I have completed 7 of the first stage workouts and I already feel stronger. I am lifting heavier than I ever have and I love it. I originally started this program with hopes that I would drop about 15 pounds. After reading the book, I decided to have a 0 calorie deficit for the first 3 weeks of lifting (that puts me at 2,000 calories for non-lifting days and 2,200 calories on lifting days per what the book recommends). I have been counting my calories to make sure I don't go over and I have been doing cardio 2x a week.
I started weighing 165 and this morning I weighed 167.5. I want to believe this muscle growth, but does it happen THAT fast (it's only been 2.5 weeks of lifting)? Since my goal isn't to GAIN weight, I am considering introducing a 300 calorie daily deficit. My goal has shifted slightly, I still want to lose 15 pounds, but I would like to gain muscle mass as well. I have tried reducing calories to lose weight, but I ALWAYS gain it back...
It isn't muscle growth as in more meat on your bones but it could be water due to a little inflammation, the little injuries that trigger muscle growth can also attract water. It may also be that you always fluctuate in a 2-3 lb range from day to day or week to week and you haven't noticed it before because you haven't been watching so closely. It could be weather related swelling (like when your rings get tight or you start getting sock or bra marks). It could be a little bit of all of those happening at the same time.
I took measurements last night. I should have done it at the very beginning but oh well, at least I did it early on. I think my stomach looks flatter, but I can't be sure. I still think I am going to try a 300 calorie deficit...
The book says that the recommended caloric levels are just guidelines and that your body may require a different amount of calories. Seems that as long as you are feeling energetic and not fatigued, you can reduce. But it's normal to have weight fluctuations, too. I can see a 3-pound difference from day to day for various reasons. Don't be discouraged!
Thanks for the post MissJane. I think I have my answer. I am going to cut out 300 calories and see where that leaves me. If it makes me too tired to do the NROLFW I will re-assess.
I'm just about done with Stage 1, took me about 5 or 6 weeks, and my net weight loss was only 4.5 lbs but then again my calories have been way off last week. Lowest I got was 146. Here's the thing, I realized that my "300" defecit is probably closer to my true maintenance because I had to drop another 300-400 to start losing weight. When I upped my calories again, the weight started creeping up. Or maybe its TTOM water weight but point is, there its not exact and I realized if I ate my "maintenance" i'd probably gain weight...hopefully you'll start to see results with your "new" defecit!
I weighed myself today and I've gained another 2 pounds! What the heck! This is very discouraging. I was hoping this program would help me lose a bit of weight, not pile it on... I was ok with not seeing any immediate weight loss, but a 4.5 pound gain? I feel like I can't just blame that on water weight any more...
I ate at a 350 calorie deficit yesterday and it wasn't difficult and I didn't wake up hungry this morning. I also try to keep at the 40/30/30 for my macros... I know this is about getting stronger and healthier but I now weigh 170 and at 5'6" that is not a healthy weight...
Unless you have eaten 15,750 calories over your maintenance it's water weight. My docs tell me a person's weight can vary by an average of 5 lbs due to water retention. I have blown up with 8 lbs of water in a day. I saw an initial spike in weight by 3 lbs the first few weeks of NROL and it was the same way when I followed Chalean Extreme. Water retention occurs when you are lifting and tearing muscle & your body repairs itself. You can research how muscle is built by the body. You simply haven't given it enough time at the 300 calorie deficit. Hang in there!
First of all, don't get discouraged! In my opinion body changes don't happen overnight (or even within 6 weeks!), and there are a whole slew of factors involved in loosing weight, or burning fat as I prefer to call it, that require a kind of trial and error (DIET being key!). I've been trying to get lean for months and only just recently have made some minimal success.
So I just want to offer some consolation - you might need to play around with your diet for several weeks, as well as your fitness regime (i.e. cardio etc.), before you find something that works. It took me months to realize that in order for me to burn fat I needed to a) weight lift (yay us!) b) eat about 1700 cals a day c) eat more protein and less carbs d) get in more intensive cardio
These things all seem like give-ins since they are explicitly stated in the book. However, I found that eating the amount of calories the book recommended was too much for me and I was not able to loose weight. Plus, as someone who is already kind of athletic, doing the amount of cardio recommend (or not recommended rather) was not going to cut it for em either. So i had to figure these things in if I wanted to start changing the way my body looked and functions. And in my case I found that upping my cardio to something intensive, like the HIIT programs, was a complete spring board for fat burning.
Anyways, there are other things that you need to factor in too - sleep habits, menstrual cycle, stress levels to name a few. Do you cheat with calories on weekends? I do. So my advice is give yourself a program and stick with it for at least 4 weeks, if you don't see changes, tweak it up a bit and see what happens.
Lastly, 170 at 5'6 ain't nothing bad!! especially now that you're building muscle. And i'm sure if you stay consistent for just a couple more weeks you'll start seeing the results you want.
I weighed myself today and I've gained another 2 pounds! What the heck! This is very discouraging. I was hoping this program would help me lose a bit of weight, not pile it on... I was ok with not seeing any immediate weight loss, but a 4.5 pound gain? I feel like I can't just blame that on water weight any more...
I ate at a 350 calorie deficit yesterday and it wasn't difficult and I didn't wake up hungry this morning. I also try to keep at the 40/30/30 for my macros... I know this is about getting stronger and healthier but I now weigh 170 and at 5'6" that is not a healthy weight...
Are you weighing and measuring EVERYTHING you put in your mouth? If not, then you really don't have an accurate calorie count to go by.
I do weigh and measure everything I eat and drink and I track it all on my phone. I do cheat on the weekends and that is something I will get under control. Thanks for the encouragement, I really need it at this point. I usually get 7 - 8 hours of sleep a night. Since I started lifting, I find that I can't stay awake past 11, so I am getting plenty of sleep. I am trying not to stress out about my weight, but it is something I have dealt with my whole life and I would just love to get it under control and finally feel good about the way my body looks. I'm stickin' to it!
GymBunny - don't get discouraged. I gained almost 10 pounds during the first week and a half of the program. I think it was water weight in my muscles from lifting. As soon as the soreness went away, the weight started to go down. I am now in week 4 and have lost all of the gained weight plus 4 more pounds. I told myself I would stick with Stage 1 and see how it turned out. I love the program, have started losing weight, and plan to stick with it all the way. Give it time. Your body needs to get used to a new program.
I do cheat on the weekends and that is something I will get under control.
This was huge for me. I couldn't get anything under control until I got serious about weekends. So easy to blow a week's deficit with just a few cheats.
So true Fang. I guess being good 72% of the time just isn't good enough. I talked to a couple of my friends who I typically go out drinking with about how much we actually drink in a night. When we stopped to think about it, it just seemed excessive and unnecessary to drink as many drinks as we do in any given night out (5-7). They agreed that it would be easy to alternate between drinks and club soda and they actually wanted to do it with me. This friday will be my first attempt at this. I will log the calories for 3 drinks, and I will not cheat! Now that I have a little support, this is going to be easier than I thought...
I'm seconding (if that's a word) all the commentary on the weekend cheats!
As I said, I do this as well and it really hinders any weight loss progress. ESPECIALLY if you working with a small calorie deficit - because then it's like BAM! a box of Paul Newman Oreo cookies just put you in a surplus! (what? it's for a good cause)
A little trick that I try if I do excessively cheat on the weekends (ONE cheat meal is okay remember) is that the following day I lower my calorie intake just a wee bit more (no more than 1500 calories) and basically eat just veggies and protein. I know it sounds like i'm punishing myself for gluttony, but my rationale is that i'm just trying to even out my caloric intake. In fact, I don't even know if there's any real science behind this, or of it ameliorates OR worsens anything in any way, and I'm not even certain that I recommend anyone else do this, but it makes me feel better psychologically, and in all honesty physically.
I'm also just going to add this note: binge eating, which is basically what i do, especially after having played a soccer match (and then having a couple of pints with the squad) is REALLY bad for your metabolism and insulin levels, etc. So...yeah....don't do that.
Last edited by Lil Messi : 09-02-2009 at 12:53 PM.
What time of day are you weighing yourself? Try weighing yourself first thing in the morning after you pee. Also make sure your drinking enough water, that will help minimize the water weight, if that is in fact the culprit.
I sympathize with your weight gain. I also gained weight with NROLW, 8 pounds initially, which slowly came back off as I went through the program. I did not end up with a net loss, but there were definite changes in my body that I could see and my clothing fit much better. I think I didn't actually lose because of my eating habits - the deficit I was trying to eat at wasn't small enough to account for my weekend "treats". Hindsight....
Now, I'm struggling with trying to get rid of some more weight. I like what you said about eating well 72% of the time, because that fits with my philosophy of eating well 80% of the time. I've just recently come to the conclusion that the way I eat that 20% of the time may work well for maintenance, but it is hindering my weight loss efforts. That was REALLY hard for me to admit to myself!
Good luck with the program, it's a good one, and even if you gain some weight I bet you will be pleased with your new muscles and strength! Have fun Friday night, it's nice that your friends are so supportive.
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"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right" Henry Ford
Initial Weight Gain with NROLFW
I saw an initial spike in weight by 3 lbs the first few weeks of NROL and it was the same way when I followed Chalean Extreme. Water retention occurs when you are lifting and tearing muscle & your body repairs itself. You can research how muscle is built by the body. You simply haven't given it enough time at the 300 calorie deficit. Hang in there!
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