Could use some personalized weight loss advice from Experts :)

[fl_beach_bunny]

OK everyone so the more I read, the more I get confused and I could just really get some advice from people who know what they are doing on this site.

I'll just lay it all out there, I am:

• 5'3 (normal bone structure - not small)
• 142 lbs - and want to lose 17 lbs
• I've never been much of an vigourous exerciser although I'm an active person
• New to fitbit (have used myfitnesspal for a long time)
• Previously lost 45 lbs back in 2010 with Atkins and kept it off this whole time
• I still eat only non processed foods - protein, veggies, cheese (not much), no sugar, very few carbs (I really do not want to get into a debate about Atkins)

Currently stuck at a serious plateau for a very long time now, its 3 on, 3 off -- over and over and over......I am trying my best now to not get discouraged and keep at the exercising and diet routine.

I got my fitbit in hopes that it would inspire me to move more and it has but I've only had it for 1 1/2 weeks.

My first week, I worked out 6 days out of 7 for 60 minutes on the treadmill in cardio zone. I did my best to keep my calories at 1200 although I am bad about not eating enough but I usually come close (I've learned by being here that is definitely not good and could contribute to stalls or muscle depletion). I gained 1 lb! Ok so i know it could be water retention.......

Last week, I was getting annoyed at fitbit for making myfitnesspal add the calories i burned to my calorie allowance and kept deleting it. Question: Should I be eating those calories if I want to lose weight? I think fitbit is already taking 500 from my suggested intake right?

I want to keep my calorie deficit at 500. So I am curious.... I'll never be a marathon runner but I want to workout enough to be able to lose 1-2 lbs a week. 60 min 6 days a week was a lot for me and I dont know if thats sustainable. I like to vary my routine as well, take my dog for a very long walk. 

Question: Should I run on the treadmill for a shorter period of time? I think its better to be in the fat burning zone for a longer period of time than be in cardio zone for a shorter period of time though right...for fat burning purposes? 

Trying to think of other questions i had, I know there are a few. I'll start with this for now.

Thank you so much!

[3Ftraining · Accepted solution]

Hey there!

First off: congrats to losing the weight and keeping it off! I know it can be really frustrating when you hit that plateau, but there are a couple of things you can try:

• Don't deficit too much! You should have a max deficit of 500 kcals compared to your daily burn. To know how much that is you take the cals you burn "normally" in a day and add the ones you burn during exercise. And from that you subtract the 500. Yes, most fitness apps will give you your target calorie intake based on your deficit requirements. Fitbit, for example, lets you choose how much you wanna lose how fast and then computes how many calories you're "allowed" each day. And it will add your workout cals to that, that's important! Why? If you create too big a deficit your body will think it's starving and store more fuel as fat as a result. - Say you burn 1500 kcals a day just going to work and living your life. Then you do some cardio and maybe burn an extra 400. That day you have burned a total of 1900 and should eat roughly 1400 kcal for weight loss. You can eat more (say, 1600 kcal a day), that'll just make you lose weight a little less quickly.

• When you hit a plateau you somtiems have to add cals back in for a couple of weeks to basically reset your body a bit, and then reduce these again to see some results. First make sure you're not eating way too few cals (it sounds like you might be from what you described), and if that doesnt get you results, try to eat about as much as you burn for 2 weeks, and then go back down.

• Try HIIT workouts: instead of just doing steady state cardio at low intensity (you mention wanting to do more in the "fat burning zone"), use your time efficiently and really shred those pounds with some high intensity workouts. The fat burning zone is a bit of a myth, actually. While it might be true that you burn a higher percentage of fat at lower intensity, your overall fat burning in absolute numbers is great at higher heart rates. So ditch the low intesity, time consuming cardio workouts and do some High Intensity Intervall Training (HIIT) instead. There are pleanty of great tips for this to be found on the web.

• Try adding some strength exercises. Only doing cardio is not only a bit boring, it also isn't the most efficient way to lose weight (in the form of fat). When you do strenght training (be it at the gym or at home, with weights or just your bodyweight) you build muscle, which not only makes you look firmer and fitter, it also means you burn more cals with everything you do. The best thing about this? You can do some easy bodyweight exercises in rapid progression and it becomes a cardio workout. Tabata or other HIIT workouts can include all sorts of exercises, for beginners to pros. Again, the internet is a great resource to find a workout that works for you.

Walking your dog, taking the stairs and generally being more active is a great way to burn those cals and tone your muscles. But do try to vary your workouts a bit more than you have been doing. Very often just changing your workout routine can make all the difference.

Hope that helps!

Dani

[JCendurance]

Hi, first I am no fitness expert but what I do works for me. I have learned by trial and error that eating several small meals through the day is what works best. If someone thinks that not eating all throught he day is the way to go, thats bad info. Start your day with a solid breakfast. You dont head out on a long trip on an empty tank do you? And if your trip is long you usually have to stop every 400 miles for gas. We operate by same concept. Drink a ton of water. Flushes system and makes you feel full. As for the exercise, what works best for me is tricking my body. Change it up every few days or so and change duration. Your body will get use to the same thing everyday and then learn to adapt to protect itself. So if someone weighs 180 pounds the body says I have to protect this at all costs so I will guard against whatever comes my way. So if it doesnt know what you are going to do its tougher for it to guard. At the end of the day many very rich people know that body image and good health are important to so many people. And while there are several good diet "plans" out there it all boils down to this. Attitude and hard work. Most people can change the attitude, its the second one that people want to work around. We live in a world where we must have everything right now. That's sad because its causing us to give up on old fashioned hard work. OK enough preaching. Bottom line your 60 minute everyday on the treadmill is wasting your time. Your body expects it. Change it up Go on Pintrest and look at some of the 30 day challeges that may interest you. They have squat challenges, push ups, sit ups and so on that take 5 minutes a day but work. Cardio alone is not going to get you where you want to go. You have to work those muscles as well. Get the brain to call all those fat cells into action and that will get the fire burning. Confuse your body. Dont get in a routine, you will get bored soon and give up. You dont listen to the same song everyday do you? BTW give yourself one day to rest and heal.Fit Bit has helped me also I strive for at least 20,000 steps a day. I do push ups everyday and squats everyday and sit ups. Thats it. I just want to maintain. I am not a gym resident. I dont have time for that. I feel I am in great shape for waht I do. i hope this helps. Let me know what you think. Maybe we can set up some ideas for you

[Raviv]

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@fl_beach_bunny wrote:

My first week, I worked out 6 days out of 7 for 60 minutes on the treadmill in cardio zone. I did my best to keep my calories at 1200 although I am bad about not eating enough but I usually come close (I've learned by being here that is definitely not good and could contribute to stalls or muscle depletion). I gained 1 lb! Ok so i know it could be water retention.......

Last week, I was getting annoyed at fitbit for making myfitnesspal add the calories i burned to my calorie allowance and kept deleting it. Question: Should I be eating those calories if I want to lose weight? I think fitbit is already taking 500 from my suggested intake right?

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Yes, you should be eating all of the calories Fitbit is telling you to eat.

In the area where you log your food, it should show your food plan - how many calories you have left to eat.  There's a gray arrow to the left of that number, and if you click on it, you'll see what your calorie deficit is set for.  When you increase the calories out, the calories in will increase to keep the deficit constant.  That's healthy becauase more activity requires more fuel.

With only 17 pounds to lose, you shouldn't have a deficit of more than about 500 calories.  If you have a workout that day, the number of calories allowed will rise along with your calories burned, and you want that.  It's a good thing.  If you go too low, especially if you're active, then you're going to do more harm than good.

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@fl_beach_bunny wrote:

I want to keep my calorie deficit at 500. So I am curious.... I'll never be a marathon runner but I want to workout enough to be able to lose 1-2 lbs a week. 60 min 6 days a week was a lot for me and I dont know if thats sustainable. I like to vary my routine as well, take my dog for a very long walk. 

Question: Should I run on the treadmill for a shorter period of time? I think its better to be in the fat burning zone for a longer period of time than be in cardio zone for a shorter period of time though right...for fat burning purposes? 

---

So instead of going on the treadmill for an hour 6 days a week, why don't you mix it up a bit?  Stick to running (outdoors is even better if the weather is reasonable) but bring it down to 3 or 4 days a week and maybe throw in some weightlifting if you have the time.  The weights will tighten everything up and have you burning a few more calories when you're at rest.  And rest days exist for a very good reason.  That's when your muscle repairs and rebuilds, making it stronger over the long run.

[RayQ]

Hi

Looking to get fit.  /If you use Face Book at all try this web sit out that I am trying to get off the ground.  You might find it interesting and informative as it gets larger.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/946949508679487/

[pinkpink]

Beach Bunny! You can totally do this  😃  

Spoiler

I would keep it simple

1. Make sure to Intake your Target Calories. Quality meals *remember Nutrition is 80% weight los

2. Try working out 4 days a week; for 30 minutes each. 

3. Strength Train!! Can't emphasize lean mass enough. Start Easy and Basic Youtube has great videos
    I would start with 1 day a week, and build up to two.

4. Stay Hydrated

[DominicJ]

"Last week, I was getting annoyed at fitbit for making myfitnesspal add the calories i burned to my calorie allowance and kept deleting it. Question: Should I be eating those calories if I want to lose weight? I think fitbit is already taking 500 from my suggested intake right?

I want to keep my calorie deficit at 500. So I am curious.... I'll never be a marathon runner but I want to workout enough to be able to lose 1-2 lbs a week. 60 min 6 days a week was a lot for me and I dont know if thats sustainable. I like to vary my routine as well, take my dog for a very long walk. "

Yes you have to eat your excercise calories!!!!  Its utterly essential that you do, it feels silly going for a run and coming back home to eat a tub of peanut butter, but its the best way.

If you give us the actuals its easier to help though.

"Question: Should I run on the treadmill for a shorter period of time? I think its better to be in the fat burning zone for a longer period of time than be in cardio zone for a shorter period of time though right...for fat burning purposes? "

There is no fat burning zone, its a myth

The only way to lose weight is to create a moderate calorie deficit.

In my opinion, the best way to do that, is to 

Maximise Excercise Time, a 60 minute run is better than a 40 minute run

Train Consistantly, its better to jog at a speed you can maintain than sprint for a minute and then stop for 4 minutes 

Train Hard, its better to jog at 9kmh than 8kmh, but only if you can maintain the pace.

[HolyGigi · Accepted solution]

Since you said you did Atkins, I'd suggest going a bit further and look into Keto. It's basically the same, only you limit the carbs to 30-40g a day and you don't increase them. So still high fat - medium protein - low carb. If you dont want to look into your diet, instead of running I'd say go weight lifting. Will burn a lot more calories faster, it's not boring and there's an awesome sense of accomplishment when you start to get stronger and stronger

[Crank]

The only way to get out of a plateau is to change your routine so it isn't a routine anymore.

[fl_beach_bunny]

Thank you so much Dani, that is very helpful info and I'm taking everything into consideration 🙂

[fl_beach_bunny]

Will do Raviv - thanks, great info!!

[fl_beach_bunny]

I totally agree Holygigi, I need to add some complex carbs back in my diet. I have come to the conclusion that i wasn't eating enough calories - fat makes you not hungry and on top of that, no carbs to fuel my workouts, getting tired one day, then energy the next, was a vicious cycle and I am ready to do something different. I am taking your advice... I also spoke to someone in the fitness industry that i know and she agreed.

Thanks again!

[Peggie]

Hey, Florida BB: what about an update on your progress and what worked to break your plateau?  I have similar issues: lost about 80 lbs (over 2 years) and currently hovering at about 145 (5' 4")and progress is downward but, oh-so-slow and yes, 2 up 2 down 1 up 1 down..... Hoping you have some insights.....  But I'm starting to think that those last 10 pounds are absolutely grueling!  Doing the strength training definately seems to help though. When I replace the cardio with lifting and dumbell workouts, it seems to shake things lose a bit. Good luck to you tho! 🙂

[fl_beach_bunny]

HI Peggy, thanks for asking. I know it's super frustrating. Well to provide an update, I know I was dead set against chaning from Atkins but after speaking with my sister who's been in the fitness competition world before, she convinced me to try Advocare with her. I've never been big on MLMs and stayed away from them like the plague but she said Atkins isn't healthy long term and I would tend to agree now that I've been off Atkins for a while. I have soooo much more energy and I feel a lot better. So I dont know what diet you are on but the recommended diet is 40% carbs 40% protein and 20% fat. So now I'm following that as strictly as possible. I still can't tell you if it was the Advocare 24 day program that helped me get out of my rut or just eating differently but I have lost 7 lbs!!!! I haven't even been good at exercising lately after taking a couple trips out of town.

I dont want to get yelled at for speaking about an MLM product, a lot of places dont allow that. If you want more info though, just PM me. Or you could just try to do the diet part and see how it works for you. The cleanse phase did help me but I'm not sure if it was the product or the diet that helped the most... either way, I'm happy to be down some and feeling better!

[fl_beach_bunny]

oh and i upped my calories to 1400 per day

[divedragon]

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 If someone thinks that not eating all throught he day is the way to go, thats bad info. Start your day with a solid breakfast. You dont head out on a long trip on an empty tank do you? And if your trip is long you usually have to stop every 400 miles for gas.

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I respectfully disagree.  New evidence is mounting towards the concept of intermittent fasting being a very healthy alternative.  The analogy that an empty stomach equates to an empty gas tank is also erroneous.  Gas is fuel - so is fat, so our fat storage is more analogous to a gas tank where the gas in the carberator is the food or more aptly the blood glycogen.  When we don't have blood glycogen, our body reacts by releasing the hormones to break down the fat into keytones which are used in place of glycogen.  Additionally, out body can actually create glycogen in a process known as glycogenisis.  Keytone are also thought to be a preferred food for the brain as they stimulate stem cells resulting in new neurons being produced.  As a fast progresses, additional growth hormones are produced as well.  When we don't have glycogen from freshly eaten food, out bodies stop producing insulin which exposes the cells to less insulin in the long run and increases insulin sensitivity - which can increase fat lose.

It is theorized that our gnome developed during the hunter-gather days when food was not available 24/7.  When it did become available it had to be consumed quickly to avoid spoilage and then another meal might not be available for several days again.  Overeating when food was available and storing fat so that between meals the fat was consumed for energy.  Since they would need ultimate muscle power to take down the next beast, low energy was not an option and the body compensated.  In fact, during fasting, metobolism actually increases.

Now from personal experience, I've been intermittent fasting on a 20:4 schedule for 6 weeks now.  I eat between 1500-1800 calories a day, do weight training 3 days a week and walk/jog everyday.  From my weight training, I've increased strength to where I do 6 compound lifts as 3x5; 3x8; and 3x10 and the actual weight has increased 10% over the 6 week period.  I've also lost over 9 pounds (haven't weighed in two weeks).  I have never felt weak or for a lack of energy - in fact just the opposite.  I've had a lot more energy than previously.

The theroy with 6 small meals was born out of the concept of thermogenissi or the energy used to digest food.  The idea that eating throughout the day would keep the metabolism reved up.  Turns out that the effect accounts for about 10% of the calories we consume and it doesn't matter when you eat them, you'll still burn the same amount of calories, so no net benefit is achieved. 

Also, the idea that the body holds on to fat is not true either.  Fat or muscle takes energy to maintain.  When we lose fat, our metabolism does slow down, but this is not from any 'Stravation Mode' scenario.  It's simply you body doesn't need to burn as much just to maintain - known as the basil metabolic rate.  So as you lose weight, you either have to keep reducing your calories or increase you burn through more exercise to avoid plateauing. 

[fl_beach_bunny]

Please excuse my spelling errors. Sent from my iPhone

[fl_beach_bunny]

I see where your calories are at but what do you keep your carbs at? There are many phases of Atkins and many variations throughout the years. I stayed on the strictest phase way too long. You eat 20 carbs or less and reduce calories lower and lower hoping to get results because it's not happening and the. You find yourself in an unhealthy mode real fast. I did better eating brown rice occasionally. Before I learned too much and started trying really hard. Somethings can be taken too far so I think everyone has different experiences based on what they try and what they know. I think Dr Atkins expected people to move into the advanced stages of Atkins after a while and not get stuck in phase 1 forever. It's just not healthy. I may go back to Atkins soon. I do believe in it and think it works. For me, it works for my lifestyle and it's a comfort zone but I'll be smarter about it next time.

[Raviv]

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@divedragon wrote:

When we don't have glycogen from freshly eaten food, out bodies stop producing insulin which exposes the cells to less insulin in the long run and increases insulin sensitivity - which can increase fat lose.

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This.

[Peggie]

I'm just glad to see that you are still "in the mix!"  Nothing makes me sadder than to see someone who asks for help and support and when you look at their page they haven't logged on in months.... Sad!

So! Awesome that you have found a way to break your plateau!
 I eat "clean" yet try to keep my protien level at 25% of my calories and sometimes better than that. I make progress by occassionally jumpng that to 30 or 35%, but that is difficult since I don't like shakes and bars and meat is so expensive (yes, lots of beans, eggs, and quinoa too).  I am always looking at other diets, though, so I will look into the diet you spoke of. I think I will try to bump up my calrie intake tho.... I have been wondering---like you did--- if I was cutting myself short. Progress continues... slow but sure... I'll get there sooner or later! 🙂

So glad you are still out there "fitbitting!"