Really? 2 months no difference...

[JumBie]

I have been actively working out (heavy lifting, treadmill) for the past 2 1/2 months. Been watching my calorie count (no specific diet) and eating relatively healthy. I never eat over my BMR, i stay relatively close but enough for my exercise to make a dent in it. So far, i have noticed definition in my muscle, and an increase in strength. However, there is 0 change in my weight, and in my stomach. Every pound is stored in my stomach, i have no fat on my arms, legs, neck or face, yet my stomach is as big as ever. I don't know what to do.

Last year I went on my version of a low carb diet, and lost 40lbs in 2 months. I felt healthy, and looked great best of all my stomach was slim. Then, I was in a predicament in my life where i was out of work and school for a whole semester, and i gained ALL the weight back plus some. Now I am not sure if i should just leave the gym and try a diet or what. I tried my version of the atkins again in January, and did not see the scale move all month. Thats when i gave up on the diet and headed to the gym, still no change. Whats wrong with me, what do i have to do to see some results.

BTW: Title should have said 3 months. This is ongoing since January.

 

[mple]

Height, weight, age, BMR, TDEE, and lifting program? Would also help if you broke your diet.

If you've truly been eating at your BMR (aka the minimum calories needed to maintain a vegetative state), then the only suggestion I could give you would be to start increasing your caloric intake.

 

[BeeBoop]

Eat less.

 

[Saint Nick]

Eat less.

This isn't good advice, based on what the OP has told us. If he is eating under his BMR, there is no way his body is going lose body fat.

As for the OP: I would say, find your TDEE and eat 15% or so below it, and track all of your food with accuracy. Come back in a couple months and see if you've made any changes. But keep up the workout.

 

[Ashenor]

Did you take measurements before you started? I am glad i did, i have been doing crossfit a bit over 3 months. First month or so i lost a lot of weight. The last month i actually gained 2 lbs, and was pretty mad. Then i went back and measured and realized in the last month i lost another 2"s off my waist, and all the measurements went down a good amount, arms went up a bit.

So if you feel better, keep it going the stomach will come off, but i am sure you are making progress.

 

[Blackjack200]

This isn't good advice, based on what the OP has told us. If he is eating under his BMR, there is no way his body is going lose body fat.

As for the OP: I would say, find your TDEE and eat 15% or so below it, and track all of your food with accuracy. Come back in a couple months and see if you've made any changes. But keep up the workout.

If he's really under his BMR, there is no way his weight could possibly stay the same. He'd be losing fat, muscle, everything.

OP, when you say "BMR" are you sure you don't mean "caloric maintenance"?

How many calories are you eating per day and what is your current height/weight?

 

[blackdogdeek]

Can you give us your current height and weight and then tell us exactly what you are eating?

 

[pauldun170]

I have been actively working out (heavy lifting, treadmill) for the past 2 1/2 months. Been watching my calorie count (no specific diet) and eating relatively healthy. I never eat over my BMR, i stay relatively close but enough for my exercise to make a dent in it. So far, i have noticed definition in my muscle, and an increase in strength. However, there is 0 change in my weight, and in my stomach. Every pound is stored in my stomach, i have no fat on my arms, legs, neck or face, yet my stomach is as big as ever. I don't know what to do.

Last year I went on my version of a low carb diet, and lost 40lbs in 2 months. I felt healthy, and looked great best of all my stomach was slim. Then, I was in a predicament in my life where i was out of work and school for a whole semester, and i gained ALL the weight back plus some. Now I am not sure if i should just leave the gym and try a diet or what. I tried my version of the atkins again in January, and did not see the scale move all month. Thats when i gave up on the diet and headed to the gym, still no change. Whats wrong with me, what do i have to do to see some results.

BTW: Title should have said 3 months. This is ongoing since January.

Stop chasing popular diet fads.
Simplify and purify diet permanently.
Lifestyle change might be in order.

Key items - Meat (Chicken and Fish or vegetarian alternative) and a variety of vegetables (brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach etc etc) that will satisfy your vitamin and mineral requirements)

Dropping gluten products from your diet might be a wise choice
Drop anything that's processed or contains artificial crap.

Do not touch anything that says "Diet" on the label.


See a nutritionist, eat properly and stick to your scheduled workouts\activities.
If you say your are going to the gym 4 days a week.
Stick to that schedule and do not make excuses.
Having said that, you should be active EVERY day. You should need a gym to be active.

If you say you are going to stop drinking soda or sugary juices.
Drop it completely and no exceptions.

Fix your diet (catered to you...not all food combinations work for eveybody) and everything else will follow

 

[JumBie]

Height: 6ft 1
Weight: 205lbs
Age:23

BMR 2082.7


Breakfast:
Black coffee
3 eggs, 3 pieces turkey bacon
1 piece of 12 grain toast (some carbs for the day)

Lunch:
Chicken salad
Apple
Water

Dinner:
Chicken breast
Little bit of brown rice or quinoa
broccoli, cauliflower, spinach

Snacks:
Almonds
Cranberries
Apple

That is basically what my meals consist of usually lunch and dinner change up with fish, or beef.

Usually my caloric intake is between 1700-2000
I treadmill on 15 incline for 40 minutes. (300 calorie burn)
Lift weights for about an hour and a half (Heavy)
These both occur roughly 4 times a week.

I drink plenty of water throughout the day, and take a multivitamin, omega 3, b12, and pro biotic in the morning. I don't feel any healthier, nor do i look any better.

I will admit, I do drink at least once a week. When I do drink, its beers and I drink pretty heavy. I do not however eat junk or eat more even when I consume alcohol. Id venture to say i drink 5-7 tall cans of beer usually try to make them all Coors light but if not they are premium imports. I'd say that I consume around 1100 calories of beer. On the day that i drink, my diet is the same, exercise regime is the same. So i probably consume at most 3000 calories total on drinking days.

When I did my diet a year ago and lost 40lbs I cut off all drinking during that time, maybe I need to cut out drinking for good?

 

[rga]

I think that, if you're being honest about what you're eating, those 5-7 tallboys once a week aren't really hurting you. If you are lifting as heavy as you say you are, perhaps the weight you are losing in fat is being replaced by muscle. Measure yourself and see. If your weight is staying constant but your waist is shrinking you're probably on the right track.

 

[T2urtle]

^ that's what I was thinking. Fat turning into muscle. Its starting at your arms since u can see the tone. I think its hard to target fat lost in a certain area.

 

[Wyndru]

Very similar to what I'm going through the right now, I've been exactly the same weight since I decided to get serious again about exercise in January, and my gut and love handles aren't changing at all.

I do cardio (eliptical about 30 mins on high resistance) 3 times a week, lifting (SL 5x5) 3 times a week, 1 rest day.

I'm basically just eating meat and vegetables and tracking my diet with the loseit app, which I'm coming in about 200 calories under the target (I set it to lose 1 lb a week, but I don't calculate my exercise either).

I was originally cutting out drinking, but have slipped the past few weekends and probably took in about 1400 calories in beer 3 separate times over the last month.

I was hoping the same thing, that it was just fat turning into muscle, but I feel like other than slight (very slight) muscle definition I haven't changed much at all. Makes it tough to stay inspired to keep dieting and tearing up my muscles 3 times a week.

 

[Zivic]

change your cardio to HIIT... 40 minutes to burn 300 is barely moving. I can do a calculated 300 in 16 minutes on my octane.

Also, try to do the cardio on the days you don't lift. If you must do it the same day, make sure you ALWAYS do it after you lift.

my other thoughts -> you aren't eating enough. and 2 months may seem like a long time, but if you haven't been working out for a while it might be the time your body needs to make an adjustment to the change.

are your lifts going up/are you getting stronger?

 

[mple]

JumBie, you aren't eating enough if those macros are accurate. The sample diet you posted also looks deficient in dietary fat as well.

Worth a watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHzie6XRGk

^ that's what I was thinking. Fat turning into muscle. Its starting at your arms since u can see the tone. I think its hard to target fat lost in a certain area.

Adipose tissue does not "turn" into muscle. The body mobilizes both adipose tissue and muscle tissue for energy when the body is in a net catabolic state and synthesizes both tissue types when the body is in a net anabolic state. There is no such thing as targeted fat loss either.

 

[KIAman]

3 months isn't really that long to see a lot of difference. Also, I never see a difference on my own body but people who occasionally see me (like family) see a huge difference every time we get together (once every 3 months).

Also, if your stomach is staying the same, get the rest of your body much bigger so your stomach looks smaller.

When I first started working out, I was size 34 and looked skinny fat with a potbelly. Now I am size 34 and look well proportioned with no potbelly and look kinda skinny around the tummy. All because I grew everywhere else, LOL.

 

[JimKiler]

Did you check your waistline? I hear that will change before you see a drop in weight since you are not losing weight, you are converting it to muscle right now.

 

[Blackjack200]

Height: 6ft 1
Weight: 205lbs
Age:23

BMR 2082.7


Breakfast:
Black coffee
3 eggs, 3 pieces turkey bacon
1 piece of 12 grain toast (some carbs for the day)

Lunch:
Chicken salad
Apple
Water

Dinner:
Chicken breast
Little bit of brown rice or quinoa
broccoli, cauliflower, spinach

Snacks:
Almonds
Cranberries
Apple

That is basically what my meals consist of usually lunch and dinner change up with fish, or beef.

Usually my caloric intake is between 1700-2000
I treadmill on 15 incline for 40 minutes. (300 calorie burn)
Lift weights for about an hour and a half (Heavy)
These both occur roughly 4 times a week.

I drink plenty of water throughout the day, and take a multivitamin, omega 3, b12, and pro biotic in the morning. I don't feel any healthier, nor do i look any better.

I will admit, I do drink at least once a week. When I do drink, its beers and I drink pretty heavy. I do not however eat junk or eat more even when I consume alcohol. Id venture to say i drink 5-7 tall cans of beer usually try to make them all Coors light but if not they are premium imports. I'd say that I consume around 1100 calories of beer. On the day that i drink, my diet is the same, exercise regime is the same. So i probably consume at most 3000 calories total on drinking days.

When I did my diet a year ago and lost 40lbs I cut off all drinking during that time, maybe I need to cut out drinking for good?

The bolded: These are not amounts. You need to track every calorie you eat and be conservative. Macros don't matter beyond making sure that you get enough protein (~1g per lb. lean bodyweight) and enough fat (~30-40 grams I believe)

I'll give you an example.

This morning I had scrambled eggs, spinach and whey protein for breakfast.

That's -

1/3 tbspn butter (for the pan): 34 calories
3 tbspn whole milk (to mix with the eggs: 28 calories
3 large eggs: 214 calories
1 package (10 oz.) frozen spinach: 105 calories
2 scoops whey: 120 calories
------------------------------------------------------
501 calories

This afternoon I had Soup, broccoli, and cottage cheese for lunch.

That's:

1 can Progresso Hearty Chicken Pot Pie style soup: 280 calories
1 package (10 oz.) frozen broccoli: 90 calories
1 individual serving breaksone's 2% cottage cheese: 90 calories
----------------------------------------------------------
460 calories

This evening I will have frozen grilled chicken with buttered noodles and broccoli.

Thats -

3 oz. elbow macaroni: 300 calories
1 package (10 oz.) frozen broccoli: 90 calories
6 oz. frozen chicken breast: 220 calories
1 tbspn. butter: 102 calories
2 tbspn. bbq sauce: 70 calories
Cup of tea with 1 tbspn. honey: 60 calories
---------------------------------------------------
842 calories

1803 calories for the day, 30 under my budget of 1833 calories.

Note, the diet is not perfect, I've got to bring the protein up a little bit, it's only at 150g, and it needs to be at 200g. But it's gotten better over time.

You have to log everything. The beers you drink, the nuts you have as snacks, Omega 3 pills, everything. Those are loaded with fat, do you know how quickly those calories add up? A small bag of peanuts at my vending machine is like 350 calories.

I've used Lose It! to track everything and lost 35 lbs in about 10 weeks (that's a little too fast, but it's slowing down a bit now to the 2 lbs./week it should be)

When you're in a real caloric defecit, your hair and fingernails will grow slower, your hands will be cold, you'll think about food all the time, and you'll feel lethargic and have trouble concentrating. At least that's how it is for me. It sucks. It's why I have no interest in "cheat" days. I want to get down to weight ASAP so I can switch to either caloric maintanence or start bulking.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

I'm a weigher but there's a simpler alternative method that rippedbody recommends.
http://rippedbody.jp/2011/10/18/want-to-make-your-if-leangains-diet-simpler-dont-count-calories/

 

[Insomniator]

I would think that if you stuck to any kind of diet and workout routine nearly as well as you have described there would be a noticeable difference after 10 weeks.

Did you take before pics?

 

[mple]

When you're in a real caloric defecit, your hair and fingernails will grow slower, your hands will be cold, you'll think about food all the time, and you'll feel lethargic and have trouble concentrating. At least that's how it is for me. It sucks. It's why I have no interest in "cheat" days. I want to get down to weight ASAP so I can switch to either caloric maintanence or start bulking.

Those symptoms manifest from a prolonged low fat diet. Fat should really be kept at a minimum of 0.4-0.5g/lb at all times.

Note, the diet is not perfect, I've got to bring the protein up a little bit, it's only at 150g, and it needs to be at 200g. But it's gotten better over time.

No special benefits in regards to lean mass retention from increasing protein from 150g to 200g, but I do find increased protein intake from meat sources helps a lot with satiety.

 

[jaedaliu]

Are you weighing your foods?

Are you keeping a food journal?

Those 2 things should help immensly with calculating calorie count. Without weighing and a food journal, people tend to understimate calories.

 

[Blackjack200]

Those symptoms manifest from a prolonged low fat diet. Fat should really be kept at a minimum of 0.4-0.5g/lb at all times.

I have never heard anyone suggest that that much fat intake is required, or that failing to get it will result in those symptoms. The symptoms I describe are what you'd expect anytime someone is in a caloric deficit. Fingernails and hair are made of protein, not fat. They grow slower because the body is conserving as much as it can.

No special benefits in regards to lean mass retention from increasing protein from 150g to 200g, but I do find increased protein intake from meat sources helps a lot with satiety.

I suspect you're right. That being said, 1g/lb. of body weight is the figure I see constantly, so I figure I should at least try to hit it.

 

[TwiceOver]

I'm not an expert, and all of this is so subjective that I don't think anyone really is. But here's my two cents.

I don't think you are eating enough. You say you "drink heavy" about once a week, take that down to half or none. A calorie isn't simply a calorie, otherwise we'd all just eat snickers bars all day and drink beer. A 15 incline ( I assume walking) is great to burn up leg muscles, but to burn fat all around you need to be moving and sweating, profusely. Jog at a 6.5+. Do a HIIT routine. Drink 64oz+ of water per day, better yet don't drink anything but water. For fat burning, try getting in at least 45 min of cardio every day.

These are my opinions...

 

[Wyndru]

A calorie isn't simply a calorie, otherwise we'd all just eat snickers bars all day and drink beer.

I think this is where my problem lies. I always come in under my caloric intake (not even counting exercise), yet there are still days where part of the intake is beer or ice cream, something I should'nt be eating. All of these weight loss apps have me thinking that the main formula is "Calories in < Calories Burned" but I am quickly learning that is not the only factor, unfortunately.

Based on my LoseIt app, I should have been losing more than 1 lbs a week, yet I haven't lost anything in 3 months. I just upped it to 2 lbs a week (1750 calories/day) and will be more aware of what I'm eating.

 

[TwiceOver]

I think this is where my problem lies. I always come in under my caloric intake (not even counting exercise), yet there are still days where part of the intake is beer or ice cream, something I should'nt be eating. All of these weight loss apps have me thinking that the main formula is "Calories in < Calories Burned" but I am quickly learning that is not the only factor, unfortunately.

Based on my LoseIt app, I should have been losing more than 1 lbs a week, yet I haven't lost anything in 3 months. I just upped it to 2 lbs a week (1750 calories/day) and will be more aware of what I'm eating.

It's not the greatest thing trying to eat healthy. For me my meals now consist of basically the same thing at every plate.

Protein Source + Vegetable (fruit for breakfast) + Water.
Fruit, Nuts, Cottage Cheese snacks
Protein Shakes, Greek Yogurt treats

Lost 85 pounds in ~8 months. I still eat the same way now but increased my amounts to coincide with my workouts. I alternate running/biking/elliptical 6 days per week but focus on running with Wednesday being my long run day.

Also, for the love of god, don't drink your calories.

These are my opinions...