Need HELP! Not seeing results & DISCOURAGED

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samthomason
samthomason Posts: 46 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Well it has been since January of the new year since I have started eating better and started exercising (at home JIllian Michaels dvds). Then at the end of February I started going to the gym and have begun Strong LIfts 5X5. I do SL5x5 3 days a week and then the other two week days I usually go for a jog. About a month ago I bought a Bodymedia Fit Link because I was tired of wondering how many calories I was burning on a day to day basis. I ran a report and it says my average daily burn is 2419, my daily calorie average is 1890 and I have an average calorie deficit of 529. I have it set for a 250 calorie/day deficit (and I also have a free meal on Sundays) since I am not overweight. I have not lost any weight, but I don't really care about that. The problem is I haven't lost very many inches either. I have lost only .5 inch from my hips (since Jan), 1.75" from my natural waist, and 3" from my bellybutton. Everything else has stayed relatively the same. I am 5'8", 125 lbs, and my goal is to lose the fat around my stomach/hips (that is where most of my fat is) and build muscle. If I had to choose I would rather decrease bodyfat over build muscle, but my eventual goal is to gain muscle. I've seen so many success stories and always feel inspired but lately I have been feeling very discouraged since I don't feel like I'm progressing especially after starting heavy lifting. So, my question is, am I eating too much/not enough? being impatient? not doing enough strength training? Any suggestions or critiques are welcome.

My SL5X5 Stats
Bench: 60 lbs
Squats: 85 lbs
Deadlift: 115 lbs
Rows: 40 lbs
Overhead press: 30 lbs

Replies

  • samthomason
    samthomason Posts: 46 Member
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    Feeling impatient...any ideas?
  • iwantahealthierme13
    iwantahealthierme13 Posts: 337 Member
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    at 5'8" and 125 pounds you think you have FAT to lose??

    You are underweight, hon.

    Muscle weighs more than fat, if you want to get muscular you are going to gain weight (which you need)

    Keep toning.
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
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    at 5'8" and 125 pounds you think you have FAT to lose??

    You are underweight, hon.

    Muscle weighs more than fat, if you want to get muscular you are going to gain weight (which you need)

    Keep toning.

    Yup.
  • samthomason
    samthomason Posts: 46 Member
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    at 5'8" and 125 pounds you think you have FAT to lose??

    You are underweight, hon.

    Muscle weighs more than fat, if you want to get muscular you are going to gain weight (which you need)

    Keep toning.

    Yup.


    I was sure this was going to come up. It's not that I think I am fat, it is that I am trying to decrease my bodyfat percentage and I'm not sure if I'm going about it in the right way..
  • TheFunBun
    TheFunBun Posts: 793 Member
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    Three inches from the belly button sounds nice. Depending on your body structure, though, you might not gain muscle/have fat to lose on your hip or natural waist. Did you check your arms, bust, blah blah blah?

    How do you look compared to January? How firm? If you're improving, you're improving. :)
  • TheBraveryLover
    TheBraveryLover Posts: 1,217 Member
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    5'8" and 125 is NOT underweight, so you're well within your rights to be there. Anyway, because of it being on the lower end *of healthy* it'll take a little longer to lose what you need/want to lose. I say keep up with what you're doing; make sure you're getting enough protein (100+ grams daily) and keep lifting and eating well. You're not stagnant on the inches lost, just not losing it as fast as you'd like to but it's harder to lose it fast when you're slim.

    Good job on your progress thus far!
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
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    Based on your height and weight, the inch loss you have seen is good progress as I guess you don't have many inches to lose!!
    Have you had your bf tested to see what the reduction is since january?

    As other posters have said, you need to work on building muscle not losing weight. It sounds like you are on the right track with the heavy lifting, but there is no need or you to be in a calorie deficit, in fact it is harder to build muscle while at a deficit.
    Try eating at maintance / tdee, get at least 30% protein, and you should get results :-)
  • Shmemily001
    Shmemily001 Posts: 15 Member
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    ^^^^^This answer is perfect. Protein in diet, more weight in strength training, less reps, max out your muscles till you can't lift anymore, eat more calories for muscle building.
  • HarajukuGrrl
    HarajukuGrrl Posts: 8
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    i see(from your profile) you have a son, so while you're so skinny its possible you could have a "trouble area" I doubt it but its possible, being pregnant and all. maybe try talking to a trainer at your gym to see what he/she has to offer. Also, maybe its just bloat...i know that sounds dumb, but i had a friend who ate so many sodium loaded foods, she was so thin, but always bloated, she cut some out and doesnt have tha anymore. and then theres thyroid too...that could affect this. im sure youre fine, we are our own worst critics, but just a lil advice. ;)
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
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    at 5'8" and 125 pounds you think you have FAT to lose??

    You are underweight, hon.

    Muscle weighs more than fat, if you want to get muscular you are going to gain weight (which you need)

    Keep toning.

    Yup.


    I was sure this was going to come up. It's not that I think I am fat, it is that I am trying to decrease my bodyfat percentage and I'm not sure if I'm going about it in the right way..

    The exercise you're doing is pretty good. There is a saying I've heard a lot, six pack abs are made in the kitchen not the gym. Lean protein, fiber and lots of veggies. You might find this surprising, but keeping an aggressive calorie deficit probably isn't helping you. Building muscle generally requires more calories.

    Definitely get your body fat measured. Just visually speaking, you need to have your body fat pretty low before you get the cut look with muscles popping out. On average that is under 12% for women and 8% for men, if I remember that correctly.
  • samthomason
    samthomason Posts: 46 Member
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    Thanks for the suggestions. In response to diet, I feel like I eat about 80% healthy and 20% whatever I want (but my diary is open if anyone wants to critique). I guess I am mainly looking for women who have successfully been through cutting their bodyfat down and how they were able to accomplish it. Since it was suggested, I am thinking of eating right at maintenance but I worry about gaining fat along with muscle since it is practically summer (here in AZ).
  • somervilleshar
    somervilleshar Posts: 30 Member
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    Have you ever read Oxygen it has lots of helpful hints for working on sculpting your body. You can also go online to oxygen. The person Tosca Reno is an author that has written several books which all centre around eating clean. I am not an expert but from what I have read the six pack can be partly genetic, what you are eating and how you are training. Finding a good personal trainer will help you get to your fitness goals. At least that is what I am hoping. Muscle is heavier than fat and when I started working out 5 days a week all I found is that my muscles where getting bigger. It takes some people longer to see result. What the trainer told me is that after 6 weeks of doing the same type of exercise, our bodies are not working as hard any more. So change your routine at least every 6 weeks.

    Hope this helps
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
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    Thanks for the suggestions. In response to diet, I feel like I eat about 80% healthy and 20% whatever I want (but my diary is open if anyone wants to critique). I guess I am mainly looking for women who have successfully been through cutting their bodyfat down and how they were able to accomplish it. Since it was suggested, I am thinking of eating right at maintenance but I worry about gaining fat along with muscle since it is practically summer (here in AZ).

    look up 'lorinalynn', she is a great example of someone who has reduced BF and looks a lot different without losing many lbs :-)
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    I'll be honest and am very confused why you're discouraged. You've lost inches, you've upped your strength, why are you discouraged?

    You're not going to get the same results as people who are bigger. You're going to have to work the same intensity and wait longer for results. That's a GOOD thing. Trust me I would much prefer to be at my goal weight battling to lose inches then have the 30kg+ I still have to lose. It's going to take time. You've been lifting for less than two months. Give it a year and you'll see your results.

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