Seeing Fat Loss on The Scale...

[Bondurant]

When you're training and dieting super clean, how realistic is it to expect to see weight loss on the scale if you're building lean muscle and losing fat. Are the best measurements how you look and measuring bf%? As much as I know I'm losing fat, and my diet is really, really clean....at 240, 2250 cal X 3 days and 2000 cal X 4 days, I am not seeing dramatic weight loss on the scale about 10 lbs. in 5 weeks. also cardio 5 X's/week. total newbie question but any feedback for impatient dieters would be appreciated!

 

[Lifterforlife]

A 2 lb. per week is about all you want. Do not look for more. Doing anything drastic will result in drastic measures by the body. If clothes are fitting different, etc. this is the best scenario. Scale weight can vary with water retention, etc.

Your calories are pretty low now, would not lower them more. Changes ocurr on a hormonal basis when dieting heavy, and it gets tons worse if you deprive the body too much. Cortisol will be extremely high for instance, metabolic slowdown will ocurr, thyroid output, etc. May even effect livers ability to dump or process glucose. Some of these things if deprived too long can have lasting effects.

 

[Bondurant]

A 2 lb. per week is about all you want. Do not look for more. Doing anything drastic will result in drastic measures by the body. If clothes are fitting different, etc. this is the best scenario. Scale weight can vary with water retention, etc.

Your calories are pretty low now, would not lower them more. Changes ocurr on a hormonal basis when dieting heavy, and it gets tons worse if you deprive the body too much. Cortisol will be extremely high for instance, metabolic slowdown will ocurr, thyroid output, etc. May even effect livers ability to dump or process glucose. Some of these things if deprived too long can have lasting effects.

so right now maintain status quo?

 

[Lifterforlife]

Yeah, I would not cut more calories at this point. This would be a good time to let energy expenditure become that arm of your diet it should be. Try to increase energy expenditure by 10% or so each week.

For the most part, when you get under that 10 cal. per lb. point, things can get pretty hairy. You may in fact even have to raise your calories up back toward your prior maintnenance for a week to "reset" things.

I know it is difficult to and hard to comprehend the idea of actually raising your calories, but you should see some consequences that can happen when too low from my prior post. What are your macros right now?

 

[Bondurant]

macros?

also i have been advised by my trainer to increase my calories and carbs as well. later today i'll post my diet.

 

[Lifterforlife]

Your p/c/f %'s.

 

[Bondurant]

Your p/c/f %'s.

right now it's 255g/75g/30 and at times i'm a little light-headed at night. also i'm 32, 240, 27%. i take 3 i.u.'s gh/ed so i'm holding some water.

M-W-F

7am 1/2 C oatmeal, 2 scoops whey
7:30 core training, plyometrics, sprinting & planking...45min cardio

9:30 9 egg whites, 2 oz lean ground turkey, 1 yolk

11:30 2 oz beef jerky (150 cal, 29g protein, 2g fat)

2:30 1 chicken breast, 1/2 sweet potato, cold green bean salad (has olive oil)

5:00 2 scoops whey, 1/2 whole grain pita w 4 oz turkey or roast beef, lean

5:30 strength training

7:00 4 oz salmon + 3 oz shrimp or 1 chicken breast, 1/2 sweet potato, salad)

9:00 1/2 c kashi go lean, 1/2 c skim milk, 2 scoops whey, 1 tsp sugar

t-th-sat-sun

7:30am cardio 50 minutes except sunday no cardio, maybe bike ride

9:00am 2 slices whole grain toast, sugar free preserves, 9 egg whites, 3 oz smoked salmon

12pm can of tuna

2pm 2oz beef jerky or 2 oz lean turkey breast

5pm 2oz lean ham or turkey, 2 scoops whey, 1/2 C cooked brown rice

5:30 strength training

7:00 2 chicken breasts, veggies (steamed) or 4 oz salmon with veg or 9 egg whites with 3 oz smoked salmon, salad with olive oil vinaigrette usually with any dinner

9:00 1/2 c kashi go lean, 1/2 c skim milk, 2 scoops whey

to tell you the truth i'm not too hungry during the day pre/post workout either but i am losing a bit of energy and i'm scared to increase calories because i'm 240 and would love to be a lean 200-205.

 

[fiction agent]

you say you're 27% body fat.

here's some advice...

use the scale in the beginning to track progress and realize that your body is changing. at that high of a body fat %, you won't see drastic changes in your body on the week to week. the first few weeks it will seem like nothing is happening because you really only judge fat loss by your stomach. but you're losing fat on your legs, arms, etc.

when you drop to around 20% body fat, then you can use the mirror as your guide. it gets hard from here on because losing 2lbs of fat gets to be a lot harder the lower your body fat becomes. this is why the scale can hurt you, because a very clean diet may only show 1lb of fat loss, every week.

if you want to drop 40 lbs, expect the worst. think it will take 10 months to do this and be happy if it takes less. most people fail at diets because they expect too much. just realize this summer you won't be cut with a 6 pack and you'll find your results to be a lot better.

 

[Bondurant]

i had to resign myself to this fact but i will just stay patient and consistent. started plyometrics and explosiveness training today with core emphasis. then i hit up my am cardio right after and return in the evening to lift. diet is super clean, just impatient as everyone is. but thanks for the good advice.

 

[Sassy69]

Sounds like you are off to a good start. The reality is that it seems so slow when you get started and the closer you look to see changes, the less you seem to see. Give it a reasonable 3 weeks from whenever you start the whole thing & you should see changes. Like:

- feeling better
- sleepinig better
- less stress
- clothes feel looser

Don't look at the scale to see changes. Sometimes you see them, sometimes you don't - because the scale measures the total mass of your muscle, fat, water & skeleton. The muscle, fat & water changes all the time - so the scale really doesn't give you much to draw any conclusoins from. If you don't get your bodyfat done regularly (e.g skinfold caliper measurements every week), then you can look to your clothes fit & the mirror for bodyfat changes. But the key is consistency. Your body will respond, but it needs time to adjust how it functions based on a new regimen of fueling it (diet) and new energy demands (training).

 

[*Bunny*]

Sounds like you are off to a good start. The reality is that it seems so slow when you get started and the closer you look to see changes, the less you seem to see. Give it a reasonable 3 weeks from whenever you start the whole thing & you should see changes. Like:

- feeling better
- sleepinig better
- less stress
- clothes feel looser

Don't look at the scale to see changes. Sometimes you see them, sometimes you don't - because the scale measures the total mass of your muscle, fat, water & skeleton. The muscle, fat & water changes all the time - so the scale really doesn't give you much to draw any conclusoins from. If you don't get your bodyfat done regularly (e.g skinfold caliper measurements every week), then you can look to your clothes fit & the mirror for bodyfat changes. But the key is consistency. Your body will respond, but it needs time to adjust how it functions based on a new regimen of fueling it (diet) and new energy demands (training).

^^ For emphasis

 

[dce2956]

I'm finally gettin to the lower side of bf%, and i'm lovin it, but one thing I'm not liking is the weight I'm at. Although i'm cutting and weighing myself twice a week to try and guage process, I'm starting to learn to judge progress by my lifts and the mirror. If you check out my thread, you'll see that one day I'll be at 184, and then 3 days later 186, but I look like i've lost weight. I know once I'm done with this cutting cycle, the only thing I'm going to use is the mirror and how I feel and how my workouts go. I KNOW I look and feel much better now at 185 than i did at the beginning of last summer at almost 170.

 

[Bondurant]

I'm finally gettin to the lower side of bf%, and i'm lovin it, but one thing I'm not liking is the weight I'm at. Although i'm cutting and weighing myself twice a week to try and guage process, I'm starting to learn to judge progress by my lifts and the mirror. If you check out my thread, you'll see that one day I'll be at 184, and then 3 days later 186, but I look like i've lost weight. I know once I'm done with this cutting cycle, the only thing I'm going to use is the mirror and how I feel and how my workouts go. I KNOW I look and feel much better now at 185 than i did at the beginning of last summer at almost 170.

i'm in the same boat, and i'm going to take a month off from getting on the scale. i have religiously followed my diet and am training very hard. i think weighing yourself month to month will allow reformed fat people to work more on essentials such as training, increasing cardio capacity, and overall endurance and strength. i'm supplementing cardio/lifting with 3 days a week of plyometrics/explosiveness training and that is beating the hell out of me. i also feel great....still......

it's hard to be patient

thanks for all the GREAT advice!!!!!!

 

[Lifterforlife]

Bodybuilding is as much about illusion as anything. This is probably the only way you can actually gain weight and look better. Or lose weight, and look bigger. More definition, though the scale is down, you can actually "appear" bigger due to the cuts.

 

[gymratforlife]

Awesome posts by every one,lots of good info here.I have been dieting for a year now eating clean with cheat meals here and there and started seeing my abs about 5 months ago.It took me a good 7 months to get them and now I am at 10% bf trying to get to 7% and maintain there.

 

[Bondurant]

It took me a good 7 months to get them and now I am at 10% bf trying to get to 7% and maintain there.

gymrat what were you when you first started? bf%? what is your training/cardio program?

 

[gymratforlife]

gymrat what were you when you first started? bf%? what is your training/cardio program?

Well when I first really started was 3 years ago and I started at 246 lbs and possibly over 35% bf.Remember I am only 5'6".I have been doing around 1hour of cardio and sometimes 2 hours since then and watching my diet cheating here and there once in a while to keep my sanity.I have been droping weight for 3 years since and sometimes it gets slower than others.I am now 185 with around 10% bf or lower.I try to burn 1000 calories a day on the eliptical,that way I know if I eat my maintenance calories I am still at 1000 calorie deficit daily.Hope this helps.

 

[Bondurant]

Well when I first really started was 3 years ago and I started at 246 lbs and possibly over 35% bf.Remember I am only 5'6".I have been doing around 1hour of cardio and sometimes 2 hours since then and watching my diet cheating here and there once in a while to keep my sanity.I have been droping weight for 3 years since and sometimes it gets slower than others.I am now 185 with around 10% bf or lower.I try to burn 1000 calories a day on the eliptical,that way I know if I eat my maintenance calories I am still at 1000 calorie deficit daily.Hope this helps.

totally helps....i try and burn 1000 on the elliptical also. i go for 60 min plus the cooldown on 8 intensity with the decline-incline program. usually i burn about 935. what do you do so i can hit 1000 cal burned? and also thanks a lot, you're 3 years of consistency serves as GREAT motivation, as do your stats. CONGRATS BRO!

 

[gymratforlife]

totally helps....i try and burn 1000 on the elliptical also. i go for 60 min plus the cooldown on 8 intensity with the decline-incline program. usually i burn about 935. what do you do so i can hit 1000 cal burned? and also thanks a lot, you're 3 years of consistency serves as GREAT motivation, as do your stats. CONGRATS BRO!

Thanx bro,sometimes itsgoing to get super tough mentally and your going to want to drop everything and take the easy route but trust me you will always get progress as long as you stick with it,just seems slower at times but still progress.As far as hitting 1000 calories I actually do the hour and then some more time to get to the actual 1000,if I dont I end up at around 950 also.

 

[lacoste]

K to you gymrat. Great success man. That is dedication.