Lifting and Dieting for 11 weeks but no Weight Loss

[LotusBarbie]

I am a 34 year old female, 5’2” about 181 pounds with 40% body fat. I started taking supplements, lifting heavy 4 days a week, doing cardio 4-5 times a week and following a clean diet while tracking my macros and calories which are around 1700 calories a day. This started on April 19th. I don’t drink alcohol or consume caffeine outside of my preworkout. I only drink water, sometimes with BCAAs during my workout. I haven’t lost any inches or pounds on the scale and my progress photos look the same every week. I have a coach through Bombshell Fitness who keeps saying this is normal.

Where am I going wrong?

[xsquid99]

First off, supplements are not needed for weight loss, so take them if you want but they're generally unnecessary. Bottom line is that if you haven't lost any weight at all since April 19th then its very apparent that you are not in a calorie deficit. Whatever calorie number you think you're eating is irrelevant, because your real world data (no weight loss in almost 3 months) proves that you're still taking in too many calories on a weekly basis. A body cannot maintain its mass when in a sustained calorie deficit, so you need to tighten up your tracking and drop your calories further.

Please fire your coach, it is not "normal".

[Tommy W.]

At 5-2 you’ll never lose at 1700 calories plus you’re probably taking in more on a weekly average. You’ll need to be down to an Honest 1200-1400 a day every day to make any real progress. Your coach is a moron so stop paying him.

[EliKoehn]

Also, caffeine itself should have zero correlation with your weight.

[kittykatykat]

I am a 34 year old female, 5’2” about 181 pounds with 40% body fat. I started taking supplements, lifting heavy 4 days a week, doing cardio 4-5 times a week and following a clean diet while tracking my macros and calories which are around 1700 calories a day. This started on April 19th. I don’t drink alcohol or consume caffeine outside of my preworkout. I only drink water, sometimes with BCAAs during my workout. I haven’t lost any inches or pounds on the scale and my progress photos look the same every week. I have a coach through Bombshell Fitness who keeps saying this is normal.

Where am I going wrong?

I would suggest getting a RMR test done to see what your metabolic rate is at - 1700 COULD be too much. I am actually 5’2 190 lbs, and in March my RMR was 1560. I’ve been going hard at the gym and in the kitchen and my weight is the same, but my RMR tested in June at 2016, so my metabolism shot up.

You may very well be eating a bit too much right now, and with how much cardio you are doing you may be burning off any muscle you would be gaining from the strength training. I am under the care of a personal trainer, and although I am not one, if I were you I would cut the cardio in half, take in 200 less calories, and try that for a couple of weeks to see if anything changes.

[Tommy W.]

I would suggest getting a RMR test done to see what your metabolic rate is at - 1700 COULD be too much. I am actually 5’2 190 lbs, and in March my RMR was 1560. I’ve been going hard at the gym and in the kitchen and my weight is the same, but my RMR tested in June at 2016, so my metabolism shot up.

You may very well be eating a bit too much right now, and with how much cardio you are doing you may be burning off any muscle you would be gaining from the strength training. I am under the care of a personal trainer, and although I am not one, if I were you I would cut the cardio in half, take in 200 less calories, and try that for a couple of weeks to see if anything changes.

Rmr tests are a waste of time. 5-2 and 190 you need to get a lot more aggressive on fatloss.

Get a new trainer or none at all.

[xsquid99]

I would suggest getting a RMR test done to see what your metabolic rate is at - 1700 COULD be too much. I am actually 5’2 190 lbs, and in March my RMR was 1560. I’ve been going hard at the gym and in the kitchen and my weight is the same, but my RMR tested in June at 2016, so my metabolism shot up.

You may very well be eating a bit too much right now, and with how much cardio you are doing you may be burning off any muscle you would be gaining from the strength training. I am under the care of a personal trainer, and although I am not one, if I were you I would cut the cardio in half, take in 200 less calories, and try that for a couple of weeks to see if anything changes.

Even the most accurate RMR tests can vary by up to 30-40%, that's A LOT, and its really irrelevant anyways since you also have EAT + NEAT + TEF to factor into your TDEE (which are also unknown numbers).

No weight loss for 11 weeks = not in a caloric deficit. No way around it.

[Hope2k20]

If you had been in a deficit your scale would have budged long before 11 weeks. Hell if from nothing else you should have seen some the initial water weight loss.

Either you're consuming more calories than you think (inaccurate measuring/calculations or failing to track all sources of calories) or you need to cut back. Though given your weight and the exercise you're doing, I would expect your maintenance to be bit higher than 1700.

Also, stop taking nutrition advice from the coach. It is not normal to be in a deficit and the scale not budge for 11 weeks, especially at the beginning of the process.

[Vpac]

First, are you sure you're definitely tracking your macros accurately? In the past I have tracked very accurately and always seen results, and other times even though I'd track 80% of the time and thought it was enough, I wouldn't see consistent results and my weight would just fluctuate up and down and wouldn't see any progress.

Second, not sure how good your coach is but for them to say it's normal is alarming. I'd seriously look at getting another coach. I have used 3DMJ in the past who were fantastic but quite pricey.

[JayJayDee123]

I think a diet might be more suitable for weight loss than taking supplements. The keto diet is quite compatible with many weight loss programs as it helps increasing the fat buring process, also when compared to normal dieting it does have other health benefits.
As much as the keto diet is beneficial when it comes to weight loss, I think one also needs to be cautius when going off keto as the body needs to slowly adjust to avoid gaining the weight back.

[Tommy W.]

I think a diet might be more suitable for weight loss than taking supplements. The keto diet is quite compatible with many weight loss programs as it helps increasing the fat buring process, also when compared to normal dieting it does have other health benefits.
As much as the keto diet is beneficial when it comes to weight loss, I think one also needs to be cautius when going off keto as the body needs to slowly adjust to avoid gaining the weight back.

KETO is no better than a carb inclusive dies when it comes to fat loss. The only diet that will work is one you can stick to pretty much for life which will normally be one that includes all macros. Protein, carbs and fats.

[snailsrus]

At 5-2 you’ll never lose at 1700 calories plus you’re probably taking in more on a weekly average. You’ll need to be down to an Honest 1200-1400 a day every day to make any real progress. Your coach is a moron so stop paying him.

I lose weight at 1700 and I’m 5’2. So I wouldn’t say it’s totally off, but it would be a very slow weight loss like 2-3 lbs a month

That said. Op probably isn’t counting calories correctly or adding a cheat meal that adds 100-200 an average a day for a 1000 calorie meal or snack like a blizzard

Op if you are not losing weight, you are eating too much. I mean it’s pretty cut and dry. And someone at 180 lbs should be losing weight at 1700. To maintain 180 pounds, I can almost guaranteed you were eating more than that

[Tommy W.]

I lose weight at 1700 and I’m 5’2. So I wouldn’t say it’s totally off, but it would be a very slow weight loss like 2-3 lbs a month

That said. Op probably isn’t counting calories correctly or adding a cheat meal that adds 100-200 an average a day for a 1000 calorie meal or snack like a blizzard

Op if you are not losing weight, you are eating too much. I mean it’s pretty cut and dry. And someone at 180 lbs should be losing weight at 1700. To maintain 180 pounds, I can almost guaranteed you were eating more than that

With that much fat to lose OP needs to get serious and 1,700 won't cut it. If she was losing at that it would be extremely slow. She very well may be eating more than that however at 5-2 and a sedentary lifestyle away from the gym even a true 1,700 can still be too high to make any real progress.

[SnipeItLikePro]

It’s either:
1). You’re underestimating how much you’re actually eating
Or
2). 1700 calories is your maintenance and you need to go lower.

Do you actually feel like you’re eating less throughout the day?

[deriktheman]

"Stop fucing eating fatty"