I'm not losing weight and I don't know why!

[ShortFox]

So I got my fitbit for New Year and I have been going to the gym 3 times a week. I do about 40 minutes cardio and 30 minutes weight training. On average, at the gym I burn anywhere between 450 - 550. My calorie deficit is 500 cals and I'm always under target (Not by choice, I'm just not hungry!), so I'm stumped as to why it's been 4 weeks and no weight loss 😞 and it's making me pretty upset and making me want to just give up.

I'm 20 years old, 5ft 1 and weigh 9 stone 11 - I've been to the gym before, a year or so ago (before I met my partner) and I was losing weight every week, a pound or half a pound here and there.

I have a 9-5 Monday - Friday desk job so when I'm not going to the gym I'm only burning around 1,800 calories.

The only thing that I'm doing differently with my diet and workouts is that I'm having a protein shake after workouts, I'm not supplimenting meals for them or anything - just having it after a work out, and I'm still under my calorie targets!

I've noticed that after 2 weeks of the gym my heart rate no longer peaks, even though I'm working just as hard as always! Although it could just be because I'm getting fitter?

Does anyone have any advice? I understand that maybe I'm building muscle which could be why I'm not losing any weight, but I don't "see" a difference in me either.

Thanks for reading 🙂

[Robcorc]

@Dominique Yes, I intend, of course, to continue logging everything into (likely) BOTH Fitbit and WW to stay within allowances given my weight/size/activity rate. My purpose IS weight loss, so ever my aim is toward that target, regardless of weapon selected.

Sent from my iPad

[Robcorc]

@MaddogWLV What is your twist on the Bulletproof coffee? I have read a lot about it, but have never taken the leap--I am a strong, black and hot coffee girl, so the idea of putting ANYTHING in my morning cup really skeeves me out...

[MaddogWLV]

I was skepitcal too, once you take the leap into the LCHF world it makes more sense. Its a Fat loaded drink, that not only wakes you up but feeds the brain and makes you VERY alert and sharp, and there Never is any  bounce back or Lows and it makes you feel VERY full for hours as i won't eat from Like 7 pm til noon every day except my Coffe and maybe a couple slice of bacon.... basically its a LCHF thing and I am addicted to not only the Coffee but the way of eating. 

[SunsetRunner]

Tried and tested Dolce does talk adding coconut oil to black coffee.  Me, not sure about this butter thing?  Why not just eat 2 tbs of butter straight up???

I'm not an advocate of any diets that eliminate one set of foods.  LCHF, Low Carb High Protein, High carb low ____, etc..  Body needs carbs for energy, my opinion and understanding of nutrition.  Body needs natural/unprocessed/complex carbs, fiber, fat, protein, water and all the micronutrients contained in them for complete health.  Vits and Minerals don't work singularly but in combination with others.  Body is a complex organism. 

So...have I added coconut oil to my coffee now and then, yup.  Vegan so 'grass fed butter' isn't an option, but I can't understand the concept of eating somethat that has no nutritional content other than fat?  Isn't that whats in the coconut oil???

Hmm....

[Raviv]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

I'm not an advocate of any diets that eliminate one set of foods. . .

. . . Vegan so 'grass fed butter' isn't an option but I can't understand the concept of eating somethat that has no nutritional content other than fat?

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Not trying to be obnoxious here but, this is a little confusing for the rest of us.

[MaddogWLV]

@SunsetRunner I am a big beliver of What ever works for you and will not judge or bag on anyone staying healthy and losing weight if needed.....and i am no expert, but I have learned by body and I have TONS of energy, have lost a lot of weight and consume Less than 25g of carbs per day, and one thing to be certain there is no such thing as a Essential carbohydrate here is a Great link discussing that and Carbs and energy http://graemethomasonline.com/carbohydrate-daily-requirements and to you and @Raviv The Butter in Coffe is my favorite Part it makes it so smooth and silky and It is the fat you are after here, cocunut oil has fat but that is also for the MCT's which has Many powerful affects another great link http://draxe.com/mct-oil/

and if you think about it what do we give our cattle and poultry and heck are farmed raise fish to make them big and fat (sorry @SunsetRunner for bringing up all that meat) GRAIN, grain makes them big and fat and we wonder why americians get fat with a food pyramid heavy on grains as the foundation.

again all JMO, i my no means am an expert.

[SunsetRunner]

Hope I didn't come across as judgy or dumping on the concept.

In general, I don't understand the concept of consuming something with no nutritional content other than fats.  That said, and I said in my post, Dolce preaches coconut oil in coffee -- I don't understand it, I've done it, it adds that same smoothness and softens the lips without chapstick..but like I said, I don't get the benefit.  Just the same with butter....dunno....

And agree with you in concept on the food pyramid.  Only grains I eat are quinoa, rice (brown mostly), oats for breakfast most days, but not 'grains' in the form of processed breads, pizza, etc.  And agree that different things effect people differently.  We'll all have our nemisis foods that seem to go from lips to hips...lol.

BUT...fats and protein are poor, low-bioavailable energy sources.  Too much of anything, carbs, fat, and yep..protein can get stored in the body as fat.  All about balance.  Moderation.  etc.....

[Raviv]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

Hope I didn't come across as judgy or dumping on the concept.

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No, not at all.  If we all agreed on everything, the world would be incredibly boring, and you aren't disrespectful at all.

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

In general, I don't understand the concept of consuming something with no nutritional content other than fats.  That said, and I said in my post, Dolce preaches coconut oil in coffee -- I don't understand it, I've done it, it adds that same smoothness and softens the lips without chapstick..but like I said, I don't get the benefit.  Just the same with butter....dunno....

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I would normally agree, but there is something to be said for butter and coconut oil.  But they're certainly no magic bullet.

Coconut oil is really good for brain function.  I totally thought it was "woo" when I heard it, but I was recovering from a couple of brain injuries and had a pretty distinct personality change.  I seemed to be getting nowhere with the neurologist ("That white spot in the MRI is nothing - trust me!") and decided to give coconut oil and 5-HTP a shot.  The results were amazing and I had a turnaround in just a few days.  Later, when I would start to have issues again, I would take the coconut oil and not the 5-HTP, and it also helped dramatically.

I know I read something just in the last week or two about how butter had something in it that made it better for you than other dairy products.  For the life of me, I can't remember what it was because I jjust read and thought "Cool, I love butter" and moved on with my life.  Hopefully I'll see it again.

But like I said, neither is a magic bullet when it comes to weight loss or I'd already be so thin you could barely see me.  There is some nutritional benefit to good fats - butter, avocado, coconut oil, fish - but there is also nutritional benefit to a wide variety of other foods.  Diversity of food choices is a good thing.

[rissadoodlebop]

I'm not a professional, but my guess is that while you have been doing all this working out and eating healthier - you're losing fat and gaining muscle. For your workouts, if your goal is weight loss. Again: eat healthy but also lighten up on the hard core fitness. Go more for lightweights and toning rather than muscle gain. But you could always look for tips online to match your goals! 

[Dominique]

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@rissadoodlebop wrote:

Go more for lightweights and toning rather than muscle gain. 

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There’s this popular notion (especially among women) that lifting heavy weights will turn you into another Arnold, whereas lifting light weights ("pink dumbbells") for a high number of reps will "tone you up".

Well, the risk of gaining so much muscle she would look bulky is very low for a woman. Even for a man, it’s not that easy. Secondly, looking "toned" actually means lowering your subcutaneous fat so that muscles (provided you have some in the first place) will become more visible. Lowering body fat is achieved primarily via nutrition and lifting light weights won’t build much muscle. So to become "toned", you would need to lift relatively heavy weights and to reduce your body fat. To reduce your body fat, you would normally need to be in a caloric deficit, which itself will make building muscle slower / more difficult.

[rissadoodlebop]

In my comment, I wasn't actually suggesting that she fears being "buff" or
to look "like Arnold". My suggestion was based that she is gaining more
muscle, which is heavier than fat. It sounds like her goal is weight loss.
And my suggestion was to use less weights and ease back on the training by
going with a lighter, more relaxed option while of course still minding the
diet.

I myself am in a reducing-body-fat diet so I am familiar. But again, it all
depends on what the ultimate goal is.

[Raviv]

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@Dominique wrote:

There’s this popular notion (especially among women) that lifting heavy weights will turn you into another Arnold, whereas lifting light weights ("pink dumbbells") for a high number of reps will "tone you up".

Well, the risk of gaining so much muscle she would look bulky is very low for a woman. Even for a man, it’s not that easy. Secondly, looking "toned" actually means lowering your subcutaneous fat so that muscles (provided you have some in the first place) will become more visible. Lowering body fat is achieved primarily via nutrition and lifting light weights won’t build much muscle. So to become "toned", you would need to lift relatively heavy weights and to reduce your body fat. To reduce your body fat, you would normally need to be in a caloric deficit, which itself will make building muscle slower / more difficult.

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I have to agree with this.

Even when we say we're looking for "weight loss", the vast majority of the time what we really want is to not look so heavy.  So yes, the number on the scale will come down if you use light weights and lots of repititions, but it won't build muscle very effectively and won't make you look any leaner.

In other words, if the amount you weigh is a higher priority than actually being leaner, and you're willing to sacrifice muscle gain to make the number on the scale go down, then by all means, lift delicate pink weights.  But in reality, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  It's making a progress marker be more important than actually making progress toward the actual goal.

[A_Lurker]

Unless you're on some kind of extreme plan the usual weight loss that people usually realize is 0.5 - 2 lbs/week.  Your kg convert to 2.2 to 4.4 lbs per week.  That's quite an aggressive plan you're pushing.  As well, if you expect people to pay for a website, employ a proofreader.  It's also odd that your Australian website is charging in US dollars....

[Dominique]

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@NoCardio wrote:

Watch out the blog all the information shared is 100% free. Of course if anyone need personal consultation they may subscribe for weight loss packages . They comes with money back guarantee . 

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I didn’t see anything resembling blog posts on your website. The fact that you are promoting your coaching services violates the community guidelines ("advertising is not allowed"), so chances are your post will be removed by a moderator.

[1Step4ward]

I have lost 15kgs but now haven't lost anything in a few weeks. I really need to stay motivated by hitting some step goals (15k steps / day).  I spoke with the doctor who gave me the 'health'not 'weight' talk. It would be wonderful if you could add me as a friend for challenges to keep us motivated!.

[Esya]

Congratz on the 15 kg weight loss @1Step4ward. I get it is frustrating that you have not been losing for a few weeks, but those 15 kg are still gone. I think these forums are great for motivation too and if you are looking for friends you can find some in this post.

[1Step4ward]

Thanks @Esya,  I sent some friend requests to a few people who I hope reply. Just trying to stay motivated now and keep up the hard work.