Fitness Oriented Weight Loss - No Results(?)

[HAlady]

Hey everyone! (Sorry this is so long- wanted to be thorough!)
- Looking mostly for replies from fitness oriented mindsets like my own- NOT centralized around starvation/FAD diets, etc. Please and thank you!
Bit of background: 23 year old female, 5'8", 170 lbs, 25% body fat-ish. Had a past of very restrictive eating/ on and off eating disorders, recently overcome(yay me!). Grew up as an athlete, so working out/fitness/nutrition has always been second nature to me and I always seem to have a nice layer of muscle (hence the high weight, but one wouldn't consider me "fat").
Goals now: Tone up, lose some 15 lbs of fat- realistic timeline- slowly coming to terms with progress taking upwards of a year or so, the healthy way!
Whats going on: I have worked my way out of restrictive eating diets, because good riddance! And am concentrating on finding a sustainable lifestyle change and to lose some fat. I am trying to avoid a super low calorie diet and focus on healthy nutrition/exercise.
WORKOUTS: I'm currently working out intensely 4 days a week for 45mins-1 hr where my heart rate is constantly between 150-180bpm, dripping sweat by the end of workout. Mixing up some HIIT, calisthenics/ strength training with full length resistance bands and whatever weighted items I can find at home. On the other 3 days a week, I do 45 mins-1hr yoga (which I love!). AND to top it all off- i work a sedentary desk job (even worse from home now), so I have started supplementing my "10,000 steps" with 5 mins of heartrate- elevating exercises like jumping jacks/jogging in place/etc every hour about 5-6 times a day.
DIET: I am currently consuming 1400-1500 calories- which is where I should be, according to multiple macronutrient calculators and such. Well rounded 30-40-30 (30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat) with all whole, healthy foods- I don't have junk/fastfood, nor do I crave them anymore (big yay!). I am not "accidentally" consuming extra with cooking oil/butters/etc nor am I "drinking" extra calories. Very meticulous about tracking with MyfitnessPal and measuring. I also don't feel like I'm restricting myself as I am not hungry all day- I feel satisfied and content.
TIMELINE: So, I've been at this since March (a few chunks of time where I would be eating more- visiting my boyfriend and we'd eat out ), but particularly for the past 6 weeks straight, I've been extra "perfect". I definitely see some muscle tone/ face looks slimmer, and I won't lie- I do feel great!
However, the number on the scale will NOT budge! Nor am I seeing really any inches coming off. I suppose I might be gaining some muscle mass and losing fat, so the scale remains the same, but my question is, when will that weight come off? While I am very proud of everything I have accomplished so far, I do not want to weigh 170lbs forever as I just feel "clunky" and "heavy" and my athletic performance is better when I'm lighter. My lowest weight of my adult life has been 150 lbs (thanks college..)- which would be great to get back to eventually!
I'm just wondering if anyone has had experience with this and if there is a time when suddenly the weight started coming off? A point where muscle retention holds and THEN the fat starts coming off? Or am I missing something here? Being impatient?
Mostly asking, because I'm a little worried my past with restrictive eating and such has somehow inhibited my weight loss now? I don't want to live a life eating only 1,000 calories a day LOL
Thanks for reading!

 

[alligatorob]

Hey HALady, welcome to the forum. And congratulations on overcoming your eating disorders, no small thing.

You are asking questions a bit outside of my expertise, and I am thinking other more knowledgeable folks will chime in. But it sounds to me like if your calorie counts are right you should be loosing at least some weight. You are eating a bit below your BMR and burning calories exercising. Normally I'd say be patient, but if you have been doing this since March without result it seems to me something isn't working.

As I said others may better know, good luck to you!

Oh, and ignore celso80, its a spam post and should soon be removed by the moderators.

 

[Llama]

Welcome HALady! At 5 ft 8 and 170 lbs you should be losing weight on 1500 kcal/day even without doing an hour and a half of intense exercise a day. Yes you can retain water when you first up your exercise intensity but if you then keep that intensity the same it should go away again after about 6 weeks. And yes you´re probably building a little bit of muscle but as a woman eating a low-calorie diet it´s not going to exceed your weightloss under normal circumstances. Besides: if you´ve been tracking your body fat percentage since March you would have noticed a drop if your muscle mass had gone up significantly while keeping your weight the same. My best guess is that your body is still recovering from your past with disordered eating and is unwilling to let go of its emergency rations for now. It might be helpful to talk to a doctor - or better yet a registered dietician or whatever the equivalent is in your area - with experience in eating disorders and their long-term effects. They will probably be able to give you a better idea of what good strategies would look like. Going back down to 1000 kcal/day definitely isn´t it! Best of luck with your efforts and I hope you´ll do great.

 

[Trusylver]

Firstly well done overcoming the eating disorder.

Athletes usually do better with a bodyfat % goal rather than a strict weight goal due to the extra muscle we have.

The amount you sweat is generally not a very good indicator of training intensity however having said that as an athlete you should understand how your body responds to training.

Calorie calculators are only ever an estimate of your calorie needs unless measured in a lab so the goal calories is a starting point, from there it involves a little experimentation to get to the point where you see changes.

 

[HAlady]

Thank you for replying! I am also thinking something is not adding up, and may end up needing to consult with a physician/nutritionist of sorts as someone below has mentioned.

Thanks for chiming in!

ity however having said that as an ath

Hey HALady, welcome to the forum. And congratulations on overcoming your eating disorders, no small thing.

You are asking questions a bit outside of my expertise, and I am thinking other more knowledgeable folks will chime in. But it sounds to me like if your calorie counts are right you should be loosing at least some weight. You are eating a bit below your BMR and burning calories exercising. Normally I'd say be patient, but if you have been doing this since March without result it seems to me something isn't working.

As I said others may better know, good luck to you!

Oh, and ignore celso80, its a spam post and should soon be removed by the moderators.

 

[HAlady]

Thank you! I might have to seek out some professional advice as you've mentioned. It does seem like my body is being stingey with the "emergency rations", which I unfortunately can't blame it for due to the trauma I put it thought in the past! Lol I appreciate your response.

Welcome HALady! At 5 ft 8 and 170 lbs you should be losing weight on 1500 kcal/day even without doing an hour and a half of intense exercise a day. Yes you can retain water when you first up your exercise intensity but if you then keep that intensity the same it should go away again after about 6 weeks. And yes you´re probably building a little bit of muscle but as a woman eating a low-calorie diet it´s not going to exceed your weightloss under normal circumstances. Besides: if you´ve been tracking your body fat percentage since March you would have noticed a drop if your muscle mass had gone up significantly while keeping your weight the same. My best guess is that your body is still recovering from your past with disordered eating and is unwilling to let go of its emergency rations for now. It might be helpful to talk to a doctor - or better yet a registered dietician or whatever the equivalent is in your area - with experience in eating disorders and their long-term effects. They will probably be able to give you a better idea of what good strategies would look like. Going back down to 1000 kcal/day definitely isn´t it! Best of luck with your efforts and I hope you´ll do great.

 

[HAlady]

Thank you as well. I can tell my body is responding well to the training, which is definitely something I can walk away with gratefully. I may also experiment with caloric intake a bit, as I might still be under eating. I also might end up consulting with a doctor as another user above mentioned.
Thanks for your input, athlete to athlete!

Firstly well done overcoming the eating disorder.

Athletes usually do better with a bodyfat % goal rather than a strict weight goal due to the extra muscle we have.

The amount you sweat is generally not a very good indicator of training intensity however having said that as an athlete you should understand how your body responds to training.

Calorie calculators are only ever an estimate of your calorie needs unless measured in a lab so the goal calories is a starting point, from there it involves a little experimentation to get to the point where you see changes.