Ask me anything about fat/weight loss....

So reduce down below 1200? I don't understand where the TEE numbers factor in if I am supposed to bottom out on calories like that...

I have lost 17 lbs (out of the 23 I planned to lose)..I feel like a have failed myself and am at a stand~still with my diet & excercise..I do zumba and exercise as much as I can but still feel down..How can I bring myself out of this rut? Oh and I gained 5 lbs back.. Need to get back to my happy place and fast!:sad:

I'm a 246lb female, hit a 6 month plateau after using mfp macros, changed to 40c\30f\30p. I lost good amounts for 3 weeks, then got a 2.4lb gain, and 0.7lb gain last 2 weeks. I'm exercising most days burning an average of 700 cals. I eat 1500 cals, my dietitian says to not eat exercise cals back as I'm still so heavy. (I was on best rest for a few months, being ill then sugery until 6 weeks ago) the only exercise I'm doing is hiit walking. Could I be gaining muscle or is this gain fat? Could 30% protein be too high for some?

Zara :-)

i have what looks to be lordosis (never diagnosed), my back has been like this since i was very young: my lower back curves in very far and causes my stomach to push out. The other day i even got asked if i was pregnant! I was pretty discouraged because ive been working on loosing weight and am down about 17lbs total since march! I know i still have quite a bit to loose (shooting for a minimum of 13 more) but i was looking online and they recommend things like straight leg dead lifts---I have never done a dead lift in my life and don't even know where to begin. Any suggestions on exercises i can do in my home to strengthen my glutes and hamstrings and stretch the hip flexors and quads-they say thats what i'm supposed to be doing but being new at all this its kind of like speaking a different language.

You mentioned that you do a bulk then cut cycle. I like this method as well, and have done it in the past with good results. I am not an expert though, and I have some basic questions. When bulking how many extra pounds do you put on before deciding to cut? How long does it take you? After gaining said weight, how much of that is usually fat and how long do you spend cutting to get rid of it?

What would you say are some good bulking goals for an amature(me) who has some experience successfully bulking and cutting?

5'8"
160lb
12-15% bf

I usually do about 2-3 months on, 2-3 months off. I'll bulk up 10-15 pounds tops, and then it once again usually only takes me about 2 months to cut because I don't let myself go over 10% on the body fat. The slower I go with the bulk, the less fat I usually put on. Back in the day I use to dirty bulk, but didn't like that I was putting on so much fat. Now I just clean bulk slightly overmaintenance so I usually start off at around 3,000 and work my way as high as 4,000 towards the end. Not everyone subscribes to this though because it IS ultimately up to the individual. I like the fact that it keeps me fresh. My rewards during the cut are seeing the physique get dialed in more and more. And my rewards for the bulk is I can take some time off of watching the diet as much, enjoy the extra calories and strength/energy increases, and I can still look good just not AS good as when I'm cutting. Good questions though. For you, I would say the same if you want to bulk and stay lean. Slowly start increasing the calories just enough to put on about a half a pound a week(making SURE you meet your protein requirements first of course), and then readjust them up as your metabolism starts catching up. Shoot for 170 and then try to cut to 158 and see what you think of your body then.

Thanks.

OP, my turn for questions? Thanks in advance.

I was eating 1200 calories for a few monthes last year and lost first 10 pounds. Then I added long distance walking like 5 miles a day to the routine eating about the same maybe a couple of hundreds more then my loss stalled. Throughout the year, my weight silently creeped back up, like a pound per month although I am still eating the same way (yes I do log them). My daily intake average about 1400 calories, high in protein, low in carb and sugar, only chicken, fish and turkey meats.

A couple of monthes ago, I got so frustrated so I decided to add WT to my routine. I use 2* 5 pound dumb bells, and my routine is 25 minutes each time with 12 rep of each move. Then I "gained" back all the 10 pounds I lost by dieting alone. My waist only looks smaller in the mirror but it actually measures more so was my butt. All my pants that used to fit loose now very tight. Then I researched and understood that I might have to increase cardio. So a month ago I added a hour of running to each day, 4-5 miles speed. I also bumped up my intake to maintenance level 1600 calories per MFP, without actually tracking the exercise which I find very inaccurate in their database. My diet is still majorly protein and complex carb such as brown rice and whole wheat bread. I don't even cook with any type of oil...

And this moring, my weight broke the record high in my whole life...What did I do wrong? This is really really discouraging...Please help.

You hit it on the head. You started eating more than you were expending through activity. I've said this a million times in here. As you diet down you are going to have to readjust calories down as you lose weight! A 150 pound person does NOT need as many calories to maintain them as a 170 pound person(all things equal).

Thanks. But I don't think I got you were trying to tell me here. I said I was losing when eating 1200 calories, and that's the maximum I can cut down to. Then I stopped losing. So I added cardio and eating 1600 calories which is my maintenance level. I don't eat back calories sinc 1600 minus exercise should give me a deficit. So you are saying that I should go down further than 1200 calories? and still exercise?

I'm saying if you're losing then don't change a thing, but if you aren't then for some reason you are not expending more than you're consuming on a regular basis. That can be because of many things; inaccurate counting, lowered metabolism, hormonal levels, etc.

The reason I changed at the first was after first 10 pounds lost by eating 1200, I stalled for over several monthes without loing a gram even I was still counting every the same way. Then I was suggested to add cardio to "boost" metabolism...But it appreantly didn't work. Guess I just need to find it out in my own hard way. Thank you for replying anyway.

Still missing what I'm saying. If you're not losing, then you are not consistently burning what you are consuming. That 1200 that worked to get then 10 pounds off will need to be reajusted as your metabolism lowers as you diet down. It doesn't take AS MANY calories to maintain you at the new body weight. When I start a client on a cut. I usually start them fairly high in calories....these calories are adjusted down at different points along the way because of this. Person starts off 50 pounds overweight, just the smallest reduction in calories will get them to moving. 25 pounds out they are requiring a LOT less than when they were 50 pounds overweight. Ten pounds out they require a lot less than when they were 25 pounds overweight. Adding back activity and or decreasing your calories are just tools we have to produce the deficit. Let's go on an extreme example though: Many will think that because a small deficit will make them lose a little weight, a huge deficit will help them lose a lot. This is true in the beginning, but the body is resilient. It WILL find a way of coping with the stress of that drastic caloric drop. This is where many new to dieting stall out soon because they THINK they should still be in a deficit, but realistically they aren't anymore because their metabolism has dropped so much that what once was a deficit is now maintenance. Understand?....Hope this clears up everything for ya.