toning and gaining muscle...but not losing fat!

cindymarguerite
cindymarguerite Posts: 52
edited October 5 in Fitness and Exercise
so, i've been working out for about a month now ( cardio 3/4 times a week, pilates, ballet, weight training 4/5 times a week) and i can see my muscles developing and toning...but the fat won't go away! the fat on my thighs and arms just kind of hang and flop off the toned muscle underneath and it looks EXTREMELY disgusting.

so my question is this: what do i have to do to make sure i'm burning fat? why is it that i can gain and tone muscle but still not lose the fat over it? is my diet a factor? should i cut back on the weight training and just focus on HIIT cardio for a while? help me oh wise MFP gurus!

p.s- i've also been at a plateau for about two months- would that have something to do with my no fat loss dilema?

Replies

  • thecrossfitter
    thecrossfitter Posts: 424 Member
    EDIT: I didn't look at your food diary first - my mistake! However Steve/NerdFitness still advocate enough calories - and GOOD calories at that! Sorry for trying to jump the gun before reading your diary!

    I would guess it's a food issue.

    Not a scholarly source or anything, but from Steve at nerd fitness:
    DIET IS The MOST IMPORTANT THING
    ( http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/12/01/11-things/ )

    This one lesson alone would have saved me six years of struggle.

    Unless you are running ultra-marathons with frequent regularity, there’s no amount of exercise you can do that will balance out a crappy diet. If you are trying to lose weight, what you eat is 70% of the battle. If you are trying to gain weight and build muscle, it’s probably 80% of the battle. If you are trying to look like Saint, then it’s probably more like 90% of the battle.
    You Can't Outrun Your Fork:
    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/07/15/you-cant-outrun-your-fork/
  • Tarah1218
    Tarah1218 Posts: 36
    If I can be greatly honest here without you getting mad....You diet is horrible. You are catabolic because you are not eating enough calories, PLUS, not eating enough protien. If you meeting your 1g of protien per lb of lean mass I wouldn't be saying this. Right now I do not take in many calories a day for my height (1200-1600) but I have to meet my 140g of protien goal (my goal bodyweight for 14% bodyfat, my lean mass is 121 lbs). You should also really start eating fruit and vegetables and make sure you are drinking a good amount of water. The fat probably seems to be hanging due to water retention or loose skin. If I carb it up I will hold water like a beast and my stomach will ripple when I touch it, haha. I can assure you that you have not gained enough muscle to notice. You are not taking in enough calories or enough protien to be able to build muscle right now, only lose it.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    It looks like you're not eating enough. You should at least be eating 1200cal in food alone. Don't you get a little message when you complete your diary that you're not eating enough?

    Also, if you can see your muscles now, and you couldn't before, it is because you ARE losing fat around those muscles. You can't actually GAIN muscle on a calorie deficit.

    I suggest eating more nutrient dense foods and get at least 1200 calories a day. You should be eating at least 1/2 or all of your exercise calories every or every other day. It probably wouldn't hurt for you to take a couple of days and eat 1500-1600 calories before going back down to 1200.

    Keep strength training too.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    If I can be greatly honest here without you getting mad....You diet is horrible. You are catabolic because you are not eating enough calories, PLUS, not eating enough protien. If you meeting your 1g of protien per lb of lean mass I wouldn't be saying this. Right now I do not take in many calories a day for my height (1200-1600) but I have to meet my 140g of protien goal (my goal bodyweight for 14% bodyfat, my lean mass is 121 lbs). You should also really start eating fruit and vegetables and make sure you are drinking a good amount of water. The fat probably seems to be hanging due to water retention or loose skin. If I carb it up I will hold water like a beast and my stomach will ripple when I touch it, haha. I can assure you that you have not gained enough muscle to notice. You are not taking in enough calories or enough protien to be able to build muscle right now, only lose it.

    ^yes, this too. You need protein!!
  • shydaisi
    shydaisi Posts: 788 Member
    You definitely are not eating enough. I know it is hard to get out of the "the less I eat and the more I workout the more I will lose" mentality, but you body HAS to have calories to survive and to keep your metabolism up and running.
  • cindymarguerite
    cindymarguerite Posts: 52
    I should have mentioned that I had weight loss surgery 6 months ago so i struggle to get my calorie intake anywhere near 1200! i'm having an appointment with my surgeon to discuss this matter next week, actually. =/
  • Tarah1218
    Tarah1218 Posts: 36
    You can take in a higher calorie protien shake (split into like 3 servings taken at 3 different times) to help meet your calorie and protien needs without taking in too much volume. You really should clean up your eating though, you need those veges, and some fruits if you crave sweetness, and you don't have to eat large quanitites. You say you cannot eat much due to weight loss surgery, but you are only eating 3-4 times a day. Try eating every 1.5-2hrs and getting in 6 meals a day. Less volume and just as much food.
  • cindymarguerite
    cindymarguerite Posts: 52
    If I can be greatly honest here without you getting mad....You diet is horrible. You are catabolic because you are not eating enough calories, PLUS, not eating enough protien. If you meeting your 1g of protien per lb of lean mass I wouldn't be saying this. Right now I do not take in many calories a day for my height (1200-1600) but I have to meet my 140g of protien goal (my goal bodyweight for 14% bodyfat, my lean mass is 121 lbs). You should also really start eating fruit and vegetables and make sure you are drinking a good amount of water. The fat probably seems to be hanging due to water retention or loose skin. If I carb it up I will hold water like a beast and my stomach will ripple when I touch it, haha. I can assure you that you have not gained enough muscle to notice. You are not taking in enough calories or enough protien to be able to build muscle right now, only lose it.

    Haha no anger here! I guess I'm pretty ignorant- gaining muscle with my intake makes no sense. I need to work on my protein I guess....and just about everything else. Thanks for the wake-up call!
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
    Are you tracking your body fat percentage and working the formula each time to see if you are losing fat?

    Formula:

    Weight x body fat percentage = Pounds of fat
    Weight - Pounds of fat = Pounds of lean body mass

    It takes time to lose fat. Scale weight loss and fat loss aren't the same thing. What kind of cardio are you doing? Cardio burns fat.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    If you had weight loss surgery, you probably lost that weight rather quickly. It might be loss skin you're seeing, not excess fat.
  • BenderFitness
    BenderFitness Posts: 349
    There are a ton of workouts you can do to gain muscle and lose fat, but you def have to be consuming enough calories to do that. If you don't get enough calories your body goes into starvation mode, slows your metabolism and holds on to every bit of fat that it can.

    Once you talk to your doctor and figure out how to up your calorie intake I would be glad to help you find some workout ideas that would work for your goals.
  • Pickles11
    Pickles11 Posts: 310 Member
    I agree with eating cleaner. Today your sodium was quite a but over, and I noticed a lot of processed foods and cookies/chocolate. Try to get your calories from fruits and vegetables- foods with lots of nutrients.
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