Trying my best but not dropping fat!! Feeling discouraged
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audreyajyu
Posts: 13 Member
Hi everyone,
I have been consistently working out twice a day for about three weeks. I wake up at 5 am to do my morning routine and get in an hr of HIIT and strength training.
I’ve been keeping track of my calories, deficit of around 2-300 per day. I eat really clean and try to stick with around 90g of protein and less than 100g of carbs. I eat lots of fruit, veggies and oats for carbs.
I drink more than 2.5L of water per day as well.
However my weight hasn’t been dropping, and especially discouraged about the body fat% not going down as well. What am I doing wrong
?
Should I start taking supplements?
Current weight: 58 kg , 27.2% body fat
It has been fluctuating up and down daily but never dropping a decent amount.
Thanks everyone !!
P.S. hope everyone is doing well and good luck on your journeys to happier life and fitness goals!
I have been consistently working out twice a day for about three weeks. I wake up at 5 am to do my morning routine and get in an hr of HIIT and strength training.
I’ve been keeping track of my calories, deficit of around 2-300 per day. I eat really clean and try to stick with around 90g of protein and less than 100g of carbs. I eat lots of fruit, veggies and oats for carbs.
I drink more than 2.5L of water per day as well.
However my weight hasn’t been dropping, and especially discouraged about the body fat% not going down as well. What am I doing wrong
?Should I start taking supplements?
Current weight: 58 kg , 27.2% body fat
It has been fluctuating up and down daily but never dropping a decent amount.
Thanks everyone !!
P.S. hope everyone is doing well and good luck on your journeys to happier life and fitness goals!
2
Replies
-
I forgot to add I’ve been also doing a daily fast of at least 18 hrs!!!1
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You’re over complicating things. While a lot of what you are doing will have other health benefits, all you need to do to lose weight is eat at a deficit. That’s all that matters, not whether you eat carbs or protein or take supplements.
At your present deficit you should be seeing a loss of about half a pound a week. That means in three weeks you would lose a pound and a half. That’s within the margin of error of a lot of scales. 200 calories is also really easy to erase by logging errors. Eat half a spoonful too much peanut butter plus a tiny amount too much salad dressing and suddenly you aren’t in a deficit at all.
Finally, if you just started the HIIT at the same time as your diet, you may have water retention in your muscles due to repair from exercise. It’s also usual for a woman who has periods to gain a couple of pounds around the time of her cycle.
If you want to lose on 200 cal deficit you are going to need to be patient and very accurate with your logging.13 -
Audrey, I’m going through the same exact thing. You’re not alone. I’ve been working out every day for the past 2 (almost 2.5) months, started eating healthier, and drinking more water and I still haven’t seen results. I’m feeling extra discouraged today. But I would encourage you to keep going and to focus on how great it feels to be healthy. How much happier you may feel, and how much more you may be moving around. That’s what I’m trying to do. I think that by focusing on those feelings, it’ll help to pull you through. All the best to you!! I know you can do it!!!😄💪🏽5
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If you're doing HIIT training (unlikely because real HIIT would wear you out in less than 1 hour) daily, you're NOT giving your body a chance to rest. HIIT shouldn't be done at MOST 3 times in a week because it's rough on the nervous system. My advice, reduce your training to 3 times a week to start and see how your body responds.
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
3 -
You don’t say what your goal is, but from where you’re starting you are not out to lose a lot. Fact is that weight loss coupled with a high level of fitness is work with tight margins. It can be slow going.
But if you are going to make it, you have to embrace the lifestyle. In a way, once you’ve done that the time involved becomes irrelevant.
Now about your seeming lack of progress. No loss or slow loss in the face of new or increased exercise is probably the most frequent complaint on this board. The short answer is water retention. Newly stressed muscles retain water. Same issue is messing with you body comp.
The whole thing takes longer than we would like. Be persistent and determined. Stay the course. It will work. Eventually you may want to tinker with the numbers. But only think in terms of tinkering and adjusting. Over time small changes can make a big difference.
Do you feel a difference in your workouts? The same incrementalism you will see working regarding your fitness goals will work for weight loss.2 -
rheddmobile wrote: »You’re over complicating things. While a lot of what you are doing will have other health benefits, all you need to do to lose weight is eat at a deficit. That’s all that matters, not whether you eat carbs or protein or take supplements.
At your present deficit you should be seeing a loss of about half a pound a week. That means in three weeks you would lose a pound and a half. That’s within the margin of error of a lot of scales. 200 calories is also really easy to erase by logging errors. Eat half a spoonful too much peanut butter plus a tiny amount too much salad dressing and suddenly you aren’t in a deficit at all.
Finally, if you just started the HIIT at the same time as your diet, you may have water retention in your muscles due to repair from exercise. It’s also usual for a woman who has periods to gain a couple of pounds around the time of her cycle.
If you want to lose on 200 cal deficit you are going to need to be patient and very accurate with your logging.
Hi, thank you for taking time to analyze my current progress. I really appreciate it!
I am trying to increase the deficit to 500 slowly. Since my daily goal is only 1260 I find it a little difficult!
Thank you,
Audrey
1 -
Audrey, I’m going through the same exact thing. You’re not alone. I’ve been working out every day for the past 2 (almost 2.5) months, started eating healthier, and drinking more water and I still haven’t seen results. I’m feeling extra discouraged today. But I would encourage you to keep going and to focus on how great it feels to be healthy. How much happier you may feel, and how much more you may be moving around. That’s what I’m trying to do. I think that by focusing on those feelings, it’ll help to pull you through. All the best to you!! I know you can do it!!!😄💪🏽
Hi Amary, glad to hear I'm not alone... really am seeking some emotional support. I'm feeling the exact way you are! I even feel like I'm having some depressing episodes but I listen to positive affirmations to push through. Let's not feel discouraged and keep our consistent dedication. Thanks so much !!!
0 -
If you're doing HIIT training (unlikely because real HIIT would wear you out in less than 1 hour) daily, you're NOT giving your body a chance to rest. HIIT shouldn't be done at MOST 3 times in a week because it's rough on the nervous system. My advice, reduce your training to 3 times a week to start and see how your body responds.
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
Hi, that's good information to know!! I've been doing fasted HIIT (around 20mins) + strength training combined of 1 hr in the morning, and after work I do a 5-10 min cardio workout (Pamela Reif or from Nike App) + abs, stretching... etc.
I'll definitely try to adjust my routine to see if anything changes. Thank you!!0 -
You don’t say what your goal is, but from where you’re starting you are not out to lose a lot. Fact is that weight loss coupled with a high level of fitness is work with tight margins. It can be slow going.
But if you are going to make it, you have to embrace the lifestyle. In a way, once you’ve done that the time involved becomes irrelevant.
Now about your seeming lack of progress. No loss or slow loss in the face of new or increased exercise is probably the most frequent complaint on this board. The short answer is water retention. Newly stressed muscles retain water. Same issue is messing with you body comp.
The whole thing takes longer than we would like. Be persistent and determined. Stay the course. It will work. Eventually you may want to tinker with the numbers. But only think in terms of tinkering and adjusting. Over time small changes can make a big difference.
Do you feel a difference in your workouts? The same incrementalism you will see working regarding your fitness goals will work for weight loss.
Hi, thank you so much for this encouraging feedback. I feel much better already. I think instead of weighing everyday I'm going to try once a week instead. I felt more discouraged today because my measurements were almost exactly the same, and I even put on 3 cm more on my arms which was one of the most stubborn areas I wanted to lose fat on.
My goal is not really to be skinny, I hope to become healthier fat %wise and tone my body.
My realistic timeline is that by my 30th birthday next April I will feel confident enough to embrace the next stages of my life!!
I do notice a great difference in my strength during my workouts. I feel stronger and my coordination and balance have both improved.
Thank you again3 -
When I start to try and reduce weight I lose nothing at all for the first two weeks. Then a tiny loss in the third week - maybe half a pound. Then suddenly it's as if my body wakes up to the plan and the pounds start coming off.
As rheddmobile says, in the early days you may have lost a pound a week of fat but it's not registering due to water retention or hormonal fluctuation. Focusing on how clothes feel and how your body looks - is it starting to look flatter, stronger, more toned? - these things help until the weight loss is obvious on the scales.0 -
audreyajyu wrote: »You don’t say what your goal is, but from where you’re starting you are not out to lose a lot. Fact is that weight loss coupled with a high level of fitness is work with tight margins. It can be slow going.
But if you are going to make it, you have to embrace the lifestyle. In a way, once you’ve done that the time involved becomes irrelevant.
Now about your seeming lack of progress. No loss or slow loss in the face of new or increased exercise is probably the most frequent complaint on this board. The short answer is water retention. Newly stressed muscles retain water. Same issue is messing with you body comp.
The whole thing takes longer than we would like. Be persistent and determined. Stay the course. It will work. Eventually you may want to tinker with the numbers. But only think in terms of tinkering and adjusting. Over time small changes can make a big difference.
Do you feel a difference in your workouts? The same incrementalism you will see working regarding your fitness goals will work for weight loss.
Hi, thank you so much for this encouraging feedback. I feel much better already. I think instead of weighing everyday I'm going to try once a week instead. I felt more discouraged today because my measurements were almost exactly the same, and I even put on 3 cm more on my arms which was one of the most stubborn areas I wanted to lose fat on.
My goal is not really to be skinny, I hope to become healthier fat %wise and tone my body.
My realistic timeline is that by my 30th birthday next April I will feel confident enough to embrace the next stages of my life!!
I do notice a great difference in my strength during my workouts. I feel stronger and my coordination and balance have both improved.
Thank you again
Strength training will cause water retention in the muscles, which can cause swelling (=increase in measurement). It's not fat, just be patient
2 -
audreyajyu wrote: »You don’t say what your goal is, but from where you’re starting you are not out to lose a lot. Fact is that weight loss coupled with a high level of fitness is work with tight margins. It can be slow going.
But if you are going to make it, you have to embrace the lifestyle. In a way, once you’ve done that the time involved becomes irrelevant.
Now about your seeming lack of progress. No loss or slow loss in the face of new or increased exercise is probably the most frequent complaint on this board. The short answer is water retention. Newly stressed muscles retain water. Same issue is messing with you body comp.
The whole thing takes longer than we would like. Be persistent and determined. Stay the course. It will work. Eventually you may want to tinker with the numbers. But only think in terms of tinkering and adjusting. Over time small changes can make a big difference.
Do you feel a difference in your workouts? The same incrementalism you will see working regarding your fitness goals will work for weight loss.
Hi, thank you so much for this encouraging feedback. I feel much better already. I think instead of weighing everyday I'm going to try once a week instead. I felt more discouraged today because my measurements were almost exactly the same, and I even put on 3 cm more on my arms which was one of the most stubborn areas I wanted to lose fat on.
My goal is not really to be skinny, I hope to become healthier fat %wise and tone my body.
My realistic timeline is that by my 30th birthday next April I will feel confident enough to embrace the next stages of my life!!
I do notice a great difference in my strength during my workouts. I feel stronger and my coordination and balance have both improved.
Thank you again
Strength training will cause water retention in the muscles, which can cause swelling (=increase in measurement). It's not fat, just be patient
Thank you, I do have a question though , is it possible to gain fat % in this journey? I’m using my moron to weigh myself everyday and the body fat percentage is going up despite my hard work. 0 -
0 -
When I start to try and reduce weight I lose nothing at all for the first two weeks. Then a tiny loss in the third week - maybe half a pound. Then suddenly it's as if my body wakes up to the plan and the pounds start coming off.
As rheddmobile says, in the early days you may have lost a pound a week of fat but it's not registering due to water retention or hormonal fluctuation. Focusing on how clothes feel and how your body looks - is it starting to look flatter, stronger, more toned? - these things help until the weight loss is obvious on the scales.
Hi Cherys, it has been over 3 weeks now and my measurements and weight or body fat has not gone down. I look more toned which doesn’t really make sense with the body fat % going up. Is this possible?
I’m still keeping a positive mind though, don’t worry!
Thank you!1 -
audreyajyu wrote: »When I start to try and reduce weight I lose nothing at all for the first two weeks. Then a tiny loss in the third week - maybe half a pound. Then suddenly it's as if my body wakes up to the plan and the pounds start coming off.
As rheddmobile says, in the early days you may have lost a pound a week of fat but it's not registering due to water retention or hormonal fluctuation. Focusing on how clothes feel and how your body looks - is it starting to look flatter, stronger, more toned? - these things help until the weight loss is obvious on the scales.
Hi Cherys, it has been over 3 weeks now and my measurements and weight or body fat has not gone down. I look more toned which doesn’t really make sense with the body fat % going up. Is this possible?
I’m still keeping a positive mind though, don’t worry!
Thank you!
Body fat percentage is a reflection of the relative proportion of fat you have compared to other things (i.e. muscle, bone, water, etc.), it is not a "true" unit of measure in the sense that it doesn't tell you specifically how many lbs or kgs of fat you have. When you start working out and eating well your body will shed extra water that you have been retaining (different from the water retention in your muscles from exercise). Your body will get rid of the extra water much faster than the fat causing your fat % to increase even as you are losing fat. When I started my journey I had 34% body fat and 2 weeks later I had 39% body fat simply because I had lost so much water weight so quickly. It's normal, don't let it freak you out. Once you burn off the excess water you have been retaining you will see your body fat % decrease.
Also, most scales have an accuracy range of +/- 8% so take any readings from them with a grain of salt. It's sounds like your'e doing the right things, trust the process and don't stress about it.4 -
Sorry, I had a few other thoughts on your situation in general...
It sounds like you've made quite a few changes in a short period of time; there is nothing wrong with that, but it can make it difficult to examine specific results or issues. With such a small calorie deficit you are in more of a re-composition mode than weight loss mode. That is also fine but it is a slower process in regards to seeing it reflected on the scale. You may have just found that equilibrium point where the water weight and fat you're losing is roughly equal to the muscle growth and muscular water retention from your exercise, which could be why you haven't seen the results you're looking for on the scale quite yet.
As was already mentioned, the deficit you're working with is easy to exceed just by being relaxed when measuring or weighing out your food. Also, I'm not sure where you live, but in the USA food companies are allowed a pretty wide tolerance when listing nutrition info (I think 20%) which makes it difficult to dial in your deficit until you have consistent eating patterns and start seeing observable results.
You didn't mention whether you are factoring the calories burned from exercise into your deficit. Unless you are wearing a chest strap heart monitor it is very difficult to accurately estimate calories burned from exercise. If you are trying to eat them back (recommended with the amount of exercise you're doing) I would recommend only eating half of the calories that you estimate to have burned. Give that some time and adjust from there. In my experience MFP drastically over estimates how many calories certain exercises burn.
As for evaluating results, when using the scale try to be consistent. I don't mean you have to use it every day (it's fine if you want to) but rather that you should weigh yourself the same way every time, right after you wake up and take care of any urgent bathroom needs. Also, you should wear as few clothes as possible or no clothes at all (I'm not trying to be crude, but it reduces variability). It is also a good idea to make sure the sensors on your scale are clean before taking a body fat measurement. I only check my fat % every month or so and I clean the sensors and the soles of my feet with rubbing alcohol prior to doing so. If you want to see how variable those scale readings are, compare with and without cleaning the scales, compare pre and post shower, and compare pre and post meal. You'll see a lot of variance with seemingly little effort or time lapsed.
Lastly, I want to make it clear that I am not trying to make you feel like your deficit is not enough and that you need to only eat 500 calories a day. Eating too little is dangerous and unnecessary. I only mention it because it can take time to dial in with new foods and exercise. At 58 kg you are a relatively small person with less room in your calorie budget. You didn't mention your age or height but you said you're currently only eating 1,260 calories. I would also not try to fidget with the numbers too much, it takes your body a while to respond. When you have a calorie target chosen try to stick with it for at least 3 or 4 weeks to see your results. If you change things up too often it gets difficult to find where any issue may be.
Sorry for the rambling post. Sometimes my brain gets itchy and I need to scratch it...2 -
audreyajyu wrote: »…
I am trying to increase the deficit to 500 slowly. Since my daily goal is only 1260 I find it a little difficult!
Thank you,
Audrey
And also echoing what @BendableButMendable said. Eating too little is hard on your body.
There are some good reasons to have a 1200 calorie target. You haven’t mentioned how tall you are, and that can be a factor.
Myself, at 5’ 8” I set myself to 1300 calories. And my nutritionist set me a minimum of 100 carbs a day. But my calories are that low because I’m disabled, and I don’t always do the usual level of daily walking around the house or grocery store. An able bodied person who is my height would likely struggle at 1300 calories a day.
Do you have a chance to talk to a nutritionist? That might be helpful. Just a suggestion.0 -
audreyajyu wrote: »audreyajyu wrote: »You don’t say what your goal is, but from where you’re starting you are not out to lose a lot. Fact is that weight loss coupled with a high level of fitness is work with tight margins. It can be slow going.
But if you are going to make it, you have to embrace the lifestyle. In a way, once you’ve done that the time involved becomes irrelevant.
Now about your seeming lack of progress. No loss or slow loss in the face of new or increased exercise is probably the most frequent complaint on this board. The short answer is water retention. Newly stressed muscles retain water. Same issue is messing with you body comp.
The whole thing takes longer than we would like. Be persistent and determined. Stay the course. It will work. Eventually you may want to tinker with the numbers. But only think in terms of tinkering and adjusting. Over time small changes can make a big difference.
Do you feel a difference in your workouts? The same incrementalism you will see working regarding your fitness goals will work for weight loss.
Hi, thank you so much for this encouraging feedback. I feel much better already. I think instead of weighing everyday I'm going to try once a week instead. I felt more discouraged today because my measurements were almost exactly the same, and I even put on 3 cm more on my arms which was one of the most stubborn areas I wanted to lose fat on.
My goal is not really to be skinny, I hope to become healthier fat %wise and tone my body.
My realistic timeline is that by my 30th birthday next April I will feel confident enough to embrace the next stages of my life!!
I do notice a great difference in my strength during my workouts. I feel stronger and my coordination and balance have both improved.
Thank you again
Strength training will cause water retention in the muscles, which can cause swelling (=increase in measurement). It's not fat, just be patient
Thank you, I do have a question though , is it possible to gain fat % in this journey? I’m using my moron to weigh myself everyday and the body fat percentage is going up despite my hard work.
Your Omron is a moron, true body composition scales are notoriously unreliable and can give you a different number just based on your level of hydration. It doesn't actually measure your bodyfat, it measures your electrical resistance and tries to deduce your bodyfat percentage. If it only measures at your feet (nothing to hold in your hands), it's even worse since it's only measuring the electrical resistance in your legs (electricity chooses the shortest path). 0 -
BendableButMendable wrote: »Sorry, I had a few other thoughts on your situation in general...
It sounds like you've made quite a few changes in a short period of time; there is nothing wrong with that, but it can make it difficult to examine specific results or issues. With such a small calorie deficit you are in more of a re-composition mode than weight loss mode. That is also fine but it is a slower process in regards to seeing it reflected on the scale. You may have just found that equilibrium point where the water weight and fat you're losing is roughly equal to the muscle growth and muscular water retention from your exercise, which could be why you haven't seen the results you're looking for on the scale quite yet.
As was already mentioned, the deficit you're working with is easy to exceed just by being relaxed when measuring or weighing out your food. Also, I'm not sure where you live, but in the USA food companies are allowed a pretty wide tolerance when listing nutrition info (I think 20%) which makes it difficult to dial in your deficit until you have consistent eating patterns and start seeing observable results.
You didn't mention whether you are factoring the calories burned from exercise into your deficit. Unless you are wearing a chest strap heart monitor it is very difficult to accurately estimate calories burned from exercise. If you are trying to eat them back (recommended with the amount of exercise you're doing) I would recommend only eating half of the calories that you estimate to have burned. Give that some time and adjust from there. In my experience MFP drastically over estimates how many calories certain exercises burn.
As for evaluating results, when using the scale try to be consistent. I don't mean you have to use it every day (it's fine if you want to) but rather that you should weigh yourself the same way every time, right after you wake up and take care of any urgent bathroom needs. Also, you should wear as few clothes as possible or no clothes at all (I'm not trying to be crude, but it reduces variability). It is also a good idea to make sure the sensors on your scale are clean before taking a body fat measurement. I only check my fat % every month or so and I clean the sensors and the soles of my feet with rubbing alcohol prior to doing so. If you want to see how variable those scale readings are, compare with and without cleaning the scales, compare pre and post shower, and compare pre and post meal. You'll see a lot of variance with seemingly little effort or time lapsed.
Lastly, I want to make it clear that I am not trying to make you feel like your deficit is not enough and that you need to only eat 500 calories a day. Eating too little is dangerous and unnecessary. I only mention it because it can take time to dial in with new foods and exercise. At 58 kg you are a relatively small person with less room in your calorie budget. You didn't mention your age or height but you said you're currently only eating 1,260 calories. I would also not try to fidget with the numbers too much, it takes your body a while to respond. When you have a calorie target chosen try to stick with it for at least 3 or 4 weeks to see your results. If you change things up too often it gets difficult to find where any issue may be.
Sorry for the rambling post. Sometimes my brain gets itchy and I need to scratch it...
Hello,
First I want to sincerely thank you for your insightful feedback!! Super helpful information for me.
Some extra info: I’m 162cm, and I weigh myself daily when I wake up after using the bathroom. I’ve since then watched lots of videos and realized yes, I might be in recomposition mode! Today’s recording: 57.5, 27.4%
I realized that you are prob right about the scale not being accurate, as just out of curiosity I weighed before bed last night and it was 58.5 and 25.4% haha!
Around a week ago my fitness pal readjusted my calorie goal to around 1500 cals, so after entering my exercise burned 300 Cals (measured through Apple Watch) im usually at around 200 deficit. It’s really hard for me to hit 500 right now, even with really clean eating and fasting 18hrs a day… eg. two eggs cooked in coconut oil is already 186 cals and that’s only a small portion of my lunch, whey & carbrite bars are quite high for my snacks, banana, kiwi, peanut butter and oats are for dinner and its so hard to give these up! you get the idea! So I’m definitely not under eating. I make sure my body is fully satiated and satisfied so I make it through my 18hr fasts.
Thank you again for putting in the time to give your wise info
I feel so lucky to have this community for support ! I will continue with my efforts! Good luck with your journey as well!! 1 -
MargaretYakoda wrote: »audreyajyu wrote: »…
I am trying to increase the deficit to 500 slowly. Since my daily goal is only 1260 I find it a little difficult!
Thank you,
Audrey
And also echoing what @BendableButMendable said. Eating too little is hard on your body.
There are some good reasons to have a 1200 calorie target. You haven’t mentioned how tall you are, and that can be a factor.
Myself, at 5’ 8” I set myself to 1300 calories. And my nutritionist set me a minimum of 100 carbs a day. But my calories are that low because I’m disabled, and I don’t always do the usual level of daily walking around the house or grocery store. An able bodied person who is my height would likely struggle at 1300 calories a day.
Do you have a chance to talk to a nutritionist? That might be helpful. Just a suggestion.
Hello! For extra info I’m 162cm. I’m not sure why the app set the initial goal at 1200 cals but right now it’s adjusted to around 1500. I don’t have the chance to visit a nutritionist with my schedule but I’m definitely going to try to look for one online!
Good luck to you and your journey and thank you for commenting!! 0
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