I don't know anything about reasonable expectations.

February 13, 2009 3:40 AM

Help me understand weight loss when starting a workout program (or why I'm not losing)

So last summer I changed my diet and did some minimal workout and shed 35 pounds and then got stuck and for various reasons drifted away from actively trying to lose more. I gained back ~5 pounds. One month ago I started up at the gym and I go religiously 3-4 times a week. I have been doing mostly strength training with some cardio mixed in. My diet seems to be fine but its possible I'm not eating enough calories. In 4 weeks I have lost as much as 5 pounds but 2 pounds comes and goes. I know the reasonable expectation is 1-2 pounds a week (so 4-8 a month) but its slightly disheartening to be 4 weeks in and weighing 2.5 pounds less than I did before. I guess what confuses me most is that all of my clothes fit better and my body seems to look better (partner agrees) but the weight doesn't reflect that. I am just being too critical in to short a time or should I try to amp up my calories? My goal here is weight loss right now, not becoming super muscular.

I started at 270 and got to 235 last summer. When I started a month ago I was 241.5 and today I am 239 but have been as low as 236.5 in the past month. I'm 5'8". I can provide diet details if its relevant.

Thanks for your input.

posted by zennoshinjou to health & fitness (24 comments total)

The fact that your clothes fit better indicates that you're losing fat. However, the type of exercise you're doing will inevitably build muscle - even if it isn;t showing particularly. Your measurements are probably a better indicator of a improvement in condition than your body mass.

Also, weight shouldn't be a concern on a day-to-day (or even week-to-week) basis. You need to be taking an average of weekly measurements over a month, ideally measured at the same time of day/week. Fluctuations around the 2 pound mark are nothing to be concerned about and can be due to things like water intake, digestive tract contents etc. Averaging measurements over a month should iron out these blips.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 4:06 AM on February 13

You've gotta buy a scale that measures body fat percentage for the weights you listed to be meaningful. That said, disregard your weight. You're obsessing over it and that means you're thinking too much. If you need to track yourself(like I need to track myself) just write down how you feel before a workout and how you feel after, on a scale of 1 to 10, in your diary or planner. The contrast has always been staggering for me. Better than booze or sex, numerically over a long period of time.

The current popular school of thought is that if you want to lose weight, muscle burns calories faster than fat. It sounds like you're doing brilliantly. Keep up the great work!
posted by christhelongtimelurker at 4:06 AM on February 13 [1 favorite has favorites]

You may have heard the saying "muscle weighs more than fat" - patently untrue, but the idea is that a kilo of muscle is denser than a kilo of fat, taking up less volume on your body. Presumably your workouts have resulted in you losing fat and gaining muscle, which is reflected by the fact that your clothes fit better and your body looking better.

The others already have good advice; it's not strictly about the weight. Keep up the good work!
posted by minus zero at 4:16 AM on February 13

Since I began my exercise routine seven months ago (and admittedly have not changed my eating habits accordingly) I have stayed within the same 5 pound range, but have lost one, possibly two dress sizes.
posted by Lucinda at 5:02 AM on February 13

I'll preface this by saying you're on the right path, what everyone else has said is correct (getting thinner even if you're not losing weight, etc), and sometimes your weight will plateau for a while then drop precipitously. That said...

Even vigorous weightlifting burns far fewer calories per unit time than moderate aerobic activities--running, cycling, etc. My suggestion would be to up your time spent doing aerobic activities. Keep lifting--that builds muscles so you won't look like this guy--but adding aerobic activity = more calories burnt = more weight loss.
posted by The Michael The at 5:11 AM on February 13

What is your workout routine like? You said your goal is weight loss, but that should not eliminate weight training from your workout fully. You should do at least a modicum of strength training, as strengthening/toning/building muscle will improve your metabolism and thus the amount of calories you are burning during your workout.
posted by Jinkeez at 6:07 AM on February 13

Right now my routine is probably 60/40 or 70/30 weight training to cardio. I usually go 3 days a week.. one day is arms/chest, one day is legs, and the third day is wildcard. Usually when I go I also do some time on an elliptical or treadmill. I am working with a trainer since I don't know jack about weight training but I was looking for information not from him since its in his interest to keep me thinking I'm making progress (not to imply I'm not or that hes duplicitous.. just wanted other inputs).
posted by zennoshinjou at 6:12 AM on February 13

I Would definitely get hold of some calipers and start measuring your body fat percentages.

As you can weight 210 pounds and be 20% or 210 pounds be 7%. At the 7% you would look amazing! and the 20% a bit chubby. So its less about the actual weight and more about the body fat.

But as everyone else is saying you are moving in the right direction so good luck!
posted by moochoo at 6:16 AM on February 13

You need a set of scales that can record fat percentage. These are cheap and widely available.

Bear in mind that any effort to lose weight should be made up of roughly 80% diet, 20% exercise. The exercise is a waste of time unless you have put proper thought, planning and discipline into your diet.
posted by fire&wings at 6:19 AM on February 13

Don't get discouraged, it sounds like you have a really good routine... I think if you keep at it you'll start to see weight loss again. If you get impatient or just want to experiment with stuff, have you tried any sort of HIIT? There are differing opinions on whether High Intensity Interval Training is any better than regular cardio, but a lot of people swear by it. Some elliptical machines even have an "Interval" program built right into them.
posted by Jinkeez at 6:24 AM on February 13

Thanks for the advice on the body fat analysis scale... I will go get one. I guess in retrospect it makes sense to pay attention to that more than weight per se.
posted by zennoshinjou at 6:28 AM on February 13

Check your diet. How many calories are you consuming? Write everything down.

People can give you excuses such as muscle weighs more than fat, water retention, inches lost, yada yada, but four weeks of weight training did not cause you to gain more than a pound of muscle. Unless you're taking steroids or testosterone or something. If you've been eating adequate protein perhaps you have gained one pound of muscle in one week.

Check your nutrition. Be consistent. Work harder. Aim to get in 10,000 steps or five miles of walking in per day. It doesn't have to be all in one day. Walk more, get up from your desk, take the stairs. Don't eat junk. Pack your lunch. Are you breaking a good sweat on the elliptical and treadmill? Are you eating three meals and one or two snacks per day? Are you eating breakfast? Can you feel hunger pangs before meals? You should be.

Plug your stats into FitDay, figure out how many calories you need to consume to lose 2 pounds a week. It's funny, we're smart, and we all love evidence, but we don't want to listen ,or adhere, to the fact that slow weight loss equals permanent weight loss.

About realistic expectations: you cannot fail if you stick to a healthy lifestyle and don't eat more calories than you expend. You will lose weight. Keep with the healthy eating and keep moving and you'll see results.
posted by Fairchild at 6:31 AM on February 13

If you've been eating adequate protein perhaps you have gained one pound of muscle in one week.

apologies, I meant to say four weeks.
posted by Fairchild at 6:33 AM on February 13

I think my concern was that I was somehow sabotaging myself and that my perceived lack of progress would be indicative of that. I'm a total novice at this and its important to me to be doing everything I can to make the process happen in the most efficient manner possible. I'm fine with slow weight loss I just wanted to be sure it wasn't too slow.

Thanks for everyone's encouragement and input!
posted by zennoshinjou at 6:48 AM on February 13

Actually, don't buy a scale that reads body fat. Readings can be off by 6%, sometimes over the course of a single day. Washington Post article. Stick with the calipers.
posted by spamguy at 6:54 AM on February 13

I've been reading The New Rules of Lifting for Women and the author claims you've hit "the sweet spot" if your clothes are fitting better and you're looking more toned, but you have stayed about the same weight wise. It sounds like since you had a lot over the summer, you have switched to more of a fat loss/muscle gain routine right now. It might be worth checking that book out for some diet tips, it encourages women to eat 0.75-1g of protein/lbs of body weight while doing an intense weightlifting plan. So changing your diet up a bit may help you reach your goals. Congrats and keep up the good work!
posted by sararah at 7:22 AM on February 13

Seconding, thirding everything here - but especially the "don't trip over how much weight-loss" type advice. It's far, far better to track how much energy you're getting as you work out each week.

I am also in the midst of a fairly vigorous weight training regimen after taking a year and a half off from any sort of serious exercise. My doctor told me a month ago that I was 50 lbs. overweight at 225 lbs.

I'm nearly 41 years old and am a little over 5'9" tall.

My strongest recommendation is all about diet. CONTROL WHAT YOU EAT and you will control what your body looks like. Period.

I switched to a whole-wheat, high-fiber and protein diet, and completely eliminated soda and 50 percent of my alcohol intake. I also don't eat chips, cookies, chocolate anymore - instead I go for fresh fruit, pretzels (again, whole wheat), and the like. I also drink lots of water.

Also - remember to vary your workouts every three months or so or your muscles will start slowing down their growth. They will learn the routine and you'll see less results, so switch things up every now and then and give yourself different goals, little challenges, etc. It's a great experience to try new things in the gym and most gyms get new equipment on a regular basis.

GOOD LUCK - sounds like you're on the right track.
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 7:57 AM on February 13

The two most important criteria to your weight are what you put into your body and what you do to use the fuel. I wouldn't get hung up on the aerobic/strength percentages because the effectual differences there are so small in comparison to diet changes. Just cutting processed sugars and starches from your diet can help tremendously. You don't have to completely forgo orange juice or never eat pasta, just be more conscious of what you're putting into your body and try to keep the big picture in your mind at all times (eat less, exercise more).

The trick to making this work is that depending on the kind of food you eat you can trick your stomach into feeling full for longer periods of time. Whole grains and nuts are great for this. The stereotypical American lifestyle of driving to work and spending hours sitting on your butt only needs about 1200 calories a day to comfortably sustain themselves. But that only works if those 1200 calories are coming from the right sources of food. For example, a McDonald's milkshake might have enough calories for two meals, but that doesn't change the fact that your body is going to be demanding more food after the glycemic load has tapered off after an hour.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 8:17 AM on February 13

Calipers can be inconsistent depending on your skill, the calibration of the calipers and where your fat is located. Calipers measure subcutaneous fat - the stuff under your skin that looks bad. Calipers cannot measure visceral fat - the stuff between your organs that is a health risk. Instead of obsessing about a daily measurement of subcutaneous fat, you can get a DEXA measurement of fat every few months if you're interested.

To your real question, you're doing fine. Weight loss isn't linear. It's the frustration of most people who lose weight. There are plateaus and (sometimes) big drops. It's annoying but it's simply part of the path. (As someone who's lost 80ish pounds, I can verify both the plateaus and the frustrations.)

Don't obsess about measurement and stay focused on healthy choices in food and activity. Your weight will drop (eventually) if you are consistent.
posted by 26.2 at 8:41 AM on February 13

You may have heard the saying "muscle weighs more than fat" - patently untrue, but the idea is that a kilo of muscle is denser than a kilo of fat, taking up less volume on your body.

Is this a joke? I can't tell. Do you really not understand that when people say "muscle weighs more than fat" they mean X volume of muscle weighs more than X volume of fat"? If you assume people mean "a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat" I think maybe it's you who doesn't get it.
posted by peep at 8:51 AM on February 13 [1 favorite has favorites]

I'll nth the keep on keeping on. It's not a race, and as long as you're excercising and eating well, it's all good.
posted by ob at 10:06 AM on February 13

I'm not in a hurry so much as I don't want to be undermining myself through some other bad habit. This is the first time in my life I've ever made a conscious effort to lose weight/gain muscle/not live like an indolent nerd.

Thanks again for the advice!
posted by zennoshinjou at 10:26 AM on February 13

People can give you excuses such as muscle weighs more than fat, water retention, inches lost, yada yada, but four weeks of weight training did not cause you to gain more than a pound of muscle. Unless you're taking steroids or testosterone or something. If you've been eating adequate protein perhaps you have gained one pound of muscle in one week.

Huh? Are you saying that it's not possible for a beginner to gain more than a pound of muscle in four weeks of strength training? Because that's totally wrong.
posted by ludwig_van at 10:45 AM on February 13

I agree with previous posts that if weight loss is your primary goal, then focus 80% on diet, 20% on exercise.

Everyone (I hope!) knows the basics: cut out the junk food, sodas, chips, desserts, etc., and eat more fruits, veggies, whole grain breads and healthy sources of protein (chicken/turkey/fish). And don't ignore the "good" fats: olive oil, nuts, etc. Use an online calorie counter if that helps.

That being said, oftentimes it's not a matter of knowing what to do, it's finding the willpower and support to do it. That's why Weight Watchers groups are generally very successful because they combines education with group support. You may want to check into local WW meetings in your area.
posted by jcmilton at 3:03 PM on February 13