Cardio/Lifting/Diet - No Weight Loss - UPDATE

[AsmodeusDM]

All,

Here's a thread from (almost) 2 weeks ago.

** it wont' let me post the link to my prior thread so I'll re-cap a little **

I described how I was increasing cardio and lifting and eating to try to lose weight.

I'm 6'1, 190 lbs...

My program consists of:
M-F: 30 minute morning cardio (HR = ~ 130)
M,W,F: Intense lower body workout (no upper body due to SLAP surgery back in September). I'm doing big super sets with minimal rests around 8-10 reps. I'm DRENCHED in sweat by the time I'm done with my 3 rotations.
M,W,F: After lifting I do another 30 minutes typically on a stationary bike (again HR = ~13)
Tue, Sat: 6-8 mile run (typically at around 8mph)
Thurs: 45 minute evening cardio session-low-impact (eliptical, walking on treadmill at incline, HR = ~130)

From 10/22 to 11/4 (14 days) I consumed an average of 2738 calories/day, my weight during that time went from 188.7 to 189.7 (those are 3-day averages).

The forum members suggested that 2738 was too high and/or close to maintainance... I cut down to a target of 2200 (~500 less per day) to aim for a 1lb/week weight loss.

It hasn't been QUITE a week yet [11 days] but I wanted to update.

from 11/5 to 11/15 I have consumed an average of 2248 calories/day, my weight during this time has gone from 189.7 to 189.5 (3-day average).

Essentially.... no change...


If my weight hasn't gone down, then I'm not in a caloric deficit... but I wasn't losing weight at 2700... how can I not be losing weight at 2200? I may be underestimating food consumption, but assuming I consistently underestimate (and eat the same meals every day.. all weighed with a kitchen scale) then a drop from 2700 to 2200 should still be a drop of 500 calories.

Is it possible I'm experiencing recomposition? Gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time?

I also have been taking measurements....

10/8:
Waist: 35.25"
Left Thigh: 22.0"
BIA scale: 19.2% BF

11/15:
Waist: 35.0"
Left Thigh: 22.25"
BIA scale: 19.0% BF


Thoughts?

Do I need to increase cardio to 3/day ( I think I could possibly fit a session in during my lunch hour as well as morning/evening) and at the same time cut calories to maybe... 1200? 1300?

[earthshieldlol]

you're still not measuring food/counting calories correctly. you gained 1 lb on what you thought was 2700. you GAINED. that's not maintenance. that's a surplus. so you dropped 500 cals, surprise, you stayed the same. what you think is 2200cals is your maintenance. now drop another 500 cals and you'll be in a deficit.

though to be honest i don't think you're going to get very far until you learn how to count and measure properly. until then you're just wasting your own time. which is fine i suppose.

[AsmodeusDM]

you're still not measuring food/counting calories correctly. you gained 1 lb on what you thought was 2700. you GAINED. that's not maintenance. that's a surplus.

Well that was the 3-day average vs. 3-day average. Actual weights recorded during the prior 14-day time period were as follows:

188.7
188.7
188.4
189.5
190.0
190.3
189.2
189.2
189.9
190.1
190.2
190.2
190.2
189.7

As you can see the weight does go and down on a day to day basis... that's why comparing 2 specific points in time is a bit of mistake.

Regardless my AVERAGE weight during those 14-days was 189.6

My average weight during the last 11-days (at 500 calories less) is 189.4


Still I'm not arguing with you.. I'm agreeing with you... 2700 to 2200 resulted in almost no weight change...ergo I'm eating too much.... so lower I go..

Still I was informed last time that 2700 was my maintenance, now I'm being told it's 2200....

So if I want to lose 2pounds a week I should aim for 1200?

[earthshieldlol]

you need to buy a kitchen scale and get accurate measurements for your calories first and foremost. i have a hunch your estimates are wildly inaccurate.

[AsmodeusDM]

you need to buy a kitchen scale and get accurate measurements for your calories first and foremost. i have a hunch your estimates are wildly inaccurate.

I own two salter digital kitchen scales (one for home, one at work). I weigh everything, including liquids, even peanut butter... before consuming. If labeled I use the label on the jar/package. If not I use the standard accepted calories/ounce according to MyFitnessPal (like say for an apple)

[AsmodeusDM]

I own two salter digital kitchen scales (one for home, one at work). I weigh everything, including liquids, even peanut butter... before consuming. If labeled I use the label on the jar/package. If not I use the standard accepted calories/ounce according to MyFitnessPal (like say for an apple)

Not trying to be defensive btw.. I appreciate the advice... there's OBVIOUSLY a problem somewhere... I just dont' think it's in my food measurement.

[earthshieldlol]

yeah somethings up, i don't know what to tell you but your maintenance really shouldn't be anywhere near 2200 at 6'1" 190 imo. im hesitant to say this, but.. might be worth getting blood work done just to make sure hormones and chit are where they need to be.

[cnatboy]

Then you know exactly how many cals you are taking in. If you haven't lost any weight, then whatever your intake is would be your maintenance. Drop by 500 and if you are accurate in your measurements you will lose 1 lb per week.

I cut @ 1600-1800 cals/day and lift for an hour or more 5 days a week plus run 2 miles before each workout. That said, I work at a desk job & am 5'10 ~150. You're taller/heavier so maybe try cutting at 2k cals and see what happens?

Also sometimes your weight can flatline... I have a few weeks where it essentially plateaued and then one week it dropped by ~3 pounds with the same intake. Be aware of this possibility as well.

[earthshieldlol]

id give it another month at 2200 and see if there's a significant change. if not, reevalute at that point.

[cnatboy]

id give it another month at 2200 and see if there's a significant change. if not, reevalute at that point.

Or drop 100 cals each week from your intake and stop when you reach a point where you're losing 1 lb/week.

[AsmodeusDM]

Thing is If I take a 4-month sample (say from July '12 through October '12 ) my average calories were 2626. During that time my weight went from 189.3 (back in July) to 188.9 (end of October). So it would seem that 2600-2700 is indeed maintenance for me.

The plan during end of October was to keep calories the same ... but increase cardio (adding in 5 additional morning sessions per week, plus 3 more sessions post-lifting). I figured I would start to drop that way.. but I didn't. (this was the nature of my first post ~4 weeks ago)

I posted to the forum and they suggested I keep up the cardio routine and drop down to 2200.. which I've done for the past 11 days and still haven't seen any scale movement or body measurement changes.

I don't want to blame "blood" or "gene" problems or anything (but maybe there is a problem?)... fact is I've lost weight.. in 2009 I was ~315 pounds.. in 2010 ~250 and in 2011 ~220 pounds. It's just now.. it's been stalled for.... well the better part of half-year.

I can obviously drop ANOTHER 500... go to 1700 but I'm pretty sure that's way below my BMR (which I've had measured in a cleveland clinic lab) and was led to believe that could lead to all sorts of "not good."

[earthshieldlol]

I posted to the forum and they suggested I keep up the cardio routine and drop down to 2200.. which I've done for the past 11 days and still haven't seen any scale movement or body measurement changes.

that's why i'm thinking give it another good month at 2200 before you change anything. 11 days really isn't a huge amount of time, so it's within the realm of possibilities that there may have been fat loss but no weight loss during that period.

[Lodiggz]

All,

Here's a thread from (almost) 2 weeks ago.

** it wont' let me post the link to my prior thread so I'll re-cap a little **

I described how I was increasing cardio and lifting and eating to try to lose weight.

I'm 6'1, 190 lbs...

My program consists of:
M-F: 30 minute morning cardio (HR = ~ 130)
M,W,F: Intense lower body workout (no upper body due to SLAP surgery back in September). I'm doing big super sets with minimal rests around 8-10 reps. I'm DRENCHED in sweat by the time I'm done with my 3 rotations.
M,W,F: After lifting I do another 30 minutes typically on a stationary bike (again HR = ~13)
Tue, Sat: 6-8 mile run (typically at around 8mph)
Thurs: 45 minute evening cardio session-low-impact (eliptical, walking on treadmill at incline, HR = ~130)

From 10/22 to 11/4 (14 days) I consumed an average of 2738 calories/day, my weight during that time went from 188.7 to 189.7 (those are 3-day averages).

The forum members suggested that 2738 was too high and/or close to maintainance... I cut down to a target of 2200 (~500 less per day) to aim for a 1lb/week weight loss.

It hasn't been QUITE a week yet [11 days] but I wanted to update.

from 11/5 to 11/15 I have consumed an average of 2248 calories/day, my weight during this time has gone from 189.7 to 189.5 (3-day average).

Essentially.... no change...


If my weight hasn't gone down, then I'm not in a caloric deficit... but I wasn't losing weight at 2700... how can I not be losing weight at 2200? I may be underestimating food consumption, but assuming I consistently underestimate (and eat the same meals every day.. all weighed with a kitchen scale) then a drop from 2700 to 2200 should still be a drop of 500 calories.

Is it possible I'm experiencing recomposition? Gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time?

I also have been taking measurements....

10/8:
Waist: 35.25"
Left Thigh: 22.0"
BIA scale: 19.2% BF

11/15:
Waist: 35.0"
Left Thigh: 22.25"
BIA scale: 19.0% BF


Thoughts?

Do I need to increase cardio to 3/day ( I think I could possibly fit a session in during my lunch hour as well as morning/evening) and at the same time cut calories to maybe... 1200? 1300?

I feel that you can't possibly be doing all that cardio an not losing weight....you would lose a ton.of muscle doing that much cardio so the scale would definitely show a loss. I do cardio 4 times a week which consist of sets of jumprope an basketball an I lose at least a pound a week ur overtraining on cardio bro

[AsmodeusDM]

Well..I lift too (3x a week). Also aside from two 10k+ runs..the cardio sessions are not that intense...just enough to get the heart beating and a little sweat coming on..

[AsmodeusDM]

(more) updates...

I took the advice to heart and began cutting below 2000 (~1800) the last 5 days and 'lo and behold the weight has started to slide down!
11/15: 190.0
11/16: 189.8
11/17: 188.4
11/18: 186.4
11/19: 187.0

I'm still focused on getting ~190g of protein and at least 60g of fat (oily fish mostly with some incidentals from other lean proteins and some peanut butter).. so it's mostly been the carbs that have taken the "hit" in order to get down to ~1750 a day. I've cut back on the fruit intake and I'm basically only having starches/grains once in the morning (typically old fashioned oatmeal with breakfast). The rest is just leafy greens and other non-starchy vegetables (peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.).

Hope to keep this up the rest of the week (well except for Thursday ) to get the cutting done by endish of the year.

[earthshieldlol]

good stuff man, congrats on the progress.