I am 5mos. into NROLW and yes I am stronger which is great but I am also larger, plain and simple. My pants which were loose when I started are now skin tight especially around the hips and thighs.The scale is also up. I've read the Hussman article but how long are you supposed to wait???(5+ mos. seem more than enough time to see results).
I have been doing the nutrition part and calories as described and even decreased them(as described) to no avail. Personally ,for me, the amount of calories has caused a gain and I am now back to cutting calories down to Weight Watchers level....I am going to continue with the workouts which I love.
Just thought I would share my results and I guess vent a little. Bobbie
Have you been doing cardio in addition to the workouts? I need to do cardio or I don't lose weight plain and simple. I do 2 HIITS and 2 regular cardio workouts per week (usually a combo of intervals and steady state)
I also found I had to drop the calories down by about 200-300 calories from the calculation in the book.
Have you been weighing/measuring your food and keeping track or just guesstimating? It is really easy to underestimate the amount of calories you are eating unless you write down everything.
I need to do cardio or I don't lose weight plain and simple. I do 2 HIITS and 2 regular cardio workouts per week (usually a combo of intervals and steady state)
I also found I had to drop the calories down by about 200-300 calories from the calculation in the book.
Well, I guess I'm right there with you Lara. I think the calories in the book are way too much for me.......Lesson learned I guess. (I kept waiting for the magic swoosh!) Thanks! Bobbie
I've been gaining weight also, but I've pretty much decided it's because I'm not doing any other cardio besides maybe a run once a week. I'm not worried about it however ::shrugs::
Yes, diet is key! ....you are absolutely right and the fact is after eating the calories and macros as listed in the book they are just too much for me. No I am not skinny fat!(just fatfat and now muscley fat,ha!)....I was a loose size 14 and now a skin tight 14 and I do see some muscle developing but I can't keep increasing these legs and thighs.I've lost weight before on 1200-1300 cals before and that's where I need to be I guess. I haven't been guessing but logging amount into Calorie King.
The bottom line I've concluded is diet is the absolute most important part and there is no way ,no how I can eat the amount in the book. And I know this is not a fat loss program but I sure didn't want to gain.I guess reality has set in for me about what I personally need to do.......Bobbie
Sounds like you've been a chronic under-eater. 1200 calories! Way too low for your size! You've probably got your metabolism down to a crawl by not eating enough. Now, your job is to rev up that metabolism and the only way to do that is to eat!
energy in minus energy out == fat loss or gain
Once your metabolism is in check, it's that simple.
Ok....at what time frame do you throw in the towel???It's been 5 months,.....when does one's metabolism speed up? I think I've given it a good go . The 1200-1300 is to lose , I can maintain on more. I feel if I continue on I will only become larger.
I'm actually so frustrated about the whole thing I feel like crying but at this point I just need to take some action...Bobbie
I have to agree with MissJane on this one. 1200-1300 calories is way too low! You really do need to rev up your metabolism. Otherwise, I don't think you'll see the results you want. Extremely low calories will result in weight loss; however, it's unlikely that you'll be able to maintain that loss.
Hey... Check out my training log and see how I overcame my 1400 cal a day diet and kicked up my metabolism into 2370 cal a day average. I too was an undereater for years and years. I have some questions for ya
1. Do you measure your food with a food scale?
2. Do you often get cold? Are you always wearing a coat when everyone else is in shorts?
3. What are your macro ranges that you are trying to eat?
Sounds like you've been a chronic under-eater. 1200 calories! Way too low for your size! You've probably got your metabolism down to a crawl by not eating enough. Now, your job is to rev up that metabolism and the only way to do that is to eat!
energy in minus energy out == fat loss or gain
Once your metabolism is in check, it's that simple.
Correct me if I'm wrong, Bobbie, but are you not saying that you have been eating the calories calculated in the book for 5months. Jane and beach_plums, would you not expect her metabolism to have recovered by now even if she has been down to 1200 calories in the past?
Bobbie I would guess your clothes fitting tighter is more to do with you gaining muscle but not losing fat, rather than just gaining fat. It is frustrating though. Are you just working out the three days a week? Like others I find I need to add in a couple of days cardio also.
I am 5'2 and started NROLW at about 124 lbs in early January which was up from 112-115 I had been maintaining the last year due to holidays/getting off track with eating. However, maintaining that weight meant eating about 1300-1400 which did not satisy nor fuel me. I had been a chronic undereater for years. When I started the program my goal was to lose fat/inches, build some muscle, and rev up the metabolism because I was stalling eating around 1400/day. I don't care about number on the scale but want to see fat/inches lost.
The book had me at 1890/1690 workout/non workout days. I started with the calorie recommendations and after 2 months hadn't lost on scale or inches, but hadn't gained either. I reduced the calories to approx 1700 cals on workout days and 1400-1500 non workout days and have been losing slowly both on the scale and measurements. I am not far from my bodies ideal weigth so things change very slowly.
If the book would have come out in the fall I would have been more inclined to do a "bulk" and really build up some muscle. But after having just gained a good 10 lbs (which is a lot on my frame) I couldn't go there "mentally", especially so close to Spring/summer!
And I know this is not a fat loss program but I sure didn't want to gain.I guess reality has set in for me about what I personally need to do.......Bobbie
This is an aside but I'm getting frustrated with this. Recently I have been reading quite a bit on this forum that this is not a fat loss program. To me it is presented very much as one in the book and I think most of us believed it was at the beginning. I am not saying that this is its only aim, but there is plenty of discussion about weight loss in the book and an implication that weight loss will result. I think Lou even says somewhere that he will be surprised if you don't lose at least 10lbs. I appreciate that everyone is different and no-one can guarantee any sort of results, but it does seem that since quite a few people who have been following both the diet and the exercise component of the program have not really seen the results they wanted and since then the excuse that it is not really a fat loss program has been appearing. Okay rant over and sorry Bobbie that wasn't aimed at you at all, just general frustration.
I appreciate that everyone is different and no-one can guarantee any sort of results, but it does seem that since quite a few people who have been following both the diet and the exercise component of the program have not really seen the results they wanted and since then the excuse that it is not really a fat loss program has been appearing. Okay rant over and sorry Bobbie that wasn't aimed at you at all, just general frustration. __________________
Hi Ruthie,
I understand what you are saying ,I was just trying to signal that I have read the "this is not a fat loss program" posts. I agree with what you have said and I got the same impression as you did from the book.AND at the very least I sure don't want to gain!!
And maybe it is muscle but geez Louise, I don't want to go into a 16.
To everyone,
Thank you for your help and thoughts ! As far as measuring food I've been logging for a long time so I thought that was ok.And I guess I 'm frustrated since there are some who are eating more and losing!As far as the questions from Kfisherx:
1) I do log but don't weigh food,2)I am usually hot not cold (it must be the fat,ha! 3) as far as macros I try to hit the ones in the book.
Yes, 1200-1300 is low but again that is to lose not maintenance. Maybe I'll try 1400 and see what happens. Thanks everyone!
Bobbie
I found weighing food to be very enlightening--sometimes giving me more calories, sometimes less then the amount on the label.
The issue about the program being a fat loss program or not--
what I think is that this is not a FAST fat or weight loss program if you follow the calorie levels in the book but it will happen. Lou also talks a lot about body recomposition. This takes time. The 7 stages will take a good 5-6 months. During that time you are hopefully building muscle, which rev's up the metabolism and burns fat. However it very well could take the full 6 months plus for this to happen so you are not going to see the results for a long time.
My dad gave me the new rules original about a year ago and I started the program with the hopes of getting rid of the ten or so pounds I had regained after weight watchers. I too had been stalled arond 1500 cals a day. I'm 5'10", 160 lbs. I started the program and drank the protein shakes and ate and ate more protein and my weight did start to creep up. The last five months or so, I really focused on diet and I am around 7 pounds less than a year ago. I still have to be uncomfortably hungry to lose weight, but that happens for me around 2000 cals per day now instead of 1400 like when I was on Weight Watchers.
Also, my personal experience - when I bought a food scale and started weighing things, I was eating a lot more than I thought I was.
I agree with everyone that diet is the key to weight loss. Like alwyn says, for fat loss, nutrition is the most important thing, and the second most important thing is nutrition. Anyway. If you don't feel like your metabolism is being kick started, are you hitting the workouts hard enough. Are you making a conscious effort to increase weight/reps, sticking to rest times, etc, etc.
If you say you have your diet right then I have to question your intensity in the gym. Some people say they are pushing themselves and when I see what they do its hardly pushing anything. Some people say they do HIIT but it is nothing really like what I consider true HIIT. Going through the motions in a workout with little to no intensity isn't going to get you where you want to go. Having the fuel for your body to do the workouts right is a key ingredient as well. If your starving yourself so focused and fixated on fat loss that you are not feeding yourself and able to build muscle how are you maintaining your intensity in your workouts when your in the gym?
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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
My personal opinion based on the answers you gave me is that you need to weigh your food. You will be surprised I bet at how much less than a cup 28g of that cereal really is. And Peanut butter is WAY easy to underestimate.
Girls.... It really is about the diet. If you want to lose weight then get a food scale and get serious about your diet and tracking. Don't be silly and drop your calories to 1200 cals a day while trying to be an athlete. Stop eating those pretzels, that Pizza and other processed foods. (Yeah, I know there are no "bad" foods but there are some bad foods for some people and if you are struggling then get serious) Stop, grabbing that handfull of nuts or m&ms or whatever and not logging them because "it was just a handful". Stop eating out at these places where you could never possibly even guess how many calories are in the dishes you are ordering. And most importantly stop blaming the book for your problems with food.
Take responsibility and tighten it up. It isn't the program, it is you. This program is not a great "fat loss" program only in the fact that it doesn't focus exclusively on fat loss. It's focus is in getting stronger while allowing for fat loss. That is how it is represented. It is not some magic pill for those who are not willing to deal with their food issues first and it does not advocate unhealthy fat loss. There are plenty of "magic bullets' out there if you want to go that route.
I agree that it's not the program. I'm a couple of months in (started Stage 3 at the beginning of the week) and, while I've seen great improvements in my measurements and general tightening up of things, I haven't seen pounds come off. Totally not the program's fault--I haven't been a strict about eating as I need to be. I am pushing it hard in my workouts, though, and that's why I think I'm seeing the results with the changes in my body composition and muscle definition.
Plus I think (and I think I might have read this, too) that this program focuses more on strength and confidence building in the early stages and more on cutting in the last stages (esp. Stage 7).
Five months seems like a long time for no real fat loss (if any). Maybe if we have more info, we can help.
Describe yourself from before the program. Dieting history, workout history, etc.
Could you tell us your height, weight, and age? What were the calories recommended from the book? Describe when you lowered calories from the book's starting level, and by how much. Then, how and when you've lowered them since then.
Also, what is your workout schedule like? How many days of weights, how much and how many days of ss cardio and intervals? How sedentary are you when you aren't working out?
Let me add, too, that I still have 50-80 lbs to lose (even though I've already lost 45), so just doing the exercises is going to mean that I'll probably lose inches. I wasn't trying to imply that you aren't working hard in the gym.
Five months seems like a long time for no real fat loss (if any). Maybe if we have more info, we can help.
Describe yourself from before the program. Dieting history, workout history, etc.
Could you tell us your height, weight, and age? What were the calories recommended from the book? Describe when you lowered calories from the book's starting level, and by how much. Then, how and when you've lowered them since then.
Also, what is your workout schedule like? How many days of weights, how much and how many days of ss cardio and intervals? How sedentary are you when you aren't working out?
Thanks for all of your advice and thoughts . It could be that I'm not being as strict or accurate as I can be with the food, I will look at that again.
I appreciate wanting to help ...I guess I don't want to get into all of the details of weight ,etc. I will say briefly that I am 53(that could be a problem I'm sure) and workout 3 x week.
It probably sound like I am whining , I don't mean to. I do love the workouts and have definitely gotten stronger. I just realized I was 5 months in and going the other way. I will take a very close look at the food part again.
I agree with what everyone has said. I'd say focus on things in this order:
1) Track food. Track everything. Keep good data - calories per day, macros per day, weight per day, and averages of all three. Based on your results, tweak your input. No weight loss? Make a hypothesis (eat less?), follow through on it (by eating less), then remeasure results after 1-2 weeks. Repeat as needed.
2) If you're not doing HIIT yet, you should start. Lifting weights will help you tone up, but happens a lot faster if you facilitate fat loss. Strength training can burn fat, indirectly, but doing interval training burns fat directly. Building muscle PLUS losing fat = tight body. It's a three pronged approach - exercise for strength, exercise for fat loss, and good nutrition.
3) If this three pronged approach doesn't get you the results you want, look at your macronutrients. I do better on more protein and fat. Some people do better eating a higher proportion of carbs, but for me, I just get sleepy. Write your own rules - don't be afraid of any imaginary boundaries, like eating more than 30% protein. Get your fruits and veggies, and keep your meat lean and you'll be okay. Play with your percentages.
And what is throw in the towel? Go back to something else? Weight Watchers or Slim Fast or something, and when you lose 10lbs of water and muscle, you'll feel better? Don't let the scale fool you. Keep the faith.
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"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
5 months of NROLW and I'm frustrated
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