SLOW Weight Loss

cansnchloe
cansnchloe Posts: 55 Member
Hello fellow Crossfitters,

So I am curious, are you all experiencing VERY slow weight loss while Crossfitting? Seems to be an "across the board" issue in our box, me included. I am on 7 months of 3-5 WOD's a week and have only lost 8 pounds in that timeframe and 4 inches from my waist.

Even our hardcore Paleo peeps have initially dropped a quick 10-15 and then just dragging through pound by pound. Do we all agree it's because of the muscle gains? We are told in our box not to focus on the scale numbers but that is hard to do. Particularly when you have weight to loss.

Anyone else experiencing this out of curiosity?

Replies

  • tabbychiro
    tabbychiro Posts: 223 Member
    I've been CrossFitting since mid-October and I don't think I've lost that much weight. Even with doing Paleo for the last few weeks,, I haven't lost that much weight. But I do feel feel I'm gaining more muscle so I hope that is why the scale says what it says.

    I've heard many stories of people who do Paleo and drop 10 or so pounds right away. But not for me, alas.

    4 inches from your waist seems pretty significant though. That is awesome!
  • jagwab
    jagwab Posts: 93
    I am new to CF so take what I say with a grain of salt. Maybe you need to mix things up. Instead of 5 days of CF try 3 days and 2 days of some other form of cardio, tabatas, intervals, hell even zumba if you like it. I am a big believer in mixing things up but I have exercise ADD. I can't do the same thing day after day. maybe the body needs a rest period?

    And I too will be frustrated after 7 months if I have only lost 4 inches of my waist. I have around 80 pounds to lose.
  • 4 inches sounds pretty good though, right? I slowed down after an initial drop of about 8 pounds and have about 8 pounds to go. I've been thinking about adding some additional cardio. I usually do 4 - 5 days of cf. It does seem that adding more cardio feels like I'm a slave to working out. I don't pay much attention to my weight I go by how clothes fit and how I feel. I just recently stopped doing too many nuts and dropped a couple more pounds. Just keep at it and tweaking it until you find the right formula - slow and steady wins the race!! (that's what I keep telling myself anyway)
  • cansnchloe
    cansnchloe Posts: 55 Member
    My husband who has always been a runner, started his CF routine (not an official member but taking from what we are doing in the box) and has gained 6 pounds the first month! But he looks great and even more cut than ever. So I am going to try to stop worrying about my obsession with the scale. Perhaps in 2 or 3 years I can post in the Success Stories board. LOL.
  • zenJes
    zenJes Posts: 198 Member
    ive been doing crossfit for 5 plus days in a week for the last month and a half and my weight hasnt changed at all but i have changed alot!!

    medec-feb.jpg
  • cansnchloe
    cansnchloe Posts: 55 Member
    Thank you! That was a great post and so helpful :) You look great too!
  • thecrossfitter
    thecrossfitter Posts: 424 Member
    I've hardly lost weight in 6 months of crossfit, but I have done this:

    Screenshot2011-12-13at21427PM-1.png

    My thought: Who cares? I don't ever have to step on a scale in public or go around with my weight written on my forehead. What I AM walking around in today though, is my jeans from when I was 19 and weighed 127lbs. Nearly 6 years later I weigh about 145lbs and fit into them just lovely (and I'm eating MORE than twice as much as back then, can back squat more than my body weight, deadlift nearly 200lbs, and shaved 1 minute 30 off my mile time.)
  • zenJes
    zenJes Posts: 198 Member
    The weight is definitely distributed differently :D
    Also i was wearing my boxes t shirt today and got asked if i was a crossfit instructor!!! not going to lie pretty bloody happy lol
  • JennyWithLime
    JennyWithLime Posts: 4 Member
    I've hardly lost weight in 6 months of crossfit, but I have done this:

    Screenshot2011-12-13at21427PM-1.png

    My thought: Who cares? I don't ever have to step on a scale in public or go around with my weight written on my forehead. What I AM walking around in today though, is my jeans from when I was 19 and weighed 127lbs. Nearly 6 years later I weigh about 145lbs and fit into them just lovely (and I'm eating MORE than twice as much as back then, can back squat more than my body weight, deadlift nearly 200lbs, and shaved 1 minute 30 off my mile time.)

    I have been stuck in a rut strict dieting and excessive crossfitting ... and GAINING on the scale ... so YOU are truly helping my motivation to just keep going and forget the numbers! ... it won't be instant but it will pay off!... THANK YOU
  • jukemaster
    jukemaster Posts: 49 Member
    Crossfit is going to build lean muscle, which is heavier than fat. Weight is kind of a crappy benchmark, as is BMI, because it doesn't hone in on the unhealthy aspects of your body. Use body fat as your key indicator of success. I've actually gained weight using Crossfit, but my waist is down as is my body fat percentage, and I'm starting to look better. The change in your waistline tells me CF is working. If you don't see enough fat loss in yourself, then you might be getting too much of an anaerobic workout. CF. You could lower your CF days to three a week and then spend one or two days doing something that puts your heartrate into a fat burning zone. But I don't suspect that's an issue given the waist measurements.
  • I am a runner and I joined CrossFit to get stronger. At 5'10 and 138 lbs when I joined, I am now around 144. My strength has improved as well as my self esteem. That means way more to me than a number on the scale.
  • I've hardly lost weight in 6 months of crossfit, but I have done this:

    Screenshot2011-12-13at21427PM-1.png

    My thought: Who cares? I don't ever have to step on a scale in public or go around with my weight written on my forehead. What I AM walking around in today though, is my jeans from when I was 19 and weighed 127lbs. Nearly 6 years later I weigh about 145lbs and fit into them just lovely (and I'm eating MORE than twice as much as back then, can back squat more than my body weight, deadlift nearly 200lbs, and shaved 1 minute 30 off my mile time.)

    WOW!! Way to go! Thats impressive. :)
  • msmossie
    msmossie Posts: 2 Member
    I totally just added your picture and statement on my Pinterest CrossFit Inspiration board! You gain lean muscle with CrossFit. That's why you want to take before and after pictures and measurements. Way to go!