4 Weeks and no progress. What am I doing wrong?

[YeahLoG]

Hi guys,

It's my second post here. So I started going to the gym 4 weeks back and I have been working really hard since then. I am following Lee Labrada's 12 week lean body plan. I have been tracking my diet very accurately and really pushing myself at the gym. I haven't missed a single workout. I saw some progress in the first 2 weeks, but nothing after that. I have decided to take photos every 4 weeks. Here are my stats -

Age - 25
Height 5' 5"
Start weight - 159.17 lb
Weight after 2 weeks - 154.98
Weight after 4 weeks - 156.52

Diet Stats -
Calorie intake - 1500 to 1600 cals

Macros -
Proteins - 120 to 130 g
Carbohydrates - 130 to 140 g
Fats - 45 g (8-10 g saturated fats)

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks!

[bhurlburt]

This stuff doesn't happen overnight.. it takes a lot of time.

[Junsuiakai]

Op is blind, I see huge stomach difference in one of those pics, also op you didn't gain the weight in 4 weeks and op get realistic. Normally takes 6 weeks to notice any differences but also op, you need to consider visceral fat, and op good luck.

Also op weight fluctuates day to day, did you weigh yourself at same time under same conditions.

[YeahLoG]

Are you trying to lose weight, or gain muscle?

Losing fat is my main goal.

[YeahLoG]

Op is blind, I see huge stomach difference in one of those pics, also op you didn't gain the weight in 4 weeks and op get realistic. Normally takes 6 weeks to notice any differences but also op, you need to consider visceral fat, and op good luck.

Also op weight fluctuates day to day, did you weigh yourself at same time under same conditions.

I always thought that its subcutaneous fat because all the fat is soft and squishy that will lead to loose skin. And yes the photos are taken at the same conditions right after waking up.

[CBTB]

Op is blind, I see huge stomach difference in one of those pics, also op you didn't gain the weight in 4 weeks and op get realistic. Normally takes 6 weeks to notice any differences but also op, you need to consider visceral fat, and op good luck.

Also op weight fluctuates day to day, did you weigh yourself at same time under same conditions.

As Jun has said, there is a major difference in the stomach area. Personally, I think keep go as you are going and you see major changes in maybe 3-4months down the line. A key note to remember is that it does take a while for your body to burn fat, and do not fall into supplement companies traps by buying fat burners, etc. This will just put your body at risk.

Like you I was looking at evaluating my progress every four weeks, however I found that this can be demotivating. I personally think that evaluating your body every 2-3months is more beneficial to not only your mental game, but also your physical game.

Good luck!

[YeahLoG]

As Jun has said, there is a major difference in the stomach area. Personally, I think keep go as you are going and you see major changes in maybe 3-4months down the line. A key note to remember is that it does take a while for your body to burn fat, and do not fall into supplement companies traps by buying fat burners, etc. This will just put your body at risk.

Like you I was looking at evaluating my progress every four weeks, however I found that this can be demotivating. I personally think that evaluating your body every 2-3months is more beneficial to not only your mental game, but also your physical game.

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice. And yes I am not planning to go for any supplementation at the moment. May be I will start taking protein supplements once I have lost a lot of fat and start building muscle.

[gbullock32]

Pretty noticeable stomach reduction but you're diet is too low in fat intake and that is a bad routine.

NUTRITION

This is the largest factor in your success, learn the basics to get started and then move into more advanced if needed.

BASICS

Spoiler!

Calculate calorie needs: First get your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), then multiply by an activity factor to get your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).

BMR= 370 + (21.6 x LBM (Lean Body Mass), Where LBM = [Total Weight (KG) x (100 - Body Fat %)] /100

Next take that number and use an activity factor to get TDEE (more active, use a higher number and lower number for less active) but remember this accounts for all activity and not just exercise (busy job/active life, choose a higher value)-
1.2- Sedentary (desk job and little exercise/activity)
1.3-1.4- Lightly Active Light daily activity, light exercise 1-3 times per week)
1.5-1.6- Moderately Active (Moderately active, moderate exercise 3-5 times per week)
1.7-1.8- Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle, hard exercise 5-7 times per week)
1.9-2.2- Extremely Active (Endurance athlete, very hard physical job)

Now that you have the TDEE, get your macro-nutrient needs (fat, protein, and carb needs). Fat has 9 calories per gram, and protein/carbs have 4 calories per gram, alcohol is 7 calories per gram count it as a carb when fitting it into your macros).

Protein- .8 grams per pound
Fat- .4 grams per pound

Meet those MINIMUMS and then fill out remaining calories as you want with carbs, or more protein and fat, or any combination. Remember to track properly too, use a food scale (measuring cups can be very inaccurate due to density); track everything, each little bit adds up (sauces can be quite calorie dense).

Next decide your goal and eat at a 10-20% caloric deficit or surplus, deficit to lose weight and surplus to gain. For gaining go for ~.5-1 pound per week and when losing aim for 1-2 pounds per week. Reach your macro needs with mostly whole foods and a wide variety to ensure enough vitamins and mineral, but remember to practice common sense and moderation- enjoy life.

Sources and More Information

Spoiler!

Nutrition-
Calculating Calories
Pre, During, and Postworkout Nutrition
How To Ask For Diet Critique
Discretionary Calorie Allowance
Macro/Micro Nutrients Explained
Why 'Clean Eating' Is a Myth
Clean Eating Myth 2
Insulin and Fat Loss
Insulin and Fat Loss 2

Protein-
Protein Needs
Protein Needs 2
Protein Timing

Fat-
Fat Needs
Fat and Testosterone

Meal Timing-
Meal Timing 1
Meal Timing 2

Micro-Nutrient Guide-
Micro-Nutrient Guide

TRAINING

Start with a solid beginner routine, these are designed to get the most for you; they are designed by professionals and use progressive overload. Read through them and pick the one you like most, follow it as it is written.

Why You Should Not Make Your Own Routine
How To Perform Basic Lifts

Routines
Starting Strength
BabyLover's Starting Strength
AllPro's Beginner Routine
StrongLifts 5x5
IceCream Fitness 5x5
Fierce 5
Coolcicada's Push Pull Legs

Calisthenics routines

Spoiler!

Push Day:
- Pushups: 5x15
- Chest Dips: 4x12
- Triceps Extensions: 3x20
- Bench Dips: 3x15
- HSPU: 5x5
- Hindu Pushups: 3x12

Pull Day:
- Pull-ups: 5x8
- Inverted Rows: 3x12
- Back bridges: 4x10
- One-arm Assisted Chin-ups: 4x5
- One-arm Inverted Rows: 3x8
- Chins Isometric Holds: 3xFailure

Legs Day:
- Suqats: 5x20
- Jumping Squats: 4x15
- Lunges: 3x30
- Sprints: 4x20sec
- Box Jumps: 3x10
- Hanging Leg Raises: 3xfailure

Or-

Upper Day:
- Pullups: 5x6
- One-arm Inverted Rows: 3x8
- Inverted Rows: 3x18
- Back bridges: 4x10
- Pushups: 4x12
- Dips: 3x15
- HSPU: 3x5
- Decline Crunches: 4x12
- Russian Decline Twist: 3x12

Lower Day:
- Jumping Squats: 8x12
- Pistol Squats: 4x10
- Step Ups: 3x10
- GHR: 3x12
- Sprints: 5x15sec
- Calf Raises: 10x10 "Burnout".
- Hanging Leg Raises: 4x12
- Planks: 3x1min

SUPPLEMENTS

Remember one thing, supplements are only that; they supplement something and are never meant to be replacements. A multivitamin will not replace fruits and vegetables, a fat burner will not replace a caloric deficit, and a meal replacement is not meant to be your only source of calories.

This is a brief run down of the 'basics', for further breakdowns of specific ingredients (like Yohimbe, Forskolin, Glycerol, ect) more research on your part would be needed.

Protein

Spoiler!

Protein supplements are mostly derived from either Milk, Animal, Egg, or Plant sources. They are a powdered food item, made to be convenient to take. Their main purpose is to help you reach your minimum daily needs for protein if you cannot do so with whole foods, outside of that they provide no special benefit to muscle growth and are by no means 'required'.

Types
Whey- The most common, derived from milk and comes in either a concentrate or isolate. It is the cheapest and has a very high bio-availability, good stuff all around. Concentrate is the most common you will see since it requires less processing than an isolate. It is great and just fine for the majority of people. Isolates are another variety, they tend to have a few less carbs and fat, but cost more. They are best for people who have lactose issues.

Animal- Meat based protein, most come from the hooves and other parts that are not used in food; mostly collagen sources. These are usually not the best for bio-availability and are costly compared to a whey protein. They have the benefit of not being an issue to the lactose intolerant, but most prefer other sources for their protein needs.

Egg- From eggs, most are egg white powders. Again these cost more but have good bio-availability and do not aggravate lactose.

Plant- Best for the vegetarian/vegan, and those with very severe lactose intolerance (who still get issues even from isolate). These are sources from pea, soy, hemp, rice, and other plants. They often have multiple sources to form a complete protein source. Most cost more because of the processing involved.

Multi-Vitamins

Spoiler!

Multi-Vitamins are a good way to cover any gaps your nutrition may leave, they are not meant to (and never will be) a replacement for a wide variety of whole foods. Think of them as the spackle of the supplement world, great for covering imperfections, but you would not try and build a house from it.

Fish Oil

Spoiler!

Fish Oil is a good supplement for most, mainly because many do not eat enough fish to reach the minimum recommendation for EPA/DHA. For the most part you do not need to over complicate this one, just find a cheap and reliable brand and go for a dosage that covers your daily needs. These recommendations are 3 grams of EPA/DHA per day.

Creatine

Spoiler!

Creatine Monohydrate is the cheapest form of creatine and the most proven/studied. 3-5 grams a day, taken at any time with any liquid is all it takes and you do not need to load or cycle nor do you need to take it with sugar. Many types of creatine exist but just go with a plain mono- do not expect miracles though, creatine will barely have any noticeable effect, it may give you an extra rep or 2 but that is about it.

Bloating with creatine is actually very minimal, if it occurs at all, and usually only happens to those who load it (which is not needed). Creatine works by saturation, pulling water into the muscles and providing more endurance.

BCAAs

Spoiler!

BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids) are said to prevent muscle breakdown and aid in recovery- this is true but you know what already has BCAAs in it? Food, any source of protein has and is comprised of branch chain amino acids. Assuming you reach protein sufficiency in your day a BCAA supplement would do nothing to aid you. BCAA supplements may be beneficial if you take pre/intra workout only if you train in a fasted state, or taken between meals if you go 4-6 hours without food. If you do not fit either of those categories they are not needed at all, save the money.

Fat Burners

Spoiler!

Fat Burners primarily do 2 things, suppress appetite and provide energy and focus. They cannot and will not replace a calorie deficit or a proper nutrition plan. Some have other additions, such as Forskolin or Yohimbe which may aid in actual fat loss though, but again the end success of weight/fat loss is proper diet. Work on getting that in order and then, if needed, you may want to look into a fat burner for the final push you need.

Pre-Workouts

Spoiler!

These are designed to provide energy, focus, pump, and endurance; they do so most often with caffeine and other ingredients though there are also non-stimm pre-workouts for those who do not want the caffeine rush. These can aid you if the extra energy is needed but they are not required; if you are fine without them than you can just save your money.

Meal Replacements/Mass Gainer

Spoiler!

These are often little more than a protein supplement with a lot of cheap carbs added in to jack up the calories. Really, just eat more; make a homemade gainer from whole foods: Whole Milk, Oats, Honey, Ice Cream, Whey, Peanut Butter, Fruit; all can be blended up to make a far more nutritious and cheaper gainer than anything you could buy in a tub.

CLA

Spoiler!

CLA is useless, really... Unless you are obese and even then the effects are minimal at best.

Glutamine

Spoiler!

Glutamine is pretty much useless, save your money.

[Torcida1911]

I disagree with the few people that posted here saying they can see a difference in the stomach area.. I can't see any difference at all. Not trying to knock you ofcourse but you need to make some changes. Be honest with your diet. Most people post and write up routines of this and that but don't add any snacks or sauces or this n that they consume daily which all adds up.


Looking at your macros you consume roughly 1500 calories per day.

Judging by those pictures, there is no way. 0 % chance that this is accurate or that you stuck with it.

[selffirst]

4 weeks in?...Post again for a year...Deuces

[YeahLoG]

Pretty noticeable stomach reduction but you're diet is too low in fat intake and that is a bad routine.

Thanks a lot for that detailed post! I just have 2 questions. To calculate the BMR, I need to know my body fat %. I don't know my body fat %. From what I have measured (using skinfold calipers), my body fat comes to 24-25%. But from the reference photos that I checked online, I have a feeling that I might be more than 30%.

The second thing is, I checked out most of the routines that you posted, and all of them have similar exercises to the Lee Labrada routine. Should I just stop following the current routine and start some of the basic ones?

[YeahLoG]

I disagree with the few people that posted here saying they can see a difference in the stomach area.. I can't see any difference at all. Not trying to knock you ofcourse but you need to make some changes. Be honest with your diet. Most people post and write up routines of this and that but don't add any snacks or sauces or this n that they consume daily which all adds up.


Looking at your macros you consume roughly 1500 calories per day.

Judging by those pictures, there is no way. 0 % chance that this is accurate or that you stuck with it.

I am pretty sure that the food that I am tracking is very accurate because I cook my own food for the week and I measure all the ingredients in it using a scale. I have even made a recipe for my morning coffee in the app (myfitnesspal). I don't eat out because I am a broke university student. The only thing that might be inaccurate is the fruits that I eat as snacks, 2 fruits everyday, either apples or bananas.

[gbullock32]

Thanks a lot for that detailed post! I just have 2 questions. To calculate the BMR, I need to know my body fat %. I don't know my body fat %. From what I have measured (using skinfold calipers), my body fat comes to 24-25%. But from the reference photos that I checked online, I have a feeling that I might be more than 30%.

The second thing is, I checked out most of the routines that you posted, and all of them have similar exercises to the Lee Labrada routine. Should I just stop following the current routine and start some of the basic ones?

Body fat does look about 30% or so, so just go with that and adjust based on results; the calculators just provide a starting point and you add/subtract calories based on results.

Yes a beginner routine would be far better, and you would likely be able to progress (gain strength) as a beginner even while in a deficit.

[latverian41]

Just stay in a clean calorie deficit man and it will come off. Everyone's body adjusts differently while in a training /diet mode. Just make sure all your carbs are good carbs and you could always keto really hard to kick your fat burning engine into overdrive . lots of cardio and water water and more water. The results will come and don't weigh but once a week at the minimum the scale mind ****s you at times. So stay away from mind traps...

Last but not least the most important thing for you to have PATIENCE. Just stay the course and keep yoiur mind focused on you living and eating healthy and the weight will disapear

[starocean121]

Actually I can see differences then and now. Keep going OP, maintaining what you are doing, if not more intense workout.

If you are aiming to cut down, do more cardio, go running etc.
If you are aiming to gain muscle, then you are eating too little.

I encourage you to cut down first, then do a clean bulk to gain more muscle mass.

Whatever it is, there's progress base on the pictures. Be PATIENT. you will get there.

[YeahLoG]

Thanks a lot for all the motivation guys. Now I am just confused whether I should complete my current 12 week routine, or start fresh from one of the beginner's routines?

If i decide to change my routine, I will most probably go for StrongLifts 5x5 routine and add 30 mins of cardio on training days as well as rest days. Currently I do 3 days of cardio 30 mins each, burning around 350 cals per cardio session according to the machine.

[alexwaston]

This stuff doesn't happen overnight.. it takes a lot of time.

[Z257Z]

Looks like there's a difference to me. 4 weeks is not a lot of time. It's gonna take a lot of time and a lot of patience to get to where you want to be. We're talking years, not weeks. Be patient and be persistent.

[abdounet]

Honestly speaking I did not see any difference like others said!!!
Probably your slow progress is due to:
No enough sleep
No protein taken
Bad diet ( junk food, soda ... Oily stuff ..)
Or you don't work hard in the gym. Many guys go gym and keep chit chat with each other or keeping posing in front of the mirrors.
The gym is not for the social stuff it is for the pain.

Revise what I have mentioned above.
Put in your mind is depends of your blood and activities. Some take 4 weeks to feel changes when others need months ..


All the best .

[NinjaBoots]

This stuff doesn't happen overnight.. it takes a lot of time.

This. And a lot of hard work.