. Evenings I am always soo hungry no matter what. On none workout days, I probably eat the same.
    heybales wrote: »
    For only 5 lbs to lose - reasonable loss goal is 1/2 lb weekly, or 250 cal deficit.
    That requires some accuracy in food logging and exercise since it could easily be wiped out.

    Too big a deficit for amount of fat to lose - the body will adapt.
    You'll stop moving as much daily, not actually burning as much.
    Workouts no longer are hard. Oh, they feel hard, because body is underfed and you can push as hard as an underfed can go, but it's not longer hard on the muscles asking for improvement. You've made some, but that could be form and CNS engagement that everyone starting out will see improvements on.

    I am sure I don't have a large deficit, many days I probably only have a small one. Again, that 1200 is really hard for me. But no matter how I put in my goals in MFP, 1200 is all it gives me. I try not to eat back all active calories
    heybales wrote: »
    I'd suggest nail your logging accuracy for a week - letting diet "go a bit on weekends" - does that mean you still log accurately?

    Naw. I eyeball it. Since I tend to eat pretty much the same things, I figure I know it but eating out blows that. I usually have 1-2 takeout meal on weekends.
    heybales wrote: »
    Do you log by weight of food eaten, not volume measurements?
    Because calories is per gram, not cups, spoons, or "about 3 servings per package".

    Ok, this I am not sure of. I just log based on whatever the package says.
    heybales wrote: »
    If you are using MFP correctly and logging exercise and eating more when you do more - then what is logged and extra eaten has a bearing.
    0 is most obviously wrong, but so can some of the calorie burn estimates from many sources.
    How are you doing it.

    I've been eating basically the same things, they generally have measurements on the package so I eat that 1 serving or break it down. And I try not to go over the cals I have for the day, which is hard cause I stay hungry.
    heybales wrote: »
    Sorry about multiple questions - but they all tell the story of what may be going wrong.

    At simple level you are eating about what you burn if there is no weight/measurement change.
    But is what you burn at a reduced rate because body has slowed down daily and workouts suck?
    Or because your food logging is just pretty inaccurate wiping out an entire deficit?
    Or combo most likely.

    Not at all!! Thank you for taking this time to read and respond back so thoroughly. I am getting that its likely still my diet and that I'm not logging well enough. And maybe my workouts are hard enough?

    Thank you so much!

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited January 2021
    If chasing after toddlers after work and on weekends, and more importantly the household tasks associated with kids - you are not Sedentary, you are Lightly-Active.
    This has been proven out by many desk-job moms that get an activity tracker, the week as a whole averages out to Lightly-Active very easily. Sometimes more.

    Select weight loss goal 1/2 lb weekly.

    That is your base eating goal on days with NO workouts only.

    Just for comparison to see what is possible, is a TDEE method if your workouts were consistent and you wanted to eat the same daily. This is NOT the MFP method.

    Just TDEE Please spreadsheet - better than rough 5 level TDEE charts from 1919 study.
    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit?usp=sharing

    But just for comparison. Unless you like the idea of same daily goal. In which case workout info needs better estimate, there, and then you could use that eating goal.

    Indeed you would have been given close to 1200 no matter what loss rate you picked when on incorrect sedentary, 250 deficit though would be closer to 1216. On Lightly-Active though, 1392 would be base goal.

    But if using MFP method - they are attempting to teach you life-lesson on weight management.
    You do more you should eat more.
    Do less you better eat less.
    In a diet a tad less in either case.

    So on the majority of days you workout - you log it.
    Depending on the workouts - the database entry and the way MFP works - you'll be given too many calories credit.
    For low burn stuff like walking, take 1/2 of what is given. For short runs get the pace right and take 75% of stated. For strength training for brief period take 75% of stated, which isn't much anyway.

    Then you eat more on those days.
    And have a stronger workout which tells the body to burn more making repairs.

    But the crux to this all is your food logging which is off.

    Since it appears from weekly activity averaged out daily, you only burn around 1750 - I could easily see inaccuracies in food logging wiping out a deficit.

    Now - if all of that recommended method seems tedious or difficult, just depends on you, alternate method.

    Find a real 250 calories daily that you stop eating from current diet. Otherwise eat as you have been.
    And real means weigh something, look it up accurately, and find an actual 250 to eat less of.

    This could require no change to current methods if you find some items to leave out.
    It could require accurately logging 1 meal just to eat less of it.

    Because right now your food logging is off - you are eating at maintenance on average.
    If you download that TDEE spreadsheet and correct the workout weekly time, you'll get a better idea of what that eating level currently is.

    But 250 less in real actual calories is the method required.

    For the hunger, probably need to examine what you eat, better order or times to eat, something to make it not feel that difficult.
    Some people if they eat the carbs first, no meal feels satiating. Eat protein or fat first, fine.
    Maybe more fiber, more protein.
    Maybe different times before or after workout, maybe skip meal and eat more later, ect.
  • goal06082021
    goal06082021 Posts: 2,130 Member
    heybales has a ton of great advice, so I just want to add:

    How's your posture? It might just be a trick of the angles in your photos, but it looks like you might have some anterior pelvic tilt going on.
  • 142jmh
    142jmh Posts: 89 Member
    Lots of really great responses so I'll second that posture might have something to do with it, and a weakness in the transverse abdominals might as well. Transverse abdominals is not something that people talk a lot about, but it makes a big difference. A weakness in the transverse abdominals makes it seem like you've got a little belly, but its not fat. A couple youtube videos really helped me figure what the heck was going on with my own, and they might resonate with you as well.
    Bodyfit by Amy has a masters in exercise science, and has a great video on (strong functional core / flat tummy) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtrB1XLM0ag
    AthleanX is a physiotherapist and strength/ conditioning coach, and has a great video that explains it as well (flat lower belly) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdzrYvgvv3o
  • 142jmh
    142jmh Posts: 89 Member
    Forgot to mention, Bodyfit by Amy has an entire playlist on youtube devoted to diastasis recti. It's not something that I've dealt with myself, but my sister-in-law did and said it made a difference for her!
  • lilcharmer214
    lilcharmer214 Posts: 75 Member
    142jmh wrote: »
    Forgot to mention, Bodyfit by Amy has an entire playlist on youtube devoted to diastasis recti. It's not something that I've dealt with myself, but my sister-in-law did and said it made a difference for her!

    Thanks. Will look into it.
  • lilcharmer214
    lilcharmer214 Posts: 75 Member
    goal06082021 wrote: »
    heybales has a ton of great advice, so I just want to add:

    How's your posture? It might just be a trick of the angles in your photos, but it looks like you might have some anterior pelvic tilt going on.

    I have heard this before. But I honestly don't know what to do about it.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Same respected physical therapist as above.

    https://athleanx.com/articles/how-to-fix-anterior-pelvic-tilt

    Confirms first you got it, then what to do about it.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    I think your belly is flatter than you think. Your posture looks to be "sway back". Meaning an accentuated curve in your lumbar. Usually from tight hamstrings and tight back muscles.
    Betting if tucked in your abs correcting your posture, your abs would look flatter.

    https://www.coreconcepts.com.sg/article/sway-back-no-more/


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Hmm. I don’t think losing weight is what you need. That doesn’t look like fat to me, I think you may be right about the diastasis recti. (Also, others are right that it seems posture has something to do with it, but that can be connected.) Mine was caused by surgery for an ovarian tumor, and I did eventually get it to go away using exercise.

    What worked for me was first of all, just literally standing on tiptoe and stretching my arms upwards trying to touch the ceiling. Stretch until you feel your core muscles engage then hold, starting with 30 seconds. With a really bad diastasis recti, a lot of exercises can’t help because the innards aren’t in the right place! You can feel them move back into place. Learning what it feels like for those muscles to move right is the first step.

    Then, vacuum exercises, I do them standing and holding on to a counter. Exhale completely and then suck your stomach in so that it’s hollow. Hold.

    The other thing that really really helped was an abs roller. It’s basically the same exercise as a plank but dynamic, and if you do them going sideways you can hit those side muscles as well.

    I hope some of this is helpful, I know it must be frustrating!
  • x_stephisaur_x
    x_stephisaur_x Posts: 149 Member
    Lots of great advice above.

    What stood out to me is that you have 1-2 takeout meals on weekends.

    How is your water consumption?

    Takeout food can be LOADED with sodium and can really bloat you out. You want to make sure you're drinking plenty of water throughout the day to help eliminate it.

    I would also suggest that you don't eyeball your foods. I tried this at one point, as I largely eat the same foods week in, week out. What I thought was a 100Kcal portion of mashed avocado was closer to 200kcal. That's a really big difference, but almost imperceptible to the eye.
  • lilcharmer214
    lilcharmer214 Posts: 75 Member
    rheddmobile wrote: »
    Hmm. I don’t think losing weight is what you need. That doesn’t look like fat to me, I think you may be right about the diastasis recti. (Also, others are right that it seems posture has something to do with it, but that can be connected.) Mine was caused by surgery for an ovarian tumor, and I did eventually get it to go away using exercise.

    What worked for me was first of all, just literally standing on tiptoe and stretching my arms upwards trying to touch the ceiling. Stretch until you feel your core muscles engage then hold, starting with 30 seconds. With a really bad diastasis recti, a lot of exercises can’t help because the innards aren’t in the right place! You can feel them move back into place. Learning what it feels like for those muscles to move right is the first step.

    Then, vacuum exercises, I do them standing and holding on to a counter. Exhale completely and then suck your stomach in so that it’s hollow. Hold.

    The other thing that really really helped was an abs roller. It’s basically the same exercise as a plank but dynamic, and if you do them going sideways you can hit those side muscles as well.

    I hope some of this is helpful, I know it must be frustrating!

    I did start doing vacuums and have noticed a difference. And I got gifted an ab roller for Xmas. I need to put that thing together.

    I will try that core exercise you mentioned. Thanks!!

  • lilcharmer214
    lilcharmer214 Posts: 75 Member
    x_stephisaur_x wrote: »
    Lots of great advice above.

    What stood out to me is that you have 1-2 takeout meals on weekends.

    How is your water consumption?

    Takeout food can be LOADED with sodium and can really bloat you out. You want to make sure you're drinking plenty of water throughout the day to help eliminate it.

    I would also suggest that you don't eyeball your foods. I tried this at one point, as I largely eat the same foods week in, week out. What I thought was a 100Kcal portion of mashed avocado was closer to 200kcal. That's a really big difference, but almost imperceptible to the eye.

    You're right. Its hard cause my hubby is a total foodie and cooking and eating is his thing. But I am going to cut back or drastically reduce those portions. And I do bloat very easy.

    Thanks!

  • lilcharmer214
    lilcharmer214 Posts: 75 Member
    x_stephisaur_x wrote: »
    How is your water consumption?

    Forgot to mention I do great with water on workdays due to routine but fall off on weekends. Gotta do better!

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