I just posted my 1 month stats and I'm NOT happy. After the amount that I work out...I should have had at least 1 inch of change in 1 month! I'm posting here again so you can see that there is NO difference. I'm not going to quit or anything, it's just a HUGE blow to me. At my height I should be close to 30lbs. lighter and I actually gained weight this month. Sure...it could be muscle, but when I'm supposed to have 30lbs less on my frame...this is just down right ridiculous!
No one can believe how healthy I eat and how much I work out. Honestly, either can I. Am I 90-100% clean??? No...but I'm pretty darn close! Certainly not below 80% and it's only because recently I haven't been able to eat as much. I try to shove it in (all these new calories I'm supposed to be eating) but there are days that I'm just not hungry and I feel like I'm just shoving food in to the point of throwing up. So, I may have skipped a meal, or made a meal smaller here and there. I'm SOOO pissed honestly. I know this is lifelong thing...but I'd much rather be focusing on building muscle and getting lean and staying at a weight of at LEAST 130lbs. I wouldn't even care as much right now if I saw ANY change...but I don't. AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Sometimes I just hate this friggin' body!!! I don't care how much I can lift! Yes, I'm grateful I have my overall health and am strong...but I JUST want to wear cute clothes and feel great about myself. With a tire around my middle...I just have a really hard time!!!
Thanks for letting me vent.
Here are my stats and pics and I'm OFFICIALLY frustrated beyond belief!!!
Age: 31
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 151.2lbs after 1 month = 152.8lbs
BF%: 23.5% (FatTrack II after 3 tries), 31.9% (Tanita, at night - 35% in the morning) (pretty much the same...don't think I have a good way to measure this, I don't think these tools work)
Measurements:
R & L arms: 12" after 1 month = 12"
Bust: 38" after 1 month = 38"
Ribcage: 32" after 1 month = 32"
Waist (narrowest): 30" after 1 month = 30"
Belly (or satchel as I like to call it): 34" after 1 month = 34"
Hips: 39.5" after 1 month = 39.5"
R Thigh: 21" after 1 month = 21"
R Calf: 15" after 1 month = 15"
L Thigh: 21.25" after 1 month = 21.25"
L Calf: 15.5" after 1 month = 15.5"
I am so sorry that you are frustrated, however I can relate. I have been working hard the last month and have had very limited results. However, we need to just keep with it.
I keep telling myself, "if I focus on results, I will never change, but if I focus on change, I will get results." I am not going to give up this time. I truly believe that we will see more of a difference after this first month. I have been even more diligent with clean eating the last week and I finally have lost a couple of pounds.
Up until this point, I hadn't lost anything, and I believe my after pictures were worse than my before. But my goal is to finish the program and I KNOW that I will be in a better place than if I quit. I often look back (in the past) after I have quit and cannot believe how much time I have wasted. While this may be frustrating, we need to focus on following the program and in the long term we will see results. I am excited to compare our pictures in a few months to the first picture because over time, there will be improvements!!
I can't believe how frustrating it is. I want to scream and quit, but I know that things will only get worse if I quit. Deep down, I also know that I feel better when I am exercising and eating clean.
Keep working hard and know that over time you will get results.
I'm sorry you are feeling frustrated, but you know what? I can see a difference in the back of your legs! I think you look smoother than you did a month ago!!! So keep up the good work....you are changing from the inside out!
I Sometimes I just hate this friggin' body!!! I don't care how much I can lift! Yes, I'm grateful I have my overall health and am strong...but I JUST want to wear cute clothes and feel great about myself. With a tire around my middle...I just have a really hard time!!!
If you don't care how much you can lift, why are you on THIS program? You're going to burn out fast if you don't care at all about strength. I need to lose around 30lbs too, but I also want to be able to chin ups and push ups and have arms that scare people, and then walk around wearing a shirt that says "Ask me about the gun show."
Seriously though. You said yourself you haven't been as clean as you should have. This is a GOOD thing - now you know what you can do to see results next month.
I don't recommend waiting another 30 days to check in. Adjust your food, go for a week, see what happens. If you don't have any changes - weight, measurements, or BF% - make another change. TRACK IT. You can't make adjustments if you don't know exactly what you've been eating. Those little cheats add up. If you want to cheat, plan them ahead of time. Don't just let your diet slide because it's easier.
I know it's frustrating. But the thing is, either you FIND the way that works for you, or you give up and go on hating yourself. In six months, when you look back, what are you going to feel?
I have no clue what else to adjust in my food. I just adjusted it 2 weeks ago add in more calories and keep to an exact 40/30/30 ratio. My 1st instinct is to eat 1300 calories and that would do it...but I'm also using my brain. After all I've read, that is obviously not the answer b/c that's not how our bodies work. I do plan my cheat meals in and they are even fewer than I used to do. I keep them to about 2/week now, not 4. But I might as well go back to 4 b/c 2 isn't working either. I'm hoping it's just my body adjusting or something.
I DO care about strength...but I care about cute clothes more. I love lifting weights, waaaay more than cardio, but besides being able to do chin ups and pull ups and having great arms...I really just want those great arms to look great in a tank top. I want my pants/skirts to sit on my body correctly and not pull, I want to be able to sit down on a date and not have to worry about sitting up SO straight that I won't have rolls showing through my clothes, etc etc. I feel like I look frumpy in my current body and while the fact that it does make me feel good that I can lift more weight than some guys in my gym, it would make me feel a lot better to just feel better in my skin AND my clothes.
Not to mention, I'd like to get back into running and I've told myself I won't do it until I get down to at least 140lbs. because last time I was running, and was too heavy, I got injured and it put me out from running for over 9 mos. I got planter faciitis and one of the main reasons a runner can get that is b/c they are running w/too much weight on them.
I wouldn't really say I haven't been eating "clean", I just haven't been eating the full amount of calories at all times. Besides a couple cheat things, all the food I eat is clean. I have just missed a couple meals or made the meals a lot smaller just to get something in.
I will say...if it comes down to me tracking every single move I make...I'm going to have to somehow accept that I will be this size forever. All of the tracking is already driving me insane. It's just SO strict and it has been consuming my life. The way it's going, I'm just afraid I'll burn out on that more than working out. ANY day. Anywho...I have just been waiting for the day to see the 140s on the scale. Even 149.9. Even for a second. I've been in the low 150s now for almost 3 mos. I've done, less calories, more calories, different ratios, working out tons (sometimes twice/day) etc etc...it's all just making me so tired. Not as much physically as it is emotionally.
I hear your frustration. I know for my body, it seems to take a minimun of 6 weeks before I start to see results, and they are not always big. Two years ago I trained with a personal trainer, and it took 6 weeks for my waist to go down 1 inch. In a total of 12 weeks of serious training and heavy lifting I lost 6 lbs.
I know it's very hard to stay motivated for a long time without results. You really have to focus on health, and strentgh and not so much inches, and pounds...easier said than done I know. Don't forget also, the cute clothes will come as a bonus to the healthier you.
ZTAK you're last post sounds alot like me. I've been on the weight loss bandwagon for over a year. I've lost 60 pounds to date, but the past three months have left me bored, frustrated, burned out and not knowing what to do to get the scale moving again. I'm like you, hoping to badly to get down into the 150's, and have come so close only to gain weight the next week and want to give up everything. Just like you I've tried less food, more food, less carbs, more protein, less fat, more fat, more workouts, NO workouts, more cardio, less cardio, weights, circuits, yoga. You name it I've tried it. I totally understand where you are coming from and I wish I had some advice for you, that would magically work. I've got 20 pounds to lose and it seems like getting the first 60 off was the easiest part. Why is this so damn HARD!
I'm sorry you're having such a hard time, and again I have no words of great wisdom, but I just wanted you to know that you're not alone. It's stories like yours that make me afraid to try this program because my ultimate goal is weight loss, plain and simple. I don't know if this is the program for me, but I know that what I WAS doing isn't working, so I'm willing to try something new. I guess the only thing I can say is try to stick with it, at least for one more month. If you still find that the program isn't giving you the results you want, try something else. Somethings gotta give.
Are you doing any cardio now? Check out this article.
You're the only one who's going to know how to lose fat for you and keep it off. Once you figure out what works for you, you've got a lifelong safety net. Personalize your plan. John Berardi talks about adding calories each week until you start gaining weight (establishing your maintenance while on a workout plan), then cutting calories until you start losing (take away 200 calories a day for two weeks, then assess fat loss. If nothing, cut another 200). Then you'll have your personalized number of calories to eat to lose fat off YOUR body.
You do sound like you're dangerously close to burnout, and that troubles me. I hope you can pull through this bad day, re-prioritize and come out on top.
If the counting and tracking isn't helping, maybe it's time to take a mental break. Eat clean until you're full. Maybe track calories once or twice a week and eat similar meals all week long. Focus on the exercise and pushing yourself as hard as you can.
Read this: Why Some People Quit and Some People NEVER Give Up. And don't be one of the people who "gives up." Even if you have to struggle through at 80% of your best for a while, keep doing the exercises, keep going to the gym, keep eating clean.
If you want a workout buddy, PM me and we can share accountability and victories.
Are you doing the NROL4W or another program. It sounds like your 4 week result was maintenance at that level of activity and caloric level. That's information you can use. Maybe this month cut back from maintenance calories a bit - and when you finish stage 1 and move to stage 2 the intervals will pick up your intensity as well.
Are you doing any cardio now? Check out this article.
You're the only one who's going to know how to lose fat for you and keep it off. Once you figure out what works for you, you've got a lifelong safety net. Personalize your plan. John Berardi talks about adding calories each week until you start gaining weight (establishing your maintenance while on a workout plan), then cutting calories until you start losing (take away 200 calories a day for two weeks, then assess fat loss. If nothing, cut another 200). Then you'll have your personalized number of calories to eat to lose fat off YOUR body.
You do sound like you're dangerously close to burnout, and that troubles me. I hope you can pull through this bad day, re-prioritize and come out on top.
If the counting and tracking isn't helping, maybe it's time to take a mental break. Eat clean until you're full. Maybe track calories once or twice a week and eat similar meals all week long. Focus on the exercise and pushing yourself as hard as you can.
Read this: Why Some People Quit and Some People NEVER Give Up. And don't be one of the people who "gives up." Even if you have to struggle through at 80% of your best for a while, keep doing the exercises, keep going to the gym, keep eating clean.
If you want a workout buddy, PM me and we can share accountability and victories.
I do tons of cardio. I'm in stage 1, and since I just finished a Turbulence Training program, I just continued doing about 20 min of HIIT on each lifting day. On Tues/Thurs I do 45 min of "cardio". I'm still sweating and getting my heart rate up, but I still consider those my "easy" days. On Sat. I typically box for 1 hr followed by 1 hr of power yoga. So that ends up to be about 7 hrs. of working out each week including lifting.
I think the only thing I'm burning out on is tracking every little tiny detail. I was mainly stepping up the tacking to get my macro ratios in tune and be sure my calories were at the right amounts.
I love John Bernardi, since I'm currently doing PN, but I will NOT eat more until I gain weight. Sorry! I've already added all these other calories. I'm not really gaining...but I'm not losing. I just will not be able to convince myself to gain on purpose.
I like that article from Renee's site. I've been reading her stuff for at least 5 yrs. now. Like I said, I'm not giving up. This time around it's a complete life change for me. Yes, I'm frustrated, but this is how I plan to live my life for the rest of my life. At least the working out and eating clean part. Although I'm not losing and getting the results I really want, I still have a ton more energy and that's a great start. Thanks for the PM invite...I think I'll take you up on that!
Are you doing the NROL4W or another program. It sounds like your 4 week result was maintenance at that level of activity and caloric level. That's information you can use. Maybe this month cut back from maintenance calories a bit - and when you finish stage 1 and move to stage 2 the intervals will pick up your intensity as well.
I'm doing Precision Nutrition. It's generally the same thing but I do a few different things. Veggies at every single meal and some other stuff. The one thing I've taken from NROL4W to add to what I was doing is to have a PW protein shake right after I lift. That is helping me get those few extra calories in on workout days. Same macro concept though. According to NROL4W my maintenance calories should be 1950-2250ish for non workout and workout days. I am currently doing 1650-1950 for non workout and workout days. I took calories off according to the book AND I used the PN calculator. They were almost identical. I consider my "cardio" days on Tues/Thurs as non workout days. Lifting days as workout days.
I thought continuing with the HIIT on my lifting days would have just helped me during Stage 1...but it's not looking like it. I'm really just at a loss here. I'm just going to keep up with things since I've only been adding these extra calories for about 2 weeks...but I think if things don't change after another month, I'm just going to have to knock my calories back down to some low amount. The science of the extra calories makes sense to me, but if I don't see results, something is definitely not right. I guess we'll see!
Two things come to mind for me here. The first one is what someone else mentioned as well. Are you typically an under-eater? I was and for me it always took about 6-9 weeks before I saw change when I tried to loose weight. I am not sure what that is about but I always seem to trend behind my friends if we do a program together. Once I started though I always really cooked.
The other thing that comes to mind is that you are not really working out hard enough. I know that as a long time athlete I got pretty comfy in my cardio work and could go really long distances without really pushing myself. Since I started with my trainer I really had my routines shaken up and this really made my metabolism cook hot. I do hill sprints now instead of long cardio and when I lift I do WAY more than I ever would do on my own.
I've been stuck on this miserable plateau since last October so I can relate...especially since my one month update showed little positive movement. I took the 300 cal cut off maintenance the book allowed, added HIIT early and I'm still plateaued. I'll start adding more HIIT workouts inbetween the weight workouts as well as after them on days when I feel it won't inhibit recovery. I'm also toying with the idea of Atkins induction or TNT to jump start it with some water loss but I hate to go that route 'cause ketosis lo carb is not something I can maintain as a lifestyle.
It is extremely frustrating when you're doing everything right and not moving forward. Hang in there gal. Get yer ornery on and keep after it.
My comments probably aren't going to be very helpful, but I'll speak up anyway. I read your post and saw the thumbnails (before opening them.) Seeing those tiny little pictures I thought, damn, there's one fit buff looking woman. Okay, then I opened them up. I can see you have fat to lose, but I no way it's 30 lbs. You look very muscular to me under your fat, which by the way, is wonderfully proportioned. I don't see a tiny woman though, not a 120 lb 5'2" woman. I have a 19 year old daughter who is 5'2" and around 110 (she's been up to 120 though) and she's the tiniest little thing and has never done a speck of exercise in her life.
You have to change your goal. At least that's my opinion.
I wouldn't doubt for a minute that you added some decent muscle this past month. Your body just looks like it's going to bulk up (to me.)
Just follow the book, and start tracking those calories. Give yourself 1 month of tracking. You can do as it says in the book and drop some calories, that's what we're supposed to do after the first month if necessary.
I think you have a lovely shape, very curvy, great waistline. So it's too fat right now, but the shape is still great. But I don't see that you have maybe more than 10 lbs of fat to lose
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Okay, I plugged some of your numbers into my excel file I use. If you just take an average of the bodyfat measures of 23.5 and 31.9 (skip the high one as evening measures are supposed to be more accurate) and then use your weight of 152, I calculate you have 35.7lbs of fat on you, 116.3 lbs of lean. Use those numbers to figure out your weight at 18% bodyfat and 116 lbs lean and I get 141 lbs as your goal weight.
HAHA...I was damn close (as far as bodyfat accuracy can go.)
I think you need to focus on something different, definitely not 30 lbs of weightloss.
What are you doing for your cardio? Perhaps you need to eat closer to "workout day" levels for those days as well? Some of my 45-60 minute sessions can be quite intense and I can burn 300-500 calories per my heart rate monitor.
I think NROL4W is a great program but I don't see it as something that will promote fast fat/weight loss. It is based on building muscle/upping metabolism which don't happen quickly at all and I imagine results will be very subtle over time and then 6 months later you are like WOW. Perhaps you would be more comfortable doing something like Cassandra's PBD which is meant to promote faster weight loss over a shorter period of time (but certainly doesn't look like a "crash" diet at all)
Okay, I plugged some of your numbers into my excel file I use. If you just take an average of the bodyfat measures of 23.5 and 31.9 (skip the high one as evening measures are supposed to be more accurate) and then use your weight of 152, I calculate you have 35.7lbs of fat on you, 116.3 lbs of lean. Use those numbers to figure out your weight at 18% bodyfat and 116 lbs lean and I get 141 lbs as your goal weight.
Where can you get this equation you have in your excel file to figure this out....just curious, because I want to try it
You just need to figure the percentages. If you want to get to 18% BF and weigh 150, for example, you just figure 18% of 150 for the fat and the balance is lean.
Those little cheats add up. If you want to cheat, plan them ahead of time.
That's what I'm thinking. 2 cheats a week? That almost seems like self-sabotage to me. Of course, it depends on what you consider a cheat meal - 3 beers, a bacon cheeseburger and a plate of fries? or chicken nuggets, a salad, and diet coke?
I'd look into removing your cheat meals for a while, if it won't make you crazy. You can eat healthy things that satisfy your sweet tooth or salt tooth. Healthy Choice makes these fudge bars that are 100 calories, have 4g fiber and 5g protein (or maybe it's 5g fiber and 4g protein). Spicy dill pickles satisfy my junk food salt cravings. Or an ounce of really good cheese from whole foods (yesterday we had manchego & quince paste for a snack - YUM!!). Sometimes we do smoothies for a sweets craving. This morning we made chocolate mocha smoothies (chocolate whey, espresso powder, oats, ice, and almonds). Pretty tasty.
I also spend money on fruits I like. I bought a big tub of plums at costco a couple of weeks ago and ate almost all of them. I love fruit but hate cheap crappy fruit, so spending $8 on a tub of plums (or $10 on a tub of pineapple or mango) might feel expensive to me, but it's totally worth it emotionally.
If it makes you feel any better, I've been working out since the beginning of the year and haven't lost very much weight at all. I've lost some fat, though, which is good. But that damn scale won't go below 150. I've weighed in at 150.4, 150.6, and 150.4 the past 3 weeks (I weigh in weekly). But my fat % is going down (I've lost 1.5% body fat in the past 3 weeks according to my scale). My measurements wouldn't tell you that though.
I just keep my eye on the goal. I have faith in this program AND I push myself pretty damn hard. Harder than when I was training for half-marathons. So I know that at one point, I'm going to try on a size 8 and it's actually going to fit. And then I'm going to yell "OH MY GOD!!!" from the dressing room.
Say a woman weighs 160 lbs. She gets her bodyfat measured at 30%.
Take 160lbs and multiply it by .3 and that is how much fat she has on her body. 160 x 0.3 = 48lbs of fat
Then subtract that from 160 to get the lean. 160 - 48 = 112 lbs
Now the lean will hopefully go up as we do the program, but at a minimum we don't want it to go down. So just stick with the number of 112 as a goal lean weight to have. How much would you weigh at different bodyfat percentages? That is calculated by this formula:
Lean divided by (1 - bodyfat percentage in decimals)
I used those numbers because they are close to my own numbers.
And of course, hopefully over the next few months, that lean weight will increase by a few pounds, so though my original goal may be to get below 140 lbs, if I'm actually 4 lbs heavier in my lean, my final goal may be higher.
And logically if you look at numbers like this, you may see that it is IMPOSSIBLE for your own body to get to a weight you feel might be right, without losing muscle.
I weighed 112 lbs when I got married at age 19. I currently weigh just under 160 lbs right now, but when I test my bodyfat (which is just an estimate I realize) I get almost 112 lbs of lean. I can NEVER weigh that little again without losing a lot of the muscle my body has built up over the years.
Of course, it's just numbers, and we all know numbers aren't exact. But I do think it's not a bad idea to get at least an idea of where we are headed.
There are lots of calculators online that estimate bodyfat percentages from your measurements. Do 7 different calculators, drop the high and low, take an average of the rest, and you will probably be pretty close (unless you are totally shaped weird )
Just a thought, I'm not sure if you use spenda to sweeten any of your food or coffee, but I just got a book of Splenda Recipes and found out that each tablespoon of splenda granular contains 1.5 grams of carbs and 6 calories...which doesn't sound like much but when I started keeping track of what I was using here and there I was shocked at how many carbs I was adding to my day. Not sure how much the little packets hold, but sure it may be quite similar.
__________________ "Don't ever give up on a dream due to the amount of time it will take to achieve it. The time will pass anyway."--Russ Ebsen
re: splenda - the sucrolose has no carbs but the powders & packets have a filler which has carbs. If you go for one of the liquid splenda options , you are back to no-carb.
It's taken me 4-6 weeks to lose 5 lbs. Stick with it. I looked at your pictures and on the back shot it looks like your waist has dropped and that you've lost in your arms (look at your elbows the line is much less noticeable than it was in your first picture).
__________________ It all starts with the mind, but the thoughts, the intention aren't enough. Action needs to come next. Dream it, believe it, plan it, execute it, celebrate it. - Wendy
AnnetteW - When I was saying I "should" have 30lbs off of my frame...I just meant it as a 5'2" person in general. My real goal is 130lb. Although, all growing up (until sophomore yr in college) I was about 120lb. and I played soccer since I was 5 and was a gymnast for 14 yrs. I was extremely fit as a gymnast. I don't really think it's possible to get down 120lb anymore with my age, etc. Plus, I probably do have more muscle now. As a gymnast I didn't really lift weights...everything was done involving bodyweight.
Thanks for the nice comments though! But...one thing you said, about it looking like I'm just going to "bulk up", is exactly what I don't want! Especially only being 5'2"! I definitely want muscles, I just don't want bulk...you know? Thanks for plugging in those numbers too. I still really think that 141 is too high for someone my height, but I hear what you're saying. I don't really think 30lbs of fat loss i my "real" goal, it's really lose fat, have muscle definition and have a flat stomach. That way my clothes will fit/look better. That's my real goal!
DirtyMartini - I really think I'd go nuts without cheats in my diet. But I don't just sit on the couch and shove in as much food as I can in one meal. My cheats are usually focused around going out to dinner with friends. The meal is usually pretty balanced and the main thing I "cheat" on is a dessert of some sort. And even that...I'd say on average I'll just do one of the cheat meals with a dessert. I usually pick something rich enough so once a week is enough. Other than that, I do what you do. I have sugar free popsicles and make protein shakes w/a tablespoon of sugar free jello mix and things like that. I also have chocolate covered almonds and will grab 4-5 every now and then.
dragonflyjess - Good info about the splenda. I only have 2 packets each day in my coffee and that's it. Every now and then, if I do shake, I'll have 2 more. I haven't made a shake in at least a month though.
SpacecityPaula - I think I see what you're saying about my elbow. I would have never looked at that without you pointing it out! haha I think I always look to my waist the most...as it never seems to budge! Thanks for pointing it out!
Thanks for all the comments guys. I think on my "easy" cardio days (45 min of machines) I'm going to step it up and add some HIIT in the beginning. I'll do a 20 session and then keep up with the regular cardio for 25 min after that. Maybe that will make a difference. If that doesn't work, I guess I'll try to figure out some way to work out twice/day. Which I really hope I don't have to do...or I'll NEVER have time to date or anything! And what's the point of being fabulous if you really can't share that fabulousness with anyone?!?!
FRUSTRATED!!!
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