5wks hardcore workouts = NO results!

emarge
emarge Posts: 8 Member
edited December 18 in Health and Weight Loss
I joined a bootcamp w/ a professional trainer (former NFL player) knowing I needed someone to push me past my own limitations and not take any excuses that I came up w/. I'm on week 5 of 6, 4x a wk.

I have cried several times during workout b/c it's soooo hard and it hurts! but yet, I am "loving" these workouts. I do feel I'm getting stronger (I can now bench 10lbs more than when I started) and I feel empowered by working out so hard. My moods are better, my stamina and energy have improved and I look forward to the next morning for class.

Thing is, I haven't lost ANY weight (goal is to lose 50lbs) and other than 1inch on my waist, I haven't lost any inches!!! I was introduced to MFP 3wks into camp and since then I have been keeping up w/ my food logging. I had it at 1200cal. and depending on the day (how hungry I was or not), I would or would not eat back my calories burned. Today I changed my goals from 2lbs a week to 1lb which upped my calories for the day. We shall see if this makes any difference.

The point of all this is this: I'm frustrated that I'm working soooo hard and yet see NOTHING !! I don't get it! I'm 32yo and when I lost my preggo weight I was 27 and lost 40lbs in 4mo. Does age really make a difference? I'm pretty sure my hormones are not well (haven't gone to the dr. though) and wonder if that is what's keeping me from losing??!!!

What am I doing wrong? what am I NOT doing? I need to SEE results in order to keep encouraged. As of now, I feel everything I'm doing is pointless and therefore I am tempted to EAT b/c what difference has NOT eating made????

I totally vented! Thanks for hearing me out peeps. I look forward to the May challenge, but I wonder if I will change any of my #'s (I'm restarting the bootcamp class for another 6wks once this one is done). Thanks for any advice or pointers, I need anything I can get!! ~ Elaine
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Replies

  • korsicash
    korsicash Posts: 770 Member
    An inch is huge, maybe it is what you are eating but it sounds to me you are making progress
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    How is your food diary/logging. Exercise is great but real changes are made in the kitchen.
  • saxmaniac
    saxmaniac Posts: 1,133 Member
    Kill your scale.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/580019-the-scale-is-a-lying-torture-device-i-m-proof
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Topic says "NO results", yet.....
    I do feel I'm getting stronger (I can now bench 10lbs more than when I started) and I feel empowered by working out so hard. My moods are better, my stamina and energy have improved and I look forward to the next morning for class.

    Also, you will find that weight loss is driven mostly by diet, not exercise.
  • sammi402
    sammi402 Posts: 232 Member
    with the amount of exercise you were doing, you may not have been eating enough. Since you've upped your calorie intake that should help.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    Kill your scale.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/580019-the-scale-is-a-lying-torture-device-i-m-proof

    They lost inches.......not quite the same.
  • GasMasterFlash
    GasMasterFlash Posts: 2,206 Member
    An inch is huge...
    Sometimes. :smokin:
  • Josee76
    Josee76 Posts: 533 Member
    If you're doing bootcamp, you should be nourishing your body properly (hard lesson to learn that 1200 calories a day is not enough). I eat 2000 calories a day and it works.... maybe it's time to up your calorie intake and as the last poster said true changes are made in the kitchen! Good luck on your journey!
  • Coco_Puff
    Coco_Puff Posts: 823 Member
    Check out the group on here Eat More To Weigh Less. It will show you why you need to fuel your body for those workouts!
  • crawpapa
    crawpapa Posts: 156 Member
    Agree that while the SCALE might not show it....seems like a lot of other aspects of your life are....keep up the good work, focus on the positive, the scale will catch up.
  • TNTwedell
    TNTwedell Posts: 277 Member
    Same boat - fun, right? :mad:

    I cant give you any advice because i've been working out/eating right for 4months now and havent seen a dent in terms of progress (weight loss or inches)
    all I can do is tell you that I feel your pain - it is extremely frustrating - and I want to "cave" all the time too
    just dont.
    all my friends on MFP have told me i need to up my calories - like by A-LOT!
    i was at 1200 too
    i've raised it to 1500 and see what that does.... fingers crossed.


    what does your trainer say?
  • poshcouture
    poshcouture Posts: 610
    Topic says "NO results", yet.....
    I do feel I'm getting stronger (I can now bench 10lbs more than when I started) and I feel empowered by working out so hard. My moods are better, my stamina and energy have improved and I look forward to the next morning for class.

    Also, you will find that weight loss is driven mostly by diet, not exercise.

    Exactly what he said...you've obviously made signficant improvements in your strength over the last 5 weeks. You should be giving yourself a standing ovation! Stop looking at the scale! You're building muscle!
  • suzi67
    suzi67 Posts: 162 Member
    I would talk to your personal trainer and get a nutrition analysis done. If they don't know how to do that, they should know someone who can. You may not be taking in enough proper nutrients to work with this new activity and level you are doing it at. Your trainer should know more about you than anyone on here.
  • MinnesotaManimal
    MinnesotaManimal Posts: 642 Member
    An inch is huge,

    That is NOT what she said.....
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator

    What am I doing wrong? what am I NOT doing? I need to SEE results in order to keep encouraged. As of now, I feel everything I'm doing is pointless and therefore I am tempted to EAT b/c what difference has NOT eating made????

    What I suspect is not eating enough. Programs like P90X and insanity are pretty crazy workouts (which seem to be in line with your workout) and they recommend no less that 1800 calories. So I would recommend eating back your exercise calories or at least 50% of them). If you don't know them, you can always set your profile to moderately active and not worry about exercise calories.
  • jamiesadler
    jamiesadler Posts: 634 Member
    Sounds more to me like you are not eating enough calories. I cant be sure without seeing your diary. If you are working so hard you cry you may be overdoing it for the amount of food you are eating. I know its hard fro a lot of people to hear but to lose more you have to eat more especially when you are working out
  • MelKut
    MelKut Posts: 167 Member
    When I was doing college track (3 hours/practice 5x/week) I thought I'd also restrict my calories to 1200. I didn't lose even a pound :frown:

    My coach told me about a month later that I should be eating 3500 per day to support my training (this was so I wouldn't lose weight, just gain muscle). I ate between 2800-3300 per day after that (most days I couldn't reach 3500, thats a lot of food!) and had to eat even when I wasn't hungry because I KNEW my body needed fuel. Sometimes I felt like I was going to gain so much weight because I was constantly eating, but over the course of two months I lost 5 lbs and felt awesome because I was stronger and leaner.

    If I was doing it just to lose weight, I would go down to 2300-2800 calories... You should definitely be eating more. You'll hear that a lot here, but if you really want to improve, you need to fuel. Be consistent with the calories you eat, and make sure you are getting enough to run your body's vital functions (BMR)
  • ebaymommy
    ebaymommy Posts: 1,067 Member
    1200 calories is not enough food for someone working out hard.

    I'm 5'5", 121lbs and I eat 2300-2800 calories a day to fuel my hardcore 5-6x a week workouts. And I'm STILL losing weight eating this much. Plus I have tons of energy for my workouts. Win!
  • Gel978
    Gel978 Posts: 17 Member
    1200 calories seems pretty low especially for working out 4x a week.....from everything I've read on here you should be eating around your BMR. Im not an expert by any means, but there are many discussions about eating more to lose. Hopefully you find a solution....good luck!
  • emarge
    emarge Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks for showing me that! That's amazing!!! Hopefully, I will be able to show those same kind of pictures w/in time............
  • emarge
    emarge Posts: 8 Member
    Kill your scale.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/580019-the-scale-is-a-lying-torture-device-i-m-proof

    They lost inches.......not quite the same.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    An inch is huge...
    Sometimes. :smokin:

    I thought 3 1/2 had been established? Are you toying with us?
  • joannezuk
    joannezuk Posts: 153 Member
    I think moving back to the 1 lb per week is a great step! Doing tough workouts burns lots of calories during the workout, but also keeps your metabolism running on high afterwards. But heart rate monitors can't tell you what that means in terms of calories burned. And so it's entirely feasible that you're just eating too few calories for your body to accommodate the demands you're putting on it. Therefore, instead of burning the fat, it goes into starvation mode and stores it.

    I've had my goal set at 1 lb loss per week, and for the past 3, have lost 2 or more each week. Honestly, I've been pleasantly surprised! Partly, it's because I always leave a hundred or so exercise calories in the bank each day, but I think it's also because I've been doing a lot of strength training. And finally, I'm eating really clean. Almost nothing (except no-salt stewed tomatoes) comes out of a can or box in my house. I'm not sure what your diet looks like, but all calories are not really equal. Lean meats and fresh fruits and vegetables are fuel that your body loves!
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
    You can exercise all you want, but if you are eating too much you aren't going to lose anything.

    My first guess is you aren't being very consistent. If you want it to work like a science you have to treat it like a science and be ACCURATE with your intake, including using measuring cups and weights and logging EVERYTHING (and this should go without saying, but NO CHEAT MEALS/DAYS). Also, 1,200 does sound a bit low for someone who has 50 lbs to lose.

    You need a 500 cal defecit from your TDEE to lose 1 lb a week no matter your age, sex, race, etc. Age only makes a difference in that your BMR is slower when you are older, but MFP takes your age into account when calculating your goal, so that can't be the issue. HOWEVER, your BMR may be lower than average for your age/weight/height.

    Upping your intake may or may not be the answer, it is hard to say with the info given. But my suggestion is to follow your goal religiously for 3 more weeks (with NO cheat meals/days) and THEN start trouble shooting. Also, if you DO eat back your calories burned make sure you are being very conservative unless you are using a HRM because average estimators overestimate.
  • becalee26
    becalee26 Posts: 185 Member
    I went through this too and still do sometimes. When I was 26 I lost 20lbs in 2 months but now I am 32 it has taken me 8 months to lose 20. It is very frusterating but don't give up!
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    Training hard doesn't necessarily = training smart.
  • Shayztar
    Shayztar Posts: 415 Member
    Check out the group on here Eat More To Weigh Less. It will show you why you need to fuel your body for those workouts!


    ^^ This.


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  • Daknar
    Daknar Posts: 5
    I would be careful about eating all your workout calories back but don't feel bad about eating a bunch of them. But I would try and be at a 4-500 calorie deficit on your work out days. On those days that you don't work out make sure and keep to the calories you are tracking to. I am great during the week and then on the weekend when I am not in front of a computer I tend not to track and it kills me for at least half of the next week. I am still coming down but much slower. I just need to get some ability to shut my pie hole on the weekends and be more conservative and log on my phone. Keep it up sounds like you are starting to feel better and getting stronger. That will pay off with more lean muscle mass and a higher metabolic rate.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    I had it at 1200cal. and depending on the day (how hungry I was or not), I would or would not eat back my calories burned.

    How accurate are you with your food logging? This isn't meant as an insult, but the vast majority of people underestimate their caloric intake pretty substantially. Is there anything you don't log? Do you use a food scale?

    How do you measure calories burned from exercise?
  • emarge
    emarge Posts: 8 Member
    WOW! What replies! Didn't expect this at all!! THANK YOU!

    Just to clarify: I cry from my workouts b/c I realize how weak I am, I realize that I truly allowed myself to get this way and it's hard to accept being the weakest link when my personality is confident, always first and leading. This is a new side of me I'm seeing and realizing it all is emotional for me. I DON'T cry b/c the workouts are too hard that it's killing me. :)

    I am learning to humble myself where I am, trying hard not to succumb to self-pity but rather have it make me work harder, be tougher and grow. Harder said than done!

    Thanks again for advice and counsel!! I will go over my cal. intake and make necessary changes. I do eat well and I have noticed I do not crave junky stuff, or sweets. :)
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