Help... Pleassee!!!!!

[Liquid1]

I am a 5'1'' 22 year old female. All of my life I have weighed between 104 and 110 pounds but in the past 6 months I have gained close to 20 pounds and now weight 123.5 pounds. I want to get back to 105 pounds so I started started a reduced calorie (1200 calories a day) diet three weeks ago. Every three hours, I eat a portion of carboydrates and a portion of protein and I spread vegetables throughout the day. I track EVERYTHING that I eat and I measure everything that needs to be measured so that I can make sure that I am tracking the right amount of calories. Additionally, I do weight training 3 times a week and I also do interval training (walking/running) three times a week for 30-40 minutes. I only work out three days a week b/c time does not allow me to do more as I am studying for the LSAT and work full time. I have not lost one pound in the past three weeks and have no idea what I am doing wrong. I understand that I may not be exercising 6 days a week but I am creating enough of a calorie deficit simply with my eating. I know the scale is not an accurate predictor of progress at times but I certainly do not feel any slimmer and my clothes do not fit any looser, either. HELP!!!!

I dont think I am doing anything wrong and I'm really getting frustrated. Is it normal to not lose anything for 3 weeks? I'm also feeling bad. I have constant headaches and fatigue throughout the day. I thought exercising and losing weight were supposed to make you feel better?

You are doing something wrong. A reduced calorie diet forces your body to go into starvation mode, it then holds on to everything you eat making it much much harder to lose weight. You will also experience headaches and fatigue because you are burning muscle, not just fat. Working out 3 days a week (how hard are these workouts btw?) is not enough if you want to lose pounds. I work out 7 days a week (with a 1 day break per month) and do an intense session each time, it was very hard at the start but within 2-3 weeks my conditioning improved dramatically and today I can talk while I exercise. The benefit is that I don't have to watch what I eat and once I hit maintenance phase I only have to do this 3-4 times per week. I'm not at my goal yet but the first 20 lbs. were lost in 47 days. I feel great and have boundless energy now.

Don't forget that weight training adds muscle which adds weight, that is perfectly fine. 115 lbs. with 5 lbs. more muscle is just as good as 110.

 

[Steve]

You are doing something wrong. A reduced calorie diet forces your body to go into starvation mode

Such over-hyped scare tactics.

A caloric deficit is required to invoke weight loss.

It really doesn't matter if that deficit comes from food or exercise. Actually, it's best when derived from a combination of the both.

it then holds on to everything you eat making it much much harder to lose weight.

What do you mean "it holds on to everything?"

You don't gain weight in a deficit, ever. If you do, you've found a way to bend the laws of thermodynamics.

You make it sound like the starvation response mechanism is a switch that can be flipped at anytime.

Hint: It's not.

It's a process that occurs over time, even if you are dieting correctly. It involves a host of physiological adaptations that change many aspects of your system. Most notably, it can increase hunger and reduce metabolic output.

Sorry, I just don't like when people go around spouting off about the starvation response mechanism as if it's some scary instance that will happen to anyone who tries to diet with a restriction in food intake.

It's not that simple.

Working out 3 days a week (how hard are these workouts btw?) is not enough if you want to lose pounds.

I've had many people lose weight working out 3 days per week.

I work out 7 days a week (with a 1 day break per month) and do an intense session each time, it was very hard at the start but within 2-3 weeks my conditioning improved dramatically and today I can talk while I exercise.

Have you ever heard of a concept known as "fatigue management?"

Killing yourself each and every time you enter a gym is not required. Actually, I would say it's counter-productive in the long run.

This is dependent on how you are training though, and also, it depends on what you consider "intense."

The benefit is that I don't have to watch what I eat and once I hit maintenance phase I only have to do this 3-4 times per week.

Giving blanket recommendations such as these probably isn't going to work for the vast majority of people.

1. Not everyone shares your metabolism

2. Many people actually have an addiction or psychological dependency on food, so they end up eating a lot more on the average day relative to your average, daily diet.

3. Again, exercising intensely day in and day out is not the answer. If you are using all the tools (cardio & strength training) it is certainly not the answer. Our bodies are NOT machines.

I'm not at my goal yet but the first 20 lbs. were lost in 47 days. I feel great and have boundless energy now.

Congrats.

Don't forget that weight training adds muscle which adds weight, that is perfectly fine. 115 lbs. with 5 lbs. more muscle is just as good as 110.

Weight training does not add muscle while you are in a caloric deficit.

 

[corndogggy]

Shiat, you are a hard-to-please husband. What's wrong with a little meat and curves?

I didn't say that I wasn't pleased or that I WANTED her to lose more fat, just that yes a little is there, and she'd still look great if she lost a few pounds of it, plus if she didn't have the muscular legs that she did, she'd still look great, although she'd be less than 115.

 

[corndogggy]

I'm also 5'2" and I'd lose every curve I owned if I was 115 and had muscular legs. I am quite muscular and feel I look great at 125, but I bet you'd think I had "little fat to lose" and I'd be like "well then go find someone else buddy". If I were a man, I'd want a woman sleeping next to me, not my skinny little brother. But that's just me.

If all this is true and you feel great and look great... why are you here with a signature line saying that you have another 11 pounds to go? Maybe you haven't updated it in awhile. I'm sure you look great, but I need some proof... send several bikini shots my way for analysis when you get a chance. Thanks.

 

[meli015]

I could not agree more with Steve's response to Liquid. Im very happy that you received such great results in three weeks but I knew from the get go that I wouldnt lose all my weight in three weeks. I wasn't even expectin 10 lbs in three weeks. Im not interested in losing a bunch of weight in three weeks and then end up gaining everything once I realize that Im KILLING myself and being completely unrealistic. If your create a deficit you SHOULD lose.. I'm not gaining weight and my body isn't retaining anything. I guess it just hasnt realized that it needs to lose weight yet. I dont have much to lose and that's why it's so hard for me. Im complaining b/c its frustrating when u dont see the scale budge but I can promise that if I go back to my old eating habits I'll be VERY unhealthy. I might not gain that much weight b/c for some reason I have been blessed with a pretty high metabolism but healthy wise... it would not be a good idea no matter how much i work out. I dont feel hungry at all with what im eating especially after I started adding more fiber into my diet. As a matter of fact, sometimes I find it hard to finish my meals b/c of the quality of what im eating.

I workout three days a week b/c I have LSAT prep classes the other days and I have to focus on my future as well. It doesnt nothing for me to be skinny as a rail but be a complete loser and going nowhere in my life! Personally I feel that working out 3 days a week is better than nothing at all so if it means I have to lose it slowly then I guess Ill just have to deal with it.

Thanks for the advice though and congrats on your GREAT progress.

 

[Blancita]

If all this is true and you feel great and look great... why are you here with a signature line saying that you have another 11 pounds to go? Maybe you haven't updated it in awhile. I'm sure you look great, but I need some proof... send several bikini shots my way for analysis when you get a chance. Thanks.

Actually I used to weigh in the 120's before I got pregnant. I had the baby one year ago and I'm trying to lose the last 11 pounds, but its proving very very difficult! Now that I think of it, I had gained about 9 pounds in 6 months before getting pregnant and never had time to get it off before the pounds REALLY started coming on.