Good Calorie Deficit, No Results? :(
kathyxtrieu
Posts: 9
I've been really confused with my body the past few years. I used to be thinner, but I've probably gained 15 pounds in the last 4 years. I'm now trying to lose the fat and get some muscle! When I was thin back then, I'd eat around 1000 cal and do minimal exercising. However, now I'm eating around 1200-1400 a day and exercising routinely. I practice yoga a few times a week, and follow my lifting routine 3-4 days a week. My fitbit is telling me I'll burn about 2000+ calories a day, but I am not seeing ANY results. It's been a few weeks, and I'm very confused. If a pound is around 3500 calories, and my weekly deficit is about 5000, then I should be seeing some results, right?
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Replies
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Depends on what you're eating, how hard your pushing yourself while working out, AND you're not eating enough if you are working out that much - You body NEEDS FOOD FOR FUEL.
and That means you need to be eating, for it to burn fat!0 -
You arent eating enough....... Really.... You need to eat more.0
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What are you're stats?
I take it the 2000 the fitbit is saying is for total cals burnt in a 24hr period not just you're exercise? If so, then 1200-1400 "could" be an ok amount.
Are you weighing foods? If not, then there is a high probablity that what you are estimating is off.
Fitbit isn't 100% truth either but I did find mine pretty accurate except for strength training.
Sleeping enough?
Drinking enough water?
Adequate protein & fats?
How have measurements changed? (if it's only 2 weeks then possibly minimal)
Remember how long it has taken you to put on the weight and then think if it is reasonable to expect to lose it all in 2 weeks.0 -
I was thinking that.. I was just too afraid to eat more. And then there's that whole calories in calories out thing. I think I really get it now.
THANKK YOUU! I really needed this.0 -
What are you're stats?
I take it the 2000 the fitbit is saying is for total cals burnt in a 24hr period not just you're exercise? If so, then 1200-1400 "could" be an ok amount.
Are you weighing foods? If not, then there is a high probablity that what you are estimating is off.
Fitbit isn't 100% truth either but I did find mine pretty accurate except for strength training.
Sleeping enough?
Drinking enough water?
Adequate protein & fats?
How have measurements changed? (if it's only 2 weeks then possibly minimal)
Remember how long it has taken you to put on the weight and then think if it is reasonable to expect to lose it all in 2 weeks.
yess its about 2000-2300 calories burned per 24hours.
I am not weighing food, but a lot of what I eat is whole food or easy to measure.
I've been eating around roughhlyyy 1200-1400 for the last few months, no results...
But I say 1200-1400 for the last few weeks FOR SUREE
I'm going to try to make sure I am estimating my calories correctly and also upping my intake and see where that takes me :O0 -
Whenever I hit a wall, I calorie confuse my body. If my calorie baseline is 1800 per day, I will go two days with 1300, then spike it up to 1600, take it down to maybe 1400, then back up to 1800. Your body can't keep up so your metablism stays high. It works for me!0
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look up lyle mcdonald.0
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This is your answer...You should increase calories. Not fueling your body enough...You arent eating enough....... Really.... You need to eat more.0 -
Are you having any health problems? Hormones keep most of us women from seeing results sometimes. It has taken me months to get the weight to start dropping. I only have a few more to go but my shape has changed drastically. Have you taken your measurements? Are you eating enough good calories, lean protein, complex carbs, fruits and veggies?
If you have a gym have you asked a trainer to set you up with a program, it was worth the money for me. They set me up on a circuit training program that I paid for and a weight lifting program that was free. That is when the changes happened for me.
You also sound like You might not be eating enough. I can't seem to eat enough, I am always 5000-6000 calories short each week. The trainers at the gym recommended I cut out the salads and eat more calorie dense healthy food. I try to eat a lot of lean protein, especially on days that I weight train...my goal is between 75-100 grams.
Some people also won't see changes for several weeks and then wake up one morning and several pounds just disappear.
I am sure you are at the same point I was a few months back, it seemed like no matter what I did I just couldn't see any changes. It has taken a year just to lose 15 pounds and I lost the last 8 just in the last 8-9 weeks. I doubt that makes you feel better, but your not alone. Keep going and I hope you see results soon.0 -
Could be water retention - how long has it been? A few weeks? My weight fluctuates up to 6lbs over a couple of days. I can see it go up 6lbs, and go down again the next day.
You need to probably take your measurements (including your body fat%), and consider reassessing your goals - if you've got a small amount to lose look at focusing on strength training and just eating well in general rather than "losing weight" on the scales.0 -
Are you having any health problems? Hormones keep most of us women from seeing results sometimes. It has taken me months to get the weight to start dropping. I only have a few more to go but my shape has changed drastically. Have you taken your measurements? Are you eating enough good calories, lean protein, complex carbs, fruits and veggies?
If you have a gym have you asked a trainer to set you up with a program, it was worth the money for me. They set me up on a circuit training program that I paid for and a weight lifting program that was free. That is when the changes happened for me.
You also sound like You might not be eating enough. I can't seem to eat enough, I am always 5000-6000 calories short each week. The trainers at the gym recommended I cut out the salads and eat more calorie dense healthy food. I try to eat a lot of lean protein, especially on days that I weight train...my goal is between 75-100 grams.
Some people also won't see changes for several weeks and then wake up one morning and several pounds just disappear.
I am sure you are at the same point I was a few months back, it seemed like no matter what I did I just couldn't see any changes. It has taken a year just to lose 15 pounds and I lost the last 8 just in the last 8-9 weeks. I doubt that makes you feel better, but your not alone. Keep going and I hope you see results soon.
The only major health/nutrition change is that I've become intolerant to gluten, so I've completely removed it from my diet. I actually thought I'd see changes in my outer appearance, but I only felt changes within my body (which is good enough).
Actually my brother is a trainer at my gym, but I'd just hate to ask him....
I'm glad you did eventually see changes though! Even if it does take me longer than I'd like, I need to know that changes will happen. It's been so long that it's so easy to feel hopeless..
Thank you so much!
After reading all these tips, I think my biggest problem is not keeping track of everything properly. Even though I input it into MFP , I am not really paying any attention to it overall. & like you guys suggest I also need to start eating more, and understanding my body and all. I think I've decided to eat about 300 calories more (after I start being EXTRA cautious with my estimations).
Posting this topic is so out-of-the-ordinary for me (because it's kind of intimidating!), but I'm really glad I did. Everyone has been so helpful, thank you all!0 -
Could be water retention - how long has it been? A few weeks? My weight fluctuates up to 6lbs over a couple of days. I can see it go up 6lbs, and go down again the next day.
You need to probably take your measurements (including your body fat%), and consider reassessing your goals - if you've got a small amount to lose look at focusing on strength training and just eating well in general rather than "losing weight" on the scales.
I might be water. I don't think about my water intake enough!
I don't really ever step on the scale, but I just measure my change through the way my clothes fit on me and how I look in the mirror. I'm kind of upset at the scale........
I was wondering how I would be able to measure my body fat actually. I don't know where to go for that
But that's a great point, gotta get that taken care of.
Forgot to mention, I'm pretty short! I'm 5'1" and I feel like I burn less calories than the average person (BMR-wise). I don't ever want to eat below 1200, so the only way I thought to lose was to exercise more.0 -
I did Weight Watchers in the past and my leader was a nurse. She said that if you don't eat enough, your body thinks it's starving and holds on to everything because it doesn't know when it's going to get food again. There's a balance between too much and too little. Also, you could get your thyroid checked if you haven't done it in a while. Good luck!0
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I did Weight Watchers in the past and my leader was a nurse. She said that if you don't eat enough, your body thinks it's starving and holds on to everything because it doesn't know when it's going to get food again. There's a balance between too much and too little. Also, you could get your thyroid checked if you haven't done it in a while. Good luck!
Thank you! I hadn't thought of getting my thyroid checked out :O0 -
Are you having any health problems? Hormones keep most of us women from seeing results sometimes. It has taken me months to get the weight to start dropping. I only have a few more to go but my shape has changed drastically. Have you taken your measurements? Are you eating enough good calories, lean protein, complex carbs, fruits and veggies?
If you have a gym have you asked a trainer to set you up with a program, it was worth the money for me. They set me up on a circuit training program that I paid for and a weight lifting program that was free. That is when the changes happened for me.
You also sound like You might not be eating enough. I can't seem to eat enough, I am always 5000-6000 calories short each week. The trainers at the gym recommended I cut out the salads and eat more calorie dense healthy food. I try to eat a lot of lean protein, especially on days that I weight train...my goal is between 75-100 grams.
Some people also won't see changes for several weeks and then wake up one morning and several pounds just disappear.
I am sure you are at the same point I was a few months back, it seemed like no matter what I did I just couldn't see any changes. It has taken a year just to lose 15 pounds and I lost the last 8 just in the last 8-9 weeks. I doubt that makes you feel better, but your not alone. Keep going and I hope you see results soon.
The only major health/nutrition change is that I've become intolerant to gluten, so I've completely removed it from my diet. I actually thought I'd see changes in my outer appearance, but I only felt changes within my body (which is good enough).
Actually my brother is a trainer at my gym, but I'd just hate to ask him....
I'm glad you did eventually see changes though! Even if it does take me longer than I'd like, I need to know that changes will happen. It's been so long that it's so easy to feel hopeless..
Thank you so much!
After reading all these tips, I think my biggest problem is not keeping track of everything properly. Even though I input it into MFP , I am not really paying any attention to it overall. & like you guys suggest I also need to start eating more, and understanding my body and all. I think I've decided to eat about 300 calories more (after I start being EXTRA cautious with my estimations).
Posting this topic is so out-of-the-ordinary for me (because it's kind of intimidating!), but I'm really glad I did. Everyone has been so helpful, thank you all!
Trainers can use calipers to take measurements to estimate your body fat. Also if this is the first time in your life that you been weight training you could be actually building muscle which can keep you from seeing immediate changes as well. Once the fat started to melt away I found very nice lean shape.
Another health issue that can be a problem is your vitamin B levels. Your levels can easily drop if you not eating enough meat, red meat being the best source of B12. If your B12 is low you can feel run down, similar to thyroid. B6 helps with metabolism. If you have been having stomach issue with gluten you may have not been absorbing some of these important nutrients as well as others. Antacids and other medications that stop/prevent heart burn as well as cholesterol medication will prevent absorption. I would recommend taking vitamins that have them in there, if you are not already.
I have to ask, when you work out...are you sweating, do you feel like your exhausted when your done? Are you working out as hard as you need to in order to get results? I worked out for months with what I thought was a great routine before I was talked into letting a trainer help me. After one work out using the same equipment I felt the difference. If your really don't want to ask your brother I understand but I would really say it is worth asking another trainer at the gym. Their job is to get you from point A to B and sometimes we take it easy on ourselves without realizing it.
Your picture makes you look rather young and pretty thin, are your expectations too high? I have changed my goals a bit and I am really not sure what my end weight will be. I reached the weight I thought would be difficult to reach but now I am just looking for the last bit of belly to tighten up. I am not even sure if this will be a weight that I will be able to maintain because I am lower than I thought I would be at my age.0 -
Trainers can use calipers to take measurements to estimate your body fat. Also if this is the first time in your life that you been weight training you could be actually building muscle which can keep you from seeing immediate changes as well. Once the fat started to melt away I found very nice lean shape.
Another health issue that can be a problem is your vitamin B levels. Your levels can easily drop if you not eating enough meat, red meat being the best source of B12. If your B12 is low you can feel run down, similar to thyroid. B6 helps with metabolism. If you have been having stomach issue with gluten you may have not been absorbing some of these important nutrients as well as others. Antacids and other medications that stop/prevent heart burn as well as cholesterol medication will prevent absorption. I would recommend taking vitamins that have them in there, if you are not already.
I have to ask, when you work out...are you sweating, do you feel like your exhausted when your done? Are you working out as hard as you need to in order to get results? I worked out for months with what I thought was a great routine before I was talked into letting a trainer help me. After one work out using the same equipment I felt the difference. If your really don't want to ask your brother I understand but I would really say it is worth asking another trainer at the gym. Their job is to get you from point A to B and sometimes we take it easy on ourselves without realizing it.
Your picture makes you look rather young and pretty thin, are your expectations too high? I have changed my goals a bit and I am really not sure what my end weight will be. I reached the weight I thought would be difficult to reach but now I am just looking for the last bit of belly to tighten up. I am not even sure if this will be a weight that I will be able to maintain because I am lower than I thought I would be at my age.
I am probably not getting all the vitamins and minerals I need. It completely slipped my mind. I don't like to consume meat (especially red). Thank you for all the information on B vitamins (:
I actually do feel like my workouts are effective since I always feel sore and sometimes wobbly the next day. I know that's not the best way to judge, but I just can't afford to hire a personal trainer for even a session...![:\](https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/resources/emoji/confused.png ":\")
The thing is, the extra weight I've gained throughout high school was mostly because of my stress levels, low discipline, lack of sleep, unhappiness overall, and I have this idea that once I get back in shape, I'll never let my body control how I feel anymore. It's just that at this moment, I'm not satisfied with my body. It's not even about weight. I'd just like to be able to wear my clothes and not feel insecure about my arms being too large or my belly to not be flat enough. I want to be in control again.. if that makes any sense..
That's great about reaching your goal weight! I love hearing that. And thank you for all the advice, I really appreciate it!0 -
I know It's only been one day of change, but I think for a while I'll be eating around 1700-1800 calories. Since my fitbit is telling me that I usually burn around 2200-2300 calories a day, this would give me a calorie deficit of ~500 calories. Oddly enough, I think my problem has been that I depended on MFP to tell me how much to eat and what to eat, and it doesn't even have enough information to do that! I really like this change, it's made me a lot happier in general since I don't feel so restricted. I think I also have a bit more energy to perform my workouts better. Of course one day can't say much, so I'll keep this up and see what happens.0
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