2 Years clean eating/moderate working out, no fat/inches lost.. need advice

Hi Everyone!!!

I am new to the message boards and wanted to say hello to everyone! I also need some advice from all of the experienced women fitness fanatics out there who have gotten the results they want! Here is my background...

I have always been an athlete and a great eater since I was young, and have eaten completely clean for the last two years. No additives, preservatives, or anything processed.. I also only buy organic produce and free range/organic meats. I don't even eat out unless its a special occasion! I do eat whole starches (mostly gluten free for the past 3 months).. but everything is fairly balanced in my meals. My only problem I would say (after browsing the boards for a few weeks) is not eating enough during the day.. I have a good balanced breakfast, a good healthy lunch of leftovers and then dinner after 6.. so I don't do the 5 or 6 small meals a day thing.... yet..

For working out, I was a nationally competitive synchronized swimmer all through high school (6 days a week), then continued to work out off and on throughout college.. although I gained about 15 lbs since then (I am 26 now) just due to the lack of time to work out in the water 6 days a week. I am fairy muscular underneath my fat.. and develop easily. I go for about 2 months working out regularly (running 30 mins a day or weights in the gym 3 days a week) and then stop for a month or so.. then get back at it. This has been my pattern... I am in fairly good shape all around. I can run for 45 mins without getting tired and I can lift heavy...

Did p 90x for 2 months then stopped.. so yes my pattern is not being consistent

My questions are.... Why am I not seeing ANY changes in my body with my champion like eating and moderate working out??? Do I really have to do the heavy weight work outs listed on this site to get any results? I am just starting to get into lifting with the programs for women on here but I am worried about the lack of cardio they tell you to do. I dont want to get really bulky I want to lean out and have lots of definition but not look chubby simply because my layer of fat seems to not be going away!! Will I lose the weight I want by just upping my weight training??

I want to get in great shape before the summer.. so I have about 4 months to lose about 20 lbs... thats my goal but what I am doing doesnt seem to be enough

If there is anyone out there who has been in my situation, and has gotten the results they wanted, please help me out :)

Find caloric maintenance for your height, weight, activity level, eat 500cals under that number to lose weight. Keep in mind however if you don't have much muscle mass you won't look that good when you lose too much weight, so I suggested that you start lifting. You can however get away with keeping to the diet I mentioned above, and cardio about 3x per week.

[QUOTE=Renzov2;836691831]Find caloric maintenance for your height, weight, activity level, eat 500cals under that number to lose weight. Keep in mind however if you don't have much muscle mass you won't look that good when you lose too much weight, so I suggested that you start lifting. You can however get away with keeping to the diet I mentioned above, and cardio about 3x per week.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the response. I currently am eating the right amount of calories to lose weight (more than 500 under).. about 6 months ago I really adjusted my intake even though I still ate clean, but I dont do the 6 meals a day thing could that make a difference really?? I seem to be consistently under the amount of calories I was told to eat, yet no weight loss... I eat tons of Kale and chicken breasts..... I am baffled at why Im not getting even a small result in my body...

Maybe I am eating too many carbs.. but if the calories are correct does it even matter? Maybe I have some weird imbalance going on...

let me know what you find out, as i'm currently in the same situation. clean/organic eating for years, high protein, low carbs, gluten-free, good fats, etc. and i have the most difficult time losing weight. i have never been a breakfast person, so i usually just have green tea before i work out, then have a protein smoothie when i'm done. i always wondered if eating smaller meals throughout the day would help or not, because i'm beyond certain that i'm at a calorie deficit and i SHOULD be seeing results. i know how frustrating it is. i've read that the proper balance for fat loss is 50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% healthy fats. perhaps we both need to up our protein?

Weight Loss = burning more calories than you eat. It's as simple as that. Unless you have some kind of metabolic condition, in terms of [u]fat loss[/u] it doesn't matter how clean you eat. Eating chicken breasts and kale doesn't magically mean you lose weight. Low carb, gluten free, high protein etc. doesn't matter. Also, needing to eat 5-6 small meals a day to improve weight loss is a myth (no matter how much you read that even on this website). Eat as many meals a day as you want, as long as you stay within your calories. I'm not saying that you shouldn't eat clean, just that eating clean in and of itself does not translate to weight loss.

OP, you've said it yourself, you're inconsistant. When you stop exercising for a month, do you take that into consideration into your calorie deficit since you're not burning as many calories? How are you tracking your calories? Are you measuring and weighing all your food? How did you determine your maintenance calories?

[QUOTE=gwnorth;836845351]Weight Loss = burning more calories than you eat. It's as simple as that. Unless you have some kind of metabolic condition, in terms of [u]fat loss[/u] it doesn't matter how clean you eat. Eating chicken breasts and kale doesn't magically mean you lose weight. Low carb, gluten free, high protein etc. doesn't matter. Also, needing to eat 5-6 small meals a day to improve weight loss is a myth (no matter how much you read that even on this website). Eat as many meals a day as you want, as long as you stay within your calories. I'm not saying that you shouldn't eat clean, just that eating clean in and of itself does not translate to weight loss.

OP, you've said it yourself, you're inconsistant. When you stop exercising for a month, do you take that into consideration into your calorie deficit since you're not burning as many calories? How are you tracking your calories? Are you measuring and weighing all your food? How did you determine your maintenance calories?[/QUOTE]

^^Agreed^^

You can't expect results by hit or miss training. That is not "moderate". You can't start and stop training and expect to make and keep progress. If you are an athelete of any sort, you should know that. Eating clean/organic/whatever may have its attractions (health/environmental), but you have to regulate how much you eat. And figuring out the APPROPRIATE amount of food to eat for your goals is the first step, the second is actually ensuring that you are eating for those goals (no I "think" I am eating 1800 cals, actually count those cals).

My wife might be able to help you out, she's been doing this program for about a month now and got great results send me a message if your interested and I will give you her email. If you wish to do it on your own (that's how I like to do things) just listen to the advice of the person above. You really have to track your caloric deficit if you want full control of your weight loss. And stay consistant. Good luck

You've gotten good advice regarding diet. Once you have that down, it's a matter of consistency..do it day in and day out, even when you don't feel like it, even when it's hard and uncomfortable. How bad do you want it? Find your own motivation, and hang on to it for dear life..it's the only thing that'll keep you going.

That's what I like about bodybuilding, it develops mental toughness in ways other hobbies do not.

[QUOTE=AD1984;836939311]You've gotten good advice regarding diet. Once you have that down, it's a matter of consistency..do it day in and day out, even when you don't feel like it, even when it's hard and uncomfortable. How bad do you want it? Find your own motivation, and hang on to it for dear life..it's the only thing that'll keep you going.

That's what I like about bodybuilding, it develops mental toughness in ways other hobbies do not.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for everything guys... all the advice. I will definitely start to track my calories as I am obviously getting hidden ones appear somewhere :) lol

I really need to know about training and developing.. Seeing as my goal is for the next 4 months to lose about 20 lbs, I want to make sure that I am on the right track. I have done a few of Felicia Romeros superset workouts the past week and really like them (i love lifting weights)... have been following with 20 mins cardio each session. I DONT want to get big as I am naturally bigger framed (I am almost 5' 10") but after reading all the posts it seems that heavier lifting is the way to go to change your figure completely...

I want to make sure that I maximize my results and dont want to waste my time doing something that may not work well for my body type in the end. Any more advice on that end?

I guess I am stuck in that mindset that "heavy weights make you bulk"

You know, sometimes I wanna punch that Tosca Reno right in the face for spreading that bull**** that all you have to do is "eat 6 clean meals per day" and you'll magicaly have the bod of a bikini pro. :mad:


Sorry, but if you are not losing weight, you are NOT eating the correct amount of cals to lose weight. Period. You can still gain wads of fat on a "champion diet."

[QUOTE=discdoggie;836955661]You know, sometimes I wanna punch that Tosca Reno right in the face for spreading that bull**** that all you have to do is "eat 6 clean meals per day" and you'll magicaly have the bod of a bikini pro. :mad:


Sorry, but if you are not losing weight, you are NOT eating the correct amount of cals to lose weight. Period. You can still gain wads of fat on a "champion diet."[/QUOTE]

LOL...

I was also told by 2 different trainers a couple of years ago that as long as you ate completely clean you didnt have to count calories... because you were taking in naturally low cal things like lean meats and veggies.... I know it sounds silly now that Im writing it but still!! lol

I started today counting cals!

[QUOTE=brookekp;836958801]LOL...

I was also told by 2 different trainers a couple of years ago that as long as you ate completely clean you didnt have to count calories... because you were taking in naturally low cal things like lean meats and veggies.... I know it sounds silly now that Im writing it but still!! lol

I started today counting cals![/QUOTE]

LOL Because clean calories don't count or something? I've heard people say that BS, too. All food has calories and it's the little things that can sometimes make a huge difference. If you don't estimate correctly how much broccoli you're eating, you can still end up throwing your total out of whack. My husband laughs at me when i measure stuff like salad greens. And, yeah, it's only a difference of 5 or 10 calories and might be silly of me but everything DOES count.

I had a debate with a friend who is undereating even after I spent time and did all her calculations for her. She does an assload of cardio in addition to P90X and was barely eating anything. I am bulking so not in the same situation as she is, but told her the amount I was eating and she got all defensive, "But, Dani, you eat good healthy things." As if that fact made it ok to eat more. A calorie is a calorie and things can add up if you don't keep track of EVERYTHING.

It is possible that if you are eating under your caloric intake for your size and not losing weight (along with eating enough protein and alike) that you could potentially have a hormonal imbalance in your body, OR , you may even have low stomach acid (too much alkalinity). In the case of the hormonal imbalance you could have something called "PCOS" or Polycystic ovarian syndrome, it basically causes your adrenal glands to go wacky and produce too much of a hormone that causes fat gain and fat retention despite having an excellent diet and alike. That is not to say one with PCOS will be obese their entire life, even if they work their a** off, it is just much more difficult for them to lose the weight if the condition goes untreated. Furthermore, someone with stomach acid that is too alkaline does not break down food properly, or get proper nutrition from food...it tends to almost "sit" in the stomach for too long, causing something called "gastroperiasis" basically your stomach is not efficient in transporting nutrients from food, or digesting food properly which can greatly aid in problem losing weight. Obviously these two things are only really diagnosable by a doctor, but if you have done everything and still no fat or inches are comming off, perhaps get checked out at the doctor. I know for myself after a gymnastic accident I ballooned up to 220lbs (this was close to hitting puberty before the accident, so my body was kind of wacky to begin with), and then at that point my hormones had changed quite drastically with the not being active after my accident coupled with episode of puberty...I ended up getting PCOS and gastroparesis so losing the fat has been quite a massive struggle, and still continues to be...I'll get there one day with hardwork and determination and I'm sure you will also..just keep at it and don't feel defeated, ever.

If cutting calories isn't doing the trick, it's your carb intake. You need to look at lower carb diet plan options. Unless you are working out 5 days a week it's extremely difficult to shed fat while eating a lot of carbs. If you have a constant level of carbs in your blood, your body will be calling for insulin. When your insulin production is high the hormones that trigger fat burning do not even activate. You need to cycle your carbs and give you body periods of low insulin activity.

[QUOTE=kj8001;844501321]If cutting calories isn't doing the trick, it's your carb intake. You need to look at lower carb diet plan options. Unless you are working out 5 days a week it's extremely difficult to shed fat while eating a lot of carbs. If you have a constant level of carbs in your blood, your body will be calling for insulin. When your insulin production is high the hormones that trigger fat burning do not even activate. You need to cycle your carbs and give you body periods of low insulin activity.[/QUOTE]

If the OP is in a proper calorie deficit, fat loss will happen. A low carb diet has nothing to do with it...