Weight Loss

[KristenH]

Really looking for some weight loss advice, will take any help!

I'm a 20 year old D1 college athlete so I'm obviously working out at least 6 days a week. I run about 4-5 miles 3 times a week on top of our lifts and practices. I'm 5'4 and weigh 140lbs and consistently burn over 2500 calories a day. Although I know I have a lot of muscle weight, I am still trying to lose at least 5-7 pounds and it seems nearly impossible. I eat all whole grains, yogurt, nuts, and mainly cook myself veggies and chicken/salmon. I've been at this for about a month and have seen just 1lb in weight loss. Any tips??

Thanks!

[SunsetRunner]

I know this sounds ridiculous - but are you eating ENOUGH? 

Losing weight while doing as much exercise as you do will be significantly harder if your body is not getting enough food. Do you use any trackers to monitor calories in? Or more specifically how much protein/carb/fat you're having? 

What has annoyed me more than anything on these message boards is seeing people saying to avoid fats altogether which is ridiculous. You need to include fats in your diet, especially if you're active. 

[Brozzy]

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@KristenH wrote:

Really looking for some weight loss advice, will take any help!

I'm a 20 year old D1 college athlete so I'm obviously working out at least 6 days a week. I run about 4-5 miles 3 times a week on top of our lifts and practices. I'm 5'4 and weigh 140lbs and consistently burn over 2500 calories a day. Although I know I have a lot of muscle weight, I am still trying to lose at least 5-7 pounds and it seems nearly impossible. I eat all whole grains, yogurt, nuts, and mainly cook myself veggies and chicken/salmon. I've been at this for about a month and have seen just 1lb in weight loss. Any tips??

Thanks!

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Hi There,

Hydrate hydrate hydrate, make sure you are using a balanced electrolyte formula pre and if possible during work outs and then get a fully balanced whey protein recovery drink with 30 mins of finishing. If you are not taking on enough fluids, your body will store them up and it won't produce all the good metabolic reactions that you need to shift fat. BUT before your do ALL of that get a full body composition test done, at your age if you are holding LESS than 15% fat you will struggle and are heading into other medical issues, Unless your diet provides enough fat to compensate. 15% - 20% is a good athletic range. so if you then do the maths you maybe trying to lose something you can't afford to and keep up the performance levels. 

[josephz2va]

It's also how much binge eating you're doing in the day and how it's easy to overeat and gain weight. Some overeat by purchasing a can of nuts for example. A can of nuts is up to 3,000 calories if you're an eating fiend. A bag of popcorn can be between 160 and 1600 calories depending on if it's Skinny Girl or Movie Theater popcorn. Proper portionalizing is key for weight loss as well and avoiding any bad choices like cookies, candy, donuts etc.

[TNWCH]

Have you had a caliper test done to determine your actual lean body mass or body fat?  Get that done, don't trust Body Impediance Analysis that are like the hand held device or the Aria scale.  I love the scale, just don't trust the % as it can be off a little bit (all BIA can).  

It could be possible that you can't lose another 7 pounds and still be healthy and your body is trying to keep you in the healthy range.  The body loves homeostasis -- keeping things where it needs to be and if you are pushing too hard, your body can do things to help protect itself... and you won't lose weight.

[divedragon]

Try Intermittent fasting.  May be the kick you need.  Many techniques and there are a lot of youtube videos directed at women who try it.

Good luck!

[I-train-hard]

IF is not for everyone. If done wrong, will harm your body including thyroid (T 3 –T4) and that is not a joke.

How many people succeed doing IF?   

[sisterrunner]

You are obviously trying to eat a very healthy diet, have you been keeping careful count of your calorie intake? too few calories and you will not loose weight. also if you are not getting your daily consumption of water this can pose a great risk of not being able to drop weight.

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@KristenH wrote:

Really looking for some weight loss advice, will take any help!

I'm a 20 year old D1 college athlete so I'm obviously working out at least 6 days a week. I run about 4-5 miles 3 times a week on top of our lifts and practices. I'm 5'4 and weigh 140lbs and consistently burn over 2500 calories a day. Although I know I have a lot of muscle weight, I am still trying to lose at least 5-7 pounds and it seems nearly impossible. I eat all whole grains, yogurt, nuts, and mainly cook myself veggies and chicken/salmon. I've been at this for about a month and have seen just 1lb in weight loss. Any tips??

Thanks!

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Have you kept a close count on you calories. there are formulas that you can use to calculate how many calories you need to eat in a day. a team nutritionist could help you with this( or athletic trianer). Also make sure you are drinking enough water. Not doing so can be a major contributor to stubborn pounds you cant seem to loose.

[divedragon]

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@I-train-hard wrote:

IF is not for everyone. If done wrong, will harm your body including thyroid (T 3 –T4) and that is not a joke.

How many people succeed doing IF?   

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I am succeeding as are a few others here at fitbit (see thread on intermittent fasting).  It seems a lot of people succeed based on forumns from bodybuilders to just those who what to get healthy..  I agree, its not for everyone, but you don't know until you've tried or at least discussed it with your medical provider.  In all the research I've done (a lot), I have not read any credible studies that show a negative effect, but I suppose it's possible.  I would imagine you'd have to do something pretty bad though or possibly had pre-disposition to thyroid problems.  In the majority of studies, hormones tend to stabalize and the body seems to rid itself of harmful and dying cells.

Leangains.com has a beginner guide and there are numerous books and other sites about how to get started and different methodologies.  So far the evidence is strong that it's a healthy eating protocol, even if you're not trying to loose weight in terms of changing body composition.  I, for one, intend to continue the protocol as a lifestyle change even after I've acheived my weight loss goal. 

[ovie0808]

Any tips or help in weightloss ? 

[divedragon]

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@ovie0808 wrote:

Any tips or help in weightloss ? 

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That is quite an open ended question.  It boils down to calories in vs calories out (I know some will disagree, but there has to be a calorie deficite to loose weight).  I would also recommend you perform exercise as part of your program which will help create that deficite.  Resistance training is a must, no matter your goals.  Compound exercises (bench press, squats, rows, military press, etc - those that involve more than one joint.) for 30 minutes 3 times a week.  Cardio is good too as is just getting more active. 

Be consistent is whatever you do.  Keep your calories at about the same level and try to make sure you are getting good calories.  Meats, Veggies, some fruit and maybe some grains.  Make sure each of these is of high quality.  Pasture/grassfed meat, organic fruits and veggies and 100% whole grain.  Stay away from processed food and fast food.  Exercise consistently and moderately.  Don't go out and try to kill yourself.  Don't be afraid to start slowly and increase as you both loose weight and get stronger, but always strive for increases.  Again, as you loose weight, your metabolism will gradually slow down, so increasing the exercise INTENSITY is key to maintaining weight loss.

Be positive!  Negative emotions can release cortisol which causes our bodies to be resistant to shedding fat.  A positive mental attitude is paramount and will keep you going.  To help, be relaistic in your goals.  Its not going to come off all at once - it takes time.  A pound or two a week is GREAT!

It is really a wholistic approach.  There is not just one thing, but a combination of things that work synergistically to provide results.  If you have specific questions, I'll be glad to try and help you.  I'm not a certified anything, but I do study this a lot and have done so for a long time.  There is a lot of information out there, but not all of it good.  Much of it is outdated and/or based on acedotal evidence rather than real science.  Sometimes you don't have a choice as a lot of good, strong scientific evidence just hasn't been developed.  You have to use your best judgement.  I wish you great luck.

[I-train-hard]

divedragon good luck to you !!

[ovie0808]

great advice thanks 

[MarreFitbit]

Hi everyone! Welcome to the Fitbit Community , hope y'll are doing great (we're starting a new week YAY !).

So happy to see we're trying to help each other with the "Weight Loss Tips". 

Well, in my point of view, I'll have to say that every body is totally different (I don't like to mention this, but when I try to help people with the topic related to  "weight loss" I try to help as much as I can). Anyway, when I was 11 I had eating disorder, of course I stopped eating at all (which affected my health so drastic). When I starting with this I weighted around 160 pounds, 3 or 4 months later I went down to 110 pounds, every single day I was losing and losing weight until I reached 90 pounds in less than 10 months. 

I stopped eating everything since I thought even vegetables or fruit were going to get me fat. I had to go to the doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, because of this silly illness. However, during the process I learnt a lot about how to eat better and lose weight at the same time . I'm weighting 115 pounds and I eat 6 x per day.

I'm not fanatic of exercise but I do love eating . So my best advice would be to visit a nutritionist since they're experts in telling you which is the best way to lose weight (according to your age, gender, physical condition, height, etc.) 

Don't make diets by yourself or based on your thoughts, this will affect your body and your health. Drink water, no cokes, no artificial juices, no chips, no candies (this is the worse part ), no chocolates, no junk food, etc. 

Exercise + eating healthy = The body and the health you're looking for! 

I wish you the best luck ever here, and I feel you sweetie. We get obsessed in losing weight, but let's do it in the right way.  

[Terrik5]

Kristen;

Salmon is a fatty fish, change it to cod or talipa I have some recipes on my Facebook page for both these fish that will help burn fat. check it out! Terri Kaufman of Las Vegas.