Need honest opinions and advice, please
Shannonsto
Posts: 450 Member
There's gonna be a whole lot of whining and complaining in this post. I'll warn you now.
I came to MFP from Weight Watchers, when my weight had plateaud after 30 months and 34 lbs. I had finished all of my alotted 30 points for the day, so I added up everything I'd eaten and realized I'd only consumed 1160 calories! And I was so proud that I rarely ate back exercise points. I was doing heavy cardio 3-4 days each week.
I found EM2WL, and , well, it just made sense. I upped my calories end of April to my BMR, averagaing 1400-1700 calories. Lost no weight. Mid-May, I went to 1800-1900 calories. Still no dice. Okaaaay, let's try 2050, which is approximately TDEE-20% per my BMF. I started NROLFW. That was early June. I stuck with that for a couple of weeks, then got frustrated and cut to 1500 cals. This lasted a week before I got wise and went to 2150, TDEE-15%. BMF matches Scooby very closely, with an average TDEE of 2540, and I've done well increasing protein.
I still have bounced back and forth between the same 6 pounds for two months now. But here's the thing, here's why I probably have no reason to be grousing: I've lost inches off of everywhere. In fact, I've lost almost as many inches and as much body fat % during the time my weight has been stalled as I lost in 4 months and 34 lbs on WW. Huh? Where did they go? Is my body playing some kind of bizarre shell game with them? I know intellectually that this is a fabulous result and I should be thrilled and keep on keeping on, but emotionally I really need the scale to move.
I figure I should probably just do a reset and get on with it, but since I'm losing inches, the thought of putting any back on is very distressing. I'm of two minds about the whole thing, and it's driving me mad!
Should I:
A. Keep doing what I'm doing. The weight will eventually catch up with the measurements and "whoosh" down.
B. Do the reset.
C. Cut to 1200 cals (just checking if you're paying attention)
Thanks for reading this far and listening to me gripe and obsess. :-)
Just in case:
Female
41 years old
5'7"
CW 199
GW 140
I came to MFP from Weight Watchers, when my weight had plateaud after 30 months and 34 lbs. I had finished all of my alotted 30 points for the day, so I added up everything I'd eaten and realized I'd only consumed 1160 calories! And I was so proud that I rarely ate back exercise points. I was doing heavy cardio 3-4 days each week.
I found EM2WL, and , well, it just made sense. I upped my calories end of April to my BMR, averagaing 1400-1700 calories. Lost no weight. Mid-May, I went to 1800-1900 calories. Still no dice. Okaaaay, let's try 2050, which is approximately TDEE-20% per my BMF. I started NROLFW. That was early June. I stuck with that for a couple of weeks, then got frustrated and cut to 1500 cals. This lasted a week before I got wise and went to 2150, TDEE-15%. BMF matches Scooby very closely, with an average TDEE of 2540, and I've done well increasing protein.
I still have bounced back and forth between the same 6 pounds for two months now. But here's the thing, here's why I probably have no reason to be grousing: I've lost inches off of everywhere. In fact, I've lost almost as many inches and as much body fat % during the time my weight has been stalled as I lost in 4 months and 34 lbs on WW. Huh? Where did they go? Is my body playing some kind of bizarre shell game with them? I know intellectually that this is a fabulous result and I should be thrilled and keep on keeping on, but emotionally I really need the scale to move.
I figure I should probably just do a reset and get on with it, but since I'm losing inches, the thought of putting any back on is very distressing. I'm of two minds about the whole thing, and it's driving me mad!
Should I:
A. Keep doing what I'm doing. The weight will eventually catch up with the measurements and "whoosh" down.
B. Do the reset.
C. Cut to 1200 cals (just checking if you're paying attention)
Thanks for reading this far and listening to me gripe and obsess. :-)
Just in case:
Female
41 years old
5'7"
CW 199
GW 140
0
Replies
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http://www.niashanks.com/2012/07/stop-weighing-on-the-scale-for-weight-loss/
scale is stupid. haha to option "c"
my vote is to be consistent! sounds like you are all over the place...give your body time to figure out what you are doing. i cant give rock solid advice on A or B, but whatever you decide - stick to it and give it the time it needs to work!
inches lost (imo) beat out scale number for awesomeness overall0 -
inches lost (imo) beat out scale number for awesomeness overall
This!! I want to lose inches!!0 -
Have you tried taking 2 weeks out eating at maintenance and then re-trying just in case your metabolism has been slowed? Do you eat back all your exercise calories?0
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The same weight in muscle takes up less space than fat. So if your body composition was more fat than muscle before you started lifting, as you gain muscle, your weight may remain the same or go down slightly, but you're gaining muscle and losing inches. I would just stick to your TDEE-15% for a long period of time, keep lifting, and you will get that whoosh eventually. The muscle you're building burns more calories at rest than fat, so even while you're just sitting around you are burning more calories now than you used to. Stay at your 15% cut for 8 more weeks. Set your scale aside. Does your weight really matter if your clothes fit better and you're losing inches? You are certainly making progress.
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You are going to get expert advice here but I will give you my novice advice. You will need to do a reset. Your body is out of whack ( I say that with kindness :flowerforyou: ).
You should eat at TDEE for 8 weeks. Imagine how good it will feel when you start your cut at 2159 and then consistently lose. The wagon will be very hard to "fall off of" at higher calories. I can't tell you personally how the reset "feels" (I was not a dieter prior to starting weight loss) but there is lots of support in the stickies.
Most people will choose to get it over with and never look back. I think for what you've been through for about 3 years, you will greatly benefit.
ETA: were you on WW for 3 months or 30 months? Actually you might just need to eat at TDEE for a few weeks to reset depending on your answer.0 -
I am NO expert -- but based on all the fantastic NSVs (non-scale victories) I would say A! STICK WITH IT! Losing inches and BF% is so much better than a few lousy pounds on the scale... I can lose a few pounds on the scale with a heavy dose of laxatives but know it won't last. What you're doing is long-term, sustainable, healthy and, frankly, freaking awesome. I know the scale is a hard habit to kick but trust me when I say your body is SO MUCH happier now!
PS - I sold my scale, so I'm not even tempted anymore.. and I am so much happier without it! No more of that "I just need to know" moments that end up ruining my day because of a stupid number!! It's all about looking and feeling good for m!
Good luck!0 -
Because you are losing inches, you are getting EXACTLY the right results. You are essentially trading in the fat for new muscle because of the lifting and eating properly! When you are doing that exchange, it is not uncommon to find that the scale hardly moves. There are many stories of people on here who look AWESOME and weigh 10 or 20lbs more than their ideal weight. When you lift weights, you change your body shape, you don't just drop weight. When you only drop weight through diet and/or cardio only, you might lose lots of pounds on the scale, but you may not end up with the body shape you want because things can still be "soft". You also tend to lose muscle along with the fat (something you DON'T want which is why we stress lifting around here).
You are a perfect example of success right now...don't stop! Remember to take a diet break every 8 - 12 weeks to keep your metabolism running smooth, but otherwise, just keep up what you are doing. Eventually you'll find that you'll slowly start to drop some of the scale weight if you have lots to go yet, but the inches are what matter most right now!
It's hard to get over the 'scale rules' mindset, but believe me, in the long run...the scale is NOT your friend. It doesn't tell the whole, truthful story. It only tells you a piece of it, and we usually interpret that tidbit wrong....so ignore it and focus on those inches lost! Way to go!0 -
Yay for such great NSV!
I would stick with what you are doing for a few more weeks. If nothing changes, up your calories to a 10% cut. If you still don't lose then, you will probably need the reset.
If time is not really an important factor, I would recommend to do the reset. So you know for sure that you are starting from the right point. But it is up to you.0 -
Because you are losing inches, you are getting EXACTLY the right results. You are essentially trading in the fat for new muscle because of the lifting and eating properly! When you are doing that exchange, it is not uncommon to find that the scale hardly moves. There are many stories of people on here who look AWESOME and weigh 10 or 20lbs more than their ideal weight. When you lift weights, you change your body shape, you don't just drop weight. When you only drop weight through diet and/or cardio only, you might lose lots of pounds on the scale, but you may not end up with the body shape you want because things can still be "soft". You also tend to lose muscle along with the fat (something you DON'T want which is why we stress lifting around here).
You are a perfect example of success right now...don't stop! Remember to take a diet break every 8 - 12 weeks to keep your metabolism running smooth, but otherwise, just keep up what you are doing. Eventually you'll find that you'll slowly start to drop some of the scale weight if you have lots to go yet, but the inches are what matter most right now!
^^^^^^ THIS . well said ! I'm one of those folks ..look much smaller, am smaller in clothing size than my # on the scale.0 -
Doesn't really matter what number is on the scale...you don't carry that contraption around with you to show people...do you?
BUT...people can see you get smaller and you are shrinking in size!
If you have a problem with not seeing the "number" on the lil devil go down, how about putting it away for awhile?
You're doing great, just keep it up:flowerforyou:0 -
I totally agree with the above poster. No one ever sees the scale but you and maybe your doctor once a year. But people see YOU every day. And if you have lost inches that means you LOOK SMALLER, TRIMMER and SEXIER!!!
I would say put the scale away, give it to charity put it in the trunk of your hubbys car. Just stop weighing yourself. I know it is difficult, I was a daily scaleaholic myself. Drove myself up the wall. I had every excuse in the book for jumping on that thing. "I need to know where my number is so I don't go over board was my favourite", be real!!! You know and I know that every day you need to practise self control and the scale has nothing to do with it. So do not get on that silly contraption that really does no one any good at all again for a whole week, maybe even two!
Take your measurements and pictures as said. Keep up with your lifting program and some cardio on your none strength training days. Take some rest days to recover. Eat what you are doing now. Enjoy your new lifestyle. It is working for you.0 -
Check out the videos Kiki and Lucia have done. Now I cant remember which exact one but I do recall them saying that bouncing around over a few months and changing numbers can prevent your body from trusting where you are and that you are going to fuel it especially after a vlc diet like ww. As I recall the advice was to choose a number and stick to it consistantly for a fair while e.g more than 2 months do your body starts to trust you are going to keep feeding it well. Also from your history a reset might be good. Check out the Vid for that info from the pros
Very well done with your inch loss thou, if it gets you down that the scale hasn't moved imagine how bad you would feel if it was the other way round... Scale down but no inches lost n body looking the same! I know which I'd prefer although I do get you about wanting the scale to reflect your achievements as well as the tape measure does0
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